- I still have a tendency to get hurt when someone is critical or speaks harshly. I'm too over-sensitive. I feel like the Lord told me He's making me into His little duck - and these kind of words/negative energies coming at me will roll off me like water off a duck's back. So, I decided to look up what makes water roll off a duck's back so easily. This is what I found.

Ducks spend a lot of time preening, ie: spreading oil over the top layer of feathers. They get the oil from a gland. This coating creates such a shield that water is repelled and cannot penetrate the outer layer! Two other interesting facts: Ducklings with "down" are not protected. In fact, their soft hair-like feathers hold the water....they can get so soaked and weighed down that they can't swim. Some even drown! Also, the oil gland can get plugged with dirt and dander and the duck can't access the oil. However, soaking in a warm bath can unplug the gland and the oil flows again!  Hmmm.....some interesting analogies here....Holy Spirit teach away!

+ It's pretty obvious isn't it, my little swimmer? I have promised you that I would "harden you to difficulty"...toughen you up....and this is a good lesson in how this comes about! When that criticism came at you recently, it was as though you had no feathers, only down, something that actually absorbed the weight of the remark. In your spirit, you heard Me tell you that I want you to be like a duck with water rolling off her back. So....all you need to do My love is:
1) Spend a lot of time preening...Spread the oil of gladness....the oil of the Lamb of God (that expensive oil of Love purchased at so high a price)... spread it over you and feel the power of this impenetrable shield! Ducks were created to swim, yet they would not be able to survive without continually applying this oil. So, My love, continually apply this oil of gladness around your mind and heart. Let it protect you from the weight of someone else's weakness. You needn't be dragged down. I'm getting you to the point where something like this won't even be an issue. These petty things will simply roll off your back. You also need to remember:
2) You are not a baby ducking...unprotected. You have an armor about you. The way you preen and strengthen this armor is by staying thankful... filled with praise... laughing and living in the Joy of your Lord, your Strength! You don't have "down"...so don't think you have to hold and absorb hurts, letting them weigh you down. Keep on preening in the Goodness...Mercy and Love of the Lord and you will be completely free. Your freedom will not be compromised by anything someone else does. This will also keep you free from judgment and bitterness...things that can clog the outpouring of healing oil. Don't forget:
3) The duck's oil gland can be blocked by dirt and dander. This represents any unforgiveness and critical thinking that you feel justified in picking up in response to your mistreatment. Live lightly! Let go! This is such a happy, carefree way to live. When you let things roll off your back, you don't feel a need to respond and/or protect yourself. You've already been protected! You have a continuous supply of the oil of gladness that keeps you safe.Finally:
4) My people are called peculiar because they do not live in this world....walking in this world's ways... Instead, they live their lives in the Kingdom. Some people think this makes them quacks!!! :) But I say, be my little, happy quack! Keep your oil gland soaking in the warmth of your Father's Presence.  When you live in the Kingdom, you get to experience the beauty ...freedom and refreshment of the River of Life right here...right now....now and forevermore! Exciting isn't it? That's why I'm always telling you to rejoice!! Enjoy the Living Water and the fun of a resilient life. This is Freedom!

- How do l learn to love?

+ I see my beloved, that you want to be able to love and that you assess your actions and find them lacking. You feel incapable of truly loving like your Father has called you to love. But my precious one, He would never ask you to do something He will not enable you to do. So here's a perfect image of what it means to belong to Me...where you no longer strive for separate acts of love - but, in Me - you are love. Think of a clear carafe of pure water. Then imagine a drop of blue food coloring… and another drop swirled into the transparent water. With each drop, a new identity appears. The water has been transformed. Now the carafe is filled with the same water, only now, it is sparkly blue. My identity - by the power of the Holy Spirit - permeates your identity – colors it - transforms it totally. There is no separation possible between the clear water and the colored water. They are one. So too when I penetrate your being: I am Love, and in Me, you are love. It is the same with My Peace, My Joy, all the qualities - the fruit of the Spirit; they color who you are and then your separate actions manifest what has happened to you. Think of this transformation. It will help you understand that you cannot change yourself by will power. You change yourself by coming to Me. The Spirit is in charge of transforming you. This is why you can relax and rejoice. This good news is truly something to smile about! So come to Me in your mind and heart throughout this day. This colors everything about your day. You are loved completely. You have been given a new nature - one that responds the same for all who are in your life. It is finished. Live in Joy… in Peace… in perfect Love. 

       

-Teach me how to forgive. I so want to be able to live my
life without having ANY hard feelings towards ANYONE... 
hmmmm "hard" feelings... that sums it up perfectly.  

+ There is something I want you to always remember. Keep this in the forefront of your mind and heart. Think about what I said on the cross: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

People who wound you really have no idea of the emotional and psychological damage their actions can cause. They are unthinking…often insensitive…many times concerned with themselves…but most times, your injury is a secondary thing….not their purposeful intent. They truly know not what they do.

Because I understood this so well, I was able to separate the actions of an angry, stirred-up mob from the deeds of the foolish, weak people My Father sent me to save. His deep love overshadowed Me even in My most desperate situation, and kept My vision clear. His love knows no measure. That day, I showed you the way to love your enemies and those who hurt you: pray a blessing on them. Ask the Father to forgive them. Refrain from judging their motives or from thinking you know their hearts. Leave that to your Father, who keeps you safe and protects your heart even as He did Mine despite the pain. Freedom was what I came to buy.  Because you are in Me (in Me you live and move and have your being) your responses to all that could disappoint you or hurt you have been redeemed. You can expect to be filled with that living water gushing out of you.  That same relationship I had with the Father is yours. You are an heir apparent!! Yes….it is clear! There is power that resides in you to love just like your Papa loves. So, get ready to meet your day with high expectation of the Spirit’s empowering. He will never fail you. Shalom!

- Lord, teach me the secret of living in Your peace.

+ My beloved….When you choose to rest in Me throughout the course of your day, you lift yourself out of the moment and declare eternity. In Me, there is no time, so when you rest and trust, you are seeing what formerly caused worry and distress from a different perspective. This is Freedom and it is the Joy that is your Strength. No longer are you bound by your limited vision. All your prayers that once were filled with angst are now quiet declarations of trust. You know Me. You know your Father. The Holy Spirit lives in you to keep you in that place of abundance. Heaven is only about abundance and joy and favor and light and fulfillment. All that is poverty and sadness and lack and darkness and deferred hope must bow to the supremacy of the God of all that is Good. This is the Good News and it is YOUR Good News. It is why you can rest and live each day in productive joy. You are in Me and nothing and no one can ever change that. You belong to the Father and He loves His own with a vengeance. He guards His own and delights to reveal to them the enormity of His boundless Love. Enjoy the wonder revealed to you this day. Entrust every care to Him. There is no safer, surer way to live. Declare the triumph of the cross over the minutes of your day and see the goodness of the Lord overshadow all….taking all death captive and leading you by His Powerful Right Hand into the land of the living. Expect this goodness. Wait and look for and rejoice in it. It is your inheritance…right here…right now. Peace that is yours…complete Peace and Rest that covers you over with Light and Laughter….God’s radiant Smile. Rest and rejoice. You are His much-loved child. This can never change. It is forever. So you see, this day has been overtaken by eternity – redeemed already! Truly this is good news forever!

 "For what we are about to receive, may the Lord, make us truly grateful."

  

 

+ This is a prayer that people routinely pray over their meals. But I want you to stop and think of these words.  They can be a blessing over your whole life… minute by minute. When you become more and more aware of the unwarranted, unrelenting blessings throughout the minutes of your day, this prayer takes on new meaning. It signifies the hope that precedes your day - the understanding and awareness of the boundless goodness of your Father Who shines on you no matter what events occur during your day. It is the buoyant expectancy that knows that your heavenly Father watches over you with an intensity and graciousness and liberality that has no rival. This is why you rejoice. You understand the meaning of Calvary… Everything about your life has been redeemed…each moment infused with that same power that broke the cords of death that held humanity down. Be full of joy. Watch the manifestation of Perfect Love as it unfolds and graces your every moment. His love is the same, working completely for you, sustaining you, whether you acknowledge it or not. But it's the recognition of this all-powerful love that is yours, working to empower you, that brings you total peace and immovable joy. Thy kingdom come, oh Father, in all its glory and rejoicing! Filled to overflowing, you are greeted with that Smile - His Shining face everywhere you go. This is your confidence. This is your security. This is your strength. This is life to the full. Enjoy it!

- Lord, I really want to know You the way You intend to be known. Every day I ask You Lord to show me Who You are and Who You want to be for me throughout the moments of my life.

 

 

“I am the God of green Hope – filling you up with Joy…filling you up with Peace, so that your believing life filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit will brim over with Hope.” Romans 15:13 – The Message

 

+ This is Who I am!  Everything GOOD and BEAUTIFUL - HEALING - and SATISFYING. I am the SOURCE of all that you desire. I am the ANSWER to every question. I am the BALM for every wound. I am the PROMISE that trumps every evil. I am the TRUTH that clarifies every distortion. I AM Who AM and  I am CONSTANT – UNCHANGING - and very much ALIVE. I am your own FATHER, CREATOR...REDEEMER. I am the ONE WHO made you and designed the path of your life. I am the ONE WHO guides you step by step by the light of the Spirit and Who heals you through the Blood of My Son. You have been rescued – set apart. You have endured the isolation of these many years of being “set apart”, but oh my beloved one, this has been a place of safety and warmth. This place of isolation and silence, where you have felt so unappreciated and unaccepted…this has been the very special place of anointing! This has been your safe haven – the cocoon specifically designed to bring you to the place of flight. I know you. I know exactly what you need to become all that I created you to be. I have helped you learn the secret of high praise in the hidden place and showed you how to lift your voice to Me and you have learned the power of a thankful heart. You have been kept safe from the distractions that would make it so hard to hear My still, small voice. This is a mystery, my Love. It’s a lesson in Hope. Trust Me, I haven’t forgotten the treasure of your labor…the work of your hands….your crop...sown… often in tears. I have promised that you will come rejoicing with a beautiful harvest in your hands. My Joy has proven to you that I am more than enough. My triumph is in you. It is LIFE...won for you by the power of the resurrection. Now....this day.....Peace, Joy, Bounty and Satisfaction....are the sheaves you carry in your heart because you have continued trusting in the One Who calls you His own. You know that nothing can separate you from My Perfect Love. And with this Love you have everything. This is the secret of the Kingdom. It is a great and wonderful thing that secures you in confidence. The Kingdom of Heaven is indeed IN YOU. Blessed is she who believes that what the Lord has promised will be done. So believe, dear one, it WILL be done unto you according to My Word. This is why nothing can touch your peace and joy.

 

-Lord, how I long to live my life in the full consciousness of Your Presence and Love.  Overshadow me, Lord.  Purify my heart.  Help me to release all cares into your Hand.  Lord, I draw near to You knowing that You are here.

 

+ I am here with you in the deepest regions of your soul and spirit. My “yes” sustains you…fills you…draws you…enables you and loves you completely.  Live this day certain of your status as a treasured, beloved bride. I overshadow ALL that concerns you.  All that weighs on your heart belongs on My heart.  This is the covenant….the marriage contract. Rest and trust in the strength of my joy and rejoice throughout this day.  It is a gift to be treasured.  Go about your work with the silent satisfaction of one who knows the heart of her lover.  Let this knowledge color each moment as bright as the trees outside your window, splashing the wild color against the sky. 
Give all to me…all concerns…all anxiety…all fear…all questions…all guilt. Free yourself from every encumbrance and wait for the bounty of my voice filling your heart with music and delight.  The Father is all Delight and Goodness and Favor and Joy.  With your arms open- free from all burdens- you can raise your hands in anticipation….a little girl running to the waiting, welcoming arms of a perfect Father.  Here is where you spend your day…under His smile…in the heart-song of His laughter…and at every turn, you are encouraged and led along the path before you.  This is the Kingdom of God, purchased for you that your joy and understanding will spill out over all you meet, transforming the darkness of pain and disappointment.  This is the assignment for this day.  Joy, joy, laughter and joy….Abundance is like that!

"and throwing off his outer garment, he leaped up and came to Jesus and Jesus said to him "What do you want me to do for you?" Mark 10: 50-51

 

-Lord, in so many ways, I am blind...wrapped in an outer garment of worldly blindness.  Help me to throw off this outer garment and leap up and come to you knowing that it is your will and desire to be all that I need in every situation. Lord, I want to worship you with all I am.... especially as one who has seen You in all your love, mercy, kindness, power and compassion. Lord, that I may see is ever my cry to you.  More and more, may the light of my eyes be YOU.

  

+Like a snake shedding its old skin or a flower emerging from its protective encasing, you are throwing off the thinking that keeps you from seeing who you are in Me.  I am the source for all sight.  I ever come down your street and hear your heart cry out to me.  I hear your silent cries too and they make my heart leap towards you in joy.  How happy I am that you yearn to be Mine!  This desire has been birthed in you by the power of the Holy Spirit to teach you of the Kingdom within you.  Consequently, as you find that you are decreasing and I am increasing, the throne of the Father becomes more and more the home of your heart, as it is Mine.  I came that you might have life Abundant, which means, I came to place you in the radiant Love of the throne room, before which all of creation SINGS.  This, my love, is the secret place where you are fully healed and are all that you were created to be.  So yes…throw off any outer garments that have covered your mind and heart and come to the Bridegroom who loves you completely. I am teaching you how to see your beauty through my eyes…. to be happy that you are who you are.  It is my job to groom you and make you spotless for the King.  It is your job only to leap up and come to me, which you are doing.  Live in great expectation and hope of what amazing thing I will do next to take you one step closer to heaven.  I have done the work of the cross and continue to give you eyes to see.  Live here in the light of my joy…. here in my arms.  Walk this day as my slave, ready to do my bidding, knowing that you are royalty.  Whatever you do to the least in this world, you do unto me.  You are kissing Me when you give your love to the unlovable.  You have eyes that see when I am your vision.  This is the best life possible because it is out from under the garment of the prince of darkness.  His power is powerless in this lighted arena where the King of Kings is on the throne… where you find that your blood has been mixed with royalty. You are under the complete protection of the Majesty of the High King… your Father….Who treasures and keeps you safe at all times.  This is the Kingdom come….right here….right now in your life. 

-How I love fall! Everywhere I look, creation is displaying God's glory. It's such a perfect illustration of Eugene Peterson's beautiful translation of      Psalm 23:6 "Your Beauty and Love chase after me every day of my life."  
Autumn is a love song for the eyes and heart. 

+All of nature reflects My lavish hand.  All of nature celebrates the goodness of the Lord.  The Father is extravagant.  He has made the trees to sing a colored song of His beauty and He has given His children eyes to drink in that beauty.  The wind blows the colored­-confetti-leaves across the sky and they twirl and catch sunlight as they spin down to cover the ground.  There’s a party going on!  It’s the continuous Joy of heaven reflected for a brief moment every autumn.  It’s the riotous gladness of the goodness of God Who sees all and cares for all and gave All for all…that none may perish and all might live in glory.

 Take this stunning reflection of beauty and majesty and know that transformation is ever the work of My hand.  I know you.  I know your struggles and I can blow the dead and dying leaves off the landscape of your heart.  I can renew your mind and your heart and your spirit.  It is the work I love to do.  You cannot do this for yourself, so just come and sit and rest and let me plant the seeds of spring deep in you . . . fill you with expectation and hope . . . surround you with songs of gladness and victory. Because I have won all the battles for you, you need only stand and see the deliverance of your Lord.    

Know this . . . I never change . . . I never fail . . . I never turn away and I am always your encourager and champion.  The battle that seeks to destroy you is smoldering like an old fire. Only embers remain.  Do not feed these embers with thoughts that enflame the enemy forces.  My Spirit – your Advocate - pours living water on these destructive coals. You can be free from ever having to feel the tidal wave of failure overcome you.  The fire of My Spirit is like a firewall that is erected purposely to contain and destroy the wildness and power of an out-of-control fire. Right now – as the fiery leaves swirl before you – I am building a firewall of protection around your mind and heart.  Your security is solid.  The enemy’s heat might be felt, but the Spirit’s fire will protect you utterly from being hurt.

 

 So, dance in your heart before the Lord of your heart. You are loved and yearned for by the Source of all love and all romance Who knows every doubt…. every hurt…. every fear…. and Who calls you by name to be His own. Run to Him…. the Word is near you…it is in your mouth.  Yes…. a thousand times He has said only “Yes” to you …Let your heart and your lips dance your yes back to Him with all your might.  The joy that will descend will swirl around you like autumn leaves…your own robe of many colors…. the sign of your status in the heart of God as a favored bride… loved without measure…. secure…. beautiful…safe in the arms of her beloved.  This is life as it was designed to be lived.  Live it, beloved.  Live it. This Word is truth.  The Truth has set you free!

-Meditating on the peace of the Lord…learning to release everything (palms down) and receive the Lord's response (palms up).

 

+ The image I give you is of a lighthouse standing firm in a raging storm. Waves crash… buoys bounce and are even pulled off their moorings… but this lighthouse (which is you - firmly planted in me - filled with the power and love and beauty and light of the Kingdom of Heaven) stands firm. All that rages against it is as nothing at all. Inside this place of safety, which you both indwell and represent, you live in the lighthouse which is the Kingdom and you are the lighthouse in Me. This is the secret place where I have placed you. This environment is a haven of beauty and healing… of rest and joy… of light and satisfaction. OUTSIDE is bitter cold - gray crashing waters - roaring winds – WITHIN is  the sound of nature - birds singing -streams babbling - the smell of warm sun on sweet rich earth...whatever is most beautiful and comforting to each person who enters in. This is such a perfect picture of the Kingdom on earth. The interior of the lighthouse expands and  pushes back against storm (all the forces of darkness that seems so engulfing and immense,that look so overpowering). Supernaturally, the Father of all expands the base, the height, the depth, the width of this lighthouse until the ocean is forced to retreat. There are no words to capture the Kingdom, but this is one image that gives you a tiny idea. So, go through your day then as this lighthouse… full of love and peace… of light and warmth… acceptance and healing. In so doing, you prove the Word of God, which stands for ever. Indeed, no weapon, no storm formed against you can ever succeed. It cannot be. It will not. Selah! 

-So many options everywhere I look.....so many choices that all look good. I need guidance and clarity. Lord, what do You want for me this day?
 

+ I am eager to see you explode with My Power and Fullness. I am eager to see the suffering I endured put to use in your life. I destroyed all death -all limits in your life. I want you to live as the free, completely redeemed, rescued person you are. There IS power in the Blood… wonder working Power! Contemplate what that means specifically for you. I am always concerned with specifics. Fields of flowers are created with one perfectly designed flower after another. Cultivate the mindset that I had, that I spoke of so often, the one lost lamb… the one pearl…the one field… the one murderer that I rescued as I was on the cross. Group mentality, group thinking is something that leads to death because I came for one… and one…. and one. Just so, I came for you and it gives Me pleasure that you seek to know the entirety of the freedom I purchased. It gives the Father pleasure that your heart is turned to Him. This is all He requires, that you believe in the One He sent and that you seek to grow in your belief. This is the pathway to the ‘fullness beyond measure’ of the fullness of God. It is His perfect will for you. This is why so often I spoke of peace - that My peace would make you full. As I was, so you will be in this world. I will increase your understanding and expand your heart and you will be so focused on the goodness and joy and freedom of God that you won't even think of the details of your life! You will know that they have been completely taken care of because you have chosen the One Thing. All life… all happiness… all power… all satisfaction spring from this One Thing...you in Me - I in you. With the Holy Spirit's power overpowering and renewing you, now do the “one things” that I put before you. Do them with praise in your heart and soul for the beauty of your Father's Name. Believe that in Me, you have a heart for the lost and you are equipped to bring My Love without effort or pressure to every one. Keep your eyes and heart on your Father throughout this day. Know in the stillness of your heart  that I am and ever will be God… your God… your Maker… your King… your Lord… your greatest Love… your Redeemer… your Savior… your Bridegroom. This Love…the highest…the best Love is yours. Take and receive and give all you are away without fear or self-consciousness. I have gone before you and I will continue to do so until the day I bring you home. Today is a day of exploits! That's another word for life in the Beloved!

-I was feeling so under siege at the beginning of my quiet time this morning...under the weight of all my failures...rejections...all that same-old, same-old swooping over me... pushing me down. I was writing out my familiar boo hoos when I suddenly stood up and started walking around...begging the Holy Spirit, my Friend and Rescuer to help me. Within seconds, I felt Him tell me to bunch up what I had written and to take it to the sink and BURN it....CREMATE it actually...and give that old self a "decent burial." After I did just that...smoke still rising from the ashes in the sink...He gave me this word:

+Oh yes, My beloved....you have had quite a spirit journey this morning as the self pity rushed over you and you succumbed for a while. But in a moment of clarity, you fought the good fight and called on your Rescuer for help. The moment you stood up on the inside and called for help was definitely a sign of progress....but really you're beyond all this now. You are at a point where you no longer can act like a child who forgets her basic ABC's. You know the truth and you can not allow yourself to go back to that place where you wallow in a victim mindset. I led you to look up the definition of "wallow" and it was most instructive.
As a verb, it means:
1). to roll about or lie in water,dirt or mud (for refreshment!)
2). To live self indulgently.
3). To flounder about; move along or proceed clumsily or with difficulty.
4). To surge or billow forth as smoke or heat (does that need explaining?)
As a noun, it means:
1). The act of wallowing.
2). The place animals wallow and
3). The indentation produced by wallowing!!!
The dictionary makes it abundantly clear. So, don't wallow! When you indulge in this faith-destroying activity, your freedom is compromised. You turn to these familiar woes....wallowing in the disappointment for 'refreshment' and wind up stuck in a hole with more reasons to be sad.  This is self indulgence! It makes your spirit earth-bound so it moves with difficulty. It darkens your mind with the black smoke of confusion and leaves your spirit unable to breathe. It also leaves an indentation...leaving a kind of gully that can be difficult to get out of! You don't want to get  stuck believing all the lies you're rolling around in do you? 
Fortunately, your Father loves you too much to let you wallow! Instead.... you find yourself gently chastised by His tender Love! The question He puts to you is this: do you want to be free? If so (and I know it's so) you cannot go to this familiar and false place that does anything but refresh. You need to get tough with these emotions! They are all based on LIES and you must treat them as such! Feelings are not truth. I am leading you into All Truth and the Truth (and nothing but the Truth) will set you completely FREE. So, you must always be on guard. You know the enemy's tactics. You must be acutely aware of the random thoughts you are thinking. Remember, this indentation is very familiar and even deceptively comfortable. But enjoying this momentary unbelief (and that's what this is - unbelief) is not an option! Remember....without faith it is impossible to please God....and I know your heart's desire is to please your Father. Of course, because of His inordinate indulgence and generosity, He constantly gives you a growing measure of faith. After all (and before all!) He is the Author and Finisher of your faith. In every test, all you have to do is say 'yes' to Him and 'no' to the lies. So....which shall it be My love? No comparison, right? Do you want the place of clumsiness and impaired vision, where you move with difficulty OR the wide and spacious place of freedom, purchased just for you? Your smile shows Me which you chose!
This has been an interesting little graduate course this morning, hasn't it? "Mind of the Spirit - 101". How critical it is that you learn these most important lessons of faith! You are called to walk....live and revel in the Spirit. You cannot go back to your old ways. Rejoice My love. This is going to be a good day.....and if the Father gave out grades....you'd get an A+.

-Lord....sometimes I get so turned off by all the Christianese....even though I regularly give myself permission to be pretty super spiritual! 
 I went to a funeral last night and the pastor was so heavy-handed and un-anointed, laying a guilt trip on all the "unsaved" people...trying to use this sad moment to hit his captive audience up  with the gospel. At least that's how it made me feel. It actually made me angry. Instead of love.....I felt his whole sermon was one of judgment....(of course, as you can see,  I was doing my fair share of judging in the pew!). It's just such a difficult balance....sharing faith in a way that draws. I think I just prefer LOVE being the witness.....and being ready to tell someone who asks what it is I believe. Anyway....please help me Lord with the yucky feelings that pastor's talk engendered. It made me want to run from all churches and just be with you in the woods. Your Presence is so unsullied in the woods. Guess it's best just to keep my mouth shut and take the plank out of my eye. Lord show me Your way....

+Hush, my little one.  Still your heart and your mind and your spirit.  Rest only in the knowledge of my deep and unyielding love.  I am your strong tower.  I am the dwelling place of secret joy and unhurried rest.  My peace transcends all the questions, all the storms that arise to pull you down and away.  Hang on only to Me and leave all unanswered questions safely in My Hand, like a child. Actually, the answers are not anywhere near as important as your swift and steady running to Me for all your needs.  Do not dwell on the things that cause you distress.  Dwell on Me and all the rest will fall away.  Remember, I am your impenetrable shield. I came to keep you safe, to rescue, not only your spirit and body, but also your mind from the restless and churning wiles of the enemy of your peace.  I am your Prince of Peace and My Peace I give you.  No one and nothing is more powerful or deep as this covenant of peace, which I have blessed you with.  When testings come – and they always will – use them as the path to your tower of refuge and strength. Know that, in Me, all is well and in Me, you can do all things. You can give mercy and grace to those who are clumsy and not the ambassadors for the kingdom that you would like them to be. The woods are a place of refreshment, but I do not call you to a life of retreat....I call you to Myself....and to a world that needs to see Who I am. I want to strengthen you,  no matter where you are so you can conquer any force that seeks to destroy you...even your own thoughts. Last night you wanted to run away from an image that contradicted your heart. But my beloved, you must always seek to hear with the ears of the Spirit. You let your heart be troubled and felt assaulted not wanting to be associated with this man's gospel. Despite the pain you felt, I know he was doing the best he could....trying to serve me. Is it possible to love this man who does  such damage to your idea of what it means to be a Christian? Yes...you most certainly can, because with God,“All things are possible”. The Holy Spirit... has been given to you to help you operate in strength and joy, in power and in love, from your secret place of quiet strength and confidence.  This is a mystery that is the source of all gladness and light-heartedness, for you know no matter what you face- even the most disappointing ministers of the faith - I AM, Who goes before you and lives within you – is the mighty conqueror of all. This is the day the Lord…your Lord – your King – your Hope – your Lover – your Maker…the One and only One True God has made.  So my dear one, get up and rejoice and be glad in and throughout it.  Your prayers are sweet to the Father’s ear.  Ever and always trust in His glorious plan to transform you.  Thank Him at every turn. Rejoice and be glad.  Laugh and reveal His perfect Love everywhere you go.  Each moment of your life is a gift.  Live your days with this understanding.  Love. Love. Love…even the people (especially the people) who turn you off.  When you feel this “turn off”…turn to Me and I will turn you back on!  It’s all about letting go of judgment…releasing, being willing to release, the yucky feelings and just being Mine in your minutes and hours.  Be Mine and know that I am yours.  I am!  This is the abundant life I came to give.  Live in this abundance and let your light shine!  Your light is ME!  Rejoice. I go before you every step of the way.  Live, move, breathe this day in Me. All is well.  All is well.

-Why is it I feel overwhelmed just accepting who I am? I so want to be  free to be just the person God created me to be. I know the answer is just to get my focus OFF of myself and ON to the One Who knows who I'm supposed to be. He's also the only One Who has the power to get me there. When I asked Him to give me a word of encouragement, this is what I felt He said.


+ I am Greater.....Greater than your greatest fears....Greater than your highest thoughts...Greater than your greatest sins...Greater than your biggest triumphs...Greater than your deepest loves..
Greater than your deepest wounds...Greater than your highest hopes.. Greater than your worst despair...Greater than your biggest failures...Greater than your best imaginings...Greater than the most exquisite beauty...Greater than the most painful loss...Greater than Above...Greater than below...Greater than injury - pride - loss - gain - hope - doubt - effort - joy - grief - life - death.

I am Who am ...Alpha...Omega...Beginning...End...Unchanging...Ever-present...All powerful...All knowing...overflowing with Love - Forgiveness - Peace - Goodness - Kindness - Truth - Light - Power - Glory and Abundance.

I will never leave you or forsake you. I am eternally HERE...eternally NOW...Your God...your own forever. You are Mine and I am yours. Be still and know that truly, I am God. I Am. I am the Great...the Only...Ever the Same. I Am.