- So, Lord, the neighbors built a hen house and now, every morning, as faithful as the sunrise, the rooster crows his heart out to greet the day. This gives me such Joy! Thank You!

+I love the spirit of this little bold rooster. He is a good example of the simple, joyful obedience of My creation. I once said to the Jewish rulers, as they wanted Me to silence the crowds... to stop the Hosannas. I said, "If these don't praise Me, the rocks will cry out in praise." Enter this little rooster... a sign to you, My beloved. I am faithful. I am steady. I never change. My heart is always towards you. I know the little things that cause you to rejoice... the far-off hoot of an owl...the confident crowing of this rooster. I'm constantly calling you to Myself. There are a billion little signs scattered throughout your day... love letters sent just to you to fan the flame of your love for your Papa. He knows you so well. He created the eager welcome ready in your heart and He created the rooster to crow his hosannas into the early morning air. This is the way to continually walk in the Kingdom. Throughout your day, be on the lookout for the gifts that are waiting for you to discover. Porgy sang, "I got plenty o nuthin and nuthin's plenty for me." He knew the secret of harvesting joy from his world. Despite his sorry state, his eyes were on the beauty that no one could take away from him. Beloved, long ago, you sang, Day by Day, and that was the prayer of your heart. "To see Thee more clearly; Love Thee more dearly: Follow thee more nearly...Day by Day." This has always been and still is your prayer. The Holy Spirit is constantly answering that prayer... day by day, giving you a journey of joyous praise. You recognize His handiwork. That's why this rooster fills your spirit with thanksgiving. Enjoy the surprises that await you this one day. As you well know, My Love is new every morning.    

 

- Rudder, the dog next door, has been barking for much of my 'quiet' time...insistent and constant in his demand to be heard. At first, I was feeling annoyed; "Why don't they let him in"? But then I sensed that You were trying to teach me something ... to help me learn to stay in peace in the midst of the barking. If I can't handle a barking dog, how will I learn to handle serious attempts to shake my peace? 

+ What I'm happy to see, My love, is that you are looking to Me to help you in the small challenges. It's the only way to learn.. start small and gain success. Sometimes the little things can be quite daunting if you let them. The key is to learn to settle into My Presence and roll with whatever is causing you stress. Peace is not something that comes automatically. Yes, I came to give you peace, but like the promises in the land of milk and honey, they most often have to be contended for. It is another mystery. Contending seems like striving, the opposite of peace. How does one reconcile these two seemingly disparate activities...resting and battling for what is already yours? Enter Rudder, a good little teacher! His barking is his declaration of peace (he's resting in the knowledge that he is loved and will be heard) and it is his way of contending. He's doing what he knows best to be heard. He knows that he belongs. He knows that the door will be opened. This is his way of knocking and he has no problem knocking over and over again until the door is opened. It's a simple analogy. I said it long ago to anyone who had ears to hear. "Seek and you will find. Knock and it shall be opened." Rudder illustrates the confidence of a loved part of the family. He fully expects that the response is on its way. He has no problem waiting. He's at peace doing what he knows best to get his way. 

You, beloved, are your Father's dear daughter. It gives Him joy to see you trying to relax and accept Rudder's incessant barking and to continue to rest in His Love and Presence. As you've heard Graham Cooke say so many times, rest can be a most powerful weapon against the wiles of the enemy, who is constantly trying to shake you up and stress you out. Ironic, isn't it, that the very cause of your annoyance, this dog, could be the very tool to teach you how to rest in the midst of it? Rudder's example of steadfast focus is the way. This peace is something that must be cultivated. You must be intentional and full of confidence that this peace is yours for the taking. It just needs practice, like lifting weights. You start with lighter weights and work your way up. The goal is that you will be able to be full of My peace during the most threatening storms. Like Me, you'll be able to sleep in the boat. This is your heritage. 

This morning was a good start. Rather than letting Rudder destroy your quiet time, you let him teach you an important lesson. Don't be afraid of the more advanced lessons. (Look at that! Already, the enemy is trying to destroy your peace by putting that idea in your head. ..that God's got scary things ahead!) Never let him distract you from trusting your loving Father, Who gives only good gifts. He is tender and the perfect Teacher. Trust always in His perfect Love. He is bringing you  (bark by bark) into His perfect peace!   

 - The fire station in the distance is sending the alert into the air. It only takes a minute to hear fire engine sirens racing down the street to the emergency... to lives that are facing sudden disaster ...needing rescue. The sound of the sirens has completely faded away now. Life goes on sleepily in this part of town, aware only of the steady rain. 

+ My Power is accessible to you every second of every day. I am always ready to rescue you from any potential disaster that envelops you. I have set up the framework not unlike the Fire Department, to respond to your every cry for help. There are angels on watch... guarding you... hiding you... protecting you ...coming to your rescue. You are My own and no matter where you are or what you're going through, I am accessible to you. This is why My constant injunction is "Fear Not"! While the world seems to be filled with raging fires of discord and hatred, let not your heart be troubled. When disaster looms everywhere you turn and dire predictions ride the wind like the screeching of fire engines, I say to you "Peace. Be Still!" Yes... there is warfare and chaos, but I am ever in the midst of it all. I tell you to step out, like Peter walking on the water, only don't do what he did and let the wind and waves take him down. Look only at Me and you will be kept high above the fury and the foam. My victory has been secured. I faced the intensity of all the hatred and rage fomented throughout all time by the prince of darkness (who is still trying to win the world to himself). When I said "It is finished", it was forever! When the sirens and fear fill the air... "stand in absolute stillness, silent before the One you love, waiting as long as it takes to be rescued".(Psalm 62:5) I will not fail you! I don't know how!  

     +I can use everything in your life to teach you My way of rest. As long as you keep yourself... your inner man... focused on Me...come what may...your joy will not/cannot be thwarted. Receive each moment, even the interruptions (especially the interruptions!) as opportunities to rest in My all-present, unfailing Love. Life can be an exciting game if, like the child I call you to become, you let not your heart be troubled about anything. A child playing in the yard is confident that her mother is sure to call her in for dinner when it's time, so she ignores the hunger she might be feeling, knowing that in good time, she will be fed (like the birds of the air... flitting through the sky...carefree, confident of their Father's care and provision). This mindset is so simple, yet easily lost in the urgent interruptions in a day. The way you maintain your inner child is to set your heart like flint on the unchanging goodness of your Abba. No matter what happens throughout the day, like the house build on the rock, your spirit will not only withstand the buffets of any storm that arises but rather, like an eagle, you will mount up and over the storms... riding the turmoil as it lifts you over and above the fray. Your confident expectation of your powerful Father's influence in every moment keeps your mind and your spirit strong in His strength. This rock-solid expectation of being taken care of by the One Who loves you best is what keeps you in that place of rest. This is becoming like a little child is so simple, yet unfortunately, my little flock often gets tangled in prickly brambles of theological complexity that tie them up in knots. No! No! I'm just looking for my little lambs to let Me carry them... to let Me hold them... who allow themselves the freedom to simply believe! The gift is so enormous, it seems too good to be true. Believe it, beloved! It IS true! God...your adoring, exquisite Father, Who is Love ...gave His One and Only Best Gift to be able to call you His own. So make Him happy and BE HIS!! Be His little carefree child, who trusts Him every minute of every day... who looks for signs of His Presence and Love every moment. Your expectant, upturned face is the joy that was before Me in the black pain I endured. I did it so My Father could be YOUR FATHER! 

This, My little one, is one of the best secrets of the kingdom. To live your life fully, confidently, purposely, all you need to do is to say, "Yes"! Live knowing that you are your Father's precious child. His Joy is to provide and care for you. He will never...never let you down... release His hold on you. He will never forsake you... never stop loving you perfectly. You are and always will be His little girl. Bask in the empowering revelation of what that means. Only a child can believe something that's too good to be true. Believe, My love. Believe and rest. Enjoy every minute of your blood-bought life. Look for and celebrate the little signs of His Love that permeate your days.   

       "Go after a life of love as if your life depended on it - because it does!" 

                                1Corinthians 14:1

+Beloved, your heart's desire to love is truly the high calling on your life. Nothing else matters more to the Father. It's Who He is and Who He constantly calls you to be. It's a wonderful thing that you are open to having your heart and mind transformed so that you can live in the fullness of the covenant. The way you do this is to believe that God - your adoring Abba - is stronger than the petty criticisms and judgments that flow into your mind unbidden. Think for a moment where these thoughts originate? The accuser loves to accuse! I came to reconcile... to alter people's preconceived notions. Think of how many times I chose the ones who were on the outside... the unaccepted, the unacceptable, and washed them clean with My words of acceptance and love. I did this with the clear intention of addressing the judgment that lived unchecked in people's hearts. So, I chose the woman at the well, the lepers, the Samaritans, the prostitutes, the tax collector. They were given my love and attention. This took all the righteous people by surprise... actually offended many who considered themselves higher than/better than these to whom I showed favor.

I modeled the servant heart that the Father adores. I absorbed all judgment into Myself... took the hits, the slights, the condemnation. I saw those who were isolated and rejected and pulled them unto Myself. I often tried to jar the priests and self-righteous by declaring them blind. (Oh how that offended them!) I wanted them to see the higher law; how the Sabbath belonged to the Father and not to them. How strange that they refused to see the Father's law of love overriding the legalism that blinded them to Who the Father was! A cripple made whole was not as important as a law that would keep him bound. So many of the captives I came to free were those who knew Isaiah's words by heart. However, they wrapped the word around them as a barrier, to separate them from the unclean and the heathen. They were captives of their religious mindsets... blind to the freedom and exquisite love that is higher than tradition or the law. So, my seeker of truth, let Me show you the ways you are blind. Open your heart to the offensive acceptance I offer. The very ones the enemy tries to make you feel superior to...humble yourself before the Lord and ask that your blind eyes be opened to see as beloved children of the Father. At first, this new alertness requires diligence. So often the enemy makes these negative thoughts seem so right... so well-deserved. It's so easy to judge when you choose to listen to his voice. My voice is softer. You have to be deliberate... choose to lean in, so that you can hear and be open to the truth about all people. There's not ONE person on the face of the earth that I didn't die for... not one! And so - when you allow any critical or judgmental thoughts about anyone free rein, you join the ranks of the accuser. I know you don't want to do that! So, every and any time you sense a negative, critical thought in your mind, choose to cut it off at the pass with BLESSING! This is the way that will set you up for a life of freedom and joy. You will be so aware of the Father's enormous ability to love All, you will be unable to hear the enemy's attempts to make you judge. This is part of the "truly free" that is included in your rebirth. Your blind eyes are being opened. You are living more fully each day as a daughter... a love slave of the king. The wonder is that He removes the chains that have bound you and declares you His beloved bride. The mysteries of the kingdom cannot be comprehended except by the Spirit Who lives in you! This is the plan...the joy set before you. Start blessing and blessing and blessing. It is the way of life and complete liberty.    

 " Benjamin, God's beloved: God's permanent residence. Encircled by God all day long, within whom God is at home." Deuteronomy 33:12

- Lord, You say in Your Word that You will live in me... "make Your home in me." I want the above scripture to be the overriding, constant experience of my life.

+ "Home Sweet Home." "There's no place like home." These are common expressions that reflect the longing deep inside every person for home. This yearning is a mark of the Father's Love. Deep within us, He deposited this longing that can only be satisfied by Him. He IS Home, and everything about His Kingdom translates into Love ~ Security ~ Joy ~ Acceptance ~ Forgiveness ~ Light ~ Beauty and Freedom. His person glows with all these healing qualities. He IS Love and Security and Joy and all the rest, multiplied by infinity. This is why you can trust Him with everything you are! In Him, you are home... and just to make Home more accessible... He comes by the power of the Spirit to make His Home in you! This can only happen because the King of all the universe, the Father of all, is also the very definition of humility. The quality of this ever-giving Love can permeate everything about you as you turn your attention from your own cares and realize His Presence within you. Suddenly, that deep ache is replaced with a confident peace... an expectant hope in each day. You are home because He is Home in you! This is a mystery that cannot be explained. It just needs to be believed. Just as this gray morning silently, without your discerning it, melted into a sunny day, the Light within you... this bright Presence of everything you could ever hope for or desire... starts taking over your identity and becomes your very life! One minute, you felt lost in the darkness. Suddenly, you are basking in the Light of the Father of all Lights, Who never changes. You are Home because He is in you! So, you need never feel insecure or displaced again. No matter what kind of chaos (internal or external) is swirling around you, you are in the Center. The Kingdom of Heaven is within you. You have the Peace that passes understanding. You are inhabited forever by the Triune God. Nothing can ever separate you from this amazing circle of Love surrounding you with favor as with a shield. This is life to the full! Home Sweet Home! 

 

"The person who lives in right relationship with God does it by embracing what God arranges for her. Doing things for God is the opposite of entering into what God does for you!"           Galatians 3:11-12 ~The Message

- Lord, this scripture is so powerful! It inspires me to rest in You and to keep my eyes open for what You are doing, so I can enter into it. Teach me the secret of entering in. 

+ When you get a glimpse of Who your Father is and how much He loves you, it changes your entire orientation. When you try to "do" for God... your eyes are on yourself. When you used to take dance classes at Luigi's in New York, you focused all your might on what the teacher was doing and poured all your energy into 'entering into' that. How silly it would be for you to be off in a corner of the dance studio, watching yourself in the mirror, doing your own (limited) choreography! Everyone would be wondering what you were doing (and why you bothered to put yourself under the teacher if you were just going to do your own thing!) 

    This is a simplistic analogy, but it illuminates the meaning of Galatians 3:11-12. Part of what is implied in this scripture differs from the Luigi's illustration. At Luigi's, you had no relationship with the teacher. In fact, the teacher was often completely oblivious to what the class was doing... so caught up in his own image in the mirror... glorying in his own beauty (ah...who does that remind you of?). But Galatians points to a Father Who has plans that He's arranged specifically for you! He sees you! He has prepared works... choreographed a dance that ONLY you can do! How silly it would seem then, for you to come to Him and say, "Look at the dance I've got for you!" ignoring the possibility that He has a different, far more glorious dance planned that He's excited for you to "enter into". This is why rest is so critical! This is why the Word instructs you to "Be still and know that I am God." When you come into His Presence... seeking to hear His voice... longing to live the life He has orchestrated for you, you will be empowered to dance like never before... like ONLY you can dance! You are following His lead and it is all about green pastures and His Beauty and Love twirling you through green, green Hope. 

    Study this scripture. It is a recipe for freedom, rest, and fulfillment. 

+It didn't really take faith, but experience of My faithfulness to plant the zinnia and cleome seeds. Now they are beginning to flourish - crowding each other out with their dazzling colors - bringing joy to your heart and spirit. Everything is in bloom. Bushes that were brown and empty are busting with white fragrant pompoms. The dragon-leaf begonias overflow their container...cascading their lush blossoms over the lip of the hanging basket. This is a season of fullness. You take special joy in it because you have been actively involved in nurturing it. The beauty reflects your handiwork, giving you great joy in watching the wonders of My Kingdom manifest before your eyes. As I said initially, this foray into your Father's extravagance didn't take any faith on your part because you have seen his Hand in past summers. But all these flowers still can teach you about faith, because they display your Papa's nature...that He is faithful about all of His creation and that He loves to give good gifts; that He sees and responds to child-like expectation and that He loves to say "Yes!" He is always saying "yes"! Of course, sometimes, like with the flowers, it takes time for it to fully emerge. So, with all your prayers... let your heart be filled with expectation. Hold My Hand. Allow yourself the luxury of being held in the Massive Arms of the One Who loves you best... the One Who has been cultivating and nurturing you until you bloom into the fullness of all you were created to be! Flowers can't be forced, but they can be patiently expected and welcomed. So too, with the deepest prayers of your heart (interestingly - you don't even really consciously know what they are - but your Papa does!) the key is to release everything...everyone...into the Hands of the Master Gardener... sure that His plans to prosper everything about you are perfectly timed. Cultivate expectancy in the unfailing goodness of your God. That's the secret that keeps your heart and your mind in perfect peace. Waiting becomes a joy ...like the rich swelling of your own body, as you were pregnant with life. (And oh...could you EVER have imagined the love these sons would engender?!) It all started in a garden. And so, it is only fitting that you feel My Love and Presence in the midst of all this blooming! Let your flowers help you to be still and know that I am your God. I love to turn things that look dead to life. This applies to everything about your life. So, rejoice! 

- It's been a blazing hot week so we finally closed the windows and turned on the air conditioner. What a wonder!

+Yes! and as you've been sitting here wrapped in My bright Presence enveloping you, you suddenly heard the soft influx of the cool air coming through the vents. As the day goes on, you won't be aware of the almost silent on/off/on/off as the house is maintained at a comfortable level. Outside, things are wilting in the sun. Here, the atmosphere is cool. This is how your outer world can be manipulated... unaffected by the hot July day. I know that you desire your inner world to maintain a constant awareness of My Presence throughout your day. Like the invisible influence cooling the air, you know that I'm always present. You are just not aware of it for most of the day. You wonder how you can go about your business... your mind dealing with a myriad of things... and keep that steady, calm experience of My Presence saturating your environment. Throughout your day, you can be unaware of the beauty of many things around you....your husband...whose love is ready and waiting to greet you... the flowers that have soaked up all that rain and are slowly unfolding into their full stature... on and on it goes. This is why you are encouraged to Be Still and know that I am God! How does one do that and still manage to accomplish anything throughout the day? Ah... but that's the sweet mystery of the Kingdom! As you seek and long to be aware, you realize that YOU are the one who is being pursued! It's My Beauty and Love chasing after you!  If you choose to be still deep in the core of your being, there I am...My Beauty and Love wrapped around you! I am always here... always accessible... always saturating your life with the cool refreshment of a love that surpasses everything. e.e.cummings' said it well;"i carry your heart. i carry it in your heart." This is truth. This is knowable. This can be the influence that constantly infuses your day with Glory. Be still and know. Learn from the Holy Spirit, your Master Teacher, how to rest in this perfect Love that is yours for the taking. It is His joy to teach you. Right now, the air conditioner is silent, but you know... you are attentive to the fact that the vents will bring the coolness any minute. Speak My Name as you breathe. Talk to your Father throughout your day. Know that My promise that I will never leave you or forsake you is the bedrock truth you can rest in... the coolness that can continually refresh you no matter what is going on. So enjoy this day. Enjoy the expanding prayer closet that started in the corner of your room and now has taken over your day! Walking with the Father Who adores you... Who waits always for your return...is the most beautiful, fulfilling thing you can do with your life. He IS your life! Enjoy His Love today and you will accomplish much!

+ I want you to realize, deep in your mind and heart, that My love for you is free. It has nothing to do with how well you perform, or how perfectly your thoughts align with Mine. I love you because I AM love. My love adorns you... heals you.... frees you ... sets you apart... empowers you... strengthens you and keeps you safe. Watch for ways the enemy tries to lay guilt trips on you. When you are feeling guilty, run to Me. I'll hose you down with the water of the Spirit and take away the film of sadness and disappointment that tries to cling to your soul. You are washed clean. Believe in Me. That's all you need to do for life and joy and a lightness of heart. The enemy puts heaviness on you. When you feel the weight of his lies, cast them off and stay close to the One Who knows the Truth... Who IS the TRUTH and Whose thoughts towards you are overflowing with grace and peace and love. 

Set your heart like flint and know that all of heaven is doing battle for you. Angels are on call, ready to aid you and protect you; and the Spirit is ever with you/in you to give you everything you need for every situation. This is the reason you can live your life in total freedom and joy; because I see you as you are becoming, in all the radiance of My perfect Love... able to deflect any and all attacks of the enemy, no matter how subtle. This is the way of freedom and joy and it is the path I have chosen for you. So, realize how beloved you are to Me and let all hurts go. 

Live in the shimmering power and grace of a Love that lifts you out of the mire of hurt, disappointment, and rejection... a Love Who knows how these feel. You have been rescued from these forces of destruction. My Love in you is enough to overpower any force that seeks to damage the essence of who you are. You are the healed of the Lord. Walk-in your healing in deep forgiveness of all who have let you down. Give mercy to all in your mind, as I do consistently, and nothing and no one can stop the torrent of joy and freedom that will be yours to enjoy. Believe in Who I am for you. Believe that I never, never leave you or forsake you, so any and all battles that you find yourself in.. there I AM... your Powerhouse... your Safe House... your Protector...your Rescuer. Call on Me and you will see the deliverance of your Lord and King... your Father and Bridegroom. I am yours. Be this kind of love and faith and healing to all I bring into your life. Never judge. Be the same as I am with you... gentle... tender-hearted... full of acceptance and healing, encouragement and love. Give all you are as I have given all I am to you. This is the way I reach the hearts and souls of those who don't know me. I want you whole. I heal all your brokenness by the wounds I suffered for your healing. 

Take and receive. I am a giving God, ever with you... ever for you. Take and receive all you need for victory this day. 

- At last, the sun! It has been cold and gray for weeks... and now, SPRING! Thank You Lord! 


+ In everything, you are more than a conqueror. This is My Word that does not come back void. You can apply My Word like a weed killer or a fertilizer to the situations in your life that confuse or trouble you. Because I live in you and in Me, you have been reborn to live the triumphant life. It is a matter of you having greater and greater ability to see My hand, My purposes in all the details of your life. As you penetrate through the unbelief that the enemy seeks to shroud this world in...as the dawn of a clear spring day emerges and the weeping cherry tumbles forth its blooms into the new day... realize that spring had to come, no matter how cold and dreary these past few weeks have been. No matter how much April feigned November, My Will was bound to triumph. Do you see? In the snow of last week, the daffodils pushed forth, yellow beacons of understanding. This is not a reflection of faith. It is a reflection of truth. Do you see the difference? They do not have to believe. They obey My Voice that calls them forth into the wintry air. They obey with no hesitation because they reflect the truth that is called Spring! All of nature shouts My Name across the planet. Let this tiny pocket of truth permeate your being as it helps you understand Who I am... The Great... the ONLY...I AM! How I delight that you come to Me for your nutrients.... for the warmth of My Presence! Day by day, My Presence in you is freed to penetrate your darkened mind, to lift the shroud of the prince of this world and to show you, without the veil, the majesty of my Perfect Love and my unassailable plan. Nothing can thwart My Will! My Purposes will be fulfilled. Take this truth and meditate on it throughout your day. No one can turn My face from you. No one can thwart your relationship with Me. I am the Master of the universe and I delight in My creation. I sing over you far more than I rejoice over My most glorious flower! You in Me are Spirit-breathed. My life in you can bring spring to the world. When you let Me live in you, you are freed from whatever had the power to undermine your life. So my love, take Spring! Take Truth into your being like the nutrient that it is. Do you see? You are Mine. I am yours. Rejoice and live in obedience, joy and peace. This is prosperity... unabashed blooming!  This is the Father's signature. It is what Love looks like and it is FREE! 

 "God keeps renewing the promise and setting the date as Today."
.....this is still a live promise!" Hebrews 4: 7 (NIV and Message)


+It is difficult for you to grasp that I live outside of time. There is no time with Me...only eternity. Each day for Me is today. These promises remain outside of time...ever new...ever to be heard with fresh ears. So hear Me! Believe! Enter into the rest of My Heart and see that all My Love for all time is pledged to you. I never change. My Heart never cools towards you. You move in and out of fervor and somehow think (mistakenly) that your thinking reflects reality. Nothing could be further from the truth. Meditate on this solid rock Promise...this outside-of-time, eternally-today Promise: I NEVER change. My love for you and your beloved ones is the same yesterday, today and forever. This is why you can live in complete REST! If you study My Promises and see that all of them are still "live promises"...no expiration date...then your peace will expand and you will know no stress. You will accomplish much through the able assistance of the Holy Spirit...My incomparable Gift to you. Hear this again. "My Peace I give you." "We are one." "Nothing can separate us." These live Promises are yours forever. How can you be anything but full of Peace and Joy and Hope and Love? Indeed...you can and will do all things ...especially those beyond anything you could ask or imagine! through your Bridegroom and Friend....your Lord and your God...Who daily strengthens you. Ask and it shall be given! Want to love like I do? You can and will...I promise! All things are possible for the one who believes. To add to your joy, I even help you believe! Your Father is only about increase and fullness and blossoming. He has declared, "It is good" over your life because His Treasure resides in you! Your life has the capacity to be utterly "good"! It is God Himself in you who makes you "holy and whole"... Who fills you to overflowing with all good gifts... Who inspires you to give them all away just like He does! You belong to Him...today and today and today and all His promises are yours for the taking. So take and enjoy and make your Papa glad. He loves it when His children come running with expectancy to Him. That's why you were redeemed!

- Speak to me, Lord of my heart....naught is all else to me save that Thou art.


+You are learning the pathway of praise. Yes, you stumble and wind up muddy and on the sidelines, but I am always here to clean you up...cheer you up and put you right back on the path. The enemy loves for you to think that the path is difficult, stony, full of potholes...steep...impossible. His vision is blurred beyond repair and he tries desperately to cloud yours so that yours is too. The truth is - no matter what things look like - I never change and I am the One who has called you by name and put you on the path before you. I will lead you every step of the way. I will help you correct your course. I will give you energy and courage when the way looks steep or dark. I have called you to an adventure that takes you from triumph to triumph, no matter what the landscape of your life looks like. You are IN Me... WITH Me. I have you and I will never let you go! I want you to be filled with expectation and hope. I want you to experience my Joy as your constant default mode. This is your strength. This is your Peace. This is your status as a child of the King. So walk with Me and talk with Me throughout this one day on this one segment of the path before you. Look for the Love that is waiting for you at every turn! You know My Love is Unfailing. It colors every other fact of your life. This is the only thing you really need to know: I am yours and you are Mine. That's it!

"No more building a house that some outsider takes over"     Isaiah 65:22

+ Some of your dreams have been taken down by someone else's weakness and even sin. Other dreams have faded over time because of hope deferred, leaving you with a sick heart! No more, My love! Every one of your dreams belongs to Me! I have them taken care of. Remember, I live outside of time, so what seems like an eternity of waiting for you is only a heartbeat for Me! This is why joyous, expectant Trust in my Promise/Plans to "prosper you and give you a hope" can never fail! Rejoice, my little one. Keep your eyes steadfastly focused on Me. this will give you the perfect peace to be productive, enjoying the process every step of the way. This word is My Word to you:

"My people will be as long-lived as trees, My chosen ones will have satisfaction in their work. They won't work and have nothing to show for it... nothing come of it."          Isaiah 65:22-23

So Relax, Rejoice, Remember and Reflect.

Relax - Rest in Me. I know the plans I have for you. Rest in the fact that nothing and no one can thwart My plans.

Rejoice - Delight and praise put you in the perfect frame of mind and spirit to function at optimum level as a daughter of the King. This ensures your productivity and creativity. I have come that you might have Joy to the Full.! This is the surest path to My Joy.

Remember - Never forget that I never forget you. I am One Who never slumbers or sleeps but Who guards you like a shepherd Who knows what you need and Who leads you to the green pastures of My Presence. I keep your heart beating and your rainbow-laden eyelashes growing. I remember everything about you. So remember Whose you are! You are My little lamb who I hold close to My heart. I am preparing a feast for you in the sight of your enemies. Your freedom is secure. It is delicious. It is complete!

Reflect - Meditate on My expansive... ever-coming-at-you Love. Think of how much you love your sons. Then see your Abba Father, arms outstretched, ever ready to welcome you back home from any way that you get off track. He has paid the high price to celebrate you. Think often throughout your day of this Love that meets you at every turn... this Love that pursues you... this Love that promises will never fail you or let you go! 

Then, start the whole process over again. Relax - Rejoice - Remember - Reflect. This is how you go from triumph to triumph because you are saturated in the truth of what your salvation really means. This is life to the full - fuller - fullest! Such good news! It's hard... no- impossible - to comprehend without the joyous help of the Spirit - My spectacular Gift to you. He is the Consumate Gift that keeps on giving!
   



  

- Lord, I just recently read Your parable about the Pharisee and the Publican... the one - so pleased with himself and all he did for God...  the other - so powerfully aware of his sinfulness. Like many of Your words, Lord, this parable leaves me feeling unsettled. As there is a mixture of Martha and Mary in me, I feel like there's a mixture of the Publican and the Pharisee in me too. In a convoluted way, it almost seems pharisaical to try to be that lowly worm... cast down... covered in mea culpas (as You well know, I grew up inside a cocoon of mea culpas!)  I feel like You've been setting me free from both these factions warring within my identity. Since I've been learning about being a new creation, this teaching puzzles me. What am I supposed to do with it? I do want to be humble before You, Lord - to be repentant - but it seems like You came to set me free from focusing on myself either way. Please enlighten me. 

+ Yes, My love, You're already heading in the right direction.. seeking to hear the Spirit's voice telling you, "This is the way, walk in it".The Pharisee and the Publican are pictures of the heart. The Pharisee was focused on the law and how well he was doing with it. So was the Publican, only all he could see was his failure to uphold the law. The Father responds to the one who was humble because He is humble. His love proves it! No matter how many times His people turn their backs on Him... choose other gods... He continues to ignore being spurned and to unabashedly seek the love of His children. The publican sought the Father from a place of lowliness... a deep sense of what He was not.  I came to break the weight of the law off of BOTH the Pharisee and the Publican! One was consumed by trying to be perfect - impossible to achieve; the other was crushed by his sinfulness - impossible to get out from under. And so the Father planned to fulfill the law once and for all through the cross and by so doing - set BOTH completely free! This is a good illustration of the new covenant. Man could never fulfill the Law... and could never be free from sin.. until the cross. 

I know you were disturbed by this parable because you are seeking to live as a new creation and neither of these examples works. You understand that the Father didn't create you to be a worm, so crushed by your sin you can't function. No! All that sin-consciousness does is keep you in the tomb! I died to set all people free. You have been incorporated... enfolded into all that pleases the Father, so you can fly above the self-conscious ways of the old covenant. He has created you to be transformed - caterpillar to butterfly. When you accept your status as a child of the Father, you've recognized the blood that was shed to set you free. Your eyes are not on yourself anymore. You are not measuring your worth. Your spirit is one with Me, and like Me, your eyes are ever only on Your Father. You trust Him to make you into Who He created you to be. See My love, the old is gone. This is the mystery man has sought to solve since Adam fell. Everything about you has been made new. Your job is to simply believe it - like a child! You can't take any credit for it and you don't negate it. By the way: be aware of the ways the enemy tries to use scripture to confuse or tempt you. (He tried with Me) Anytime you are reading the Word and have thoughts that try to negatively color your understanding of Who the Father is or Who I am, do what you did here and run to the Spirit, Who will help you discern the Truth. 

Now here's a little fun vision to imagine: Go back in your mind to that temple where the Pharisee and Publican are praying as best as they can. Now, imagine a beautiful butterfly flying around the temple... free... light... displaying the beauty and glory of the Good News. She's prophetically signaling the New Covenant. Her presence is declaring: "Look! Your Savior comes with healing in His Wings."

  Day before Good Friday 2020

+When you make a mistake... you use your white-out and cover it over... blotting out the mistake so you can rewrite over it. Of course, the remnant white-out is still visible... you know that it's there. It actually stands out - calls attention to the error by the whiteness that doesn't match the soft ivory color of the page. When My blood is applied to the sins of your life, they disappear and it is as though they never were! They are not covered over (like the sins of the Israelites through the blood of lambs and goats) they are removed! This is the difference between the old and the new covenants. There is a mystery here that cannot be discerned by the intellect. All sin has been dealt with... payed-for in full... no tell-tale signs remaining, pointing out (like the white-out) the earlier status as a sinner. The familiar illustration of the judge declaring, "Not Guilty!" is a good one. 

So, why am I talking about white-out and forgiveness and sin? Because tomorrow is the day. It's called Good Friday, but for Me, in many ways, it wasn't a good day! It was the darkest, most painful day in all creation, for all time, because it separated Me from the Goodness of My Father.  Sin had to be dealt with. It had to be destroyed. No movie... no scripture... no imagination can truly fathom the depth of this pain... the cost of this redemption... what it took to absorb all sin of all time (pedophilia - sex trafficking- cruelty of all sorts - slavery of all kinds - on and on and on and on ) I absorbed it ALL into Myself and hung in shame, alone and abandoned. I chose this. I chose it because My Father was willing to see Me suffer to save His beloved creation. It was the only way. I defeated the princes and powers of darkness and even death. I defeated the ruler of this earth and destroyed his ability to triumph over the Father's children. 

Never take for granted your blood-bought status as a righteous, sin-free, daughter of the King. When you are confronted with the depth of evil in the world - Do. Not. Judge! The only reason you are righteous is because you belong to Me. When you encounter the massive evil and cruelty in the world, let it make you very aware of the suffering I endured. And pray. Pray for their souls...that they turn from their ways to Me.

Give thanks to your Good, Good Father for His plan of salvation. His plan is to wipe out ALL evil...all sin... once and for all. Give thanks that He did it for you because His Love for you is intimate and eternal. He sees you as sinless - sin-free because You live and move and have your being in Me.

On this Good Friday, recognize the enormity of this transaction and pray that eyes will be opened to My saving Power. All your sins have been buried... never more to e remembered. This should alter the way you live every day of your redeemed life.  

          
 "If you say to this mountain...Be thrown into the sea... it will be so."

+The lesson I want you to absorb from this is the secret of living a victorious (and exciting ) life in Me! Any mountain before you is a chance to cultivate faith and hope...to strengthen your vision and enhance your understanding of Who your Father is!! Speaking to the mountains in your life... declaring them subject to the power of the Father that is in you...sets you on a course for Joy! It is how you view the mountains that changes everything. Are they insurmountable? Are they treacherous paths that lead to danger and loss? Are they closed doors that block your way forward? OR are they opportunities for you to experience the faithful, inscrutable ways of the Master of the Universe - the One Who spoke those mountains into existence? It's all about perspective. Through the anointing and living power of the Spirit in you, you can see things in the light of Heaven. Where the Word repeats" Nothing is Impossible with God." (and proves it time after time) you say yes! You agree with all of heaven that this mountain - though real - is subject to God. When you speak truth and power over the things that seem impossible, you set in motion the resurrected life that was won for you. You have been made a new creation, but it isn't until you start appropriating what that means, that faith takes over your being and you speak with authority. I said you would do greater things. When you step out and open your mouth in faith, the Holy Spirit rises up in you and confirms what you say. Yes. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by every Word that comes from the mouth of Your Father. Study My words. Study the signs of those indwelt with the Spirit. You have been raised into a supernatural daughter of the King. You can do all things in Me. Speak to the mountains and watch what happens to your spirit! There is a mystery here. Test Me and see if you do not experience infinitely more than you can ask or imagine! 

-Lord, There are lots of thoughts and feelings roiling around in me as I seek Your face...seek to be 100% Yours. As I read the writings of Brother Lawrence and Frank Laubauch, the voice of the accuser rises up and there seems to be this high wall of my inadequacies...my worldliness, etc that tells me there's no way someone like me can reach the spiritual heights...the fullness of Your Presence that these simple giants of faith did. Lord, I throw myself on Your mercy and ask You to take me as I am and make me Yours anyway.

+Beloved, You don't feel strong enough to withstand the myriad of distractions that swirl around you trying to seal you in a tomb of introspection and unbelief. Do you forget that I am the One seeking you? Do you not know that I am relentless in My pursuit of you and, because you are My own little lamb, I will not let you be lost? I have you, so rest. I can make it so all the voices that swirl around you melt to the ground like early morning fog. I know you want to be Mine. That's all I need. Putting your heart, your mind, your soul squarely in My care is the best way to live in the one thing that is needful. You have been called to be a Mary... full of rest and deep peace and an unwavering sense of being completely...perfectly loved. Nothing can take this away from you - ever! This is the core of who you are! Watch the cares melt away as you "Rise up and put your face in the sun." Peace. Be still. I'm with you! I'm in you. I'm for you and nothing - nothing can alter this truth. I have put the desire for a deep sense of My Presence in you. I will see that it comes to pass. The only thing that you need to do is to let not your heart be troubled about ANYTHING! My Presence and My Love can evaporate the most powerful force of darkness against you. You know in the deepest place of your being that you belong to Me. This cannot be thwarted or altered in any way! Your life is ordained to go from Glory to Glory....from Triumph to Triumph. It is My Glory in you...My triumph that covers over you. So be still, My love and you will surely know with everything you are, that I am Your God and you live and will ever live in and through Me! This is life to the full. It is yours and will never be taken away from you. Rest and be glad.