+ Sit tight precious one. Let nothing shake your confidence in Me. I have “hardened you to difficulty”. Doesn't freedom feel good? When I say, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard” the wonders of my love, that applies to you, because you, my beloved girl, are dear to my heart- you are! This is not a figment of your imagination, this is Truth. So…because you are so loved…so valued…so covered by the mighty Hand of your adoring Papa, you're free. It's that simple. Say ‘yes’ to the love that is offered to you constantly. Say ‘yes’ and watch the glories unfold (not because of what you've done, but because of the magnitude of your Father's Love). Your ‘yes’ to Him is the answer He sought when He sent Me to Calvary. So now, permeated by the Love that set the world in motion, can you not see how radically your life is impacted by this ‘yes’? Every problem now becomes a chance to see your Papa’s Love set in play. Fill your mind and heart with Hope. Never let the enemy distract you from the ‘yes’ that is always yours in Me. He would have you believe that the Father is “yes and no." That lie gives him entry into the ways you think about everything that happens. Stop! Refocus! Remember, you have been redeemed. It is finished… done…irrefutable… never to be taken away. Only you can walk away from all the hope and fulfillment and love that have been purchased for you. But my love, this will never happen. Indeed, as you have so often said, “I have you - you don't have Me”!  Nothing will ever, ever separate you from this Love - nothing – ever! And so, as you bring me your deepest hopes for your children and husband, I respond with encouragement. Leave all to the care of your Holy Spirit… your Comforter and Advocate. The Father’s Love has completely overshadowed your beloved ones. He will never, never let them go. "All your sons will be taught by the Lord”. This word will never come back void.  Rest in Truth. Rejoice. Give thanks. Be glad.

 

+  You are at a ball…an outdoor ball, with a glass dancefloor that is in front of a lake which is backed by lush, green mountains. The whole setting is filled with flowers...a warm breeze….dazzling sun and gorgeous music that fills the air. You are in a ball gown made of grace…shimmering and twirling light as you move. You feel beautiful,  loved and free. Someone approaches you and tells you that there is a little dark cloud with a bit of rain on the perimeter of the estate waiting to come in and get you wet. You take a spin to the joyous music and say, “Send the cloud to my little triumph garden of overpowered weeds growing out in the back.” It isn’t invited to the party and it is not given entrance! You forget all about the dark cloud as it disappears from view. You are too full of Joy and Exuberance and Expansiveness to even notice its disappearance!

 -  The Lord told me that the above is a great picture of my secret place. It is the best place to live out of!

   +  Beloved…as you contemplate this picture of your secret place where you can experience how loved you are…how I am in you and you are in Me, I am now expanding your vision to include a wider lens, and yet, a more intimate shot …a close up! This dancefloor is an image of You living in/with Me. It is an image of you being held and guided by your best Partner.  Now, I tell you there is another place I want to share with you and, as I take you away from the dancefloor, the music fades into the background. (It never totally fades because it is the singing of worshipping angels that is ever present.) Now…. we are still together in this new quiet place and you are able to pour out any and all disappointments, discouragements, hurts and sins on to Me. They come freely because you are unselfconscious. You know that I know and love everything about you. There is nothing to hide. It is here…in this deep quiet warm glen (the cleft in the rock) where I speak tenderly and to your heart. It is here where I exchange all weakness into strength…all sorrow into joy…all disappointments into satisfaction.  Here is another secret place of freedom and healing where you can be filled and freed as you are meant to be. Here, you hear the love in my voice and you know it is forever. I want you to come here often. I wait with open arms for your seeking heart. Healing and Joy and Freedom are yours for the taking. So come, My bride. Come and let Me show you the love that I won for you.  This is the Joy that was set before Me…I long for you to fully enter into it.

 -  Here I am... restrained by this time of enforced rest... shattered knee cap keeping me down. Speak Lord, your servant is listening.  What is it you want me to learn?

 

+ The leg brace is cumbersome. It is uncomfortable. It constricts you and creates residual added pain (your calf, your back). It is heavy and yet it is an instrument of healing. This brace is required for your safety, designed to surround your broken knee cap and keep it as straight and unmoving as possible. Despite the discomfort, it gives you a security you wouldn’t have without it.

You love analogies, so it’s no surprise you are looking for the meaning inherent in this brace. Your Teacher loves your desire to learn the lesson He has for you.

It is ironic that constraint can lead to freedom. It is revealed everywhere... cement has to be poured into rigid footers to provide strength and endurance to the foundation of a building project: vines need to be tied to a trellis to direct and limit their growth: musicians need to practice scales to train their fingers for strength and agility.... so many types of constriction.

The Holy Spirit is training you in Praise and Thanksgiving. You recognize this is the purpose in this season because He has revealed it to your spirit. He has filled you with the desire to praise, showing you how thanksgiving truly opens the gates of the kingdom. Your Father only gives good gifts. So, what are the good gifts here? What have you learned that you wouldn’t have learned without this time of enforced rest and lack of independence?

You can’t be as busy as you tend to be. You are able to slowly observe and appreciate many little moments that could slip by unnoticed. *The glorious panoramic view outside your bedroom windows has thrilled you throughout the day...the sun pouring in...the new leaves dancing in the slightest breeze (responsive the way you want to be responsive to the Spirit’s slightest breath upon you). *The beauty and generosity of your husband, who has anticipated so many needs...has loved you unconditionally...made you feel beautiful no matter how you looked! He is a gift worth all the thanksgiving you can express. I know you never want to take him for granted. *In late afternoon, the sun pours into the once dark kitchen...sparkling like so many Hosannas. So many moments you just sit or lie with your braced leg stretched out and you SEE! The eyes of your heart have been opened so that you see the hope to which you have been called. It fills your heart with praise.

And so, you are being healed in many ways You have prayed for much of your life to have an undivided heart...that all the ways you’ve been shattered by disappointment would indeed be woven into the beauty of God’s perfect plan for your life. When you trust that your Abba’s plan is always for good, you then receive every seeming “brace” with praise. You can’t see the ways you are being strengthened, mended,  but you know your Papa only gives good gifts. You know healing is in His wings. And so, you not resist the constraint of the brace. You receive it and look beyond for what it is your Father is working to achieve.

Soon, you will look back on this time and you will see that something beautiful has been accomplished in your spirit.                                                                                              - Your trust has increased. Because you have submitted to the brace and chosen to look for the good all around you, the things to be thankful for, a new level of trust has emerged. You don’t have to know exactly what your Father is doing to answer your prayers (regarding everything about your life...your kids...your music etc). You simply trust that He hears and has plans for every one of your prayers...especially those of thanksgiving.                              - You are learning to cast your cares on Him and in turn are becoming freer from moment to moment.                                                                                                                           - You see more and more to be thankful for. It’s true that we find what we look for. By God’s special grace, you have searched for joy at every turn and silenced the voices of complaint trying to cover over you. This has strengthened you in the power of the Spirit. Praise has acted as a brace to set your heart in the healing Heart of your Papa. When this time of constraint is over, you will be changed. You will have experienced that indeed, where you are weak, you are strong in Me.                                                                        - You appreciate the enormous gift that your husband is in your life. You are overwhelmed by him. You never want to take him for granted. You won’t!                                               - You know without a shadow of a doubt that you are loved perfectly by the One Who is Love! This knowledge will keep you safe and secure the rest of your life.

So much to be grateful for! So much rejoicing! This is the Kingdom...as it is in Heaven...  right here... right now! This is a taste, My love, of what Home will feel like. Enjoy!

Soon the brace will be off, but the lessons you are learning will be with you forever!

+This is what you must always remember. I want you to know Me. I want to reveal Myself to you. It is the joy of the Father to give you revelation so that indeed, you can know the great Hope to which He has called you. I am never distant. I am always knowable... approachable...  despite the great light that could blind...despite My Power that can leave you injured like Jacob. Understand that it is the Spirit Who motivates your heart to yearn for the intimacy of union with the Father. It is the Spirit Who initiates and it is the Spirit Who completes. He Who began a good work (that work being the forming of the Love of God Incarnate – Me – in - you) will be faithful to complete it. So, it is never about your ability to be still, the depth of your prayer life, or the discipline of your mind. I came because you have no ability to go from strength to strength outside of the Spirit’s Power. The plan of the Father, Who knows you to your core, is to take the little mustard seed of love you plant in faith by even trying to have quiet time with Me... the Spirit takes this tiny act of faith and multiplies it...moving the mountains of unbelief and unworthiness and countering the failures and weaknesses of your attempts to belong to the Father. Never forget it is for the weak that I came...not that you use your weakness as an excuse. You are called to obedience and surrender. You are called to be strong in the Lord. But the Father never wants your weakness to be a barrier that blocks your way to the Throne room.

Be still in your heart this day. Your Advocate and Comforter will aid you in this endeavor. Remember in Me you can do all things. Nothing, (No one) is impossible with God. This colors every situation you encounter. Suddenly, your next-door neighbor, who is abrupt and cold, is no longer an impossible person to reach, but someone to pray for with faith. All impossible situations melt into the possibility of God’s irresistible, transforming Love. It is all about this perfect Love. This is the “strength to strength” that breaks down the barriers of impossibility. It starts in your heart...destroying any area of lovelessness...so that you can be a vessel of Love and Hope. Thus armed, you can defeat the giants of hopelessness and pain that have so many people imprisoned...held captive.

So, as you look to the weak and the hurting and come as a light into their darkness, you live in My Presence and you magnify My Life in this world. I hear your prayers. I know your heart. I am for you... never in any way shape or form against you! All my Love for you is Yes and Amen. All my promises...true. You have been given the power, strength, beauty and love of the Spirit of God. This is the Father’s gift to His little child. This is what His smile feels like. Enjoy this day in the sanctuary of His enormous Heart of perfect Love.

"Earth is drenched in God's affectionate satisfaction." Psalm 33:5 ~ The Message

+ You hear my precious bird outside your window, her song riding on the soft breeze. The earth is filled with My Presence, making itself known to you. The way you stay in Me...aware as you so desire..is to open your ears...open your eyes...see in the Spirit how much your Father loves you and cares for you. Give with abandon all you have to give. Look for ways to give. Look for ways to love. Set out this day to be My vessel - to make My Presence known like that glorious bird's song. Open your mouth and I will fill it. Rejoice. Be filled with thanks. Keep attentive to all the ways your Papa makes the rough places smooth. Lift up your heart to Me throughout this day and know that it is My Love that sustains you...heals you....frees you...fills you. Come My little one into the sanctuary of My Presence. The Kingdom of Heaven is for children. Be a child! Don't try to figure things out. Just love, love, love and hold tight to My Hand. I will show you the way, one step at a time. It is for life that I came. It is for loving the unlovable...for feeding the hungry (this includes those who are emotionally hungry)…for healing the sick. Let Me be your Guide. No one else knows you like I do. Let Me be the One Who sets the course of your day. Do not respond to guilt. I will never lead you by guilt. The Power of the Spirit in you is all about Freedom. God loved you and the broken world so much that He gave His only Son to set you free. Do not submit to a yoke of slavery again. Submitting to what others think is slavery. Operating out of guilt is slavery. Oh My honey...she who the Son sets free is free indeed. Be free this day and sing. Love. Give. Sing. Let your mouth be filled with praise. Hold nothing back. Release all unforgiveness (the Holy Spirit will show you any remnant that remains). This is forever and it is now. You, My dear, have been given the Kingdom. Give it away. Freely you have received. Freely give.