Dear Papa God

Dear Papa God,

I need to feel your peace in my life today. You have promised peace, and I have experienced your perfect peace beyond all understanding in times of life that are just plan hard. There is so much going on in this world, in my country, my community; so many prayer requests and needs in my church family; and special needs in my own family.

There are days I can feel so overwhelmed by outside influences. I can’t explain it. It’s like I can feel others hurts and joys. Sometimes, Papa, I’m not sure if it is me or someone else.

You know, I love to prayer walk around my neighborhood to just get out and be in the sunshine and fresh air so that Your Presence may touch each home in some way. Every household has needs. One of their biggest needs: they don’t know You. So, on their behalf, I declare blessing upon each household. I declare Your favor to be lavished upon them, whether in business, finances or relationships. I declare that angels be set upon each property to protect them from evil that surrounds them. I declare Your Truth would be revealed to them. I declare that they would begin to walk in their identity and destiny that you gave them even before they were born. I ask for the Holy Spirit to hover over each one in each household, keeping their minds clear and sensitive to Your Spirit. Lift the veil of unbelief from their hearts. Let the Holy Spirit touch them in such a way that they see Your Truth, Light and can hear that quiet roar in their spirits. Awaken them, Papa, awaken them!

Please continue to touch our lives. Have mercy upon us as we journey through this world. Give us guidance and protection from the evil around us. Allow us to sense Your manifest presence and experience Your Shalom in the midst of it all.

Thank you, loving and merciful God.

In the Savior's name I pray, Amen.

Papa God, What's in Your Heart

There are days, when I just sit quietly for long periods of time (that in itself is amazing) waiting to hear from Papa God.  This came from one of those mornings where the quietness of the day washed over me. The sounds outside were clear and sweet and then the answer came to my question:

What is your heart in this Papa God?

Light Breaks darkness

Angels ready in the wings to help and partner with you

Assignment

Strength

Truth’s light to shine brilliantly

Focus to be on Jesus and His finished work

Stronghold…breakdown the wall

Let Love in….Agape….Truth….JOY…Peace

My Shalom

Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty

Who was and is and is to come.

Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty

Who was and is and is to come.

Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty

Who was and is and is to come.

Greater is He who is in you, than he who is in the world.

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain.

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world

But that the world through Him might be saved.

The Lord is my Shepherd

I shall not want.

He guides me to green pastures, beside the still waters

He restores my soul.

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.

I am the Resurrection and the Life

I am the Bread of Life

He who believes in me will have everlasting life…..

But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name.

No, No Daddy. I've got it. Don't Let Go!

While 'pondering' over some spiritual things, I wondered why it is so difficult to let go of control of my life and let Holy Spirit just 'take the wheel and steer'!  It just makes life so much easier, if I give permission to Holy Spirit to take control. 

I've been going through so many emotions this past week.  Faith. Strong Faith.  Then, I plummet downward and then I am anxious. I'm not sure what I'm hanging onto.  Maybe it is control. Control of my emotions. Control of everything around me. Control wanting to make it happen, which is totally out of my control.

Jim hasn't had a call back from the interview he had.  He is handling it better than he has in the past; that is growth for him.  I just feel the weight on my shoulders.  I don't like that weight.  I want it off!

Today's devotion by TERESA SCHANTZ kind of summed it up in a 'parable' for me.

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"Coming out of the grocery store, right in front of me, were a man and his young son. The little boy was desperately hanging on to a big bag of ice, trying to appear as if the act was effortless. His father was doing the actual carrying, holding it with true ease by its handle. The little boy cried out, “Don’t let go, Dad. Don’t let go!”

The father replied, “I won’t, son. Is the bag too heavy? Is the ice too cold?”

“No, no, Daddy! I’ve got it. But don’t let go!”

Thinking back on this scene, I drew a significant parallel. How like the little boy am I, hanging on tightly to my life, insisting on controlling it all by myself. I go into the office early and do paperwork through lunch, obsessed with getting ahead and forcing my career to climb. Or I pick and choose the church activities that I want to participate in, those that most conveniently fit into my life. And I plan constantly for the future, making lists, structuring my priorities to meet my time lines.

In reality, my Father is carrying the load. I could easily let go and allow Him to effortlessly carry my burdens and rule my life. I know there are times when my Father says, “Teresa, is the load too heavy? Are you feeling cold and alone?”

My answer is usually just a shift of the load. I groan under its weight, but tenaciously hold on to the burden. “No, no, Father! I’ve got it—but don’t let go!”

So I have to decide: When I wake up early in the morning and my body immediately tenses in anticipation of the day’s problems, do I want to carry it all by myself, or would I rather leave it for stronger arms to bear?

Father, be patient with my insistence that I struggle alone with my load. Teach me to let go to You."

Watch out. Stand Firm. Be Ready. Joy Comes in the Morning.

I’m actually writing this in response to a post that was for discussion by a friend on Facebook. This was back in 2011.  It made me stop and ponder about what is going on in our world today.  I’m not one for telling ‘doom and gloom’ stuff, mainly because I head back to scripture to see what Jesus said.  I’m just going from The Gospel of Matthew right here.  A short study in Matt 24:4-14 and Eph 6:10-17.  The Sue Beckman “lightening round” approach, I guess.

In Matt 24:4-8

 WARNING!!!

• Watch out! That no one deceives you.
• Many will come in Jesus’ name, even claiming “I am Messiah” they will deceive many.
• Wars and rumors of wars
• Nation rising against nation and kingdom against kingdom
• Famines and earthquakes

BECAUSE:

• All of them are the BEGINNING of birth pains.

I do believe we are experiencing ‘birth pains’ not only as a nation but in the world as well right now. You can see this happening all over the news reports right now. Don’t rejoice in it.  Get ready because these are the warning signs - the beginning of more that will happen.

Going further on in Matt 24:9-14

THERE WILL BE:

* Persecution and people being put to death

* Believers will be hated because of our faith in Christ Jesus

* Many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other

* Many false prophets will deceive people

* An increase of wickedness

* Love will grow cold

BUT:

* The one who stands firm to the end will be saved.

(Greek: sōzō – to keep safe and sound from destruction (from injury or peril)

- to save a suffering one (from perishing), i.e. one suffering from disease, to make well, heal, restore to health

- to preserve one who is in danger of destruction, to save or rescue)

* The gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world

THEN:

The end will come.

You know, Jesus doesn’t mention anything about rejoicing when evil comes.  He wants us to be prepared so that we will stand firm to the end and so the gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world.  It sounds more like a lot of hard work to me.

(The Greek:  hypomenō - Stand Firm/Endure

- to remain

- to tarry behind

- to remain i.e. abide, not recede or flee

- to persevere: under misfortunes and trials to hold fast to one's faith in Christ

- to endure, bear bravely and calmly: ill treatments)

Pressing in and being true to Him who gives us His grace and mercy.  Encouraging one another to stand firm – not rejoice because evil is more evident right now.  That’s a warning sign. 

Get your battle gear on brothers and sisters.  Be ready.

Eph 6:10-17   “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

(Greek: endynamoō (verb)

- to be strong, endue with strength, strengthen

- to receive strength, be strengthened, increase in strength)

What I do rejoice in, during these hard times, is knowing I have a God and Father with whom I can trust and rely upon.  I may not be able to rely on people, employment, money or what have you, but God is faithful and loving. He will guide.

He has warned us to prepare. 

STAND!  STAND FIRM!  Get that battle gear on because you have to stand and fight.

 

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day; for our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”  2 Cor 4:16-18 

 
Because Joy comes in the morning.