Keep on keeping on...

Press on...

Stand firm...

Heaven is Patient???

I have spent much time in the last week praying God's Word back to Him in intercession for the people I love. Through that, I realized this: God wants to and CAN change them, but most of all, He longs to change ME!

I get irritated sometimes.
I am short tempered at times.
I worry too much.
I doubt.
I avoid my issues.
Sometimes I'm rude.

BUT...I long to be everything God wants me to be!

So, today, I invite you to not only pray for others in your life, as well as the situations that only God can fix, but also for God to change you!

I took 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 and started praying it daily, putting my name in place of the word Love. Then I do the same thing for my children and other people I am praying for. So, here is a practical way to pray these verses back to God.

[Heaven] is patient.
[Heaven] is kind.
[Heaven] does not envy.
[Heaven] does not boast.
[Heaven] is not proud.
[Heaven] is not rude.
[Heaven] is not self-seeking.
[Heaven] is not easily angered.
[Heaven] keeps no records of wrongs.
[Heaven] does not delight in evil,
but [Heaven] rejoices in the Truth!
[Heaven] always protects.
[Heaven] always trusts.
[Heaven] always hopes.
[Heaven] always perseveres.

God loves it when we pray His Word back to Him because we pray His Will. He loves to answer prayers that are prayed according to His Will. Try it. Watch God start softening your heart, as well as your family member's hearts. God's word does not return void!

Start believing...

Start believing...

Romans 4:16...the promise comes by FAITH...

Romans 4:18 "Against ALL hope, Abraham IN HOPE believed..."

Romans 4:20 "...Yet he [Abraham] did NOT waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in His faith & gave glory to God.

Romans 4:21 "Being FULLY persuaded that God had the power to do what HE PROMISED!

Genesis 15:6 Abraham believed the Lord!

------------------------------------------

Start declaring...

Matthew 18:19 Again, I tell you that if 2 of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.

Matthew 21:22 "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

Matthew 19:26 Jesus looked at them and said, "With man, this IS IMPOSSIBLE, but WITH GOD, ALL THINGS are POSSIBLE!

Sometimes...BUT...then

Sometimes I cry.
Sometimes I get weak.
Sometimes I feel broken.
Sometimes I sob.
Sometimes I sleep.
Sometimes I want to give up.
Sometimes I can't breathe.
Sometimes the pain is too intense.
Sometimes I seem stronger than what I am.

BUT...

those are the times
Jesus holds my heart

those are the times
Jesus renews my strength

those are the times
I crawl up on Jesus' lap

those are the times
I lay my burdens down at Jesus' feet.

THEN...

He gives me strength for one more day!
He fills my heart up once again!
He reassures me of His love & acceptance!
He enables me to pick my sword up & fight!
He breathes His Spirit into me!
He tells me great & unsearchable things!
He renews my faith!
He pulls me to my feet!
He gives me more hope & love to give away!

SO THAT...

I can hold my sword up high...
and fight the good fight!
I can smile and encourage others again!
I can stand firm in His promises!
I can be a testimony of His faithfulness!

That is why I get up every morning and stand for those things that look impossible to others (sometimes even myself!). That is why I keep writing and encouraging others to press on! That is why I press on...so that YOU will press on!

I press on because I KNOW God is a
Promise Keeper!!! The Bible says so!

I press on because I WANT the prize
He has promised me!

I press on because I don't EVER WANT
to go back to living without Him!

Praying that you will continue to press on when you feel weary from the battle.

~Jesus, you know the pain and weariness of the battle we face daily. You know what it's like to be tempted by the enemy to give up. When you were praying by yourself, the devil tried to take your eyes off the goal by promising you things if only You would turn to him. Yet, You totally relied on Your Father to provide for all of Your needs! Teach us, even in our weariness, to declare: "It is written_______" when the enemy tries to get us to quit doing what it is YOU have called us to do! Thank you that YOUR strength becomes perfect in our weakness! Thank You that with YOU, ALL things are possible! Thank You that You go before us, walk beside us, and are our rear guard in every circumstance we encounter! Thank You that weeping remains for a only a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning!!! In Jesus' precious name, Amen~

Get aggressive!

Get aggressive...

You can sit back and twiddle your fingers, getting trampled on by your circumstances and the enemy, OR you can be active and aggressive in PRAYER, and receive the victory and the promises that are RIGHTFULLY yours because of Jesus Christ!


Matthew 11:12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force

------------------------------------

Start demanding...

Like it or not, believe it or not, we have an enemy who wants to steal, kill, and destroy from you! You can agree or disagree, but the fact is that there is good, and there is evil! God vs. Satan (Devil). If he can keep you from believing that he exists, or even from believing that God exists, then you've already been defeated! Sorry, true story. We don't need to focus on "Oh, no, Satan is big and horrible and...", because TRUTH is that the very spoken name of Jesus Christ crushes him. Yes, he does things to wreak havoc, BUT my God is BIGGER!!! MORE powerful! MORE effective!!! When you speak the Word of God, the Bible, you are not only praying God's Word back to God, you are also defeating your enemy.


Here's the amazing thing! He's already been defeated! If you are a child of God (accepted Jesus into your heart), then 1 John 4:4 says, "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world."


Once you realize the things you are believing are lies (because the truth is the Bible!), you can claim this verse and start demanding your repayment. Proverbs 6:31 "If he (a thief, which is what Satan is) is caught, he MUST pay seven fold." THAT means He owes you EVERYTHING that He's stolen or has tried to steal from your life: health, children, joy, marriages, friendships, love, jobs, finances, etc. PLUS MORE!


Call forth... Romans 4:17 ..."He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed- The God who gives life to the dead & calls things that ARE NOT as IF THEY WERE!

-------------------------------------------

Get violent!

Get violent...

Do you want what God has promised you?

Are you praying for it?

Are you seeking HIM?

Do you desire MORE in your life?

Are you tired of the ups and downs?

Do you get tired of doubting the voice of God?

Are you tired of wavering back and forth in unbelief?

Have you lost your joy in the journey?

Are you tired of fighting day in and day out with YOURself?


God has MORE for us! More than just waking up, doing life, and ending our day in sleep. He has VICTORY here on earth for us! He has JOY unspeakable! He has PEACE! He has FULFILLMENT for us...NOW, not just in eternity.


I don't know about you, but I WANT IT!
I WANT ALL THAT GOD
SAYS I CAN HAVE!
HERE...& NOW...TODAY...AND FOREVER!

You need to speak to the storms in your life TODAY. You need to aggressively go after it in prayer. You need to tell the devil where to go...directly back to hell. You need to saturate yourself in the Word of God. You need to take God AT HIS WORD and quit letting others tell you what you SHOULD BE doing. You need to get so close to God that you KNOW His voice without a doubt!

How do you do this? You open your Bible! You read your Bible! God's Word doesn't return void (Isaiah 55:11) which means that it WILL accomplish what it says it will. Every scripture you read or post or pray MAKES A DIFFERENCE in the Spiritual realm. EVERYtime. NO exceptions.

Ephesians 6 describes how to put on the armor of God. Read it. Memorize it. Use it. Do it. It mentions the sword of the Spirit being the Word of God. Picture a battle with swords. A sword can pierce. A sword can slice. A sword is a weapon. Sword of Spirit=Bible...get it? Speak the Word of God OUTLOUD!!!

God has already won this battle for you! He has already defeated your enemies! He has already given you those things you have asked Him for! When Jesus died on the cross, He said, "It is Finished!!!" Done. Completed. End of story. Declare scripture back to God. Jesus is the One who said it. He doesn't lie. He wants YOU to believe it and receive it and declare it!

In our own strength, we can do NOTHING, but God's power, the resurrection power through Jesus Christ, can do EVERYTHING!!! Search the Bible on how God "showed up" and how Jesus performed miracles. Look at these verses on how the Holy Spirit "showed up". He came with force. Speak boldly and "show up" in prayer with a heavenly violence through Jesus Christ!


Acts 2:1-3 ¹When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. ²Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.

-----------------------------------

Acts 16:25-26 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. ²⁶Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose.

------------------------------------

Look-out Point

Look-out point

Have you ever gone to a place where you could look out and see over a city or an area? We have a place here called Grandad's Bluff. You can drive up the bluff about a mile, park your vehicle, walk to the peak, and look over our city. It's beautiful. It's breathtaking.

When I was in high school, I could go up there, and look to the north, where I could spot my apartment complex. I was able to point out my school, my friend's houses, and different businesses in the area. I could look across the Mississippi River, which borders our city in Wisconsin and see the next city in Minnesota.

Even though I still only live miles from it, I haven't been there for a couple years. As I was doing my devotions this morning, God brought that "look-out point" back to my mind. I know it's there, but because I take it for granted, I have forgotten the beauty of the view from there. It's usually not a conscious thought of "Oh, there's Granddad's Bluff!" I drive, go on my way, and don't give it a second glance.

This picture above is the view from below. We know where it is because of the flag at the top. We can see it from afar and know that's where Grandad's Bluff is.

This flag is huge! So huge that it can be seen as a marker for Grandad's Bluff from many miles away.