Praise Me, Praise Me, Praise Me (5.12.13)

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted in me? Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance - Psalm 42:5

Whenever you are troubled on every side, rest assured that I am there to keep the pressures of this world from overtaking you.  I know there are times when you feel confused and don’t know which way to turn. Those are the times in which you should come to Me, be still, and listen to My voice. My love will keep you and guide from becoming depressed.

When your family and friends persecute you for no reason, please know that I have not forsaken you.  When you’ve been cast down, walked over, and pushed aside; My mercy and grace will keep you from being destroyed.

So when trouble continues to camp out in your home, what are you going to do?  
I want you to praise Me in the midst of what you are going through.  
Praise Me, because that is what I created you to do.  
I want you to offer a sacrifice of praise for all that I have done in your life.
I will keep My hands on you while you’re in the midst of the storm.

Praise Me, even though your circumstances and situations don't want you to.
Praise Me, through the good and the bad.
Praise Me, for teaching you to seek My face and not My hands.
Praise Me and let the enemy know where you stand.

Praise Me, Praise Me, Praise Me!

- My Prayer Confession -

Praise is what I will do no matter what I am going through; 
Lord I will give You all the PRAISE!

   

Loving Even the Most Unloveable (5.11.13)

There are people in this world who have lived their entire lives by selfish and evil means.  It's as if they were born with a defective gene, making them incapable of doing what is good and right.

The way to deal with people like this is to forgive, vowing never to become like them. People who have evil spirits are not to be hated, but are to be loved and prayed for.

Lives devoid of the Good News of GOD are lives that need the touch of our Lord and Saviour immediately.

Reach out to people who rejoice in doing wrong to others by praying for them. They really need to know that JESUS love them regardless of any wicked deed they have ever concocted or participated in.

Assure them, He will forgive them.

Prayer:
Lord, 
Show me how to love 
even the most unlovable people. 
Instead of showing anger, 
let me show compassion and love. 
Grant me a deeper understanding 
of why people choose this path. 

Fill my heart with Your love 
so I can share the good news 
with them so they will not perish 
as promised in Your Word. 

Amen 

Trust Me, Believe My Word, Come to Me & Be Still (5.10.13)

'For, behold, days are coming,' declares the Lord, 'when I restore the fortunes of My people Israel and Judah.'  The Lord says, 'I will also bring them back to the land that I gave to their forefathers, and they shall possess it.' - Jeremiah 30:3

There are times when the storms of life can make you feel as though all hope is lost, that no one cares and there is no way things can be ever be restored. 

The enemy would have you to think you’re never coming out of your dark valley experience. 

I know all about what you are going through.  
I’ve already been through it for you.  

I can and will restore all that’s been lost, if you only trust in Me, believe what is written in My word, and come to Me and be still.

Yes, you have gone through some fierce battles with the enemy.  His main goal is to wear you down and get your attention off the vision I have given you.  You must not allow him to do that. Your fellowship with Me is where your strength lies. If the enemy can disturb your relationship with Me, he knows you will lose faith, and everything else will collapse.

I am aware of every detail that has happened in your life, and I am working on your behalf to bring restoration to all that has been lost. Don’t faint, and don’t grow weary in your season of waiting for Me. 

I have not forsaken you, nor have I forgotten you. Even though you can’t see a way out of what you are going through, trust in Me; the way has been provided. 

Stand strong in My Name, and lift up your head. 

Your restoration is closer than you think. 

ALL IS NOT LOST.

Prayer Equals Love (5.8.13)

Beloved let us love one another, for love comes from GOD. Everyone who loves has been born of GOD and knows GOD - 1 John 4:7

Prayer is necessary to communicate with GOD. When we do not find time to talk with him we are telling GOD his presence is not really necessary in our lives until something devastating happens, then we will call on Him to help us then. Are we sending a message that, by our lack of prayer, we are not at all interested in spending time with the Lord or hearing anything from Him? When we do not pray we hinder the possibility of having intimacy with Christ.

When prayerlessness is prevalent in our lives, we become guilty of not loving one another the way the Lord has required us to do. There is scarcely any greater way to demonstrate love than to pray for someone. In godly intercession, we lift the needs of another to GOD and watch as He moves to meet needs and provide for the one we are praying for.

Through prayer, bodies are healed, families are mended back together, individuals are saved.When we withhold prayer on behalf of others, we demonstrate hardened hearts and a failure to love that person enough to bring their needs before our loving Father.

Today focus on one specific family or person who are going through a period of testing and pray for them. Pray that this family or person will also set aside time every day for devotions and prayer with Jehovah. 

Ask GOD to make this practice a part of their daily routine.

A Prayer of Re-commitment (5.7.13)

Father GOD,

Thank You for waking me up this morning to see another day.

GOD, You are the beginning and end of all things,
the Alpha and the Omega.
Father, I thank you for loving me, regardless of my faults. 

Father, You have kept me in your mind, 
since the beginning of the world, 
and will continue to hold me close to You 
when this world passes away. 
I confess the times when I have allowed my needs 
to become the beginning and end of my existence. 

Starting today Lord, 
I will commit myself to giving You the highest place 
in my life and in my heart.
Father GOD, reveal Your glory to me 
so that I cannot help but praise You with my whole heart. 
Strengthen me, so that I will always be about 
Your agenda and not mine.
Help me to share the Word of GOD with others, 
so that those who choose to follow You will know 
that regardless of what they are going through, 
You hold all the power in Your hand 
to change their situation, if they will only believe. 

I thank you Father that I believe.
Help me Father to love those who are choosing 
to do the work of the enemy, 
thinking their wicked deeds are unknown and unseen to You.
You are forever present, an all seeing and all knowing GOD!
Father, Your Word said "no deed will be overlooked, good or bad".
You said You will repay all deeds, rather good or bad.

Remind me Holy Spirit to share the Word of GOD 
with someone today.
I thank you Lord, for everything 
You have done in my life and in the lives of my loved ones.
Thank you Lord. 

Amen

Ask Him to Open Your Eyes (5.6.13)

Praise GOD, who is the source of all wealth and prosperity on earth - 1 Chronicles 29:12

Give thanks for all the material blessings GOD has given to you. Confess any occasions when you have tried to “store up for yourself treasures on earth - Matthew 6:19

Commit yourself to remembering that wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, are a gift from GOD - Ecclesiastics 5:19

Ask Him to open your eyes to new opportunities, to use your possessions for the benefit of others and to bless those in need.

Pray Ephesians 1:18 - I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened
in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you,
the riches of his glorious; for any unsaved person you know, 
asking especially that his or her spiritual eyes will be opened 
to see the eternal treasure of life in Christ.

Worrying, Fearful Christians are Ineffective Christians; Trust & Walk with Him (5.5.13)

For GOD has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind - 2 Timothy 1:7

When you wake up in the morning, are the thoughts from yesterdays' events bringing worry and stress into your mind? Do you wake up thinking about the day ahead of you, and fear or tension fills your heart. 

Does your concern over family members or other relationships begins to weigh down your day, before it ever really gets started? 

Many of us look at such situations as being normal, but there is a warfare aspect to these thoughts. 

GOD’s Word teaches us that He wants us to lay aside all fear and trust Him. Worry and anxiety are to be given over to Him.
He wants to set us free from anything that has the potential to damage our life.
If GOD want us to be free from such thoughts, you can count on the fact that the enemy wants us to wallow in these fears. 

The Christian that spends his or her time worrying or being in fear of anything, is a Christian who is ineffective for the kingdom of GOD. 

When the enemy can manipulate our thoughts away from trusting GOD, he has gotten the victory and this should not be. The LORD has promised that his children will be victorious over the enemy always, if we continue to trust and walk with Him.

Father,

Grant me Your protection in the most common areas 
of spiritual attack: my mind, my heart and my mouth. 
Help me to keep my thoughts fixed on You, Lord. 
Keep and protect my heart always Father.
May my words always please You.
Please help me today to live completely 
under Your Lordship and in Your victorious care. 

Amen

Don't Worry About the Setbacks, They are Setting You Up to be Blessed (5.4.13)

Don’t allow the minor setbacks to discourage you. 
These setbacks are just a part of your journey with Me. 

I want to encourage you, and help you to recognize they are only temporary. I don’t see them as setbacks, I see them as opportunities for you to grow into a stronger person.

Allow those obstacles to be the stepping stones which draw you nearer to Me. Don’t allow them to stop you from expecting divine breakthroughs in your life. Look with the eyes of faith and see brighter possibilities opening before you. When you learn to embrace these opportunities instead of resisting them, you will experience immense growth and blessings.

So don’t worry about the setbacks, 
they are only setting you up to be blessed.

And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you - 1 Peter 5:10 (ESV) 

I Have Been Preparing You for Such a Time as This (5.3.13)

I have allowed you to come to the edge of defeat and failure.
I have allowed you to be tested beyond what you thought you could bear.
I have taken you to the limits of your faith and belief so that you can see just how much you need Me.

It is those times that you have found that I have never forsaken you or left you,
that I was always there and was always near. What you feared was not there at all.

The thing you thought was going to take you under, you were able to rise above it.

The thing which has held you back, no longer exists.
What controlled you has been broken and cast away from you.

This is what the Lord says, "I have been preparing you and building you up for such a time as this.
I have positioned you and called you forth. What has taken place within you has been Me at work."

At times, you thought 'I cannot make it, this thing is too bad, GOD is unfair'.
You have weathered it all and have stood.

You have stood. You have learned resistance and how to endure.

You have learned what is of Me and what was of the flesh. It has not been easy, but quite hard. You did doubt, at times, if you would survive but you more than survived, you came through and have stood!

Testing is not easy because your whole being is pressed, twisted and stretched beyond your comfort zone.
Your very movements are restricted.
You feel boxed in and everything around you seems to be closed off .

You have found others did not understand you, much less did you understand yourself.
Confusion covered you and you felt alone. You wanted to hide and cover yourself.
You said, 'It is too much, GOD is too unfair'.

This is what the Lord says, "You have found that what you have been thinking is not true, but you have come forth refined as pure gold. You are not the same person that you were. You are becoming more like Me".

GOD said following Him would not be easy. He said we will go through periods of long suffering. He never put a time limit on the term "long suffering". Our timing is not His timing and our ways are not His ways.

He has promised that even though it appear the bottom has fallen out, and your world appear to be upside down, all of these circumstances are going to work out in your favor and for your good.

GOD has promised this.
His Word will not return void.

Be Kind & Loving in Your Actions & Deeds (5.1.13)

As you are going through this trial period in your life be sensitive to the needs of those around you.

Be kind, caring and loving in your thoughts, actions and deeds. It is important to recognize that often things are not as they appear to be. The enemy is using distrust, rejection, fear, miscommunication, prior hurts and wounds, etc. to bring death and division into relationships.

If you are experiencing relationship issues seek the Lord for His wisdom on how to proceed. Do not react out of emotion, but find that place of stillness and talk to the Lord about your issues.

Ask the Lord to sovereignly intervene, ensuring that you follow through on whatever the Holy Spirit leads you to do.

Remember proper communication is vital and humility is key.

1 Peter 3:8-12
Psalms 133
John 15:9-17
Ephesians 4:31-32