September Cover Photo (2013)*

Flower Bloom in February @ Rock Creek Park in Washington, DC
                                                                        - Photo by Rachel J Newman

When You are Down to Nothing, God is Up to Something (9.29.13)

This writing was shared with me, and it blessed me again as I meditated on it this morning. 

I pray it will bless you as well.
Wishing you a blessed and peace-filled Sunday. 

          - Marilyn Chaney
-----------------------------------------------------------

Remember, there is only one place the enemy cannot find you. 

There is only one place where opposition cannot steal from you. 

There is only one true place of safety and rest for your soul.

And that is in the arms of Jesus.

When you are down to nothing, GOD is up to something. 

When it looks like your crops are being eaten up, 

GOD is not on the throne saying, “Oh man. What are they going to do?” 

No, GOD is in complete control. 

He has a way even when we don’t see a way.

But understand, just because you write off your dreams,  

doesn’t mean that GOD writes them off. 

GOD remembers you and He remembers the dream He put within you. 

He remembers the goal, the promises and your deepest desires.

You must believe that GOD is watching over you. 

Believe that nothing can keep you from your destiny. 

Know that you will see GOD show up and show out in amazing ways. 

He will give you favor to accomplish your dreams.

There is nothing about you that is an accident. 

All things will work together for your good. 

The bible doesn’t say that everything is good. 

You may be uncomfortable for a season. 

Things may be taking longer than you wanted. 

 But if you keep the faith, GOD will use your challenges for your good.

Therefore, wait on the Lord. 

Do not give up on Him. 

Rest in His peace and know it’s going to work out.

Psalm 37:34a - Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land:

Romans 8:28 - And we know that all things work together for good to them that love GOD, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 

Do Not Concern Yourself with the "Tomorrows" of Your Life; Focus On Today (9.28.13)

Beloved, 
I hold your times and seasons in My hand. 

Do not concern yourself with the "tomorrows" of your life. 
Concern yourself with only the things of today, 
knowing that GOD is with you and He has your best interests at heart. 

Tomorrow is not promised to any of us, not even the next 15 minutes are promised. 
We now live in a world where people wake up every morning - to go to work or school - not knowing whether or not this day will be their last day on earth. 

Extreme evil has taken over the world we live in. 
Be diligent in prayer to the Lord our Father, and He will send His Angels to surround you and keep you. GOD said, 'I am with you and will never leave you nor forsaken you.' 
His word says, 'You have not been left to your own devices to overcome by the strength of your flesh. Put your faith and trust in Me, says the Lord.'

Matthew 6:33-34 - But seek first the kingdom of GOD and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Remember, there is nothing you will face today that the Lord can't bring you through.

Thank GOD for what you have. 
Trust GOD for what you need.

Being Still Before God will Change Your Life (9.27.13)

GOD has invited each of us to trust Him as our restorer. 

JESUS invited us personally when he said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" - Matthew 11:28-30

When our lives become busy and worries pile up in our hearts, 

we often forget the power of coming before the Lord 

and asking for His rest and peace. 

The power of being still before GOD 

 will change things in your life, always. 

The power of listening to that small still voice 

during our time of need
is such a comfort that cannot be explained. 

As you pour your soul out to GOD,
He will surely restore you
because restoration is one of the things He has promised
to those who love Him.

His presence will overcome you with comfort
and He will give you such a peace that you will not be able to understand.
He will address each issue that you bring to Him,
but He will answer in His timing only.
If you seek Him,
His presence will never leave you unfulfilled.

How great is our GOD?
He is an awesome GOD!

Take some time to be still before Him today.
Remember, there is power in being still before the Lord.

As you accept His invitation for peace and restoration,
pray for others that are going through trying times as well.

They need the Savior in their life too, just like each of us;
so they also can experience His love, power and peace.

Expect to Hear My Voice, says the Lord; and Expect to Be Blessed (9.26.13)

Genesis 18:14 - Is anything too hard for the LORD?
2 Corinthians 5:7 - For we walk by faith, not by sight

My Child,

I have promised that all your needs shall be met, 

and I will not turn a deaf ear to your cries. 

When you call Me; I will hear and answer. 

I want you to start expecting to receive an answer. 

Expect to hear My voice.  Expect to be blessed. 

Why do you pray and don’t prepare yourself to be blessed? 

You should pray without expectation. 

You should know by now My promises are true. 

I am Jehovah Jireh, Your Provider.

I need you to trust Me.  Let Me lead and guide you. 

I long to whisper words of love and affection in your ear. 

I promised that I wouldn't leave you comfortless. 

You must believe that what you have asked for, will come to pass. 

You must not doubt. 

Expect to be blessed.

Trust in Me.  

Do not be moved by what your circumstances dictate.

Do not be moved by what you feel. 

Be confident that I have risen in your midst to bring healing, to bring salvation, to bring victory and to bring counsel to those in need. Even now I am interceding for you. 

I expect you to pray to Me.  

You must expect to receive your blessings when you pray.

Know that I have heard your prayers, 

and that I am bringing all you ask to pass. 

I am bringing about a complete change in your life. 

Trust in Me and believe that I am faithful to do those things 

I have promised to do. 

Expect Me to bring the natural in alignment with the spiritual. 

I am the GOD of Abraham, of Isaac and of Moses; is there anything too hard for Me? 

Expect, My Child, to be blessed.

All That You Have Experienced Has Been Formed Into Your Blessings (9.25.13)

There are great, new things ahead for you.

I know right now all you can see is the storm and the raging seas;
but I see the land that lies ahead.

If you could just take your eyes off your circumstances, off the waves ahead of you, and look to Me; then your spiritual eyes would reveal to you the new land that’s ahead of you.
The new land I have promised you.

Right now all you can see - in the natural - is an ocean of need, problems and conflicts that seem to continue to roll in. Oh, how I wish you would see things through the eyes of faith. If you did, you would see that just beyond the horizon there is brand new land waiting for you. A brand new land that was created out of all that you went through.

Yes, all that you have experienced has been formed into a blessing, just for you.

So do not give up now, but press on, forward.  For the time will not be long now, until you see the things that I have said, come to pass in your life.

Once you arrive in your new land,
you will understand why you had to travel through that valley.

You’ll understand why your boat was tossed upon the stormy seas.
And you will understand and see why everything that you went through was well worth it… for it was for My glory.

So, rise up now, in the authority and the strength that I have imparted in you;
for the journey will soon be over.

Deuteronomy 27:3b - when thou art passed over, that thou mayest go in unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, a land that floweth with milk and honey; as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee

Does My Spiritual Life Line Up with God's Word, or Am I Just an Actor? (9.24.13)

It is amazing how much popularity and money the entertainment business generates. 

Whether it is the big screen, television, or DVD rentals, both Christians and non-Christians alike, "invest" much of their time and money in these forms of entertainment. Just as amazing is the fact that most of it is make-believe. It is the "make-believers" for whom the world, and a great part of the church,  has set apart and on a pedestal as celebrities and icons of our culture. The skill of "acting" has become a profitable endeavor for both reward and award. 

 Our society has heaped praise and trophies upon those who are professional pretenders. 

Sadly, some of the greatest actors and pretenders are not in the Hollywood hills, but within the city that is to be set upon a hill – The Church.

Hypocrisy or pretension has its origins in the root of idolatry. 
The church-attending actor(ess) is desperately seeking the approval and affirmation of man rather than GOD as his or her primary source of meaning and direction. Worse yet, many of these individuals have been walking in man-centered idolatry for so long, that they are led to believe that they are superstars, and that they are doing GOD a favor whenever they mention His name. 

Without the healing touch of GOD to liberate us into transparency and truth, the "actor" will come to a point of believing their own warped natural and spiritual viewpoints. The proof of spiritual truth in our life can be summed up by asking ourselves two simple questions: "Does my public life (the life that I "present" to others) reflect my private life?" and "Does my spiritual life line up with GOD's Word?" 

From noticing some of the Christian worship services on television, the world has taken the church and turned it into a place of entertainment, instead of a place to worship. 

We must pray for the churches that have lost their focus of serving the Lord. 

The Lord said, His house will be a house of prayer and worship to Jehovah our Father. 
He will not accept anything less!

Pour Out Your Soul to God & Let Him Restore You (9.23.13)

GOD has invited each of us to trust Him as our restorer.

JESUS invited us personally when he said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" - Matthew 11:28-30

When our lives become busy and our worries pile up in our hearts; we often forget the power of coming before the Lord and asking for His rest and His peace.

The power of being still before GOD will always change things in your life.
The power of listening to that small still voice during our time of need is such a comfort that cannot be explained. As you pour your soul out to GOD, He will surely restore you because restoration is one of the things He has promised to those who love Him.

His presence will overcome you with comfort and He will give you such peace, that you will not be able to explain it. God will address each issue that you bring to Him, but He will answer only in His timing. If you seek Him, His presence will never leave you unfulfilled.

How great is our GOD?
He is an awesome GOD!

Take some time to be still before Him today.
Remember, there is power in being still before the Lord.
As you accept His invitation for peace and restoration, pray for others that are going through trying times as well. They too need the Savior in their life; just like each of us do, so that they to can also experience His love, power and peace.

Call out to Me, My Child - A Letter from the Lord (9.21.13)

1 Peter 5:10 - But the GOD of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you.

Why are you feeling down? 
Don’t you know I long to hold you close? 

If you would only call out to Me, I would come and take away your pain, your hurt and your sadness. There is no need to lash out at others close to you, because of the hurt and despair you’re feeling. When you do that, it only causes more negative feelings and unforgiveness to linger in your heart. Release what you are feeling to Me, so I can perfect all that concerns you. 

Don’t continue to shut Me out. 
It hurts Me to see you suffer needlessly.

Don’t allow the words of others to destroy you.  Forgive them My children. 
Don't hold onto the pain and hurt.  Release it. 

Just call out to Me, and I will hold you close and wipe away all your tears. Trust Me with your family and all your needs. It is My desire that you should live peacefully with everyone. Watch the words you speak, so  that those who are hurting won’t take things the wrong way.

If you lift your eyes up, you will see that I am all you need. I can make all that is wrong in your life so much better, if only you let Me in. I have so much peace and joy that I want to share with you. Try Me and you will find Me to be faithful and true. So much is waiting for you, if only you would release what you are feeling. I long to fill you up so that you may be overflowing with an abundant life. I am your healer.

Praise Me, talk to Me often, for I am right here with you. 
I know your every desire, your every need. 
I love you My child, and I only want the best for you. 
I promise you only good and perfect gifts. 
You are precious to Me; I want you to walk in My joy. 
So release your pain and allow Me to perfect that which concerns you.

- My Prayer Confession - 

Father, 
Thank You for wanting me to have only good and perfect gifts. 
I confess there have been times throughout my life when I have settled for second best 
because I didn’t seek You first, or didn’t have the right motives. 
Thank you for teaching me how to forgive so I may receive forgiveness. 
Now Lord I release all I am feeling so You can perfect all that concerns me. 

Thank You for making me blessed and highly favored.

Amen

God Will Never Fail You (9.20.13)

It is okay to cry out to God for help.  For He is the One to turn to when things in your world start to fall apart. Why do you wait until things become so unbearable before you cry out to the Lord? 

God wants you to have a intimate relationship with Him. 

Come to Him with all of your distress and your pain.  He will never fail you, nor fall short of His promises to you.  Cry out to God, and do not try to fight your battles alone, especially when they become too much for you to bear.  

God knows all.  He understand all.  Therefore He is always willing to carry the load for you. God has more than enough power to help and deliver you from all of your trials and tribulations. Don’t allow pride to get in the way of surrendering all your cares and your needs to God. 

God promises to always have a listening ear, open hands, and a loving heart towards those who seek Him. Your tears are never wasted, not one tear that you shed goes unnoticed by God. You have no idea how much healing can be released through your tears. Crying doesn't mean that you are weak. So cry out to God and receive restoration. 

Release all of your pain to God and allow the healing to begin in your life.

But in my distress I cried out to the LORD; yes, I prayed to my GOD for help.  He heard me from His sanctuary; my cry to Him reached His ears - Psalm 18:6 (NLT)