#ScriptureReflection - 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 (3.8.22)

Christ the Firstfruits.

 ²⁰  But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹  For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead came also through a human being. ²²  For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life, ²³  but each one in proper order: Christ the firstfruits; then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ; ²⁴  then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father, when he has destroyed every sovereignty and every authority and power. ²⁵  For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. ²⁶  The last enemy to be destroyed is death, ²⁷  for “he subjected everything under his feet.” But when it says that everything has been subjected, it is clear that it excludes the one who subjected everything to him. ²⁸  When everything is subjected to him, then the Son himself will [also] be subjected to the one who subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all.

Source: NABRE (New American Bible Revised Edition)  

Look Ahead..... (3.7.22)

My Children,
How long will some of you continue to look back, think of the past and everything that went wrong? I Know the things each of you have suffered; and I Know some of the things were hard, and left deep wounds.  Children, those wounds would have healed by now if they had been given to Me in absolute surrender. Isn’t it time that many of you begin to look ahead, and let the past remain in the past?

Look ahead, Child.  Because I AM doing a new thing in your life right now. However, if you are always thinking of the past, and if you’re constantly wondering "why I didn’t do this, why you didn't do that, why they said this or that, who didn't help you, what you should have done different" instead; then you will miss the present, you won’t recognize the new thing that I AM doing, and you will miss it.  You will miss all of it.  And I Do not want you to miss any of it.  I Will ALWAYS desire to heal your wounds from the past. If you allow Me, I Will shine My Healing Light on those dark memories, and there will be no more pain.  There will only be glory, victory, healing and love.  My Agape Love.

Begin anew this day.
Take every thought captive.
Give them to Me.

And then I Will remove those thoughts and memories that bother you.
I Will help you to see those things differently.
I Will help you to feel more gratitude, grateful that I brought you through the situation, more compassion, more empowered and more victory - feelings of power & conquering - about those thoughts and memories; versus feeling pain, hurt, distain, anger or victimized - lower level feelings - that do not matter.  Those things that you need to heal from and move on; so that you can move forward in love, power, the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-25), your anointing and My Glory.

To My Children who are not whole, I Say, Open your heart to Me.  Let Me in the areas of your life that have been damaged by the past. Let My healing balm touch your deepest hurts and restore the joy you once had.

Trust Me when I Say that you do not have to keep reliving the pain of the past.  In fact, not only do you not have to; but you must stop.  You must stop reliving the pain(s) of the past.  You must let them go.  Your heart, mind, spirit and soul cannot breathe in a 'pain(s) of the past' space or construct.  Healing and restoration are available to you.  Healing and restoration are already yours, if you truly want it.  For you must truly want to let it ALL go. 

All you have to do is release the pain into My Loving Arms. 

I Want you to open your eyes and gaze into the future afresh today.
I Want you to see that your winter season is indeed over. 
I Want you to see that it is time to prepare yourself to receive the new thing that I Have been doing in your life.

You cannot change the past; nor should you want to.  Because it is your past that has set you up for a beautiful present and an abundant, blessed future.  It is your past that is causing your blessing to spring forth. 

Now, look ahead.
Look ahead.
Look ahead.

Look ahead.
Right now.

 

Read and Meditate on God's Word

Isaiah 42:9 - Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.

Isaiah 43:18-19 - Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

2 Corinthians 10:5 - Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of GOD, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ

Philippians 3:13-14 - My brothers, I do not count myself to have taken possession, but one thing I do, forgetting the things behind and reaching forward to the things before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 

#ScriptureReflection - 1 Corinthians 15:29-34 (3.6.22)

 Practical Arguments.

²⁹  Otherwise, what will people accomplish by having themselves baptized for the dead?  If the dead are not raised at all, then why are they having themselves baptized for them?

³⁰  Moreover, why are we endangering ourselves all the time? ³¹  Every day I face death; I swear it by the pride in you [brothers] that I have in Christ Jesus our Lord. ³²  If at Ephesus I fought with beasts, so to speak, what benefit was it to me? If the dead are not raised:

“Let us eat and drink,
    for tomorrow we die.”

³³  Do not be led astray:
“Bad company corrupts good morals.”

³⁴  Become sober as you ought and stop sinning. For some have no knowledge of God; I say this to your shame.

Source: NABRE (New American Bible Revised Edition)     

Do Not Stop Short of Your BLESSINGS!!!! (3.5.22)

My Child,
Be faithful.
Be strong.
Be of good courage.

For I AM Going to bring you forth into this new season with many surprises. 

The surprises will be for your good. Therefore, do not be surprised by the feeble, consistent attempts of the enemy against you. Every one of those attempts will fail, so be confident, operate and move in the way that I Have taught you.  Move in the way that you know I Would Expect of you, for I Have taught you well, My Child.  Do not lose heart and do not give up on the path that I have prepared for you. Remember, all you must do is believe, and walk with Me in the way that I Lead you.  I Will Empower you by My Holy Spirit to do the things I Have Asked of you. 

Therefore, be strong in Me, the Lord you God.
Do not give up.
Do not stop short of receiving your Blessings. 

Be available to Me, and in doing so, you will be able to move with Me and see exactly what I Am Doing. The abundance of My Kingdom is coming forth in your life in ways that you have never seen, nor could you have ever imagined. 

So, do not be discouraged by the things you may endure on this journey. Instead, be encouraged by My Word, and be steadfast in Me.  For I Am your Father, and I Love you.  Be prepared to fight the good fight of faith, oh yes, most likely all of you will have to fight - but fight in faith, Child; and you will be blessed in this season in so many ways.  So many ways.  My Ways.

Let Me lead you.  And I Will take you to those places that you don’t know about.  Yet. Oh yes, the day of surprises is about to come forth, like the mighty waves in the ocean, and you will delight yourself even more in Me. Your Spirit will be overflowing with enjoyment, laughter, love, joy and peace. So come, dwell in My Presence. Be strengthened by My Holy Spirit.  And hold fast. Encourage yourself in Me.  Over and over and over and over again, you will have to encourage yourself in Me. 

You have gone through so much, Child.
So do not allow anyone nor anything to
     cause you to stop short of your blessings.

Now, prepare yourself to go forth
      and get ready to be surprised.

Read and Meditate on God's Word
1 Corinthians 15:58 - Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor

1 Peter 4:12-13 - Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. 

1 Samuel 30:6 - And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his GOD.

1 Corinthians 2:9 - But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which GOD hath prepared for them that love him. 2 Corinthians 4:16-17 - For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 

Galatians 6:9 - And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. 

#ScriptureReflection - 1 Corinthians 15:1-19 (3.4.22)

V. The Resurrection

A. The Resurrection of Christ
The Gospel Teaching.

¹  Now I am reminding you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you indeed received and in which you also stand. ²  Through it you are also being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. ³  For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures; ⁴  that he was buried; that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures; ⁵  that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. ⁶  After that, he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. ⁷  After that he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. ⁸  Last of all, as to one born abnormally, he appeared to me. ⁹  For I am the least of the apostles, not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. ¹⁰  But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been ineffective. Indeed, I have toiled harder than all of them; not I, however, but the grace of God [that is] with me. ¹¹  Therefore, whether it be I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

B. The Resurrection of the Dead
Results of Denial.

¹²  But if Christ is preached as raised from the dead, how can some among you say there is no resurrection of the dead? ¹³  If there is no resurrection of the dead, then neither has Christ been raised. ¹⁴  And if Christ has not been raised, then empty [too] is our preaching; empty, too, your faith. ¹⁵  Then we are also false witnesses to God, because we testified against God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if in fact the dead are not raised. ¹⁶  For if the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised, ¹⁷  and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins. ¹⁸  Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. ¹⁹  If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are the most pitiable people of all.

Source: NABRE (New American Bible Revised Edition) 

A Letter from GOD to His Adult Daughters (3.3.22)

 

When I Created the Heavens and the earth, I Spoke them into being.
When I Created man, I Formed him, and breathed life into his nostrils.

But you, woman, I Fashioned after I Breathed the breath of life into man
because your nostrils are too delicate. I Allowed a deep sleep to come
over him so that I Could patiently, and perfectly, fashion you.

Man was put to sleep so that he could not interfere with the creativity.
From one bone, I Fashioned you. I Chose the bone that protects man’s life.
I Chose the rib, which protects his heart and lungs and supports him,
as you are meant to do.

Around this one bone, I Shaped you... I Modeled you. I Created you
perfectly and beautifully. Your characteristics are as the rib, strong yet
delicate and fragile. You provide protection for the most delicate organ
in man, his heart. His heart is the center of his being; his lungs hold the
breath of life.

The rib cage will allow itself to be broken before it will allow damage
to the heart.  Support man as the rib cage supports the body.

You were not taken from his feet, to be under him, nor were you taken
from his head, to be above him. You were taken from his side, to stand
beside him and be held close to his side.

You are my perfect angel...You are My Beautiful Daughter.

You have grown to be a splendid woman of excellence,
and My Eyes fill when I See the virtues in your heart.

 Your eyes ~ do not change them.

 Your lips ~ how lovely when they part in prayer.

 Your nose ~ so perfect in form.

 Your hands ~ so gentle to touch.

 I've Caressed your face in your deepest sleep.

 I've Held your heart close to mine.

 Of all that lives and breathes, you are most like Me. 

Adam walked with Me in the cool of the day, yet he was lonely.
He could not see Me or touch Me. He could only feel Me.

So everything I Wanted Adam to share and experience with Me,
I Fashioned in you; My Holiness, My Strength, My Purity, My Love,
My Protection and My Support.

You are special because you are an extension of Me.
Man represents My Image.
Woman represents My Emotions.
Together, as One, you represent the totality of GOD.

So man...treat women well.
Love her, for she is fragile.
Respect her, for she is strong.
Remember her, for she is Me.

Cherish her.
For as you, man, are of Me.
And for as she is of Me.
She is also of you.

She is of you, man, AND Me.
She is special.
Because she is Ours.

#ScriptureReflection - 1 Corinthians 12:27-31 (3.2.22)

Application to Christ.

 ²⁷  Now you are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it. ²⁸  Some people God has designated in the church to be, first, apostles; second, prophets; third, teachers; then, mighty deeds; then, gifts of healing, assistance, administration, and varieties of tongues. ²⁹  Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work mighty deeds? ³⁰  Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? ³¹  Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts.

The Way of Love.

But I shall show you a still more excellent way.

Source: NABRE (New American Bible Revised Edition)

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WHO Will You Believe??? (3.1.22)

My Child,
Refuse to allow your "difficulties" to outweigh your
     sense of victory.  
You must not give in to self-pity, or feel like a victim. 

Do not fear the report of man. 

It does not matter what “they," say. I Want you to know that I AM with you always. I Promised that I Will never leave you, forsake you, nor abandon you. I AM your Loving Father, and I Will have the last word. 

It is not over! 
Say it with Me, “It is not over!” 

Believe that I Will have the last word and that it is worked out. It does not matter if you don't feel My Presence in your situation.  Do not be moved by what you feel, be moved by what My Word says. My Word says that My Son has overcome the world; therefore, you are more than a conqueror through My Son, Jesus Christ - and therefore, through Me. 

You are an overcomer.
Who will you believe?

No matter what your feelings dictate, you are My Child. I AM a Loving Father.  And I AM Good.

It is My Pleasure to give you good things. Do not allow your feelings to control the situation. Begin to pray, and praise Me, in your Heavenly prayer language. Praise Me and it shall elevate you above the furnace of affliction. Seek Me daily for the freshness of My Holy Spirit to arise in you. Stand before Me, with your hands lifted, and the bubbling of My Holy Spirit shall rise in your heart. 

Praise Me, praise Me, praise Me in all things.  And see whether I won’t have the last word in your situation.  

Trust in Me, and do not bow down to the enemy. Press your way, and come boldly to My Throne Room of Grace. Confess that no weapon formed against you shall prosper, and you will find the mercy and help that you need.  My Child, I AM bigger than any obstacle that may come across your path. I Have given you My Authority and My Boldness to speak to the mountains and to defeat the giants in your life. Speak the Word, My Word. It does not matter what the situation looks like.  It does not matter what people say.  It does not matter what you may see or think or feel.  SPEAK MY WORD.  Speak the Word. 

For I Will have the last say - the Last Word - in your situation; and I Say, that you have the Victory in Me.  Who will you believe? 

Stand and walk in faith, knowing that I AM bringing deliverance right now. No matter the trials, plots, and plans of the enemy - declare war, then decree victory! Lift up your heart unto Me and worship Me. Be strong in Me - the Lord your God - and go forth in My Strength. Yes, I AM bringing you out.  You shall come forth as an overcomer of the Lord your God. Worship Me, Praise Me, Honor Me, Talk to Me, Seek My Guidance & Wisdom and you will see the plans of the enemy work out for your good.  I Say I Will have the last word in this situation; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.  I Have Spoken.

Now, who will you believe?

Read and Meditate on God's Word

Numbers 11:23 - And the LORD said unto Moses, Is the LORD'S hand waxed short? thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.

Jeremiah 1:12 - Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.

Jeremiah 23:29 - Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?

Isaiah 54:17 - No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper;

Micah 4:4  - But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it.

Matthew 7:11 - If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

John 16:33 - These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Romans 8:37 - Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
 
Hebrews 4:16 - Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

March Cover Photo (2022)

 

#ScriptureReflection - 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 (2.28.22)

 One Body, Many Parts.

¹²  As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. ¹³  For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.

¹⁴  Now the body is not a single part, but many. ¹⁵  If a foot should say, “Because I am not a hand I do not belong to the body,” it does not for this reason belong any less to the body. ¹⁶  Or if an ear should say, “Because I am not an eye I do not belong to the body,” it does not for this reason belong any less to the body. ¹⁷  If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸  But as it is, God placed the parts, each one of them, in the body as he intended. ¹⁹  If they were all one part, where would the body be? ²⁰  But as it is, there are many parts, yet one body. ²¹  The eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I do not need you.” ²²  Indeed, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are all the more necessary, ²³  and those parts of the body that we consider less honorable we surround with greater honor, and our less presentable parts are treated with greater propriety, ²⁴  whereas our more presentable parts do not need this. But God has so constructed the body as to give greater honor to a part that is without it, ²⁵  so that there may be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same concern for one another. ²⁶  If [one] part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy.

Source: NABRE (New American Bible Revised Edition)