That Proud Oppessor

Those proud oppressors,
Fear, sickness, pride, frustration, anxiety....
They think they can rise up,
And have full reign over you, my friend.
But they are deceived,
They have walked right into a trap,
Because you, son or daughter of the King,
Are covered with the blood of Jesus
And you, dear one,
Have a promise of blessing over your life!!!

Yes, you have a promise,
From the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Maker of heaven and earth
Over you, His beloved one,
A promise of blessing...

Did you know, friend?
That this proud oppressor,
Who you thought had conquered, had won, was big and powerful,
This proud oppressor has to bow,
Bow to the One who you belong to...
This proud oppressor,
Has to bow and get out!!!

Because you have a promise of blessing over your life!!!

So tell it to go...
Remind this unwelcome intruder who you are, and who you belong to,
And begin to walk in your blessing!

Your Savior gave His life to guarantee this blessing for you,
This blessing of instead!!!

He promises to bless you with gladness instead of mourning,
Gratitude instead of despair,
A double portion instead of shame and disgrace,
Health instead of sickness,
Peace and a confidence instead of worry and fear...

"Yes, His promise of blessing over you, will break you free from the proud oppressors!"
 Psalms 119:122

The Process of Sowing

Those who sow their seeds with tears,
Their seeds of prayer, of continual faithfulnes, of continual hope,
For change, for breakthrough, for healing, for restoration...
Will reap a harvest of God's goodness!

Yes, those who sow their seeds,
Trusting in their God,
Will return with joyful laughter...

For their God is good,
Their God is faithful,
Their God keeps His promises.
And the harvest... watered with His supernatural grace,
Is overflowing,
With more than we could have dreamed...

Because this is who our God is...
He sees the big picture,
He is always working, He cares,
And suddenly...
Our eyes open... and we can see...
The depth of His purposes,
And the layers of His detailed work.

And the miracle is revealed before our eyes!

Yes, joy abounds because of His goodness!!

Psalms 126

For the Joy That Was Set Before Him

He endured the pain,
Received the rejection,
Slap after slap upon His face...
He suffered with each blow, each whip, each lash upon His body
As His skin ripped and bleed.
He was mocked, ridiculed
As He held His hands out to receive the piercing of the nails,
And they were pounded into His hands and feet.
He hung there forlorn and forsaken
Yet He uttered not a word of offense.

But instead, He blessed His enemies...

How God, How,
How could You endure all this,
Yet not sin with a word of offense, or thought of bitterness?

Then I heard Him whisper His answer...
"It was because of the joy that was set before me."
"My precious one, I set you before My eyes...
 I saw your chains drop,
 I saw you forgiven and free,
 I saw you healed,
 I saw you happy, prospering, and whole...
 It was worth it just for you, precious one." He whispered.

Because of the joy that was set before Him...
Lord, is this how I can keep the offenses from prospering in my soul?
Blessing the offender, thanking the Lord and believing the best about the indiviual,
Seeing in my spirit my offender transformed and something good coming from it all...

Only with your Spirit within me is this possible, Lord!

Thank you Jesus for leading the way with such radical love!!!

Confidence

This confidence
That I can have in You, my Father, my Daddy, my God,
Is such a gift,
Yes, it is my great reward.

Thank you Father,
That I can confidently run into Your arms and know that You are there.
Thank you that I can be confident that You hear my every prayer, my every longing and desire.
Thank you that I can be confident that You will keep me, help me, fight for me, protect me.
Thank you that I can be confident that You save to the uttermost...
Thank you that I can be confident in name of Jesus, in the covering of Your blood.

What would life be like if I didn't have this gift, this reward?
Who could I turn to
In my fear, my sorrow, my anxiety, my insecurity, my questions
If I did not have You, Father, as my confidence?

There would be no solid ground, no peace, no comfort, no encouragement, no security for my soul.
It would feel like I was sinking, wandering, so fearful, overcome with the "what ifs,"
And so alone...

So I thank you Father for this reward of confidence in You.

May I not treat this reward lightly,
Or cast it away with my questions and doubts...

The confidence You give me is not a variable.
It doesn't change with the shifting winds, the new trend, the storm or the disaster...
No, this confidence in You remains the same...through it all,
Because You remain the same, yesterday, today, and forever...
Always faithful, always good, always kind, always pouring Your love upon me...

Oh, Father, You are my strong confidence...
What a priceless reward!

Hebrews 10:35 "Do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord, no matter what happens.
                           Remember the great reward it brings.

The Kindness of My Father

When I think about the kindness of my Father,
My heart sings and I bow in awe and wonder...

Who else would give His best, His only beloved Son to rescue me,
When I saw no need to be rescued, saw no need for a Help...
When I thought I could handle it all on my own,
With my own strength, my own intellect, my own knowledge?

Who would give His best,
Even though He knew the crushing, the suffering, the magnitude of the pain that was ahead
For the One He loved the most...
His One and only?

Who would suffer like this for someone who turned turned their back on Him,
He despised and rejected Him,
Who would give Himself so sacrificially and wholly
To someone who didn't deserve anything? 

It was His kindness that planned the redemption,
It was His kindness that humbled Himself to dwell among us.
It was His kindness that endured the suffering, the offense, the denial, the grief, the blackness 
    of the night
So we could have wholeness, forgiveness, and fellowship with the Father.

Yes, it is His kindness that  drew me to Himself,
That opened my eyes to see my need,
That revealed His love and unmerited grace.
It is His kindness that transferred His righteousness into me,
As He shed His blood and accepted me in the Beloved.
It is His kindness that restores  the old, that rebuilds, remakes, recreates, transforms me...
It is His kindness that grows me, teaches me, matures me.
It is His kindness that bestows the riches of heaven upon me and gives me access to those things      above.

It is His kindness all the way,
All the way...even in the desert, the wilderness.
How He wants to prosper me, wants me whole, wants me happy...
His kindness that will continue to be lavished upon me,
Even as I enter those pearly gates,
And gaze upon those kind eyes, feel the embrace of those kind arms and hear those kind words
   of welcome...

But you say,
"Well how about now, how is God kind now in my miserable life?"

Precious one,
Have you thought about the kindness of sun, rain, warmth, and a cooling shower?
What about the kindness of love, hope and faith, or mother and father? 
How about the  kindness of family, togetherness, laughter, sharing, gifts?
What about the kindness of health, of working muscles, of a breath, and a beating heart?
Or the kindness of a smile, a hug, a caring neighbor?
What about the kindness of pets, watching birds, or the uniqueness of each animal,
Or the green grass, the snowy slope, or running water?

There is no end my friend,
To the kindness of your God,
The kindness of your Creator,
The kindness of the One who thought you into being and loves you completely...

Why are our eyes so often blinded to this kindness?
Is it because His kindness does not broadcast its gift,
He does not demand a payment, or demand qualifications for us to receive...
No, He gives it silently, in love, with no strings attached...

Yes," Your love God is like a flooding river overflowing its banks with kindness!"
 Psalms 145:8b TPT
   

Patiently

You are so patient with me, Jesus,
Even when I don't deserve it.
You see it all...
You see the wandering away,
You hear it all...
You hear the questions, the doubts, the sarcasm, the blaming...
And patiently You continue
Continue to love me completely.
Patiently, You wait for my eyes to discover Your burning heart of love
Yes, that heart that passionately loves even me.
Patiently, You wait
Not anxiously, or grudgingly, or irritated...
So patient when I ignore You,
So patient when I fail You.

You know the end,
So You patiently wait,
Loving me completely,
Knowing that the discovery is promised and paid for...

Patient love

He is the One I Will Always Turn To

You say it doesn't work
This prayer thing...
It doesn't keep bad things from happening...

But you do not know who I pray to.
I pray to the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords,
I pray to the God of the universe who has all authority over heaven and earth.
I pray to my Father, my Daddy in heaven,
Who is always attentive to my requests whether small or great.

I pray to the One who loves me completely,
The One who gave Himself for me,
The One who loves to give His beloved, me, His daughter, good gifts.

He is the One who loves me,
He is the One who wants to see me prosper, whole, happy,
He is the One who is always on my side, and who Never leaves me...

He is the One I trust and believe
As I pray,
As I touch the hem of His garment...and believe
That He is able,
That He is good,
And that He wants to bless me and provide for me.

Yes, even though it is unmerited,
He pours it out...

He can move the mountain,
He can calm the sea,
He can destroy all the enemies plans for harm or disaster over me.

My God is able...
He is the One I will always turn to... and believe!