Truly God listens to you

“But truly God has listened; He has attended to the voice of my prayer.”* This verse taken from Psalm 66 is a powerful truth that we should pay attention to. Truly God listens. Truly God attends to the voice of our prayers. He never turns a deaf ear to our prayers. We ought to see Him as the God who listens to us. He is not far away on a cloud where He can’t hear us. He is close. He is attentive. He is willing to listen and He does. Our God cares. Our God loves us. He doesn’t love us from time to time. He doesn’t listen to us from time to time. He cares all the time. He is always watching over us and waiting for us to talk to Him. He is the 24/7 attentive God that the Bible talks about.

 I find it extremely encouraging that God listens to us all the time. I used to believe that I had to do something very special to get His attention. I used to think that He had better things to do than listen to me. God is present and He is with us all the time. The far away cloud has to go. The idea of a deaf God has to go. The false idea that God is too busy to listen to us has to go. Truly God has listened to your prayers, friend. He has listened even before you have verbalized your prayers. He knows what you need. He knows what you are going to say and yet He still listens. Today I want to encourage you to continue to pray and to trust that God hears you, He listens to you and He is always attentive.

The author of Psalm 66 is not known. We just know that He is the director of music. That Psalm is a song. It is a song of praise. A song about the goodness of God. A song that recounts the wonders of the Lord. A song of confidence in who God is and what He does. God Almighty, the creator of the universe listens to us. I find it fascinating how the author goes on and on about the incredible deeds of the Lord and then He says that this extraordinary God pays attention to him. That is how He is with you too, friend. The Mighty God of miracles is the most powerful One and He chooses to pay attention to you. 

It doesn’t matter that He is bigger than anyone or anything, He comes down to your level and listens to you. You could think that He would only deal with people of His caliber. News flash. You are His people. You are His family. He loves you dearly and you mean the world to Him. You mean the world to God. Think about that! Meditate on that. You are the apple of His eye and He loves hearing your voice. Keep talking to Him. Talk to Him in your heart. Talk to Him out loud. Talk to Him and know that He listens. Talk to Him and thank Him for paying attention to you!

Your prayers are always heard. You might not get the answer that you wish but God always, always listens. He knows what’s best for you and His answer might shock you. His answer is always laced with love. Believe and trust that He answers you in a good way. You might not see an answer at all but that doesn’t mean He has not answered. He listens to every word you say and He makes sure that you are heard. See yourself heard. See yourself as the one who matters because you do. One thing I have learned is to thank God for His answer in advance. I do that all the time. 

I pray and talk to God and I thank Him that He has heard me. When the enemy attacks me with words of doubt, I remind him that truly the Lord has listened. I remind him that my God adores me. I remind Him that I am loved and I am not taken for granted. You are not taken for granted. Your prayers mean a lot to go so keep on saying them and keep trusting that you are always heard. May God bless you and protect you and remember that He will always love you!

Suggested reading: Psalm 66:19; 1 John 5:14; 1 Peter 3:12

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God’s love is more than enough for you

God loves you unconditionally. God loves you more than you will ever know. God loves you all the time. God loves you even when you don’t love Him. God’s love for you is deeper than the ocean. God’s love for you is unfathomable. God’s love for you is a mountain whose top you will never be able to see. God’s love is the most powerful force in the universe. God’s love is a stronghold that no devil can break. God’s love withstands the test of time. God’s love for you never gets old and never gets weary. God’s love for you is a letter with a million pages about you. God wrote about His love for you in His Word many centuries ago and His Word still stands true.

 God’s love for you is enough to get you through any day, any week, any month, any year and any decade. God’s love is all the goodness you get from God. God’s love is all you need. God’s love is more than enough for you. Today I want to remind you that you have God’s love and that means you have all you need every day and all the time. The world might hate you. People might reject you but with God you are always welcome. God loves you all the time. His love for you never changes. Keep that in mind all week. Meditate on that truth. Think about it. Hold on to it. God’s love is more than enough for you!

You can always count on God. You can always count on His love. His love is the reason why you are here. His love is the reason why you have eternal life. His love is the power behind all your success and all your accomplishments. His love is what fuels your dreams. God gives you great dreams because He loves you dearly. His dreams for you might seem impossible but because of His love, they are possible. Think about His love as the fuel for everything that He says you can do. Think of it as the oil that can start all engines of hope. Because of His love, you can have hope every day. You can have hope to make it every day. This week is going to be an amazing week because you are going to have a heightened awareness of God’s love. His love is going to shine through you and in you.

 As you ponder upon this message, you are going to receive revelation about God’s love. His love is everything. His love makes everything possible. His love is what you can rely on all the time. His love is infinite and it has unlimited power. Think about how blessed you are to be able to receive eternal love no matter what happens to you. Yes, friend, God’s love is not conditional. It doesn’t depend on how nice you are or on how good you look. His love is permanent and it will always be with you. It doesn’t matter what happens to you, God’s love is always with you. You have the most beautiful power in the universe by your side and inside of you. That love will always save the day. Start every day thanking the Lord for His amazing love. Thank God for His love throughout the day.

I have mentioned many times how I start my day with prayer and meditation. Thanksgiving during that time is very important and I thank God mostly for His love. Every time I do, I get a great awareness of the love that died for me. I get glimpses of the power of that love. I see how it operates in my life and how it has blessed my life. God’s love is the anchor of my life. I am blessed because of that anchor and so are you, friend. Make it a point this week to focus on God’s love. Focus on it more than you focus on the world. Keep that love in front of you. Speak of that incredible love. Sing about that wonderful love. Remind yourself that you are mightily loved. Remind yourself that God’s love always prevails. His love wins all the time. His love conquers all the time. His love defeats the enemy all the time.

 God’s love is a miracle worker. His love is a healer. His love is a peace. His love is joy. His love is extraordinary. His love is out of this world. Exalt the Lord of the love that never fails. His love supplies all your needs according to His riches in glory. His love gives you every single thing you need and more. His love is more than enough for you to have an amazing week this week. His love is a powerhouse that brings down the house of fear and worry. Stay in the love of the Lord. Stay in His house of love. You will have great joy and outstanding peace. You will have blessings that you didn’t know existed. Keep your eyes on the love of the Lord this week and you will have a week to remember. May God bless you and protect you and remember that He will always love you!!!

Suggested reading: Psalm 136:26; John 3:16; 1 John 3:1

You are not going to fail

The other morning when I woke up I heard in my spirit, “The Lord is on your side. You cannot fail.” I heard it over and over again. It was on replay for a good ten minutes. The Lord definitely got my attention. I loved how it was the first thing I heard when I woke up. I didn’t get a chance to worry. I didn’t have time for the morning blues that tries to derail me sometimes. Thanks to the Lord that morning blues is rarely a part of my morning routine. When it comes to me, I have ammunition. I have the words of the Lord. I have the truth as my shield. I have hope that keeps on encouraging me. God knows what we need and He gives it to us at the right time. That morning I needed to hear that He was with me and that I couldn’t fail. I had a busy week ahead of me and the enemy kept trying to project fear, concern and discouragement in my mind. 

The Holy Spirit took those projections and played His version of the story. In His version there was nothing to worry about. In His version there was nothing to fear. He got the message to me and I held on to it. God is always by my side. It doesn’t matter if I feel Him or not. He never leaves me and He never forsakes me. Friend, this is true for you as well. The Lord is on your side and you cannot fail. You are going to make it. You are going to do all you need to do with His assistance. Every project you have to work on. Every school assignment you might have. Every meeting you will be attending. Everything you have to accomplish is not too hard for you because of the One who lives in you. Don’t let the negative words dictate what is going to happen. The Lord has already established a plan for you and in His plan you win. In His plan you can do all things. Trust His plan. Thank Him for His plan. You are not going to fail.

God is a winner. God won all the battles you will ever be involved in. God defeated the enemy once and for you and with faith you can have the victory. It is important that you develop that mindset. The mindset of the winner. You are not a winner because you have special abilities. You might have them but the winning part comes from the Lord. Remember that He makes you win. Reminder that He makes you succeed. Remember that He is the One who can do all things and you are part of His family. “Like Father, like child” is what you should say to yourself. Your Heavenly Father allows you to be more than a conqueror. You are an overcomer. You are an overachiever through Christ who strengthens you. 

If you keep seeing yourself as a defeated person, it is time you change your thinking. Get inside the Word of God and read what the Lord has to say about you. You will not find anything about you being a loser or being defeated. Those bad ideas don’t come from the Lord. Make a list of what the Lord says about you. Keep reading that list. Recite it. Declare it. Hold on to it. Let your mind absorb it. Let your heart believe it. Follow what Jesus has to say about you. He only says good and positive things and He has given you blessings from Heaven that are bigger than the misery of the world. The misery of the world will catch up with you but you don’t have to let it stick to your spirit and to your mind. Rebuke it. Renounce it. Reject it. All that negativity that wants to fill you up is not yours to embrace. Embrace Jesus. Embrace His truth. Embrace His victory. Embrace His peace. You are a child of the Most High and you will achieve a lot during the upcoming week. God will make sure of it!

You are not going to fail. You are going to stand and keep walking. You might have a few moments of weakness. You might stumble and fall but you will get up again in the name of Jesus and you will keep going until you reach the finish line. God is on your side and He stays on your side all the time. You are blessed and you are highly favored. You are protected and you are covered by the blood of the Lamb. You cannot fail. You cannot lose. You are so far ahead of where your mind wants you to believe you are. Thanks to the Lord you are closer to the finish line. Closer than what the enemy says.

 Keep going. Keep believing. Keep trusting the Lord with all your heart. He has paved the way for you to win. Failure is not in your future. God has been to your future and He has made sure that there is a win there. Stay strong. Stay in the Lord. Keep praising Him. Praise your way to victory. Banish the thoughts of failure and lack. Lift up the name of Jesus above all fear and worry. You are a winner and God is your guarantee. Bless His Holy name! Thank Him for His continued support. You cannot fail in the name of Jesus. May God bless you and protect you and remember that He will always love you!

Suggested reading: John 16:33; Romans 8:31-39; 1 John 4:4

Be glad today

I get pumped up in the morning. I get excited for the day. Even if the day looks bad. Even if I know there are many things I need to take care of. I get excited because it is the day the Lord has made. I rejoice and I am glad in it. It’s not easy every morning to get pumped up but the Holy Spirit helps me. He encourages me. He is my coach and what He tells me every morning is to get pumped up about the day. He tells me to rejoice because Jesus is going to be with me all day. No matter how bad things get. No matter how tough the day gets. Jesus is going to be with me. Friend, it is so encouraging and so uplifting to know every morning that the Lord is with us. I want you to start your day with that awareness. 

Don’t pay attention to the bad mood that is trying to talk to you about how miserable the day is going to be. That is a lie. The day is going to be amazing because your Lord is amazing. You have many reasons to rejoice at the start of the day and Jesus is your main reason. Get up and do a dance. Get up and lift up your hands. Get up and praise the Lord. Get up and declare that today is the day the Lord has made and you will rejoice and be glad in it. Be glad, friend! Be glad because you have the King of Kings by your side and His Spirit resides in you. What a blessing it is! What a privilege it is! You have the King and you are His dwelling place. What can go wrong? A lot can go wrong but you have the One who makes everything right.

Be glad when you first get up. Be glad and clap your hands if you need to. Be glad and pray. Be glad and speak victory, hope, peace and blessings over your day. Be glad and be sure to give God the glory. Be glad and be thankful. Thanksgiving goes a long way when it is what you give the Lord first thing in the morning. There are so many negative and bad thoughts that try to get your attention when you wake up. Do not entertain them. Do not give them the time of day. Give them time out and rebuke them. Focus on the Lord. Focus on the positive by praising Him. I love my morning thanksgiving time. It helps me see the beauty in everything. It gives me a boost and it helps me keep my mind on the Lord. He is good. He is good all the time.

God is good and He loves you, friend. He loves you first thing in the morning. He loves you all day long. He loves you when you are sleeping. Be glad because you are loved. Be glad because the Lord adores you. He forgives you of your sins when you repent. He listens to you when you speak and even when you can’t find the words. Be glad because your Lord listens to your heart and He blesses you requests. Be glad because God is smiling at you 24/7. He smiles at you when you start your day and He wants your attention. It is up to you to decide to be glad or to be sad. Sadness is a fighter. It will fight all good thoughts and all attempts to rejoice in the Lord. However, the Holy Spirit is bigger and stronger than all the sadness in the world. Tap into His gladness. Tap into His promises. Be glad because you have the Spirit of gladness in you.

Be glad, friend because the Lord is going to make a way today. Your trials and your difficulties are going to have to step aside and let you walk on solid ground. They may seem to be an ocean of distress and worry but the Lord will part those seas and allow you to make it through that storm when you are glad and rejoice in Him. There is unliked power when we rejoice in the Lord. When we are glad in the Lord and we let His joy take over, we are invincible. The joy of the Lord is our strength. It gives us a new perspective. It gives us fresh ideas of hope. It keeps us in the right mindset. It enables us to share the mind of Christ. There is gladness in the house of the Lord and you belong in His house. Triumph is in the house where you live.

 Don’t let negative guests get in that house. Fear, worry and doubt are not invited. They might try to crash your party but they are not allowed to come in. Resist them with the gladness of the Lord. Praise and worship the Lord and those party poopers will go away. Stay in the realm of praise. Stay in the worship zone. Stay in the gladness of the Lord. You are going to have an incredible day, my friend. Focus on the Lord Jesus. When you do, you are focusing on joy, peace, love and hope. Rejoice, friend. Be glad for the Lord has you in the palm of His hand all the time. Enjoy today. Enjoy the Lord. Be glad and stay encouraged! May God bless you and protect you and remember that He will always love you!

Suggested reading: Psalm 9:2; Psalm 32:11; Philippians 4:4-14

The ditch of distractions

The Lord has been showing me the distractions in my life. The Holy Spirit has been softly whispering about the things that are putting distance between the Lord and myself. I let them create a ditch and I fall in that ditch too often. The ditch of distractions can be overwhelming and it shows up without our understanding. Sometimes we think that what we are doing is for the Lord when in reality it takes us away from the Lord. We can be so focused on actions and deeds that are noble that we forget about the Lord. We can be so focused on building a ministry that we take out God from the structure.

 God is the number One priority we should have in our lives. When He says, “Seek the kingdom first,” He doesn’t mean that we should not seek the King. He doesn’t mean that we should forget about the King and only pay attention to the kingdom. I have been guilty of that. I have been guilty of seeking the kingdom more than I have been seeking the King. It is a very subtle difference and it lies in the ditch of distractions. We are to worship the Creator and not the creation. Let me give you examples of the distractions that have been resting in the ditch of division in my life.

A ditch is a narrow tunnel dug in the ground. The ditch of distractions is a tunnel dug between the Lord and ourselves. It is there to get us down and to bring us to a lower level where we don’t pay attention to the Lord. It is meant to distract us from God and it is paved with distractions that can be hard to identify. It is a ditch that makes you feel like you are walking in mud but you don’t always realize it. Like I said some of the distractions can appear to be noble and good. One of them is worship of worship music. I love worshiping the Lord. I love praising Him. However, there was a point when I was becoming more in love with the worship music than I should be. I was worshiping the music and focusing on it too much. That music became an idol.

I have also heard of people who become major fans of Christian artists and those artists become their idols. I almost fell for that. I found myself in the ditch of distractions with the wrong focus. I adored the music but then I realized that the music was just a vehicle to worship the Lord and I shouldn’t fall in love with it. I do love Christian music but I use it to lift up the Lord. I want my mind to be on the right things and when my mind is on Jesus, it is always on the right things. We ought to scan our lives and see what we are worshiping. Are we putting anything and anyone on a pedestal above the Lord? What are the distractions that are in that ditch of separation? Anything that is exalted above the Lord even for a short time is a distraction in that ditch.

The most recent distraction the Lord has been revealing to me is my phone. When I bought my phone years ago, I prayed over it. I prayed to thank the Lord and I prayed that I would use it to honor God. I write most of my messages on my phone. I read my Bible on my phone. I use my phone to worship and praise the Lord. I have a lot of music on my phone. I watch encouraging and uplifting videos about the Lord on my phone. My phone is “God central” to me. I am blessed to have it but I am seeing more and more that it can be a distraction. I look something up. I dig a hole and get deeper and deeper into research and before I know it I am up looking up topics that take me away from my purpose. I go on social media and even though most of it is Christian, it takes me away from God. It takes time away from God.

 Our phones can easily become idols. We ought to avoid that distraction and put it away. The Lord recently reminded me of how Jesus took time away from the crowds just to be with His Father. My phone is the crowds. I am taking time away from it more and more so I can be with the Father. Friend, we all have distractions in that ditch. My prayer is that our eyes be open and that we find out what those distractions are so we can keep our eyes on Jesus and develop a beautiful relationship with Him. May God bless you and protect you and remember that He will always love you!

Suggested reading: Isaiah 26:3; Romans 12:2; Hebrews 3:1

This is how I pray

Praying more is always a good resolution. We are called to pray without ceasing. How is your prayer life? We are a couple days into the new year and it is a good time to think about that question. What adjustments can you make to your prayer life? Are you praying without ceasing? You can create a prayer structure throughout your day. You can add prayer time to your day. Look at your priorities and make sure that praying is one of them. I define praying as a conversation with God. We talk and He talks. He has a lot to say and we can hear from Him through His Word and through the words of the Holy Spirit. Prayer for me has different components and they all have to do with that great exchange. Let me tell you more about how I was taught to pray. I strongly encourage you to find your best prayer structure and to stick with it.

I pray with the intention to talk to God and to hear from God. That intention has changed the way I pray. It started almost 20 years ago. I figured that talking to God should start with praise and thanksgiving. I stopped praying with requests and complaints first. I want my conversation to start with honoring the Lord. Every time I pray, praise gods first. I love praising and worshiping the Lord. I love being at His feet and exalting His name. I praise as long as I can and when I do, I hear from God. He gives me impressions. He gives me messages. He gives me revelations. He does His part of the conversation right from the get go when I am in the praise phase. It is very encouraging and very helpful. I give Him my words and He gives me His. His part during praise has a lot to do with His love for me. It is a response to my verbal love letter. He impresses me with His kindness and His goodness. He is an extremely good God and praise and worship often highlights His mercy and grace. He reminds me of what He has done for me, what He does for me and what He will do for me. Start your prayer with honor and adoration. Start your prayer with an open heart to lift up the name of the One who saved you.

Then I express my faith. Yes, friend, I profess my faith when I pray. I tell the Lord what I believe. I tell Him that I trust Him and that I know He is in control. I tell Him that He is the King of Kings and He will never fail Him. I tell Him that I believe He rose from the dead and His resurrection power is all over my life. I tell Him I am the temple of the Holy Spirit and I thank the Holy Spirit for His guidance and for helping me every day. I tell Him that I know for sure that nothing is impossible for Him. I declare victory in my life in His name and I thank Him for being the best part of my life. I then repent and forgive those who have hurt me or who are against me. I ask the Lord to bless them and to give them the best life ever. Then I switch back into praise mode and I praise the Lord for my family and friends. I thank Him for holding them in the palm of His hand and for loving them. I speak blessings over their lives. I then go through prayer requests and pray for those in need. I ask God to help the people I know who have needs and I thank Him for listening to my prayer and for intervening in their lives. I attach faith to what I say. I don’t want to pray from a doubt perspective. I pray from the Lord’s perspective and He is the King of faith.

If I have specific needs, I then address them and once again I apply faith to what I say. Then I get quiet. I get quiet and listen to the Lord. Sometimes the quiet part happens much earlier in my prayers. He sometimes “interrupts” me and speaks. I listen. I love listening. I love waiting on the Lord. I love seeking His face and admiring His holiness. The Lord speaks all the time and He wants us to listen all the time. Quiet listening time is a valuable part of prayer. Please add it to your daily prayers if you haven’t yet. Prayer is an exchange with God and we ought to be receptive to His part of the conversation. Now, the order of how my prayer sessions go can change. I let the Holy Spirit lead and His plans for my prayer time can vary. Rely on the Holy Spirit when you pray. Trust that He can guide you through it. The key is to surrender to God when you pray. Empty yourself of yourself and fill up with His presence and His love. Yield to the Spirit and He will show you all things you need to know and you need to do. Pray every day. Ask God to help you. He will! May God bless you and protect you and remember that He will always love you!

Suggested reading: 1 Chronicles 16:11; Job 22:27; Matthew 5:44

Masterpieces of beautiful colors

I went to the Yale museum with colleagues a few weeks ago. I loved some of the paintings. I am always impressed by how artists can paint. They have a gift that I certainly don’t have. I love how they blend colors together and how they create masterpieces that are pleasant to the eyes. It makes me think about how God sees us as His masterpieces. He took His time when He created us. He painted beautifully and blended amazing colors together. His brush was perfect. His color scheme was perfect. His vision of us was perfect and according to Him, the result is perfect. I understand that it is not easy for us to see ourselves as masterpieces. Some would argue that it is arrogant of us to think we are God’s masterpieces. However, that is what He calls us and how He sees us. 

God is the painter, His love is the muse and we are the perfect creation. God painted you and me and He didn’t make mistakes. He didn’t make a single mistake. He didn’t look at us and said He needed to redo His work. He didn’t throw us away and started over. We are not drafts. We are the final product and we need to embrace the work of the Master. God says you are fearfully and wonderfully made. His talent made you beautiful. Do not let anyone convince you that you are a rough draft or that  you are not good enough. Do not let the world’s standards of beauty define you. You are the way the Lord made you and that is beautiful. His standards are the best standards. His standards are the truth. You are an amazing creation. Enjoy how the Lord made you. Discover how the Lord made you.

We try to change our appearance so we can be “more attractive.” What we need to do is explore how God created us. We need to ask Him to show us the beauty within and the beauty that is all over us. We need to ask Him to open our eyes to the colors of love that were used to create us. There are blends of unique tones and unique shades that make us who we are. We are blessed. We are favored and we are highly loved. Love was the main color that made us. Love was in every stroke of the brush of life that God used. Love is the essence of our creation. God loved you before you were born.

 God created you before you came into this world. He knew who you would be and what you would be like. God was intentional when He made you and His intentions were pure, holy and good. You are not a mistake. You were planned and designed to be the way you are. You are a child of God. Tap into that truth. Look at the portrait and stare at the love that is present in every corner of the frame of your life. You are a masterpiece of God. Thank Him for creating you. Thank Him for not making a mistake. Thank Him for loving you!

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”* As masterpieces of God, we were created to do good. We were created to do the work of the Lord. We were created to walk in love and to carry our cross. We were created to be blessings. We are blessed so we can bless others. We are loved so we can love others. We are made in the image of Christ so we can shine His light into the world. We are not masterpieces meant to stay on a shelf and gather dust. We are masterpieces that need to go places. We ought to show our true colors to the world so the world can learn about love and be blessed by the colors of hope that are in us.

 We have the colors that can paint the world around us and make it a better place. We have the colors that can turn a gray and gloomy day into a day of bliss and joy. We were painted so that the world would be a better place each time our colors are displayed for all to see. Friend, display the beautiful colors of love and hope that God used to make you. You are a masterpiece that brings joy and that brings peace. Keep coloring your world with the love of Christ. Enjoy the way the Lord made you and show Him off to the world. May God bless you and protect you and remember that He will always love you.

Suggested reading: Jeremiah 1:4-5; Psalm 119: 73-74; Ephesians 2:10*

Remain in the powerhouses of the Lord

God’s words are the powerhouses that all of us should inhabit. We should be inside those words and they should live in us. I see them as powerhouses where we can find refuge and where we can stay. The Lord said, “If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.”* We can remain in the Lord when we remain in His words. When what He says in His Word is what we live by. Words are extremely important. The words we trust, the words we speak, the words we listen to, the words we live by. There is power in all words. Power to give life and power to give death. Some words take us on the path of life and some words bring us down the path of death. There are positive words and negative words. 

The words of the Lord are beyond positive. They breathe life into us and they bless us. They are powerhouses because they host all the power we need to make it in this life. They are strongholds of love, hope, peace, joy, mercy and grace. If we abide by those words and we remain in the Lord, when we pray we can ask whatever we want (in line with His will) and it will happen. The powerhouses make things come to pass in our lives. The words of the Lord create and change things. The words of the Lord have the power to ignite blessings and to turn on the switch of positive changes and breakthroughs. Let’s pay attention to the words we stand by and we believe. Let’s stay in the powerhouses of the words of the Lord. Words matter a great deal. 

I learned about the power of words early in my Christian walk. I am still learning about their power and one thing I understand is that what I say produces good outcomes or bad outcomes in my ice. What I listen to builds up my faith and tears down my faith. Music has always been a big part of my life. I used to listen to songs that stayed in my mind and in my spirit for days. The lyrics of the songs were strongholds in my life. They make me feel a certain way. They gave me sensations and feelings that were not always positive. I had a very melancholic spirit. I had a lot of sadness in me due to my life circumstances and it was enhanced by the songs I allowed into my life. The words of the song were my daily companion and I wasn’t in good company.

 When I became more serious about the Lord, my playlist completely changed. I ditch what is deemed secular music and I only listen to Christian music. I am not saying that is what you should do. That’s what works well for me. The songs of praise and worship have filled up my spirit and they have helped me stay strong in the Lord. Those great lyrics are powerhouses. They are about Jesus. They are about my Savior. They are about love, hope and peace. They quote the Scriptures. They quote the truth. I listen to that music a lot. It has done wonders for me and it has enabled me to stay in the powerhouses of the Lord. Powerful words are constantly feeding my spirit. Hope is more present in my life because I am more “present in the Lord.”

The Lord’s words remain in me. Now, that doesn’t mean that the enemy doesn’t have access to my word bank. He still spews lies and negative words and I still have to watch what I hear and what I say. The goal is to remain in the Lord by using His words. Listening to them, digesting them, embracing them Is primordial but so is using them. I don’t speak using lyrics of the songs I listen to. Sometimes I do but for the most part I keep my words positive by speaking the words the Lord gives me. I get inspiration from the Holy Spirit. That comes from meditation and prayer. I speak the words of life the Lord wants me to speak. I am working on doing it more often. When things are not going well, my words dictate how things are going to go. If I keep my words positive and in line with the words of the Lord, things improve. My attitude improves, my mood improves and my hope improves.

 I want to stay in the powerhouses of the Lord and speak the truth about my life. I am not defeated. I am not lost. I am found in the Lord and I am more than a conqueror through the Lord who is my strength. When I pray and I ask for something, I have the confidence that God listens and that He will give me what I need because I remain in His powerhouses, in His words. Friend, watch what you listen to and watch what you say. Keep speaking the words of the Lord over your life. Keep staying in the powerhouses of the Lord by abiding by His words. There is power in what you say. Keep saying the truth and keep speaking life. May God bless you and protect you and remember that He will always love you!

Suggested reading: Proverbs 18:21; Matthew 12:37; John 15:7*

God before you

The Lord God goes before you. He knows what’s coming ahead. He makes a way for you through whatever is going to happen to you. Don’t think that you are headed in a direction where there is no protection.” God goes before you” implies that He is also protecting you. He is your defender and your shield. Picture your life as a series of events that are surrounded by God and that are protected by God. God never leaves you. He is always ahead of you so no matter what happens today and tomorrow, God has seen it. God has known about every event in your life. He is never surprised and He is never shocked. Your next steps are known by God. The path you are walking on has been explored by God. 

You are not alone. You are not abandoned. There will be many things to come. Some will be good and some will be bad but the good news is that God remains the same. He saw your next bad breaks and your next blessings and nothing has changed His mind and His power. His love for you stays intact. You will sin tomorrow. You will miss it tomorrow and God has seen it all. He is not loving you any less. His love will be there tomorrow and the day after. He has gone before you and He still loves you. Think about that! Think about God’s unchanging love. What is true is that God’s love changes everything. God’s love is going to bless you and make your tomorrow better. Trust Him. He goes before you to bless you and to make your future a bright and shiny tomorrow.

We all have a picture of what tomorrow might look like. We often envision a bleak and sad future. Doubt comes and clouds our judgement. Fear comes and blurs our perception of what’s to come. The future, the unknown, can be scary. I used to see it as a dark and intimidating tunnel. I used to see myself going through that tunnel alone. I used to wonder what was at the end of that tunnel. I used to see no end to that dark tunnel. When it came to my future, I was a loner going through the motions with no hope of a better tomorrow. The bad circumstances then made me think that what was to come was bad. God knows what’s coming. God has seen it all. 

God is not worried about our future. As a matter of fact, He has made a way through our future. We are in His hands. It’s time we saw ourselves as the children of God that we are. As the children that are taken care of. We might end up in an obscure tunnel but God will be with us. He has gone before us to secure our future and to make sure that the bad breaks to come will be broken and they will be turned into blessings. There is nothing that will happen to you that God can’t fix. There is nothing bad that God can’t turn around. There is no future that God hasn’t impacted with His goodness and with His love.

God is before you everywhere you go. He is your bodyguard. He is your shield and your refuge. He is on all sides of you. He is permanently surrounding you. You have nothing to fear and nothing to worry about. God is not leaving your side and He is not going to stop leading the way. I love remembering that “God before me” means that He is leading the way. I put my trust in Him. I know that there will always be a way and that I am safe and secure. God makes sure that I am. Praise Him, friend! Praise the Lord who makes a way. Praise the Lord who never leaves. Praise God and enjoy His ways. He has plans for you and His plans are always good. Keep going and keep moving in faith. God is with you and He will always protect you. Have no fear. Your future is in God’s hands! May God bless you and protect you and remember that He will always love you!

Suggested reading: Deuteronomy 31:8; Isaiah 45:2; Matthew 28:20

God has more

I am convinced and I know that God has more for us. He always has more and He can always do more. We don’t know the depth of His love, of His goodness and of His blessings. His Word declares that He can do exceedingly more than we expect. There is a higher level. There is a higher level of power and of love. God is above all things and He is more powerful than anyone and anything. He has no limitations. He has all we need and much much more. The fruit of His Spirit is a giant fruit that we can taste but we can never have the whole fruit. 

The love, the peace, the joy, the patience and the faith that are available are out of this world and they exist in abundance. God is a God of abundance. He is a God of more than enough. He is the God of more. Today I am inviting you to approach God with the mindset that He is the God of more and that nothing is too big or too much for Him. Your dreams are not too big. Your expectations are not too big. Your aspirations are not too big. As long as they are all rooted in the Lord, you can expect exceedingly more than the world has to offer.

God has peace. God gives peace. Jesus said that He gives us peace. Not the way the world gives peace. His peace surpasses all understanding. His peace is above and beyond the peace of the world. I love the idea of being “above and beyond minded” when it comes to the things of the Lord. Let’s expect peace that doesn’t make sense. Let’s expect miracles. Let’s expect miraculous peace that emerges in the middle of chaos and fear. God gives what the world can’t give. You and I can look for peace in all the wrong places and we will never be totally satisfied until we receive the peace that defies all understanding. God is a “defier.” 

 

God defies the laws of nature. He defies the ways of the world. He defies our understanding. His miracles are unexplainable happenings that defy nature and life in general. His miracles are more than life. They are larger than life. The Lord is looking for people who will believe in His miracles and who know without a doubt that with Him there is always more. More than the eye can see and more than what our circumstances are screaming at us. There is more for you today. Your current situation is not your final destination. Your current situation has not been hit by the power of God yet. Your current situation is about to change and more greatness is coming.

Expect more from God. Don’t expect according to what the world says you can expect. Build up your vision of God. Amplify who He is in your mind and in your heart. Spend time with God and let Him show you that there is more. He is more than enough and He is more than your last blessing and your last breakthrough. With Him you go from glory to glory. With Him you go from blessings to blessings. There is a ladder of blessings that you have yet to climb. You might be at the bottom of the ladder but there is more and more. That ladder has no end. What you can expect from God has no end. Start talking about how big your God is if you are not already doing it. 

Start talking about what you can expect from Him. Start telling yourself that God is the God of more. More love, more peace, more joy! Focus on the spiritual aspect of God. God is Spirit. Expect more of the Holy Spirit. Expect a stronger connection. Expect more communion. Don’t focus on money and material things. Those will come when you seek the kingdom first. Seek the God of the impossible and He will make incredible things possible. There is more coming your way. Stay in faith. Stay with hope. Stay encouraged. The God of more is going to do more in your life. May God bless you and protect you and remember that He will never leave you!

Suggested reading: Job 26:14; Ephesians 3:20; 2 Corinthians 9:8-11