Dear family of God,

How is your day going? Mine was pretty rough this morning and I felt like I was in a battle. That happens from time to time doesn't it? We wage war against the enemies lies, labels and all of the pokes against our bodies. I was in tears when my son came over and he prayed for me. Soon, I felt better, clearer minded and understanding. We prayed against a spirit of disfunction. Soon, the peace of God embraced me and I was able to deal with things again.

The Lord already spoke to my heart early this morning that today was to be a day of worship in spirit and in truth. I have been singing some old familiar hymns and bringing thoughts captive. Giving thanks to God for His goodness and ability to take care of me. I remembered the verse that spoke of putting on a garment of praise for a spirit of heaviness. Here it is in Isaiah 61:3..."To grant [consolation and joy] to those who mourn in Zion--to give them an ornament (a garland or diadem) of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, the garment [expressive] of praise instead of a heavy, burdened, and failing spirit--that they may be called oaks of righteousness [lofty, strong, and magnificent, distinguished for uprightness, justice, and right standing with God], the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified." This is who I am, who you are, in Christ.

This prophecy begins in verse 1 saying..."The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed and qualified me to preach the Godpel of good tidings to the meek, the poor, and afflicted; He has sent me to bind up and heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the [physical and spiritual] captives and the opening of the prison and of the eyes to those who are bound. To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord [the year of His favor] and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn."

We can see this again in Luke 4:18 where Jesus is reading the scriptures in the temple. This is about His ministry. Are you needy today? Are you having trouble declaring praise over your situation? I know I sure wasn't expecting to be hit hard this morning! We are targets for sure. WE need Jesus to minister to our bodies, minds and spirits! I am standing as a princess warrior, fully equipped and anointed of the Holy Spirit, I will stand against the arrows that fly from the enemy camp. We can stand together with Jesus, in truth and righteousness. We have Him ahead of us, behind us and beside us; surrounded by His omnipotent Word.

I want to pray for you. Dear Father in heaven, thank you for undergirding and providing the strength needed for every battle. We long for peace but are learning to fully depend on You for all we need, even in these difficult times. Thank you for Your abundant love, Your Spirit to guide our steps and for Jesus as our eternal friend. We lift up praise and cast down imaginations that rise against Your kingdom. We trust You Lord, even in this situation we are present in. Thank you for this day to expose the lies of the enemy and for the truth that lights our way. We rest in You sweet Lord. In the mighty, matchless name of Jesus Christ, amen.

As you give glory to God, regardless of your circumstances, your faith is being built up. The wilderness doesn't last forever. It is meant for our good and to the glory of God. Someday soon we will walk into the promise land, changed into the image of God. Be blessed knowing Him intimately today. Love in Christ, Patricia.

Abundance is...fully dressed in praise

 Dear family and friends,

It is so good to be back here again and I know we will learn much from the Lord today. I can't wait to tell you The Good News!

This morning before the sun came from behind the weeping willow, I thought it would be a good time to clean my east facing windows. I had all the tools, I had the energy and I had an expectation. Afterward I went back into the house and by then the sun was shining brightly in through those windows. It was a bit frustrating because the sun revealed where I had missed. So, not only were there streaks on the windows that were harder to reach, we have one pane of glass that is clouded between the two pieces in that particular frame. Always a frustration to look through because the cloudiness distorts the beauty of outside. Now what? Try again.

As I got thinking about this it became a sort of parable to me. The lesson in this is, you have to let the sun shine through to really reveal the clearer picture. Sometimes we have sin that only shows up when we are standing in the light. We may know it is a problem, sure, but only on a good day do you want to deal with it. As sin is left it will only get worse. We can't expect to see clearly the things of God without putting it to the cleaning cloth. Jesus is our way to see clearly. Is there a veil over your heart today?

2 Corinthians 3:16 is a little verse barely noticeable. It says, "But whenever a man turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away." From what I can gather, the veil that this refers to is like the a veil on the hearts of people. Living in an old covenant but now, they stand, unveiled, in freedom in Christ by looking to Him. Wow! Can you picture this? I want to stand unveiled before the Lord!

Verse 17 says, "Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." He is our emancipation from bondage, freedom! Praise the Lord for a cleansed heart today. We are now able to see clearly the wonders of God, understand His heart as we read the scriptures. Oh, I wish I could look into your eyes today and we could talk in person! My words are unable to express what I totally feel. I pray you get the understanding in this.

Verse 18 says, "And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit." We sure need to agree with this and continue beholding the glory of God through reading our Bibles. I know there are many translations out there today. Pray and find the one that you can read and grow best from. The Holy Spirit will give you the understanding as you press in to know the Lord. Keep at it!

As you choose today Who you will serve, really take a look to see if you are drawn to the Son of Light or maybe hiding secretly in the dark. Please don't be content to stay where you are. Let the Lord Jesus reveal what is hidden and be freed men and women of God! Well, this is something for me to think about...this veil thing. Tomorrow I will tackle those windows again too. The most important thing about this is to remember that whenever we turn to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Right? God bless you with the spiritual favor and blessing found only in our Lord Jesus Christ. See you tomorrow as the Father wills. Love in Christ, Patricia.

Abundance is...I can see clearly now!

 Dear family of God,

If you, like myself, have found the things we trusted in to fail...then, will we now believe and let God be all He said He would be?

Romans 5:1-2 says, "Therefore, since we are justified (acquitted, declared righteous, and given a right standing with God) through faith, let us [grasp the fact that we] have [the peace of reconciliation to hold and to enjoy] peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). Through Him also we have [our] access (entrance, introduction) by faith into this grace (state of God's favor) in which we [firmly and safely] stand. And let us rejoice and exult in our hope of experiencing and enjoying the glory of God." Wonderful!

Well, this morning I wrote in my journal and would like to share my thoughts with you. "At first I think that I can't be all of what God says. Aww, then you are still believing the father of lies. Dare to believe the Father of truth and love! In this season I am learning contentment and how to trust in the Lord. Yes, even when it seems ohters are being used of God while I sit here. If I really believe God then, what would this season look like? Can I look in the mirror and see a reflection of peace? Is there joy in my countenance? Are there words of encouragement and love for others? Too much of the time we might feel unworthy of God's calling. Regardless of the valley you are in or the mountain top you have climbed. Well, it is true; we are not worthy. The weaker you are, all the more to see the greatness of God and the delight on His face. The point really is, "I Will believe." I will believe He has brought me to this place at this time. That His plans are good and not to harm me. That I can serve the Lord and not money or position or any other thing. I will grow in faith and my heart will be grateful, always. The question isn't how long do I have to be in this classroom? Will I ever learn? But, I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. Summer is a busy time. People are moving to new homes, new ministries and missions. Time is moving so quickly. I long to be in the moving flow of life. The Lord asked me to believe and watch and learn of Him. So I dare to do it!"

I know that was long and I pray that you understand and can somehow see that all our questions, doubts & fears we need to bring into the light of what it says in Romans 5:1-2. Read that scripture a few times and let its fresh life flow into your situation today. We really do have peace with God because of our reconcilliation through the work of Christ. Jesus longs for us to know Him. To enter into His grace and favor and to stand firmly on that alone. Today, if you have never experienced that hope, Will you come to Him today, just as you are with all your questions and just lay them down at His feet. When you look at His feet and the nail scars there, remember that He died for you and took your place. As a result we can rejoice and exult in our hope, our experience of walking hand in hand with the Shepherd and really entering into fellowship, friendship with the Almighty. Our Lord and King! It really is wonderful! Be delivered today from fear and doubt in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

The Lord bless you and make His countenance be yours. His plans, yours. His thoughts agreeable to His. May you grasp the fact that you belong to Jesus. Love in Christ, Patricia.

Abundance is...all my hope is in Jesus

 Dearly beloved in Christ, The Lord bless you as we gather together for a few minutes. You know, I have been learning during this time of being still, that all the things I held dear, the so-called precious idols of my past, need another look to make sure they are torn down. There were so many! Without realizing what was being built up, some were walls so high that it really took the power of God to bring them to ruin. Lately, I have looked at the rubble left behind and can praise the Lord Almighty for such a wonderful work! As I have asked, He has shown. As I have surrendered, He has taken. I guess you could say, I have been in a renewing, rebuilding process. This time with the right tools and the correct view of the creator for the blueprint, my life.

We have choices everyday. You have heard me say this more than once. Because, it is true for my own life. As I spend time in the Word of God I can see that it is true for each of us. Questions? Go to the Maker. You can't fix something? Go to the Engineer. Only in meeting Him face to face can we get the real picture of how things work.

Way back in the time of Joshua, the call was the same as from the beginning and will be until the end. The age old question of Who are you gonna serve? We are told to love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength and our neighbor as ourself. I have failed on every level. But, the Grace of God covers all sins and brings us back into fellowship with the pure light of truth. Do you want to have faith that produces a huge harvest? Do you want to have strong trust muscles? If you are in love with Jesus, of course you do!

So, in Joshua 24:14-15 we read..."Now therefore, [reverently] fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and in truth; put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the [Euphrates] River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord." Really, stop looking back to the "good old days" when your life seemed very good. The key word is seemed. Don't you remember the toiling to get to that comfort? How about the hours trying to keep up appearances? Where was your heart focused? On stuff and such? It was for me. But, also in people pleasing. Sadly, that got me back to square one when they all went different directions and I couldn't keep up. We have no excuses. Those golden calves we built were only idols without eyes to see us and ears to hear. And, we can't blame our family for their disfunctions, fractures and failures. We all stand before the Lord, needy, broken and trembling.

Verse 15 says, "And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." So, if you're not going to serve the Lord God it is your choice. If you'd rather go on serving self, power and prestige...go ahead. You can serve the gods of your family, community, state or nation. But, choose!

Can you say with Joshua, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." This is my choice today. There is no room for If only or I wish. Only Jesus is my rock and there is where I will stand. A firm foundation to raise my family on. A strong place to find a better marriage. Although my children are grown and have their own children, I can still be that influence of love and caring that I am called to as a grandma. We can always make a difference. It is our choice.

So, as you lay down for the night, present your prayers and thanks to God. Submit your dreams, longings and hopes to the Lord. Ask the Holy Spirit to invade your heart and tear down any idols. He is going to reveal them to you. There is an altar in the presence of God. We can freely come there through Jesus Christ. If you haven't made Him your Lord, please take the time now to confess that you have sinned and you believe that He is the Son of God who went to take your place on that cross and conquered death...for you. Give Him your heart and find peace that passes all understanding. He will be your strength and song as you make the choice to serve Him all the days of your life. In the name of Jesus, mighty Lord, amen.

You are much loved and so I pray for you today to come to really know who you are serving. Love in Christ Jesus, Patricia.

Abundance is...serving the Lord

 Dear brothers and sisters,

Thank you again for letting me take some of your time to share what is on my heart. I trust that you are encouraged and challenged as I am when reading the Word of God. It is the only place to find out what He looks like, His desires and plans for each of us. We have been looking at love this week and so I want to end with another of my favorite passages.

Psalm 91 has helped me to stay centered day to day. Jumping to verse 14-16..."Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him; I will set him on high, because he knows and understands My name [has a personal knowledge of My mercy, love, and kindness--trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never forsake him, no, never]. he shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him My salvation."

We can take this to the bank! It is a personal word for all who believe. You can see your name there! There is a however though, the rich promises of this whole chapter are dependent upon one's meeting exactly the conditions of these first two verses...."He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [whose power no foe can withstand]. I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust!" That was verses 1-2.

When you read the whole chapter with the purpose of finding God's love, we have it in black and white. The contrasts are like reading Psalm One. Very vivid and oh, so accurate. Prophetic for each person. God gave us this incredible view into His abundance when we place Him first in our lives. So, it is no secret what He can do for His beloved ones.

If you are in a testing place, He will protect you. Beneath His shadow we find our rest. As we lean on Him, solely dependent upon Him, our trust will confidently shine like the morning sun. Where I am living, this morning was so clear and the sky so clean. A summer blue that is like the bluebirds out in the pasture. It makes my soul sing of His wonders. If where you are there is smog, noise and the blasting of humanity, you can still look up and see the abundant beauty God has made. Ask Him to show you, He will.

Do you have a personal knowledge of the Lord's mercy, love and kindness? While you are here now, before the time slips away and you get caught up in the busyness of life, call on Him. The Lord is waiting to hear from you. Do you want God to be your defender and know He is with you when you are in trouble? I wouldn't have it any other way! Look at verse 11..."For He will give His angels [especial] charge over you to accompany and defend and preserve you in all your ways [of obedience and service]." Think of it, angels!

I love this because as God fills us to overflowing with His love, we can serve others the way Jesus served the ones beside Him. They really didn't get the full message until Christ hung on the cross and conquered death. Ask and you will receive salvation. You can't fix yourself so don't even try. Instead, ask the Holy Spirit to do that work. He is much better at it and knows your future path. There is so much more! Press in to the goodness of the Lord today.

I hope you do pray with this in mind. Psalm 91 will keep you alert to what is happening in the world. This will cause you to dig deeper into the truths of God and even sew it into your heart permanently. The Lord bless you and carry you along this weekend and we will meet again on Monday as the Lord wills. You are much loved and in my prayers too, Patricia.

Abundance is...my love is set on Him