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“Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more.” Genesis 37:5

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” Jeremiah 29:11

Years ago, while attending a women’s conference at a large stadium, I heard the voice of the Lord whisper in my ear, “Why not you? Why can’t this be you, My daughter?” He said, “I will expand your reach to many across the world and I will use you in even greater ways to teach and preach My Word.” I breathed in that moment. Unbeknownst to me, I was going to need that memory for the weeks, months and years ahead. The Bible says how Joseph had a dream and his brothers hated him even more. Shortly after that experience, I went through the darkest depression I’d ever faced and had tried to end my life. The vision I received from God at that conference seemed lost. I felt like it was over for me. But to God, it’s never over until He says so. Instead of feeling sorry for myself, I got up, rolled up my sleeves, and I fought with everything in me to renew my mind, rediscover who I am, and reclaim my destiny in God. It wasn’t easy, but God’s Holy Spirit helped me every step of the way, and years later, the Lord gave me a dream of a stadium and has said He is expanding my reach to minister the gospel to many across the world.

Maybe your actions or the actions of others have caused you great pain and disappointment in your life, but it doesn’t have to be the end of your story. The Word of God says, you are saved and called with a holy calling, not according to your works (or lack of works) but according to His own purpose and grace which He gave you in Christ Jesus before the world began (see 2 Timothy 1:9)!

You are victorious through Jesus no matter how you feel and no matter how it looks! Determine not to feel sorry for yourself! Get up, my sister, and roll up your sleeves! Fight with everything in you to:

1) Renew your mind with God’s Word (see Romans 12:1-2)

2) Rediscover who you are in Christ (see Luke 15:16-18; 1 Corinthians 15:10)

3) Reclaim your destiny (see Genesis 32:22-32; Acts 20:24; Philippians 3:14)

It’s not over until you accomplish everything God purposed you to do in the earth by His grace and power. It’s not over until His dream for your life come to pass! The one who calls you is faithful, and He will do it! (see 1 Thessalonians 5:24)

“For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield” Psalm 5:12, ESV.

“My daughter, you have found favor in My sight. When I see you, My eyes are filled with love. I long to be good to you. Even as you read this, I am instructing My angels and sending them your way. They are in position to help you receive My blessings. Your life is being filled with good things. I am touching hearts to bless you. It will not be delayed, but it will arrive right on time. When you receive the blessings I have for you, don’t set your heart upon them, but keep your heart set on Me and keep your mind stayed on Me. You have found favor in My sight. I long to be good to you. Says the Spirit of the Lord.”

(References: Isaiah 30:18; Luke 6:38; Psalm 103:5; Psalm 103:20; Psalm 62:10; Psalm 91:14 )

“…the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.” Daniel 11:32b

Father God, I take a moment to pray for my sister, who is reading this right now. I pray You will minister to her mind and heart. Remind her that You are in control and everything is going to be alright. Establish Your Kingdom in her life Lord and bring divine order where there’s been confusion and chaos. As she humbles herself before You and submits to Your will, I pray You will take Your rightful place on the throne of her heart. Help her take her rightful place in being seated in heavenly places with Christ. Help her to put the enemy under her feet where he belongs, and help her to walk in her spiritual authority in Christ. I pray that You supernaturally strengthen her heart. You can do exceeding abundantly above all that she can ask or think. Help her believe that not only are You able, but You are willing. Help her get to know You better and get to know Your character. You said, they that do know their God will be strong and do great exploits. Father, deepen her understanding of You. Help her not to live out her faith in her mind alone, but from a real relationship with You in her heart. I pray for true conversion of her soul. You promise as we seek Your kingdom and Your righteousness, You will add to us and enrich our lives. You will always do Your part, help her to do her part of trusting in You. I pray You lift every burden and destroy every stronghold off of my sister. Deliver and heal, God. Anything that is preventing her from seeing You clearly, I pray You will remove it. You know everything she is facing in her private life and You have not, and will never abandon her. If You allowed her to face a test or trial, it is because You will be glorified in the end. Breathe on her Father God a fresh wind and give her a fresh fire for You. Fill her with your Holy Spirit and with an anticipation of You. Be glorified in her life in a great way. I pray this with all of my heart, and I thank You in advance for answering my prayer. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.” Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler” Psalms 91:1-4, NKJV.

One day the devil whispered to me, “I have you surrounded, so you might as well surrender.” Oooooh, I said, devil, you are a liar. I surrender to God and God alone.” I don’t care what the devil is telling you. You are not surrounded by him. If you have made Jesus the Lord of your life, you are surrounded by the love of the Father; you are surrounded by the Son Jesus, you are surrounded by God’s Holy Spirit and by His entire angelic army! You are completely and entirely surrounded and covered under the shadow of His mighty wings!

Never mind what it feels like, the truth is God is surrounding you at all sides.

Say out loud with all your heart, “Father God, thank you for surrounding me completely. I surrender to you and you alone. I reject every lie from the enemy, and I receive the truth of your Word. Remove all fear, doubt, and unbelief from my heart. Help me grow in the knowledge of you and a deeper awareness of your presence in my life. Not only are you with me, but you have me completely and entirely surrounded. In the name of Jesus, Amen.”

(Read Psalms 91)

“Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding” Proverbs 4:7

No one puts premium gas in a cheap car. We put high-quality fuel in luxury vehicles that need and require it. Likewise, it isn’t in our best interest to go above and beyond in giving all of our love, our time and our resources into a friendship that hasn’t first proven itself to be deserving of all of that. You are enriched by God, and you have so much love to give. Anyone would be blessed to have you in their lives. Just make sure you are pouring all of that creative love, time, affection, and money into the right kind of friendship. You will save yourself a lot of heartache and pain.

So many of us love hard. We give so much of ourselves, going the extra mile, bending over backward to make someone happy, but often we do this too soon. And that’s when reality hits us hard. My sister, if someone has shown over time, they have your back. If they’ve demonstrated they love and care about you to the same degree that you love and care for them. If your friendship has withstood the test of time and has been made stronger by the various challenges you’ve faced together, then, and only then, give them the quality and highly creative love that the friendship deserves. You owe it to yourself to only put premium fuel in premium friendships.

Prayer: Father God, thank you for your wisdom and grace. Help me, Lord, to walk in wisdom in my friendships. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

(A Joint Devotional from the writers of Sons and Daughters of the King Daily Devotionals)

“My times are in Your hands; deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me” Psalm 31:15, Berean Study Bible.

Bernard: The days we are in, they are precious. We won’t get them back.

Kesha: Yes, I keep hearing the words “time” and “precious.” I keep hearing God say this is a precious time in your life; don’t just let it blow by you. Just like when we were in college and when we were dating, we look back at those days and say to ourselves, that was a precious time in our lives.

Bernard: Yes, when we realize how precious those days were, we realize how precious these days are that we’re in now. You may not have maximized last year, but you can maximize this year. You may not have maximized yesterday, but you can maximize today. The plans, the dreams, the inklings of what can be, decide to do them. Do it for God, do it for the lost, do it for yourself because one day there will be no more time left.

Prayer: Father, we thank you for speaking to both your sons and your daughters. This time is precious for your people, Lord. We pray that you help us to realize how precious these days are and maximize them. Together, we receive your grace and your power to make an impact in this world for your glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

(Read Ecclesiastes 3:1)

“By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established” Proverbs 24:3, ESV.

“Every wise woman builds her house, but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands” Proverbs 14:1

My sister, I don’t want you to be the woman that destroys everything valuable because you don’t know how to control your emotions, control your tongue, control your thoughts or control yourself. I don’t want you to be the one holding the broken pieces of your life because of foolish mistakes you’ve made. God is making you into a wise woman. He is showing you His ways of doing things, His ways of responding to things, His ways of viewing and interpreting situations. He is increasing you more and more in His wisdom and grace.

This means you are having to hand over your own wisdom, and receive His. This means how God feels about you and your situation is beginning to matter more to you than how you feel and what you think. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, my sister, and God is teaching you deeper truths about fearing, honoring and reverencing Him in ways you’ve never known (see Proverbs 9:10). The wisdom you walk in is about to be off the charts!

Say out loud from your heart, “Lord, make me wise. Make me wise. Make me a wise woman. Make me resourceful, effective, efficient, and self-controlled. Grow me up in your wisdom and grace. I’m tired of making the same mistakes. Please forgive me, and show me Lord your ways of doing things. Make me a wise woman that honors you in every area of my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Here’s a challenge for us: Let’s read a chapter of Proverbs everyday for the next 31 days.

“For by You I can run against a troop, by my God I can leap over a wall.” Psalms 18:29

Momentum is made up of weight and velocity. It’s how much you are carrying multiplied by how fast you are going. My sister and friend, you are carrying God’s glory and with every step you take in obedience to the Lord, you are building momentum. Pay no attention to how slow things may seem in the natural because in the Spirit you are gaining ground. I encourage you to keep going! Keep obeying God! Keep trusting Him! Keep doing what He tells you to do! You will become like a fast moving train and the devil will not be able to stop you. What stopped you before, won’t be able to stop you now. What hindered you before, will hinder you no more.

The Lord is saying to you today, “My daughter, you wonder how you will finish strong. It will be as a result of you letting Me build your momentum. As you carry My glory and run at the pace I have given you, it will cause you to increase in momentum. What a beautiful sight it is to see you moving forward in Me. What a beautiful sight it is to see you allowing nothing to stand in your way. I am building your momentum. I am building your momentum. I am building your momentum, and YOU WILL FINISH STRONG! Says the Lord.”

(Read Hebrews 12:1-3; Psalms 18)

“I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name” Revelation 3:8, NKJV.

There is nothing too hard for your God. What He has approved, no one can disapprove. What He has ordained for you, no one can deny you of it. No one can turn God’s “yes” into a “no”! When He decrees a blessing over your life, all of heaven knows it. Angels are ready to go before you and prosper your way. Don’t sit at any closed doors feeling down, discouraged, and defeated. No man can close a door that God has laid open before you. It doesn’t matter what others have said about you or what they’ve done to you. What God has spoken to your heart, whispered in your ear and shown you in His Word, that’s what will be! Be encouraged in your heart. Be determined in your search for God’s will. Be persistent in your pursuit of Him. With His help, you will walk through His opened doors and you will lay hold of His promises!

Prayer: Father God, I thank you for encouraging me today by your Spirit. I come against all fear, doubt and unbelief. Encourage my heart Lord and help me see your desire for me. Thank you for every open door you’ve opened, that no one can shut, and thank you for tightly closing any door you do not want me to walk through. I only want your will for my life. Help me to recognize and seize opportunities that are from you. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

(Read Proverbs 10:22)

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7

I remember a public speaking class I took while in college over 20 years ago. The course was going to help me get over the fear of talking in front of people. I was so determined that on the first day of class, I told the professor, “I’m going to make an A in your class, and you’re going to challenge me like no other!” She looked at me with a smile and said, “Challenge you, I will!”

My first speech was on the importance of laughter. I knocked it out of the park. The professor then challenged me for my next speech to share something more personal. I shared about Jesus. I remember stepping to the podium — my heart full and my thoughts clear. “Some of us are walking around covering our lights,” I started. “We don’t want to stand out; we’re just blending in, hoping no one sees that we are a Christian.” As I spoke, I saw a mixture of smiles, teary eyes, angry looks, and blank stares. I continued to share what I believed God wanted me to say and then sat down. After class, one by one, students came to me and thanked me.

I thought I had a fear of speaking in front of people, but I soon learned that those fears were false. I discovered the real me enjoys communicating and connecting with people. The real me is not afraid to speak.

Every fear in your life was either learned hrough past experiences or placed on you by others projected fears. But they are not who you are. The real you is amazing, beautiful, and confident. My sister, you are who God said you are. I challenge you to begin to confront every fear. Step to the podium of life with a full heart and a clear mind. Discover the real you!

Prayer: Father God, thank you for speaking to my heart. I pray that you help me to face the fears that have been plaguing me. Help me step to the podium of life and say what you give me to say and do what you’ve called me to do. Help me to discover more of who I am in you and who you are in me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.