“…in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength…” Isaiah 30:15
Growing up, whenever a storm came, my mother would tell everyone to hush up and turn everything off. There was no watching television, no listening to our favorite songs on the radio, and not a whole lot of movement. Just stillness. Silence. I didn’t understand why we had to do this as a young girl, but as I grew older, I began to understand — learning how to weather natural storms will teach you how to weather spiritual storms. The most profound lessons are learned, revelation and knowledge revealed, and you see God in a new way while in the middle of storms of life.
You may be desperate to get out of it, to get through it, to heal from it, to get past it, and for it to be over, but daughter of God, you must patiently endure the storm. Become still and quiet in your soul so that you can see what God wants you to see, learning what He wants you to learn. Hear Him. The Lord is with you, and He will help you. You will see the sun break, and you will hear birds chirping after while. But for now, weather the storm. You will grow a deeper appreciation for the day when you’ve walked through the night. Your ears will love the sound of birds chirping when all you’ve heard was noisy thunder. Your faith is being proven and tried, and you will come out on the other side. You will get through it. You will see the day if you learn to weather the storms.
Prayer: Father, You are my God, and I am Your daughter and your prized possession. Wrap me in Your arms Lord and hold me close during the trials of my life. Help me to endure and persevere through it. Show me how to weather the storms of life. Make me become quiet and still in my soul. I know You have me and everything’s going to be ok. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Father God, I take a moment to pray for your daughter who is reading this right now. You love her more than she’ll ever know. You care about her deeply. I pray Lord that you give her more understanding of your love. I pray she comes to know just how deep, how wide and how great your love is for her. In the name of Jesus. You loved her when she was headed the wrong way. You loved her when she wasn’t thinking about you at all, and when she didn’t feel she needed you, you were still there. You loved her when she didn’t love you back, and you forgave her, washed her, and gave her a new life in Christ. Now I pray that you reveal even more to her Father about the power of your love, your mercy and grace. Do for her what you’ve done for countless of other women through the ages. Completely revolutionize her life and change her from the inside out. Open her eyes to see you better. Open her ears to hear you better. Open her heart to know you better. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
“So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” Ephesians 3:17-19, ESV.
“Above all, love one another deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins” 1 Peter 4:8, Berean Study Bible.
When penning his letter, I can imagine the Apostle Peter thinking of the conversation he had with Jesus of how many times he should forgive his brother. Seven times seven? Peter asked. Jesus said no, seventy times seven (see Matthew 18:22). I can imagine Peter remembering how Jesus had forgiven him for denying him three times. Later Jesus responded, do you love Me? Then, feed my sheep (see John 21:17). Peter had known the kind of love that loves deeply and covers a multitude of sin and all of his wrong, and now he was encouraging his brothers and sisters in Christ to do the same.
It is true that those who love most deeply have experienced that same love most deeply in their own lives with the Lord.
I always knew God loved me, but I didn’t know He loved me so much as to reach down and rescue me when I had fallen, and place me on a firm foundation. I didn’t know the depth of His love for me until I sinned in a way I never thought I would, and He forgave me. And though I was knowledgeable of my sin, He treated me as though I did nothing wrong. That’s the powerful love of Jesus, and this is the kind of love that wins the lost soul to the Lord.
Prayer: Father God, forgive me for not loving the way I should. Help me to love others deeply as you have loved me. Help me not to focus on people’s sin, but to keep my eyes fixed on the cross. In Jesus’ name.
“Consider this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover over a multitude of sins.” James 5:20
“Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.” Proverbs 10:12
“Whoever conceals an offense promotes love, but he who brings it up separates friends.” Proverbs 17:9
“When they came to the oasis of Marah, the water was too bitter to drink. So they called the place Marah (which means “bitter”). Then the people complained and turned against Moses. “What are we going to drink?” they demanded. So Moses cried out to the Lord for help, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. Moses threw it into the water, and this made the water good to drink” Exodus 15:23-24, NLT.
“Taste and see that I am good. Taste and see that My plans are good. The bitterness in your mouth did not come from Me. I will remove the bitter taste from your experiences. It’s been like gall in your heart, but I am turning your bitter waters to sweet, and you will taste and see that I am good. You will feast on My love and kindness. You will feast on My goodness. You will hide My Word in your heart, and it will minister to the deep and hidden places in your soul. Rejoice, I am making your bitter waters sweet. And out of you will flow rivers of living waters to bring healing to the nations. Says the Spirit of the LORD.”
(Scripture references: Psalm 34:8; John 7:38)
“To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven” Ecclessiastes 3:1, Berean Study Bible.
I believe one of the first and foremost lessons God teaches His servant leaders is how to let go. Everyone who starts with you won’t always finish with you, and that’s ok, my sister. Some people are in your life to help you for a season and then it will be time for them to move on into their purpose. Learn to let them go and bless them.
Make a list of every person who has moved on and you are finding it difficult to let them go. Now, for each person, say from your heart:
“Father God, I bless __________________. Thank you for bringing _________________ into my life when you did. I pray you bless _________________ to fulfill your purpose. Use them and transform their life. Help them, LORD, to walk in your ways and cause them to be all that you created them to be. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
“And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.” Joel 2:25
God is a restorer. He specializes in restoring to His people all that rightfully belongs to them. Many of you lost time, lost your money, lost your health, lost great opportunities and even lost yourself, but God is faithful and He is restoring everything back to you multiplied. You may know Him to be your Provider, your Peace and your Protection, but God is getting ready to show you another side of His divine nature you may have never seen before–God your Restorer!
Say out loud from your heart, “God is my Restorer! Everything the devil stole from me, God is restoring it all back to me multiplied! I’m not going to try to figure out how or when He is going to bring restoration in my life. I’m just going to trust that He will in His perfect timing and in His perfect way because He is faithful to His promises and He is faithful to me! He will surely restore! In Jesus’ name!”
(Read Psalms 51:12; Jeremiah 30:17; Psalms 23:3)
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” Ephesians 3:20, NKJV
God will do exceeding abundantly above all that you can ask or think. He is going to blow your mind with His perfect timing. He is causing it all to align for you. Eye hasn’t seen nor has any ear heard what the Lord has prepared for you. Look at the spacious place He’s brought you to. This ground is holy, you might want to remove your shoes. He’s removed the old and has made all things new because He loves you. The word that came to you, publish it. What He’s revealed to you, trust it. His truth is your bread and water, eat of it and share it. Bless others with what’s been blessing you. Impact others with what’s been impacting you. It’s your time of divine influence. Great manifestation is coming to you!
Prayer: Hallelujah my Father God! You are good and faithful. I receive your word in my heart and will see it manifested in my life. All of my expectations are in you. Do what only you can do within me and through me. I yield to you completely. Bless me and make me a great blessing in this earth. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14
The Apostle Paul would not have been able to fulfill His God-given purpose had he not chosen to forget the things of his past. He persecuted Christians, had them beaten, imprisoned and killed. And yet here we are still benefitting from his ministry centuries later.
When he said, “forgetting those things”, he was telling the church at Philippi that this was something he continually does–day in and day out. Anytime the devil tried to bring up his past, it didn’t stop Paul’s pursuit of God. He just kept on reaching forward to what was ahead.
My sister, just as the Lord helped Paul forget his past and fulfill his purpose, He’s going to help you. You are not perfect, but you are being perfected. Every time the devil reminds you of your past, remind him of his future. Let God help you look forward to the great things He has planned for you. He has good works He’s going to use you to do.
Your pursuit of God is being observed by everyone around you. You are influencing people’s decision for Christ by simply forgetting what’s behind you, reaching towards what’s ahead, and pressing with all you’ve got towards the goal.
Prayer: Father God, forgive me. I have allowed myself to focus on the wrong things. Help me to forget the past and reach toward what lies ahead of me. Help me to press with all my might towards the goal and the prize of your high calling in Christ Jesus. Amen.
“We can only keep on going, after all, by the power of God, who first saved us and then called us to this holy work. We had nothing to do with it. It was all his idea, a gift prepared for us in Jesus long before we knew anything about it. But we know it now. Since the appearance of our Savior, nothing could be plainer: death defeated, life vindicated in a steady blaze of light, all through the work of Jesus.” 2 Timothy 1:9, Message.
With every purpose God gives us, He provides the grace to fulfill it. Just as our salvation had nothing to do with our works, so it is with the purpose and grace God assigns to our lives. You cannot earn your purpose or God’s grace, nor can you disqualify yourself from receiving it. It is a gift of God. It is a gem of understanding that you find when you learn your true identity in Christ. When you discover who you really are in Him, you discover purpose, which is the answer to why you are here and what you were put here to do. However, that’s not all you find in searching for your true identity in Christ. You also find how you will accomplish what you are put here to do. You discover grace.
I encourage you to not leave the presence of God having received your marching orders and your assignment, without receiving the grace to complete it. God doesn’t expect you to save the world by yourself using your own methods, ideas, strategies, or strength. If you search a little deeper and go a little farther, you’ll find that just as His purpose for your life completely blew your mind, His amazing grace can bring you to your knees in gratitude also. God doesn’t just want you to succeed. He wants you to succeed well and in grand style. So receive the full and complete package. Open the whole gift. Let God wrap your heart around the true meaning of purpose and grace.
Prayer: Father God, help me wrap my heart around the true meaning of Your grace. Help me discover more and more about your purpose for my life and the grace that closely accompanies it. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
“For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.” Romans 8:15
I have talked with many women who struggle in their relationship with God because deep down they feel as though He doesn’t love them as much as He loves others. They struggle with their identity in Christ because of the painful experiences they’ve had in life. Instead of feeling like daughters of the King, they feel like orphans—rejected, abandoned and unwanted. They live their lives unable to confidently call on their Father God, and unable to fully walk in their identity and purpose in Him.
We’ve all been there.
That’s why it is my deep longing that we recognize that we have already received the Spirit of adoption, and we can cry out with confidence, “Abba, Father”. “Abba” is a term that expresses warm affection and filial confidence. It’s not something we randomly say to someone. Only a son or daughter can say, Abba. Only a child of God can approach His throne of grace boldly and receive mercy and find grace to help them in their time of need.
For this reason, this ministry was born, hoping that one day the light bulb will come on and we will no longer see ourselves as orphans—rejected, abandoned, and unwanted, but as God’s beloved and chosen daughters, grafted into His Vine, and brought near by the precious blood of Jesus. We are accepted into His family—flaws and all. And as daughters of the King, we can cry out with confidence, “Abba, Father!”
Prayer: Abba, Father! I cry out to you! Thank you for loving me. Thank you for wanting me. Thank you for choosing me. I declare I have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear. I have received the Spirit of adoption, and Father I receive your unfailing love for me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
(Read Romans 8:14-17; Ephesians 2:13)