Breath of fresh air

Philippians 2:12-15 (msg)
What I'm getting at, friends, is that you should simply keep on doing what you've done from the beginning. When I was living among you, you lived in responsive obedience. Now that I'm separated from you, keep it up. Better yet, redouble your efforts. Be energetic in your life of salvation, reverent and sensitive before God. That energy is God's energy, an energy deep within you, God himself willing and working at what will give him the most pleasure. Do everything readily and cheerfully--no bickering, no second-guessing allowed! Go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God. Carry the light-giving Message into the night
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Jesus, fill me up anew with Your spirit- continue to make me more like You. As I become more like You, increase my opportunities to share Your grace and Your love with those around me. Help me to be a breath of fresh air to Your children. I love You, O Lord my hope- my God, my Rock- my shield, my fortress and my deliverer!

Leap of faith

Romans 4:20 -The Message Bible-
He (Abraham) didn't tiptoe around God's promise asking cautiously skeptical questions. He plunged into the promise and came up strong, ready for God...
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I have recently felt overwhelmed by a number of BIG decisions that are looming and need to be made. There is a certain degree of investigation and planning that needs to be completed to make a wise and informed choice. But... we are called to have faith like a child- when faced with tough forks in the road, our faith is the biggest deciding factor. Our Father in heaven is watching, and we need to believe the promise: that when we step out in faith, into the promises He has impressed on our hearts, He is going to bless us and provide along the journey.
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Father, as I step out in faith, I will trust in Your unfailing love. You have always taken care of me. Even though the signs are unclear, the path seems dark, I believe with all my heart that You will guide and direct my footsteps. I pray for new, amazing revelation- show me the way I should go...

Turn the light on!

Ephesians 5:8-11
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of the light. 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth.) 10 And find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather, expose them.

John 8:12
When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said: "I am the light of the world. He who follows ME shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."
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Sometimes, in a darkened world, we can get confused as to which way is forward. To find our way, we need Jesus- the light that pierces the darkest places. Don't fumble in the darkness anymore- quit stubbing your toe and banging into walls... turn the light on!
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Lord, be my light. In the darkness, sometimes I cannot see the beauty of who You created me to be. Shine on me and through me. Help me to be a reflection of Your glorious light. Strengthen me to reap a harvest of the fruit of the light. May goodness, righteousness and truth be my principal products. Help me- for the glory of Your Kingdom and Your Name... amen.

Don't get burned while being refined

Isiah 1:25 I will take action against you. I will purify you the way metal is refined, and will remove all your impurity.
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For those who don't spend much time working with molten metal...
The purification process is a critical step in making any kind of metal useable for everyday practice. Whether it be gold for jewelery, or steel for a bridge, the same method is used: extreme heat and fire. So, while walking with God, we may experience some painful heat- it's not because He is punishing us for something we did wrong, but we are being refined, sanctified- we are being transformed. It doesn't end there- the next step is huge: once we've been thoroughly heated up and melted down, all the "yuck", the dross, the impurities float to the surface! Don't beat yourself up, you are not "backsliding". This is the most important part- the opportunity to give these things to your Lord so He can remove them. From personal, repeated experience, I recommend taking the chance the first time you've been reduced to molten metal... There is much more room in your heart for His beauty than there is for re-dried, crusty dross.
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Father, as our pride, doubt, fear and sin come to the surface while You are refining us, bless us with MORE GRACE so we can recognize the process. As we realize the work You are doing in us, help us to give these things to You, so You can remove them.
Your word says to "lay our burdens down" and "take MY yoke upon you, for MY yoke is easy, my burden is light"... Jesus, we long for the complete joy that You give- transform us today by your mercy! I love You Lord with all my heart, mind, soul and strength- amen.

The baker's dozen blessing

Luke 6:38
Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
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I remember baking cookies with my mom when I was just old enough to understand how to use a measuring cup. My favorite part was always measuring the brown sugar. You could keep adding more and squishing it down, until it was totally compacted. When I read this verse, I always think of brown sugar. Our day is like the measuring cup- 24 hours. What we have to give is the brown sugar. One scoop, and it appears full- but if we press it down, much more can be added! I am not saying our days need to be full of activity. But our days do need to include time with Him! Are we cutting God out of our "busy" schedules? How much blessing will we recieve...? If we offer Him our prime time, (when we are at our best) He returns the favor!
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Lord, I don't want to miss out on Your best! Please, give me wisdon to eliminate the time-wasting activities from my life. I don't ever want to give "just-enough". You went above and beyond for me- help me to give my all for You! Thank You for all the blessings You've poured into my life. By Your spirit, give me strength to bless You! amen

Our Father

1 John 3:1
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!
And that is what we are!
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He is our Father, and we our His kids! When a child asks their earthly father for something that he has already promised, doesn't he give without a second thought, and with great joy?
How much more, then, does He delight is giving spiritual blessing and favor to those who cry out to Him? Cry out to Him today- delight yourself in his promises, and He will surely give you the desires of Your heart.
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Father, You formed each one of us in our mothers' womb- You knitted us together by Your Spirit! Thank You for Your intricate design. Thank You for adopting me into Your family.
I feel such worth, because You- the maker of the universe- are my Father.
As my Father, You have said that You desire to bless me~ and what beautiful blessings a Father gives his children. I receive the goodness and favor that You are offering- Thank You for Your loving kindness... it causes my heart to WANT to worship You!

Newness

Isa 43:18-19 (GNB)
But the LORD says, "Do not cling to events of the past or dwell on what happened long ago.
19 Watch for the new thing I am going to do. It is happening already- you can see it now! I will make a road through the wilderness and give you streams of water there.
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Sometimes it is so hard to forget the way we used to be. Thoughts of past defeats and failures sometimes cripple us when we seek to step into newness- into our destiny.
God is constantly at work- He is molding and shaping us (if we let Him). We need to ask Him to show us the "new us"- and seek Him to help us to believe in ourselves.
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God, help us to let go of who we were in the past. Show us the "new thing" that You are doing! Encourage us, guide us to grasp what is happening in us and around us.
I lay down the man I used to be-
Please raise me up in newness-
Infuse me with Your Holy Spirit-
Help me to believe in what You have made me!
Father, You make all things new- Thank You for Your amazing power! Bless me indeed and help me to share Your love and Your word. Shine through me today. AMEN

Favor

I Corinthians 2:9
"Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him."
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I want to thank the many friends and family who made the CD release party such a success.

I was so nervous when I got up there to share those songs, because I felt like I was on the edge of a cliff... who knows why He led us to this precipice? And, only He knows what is in store once we leap.

The best compliment we received was from a woman who we love and respect very much: she said, "it was refreshing to see someone share God's word and not just talk about themselves the entire time." My central focus for future events is and always will be- my Father in heaven. He is the one that will inspire and encourage- we are merely vessels seeking to be His hands and feet.

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God has really positioned this music ministry to affect change in many hearts. We are clinging to the promise that God's word "will not return void"- as many in attendance were reading His word for the first time! This will be the central theme for future music events- introducing people to The Creator, and letting Him begin a work in their lives.
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Oh Lord, would you bless me indeed, and enlarge my horizons to share Your Word and Your love. Would Your hand be with me, and keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain, but that I would incite a holy riot for You! Change hearts for Your Kingdom and Your glory! amen

Good promises

2Sa 7:25 (MSG)
"So now, great GOD, this word that you have spoken to me and my family, guarantee it permanently! Do exactly what you've promised!
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What good is a promise if it is unknown? The Word of God is full of precious promises. Worth ten times their weight in Gold- just waiting to be unearthed. Our Heavenly Father waits on us to find His promises, and then waits for us to ask for them. If we didn't know about the promise, and He just gave it to us, we wouldn't understand or appreciate it. Search these promises out, and then claim them! (Here are two of the hundreds of examples just waiting to be found)
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Jer 33:6 But I will heal this city and its people and restore them to health. I will show them abundant peace and security.
Deu 30:9 The LORD will make you prosperous in all that you do; you will have many children and a lot of livestock, and your fields will produce abundant crops. He will be as glad to make you prosperous as he was to make your ancestors prosperous,
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Lord, bless me with a love for Your word... help me to find Your promises and then give me supernatural strength to build my faith! What an amazing Father You are- to promise such beautiful things! I love You, Lord- amen

carefree, not careless

1Pe 5:7 Leave all your worries with him, because he cares for you.
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Worry can be a huge distraction for the man or woman of God. In Matthew 6, Jesus asks:
"who of you by worrying can add one hour to his life?" Realistically, worry and anxiety take hours from our life- and our time is the most precious gift He has given us.
So, the challenge is this: to keep and open hand when dealing with the responsibilities of life. To not grip to tightly to things when they come before us. I am not saying that the solution to worry is to stop caring. The solution is to trust and understand that He has our best interests in mind, and we should defer to him for wisdom and direction.
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Father, I thank You that you want us to live a life focused on You. In Matthew 6, it also says to seek first YOUR kingdom, and all these things will be added. Strengthen us to be able to seek Your interests, not ours. I thank You in advance for the way You provide so sweetly during difficult times. Help me to be satisfied with what You have given me. Help me to not be distracted by what the world (who wants me to live in fear) says I need. I declare that
ALL I NEED IS YOU. Thank You for who You are and for what You've done in my life-
In Jesus' name, amen.

Deep roots

Luke 8:13(GNB)
The seeds that fell on rocky ground stand for those who hear the message and receive it gladly. But it does not sink deep into them; they believe only for a while but when the time of testing comes, they fall away.
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Letting the good news into your ear is one thing- letting it into your heart is something entirely different. Sometimes we let the worlds' concerns, troubles and distractions build up a calloused layer around our heart, that the Word of God cannot penetrate on it's own. We need to proactively chip those layers away, and let His word in. Let the seed fall deep, into your soul, water it and help it grow...
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Romans 8:18(NIV)
For these light and momentary troubles are achieving in us a glory that far outweighs them all.
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God, thank you for Your Word. Thank you for Your Father's heart that loves us enough to let us be stretched, but not broken. Increase in us today. Continue to help us grow our faith. You are amazing....

He rescues us

Jonah 2:6-9
to the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But You brought my life up from the pit, o Lord my God. 7 When my life was ebbing away, I remembered You, Lord. And my prayer rose to You, to Your holy temple. 8 Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. 9 But I, with a song of thanksgiving, I will sacrifice to You. What I have vowed, I will make good. Salvation comes from the Lord.
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This revelation got Jonah out of the belly of the huge fish.
We need to stop and ask God to examine our hearts and show us the things that we have exalted in our lives. He is faithful to gently nudge us to trash these idols. And, He is faithful to open the floodgates of heaven when we do!
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Please Lord, search me, know me, examine my heart. See if there is anything that I have lifted up- anything that has gotten in the way of worshiping You! I refuse to forfeit the grace that You freely offer. Thank you for bringing us to repentance through Your gentleness and love- thank You for sending Your son to save us... in His powerful name- Jesus Christ- AMEN

Acknowledgment

Proverbs 3: 5 & 6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.
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Question: Do we want what we, as imperfect beings can conjure up? What we, as fragile as we are can build, or what we can create?
OR, do we want what GOD, the maker of the heavens and the earth has in store for us? Would we rather have what our almighty creator and savior can do to make our lives more abundant?
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For me, I have seen the results of my own agendas and ideas.... thankfully, consequences came before I got too far along on my own treacherous path. I have been graced to see the results of HIS plans- and the journey HE has laid out is beautiful! This trust, this leaning on my Heavenly Father, has eliminated almost all worry about tomorrow, because I know He will provide more than I need.
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Lord, thank you for Your promises- it strengthens my heart and my will to know that You care for me. I will cast all my cares on you- Thank You for carrying me and for providing my every need. I pray for those who feel stuck, who feel overwhelmed. I pray that Your love would overwhelm them today... that they could release their own agendas for this life, and look to you: the ultimate health care provider! Thank You Jesus- AMEN