spring time

‘Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.’  

Isaiah 43:19

Springtime –

It is a brand new season;

A time for flowers and trees to bud

A time for things which laid dormant through the winter

          to spring to new life

A time for planting in anticipation of the showers of Spring

It is a wonderful time of the year – naturally and spiritually

It is the time of year where we reflect upon the sacrifice of Christ;

            But more importantly upon His resurrection

His death would have been meaningless if He did not rise again – but He did!

So it is with each one of us individually

The instances of death  - dreams, hopes, desires - it would all be pointless without some sort of redemptive quality

As such, we have this assurance from the LORD: ‘I will give you back what you lost in the years when swarms of locusts ate your crops. It was I who sent this army against you.’ Joel 2:25GNT

He will give beauty for ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a disheartened spirit. [Isaiah 61:3]

This is not a word for everyone – for there are seasons for everything … ‘a time to every purpose under heaven.’ (Ecclesiastes. 3:1) To you I say, ‘wait on the LORD and be of good courage. Wait patiently for the LORD.’ Psalm 27:14 Your time is coming.

However, if this is your 'now' word, you will know. It will resonate deeply in your heart and soul with what the LORD has been whispering to you of late. It will ignite a passion, excitement and mind-boggling anticipation, causing hope to spring to life in a tangible way. To those of you, I say, get ready! The LORD [not myself] says, “Look … See! Be astonished! Wonder! For I  am doing something in your days – you would not believe it if you were told.” Habakkuk 1:5 

Have a Blessed Day!

 

‘… the old is passed, behold all things are made new.’

II Corinthians 5:17 DRB

BLESSINGS THAT BAFFLE

Greetings Friends …

I pray all is well with you tonight - 

It has been a while since I’ve written

This has been a challenging year … to put it mildly

Yet, something gripped me today was I was listening to music and working

 

I was listening to a compilation of songs by Elevation Worship and Chandler Moore and in that video, they start singing a blessing:

‘The LORD bless you, and keep you,

Make His face shine upon you … and be gracious to you

The LORD turn His face toward you … and give you peace’

 

The blessing was not the part that gripped me.

I have prayed that same blessing many times – over my friends here

No – it was something else and not just the words of a verse

 

As they continued, this chorus resounded:

May His favor be upon you and a thousand generations,

And your family and your children and their children, and their children

May His presence go before you, and behind you, and beside you, all around you, and within you – 

He is with you, He is with you

In the morning and the evening,

In your coming and your going, in your weeping and rejoicing

He is for you … He is for you

 

And in an instant – I was completely overcome and undone

The words of that song took on such great depth and perspective

I suddenly found myself effortlessly transitioning from singing to praying … to crying; intense in prayer … in the natural and in the spirit

And even though I was the one praying – it took me by surprise

 

You see – today – I was not praying for myself,

I was not praying for my three sons

I was not praying for my dad or my best friend

I was not praying for my friends here

No – I found myself instead, praying with tear-filled eyes

            For every person who hates me

            For those who despise the very thought of me

            For those who have plotted and conspired against me

 

In the past – I have prayed for those who do not know Him

I have prayed they would have a genuine encounter with Him

And I thought I was doing something ‘good’ … because I could not bring myself to pray for the destruction of those who come against me –

But it is not enough to not pray for destruction

            There must be prayer for direction, for protection, for construction

 

Anyone in Christ is a new creation

The old is passed away … all things are new

II Corinthians 5:17

 

That is what was special and different about today –

I am not certain I can fully convey what transpired

Something snapped … in a good way!

I found myself keenly aware that – as I sang and cried and prayed –

As I made declarations for people who hate me…

Something profound was happening in the spirit, in the heavenly realm

 

I can pray for change in the world

But true change in the world begins with change inside of individuals

And that is only found in Christ

 

‘Bless those who curse you and do good to them that hate you …’ Matthew 5:43-47

 

BLESSINGS!

BLESSINGS THAT BREAK THE BACK OF CURSES

But my prayer is not just for an introduction or an encounter –

I was – and am – praying for the kind of blessings that chase you down & overtake you

The kind of blessings that surround you and envelope you

BLESSINGS THAT BAFFLE THE MIND!

 

May His favor be upon you as well my friends –

For your family, and your children, and their children, and their children

 

Have a Blessed Evening!

'TIS THE SEASON: MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Good Morning,

Merry Christmas Dear Friends

It is finally here – Christmas Day has arrived

This is the day we celebrate THE COMING OF JESUS

               GOD with man –

EMMANUEL, God with us

God, through His Holy Spirit, forever residing within us

And while JESUS IS THE ULTIMATE GIFT –

It is a gift which only benefits personally, if we are willing to receive

Yet – make no mistake

While the birth of Jesus is a wonderful gift from the LORD

                The birth would mean nothing without the life, the death & the resurrection

You see – He was a baby born with one solitary mission

He was a baby born to die – a Son who was given to us,

That we might have eternal salvation & an everlasting relationship with God the Father

If you have received that wondrous gift,

You are very familiar with the true awe-inspiring wonder of this season;

If you have yet to receive the free gift of salvation,

There is no time like the present to receive this MOST GLORIOUS CHRISTMAS PRESENT

We are able to love, because He loved,

We are able to give, because He gave,

We are able to live, because He died,

We are able to hope, because He lives and reigns on high

‘TIS THE SEASON – TO HOPE

‘TIS THE SEASON – TO LOVE

‘TIS THE SEASON – TO GIVE

‘TIS THE SEASON – TO CELEBRATE JESUS CHRIST,

                Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, Savior of the World

Merry Christmas!

‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son;

 that whosoever should believe in Him, would not perish but have everlasting life.’ John 3:16

Cling to the Sword!

‘And after him was Eleazar … one of the three mighty men with David … He [Eleazar] arose, and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword: and the LORD wrought a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to spoil.’ II Samuel 23:9-10 (KJV)

What an image!

This mighty man of valor fought so hard and long that his hand ‘clave unto the sword’. The word for clave in the Hebrew is ‘dabaq’ which means: to cling, stick, stay close, cleave, keep close, stick to, stick with, follow closely, join to…

He was so determined in his fight against the enemy that his hand clung to the sword. It stuck to and with the sword. It stayed close to the sword. It cleaved unto the sword. His hand kept close to the sword. His hand followed closely and joined to the sword.

‘And the LORD wrought a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to spoil.’

Because he remained focused, diligent and persistent – because he clung to the sword – the LORD brought about a tremendous victory. And the only thing left to do when it was all over was to collect the spoils from the enemy.

•Do you need tools to fight the battle you are in?
•Do you have a desire to annihilate the enemy?
•Do need a TODAY victory where you can take back all enemy has stolen from you and others?

DO WHAT ELEAZER DID … CLING TO THE SWORD!

Ephesians 6:13-18 tells us to put on the full armor of God when going into battle. But I especially like verse seventeen which tells us, ‘take … the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God’.
• As I stick to (and with) the sword, it enables me to cut down the enemies which have surrounded me
• As I embrace the truth of God’s Word and apply it to my life, I am equipped for an unrelenting battle
• I am empowered as I keep my hand close to the ‘sword, which is the word’ – as I allow it to direct the works of my hands, my actions
• When I am joined to and follow closely the Word of God, which is the sword of God, I have everything I need

The victory is sure if I will but cling to the sword of God, to the Word of God!

Understand, however, that dogged determination is not enough…

My determination must be accompanied by His sword, by His Word, by His Spirit.

This is the word of the LORD: ‘It is not by force nor by strength, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.’ Zechariah 4:6 (NLT)

CLING TO GOD’S SWORD – CLING TO HIS WORD
DESTROY THE ENEMY … WIN THE BATTLE … COLLECT THE SPOILS!

*Re-Post 4/12/19. Originally posted on this site 04/29/10

LINE DRAWN ...

 Good Afternoon!

I pray you have had a blessed day so far. This morning at church was a great time. We had a guest speaker who preached out of the text regarding Esau and Jacob and the transfer of birthright (Genesis 25:31-34)

It is a fascinating tale which – if you have the opportunity – you should take time to read in its entirety. The pastor was talking about Generosity and specifically Producers and Consumers.

However, after church – as I drove home from spending time with my mom,

The passage of scripture [and the message] took my thoughts in a different [but related] direction.

It got me focused on the divine moment which is occurring, the shift which is unfolding –

THE LINE DRAWN

As I considered and evaluated my mom’s current situation, I will be honest and state that I began to become irritated all over again. She deserves so much better than what she is currently experiencing. And hers was not from a lack of adequate planning – but from scoundrels who would rob an old woman and leave her at the mercies of situations and circumstances.

It got me reflecting on how my mom’s own inheritance was stolen out from underneath her years ago;

How part of my inheritance was stolen in that same transaction;

YET – my mom made a decision that she was going to do something different

One of her favorite verses is out of the book of

‘A good [wise] man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children’ Proverbs 13:22

She had it all planned – a way to redeem some of what had been lost

A way to provide her thirteen grandchildren with a springboard for life.

She formulated a strategy to help catapult them toward their individual destinies

SHE WORKED DILIGENTLY – FOR DECADES – SO THAT IT COULD UNFOLD

She had a hope that the generational curse of stolen and swindled inheritances would finally end

BUT ALAS – It Occurred AGAIN!

You see, with that most recent conniving manipulation and thievery from my mom, went the inheritance which she had set aside for her grandchildren. A birthright wrangled out of the hands of the rightful owner – once again.

It took me back to today’s text:

And, although what Jacob did was highly unethical and abhorrent, it was not illegal

Understand, there are family members and any number of random general individuals [these are the CONSUMERS] who will always attempt to manipulate and strategize ways to wrestle from you what is in your hands so that they may line their pockets

It is an unfortunate by-product of living in a fallen world.

Scripture tells us, ‘We are not ignorant of the devices of the enemy’ II Cor. 2:11

Yet, so often, so many of us are just that – ignorant of the ways he is working and the people he is using

EVEN SO

TODAY – A LINE HAS BEEN DRAWN FOR MY FAMILY

Every generational curse is broken

The enemy has been commanded to restore that which was stolen

The LORD Himself has raised up a standard against those who would rob, and con and pillage

THIS DAY – A MANDATE HAS BEEN DECREED AND DECLARED

GENERATIONAL BLESSING HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED AND ENACTED

I keep feeling the LORD speaking to me as He did King David so many years ago:

“Arise! Pursue! For you shall surely overtake them and recover all!” I Samuel 30:8

I speak to your situation – even as I make declarations over my own:

I command every curse be broken

That ill-effects be cancelled out

That what has been stolen, be restored

That goodness and mercy follow you –

And, that the blessing of the LORD overtake every area of your life

I have a very important meeting with a publisher on Tuesday and another publisher reviewing the same manuscript. Please be praying for me, and know I am doing the same for you.

Have a Blessed Evening & an Amazing Week!

Zenobia

SHIFT

I find myself in an interesting position this morning. To be honest, I am not quite certain what is happening. I have not written in ages – not due to a lack of desire but due to a lack of inspiration.

YET – 

For the past few days, it has felt as if A SHIFT IS OCCURRING

Above Me … Around Me … And Within Me

UPWARD –

He beckons us to engage with Him on whole new level.

He draws us toward heightened levels of intimacy with Him

“Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:12-13

DOWNWARD –

He sends His Word of Promise that He will proactively engage in all that impacts our world

“For the eyes of the LORD roam throughout the earth to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is fully devoted to Him” II Chronicles 16:9

“It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer; And while they are still speaking, I will hear” Isaiah 65:24

“Do not be afraid … Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them” Daniel 10:12

“I AM making a way in the wilderness and streams in the desert” Isaiah 43:19

BACKWARD –

He is driving back the effects of all that has caused loss. 

He has come: “to bind up the brokenhearted; to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve …. —to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” (Is. 61:1-3)

“I will restore the years that the locust has eaten [I will give you back what you lost]” Joel 2:25

FORWARD –

He is enacting a great acceleration

He is causing the harvest to spring forth at an expedited rate

“Yes indeed, it won’t be long now.” God’s Decree. “Things are going to happen so fast your head will swim, one thing fast on the heels of the other. You won’t be able to keep up. Everything will be happening at once—and everywhere you look, blessings!” Amos 9:13MSG

UNDERSTAND – He is the GOD who opens doors no man can shut; who [for our good] closes doors no man can open; who makes the impossible, possible; the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY who does exceedingly, abundantly above all we could ask or think – often when we least expect it!

He is our Eternal King – And He is not bound by the timeframes of man.

He can declare a new beginning any time He desires.

I perceive a new beginning … A SHIFT IN THE ATMOSPHERE!

“See, I AM doing a new thing!

Now it springs up;

Do you not perceive it?”

Isaiah 43:19

Praying You Have a Tremendously Blessed Day!

Zenobia

Alive!

I’m Alive!

It seems a fairly simple and obvious thing to get excited over. Yet, more and more, I find myself reflecting on that very fact. Alive! ... And recognizing that each day is a blessing, full of fresh opportunities.

Not too long ago, I heard this song and was overcome – not with sadness but with joy and thankfulness. As I thought about all He has already done to pull me through and bring me back to life - I was moved to tears. I see what the LORD has done in me. And while I am still not everything I need to be, I am nowhere near where I used to be.

I’m excited about that!

In Christian culture we are admonished not to look back. And there is truth and victory in that practice. However, continuously looking forward, we too often focus on how much of the journey is left instead of looking back and celebrating just how much road has been covered – by His grace, through His strength.

That song by Mercy Me talks about the instance when the hurt and the Healer collide and it makes me reflect on all Jesus has done:

'Surely He has borne our grief and carried our sorrows' Is. 53:4

However, the truth is ... that collision takes place every day, many moments throughout the day. The Healer is constantly interacting with us and demonstrating His love and faithfulness - surrounding us with His grace and mercy and equipping us with His strength.

"We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body." II Corinthians 4:8-10

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal." II Corinthians 4:16-18

Sometimes we can get so focused on the 'fight' that we fail to celebrate the 'life' that makes the fight possible. We can fix our eyes so intensely on what has been lost, on what has died, that we fail to recognize all the things that are alive and being renewed - the wonderful blessings right in front of us, the most significant being 'Jesus, our Hope!'

Celebrating life is a choice and I choose to focus on all the joys it contains.

It reminds me of when I went to Panama on vacation with my boys several years back. Upon returning, I was sharing my observations with a friend who grew up there. And interestingly enough, all I could talk about was everything positive and all she could talk about was everything that she hated about the country. 

We see what we want to see - and we will see the good in life and living when we take the time to look for it. So why don't you take some time today to just be thankful for being alive, counting your blessings ... large and small.

Enjoy the Journey!

destroy ... rebuild

This past Saturday I went to a store and, to my surprise, demolition was in progress. One of the other buildings in that shopping center [one which has stood vacant for the past four years] was in the process of being torn down.

But the interesting thing about it was that there was a sign stating that a grocery store was going to be coming to that space. However, the previous occupant of the building was a grocery/department store. It seemed somewhat of a waste to me as I thought: they could have just re-purposed the old building and modified/remodeled it to suit their purposes.

Then on Sunday I was sending an email that took me straight back to that building (or should I say debris field) that I had seen the day before. I was writing to a couple of friends commenting on how God will allow situations that confound us at times and expressed, 'You cannot fill a cup that is full. Therefore, I believe there are times when He will empty you of everything to make room for the new thing He desires to do in and through you.'

Likewise -

There are times when something in our lives will need to be torn down in order to build the new thing. These are instances where a redesign is utterly insufficient, where no amount of reconstruction will achieve the desired end result. Yes, sometimes things will need to be leveled just like they did with that building.

Currently there are so many have lost so much - houses, cars, jobs, reputation and even relationships.

Yet I want to encourage you today. While some of things that have been torn down and removed may seem like a waste to us - the plans of the LORD are perfect. His ways truly are not our ways. And His wisdom is far above ours.

It is difficult to conceive that what we had or who we were could not be somehow repurposed. And there are times when He does that. But, there are also times when the old thing must be completely eliminated in order to accomplish the current move of God.

'No one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost and the skins as well; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.' Mark 2:22

Take heart friends -

In this stage of 'destroy and rebuild', things appear to look worse before they get better. Yet, in time, with patience, the perfect plan of God will manifest and will reveal something beyond what you are able to imagine - something that will bring Him glory and honor.

The new owners of that property paid a hefty price for that building - just to turn around and tear it down - so they can ultimately build what they desire. Likewise, Jesus paid a tremendous price for us: empty shells desiring usefulness, sitting without purpose or longing for fresh purpose ... for years in some instances. By His blood He took possession of what He desired and set about the process of 'destroy ... rebuild'.

And as we submit to this work in our lives, His work, we become useful instruments/agents for effecting the change that must take place in our world:
'See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.' Jeremiah 1:10

The Message Version Reads
"I’ve given you a job to do
among nations and governments—a red-letter day!
Your job is to pull up and tear down,
take apart and demolish,
And then start over,
building and planting.”

God is raising up an army in these days -
Lives emptied of everything to be filled with what is pleasing in His sight
Individuals taken down to bare bones, to be rejuvenated by the power of His Holy Spirit
Selfish agendas destroyed to make room for building & exalting His kingdom purposes

'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,  to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.' Ephsians 3:20-21

restoration ...

Then the LORD will be zealous for His land

And will have pity on His people.

The LORD will answer and say to His people,

"Behold, I am going to send you grain, new wine and oil,

And you will be satisfied in full with them;

And I will never again make you a reproach among the nations.

So rejoice, O sons of Zion,

And be glad in the LORD your God;

For He has given you the early rain for your vindication

And He has poured down for you the rain,

The early and latter rain as before.

The threshing floors will be full of grain,

And the vats will overflow with the new wine and oil.

"Then I will make up to you for the years

That the swarming locust has eaten,

The creeping locust, the stripping locust

and the gnawing locust,

My great army which I sent among you.

"You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied

And praise the name of the LORD your God,

Who has dealt wondrously with you;

Then My people will never be put to shame.

"Thus you will know that I am in the midst of Israel,

And that I am the LORD your God,

And there is no other;

And My people will never be put to shame.

Joel 2:18-19, 23-27