The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. psalm 87:2
Zion is the church. This scripture is saying that the Lord loves the doors to the church more than any other place established on earth.
Psalm 87 goes on to say that the Lord establishes Himself in the church. He loves it so much that He has set His foundation upon it. If we say that we love the Lord and we don't regularly attend church then we need to evaluate our definition of love. When you love someone you want to please them. Find a good Bible believing church and plug yourself into the place that God has set His foundation upon.

Location:Is Going To Church of Today?

Diamond in His Hands

There is a war going on that you cannot see. That war is waging against your soul. The enemy knows that if he can take your fire and your passion, you will eventually die spiritually. Last night I was thinking about the body of Christ and wondering how many of us actually know that it is our responsibility to kindle and fan the flame that is inside of us. I asked this question on Facebook, "What do you do on a daily basis to keep your flame burning?" I have to say that if your seeking God daily there really is no wrong answer to that question. Everyone has a distinct walk that works for them. I couldn't stop smiling as I read the responses to my semi loaded question. One answered, "fanning the flame is simply living the Word as a lifestyle." Another said, "I stay aware that the Lord's presence is always with me and I always listen to worship music." One answered that they meditate on the Word and all that Christ has done for them, always making sure to keep a song in their heart. I have to add that it's very interesting to me that the first three letters of the word song is S-O-N!
I mentioned that my question was semi-loaded: I wanted to honestly know what people do to maintain and increase the flame however, I also wanted to see first if people knew that it was our responsibility. I wondered if they did anything at all.
This morning the Lord gave me a vision of his hands holding what looked like a huge clear diamond. This diamond was polished, cut, reflected glorified light and was extremely beautiful. Much like we are in the eyes of the Lord. As I got closer to the diamond I saw it slowly transform into a set of praying hands. Instead of a diamond, the Lord was now holding a set of praying hands.



As I moved closer to the hands of the Lord I saw the praying hands transform into a red hot flame. I began to move closer and I saw the flame turn into red hot praying hands. As I moved closer the praying hands changed into a flame, back into praying hands and back into a flame again. The cycle never stopped as long as the diamond remained in the hands of the Lord!



I realized that the Lord molds us into a beautiful diamond but it's our responsibility to take that diamond and turn it into hands of prayer. As we pray a flame enters our hearts. This cycle repeats and the flame never leaves, it only gets bigger! In my life prayer is the keeper of my flame!
Lord,
Teach us today that Your presence is what keeps us hungry and passionate. Father, increase our understanding of how vital to our lives prayer is.
In Jesus Name!

Weapon Of Love

Love (perfect godly love) is such an amazing thing! It covers a multitude of sins, it casts out all fear. It does not keep a record of wrongs, it is patient, it always believes the best of everyone and it never fails. Love is a powerful weapon guaranteed to work!



A high school friend of mine posted this scripture on Facebook today and it spoke so deep to my heart! "God gives life to the dead and calls those things that are not as though they were." Romans 4:17 Meditating on this verse overwhelmed me and reiterated the extent of Christ's love and salvation. How He loved us while we were still sinners. Before I was even born He looked into my future completely aware of all my mistakes but yet while nailed to a tree He still called out my name. He had to of seen the completed me. Believing and knowing that I would become what He created me to be. Jesus lavished that perfect love on all of creation knowing that it would never disappoint Him! Knowing that what He saw in us would never disappoint Him! Wow...what an amazing love!

My prayer today is that Love be made perfect in me... In return I can lavish it on all of Gods creation. Changing lives springing forth like Christ!
Thank you Crystal for inspiring me today! What a blessing you are!

Declaring Victory Day 6

To You O Lord, I lift up my soul; in you I trust O my God. You will never let me be put to shame, nor let defeat triumph over me. No one whose hope is in You will ever be put to shame. Show me Your ways, teach me Your paths; guide me in Your truth and teach me for You are God my Savior! My hope is in You all day long. You remember not the sins of my youth and my old rebellious ways; according to your love and mercy You remember me! For You are good, O Lord! God You are good and upright! You instruct sinners in Your ways, You guide the humble in what is right. All of Your ways are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of Your covenant! For the sake of Your name, O Lord forgive my iniquity, even those that I can not see. Thank You for leading my life and for directing and instructing me down the path that You have chosen for me. 
You have granted my prosperity all of my days and my descendants will inherit the land! You confide in me Lord because I fear You. You have made Your covenant known to me. My eyes are ever on You Lord. You guard my life and rescue me, my integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in You. 
Psalm 25

Declaring Victory Day 5

The earth is Yours Lord and everything in it belongs to You! My hands are clean and my heart is pure! I will never put anything before You. I will not swear by what is false. Thank You for the blessings that You bestow upon me O, Lord! I love to seek Your face. I love Your presence my God! I choose to open the ancient gates of my heart so that You, the King of glory can enter in! You are the Lord strong and mighty! You are the Lord mighty in battle. Every victory belongs to you. Thank You for fighting the battles that come my way today Lord! Thank You for blessing me with victory in every area of my life! Thank You for searching all the deep places in me and declaring victory where victory is needed! You are the Lord strong and mighty, faithful and true!! I honor You!
Psalm 24

Declaring Victory Day 4

Lord, You are My Shepherd, You have given me everything that I need. You make me lie down in beautiful green pastures, You lead me beside still waters, You restore my soul. You guide and lead me to the path of righteousness for Your name sake. Even if I were to walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me. Your strength and Your power they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; praise You Lord for making my cup overflow! Your goodness and mercy follow me all the days of my life and I will live in Your house O Lord forever!
Psalm 23

I love You Lord... More and more every day! I have no good thing apart from You! You are my joy, my strength, my song and my hope! All of my trust is in You. Keep me close. Teach me Your ways. Reveal Your character to me, so that I may be like You. Thank You for quieting my heart so that I may sit and listen to Your voice. Your ways lead to life! Be exalted today! Be glorified! I love You daddy God!!

Declaring Victory Day 3

My God, I know that You will never forsake me. You are not far from saving me and You are close to the cries of my heart. O my God, I cry out by day and You answer me. I cry out at night and You are never silent. You are enthroned as the Holy One, You are the praise of Israel. Our fathers put their trust in You and You delivered them. They cried to You and were saved. In You they trusted and were not disappointed. I put my trust in You Lord; I know that You will rescue me. You will deliver me because that I delight in You. You brought me out of the womb; You made me trust in You. From birth I was cast upon You; from my mother's womb You have been my God. I know that You are not far from me, especially when trouble is near. I will declare Your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise You. You who fear the Lord, praise and revere Him! For He has not despised the suffering; He has not hidden His face from us but He has listened to our cry for help. The poor will eat and be satisfied; they who seek the lord will praise Him! From You Lord comes the theme of my praise! 
Psalm 22

Declaring Victory Day 2

O Lord, I rejoice in Your strength. How great is my joy in the victories that You give! You will grant me the desires of my heart and will not withhold the the requests of my lips. You welcome me with rich blessings. I asked you for life and You gave it to me- length of days, for ever and ever. Surely You have granted me eternal blessings and You've made me glad with the joy of Your presence. For I trust in You Lord; through the unfailing love of the Most High, I will not be shaken. Be exalted, O Lord! In Your strength we will sing and praise Your name! 
Psalm 21

Declaring Victory Day 1

I will shout for joy because the Lord makes me victorious and I will lift up banners in the name of my God! He grants me the desires of my heart and makes all my plans succeed. I know that the Lord saves His anointed He answers them from His holy heaven with the saving power of His right hand. Some trust in chariots and some horses, but I trust in the name of my God! Psalms 20

Psalm 119:33-40
Teach me oh Lord, to follow Your decrees then I will keep them until the end. Give me understanding, and I will keep Your law an obey it with all of my heart. Direct me in the path of Your commands, for there I find delight. Turn my heart toward Your statutes and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to Your word. Fulfill Your promise to Your servant so that You may be feared. Take away the disgrace that I dread, for Your laws are good. How I long for Your precepts! Preserve my life in Your righteousness!




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Who You Are!

Do you ever think that because you aren't good enough for God, He will not save you? Do you ever feel like salvation is for everyone else but you? Satan wants you to believe that God does not love you and that He isn't on your side. Satan wants you defeated, broken down, insecure and feeling worthless. The Bible says that, Satan is the father of lies and there is no truth in him what so ever. Here are some scriptures to show you just how much God adores you: "If God be for us, who can ever be against us? Since He did not spare even His own Son but gave Him up for us all, won't He also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for His own? No one except for God himself has given us right standing with Himself. Who then will condemn us? No one- for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and He is sitting in the place of honor at God's right hand, pleading for us. Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean He no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity? No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ Jesus, who loves us! Romans 8:31-37
These scriptures are full of promises that God has His eyes on you and that He continuously is pouring His love upon you. Don't feel discouraged with your shortcomings. Ask the Holy Spirit, your helper to give you all that you need to make it today. God fashioned your heart and He knows your every need. He is your supplier if everything good! The Spirit of the Lord is living and dwelling inside of every believer. Draw from His well of fresh water. God promises that it will never run dry! You are precious to God! Your His child and He loved you enough to give up His Sons life with you in mind! So the next time that Satan tries to tell you that your not worthy, you tell Him that he is a liar and that by the authority of Jesus Christ in you, he will shut His mouth!

Be blessed child of God! The Lord loves you no matter what!!

What Are You Giving

Jesus commanded that we love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength and also that we love our neighbor as our self. How are you treating others? Are you using patience, kindness and mercy? We all have been shown a great measure of mercy in our lives from the Lord, we ought to be quick to give it out as well! People make mistakes and have short comings. Are you treating them like you would like to be treated? Job 31:14-15 says: What will I do when God confronts me? What will I answer when called to account? Did not He who made me in the womb also make them? Did not the same One form us both within our mothers?
Maintain integrity, maintain love. Not everyone is where you may be in life. God looks at the heart and His perfect plan will prevail in everyones lives. The Bible actually says that if we are not doing what God says then we don't even know Him. The next verse goes on to say that we belong to Satan. That's a very scary verse. If we put the commandment and this verse together it reads like this: Jesus commanded us to love others as our self. If we fail to be obedient we do not belong to God at all, we belong to Satan.
Its part of the Word. The Word is
Jesus. We must obey it to stay in right standing with God. Disobedience not only opens a door for the adversary, but it also takes us off of Gods path of supernatural favor.
Be patient today. Be loving today. Refuse to have anything to do with strife. For where strife is, there is every evil work there also. Keep a close eye on your heart. Guard it above all else, it determines the course of your life. Love like you have been loved. Give like you have been given. Do all these things knowing that Christ who searches the earth for those who's hearts are committed to Him has His eye on you. He sees you with your cross on your back giving up all rights to yourself and living for His commandments. I can hear Him now! .... Well done my good and faithful servant!

To Know

I read this quote this morning by Brian and Jenn Johnson. "To hear God's voice is a priceless gift." Its so amazing how God works. I woke up at 5:00 this morning and started a study on John 10:14-15 "I am the good Shepard, I know my sheep and my sheep know me. 15 Just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep." I noticed in the scripture that Jesus likened us knowing Him like the Father knows Him. I had to research that deeper. The word know comes from the Greek word (genosko). This is the definition:
1. To learn to know. To come to know. To perceive and to feel.

2. To have knowledge of. To understand.

3. Jewish idiom for intimacy between husband and wife.

4. Knowledge grounded on personal experience.

5. To see with minds eye signifies a clear and purely mental perception.

6. A knowledge obtained by a proximity to the thing known.

7. Native insight and knowledge gained through 5 senses.

God fashioned our hearts and He knows us better than we could ever imagine. He is always with us. The Bible says that He will never leave us nor forsake us. Jesus knows the Father because He spent countless hours in His presence. He had insight into the deepest parts of Gods being because of the continuous time that He spent with Him. We have been given the gift of knowing, seeing and sensing with all of our being the character, voice and insight of Jesus Christ. Everything that we need is packaged up in the word: genosko (to know) but the key to unlock that word to make it active in our lives is desire. We can't know the Father unless we come to the Father. We have to talk with Him, read His word and pray, pray, and pray some more. Be real with God. Remember He already knows everything about you. Try to recognize Him in everyday life. Look for Him in the things that you see, smell, touch, and taste. Those that diligently seek Him, will find Him it's a promise! As you spend personal time with the Lord just like intimate personal time in a marriage you will become so close to God that you feel Him all around you everywhere that you go!

Father, I pray that whoever reads this that their eyes will be opened to who you are and what you have in store for them. Lord I pray that they will get the revelation of what it means to truly know you and to seek you. Father lead us this day as we go about your business! In
Jesus Name.
Amen

Praise

Let all that I am praise the Lord; With my whole heart, I will praise His name. Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things that He has done for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle's!
Psalm 103:1-5

Praise Him because He holds your life in His hands!

Praise Him for the beauty of His creation!

Praise Him because He gives and sustains life!

Praise Him because He watches your coming and going!

Praise Him because He lavishes you with His love!

Praise Him becasue He is the God Almighty!

Praise Him becasue His faithfulness endures forever!

Greater Passion

My husband and I made a pact last night that we are going to strive to go deeper this year with Jesus. To know Him more, to walk with a greater knowing of what He is doing on the earth. Passion comes first by making the decision to fight for it! There are so many distractions in every day life believe me,  I have to press in to keep them from my life.

The Bible says that the Lord reveals His secrets to His friends. His friends are those who fear Him. This year I want to experience the spirit of revival in my life and the lives of those around me. We are nothing without Christ and can accomplish nothing without His perfect leading. He promises that if we lean on Him instead of resorting back to our own understanding, He will show us which path to take in life. I believe that we can have a constant awareness of the Lord's presence in everything that we do. The problem is that people don't sit with the Lord enough or read His Word enough to get to know Him. Would you know the closest person to you if you never spent intimate time with them? Your relationship with Christ can never be neglected. Do you remember the words that the Lord spoke to the bridesmaids in the Bible, "Depart from me for I never knew you." Christ is constantly trying to get our attention. I can see Him standing next to us calling our names, but we are too distracted by everyday life to hear His voice. He is always working always wanting you, always loving you....... Are you giving Him your all? I pray that it will be your desire to have the Lord know you. With each passing day we should have a greater awareness of who God is. Everyday more of His character should be developing in you. We have one life to live don't waste it on temporary things. Seek the face of God this year. Let it be your desire and goal to have a greater passion for Jesus Christ!

Pray for revival for yourself and your loved ones!
 When you pray for others it releases God to move through their lives!

Revive us Lord by your continuous presence in our lives. Reveal to us your secrets that You only share with those who love and honor You. Teach us how to seek You in the times of rain and in the times of drought. Teach us to press through resistance, it is at that time that you are molding us into the likeness of You!

Building a daily relationship with the Lord requires maintaining a prayer life!
It deepens your spiritual roots and enhances your awareness of His presence!

Strive to read the Word! The Word is Jesus!