I usually take a day or two at the beginning of a year to reflect on last year and pray and seek the Lord for the coming year. As I was doing that a couple weeks ago the Lord showed me that He wanted me to do my devotional a bit different, at least for now. Many, many years ago I felt the Lord was telling me to write a devotional book. I always have big plans to get it done and the fact that I write every week does help me have something to put in a book. But……. Famous last words. This past year I spent most of my quiet times in a few different books and devotionals that have changed my heart. They brought me closer to the Lord in an intimate way which was a bit scary to me. However, they changed the way I pray and even think. I feel the Lord is wanting me to share some of what I have written and what I write almost daily. This week I have a few prayers to share. Each one may be in a different tense – some 1st person, some to me/you from the Lord and some to the Lord from me/you. I am going to type them as I wrote them and as time goes on I hope to get better at this. This is a different journey for me to write like this but I absolutely love writing about His love. In the last year speaking the words of His intimate love for me has helped truly begin to believe just how much I am loved. Some people just know this in their hearts already and many don’t. I am establishing this truth in my heart each day I pray about His love for me. It is the foundation of receiving everything else in the Word. The most important thing is to know what the most important thing is and it is to know who I am in Him – loved, accepted, righteous, holy, forgiven, worthy and much more.
In Children’s Church we are also learning what is important. First, we need to always know and believe that God is in a good mood. Our view of God greatly affects our lives and our relationship with Him. Our relationship with Him is based on His goodness and His pleasure with His children. Then that His blood already paid for all my sins so I don’t have to. This is the reason He is in a good mood. We don’t get the punishment we deserve because we have sinned. He received what I deserved so I can receive what He deserved. Next, is how important I am to Him. We are all more important than we think. When we know these truths and they are established deep into our hearts we come into His presence with praise and thanksgiving knowing how deep and wide His love is. As we do this our hearts and lives are transformed in ways we never knew possible. There’s a little room after each prayer to write your thoughts and what you hear.
Prayer: A new year is a point of contact to revisit our goals – dreams – desires – visions and change what we want to change. This can be done anytime throughout a year but it’s an exciting time to step back and look at where we are and where we want to go. It’s a time we make promises that could soon be broken. They may be promises to our self or others. Taking the time to meditate on who Jesus says we are is the most important place we need to go in our hearts. Without you knowing His words – His desires – His love for you, everything you do is a waste of time and waste of dreaming. He has a divine destiny for each of us. There’s a journey into His presence for our hearts to embark on. It’s a place like nowhere else that brings life changes and heart changes like we’ve never imagined. Take a minute to shut out everything and go to a place with Him. Dance with Him. Look into His eyes. Receive His love – peace – joy and hope as you look into His gaze that is only for you. Now you are ready for a day that will keep you smiling. You’ll stay in peace as you carry His gaze with you. You’ll love as He loves.
“We have the privilege of worshipping the Lord, our God. For He is our Creator and now we belong to Him! We are the people of His pleasure.” Psalm 100:3 Passion Bible
Prayer: As you come into My presence today tune out all the stuff, the cares of the world and have ears to hear and eyes to see. Choose to hear Me with clarity and clearness. Let My words go through your ears and to your heart. The world is a messy place to be. But through My eyes you will see healed bodies and hearts. You will see relationships healed and made whole when you see through My heart of love. Take time to see others the way I see them and let Me teach you how to love even the most unlovable. See yourself as I see you and created you to be. Don’t listen to the world’s view and opinion of yourself but get into My Word and see beyond the natural into a place of grace, mercy, beauty, radiance and where the impossible is possible. Today know Me as your Friend, the One Who loves you and relentlessly pursues you. I will never give up on you fulfilling your divine destiny. I will continue to breathe My life into you and every cell of your body will be alive with Me. Don’t close your ears and eyes because of fear, shame, doubt, sin, unworthiness. Only My Life, My Love, My Presence can heal and take away what you don’t want to see and hear. But you can only see it as I see it – GONE – when you gaze into My eyes of love and embrace all I have for you.
“Gaze upon Him, join your life with His, and joy will come. Your faces will glisten with glory. You’ll never wear that shame-face again.” Psalm 34:5 Passion Bible
Prayer: Your love, Lord, it’s so deep, so much greater than I can imagine. I was created for the purpose of loving You and being loved by You. Your love created me! That’s so difficult to comprehend in my natural world but as I let down the walls I’ve put up to protect myself from hurt I will be able to hear the whispers of Your passion for me. The breathe of God created me and the breathe of Life is the essence of my relationship with You. I long to know You deeply but that is such a divine destiny that cannot be experienced unless I let go of all that holds me back and fall into Your arms of love waiting to catch me. Then those arms hold me so close to Your heart that I can feel the love beat of Your heart. You have treasures in a treasure box for me to open and receive. Treasures that will change my life and let others see Your love in me. A love so full of passion, a love so sweet that I will be drawn to it like a bee to honey. I will wake every morning longing for nothing more than to dwell in Your love and fall asleep every night knowing that Your passionate love is protecting and watching over me. Your kiss every morning and night will touch the depths of my heart and reveal Your heart of love.
“The Lord God has given Me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning. He awakens My ear to hear as the learned.” Isaiah 50:4 NKJ
Prayer: Today is a day of courage. A day to stop holding onto your fears and judgments and let go. Give the things that weigh you down to Me. Step out in boldness – free of the bondages that hold you back and see, hear, feel what your situation is like without the fear. It will be an experience of joy and freedom! It will be something you will long for and desire in every area of your life. It will take courage to know that I am right here with you, guiding you and holding you close. The joy in your heart will be undeniable and everyone will see Me in you and notice you are different, free – full of the Spirit and My love. Courage brings hope. Hope is expecting My goodness to flow abundantly in all you do. My peace will radiant from your heart and others will long for what you have. This world is full of trouble, sorrow and fear. My peace will bring rest in a troubled world. You must be courageous, though. Be strong in Me. I have conquered the world. Be saturated with Me in My peace. You are my vessel full of peace and courage.
“And everything I’ve taught you is so that the peace which is in Me will be in you and will give you great confidence as you rest in Me. For in this unbelieving world you will experience trouble and sorrows, but you must be courageous, for I conquered the world!” John 16:33 Passion Bible
In Children’s Church we are also learning what is important. First, we need to always know and believe that God is in a good mood. Our view of God greatly affects our lives and our relationship with Him. Our relationship with Him is based on His goodness and His pleasure with His children. Then that His blood already paid for all my sins so I don’t have to. This is the reason He is in a good mood. We don’t get the punishment we deserve because we have sinned. He received what I deserved so I can receive what He deserved. Next, is how important I am to Him. We are all more important than we think. When we know these truths and they are established deep into our hearts we come into His presence with praise and thanksgiving knowing how deep and wide His love is. As we do this our hearts and lives are transformed in ways we never knew possible. There’s a little room after each prayer to write your thoughts and what you hear.
Prayer: A new year is a point of contact to revisit our goals – dreams – desires – visions and change what we want to change. This can be done anytime throughout a year but it’s an exciting time to step back and look at where we are and where we want to go. It’s a time we make promises that could soon be broken. They may be promises to our self or others. Taking the time to meditate on who Jesus says we are is the most important place we need to go in our hearts. Without you knowing His words – His desires – His love for you, everything you do is a waste of time and waste of dreaming. He has a divine destiny for each of us. There’s a journey into His presence for our hearts to embark on. It’s a place like nowhere else that brings life changes and heart changes like we’ve never imagined. Take a minute to shut out everything and go to a place with Him. Dance with Him. Look into His eyes. Receive His love – peace – joy and hope as you look into His gaze that is only for you. Now you are ready for a day that will keep you smiling. You’ll stay in peace as you carry His gaze with you. You’ll love as He loves.
“We have the privilege of worshipping the Lord, our God. For He is our Creator and now we belong to Him! We are the people of His pleasure.” Psalm 100:3 Passion Bible
Prayer: As you come into My presence today tune out all the stuff, the cares of the world and have ears to hear and eyes to see. Choose to hear Me with clarity and clearness. Let My words go through your ears and to your heart. The world is a messy place to be. But through My eyes you will see healed bodies and hearts. You will see relationships healed and made whole when you see through My heart of love. Take time to see others the way I see them and let Me teach you how to love even the most unlovable. See yourself as I see you and created you to be. Don’t listen to the world’s view and opinion of yourself but get into My Word and see beyond the natural into a place of grace, mercy, beauty, radiance and where the impossible is possible. Today know Me as your Friend, the One Who loves you and relentlessly pursues you. I will never give up on you fulfilling your divine destiny. I will continue to breathe My life into you and every cell of your body will be alive with Me. Don’t close your ears and eyes because of fear, shame, doubt, sin, unworthiness. Only My Life, My Love, My Presence can heal and take away what you don’t want to see and hear. But you can only see it as I see it – GONE – when you gaze into My eyes of love and embrace all I have for you.
“Gaze upon Him, join your life with His, and joy will come. Your faces will glisten with glory. You’ll never wear that shame-face again.” Psalm 34:5 Passion Bible
Prayer: Your love, Lord, it’s so deep, so much greater than I can imagine. I was created for the purpose of loving You and being loved by You. Your love created me! That’s so difficult to comprehend in my natural world but as I let down the walls I’ve put up to protect myself from hurt I will be able to hear the whispers of Your passion for me. The breathe of God created me and the breathe of Life is the essence of my relationship with You. I long to know You deeply but that is such a divine destiny that cannot be experienced unless I let go of all that holds me back and fall into Your arms of love waiting to catch me. Then those arms hold me so close to Your heart that I can feel the love beat of Your heart. You have treasures in a treasure box for me to open and receive. Treasures that will change my life and let others see Your love in me. A love so full of passion, a love so sweet that I will be drawn to it like a bee to honey. I will wake every morning longing for nothing more than to dwell in Your love and fall asleep every night knowing that Your passionate love is protecting and watching over me. Your kiss every morning and night will touch the depths of my heart and reveal Your heart of love.
“The Lord God has given Me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning. He awakens My ear to hear as the learned.” Isaiah 50:4 NKJ
Prayer: Today is a day of courage. A day to stop holding onto your fears and judgments and let go. Give the things that weigh you down to Me. Step out in boldness – free of the bondages that hold you back and see, hear, feel what your situation is like without the fear. It will be an experience of joy and freedom! It will be something you will long for and desire in every area of your life. It will take courage to know that I am right here with you, guiding you and holding you close. The joy in your heart will be undeniable and everyone will see Me in you and notice you are different, free – full of the Spirit and My love. Courage brings hope. Hope is expecting My goodness to flow abundantly in all you do. My peace will radiant from your heart and others will long for what you have. This world is full of trouble, sorrow and fear. My peace will bring rest in a troubled world. You must be courageous, though. Be strong in Me. I have conquered the world. Be saturated with Me in My peace. You are my vessel full of peace and courage.
“And everything I’ve taught you is so that the peace which is in Me will be in you and will give you great confidence as you rest in Me. For in this unbelieving world you will experience trouble and sorrows, but you must be courageous, for I conquered the world!” John 16:33 Passion Bible
