Where I meet my friends

You can live as close to Me as you choose.  I set up no barriers between us; neither do I tear down barriers that you erect.

People tend to think their circumstances determine the quality of their lives.  So they pour their energy into trying to control those situations.  They feel happy when things are going well, and sad or frustrated when things don't turn out as they had hoped.  They rarely question this correlation between circumstances and feelings.  Yet it is possible to be content in any and every situation.

Put more energy into trusting ME and enjoying My Presence.  Don't let your well-being depend on your circumstances.  Instead, connect your joy to My precious promises:

 

 

Philippians 4:12, Philippians 4:19, Genesis 28:15, Romans 8:38-39

 

I read this today and thought about where some us are this morning with the results of the election.  We can only trust our Lord and God.  No matter what, we have to trust Him.

Thats all I can do, and keep praying for our country.  Asking God to please forgive us for what we have done in this nation.

 

God Bless America!!

Jesus Calling

 

Beware of seeing yourself through other people's eyes.  There are several dangers to this practice.  First of all, it is nearly impossible to discern what others actually think of you.  Moreover, their views of you are variable, subject to each viewer's spiritual, emotional, and physical condition.  The major problem with letting others define you is that it borders on idolatry.  Your concern to please others dampens your desire to please Me, your Creator.

 

It is much more real to see yourself through MY Eyes.  My gaze upon you is steady and sure, untainted by sin.  Through My eyes you can see yourself as one who is deeply, eternally loved.  Rest in My loving gaze, and you will receive deep Peace.  Respond to My loving Presence by worshipping Me in spirit and in truth.

Hebrews  11:6, John 4:23-24

 

Pray for Those in Authority
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2, by Os Hillman
10-13-2008

"I urge, then, first of all, requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all men; for kings and those in authority" (1 Timothy 2:1).

In I Timothy 2:1 Paul exhorts his young protegé to make prayer and intercession for those in authority the first work of the church.

Whereas we once thought of those in politics, military, religion, and economics as controlling the earth, today we recognize the enormous influence wielded by those in the workplace. Our mindsets are changing; those in the workplace, including business leaders, we now include as those in authority. They, too, are among those Paul exhorted Timothy to cover in prayer.

God is transferring his anointing to be placed upon all saints to get the job done. This is requiring the local church to give more focus on equipping men and women to live out their faith in the workplace. The modern day Church is in a major shift! It is not surprising that the Lord would begin to move in this way. If we are going to see a major harvest in the last days, it will have to come through the largest segment of the body of Christ - those who are Christ's representatives in government, business, and education.

The book of Acts records Lydia, a businesswoman, as God's instrument to introduce the gospel to Europe. The Ethiopian eunuch who was in charge of the treasury of Candace, "Queen of the Ethiopians", introduced the gospel to Africa. Peter launched the gospel into the gentile world through Cornelius, a Roman centurion. And three "workplace ministers" reached Europe, Africa, and the gentiles. These examples indicate the importance of the workplace influence and why intercession is so important for leaders in places of authority.

Today, pray for those leaders in government, business and education.

Trust Me and refuse to worry, for I am your Strength and Song.  You are feeling wobbly this morning, looking at difficult times looming ahead, measuring them against your own strength.  However, they are not today's tasks - or even tomorrow's.  So leave them in the future and come home to the present, where you will find Me waiting for you.  Since I am your Strength, I can empower you to handle each task as it comes.  Because I am your Song, I can give you Joy as you work alongside Me.

Keep bringing your mind back to the present moment.  Among all My creatures, only humans can anticipate future events.  This ability is a blessing, but it becomes a curse whenever it is misused.  If you use your magnificent mind to worry about tomorrow, you cloak yourself in dark unbelief.  However, when the hope of heaven fills your thoughts, the Light of My Presence envelops you.  Though heaven is future, it is also present tense.  As you walk in the Light with Me, you have one foot on earth and one foot in heaven.

 

Exodus 15:2         2Corinthians 10:5              Hebrews  10:23

 

I couldnt help but think of all the things that are going on in the stock market right now when I read this.  God says no matter what i t looks like on the outside, see it with his eyes.  Don't worry about the little stuff.   That stuff is not important, God has a bigger plan and we need to focus on what that is.  I have really not been shaken by what is going on today.  I keep praising God and I keep reading Philippians 4:19 ---God Supplies ALL my needs!  thats the only thing I can do and trust him.  And have faith that he will ALWAYS come through.  And he always has!!

God Bless you today my friends and be encouraged help is on the way.

 

"My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place." Psalm 139:15

 

At the Verge of Breakthrough

Have you ever felt forgotten by God? Do you feel invisible? Does God seem to be blessing everyone except you? Do your expectations of God seem to meet with cold indifference from Him?

If your answer is "yes," then rejoice, because you are at the edge of a miracle! You are on the verge of a breakthrough! The door to your destiny is about to swing open!

The most difficult time of any birth is the few moments right before you deliver your baby into the world. You are exhausted beyond what you can even endure...you cannot stand it anymore. You have pushed and pushed and have exhausted all your strength. You want to scream, "I can't do this...I can't!" BUT you must! It is at this moment that you must push the hardest and exert yourself the most. You are crying, "I can't," and everyone around you is yelling, "PUSH!"

Then, somewhere deep inside you, strength arises! You have a determination now, where a hopeless feeling used to dwell. Now you cry from the depths of your heart, "I can," and "I will!"

You are at the verge of a breakthrough and perhaps you are tired of believing, but only you can break through to your miracle. Only you can give birth to your destiny! Only you can fight through to your dream's fulfillment. Your God will give you His strength when you have none of your own. When you fall short, He will pick you up because, "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak" (Isaiah 40:29).

Hidden Miracles and Butterflies

I have felt this way - I have felt forgotten by God. I wondered if the promise would ever be fulfilled - if God would ever open the door. I had been teetering on the edge of a breakthrough for so long that I began to doubt. "Would it ever really happen? Maybe God has changed His mind?" I was tired of waiting, of praying, of hoping in faith! I felt like a butterfly in a cocoon, hidden and forgotten. During that time I wrote this poem:

Someday, I'll Fly...

I've not been myself lately or for some time for that matter.
I'm not sure who "myself" is anymore.
I feel like a caterpillar inside the cocoon.
I'm neither a butterfly nor a caterpillar anymore.
I'm not what I used to be nor am I what I'm going to be.
I cannot go back to what I was,
or what was familiar to me.
I can't rush forward and be what I have not yet become.
It's a miserable place to be.
It's much like a baby in the womb;
you have to wait it out and stay where you are.
I hope every day will bring the end; I know God is almost done working.
I rejoice because the end is near,
but still the pain increases.
It's become too easy to not be anything, just a cocoon.
I want to give up, but You won't let me.
I'm not the caterpillar I used to be
and I'm not the butterfly I know I am becoming.
Becoming a butterfly is scary, painful and exhausting.
I guess I don't want to remain a nothing,
so I'll endure the torturous path out of this cocoon.
And I know, someday, I'll fly!

Years ago, we lived in a house with dozens of trees around it. In the fall, the trees were covered with cocoons. We would walk by them all the time without taking much notice of them. A miracle was taking place before us and we paid little attention to it.

But in the fall, our trees were covered with hundreds of beautiful butterflies. Our children would run through the trees and the butterflies would all take flight. It was a glorious sight to see hundreds of butterflies fill the air, sunlight reflecting off their wings.

Caterpillars are ugly little things, but butterflies are gorgeous. God loves to make something beautiful out of something ugly. God loves to take the ugly things of our past that satan meant for our destruction, and turn them into a powerful weapon He can use for our construction.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

Death Gives Birth to Life

God takes you through "ugly" situations only to turn you into something beautiful. The Cross looked like the end of a dream to the disciples. They expected their Messiah to come, overthrow the Romans, and establish His Kingdom on this earth. The death of Jesus looked like the end of all their dreams.

Christ tried to warn the disciples of His impending death, but when He spoke of dying, Peter declared, "This shall never happen to You!" (Matthew 16:22). Christ knew that this must happen. Like a seed planted in the ground must cease to be a seed in order to become a plant, He knew that His life on earth, as it had been, must end or He could not bring forth the gift of eternal life for those who would believe in Him.

"In a little while you will see Me no more, and then after a little while you will see Me, because I am going to the Father." John 16:17

His death gave birth to life! "Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies'" (John 11:25).

The "cocoon" that you are in right now is the "death" that will give birth to your destiny. The painful situation you are enduring right now could be the launching pad for your future.

If you feel as though you are invisible, rejoice that you are. God has hidden you away to change you in secret, but soon He will pull you out like a secret weapon and show you off to the world.

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven." Matthew 5:16

Your Heavenly Father will declare, "Look at what My grace has done!" The world will praise Him because they can see what He has done in you. You are His trophy! His reward!

Some may argue then, that you have no right to be where God has placed you. But the voice of your accusers will not even reach your ears, because you have paid the price; you have endured and you have overcome.

And "You will soar on wings like eagles" (Isaiah 40:31), and yes, you will fly!

This Could Be the Day

When the expected due date for each of my children neared, I would awaken each day with the expectancy that today could be the day that I would deliver this child. Each day I would think, "Today could be the day." I never thought to myself that it just could not happen today, because I knew my time was coming and that this day could be the day that I would give birth.

As each day ended without seeing the birth of my baby, I would feel somewhat disappointed. But once again, another morning would come and I would arise with hope from Heaven, remembering that this day could be the day. And I was prepared to go at any time; I had my bags packed and gas in the car.

Each day that you serve God and wait on His timing for your destiny's fulfillment is one day closer to its birth. As you near your time of delivery, you feel in your spirit that the time is near. Perhaps today is the day! You look around and see your Christian brothers and sisters receiving the promises of God in their lives - you are happy for them.

But when is it your turn? When will your destiny come forth in the way God promised it would? Each day we must prepare our hearts to believe that, "this could be the day He fulfills His promises to me," and then suddenly He does.

The longer you serve God, the deeper you will trust Him to bring the promise to pass for you. As you near the time of receiving the fulfillment of His call on your life, you can know that every day will bring you one day closer. Today could be the day you receive a great blessing from God. Today could hold the answer you have been waiting for.

Wait in faith through each day as a woman waiting to give birth. God does not bring you to the time of birth just to stop the whole process. He did not bring you this far to leave you now. He will not forget you! It will happen! And remember that "He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it" (Philippians 1:6).

"God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act?" Numbers 23:19

If He's promised it, He will do it!

Say this with me: God will do what He has promised. He has not forgotten me, for I am constantly in His thoughts. God is waiting to fulfill His Word through me. It will happen! This could be the day! God cannot lie; He will not change His mind. I choose to believe what God has told me and not the lies of fear and doubt.

He has you hidden for a purpose - you are His secret weapon!

Victoria Boyson
Speaking Life Ministries