God's Beloved Daughters: Daily Discovering the Blessings

God’s Beloved Daughters

Daily Discovering the Blessings

Merrilynn Grodecki

Copyright © 2012 Merrilynn Grodecki

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ISBN: 978-1-4497-7732-6 (e)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-7733-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-7734-0 (hc)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012922484

WestBow Press rev. date: 12/31/2012

Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction

January – New Beginnings

February – Discovering the Word

March – Healing

April – The Word of Our Testimony

May – God’s Provision

June – Following and Learning from the Holy Spirit

July – Addressing Misconceptions

August – In Christ

September – The Heart of the Home

October – Developing Character

November – Heaven’s Ambassadors

December – Wrapping Up the Year

Epilogue

To my three beloved daughters – Carly, Kylie and Shelley; one by birth, one by marriage and one through friendship.

AND

To Pastors Jonathan and Verna DelTurco – your commitment to the Gospel, not only through your teaching but through the example of your lives, has profoundly affected my life and all of the lives my life touches.

Preface

In his two books, Three Cups of Tea and Stones into Schools, Greg Mortenson shares the progress of his life’s work building schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan with an emphasis on education for girls. The philosophy behind his focus on educating girls is profoundly simple and profoundly universal. When you educate a boy, for the most part he grows up to better himself and his family. When you educate a girl you effect a change in society. He is undoubtedly correct.

I truly believe that this same understanding can be applied to the realm of the Spirit. When God’s daughters learn to walk in the truths and the principles that govern God’s kingdom, they will effect a change in their own lives, in their families, their communities, the Church, and the world.

This writing is really meant to be a conversation between you, me, and our God – my experiences, your listening ear, and God’s Word. This is my letter of love and encouragement to my sisters in Christ – a discovery together in learning how God’s kingdom works and how to walk and live in that understanding.

Jesus said, Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be full and complete (John 16:24). For many of God’s beloved daughters there is a sense of not knowing what to ask, or not knowing what they can ask. So many of God’s promises to His children go unclaimed due to a lack of knowledge. In Hosea 4:6 God says, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." So let’s discover together, easily, day by day, about our life in Christ, our wonderful Father and His precious Holy Spirit, or as it says so beautifully in the Message Bible, let’s discover together, The amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, the extravagant love of God, and the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 13:14). It is my daily prayer as I write this devotional that each reader, each beautiful daughter of God, will come to a life-changing awareness of how very much she is loved, and what the fullness of life in Christ is all about.

Some of these daily entries will be brief, some lengthy. It often takes the form of a daily Bible study, and often the form of anecdotal life lessons. It will be most beneficial if you undertake to read all scriptural references, in both the first read section, and throughout the daily entry. Unless otherwise indicated, the written Scriptures are from the Amplified version of the Bible. The New International Version (NIV), Message Bible, and New King James Version (NKJV) will be identified when used. I encourage you to write in your Bible, connect verses that relate to each other by noting these in the margins, underline Scripture. Be an active student of the Word.

The book of Psalms has a wonderful admonition following many of the Psalms, "Selah, which means Pause, and calmly think of that!" I love both the intention and the result of that directive. Occasionally I will use literary license and utilize the word, hoping that you will, indeed, do just that. For truly, God’s wonderful works toward the children of men are to be pondered, meditated upon, and incorporated into a life.

Introduction

For the Father has delivered and drawn us to Himself out of the control and the dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.

Colossians 1:13

The Word of God tells us that we will overcome "through the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony" (Revelation 12:11). One of the most powerful evangelical tools continues to be the words of a believer in Jesus sharing with others what life in the kingdom of God is like and what they have experienced through faith in God and His Word. This writing is, in large part, my story, my testimony, and my growing awareness concerning spiritual Truths. The most wonderful thing of all is that it is not unique, and while it may be in many cases miraculous, it really is a message to you, the reader, that these same blessings are for all who believe in God, His Son, His marvelous Holy Spirit and His Word.

I did not know that God really was until I was 32 years old. My family attended an Episcopal church during my growing up years and, except for ritually attending Sunday morning services, God was never spoken of in our home. The Bible was a book received as a symbol of membership in a church and then placed on a shelf someplace to collect dust. I never once observed either of my parents reading the Bible, or using a biblical principle to explain a life lesson. Grace was not even spoken at table. We were occasionally reminded of God when I or one of my sisters did something wrong and heard that both parents and God were disappointed in our actions. But the notion of a loving, guiding, and intensely and purposefully personal God never entered into any discussions of our individual directions in life, our goals, future families or even discussions of morality and justice. Our parents did not share with us the place God held in their thoughts and decision-making, although, clearly to their daughters, the lives they lived reflected obedience to godly principles. He was a very distant awareness in our choices and motivations. Looking back now, this relegated Him to a place of insignificance and irrelevance. After all, God – our Creator – and His purposes and place in our lives and thoughts should surely be attended to! When He is not shaping attitudes, morals, a sense of responsibility and personal values during our formative years, then we relegate Him to an afterthought. And, clearly, if God is, and He is what the Word tells us that He is, He deserves preeminence in our lives, thoughts and actions.

So, for 32 years I lived in oblivious complacency about who God was and if He was. Similarly, and more significantly to my story, I had no belief at all in the existence of Satan. No one in my immediate surroundings – church, home, and school – gave any credence to the reality of the kingdom of darkness and its overlord. The comic little personality with the red tail and horns, while perhaps considered a delightful costume to wear to a Halloween party, could never be thought of as real by rational people. The existence of God was a question growing increasingly less important as I continued on through college. The existence of Satan was laughable!

And yet, I was to discover one afternoon in July, 1979, that both are very real, and very powerful (although, in truth, Satan‘s power is provisional), and that discovery altered the course of my life. However, it is necessary to go back to the summer of 1951; to begin my own personal journey in the matter of spiritual things.

When I was only 3 ½ years old, in that summer of 1951, my family had traveled for our annual summer vacation from Ohio to a suburb of Boston, Massachusetts to visit with my grandmother and my 2 aunts. My family at that time consisted of Mom, Dad, myself and my baby sister, Peggy. One evening during our 2 week stay, I was in a twin bed, sharing a bedroom with one aunt and the baby who was in a crib at the foot of my bed. I remember hearing voices downstairs as my parents, grandmother, and aunts visited into the evening hours. The aunt sharing the bedroom with me came to bed while the other adults remained downstairs. A short while later I remember hearing what I thought was running water – which transformed into what seemed to be the swishing of a long gown across the floor. At my bedside I distinctly heard a voice, a woman’s voice, which said only 4 words, menacingly – Now I’ve got you. In great fear, I quickly left my bed and asked to crawl in with my aunt where I stayed for the remainder of the night.

The next morning when asked why I had crawled in with my aunt I responded that I had been cold. Although I instinctively knew that speaking the truth about what I had heard would result in gentle scoffing and an explaining away of my story, with the lie I sealed the deal. I knew I would not be believed, that my story would not be taken seriously, so I did not share the truth with my family. How important it is to stand on the truth no matter what. "And the truth shall set you free" (John 8:32). Much later, as you shall come to see, speaking the truth to one who believed would indeed set me free. Would the story of my early life have been different had I spoken the truth to my family that morning?

Several aspects of my early life were a direct result of that experience at the age of 3 ½. Whenever we traveled back for our annual summer visit to my grandmother, I always feared hearing that voice again. For years I was afraid of the dark. I remember that my father worked very diligently to create a bedroom in the attic for me when I was a young teenager so that I could enjoy a private space of my own. Yet when I was alone in that attic room at night, I was so afraid of hearing that voice again that I moved back down to a shared room with my sister, much to my father’s consternation.

As I got older, into college and the years immediately following, there was an alteration in my response to the event. I consciously made a decision to take advantage of the experience. I remember thinking that I had experienced a spiritual contact at that early age, and that now I must delve into its significance. I began the study of witchcraft believing that certain people were able to tap into the power and secrets of the universe and I wanted to grab hold of that wisdom. There are any number of ways to get yourself off track, and I pursued many of them. There was no spiritual hierarchy here. I ignored God, and did not believe in Satan. I simply believed in me and my pursuit of this Wisdom of the Ages. Other aspects of this included an ongoing addiction to marijuana and the use of language on a regular basis that would make a sailor blush! I studied astrology and visited a top astrologer in Boston. I had an affair, divorced my husband and married the other man. But enough about what Satan can do to an uninformed life.

At the age of 32, a woman came into my life – a relative of my second husband. From where I sat, in the middle of Satan’s darkness, this woman profoundly touched me. For although I was seeking through astrology and witchcraft to get answers for my life, I was timid, introspective, and constantly fearful. From that vantage point, this woman appeared confident, stable, and peaceful. I remember thinking, I don’t know what she’s got, but I want it. And through her faith in God, my heavenly Father worked the first of many miracles in my life.

She came to visit us, my second husband and me, on the weekend of July 14th, 1979. She began sharing stories with us of the people she had worked with over the years. She was a Christian psychologist and her work quite often involved people in bondage to past events in their lives. The gist of her conversation that Friday evening was how people got set free by speaking the truth of those events to someone who clearly believed their trauma. She prefaced her conversation by stating that just as there was a loving God, the reality was that there was also Satan and he worked at destroying people’s lives.

Because of my admiration for her, her confidence and assured manner, I opened up to the idea that she might be correct; that there was, indeed, God, and also Satan. She spoke on and on, ministering possibility to me until about two in the morning. The next day, we resumed our conversation as she continued to speak of people who had been set free through her ministry by speaking the truth of their past traumatic moments. Something stirred in me – an inner prompting said, "Tell her. Tell her now." And I simply said, I need to tell you something that happened to me when I was three years old. She was tired and had been resting back in her chair, but, upon hearing those words, she immediately sat straight up, perched on the edge of her chair, pointed at me and said intently, Whatever you are going to tell me. I will believe it. Looking back on that moment from the perspective of time walking with God, I realize that the Holy Spirit had been preparing her for this moment even as He was leading me. She knew that she had been led to speak of these things for hours because I needed to hear them. When that moment came, when I was ready to share the truth, she became alert and ready for action.

So I told her the story. When I got to the words that I had heard and spoke them out to someone who clearly believed me, because she understood that these things do happen, I was set free! As the words, Now I’ve got you came out of my mouth, my next words were I can’t believe what I am feeling!

Tell me, she said. Describe what you are feeling.

I’ve got tingling feelings all over my body, and I am going back and forth from very hot to very cold!

At that moment, I felt something, someone, lift up and out and off of me with great anger, not wanting to, but compelled to go. And immediately, I began to sob; to wail, shaking all the while. It sounded, I felt immediately after, like wails coming down through the ages. They came from deep within me. Great gulping, body-shaking sobs. And she was there, holding me fast, quietly saying, Praise You, Jesus over and over, until I was able to pick up the phrase and give honest, heartfelt praise and thanks where they were due for the very first time in my life, to my God and my Savior.

When I had quieted down, I pulled away from her and looked directly at her with a smile brought on by a peace that I had never known. She looked amazed and said to me, You have to look in the mirror! And what I saw brought more tears of joy. The very shape of my eyes was changed. I truly don’t know how to explain the transformation, but she saw it, and I, too, saw the change. They were rounder, gentler, where there had been a hardness that had shaped the configuration of my face, there was now a release of care, fear and bondage that effected a physical change. "The old man is dead, long live the new creature" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Our testimony honors only God. The moments I share here and everything that I have experienced since that day are due to the loving provision of my heavenly Father Who wants to do me and you only good.

January – New Beginnings

Fresh, clean slates. The brand new year is what compels many to establish a well-intentioned list of resolutions that so very often fall short of truly being established in a life. As we step over from the old to the new year we use that demarcation line to proclaim newness, to seek betterment, to reach out toward personal improvement and to discard limiting habits and attitudes.

We can attempt this in our own strength or we can truly walk into newness of life, fulfillment of purpose, and a sense of personal success that far outreaches our highest expectations.

Can you know that "your way will be prosperous and…you will deal wisely and have good success" (Joshua 1:8)? Can you rely on a healthy new year (Proverbs 4:22)? Can you expect undisturbed composure for your children (Isaiah 54:13), God’s highest and best path (Ephesians 2:10), and peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7)? The choice to hand over the reins of the new year to God, and to learn of His ways, to diligently study His Word, and to desire His leading will be life changing.

This month, as we step into the year together, let’s focus on this new life in Christ; this changed perspective and some of the identifying characteristics that it entails. Let’s discover together what it means to be God’s beloved daughters.

January 1 – The Most Valuable Time

First read: John 10:27; 1 Corinthians 2:9-10; Ephesians 1:19-20; Ephesians 5:9; James 4:5; Revelation 3:20

The Lord has given me the tongue of a disciple, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He wakens me morning by morning. He wakens my ear to hear as a disciple [as one who is taught].

Isaiah 50:4

…all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose.

Romans 8:28

Who are you as a woman in Christ? As a daughter of God? Do you reflect your Father, His ways of doing and being right, the attitudes and characteristics of His kingdom to a lost and dying world? There is only one way that this will be accomplished effectively and uniquely through you – time with God. There is nothing else that will bring you success – not church attendance, not performing good deeds, not purposeful goal setting, All of these are important and valuable, but they follow after time with your Father. He is meant to be the First Cause – the foundation of your life. How can you reflect Him accurately if you don’t know Him intimately?

There is something far more precious than what you can accomplish for the advancement of God’s kingdom – it is your relationship, your intimacy with your heavenly Father. It is out of that relationship that effective kingdom citizenship is born. You come to know Him by quietly sitting with Him; sharing your inmost feelings; baring your heart to Him; listening to His voice, His instructions and His heart for all of those things concerning your life (John 10:27). You will find your purpose, your reason for being, there (Romans 8:28).

You will find how loved you are, and it is in these moments of calm knowing that you find restoration, fresh insight, revitalized purpose, and a deep, contented understanding of your value as a woman, as His beloved daughter.

If you are new to this, don’t be frustrated by a sense of not hearing God. He longs to speak with you, even more than you long to hear from Him. The moment you make that first move toward relationship with Him (be assured that He caused the longing in your heart to begin with), He responds.

The Holy Spirit was sent for just this purpose – to cause God’s children to come into the knowledge and love of God. He is our Advocate and Counselor (John 15:26), our Friend; my best Friend.

Everyone in the world wants to feel special, valuable, of worth. Time with God establishes this in your life. Your message to yourself, as you settle into these moments alone with God is that He wants to spend time with you, communicate with you – that you are valuable to Him and have purpose in Him.

Speak openly, speak honestly, and then stop to listen. He will not disappoint you.

January 2– The Beauty of Holiness

First read: Genesis 1: 1; 1 Chronicles 16:29; Psalm 96; 2 Corinthians 5:20

We are, so very often, reactive people. Life and its pressures send us scurrying here and there trying to fulfill the expectations of others, the demands of creditors, the unreasonable constraints and restraints we put upon ourselves. God’s creativity is the very first attribute He tells us about Himself in Genesis 1:1. To be a creative person means to take the reins of your own moments (in effect, choosing to give the reins to God!) and fulfill God’s purposes for your life.

Attend to beauty… Live it every moment, making beautiful choices in the peace of unity with God. He does not make heavy demands upon His people, He simply asks them to reflect Him (as an "ambassador for Christ"). When I was teaching in the classroom I realized that it could be a peaceful and beautiful place if I mold it to who I am in Christ. If I created within my classroom and for my students the environment I thrive in and established clear expectations that honor God and his Word, there would be beauty and success. Create beauty wherever you go! Students, and children in their homes, learn better within that peacefulness. Do not struggle. Be at peace. God’s Word says that "in quietness and [trusting] confidence shall be your strength"(Isaiah 30:15). That demeanor is a magnet that attracts people of the world. Peaceful quietness and confidence are attributes so many want and so few experience.

One of my first memories of the beautiful woman who led me to salvation was the feeling of I don’t know what she’s got, but I want it. Does the world see a peace and graciousness and a quiet confidence when they look at you? Do they see qualities that they want in their own lives? In Christ, as a daughter of God, filled with the Holy Spirit, "let your light so shine" (Matthew 5:16).

January 3 –Establishing Peace

First read: Psalm 103:4; John 15

God’s daughters can make a difference in this world, complementing what God’s sons can do. Be gentle with yourself – your moments, your encounters. Go in a quiet purposefulness with no jarring reactions or thoughts; those are steps away from faith. Go forward in expectation of guidance and blessing. Fill each moment with beauty, prayer, softness. Fill your moments with music. These are not contrivances. They are a direct result of what Christians would call the vine life; being so in touch with God and attentive to the Holy Spirit that you walk in the love that produces those qualities.

Beauty, true beauty within and without, is a direct result of harmony and peace. And harmony and peace are a direct result of our close connection to God. Negative emotions, selfish ambitions, or fearful concerns have no place in our faith walk. God’s admonitions to us are always strengthening:

Take courage It is I. Don’t be afraid.

Mark 6:50 NIV

Do not be seized with alarm and struck with fear – only keep on believing.

Mark 5:36

Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom!

Luke 12:32 NKJV

Rejoice in the Lord always (delight, gladden yourselves in Him); again I say rejoice.

Philippians 4:4

Encourage yourself in the Presence and the Word of the Lord. Often, when I am grappling with a particular issue, or allowing myself to meditate on concerns or a potentially troubling situation I will hear the Holy Spirit gently ask, Who is in charge here? Immediately I release the issue to Him, pray and praise as led, and I am restored to the peace that we are all meant to walk in. Each time that happens is such a transformational moment. Almost like a mini-translation from the kingdom of darkness to God’s kingdom! One moment you are feeling inner turmoil, the next moment inner peace. In the Amplified Bible peace is further defined as "serene confidence, free from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts" (2 Peter 3:14). Because our Father’s admonition is to continually praise Him, where do negative feelings have an opportunity to reside?

Time with God beautifies, dignifies, and crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercy (Psalm 103:4) and assures that your joy and gladness may be of full measure and complete and overflowing (John 15:11). The people of the world will look, and see, and wonder.

January 4 –A Kingdom Walk

First Read: Psalm 29:2; Psalm 34; Isaiah 61:3; Hebrews 13:15

And my tongue shall talk of Your righteousness, rightness and justice and of my reasons for Your praise all the day long.

Psalm 35:28

I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

Psalm 34:1 NKJV

Through Him, therefore, let us constantly and at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His Name.

Hebrews 13:15

While the process of continuous praise is a command that we are to obey, it is truly for our benefit. God’s command to bless Him at all times keeps us in peace, and enables us to hear Him clearly rather than worrying over the daily concerns that try to rob us of our peace.

This brings me right back around to beauty. When you are walking in the inner peace that is a direct result of trust and confidence in the Lord, people will see that inner beauty and be drawn to it. I saw that beautiful peace in the woman who led me to Christ. For me her life was a living testimony to the goodness of God. Allow the Lord from this moment on to firmly establish you in His peace. Look to Him throughout the day when troubling thoughts try to rob you of that peace. John 10:10 tells us that our enemy the devil comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. His intention is to rob us of our peace, to diminish our faith, and to destroy our testimony. However, the end of that same verse tells us that Jesus came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows). Practice His presence, praise Him continually. Walk in beauty. Selah.

January 5 – Abba

First read: Psalm 5:3; John 1:12; Romans 8: 9-15; Galatians 4:5-6; Ephesians 1:5; Ephesians 2:3-6

And because you really are His sons, God has sent the Holy Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying Abba! Father!

Galatians 4:6

Quite often, in fact routinely, as I spend daily time with the Lord, I have pen and paper with me because I assume that our time together is not just me speaking. My assumption is that we will communicate together and that He will have instructions, words of encouragement for myself or others, words of correction. One morning I wrote the following:

Papa - You cannot be a vessel capable of bringing me to a needy world if you are filled up with your own concerns. All of those busy little things are, in fact, My concerns if you will let them be – so that you can get on with the business of the kingdom. Go about your day with the sure understanding that I have control of all of these things that are trying to beset you.

I love that word Papa! Like Abba, it connotes loving care, doting. That my heavenly Father began the message with Papa demonstrates the depth and type of relationship that He wants to have with His children. And, I think, so very especially, with His daughters.

God reflects Himself through each individual person; through each individual citizen of His kingdom; through His sons and through His daughters. Because He is full of grace ("unmerited favor, spiritual blessing and mercy" Acts 20:24), it follows that we should reflect graciousness. Because He is the God of peace (Ephesians 2:14), we should reflect "a peace that passes all understanding" (Philippians 4:7). Because He is love (1 John 4:16), love should be our defining characteristic. Peace, graciousness, love. And the peace extends further! In His message to me that morning, and in His Word (Matthew 6:33), His assurance is that if we will seek Him first, attend to His kingdom and His righteousness, He will see to all the issues of our lives.

Now that is certainly characteristic of the abundant life that Jesus came to give us. And they are powerful weapons against an enemy that exists only to "steal, kill, and destroy" (John 10:10).

[Wisdom] shall give to your head a wreath of gracefulness; a crown of beauty and glory she will deliver to you.

Proverbs 4:9

January 6 – Set Apart

First read: Proverbs 31:10-31; Romans 6:4; Galatians 5:19-23; Ephesians 2:1-4

See to it that no one carries you off as spoil or makes you yourselves captive by his so-called philosophy and intellectualism and vain deceit (idle fancies and plain nonsense), following human tradition (men’s ideas of the material rather than the spiritual world), just crude notions following the rudimentary and elemental teachings of the universe and disregarding [the teachings of] Christ (the Messiah).

Colossians 2:8

Where are God’s beloved daughters? Where is the graciousness, elegance and peace that can buffer when the world tries to encroach? We all know what the world has to offer. We are confronted by it every day. The message from the media concerning women reflects hardness, haughtiness, harlotry. Harsh words, but, in fact, accurate, for when God and His standards are removed from any equation, men and women fall profoundly short of moral excellence.

However, my opening question still stands! Where are God’s beloved daughters who will set a standard for virtues, actions and words that honor our Father and offer a powerful alternative to the women of the world? Those women who will create a haven for their husbands, sons and daughters, establishing homes where Heaven’s principles reign, instruct, and comfort.

The world today is ugly, vile, pompous, self-centered, aggrandizing – abrasive, jarring, blatantly harsh. Where in the midst of all this is the gentle, the gracious, the elegant? God’s daughters represent these standards – or ought to. There should be such an obvious demarcation between worldly women and godly women. The standards, the traits, the purposes, the demeanor of a godly woman shine out like a diamond among coal. Softly peaceful, feminine, honoring and acknowledging that they are their Father’s creation – His workmanship.

A godly woman daily demonstrates an inner peace and tranquility. There is no need to prove herself to anyone. Hers is an inner contentment based not on accomplishments or position but on deep awareness of God’s personal love for her. This will only be accomplished through ongoing daily communication – daughter to Father. There comes a point in your faith walk when following Father, being obedient to His will and recognizing His voice and leading becomes natural, not supernatural. When you have asked Him to paint His will on the walls of your heart, when you have purposed to walk in His ways of doing and being right, you pass from that which seems unusual to that which seems the next natural step. His guidance, His path, simply becomes your path. We habitually live and behave in newness of life (Romans 6:4). Selah!

January 7 – Becoming a Decreer

First read: Job 22:21-28; Psalm 34:8; 2 Corinthians 5:18

You will make your prayer to Him and He will hear you, and you will pay your vows. You shall also decide and decree a thing and it shall be established for you, and the light of God’s favor shall shine upon your ways.

Job 22:27-28

God’s covenant with His children is synergistic – two working together. So very often in His letter of love to us He has an If you…then I equation. The above passage from Job is just such an occasion. This wonderful truth is preceded by an If you section which says:

1. Get to know Him, agree with Him and conform your life to His revealed will and be at peace. (Can you see how being at peace is an important aspect of step one? The peace is a demonstration of your trust in Him.)

2. Receive His Word and treasure it in your heart (Daily time in the Word of God).

3. Do not pursue the world’s wealth; make God your gold and your precious silver treasure.

4. Purposefully put away unrighteousness far from you.

His Word, forever established in Heaven (Mark 13:31), proclaims that If you purpose to accomplish His expectations in verses 21-25 then He will see to the results of verses 27-28.

It is not an impossible task to be a decreer! It is a matter of resolve. Resolve to come to know your Father better. It would be impossible to completely trust someone you don’t know to be trustworthy; to submit to someone you don’t understand to be lovingly for your success, to readily follow someone who remains a bit of a mystery to you.

Your heavenly Father’s heart is filled with longing for you to know Him better (Revelation 3:20). In this present age when so many have turned from Him, it is those who truly know and obey Him who will transform the lives of others (2 Corinthians 5:18), for they will look at your life and see that the Lord is good. They will see that blessed, happy, fortunate, and to be envied is the man who trusts and takes refuge in Him (Psalm 34:8). Represent Him as His daughter, understanding and fully walking in all which that signifies. Diligently seek His promises in order to decree in faith. Speak forth the promises of God as God’s beloved daughter. We will address this further in February.

January 8 – Train Yourself To Live In The Answer.

First read : Psalm 32:7, 10; Psalm 34; Psalm 91; John 15:7

One morning several years ago, I saw briefly what I believe was a vision from the Holy Spirit. I was reading about the Lord’s blessing and favor and His protection for me from trouble. I felt for a moment that it had been a long while since I had felt, known, or experienced trouble and the Holy Spirit showed me a glimpse of myself in a bubble of light, a buffer area surrounding me, outside of which there was chaos, evil, trouble, turmoil, etc. But inside of this buffer zone of light it did not come near me. He further explained that those troubles could have a path of entry by diminished faith, sin, rancor, or lack of love. But as long as I maintained my connection unbroken or unhindered to the vine, I lived within God’s protective bubble of light, favor, and blessing. (See end note)

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand]…There shall no evil befall you, nor any plague or calamity come near your tent.

Psalm 91:1,10

In the world you have tribulations and trials and distress and frustration, but be of good cheer (take courage, be confident, certain, undaunted) for I have overcome the world (I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you. [Note the past tense – it has already been done!]

John 16:33

I remember hearing a comment by a pastor’s wife who was taking part in a church Bible study. During a time of fellowship after the study she was in a group of women who fell into moaning and complaining on a certain subject, mingled with a little gossip! She said, with love, I’m going to have to step away from this conversation. My husband and I have so many important prayer requests in the works before the Lord that I will not hamper them by speaking in a manner that displeases and misrepresents Him. With her gentle reprimand a great spiritual lesson was demonstrated. She was training herself to live in the realm of answered prayer; she knew that the answers she and her husband were seeking were intricately related to the love walk and obedience to God’s Word.

It’s that dwelling in the secret place that comes with certain credentials. We walk in blessing, protection, health and provision as we dwell there. I love Ephesians 2:10 in the Amplified Bible:

For we are God’s own handiwork (His workmanship) recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which he prearranged and made ready for us to live].

Train yourself to live in the answer. Learn His ways, learn His Word, and walk in His precepts. Determine to refuse into your days that which does not line up with the Word of God. Train yourself to live in the answer.

End note: When trouble does come, when you do experience an attack from Satan, God’s Word will carry you through, be your defense, and cause you to triumph. We are, after all, more than conquerors! (Romans 8:37) That is why it is so very important for us to search in God’s Word in order to discover all that is ours in Christ. When we see evident in our lives events that do not line up with God’s Word and if God’s promises seem far from us, it’s time to dig into the Word and place those promises in our hearts and in our mouths! Further, we are not ignorant of Satan’s devices (2 Corinthians 2:11), and should he formulate an attack against us, grounded in the Word, we know that our God will see us through it and deliver to us the victory. Knowing the Word and standing on the promises of God truly changes your perspective, your response, and your results.

January 9 – Just BE!

This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24 NKJV

Your salvation requires you to turn back to Me and stop your silly efforts to save yourselves. Your strength will come from settling down in complete dependence on Me–the very thing you’ve been unwilling to do.

Isaiah 30:15 Message

Do you remember the other-worldliness of Saturday morning when you were a child? That almost magical land when you woke to a day of endless possibilities. No demands of school attendance, no time constraints to dictate your moments… a freedom from the strict weekday academic schedule!

There was a flavor to those Saturday mornings – a freedom, a peace, an open invitation to, as my good friend Jill says, Just be! A time for imagining, dreaming, creating, playing. The day stretched out before you – a gift to be discovered, a carelessness (not signifying foolishness, but rather a lack of concern) to be embraced, a personal vision to be built.

God wants to incorporate some Saturday morning mentality into our days.

Do not fear little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Luke 12:32 NKJV

…the things that make for peace (from freedom from all the distresses that are experienced and upon which your peace – your security, safety, prosperity, and happiness – depends).

Luke 19:42

Be happy (in your faith) and rejoice and be glad–hearted continually (always).

1 Thessalonians 5:16

… in quietness and in trusting confidence shall be your strength.

Isaiah 30:15

Seeing the world with kingdom eyes involves walking in the "peace that passes all understanding" (Philippians 4:7) – despite the circumstances. Knowing the end from the beginning; recognizing the creator of the storm and the Creator of the calm, allows us to walk in God’s peace and in the certainty of His loving provision, which in turn develops Saturday morning joy.

It bears repeating that when I find myself worrying over a particular situation in my life, strategizing about how to resolve a problem that has arisen, analyzing a dilemma that seems to have no good outcome, the Holy Spirit will gently remind me, Who’s in charge here? One Sunday morning while driving to church I was in just such a situation – worrying, strategizing, and analyzing. The Lord said to me, I want you to hand Me every single one of those concerns right now. I’ll hand one back to you if I think I need your help!

…Peace I leave with you, My own peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. (Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.)

John 14:7

January 10 – Resolve Before the Fact

First read: Proverbs 16:3; Jeremiah 10:23; John 4:31-34; Philippians 2:12-16

Resolve before the fact. How important this concept is! At the beginning of every school year I would encourage my students to consider this. It even became the topic of assigned essays. Resolve in your heart at the beginning of any endeavor will assure your focus in the face of distraction, your determination despite setbacks or roadblocks, and your ultimate success in whatever you attempt.

When our hearts are touched with a direction from the Holy Spirit – when the Lord places a dream into our hearts – success is not guaranteed. We are a part of the equation that brings the dream to fulfillment. I remember hearing a certain brother in Christ who was asked to accomplish a particular assignment from the Lord. He asked why he was tasked with this particular work, specifically addressing the fact that he had no previous experience in that area. Because, the Lord responded, I asked five other of My children and they did not do it. Heavenly assignment does not guarantee success. There must be a willing heart and resolve before the fact.

I understood years ago that the Lord was leading me to write this account of His hand in my life, the blessings and teachings that I have received. I also understood that the work was to be directed to God’s beloved daughters. I came across a journal entry from several years ago in which I wrote of God’s leading for me in this direction, and that it was to take the form of a devotional. Years later, I am accomplishing the task. And even now, it has often been put on the shelf, with days and even weeks going by without attending to the writing. The Lord has encouraged me throughout the process. However, from the vantage point of today, I can look back and see procrastination, doubting, and concerns about my ability to put together a work worth publishing. Once while out doing errands, waiting at a butcher’s counter to be served, I heard the Holy Spirit say, You are meant to be a writer for the kingdom. Why aren’t you writing? There is a leading, even at times a hunger, in my heart to share with you, as in a conversation, all that God has done in my life – all that I have been taught and shown first hand about God’s desire to bless His children, His daughters. The Lord has even shown me how to address the writing process. He showed me when to rise, how to prepare the evening before to get quickly to my writing, and how long to stay with the writing each day. (Often my concern was how to spend enough time writing without neglecting the daily tasks of attending to home and family, "not courting neglect of present duties by assuming other duties" – Proverbs 31:16. He clearly showed me a plan for the day that accomplished both.) I did not immediately obey! I simply had not developed Resolve before the fact in this area.

Following a dream that God has placed in your life requires willingness to allow other pursuits to fall by the wayside, pursuits that seem and probably are of value, but not for you in this particular season. It requires time with the Lord to clearly hear His direction, His dream, for you, a listening ear to understand how the pieces are to fall in to place, Holy Spirit discernment to recognize and overcome obstacles put in place by the enemy or by you, yourself, and personal resolve that nothing will stand in the way of God’s request of your life.

Can you imagine getting to Heaven and hearing our Father say, There was so much more you could have done. There was so much more you could have been. When I was born again in 1979, I was cleaning houses for others. The Lord led me through attaining a higher degree, teaching grades 4-12 over the years, and into the position of headmaster of a Christian school. Allow the Holy Spirit to teach you how to dream with God, and then resolve that nothing will stand in the way of your unique God-given role in His kingdom. You will be amazed at where you go, what you accomplish, and who you are in Christ.

January 11 – Being Holy

First read: Leviticus 11:44-45; Matthew 5:5-8; Romans 1:4-7; Ephesians 1:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:7-8; 1 Peter 1:13-16

In your home, do you have a set of china which you reserve for special occasions? In your wardrobe, are there outfits which you would only wear when dressing up or jewelry that would never be reached for on ordinary days? This china, clothing and jewelry have been reserved by you, or set apart, for specific purposes.

As believers, we, too, have been set apart from the world’s system. We are called to the special purpose of revealing Christ to a lost and dying world. We are called to be holy, to represent the kingdom of God – to make His invisible kingdom visible to the people who still walk in darkness. Somehow that term, holy, that expectation, intimidates people.

Holy means set apart for the purposes of God. When you resolve to obey God and walk in love in a situation that might cause others to fall into anger or resort to retaliation – you are set apart as holy. When you purposefully seek God’s highest and best path for your life rather than pursuing personal ambition or worldly status – you are set apart as holy. When you practice the Presence of God in everyday moments and tune in to the promptings of the Holy Spirit – you are set apart as holy. When you determine to raise up your children in the way that they should go, according to heavenly standards – you are set apart as holy.

John Bevere, in Extraordinary, The Life You’re Meant to Live, places the rather daunting topic of holiness in very understandable terms:

When God says, ‘Be holy as I am holy,’ He is actually saying, ‘I don’t think, talk, or live like you, so come up to My level of living.’…When we think like God, talk like Jesus (speaking what the Father says), and imitate Jesus’ lifestyle, we will not live like people of the world. Appetites and desires of the flesh will not drive us. We will be creative, innovative, pure in our morals, life-giving in our ways. We will be influencers and often envied by the world due to our success because we are thinking and acting at a higher level…To walk in true holiness is to experience liberation and freedom at the highest level. It’s healthy and will positively affect every area of our lives.

As with all other aspects of kingdom life, we are "holy and without blame before Him in love" (Ephesians 1:4 NKJV) "In Christ". It is only because of the saving work of Jesus that we stand in such a wonderful place, in such high regard, and in effective ministry for the kingdom of Heaven.

So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that’s coming when Jesus arrives. Don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn’t know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, ‘I am holy; you be holy.’

1 Peter 1:13–16 Message

January 12 – Be Ever Being Filled

First Read: Matthew 5:15-16; Ephesians 5:18; Philippians 2:13-16

Ephesians 5:18 says …but ever be filled and stimulated with the Holy Spirit. The original Greek indicates a continuous verb tense – literally be ever being filled. The Word also speaks to us of shining our light, which is directly related to ever being filled. All around you, all whose lives your life touches, will recognize and honor God (or at least thoughtfully acknowledge that there is something different about how you do life!)

Let your light so shine before men that they may see your moral excellence and your praiseworthy, noble, and good deeds and recognize and honor and praise and glorify your Father Who is in Heaven.

Matthew 5:16

Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand – shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in Heaven.

Matthew 5:15-16 Message

Whether we are ready for it or not, we are always on. We are always, as His children, citizens of His kingdom, and members of His family, representing our Father. Will others today observe in you the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) or the responses of the flesh (Galatians 5 :19–21)? Will love, peace, and confidence be your response to any and every situation? That is what reflects our trust in God and the reality of His Lordship in our lives.

How do we ensure that we are ever being filled? We pray in the Spirit (1 Corinthians 14:15, Ephesians 6:18, Jude 20-21), we stay in and feed on the Word (Matthew 4:4, John 8:31, John 15:7), we fellowship with people of like faith (Philemon 6). And that process of ever being filled will cause your light to shine and bless you, your family, your church, and your world – all of it to God’s glory and honor.

January 13 – The Peace of God (Receive Peace)

First read: Isaiah 9:6; Malachi 2:5; John 14:27; John 20:19, 21, 26; Romans 8:6; Philippians 4:7

The Word has much to say about God’s children walking in peace. Peace heals. Peace is the lubricant that allows us to smoothly glide through life’s daily terrain. Peace in you – in your demeanor, your responses, and your words – is a beacon of light to others indicating God’s grace and His Presence in your life.

Peace is defined in the Amplified Bible as harmony; undisturbedness from fears, agitating passions and moral conflicts (1 Peter 3:11). In John 20:19, 21 and 16, Jesus greets His disciples with the words, Peace to you. Luke 24:36 also records this as His very first word to them as our Lord met with them as a group after His resurrection. He speaks forth, "Peace (freedom from all the distresses that are experienced as the result of sin) be to you!" That these are His first words to them after His resurrection is very telling. Our Lord always spoke to the heart of a matter. His words always address the kernel of truth, the significant core. Clearly, in those moments, His focus on peace is instructional, for in that state our hearts honor God and the Truth, the reliability, of His Word.

…be eager to be found by Him (at His coming) without spot or blemish and at peace (in serene confidence, free from agitating passions and moral conflicts.) [Emphasis mine]

2 Peter 3:14

So, how do we get there; how do we live there? Free from agitating passions and moral conflicts, undisturbedness from fear – how do we live and walk in harmony? Because peace is the offspring of faith, how do we overcome disharmony in our lives?

Whenever my children were veering a bit off the path of expected behavior – a temper tantrum, a sulk, an obvious trifling with worldly values – an honest and open conversation with them reviewing together expectations and the right way to go always restored them to the better way, and to peace. Occasionally, my daughter, Carly, would come into the house at the end of a school day, and it would be clear to me that something was off – she simply wasn’t Carly-at-peace. There was disharmony there – something had jarred her spirit. We had a signal for those moments. Shake it off, Carly, I would say, and she literally, immediately, and knowingly shook herself vigorously. She knew exactly what I was referring to, and the shaking off motion restored her peace because she understood, even at an elementary school age, spiritual warfare. She knew