If you are feeling overwhelmed with life and don’t know what to do, Jesus welcomes you to spend time in His Presence. In His Presence is your shelter from the chaos, and the place where your mind will find the peace it needs in the midst of the trials.
I received this on Saturday, 9/16/17 @1:32am. Itflowed out while I was listening to “Come To Me” by Jenn Johnson of Bethel Music:
“Come to Me and I will give you rest. I will refresh you. I will give you peace. I will give you the rest and the peace that you long for as you remain in My Presence. Carry My Presence with you. Carry My Presence everywhere you go. My Presence is all you need to see you through. There is a peace in My Presence that is very calming that you will not understand, but you will receive revelation as you abide in it. You will not understand the peace that you have. You will not understand how your emotions can be so calm when the situation around you is calling for anger, but that is the power of My Presence. My Presence is very calming. My peace is the sanctuary that you long for. Come! Abide in My Presence and I will give you sanity.”
Please feel free to contact me via my email address, or using the form below!
This flowed out on Saturday, 9/16/17 @12:27am while I was listening to “Mighty Cross” and “The King Is Among Us” by Elevation Worship:
“Do you understand the purpose of my cross? Do you understand the power of my cross? I came to save, restore, heal, revive, redeem, deliver, set you free. I came that you might have life and that more abundantly. Why do you choose to live so far beneath what I died to give you? Do not believe that My power has passed away. That is a lie. I died and rose again to give you My power. I died to give you life, not death. Why do you not believe that I can heal you? Why do you choose to live so far beneath the life that I died to give you? I would that you walk in power. In My power. No longer do I want you to walk around saying that, ‘God gave me this to teach me something.’ I do not put sickness on you to teach you a lesson. I want to heal you. I want to give you life. I don’t give you sickness to teach you a lesson and put something on you that’s going to destroy your body and take you out. That’s not My character. That’s a lie that the devil has sold to the Church. It’s not in My Word. Don’t believe something just because it’s been taught throughout the ages for centuries. Do your research. Study My Word. I do not put sickness on you. My Son went about healing the sick and diseased. He did not tell anyone that they had to remain sick until they learned their lesson. Where did this teaching even come from? Where is it in My Word? The traditions of MAN make My Word of none effect. Do not accept a doctrine just because it’s taught in the churches. Study My Word and find out what it says for yourself. It is DANGEROUS to believe something just because it’s taught in church. Many churches are leading My children astray. MANY would be healed and walking in My power if they were taught differently, but they have been taught that My power has passed away. I long to heal My children, and I long for you to understand the truth of My Word and what I sent My Son to do on the cross. Study My Word, spend time in My Presence and you will be AMAZED what I show you.”
Mark 16:17-18; James 5:13-18; John 14:8-14; Luke 10:19; Acts 10:34-38; Matthew 9:35
If this has ministered to you, please feel free to contact me using my email address, or the contact form below!
(Note: Please play this video, “Spirit Break Out” by Bethel Church (if you want to), while reading this post. Or, if you have access to this song on your own device, you can keep it on repeat while reading.)
“What will they think of me?”
“What if they don’t think I’m good enough?”
“What if they don’t like me and don’t want to be bothered with me?”
These are the kind of questions I usually ask myself – before I even walk in a room.
I peek inside and look around to see who’s there and “size up” the environment before I walk in. If there’s enough people that I know and I’m comfortable with, I’ll enter the room to hang with my friends. Sometimes, I enter in hopes of “hiding behind” my friends to “protect” myself from those whom I’ve pre-determined don’t like me.
It’s amazing the judgements we make against other people – without cause – and the walls we put up around our hearts to protect ourselves due to our own insecurities. Insecurities that we don’t even understand why we have, or how they became part of us.
I’ve been pondering this lately… WHY?? Why do I live in such fear and insecurity of people?? Where did it come from?? Many people can reflect back on bullying they endured in school, or family or friends who criticized them and broke down their self-esteem.
This is not my story. I’ve always had great family and friends who loved me and encouraged me in who I was becoming.
My conclusion…
I live in fear and insecurity of other people because of the critical world I’ve built in my own mind of who people expect me to be, what I perceive people think of me and what I want them to believe about me.
I believe it all started the day I decided I wanted people to think I was perfect.
I was raised in church, loved Jesus and was a good girl who didn’t get in much trouble. In high school, I took my Bible to school and read it at lunch and in class when the teacher was finished with the lesson for the day. I asked my friends not to cuss, smoke, listen to bad music, or gossip around me.
Basically, you couldn’t sin in my presence or you would hear about how you were going to Hell unless you got saved. Oh, and you better be in church with me on Sunday.
While my intentions were good, and I genuinely wanted to live for Jesus, I think back then I had more religion than relationship. This brought on a whole new problem…
Deception and trying to hide my sins.
Deception in the fact that in my late teen years and into adulthood, I was hanging out with people who convinced me to leave Godliness behind and try worldliness.
Not wanting to lose these particular friends, I eventually gave in and fell into sin. I didn’t want to disappoint anyone, nor did I want to destroy my “good Christian girl” image, so I kept it a secret, while allowing everyone to believe I was living a morally good life.
*** 1 Corinthians 15:33 – Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.” ***
In fact, after tasting of the world, I ended up leaving church and would eventually be convinced by a friend to return. However, even after my return, I spent years in what I call “Roller Coaster Christianity”; unstable in my walk with Christ, going back and forth between wanting God and being mad at Him and wanting nothing to do with Him.
Many of you will be surprised to learn that I even went so far as to proclaim to certain people that I was an atheist, and even looked into, and dabbled, in other religions.
I strayed far from my strong Christian upbringing, and didn’t understand why. I blamed God for the mess I made of my life, and the consequences I had to face, even though it was due to my own decisions.
During one of the times that I actually wanted God, I inquired about it, and He gave me the answer…
Satan, I DARE You
When I was 16, I was very strong in my faith, and I made four dares to the devil. One of them was to tell him that he could never make me lose my faith, and I dared him to try. One year later, at 17 years of age, I was calling myself an atheist.
Never, NEVER become so prideful as to tempt the devil. He WILL come after you.
*** 1 Peter 5:8 – Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. ***
This began years of struggling with my faith, and getting into some things as a young adult, that I thought I would NEVER do. There are a handful of church leaders and inner circle friends that I’ve spoken to over the years, but most people have not known.
*** Proverbs 16:18 – Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. ***
Although I confessed my sins to God and asked His forgiveness, and I know everything is under the blood of Jesus, I was riddled with years of guilt and shame. Guilt over the things I did, and shame because I felt like I was hiding my sins, my truth, from everyone.
I accepted a false identity and believed that what I did defined who I REALLY was and wondered if I actually ever was that person, that “good Christian girl” at all, or if she was just a phony image that I lived at one time.
Along with my naturally shy demeanor, this false identity – the lie that I accepted about myself that I was a phony person – caused me to set up emotional walls and keep people out rather than opening up and trying to get to know them.
Besides never feeling that I fit in and choosing to close myself off to most people, I thought everyone “saw” through me, knew what I had done and made their own judgements about me and who they thought I really was.
Walls of Protection
For years I have believed that people in general could not be trusted. I accepted a faulty belief that says anyone will turn their back on you and betray you, especially if you open up to let them in to see who you are with all of the ugliness inside. I allowed barriers to keep people out, including God, except the FEW who would prove themselves to be trustworthy. That did not include Jesus.
If you attend church with me, I’m sure you have noticed my involvement in church ministry over the years has been on and off at times. First, let me say that if you’ve ever asked me why I left a ministry, yes, whatever reason I gave you at the time was valid – and there may have been other reasons as well.
The Lies of Guilt and Shame
Over the years, as I accepted the lies about who I was, took on the guilt and shame, and got deeper and deeper into that belief system, I began to wonder HOW God could love me and HOW He could use a mess like me.
I didn’t tell anyone about my past, so I considered myself to be lying to everyone because I wasn’t revealing everything about myself. Also, if my relationship with God wasn’t stable, or if I was actually participating in sin at a particular time, I didn’t think I should be in ministry and would step down.
Years upon years of going through emotional ups and downs, not really feeling like I fit in and generally shutting people out, as well as my relationship with God being unstable because I was angry with Him and going through bouts of doubting Him without completely understanding why took its toll on me.
Desperate for Jesus
There came a point when I started seeking Him, again, but in a way that I had not before. I had come to the understanding that God was NOT the One Who was bringing these horrible situations into my life and I realized I didn’t really know Him.
I wanted to know God for Who He REALLY is, know His character and, once again, have that relationship with Him that I didn’t feel I had since I was a teenager. I wanted to know His love, and I asked Him to reveal His love to me….
(Note: Please play this video, “Chambers” by Catherine Mullins (if you want to) while reading the remainder of this testimony.)
And He did. He met me where I was in a way that wiped away every doubt I ever had about Him, every question of “Why, God?”, and completely revolutionized and stabilized my relationship with Him and my mindset of Who He is and His character.
Vision of Jesus = Revelation of Love
God is SO GOOD that He gave me a vision of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I was at home when this happened, and it left me absolutely ASTOUNDED.
Joel 2:28-29 – “Then, after doing all those things, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. 29 In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on servants—men and women alike.
Acts 2:17-18 – ‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. 18 In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants—men and women alike— and they will prophesy.
In a vision, I saw Jesus standing before me in Heaven, a GLORIOUS place, with His arms opened wide, smiling at me. In the vision, all I wanted to do was bow down and worship Him, but He told me to stand because He wanted to hug me. When I looked in His eyes, all I saw was love. Waves of love poured out of His entire being. It’s like He was made of love. In one moment, EVERYTHING in the world became petty and ALL that mattered was love. None of my faults mattered. There was no shame. ALL I felt was love, and I saw myself the way Jesus sees me. I saw and sensed the depth of love that Jesus has for me. Jesus’ love is IMMEASURABLE.
In that moment, I finally GOT why Jesus loves me so much… because He IS love. It has NOTHING to do with me and EVERYTHING to do with WHO He is. I now KNOW that He loves me and I cannot be convinced otherwise, and I KNOW that I am made worthy in Christ.
It also made me see mankind differently. It made me want to love everyone into seeing God differently. I truly believe that if each person knew that Jesus loves them, and understood the vastness of His love, we would see ourselves differently and we would treat each other completely different. We would come together in unity because Jesus truly sees us all the same.
Breaking Down the Walls
I share this beautiful encounter because I believe God wants us to share His goodness with one another,
Psalm 96:3 NLT – Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things He does.
… and because the Bible declares that we overcame him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony, loving not our lives unto death (Revelation 12:11.)
Satan would like nothing more than to cause division in the Church by convincing us that we can’t trust anybody, therefore, causing us to isolate and distance ourselves from each other. I chose to write this blog post because this is a wall I want to crumble in my life today. This is my first step in opening up and walking through the door to find my freedom. 😊
If you can relate to my story, feel free to contact me. I would love to hear from you! You write to me via my email address or contact form below, comment and subscribe!
I received this on Friday, 9/15/17 @7:40pm while listening to “I Have Decided” by Elevation Worship:
“Remember the day that you decided to follow Me. Remember the enthusiasm and joy you had. You could not wait to give your life over to Me and see what I was going to do for you. Don’t allow trials to erase that joy. Don’t allow the circumstances that you find yourself in to steal the joy that you had. Go back to that day. Go back to that moment when you gave your life over to Me. What were you thinking? What were you feeling? You chose to put your complete trust in Me for your salvation. If I can save your soul from Hell, can I not protect you and bring you through this situation? My child, I am your biggest Advocate. I care for you and I will see you through. Yes, I care even about the smallest intricate details of your life and your situation. I care about your feelings and what you’re thinking. I have numbered the very hairs on your head. I know you intimately, and I care about you. Please don’t continue thinking that I don’t care, that I’m not involved in the smallest details of your life. I care, I’m there, and I’m involved. Please don’t believe, or allow yourself to be convinced otherwise. I am right here all the way seeing you through. I am by your side and I’m living inside of you guiding you and directing your path. When you gave your life to Me, you chose to trust Me. Now, choose to continue to trust Me and place your circumstance in My hands for Me to handle. I will see you through.”
If this has ministered to you, please feel free to write to me via my email address, or using the contact form below.
I received this on Friday, 9/15/17 @2:15am. It flowed out while listening to, “Mention Of Your Name” by Jenn Johnson of Bethel Music.
“I am All-Powerful. I see all things. Nothing happens that I do not see. Nothing happens in your life that I do not know about. Satan is not just getting away with bringing destruction into your life. His day is coming and he will pay. Do not get mad at Me thinking I’m just letting him get away with what he’s doing. I will take care of you, My child. I will take care of you. Trust Me. Call upon My Name, and do not be afraid of what I will do in your life. Do not fear what I will do. That is a tactic of the enemy, for you to not trust Me. He wants to cause distance between us and tear us apart. Do not allow him to do that. Guard your heart. You know Me. You know My character. Do not listen to his lies. I am not bringing destruction into your life. Trust in Me. Anchor yourself in My love. Anchor yourself in My hope. Your hope is in Me. Your hope is only found in Me. There is none other. Call upon My Name and I will rescue you. I will save you. Don’t lose hope. Don’t become scared of the storms of life. I will protect you. Just call upon My Name. It is the most powerful Name you know.”
Please feel free to write to me via my email address, or though the contact form below.
I received this on Thursday, 9/14/17 @11:11pm while listening to, “Come To Me” by Jenn Johnson of Bethel Music.
“Come to Me! Come to Me! Trust Me! I am your Refuge! I am your only hope! I am your steadfast love, your steadfast strength in a time of despair! No one can deliver you. No one can help you like I can. I know your strengths and your weaknesses, and I know how to help you in the face of the trial when you don’t know how to bear up in your weaknesses. I will not use your weaknesses against you, but I will help you in the midst of your trials. Come to Me! Trust in Me. I may not simply bring you out of your trials, but I will show you how to make it through. I will give you the strength to endure through the night.”
This flowed out while I was listening to, “My Soul Longs For You” by Misty Edwards. If you know someone who needs to hear this, please share it with them.
“My love is far reaching. There is nothing you can do to repulse My love and make Me reject you. You cannot run long enough or hard enough for Me to reject you and keep you from My love. Stop trying! I will only run harder and faster after you, for that is the truth of My love. My love has no end. My love is everlasting. My love is ever in pursuit after you. No matter how long you run, how far you run, how hard-hearted you become, My love WILL run after you. I love you, and I WILL run after YOU.”
John 3:16-17; Roman 8:37-39; Romans 5:8; Ephesians 2:4-5; 1 John 4:9-11
Romans 8:1 – There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
God wants to lavish His love ❤️ on us, but many times our own condemnation won’t allow us to freely accept His love. Let’s choose today to put off the lies Satan uses to try to convince us that we’re not worthy and that our God doesn’t love us, and learn to walk in the freedom of His love! Jesus longs for us and He loves us with an everlasting love. ❤️❤️❤️
I received this on Wednesday, 9/13/17 @1:31am
“Love is overwhelming! My love will overwhelm you! Accept My love! Receive My love! I love you and I want to shower you with My blessings, but you must not resist. Many of you live in such condemnation that you cannot receive the blessings when I bestow them upon you. Do not resist, but accept My love. Accept that I love you. Accept that I love you and I want to bless you. Get out of the cloak of condemnation that you have allowed yourself to receive and you have chosen to live in. That is not Me. That is not My love. That is not My way. That is Satan. Only he will put condemnation upon you. He does not want you to receive what I have for you, but he wants you to live in condemnation and guilt and believe that you are not worthy. I have said you were made worthy in Christ. A righteous man falls seven times, but he gets back up. Now, get up brush yourself off and keep going! I love you and I want you to receive My love, live in My love and walk in My love, says the Lord. I love you.”
“Get ready for Me to immerse you in My love and overwhelm you in My blessings, says The Lord! You will be amazed and flabbergasted at what I do in your life! The enemy will not win. You will be amazed! It’s My love protecting you, immersing you and comforting you. Just lift your eyes to Me and get ready. Don’t question where the blessings are coming from or why all of a sudden it’s here. Just receive My love and lavish yourself in My blessings, says The Lord. I love you.”
Jeremiah 31:3; Zephaniah 3:17; 1 John 4:19; Matthew 5:3-10; 1 John 3:1; Isaiah 41:13; 1 John 4:16; 1 John 4:7; John 15:13; Jeremiah 29:11; Proverbs 10:12; Psalm 103:11; Isaiah 54:10
This flowed out while I was listening to “Do It Again” by Elevation Worship. Please read and be encouraged:
“I am coming, My children! I am coming to intervene! The answer to your prayers is on its way! Remember, as soon as Daniel prayed, his words were heard and an angel was released to bring the answer, but the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood the angel for twenty-one days, and an archangel was sent to help him. I hear your prayers, and I am EXCITED about releasing your answers! I am not holding anything back from you, My children! You need to understand there is spiritual warfare going on behind the scenes. It is very real. The demonic realm is VERY real. That is why I call you to pray and to intercede. Many of My churches do not teach on this, but it is VERY REAL. It is important that you understand this and understand the seriousness of what Satan is trying to do in your lives. Therefore, study. Study My Word and learn and understand about the conniving nature of Satan. Understand his devices and be very wise to him. Don’t let him use a prolonged answer to prayer as a way to sway you away from Me. Your answer is coming. It is on its way. Just keep praising Me through the waiting period. I will see you through. You will be ASTOUNDED when you see what the answer is and what I do in your situations. Just keep pressing through and holding onto your faith. You will be glad you did.”
Daniel 10:10-14; Ephesians 6:10-20; Matthew 10:16; 2 Corinthians 2:11
If this has ministered to you in any way, please feel free to contact me via my email address or the contact form below, comment and subscribe!
God's Heart Cry 