Rise Up

"And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you."

(Romans 8:11, NIV)

Same Spirit, Same Power

When you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, the Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit makes His home inside of you. 

That's God Himself, the same Spirit with the same power that raised Jesus from the dead! 

His resurrection power can bring back health, strength and life to your physical body. He can restore hope and breathe life into your dreams. 

In fact, He can resurrect any area that may seem dormant on the inside of you!

The next time you feel overwhelmed by sickness, challenges or despair, remember, the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in you through Christ Jesus. 

You may have been burdened by an addiction, fear or worry, but there's nothing that can stand against the power of God. 

Rise up and declare by faith, "He whom the Son sets free is free indeed. 

I am restored and healed in the name of Jesus! 

No weapon formed against me can prosper!" 

Receive His truth, declare the Word, and activate His power within you!

A Prayer for Today

"Father in heaven, thank You for filling me with Your power by the Holy Spirit. I choose to feed my faith by declaring Your Word. I choose to walk in Your ways and honor You in everything I do in Jesus' name. 

Amen.

From Today's Word "

Stay Strong!!!

Press Through

"And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.'..."

(2 Corinthians 12:9, NKJV)

We all go through seasons of difficulty and face storms in life. 

But during those times, we have to remember that Almighty God is greater than any struggle we face! 

He'll take those challenges and use them to strengthen us, but we have to do our part and take a step of faith toward the victory.

Think about the caterpillar before it becomes a butterfly. 

When it's wrapped in its dark cocoon on the backside of some tree, it doesn't look like it has many options. 

But when it becomes a butterfly inside that cocoon, it doesn't just sit and wait for someone to come and let it out. 

No, that butterfly knows that it has to make a move if it's going to be set free to fly. 

In the same way, we have to do something to get out of the confining places we are in. 

We have to pray, we have to believe, and we have to press through to victory.

Today, no matter what you may be facing, remember, His grace is sufficient for you. 

His STRENGTH is made perfect in you. 

He has given you EVERYTHING you need to overcome in this life. 

NOW is the time to break free and rise to new levels because He has victory and blessing prepared for you!

A Prayer for Today

"Heavenly Father, thank You for the strength to make it through any challenge I may face. 

I choose to put my trust in You. 

I declare that You are good and faithful. 

Thank You for equipping me for victory in every area of my life in Jesus' name. 

Amen."

From "Today's Word "

Stay Strong!!! 

Renewal

STOP WORRYING LONG ENOUGH to hear My voice.

I speak softly to you, in the depths of your being. 

Your mind shuttles back and forth, hither and yon, weaving webs of anxious confusion. 

As My thoughts rise up within you, they become entangled in those sticky webs of worry. 

Thus, My voice is muffled, and you hear only "white noise."

Ask My Spirit to quiet your mind so that you can think My thoughts. 

This ability is an awesome benefit of being My child, patterned after My own image. 

Do not be deafened by the noise of the world or that of your own thinking. 

Instead, be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 

Sit quietly in My Presence, letting My thoughts reprogram your thinking. 

From "Jesus Today " by Sarah Young 

Stay Strong!!!

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"And that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. "

—DEUTERONOMY 30: 20 

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."

—GENESIS 1: 27 

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." 

—ROMANS 12:

Redirect

Happy Weekend All and Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there!!! :) 

Stay Strong!!

GAZE AT ME; GLANCE AT PROBLEMS—

THIS IS the secret of living victoriously. 

Your tendency is to gaze at problems for prolonged periods of time, glancing at Me for help. 

This is natural for someone with a fallen mind living in a fallen world. 

However, I have called you to live supernaturally, and I have empowered you to do so. 

The Holy Spirit, who lives in all My followers, enables you to live beyond yourself—to transcend your natural tendencies. 

Ask My Spirit to help you fix your gaze on Me. 

Invite Him to alert you whenever you get overly focused on problems so you can redirect your attention to Me. 

This is hard work, because it is not only unnatural but also countercultural. 

Moreover, the evil one and his demons seek to distract you from My Presence. 

All these influences working together put massive pressure on you to pay attention to your problems—or else! 

So you need the assistance of My Spirit continually. 

Ask Him to help you deal with difficulties as needed, while reserving the bulk of your attention for Me—your constant Companion.

From "Jesus Lives" by Sarah Young 

Stay Strong!!!

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"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

—Hebrews 12:2 

"I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you." 

—John 14:16–17 NKJV 

"We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

—2 Corinthians 4:18

"Tag Me".....

I WILL FIGHT FOR YOU; YOU NEED ONLY TO BE still. 

I know how weary you are, My child. 

You have been struggling just to keep your head above water, and your strength is running low. 

Now is the time for you to stop striving and let Me fight for you. 

I know this is not easy for you to do. 

You feel as if you must keep struggling in order to survive, but I am calling you to rest in Me. 

I am working on your behalf; so be still, and know that I am God. 

Quieting your body is somewhat challenging for you, but stilling your mind may often seem downright impossible. 

In your striving to feel secure, you have relied too heavily on your own thinking. 

This struggle to be in control has elevated your mind to a position of autonomy. 

So you need the intervention of the Holy Spirit. 

Ask Him to control your mind more and more— soothing you from the inside out. 

Take time to rest in the shadow of the Almighty while I fight for you. 

From "Jesus Today" by Sarah Young 

Stay Strong!

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"The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."

—Exodus 14:14 

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"

—Psalm 46:10 NKJV 

"The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace. —Romans 8:6 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty." 

—Psalm 91:1

Guarantee.... In Times of Need

Today's mass and accompanying (thank you Magnificat) readings were ANYTHING but subtle in their clear message on this beautiful Monday morning!!

For anyone seeking reassurance, reminders, or confirmation of God's everlasting, guaranteed and pervasive presence/help in our lives - especially in times of darkness, trials and challenges - you need not look any further than today's mass and daily liturgy!!

Here is a brief summary:

R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Glorify the LORD with me,
let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him. 
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Taste and see how good the LORD is;
blessed the man who takes refuge in him.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

In short what can we expect from the Lord?

Deliverance from all FEAR..

Safety from all DISTRESS .....

REFUGE in times of strife and trouble...

FREEDOM from Shame...

Radiant JOY...

Wait ..it gets better!!

Psalm 46

"By waiting and by calm you shall be saved/in quiet and in trust your strength lies. 

(Is 30:15B)

And.....

"God in his power is refuge and strength,:God in his Mercy is the river that refreshes the soul: God in His Beauty stills all OUR USELESS struggles and gathers us into peace"

And......

"God is for us a refuge and strength, 

a helper close at hand in times of distress: 

so we shall not fear though the Earth should Rock, Though the mountains fall into the depths of the sea,  Even though it's waters rage and foam, Even though the mountains be shaken by its waves."

What?  Not enough encouragement to get you through Monday morning?

Ok...

"The Lord has spoken/ who formed me as his servant from the womb?/ and I am made glorious in the sight of the Lord/and my God is now my strength."

And....

"You are a helper close at hand in time of distress/ grant peace of heart to all who are Troubled and Afraid"

"You are in our midst when life's ills assail us: keep our hearts fixed on You amid all disturbances"

"Your word is the River of Life which gives Joy to your people:  refresh in prayer all who are burdened."

Hold on....

"Almighty and ever living God, your word is The Rock in which we take REFUGE against all outer disturbances and inner turmoil. 

Put forth upon your people the refreshing stream of Living Water which wells up from the heart of your Son that we may dwell together in inward and outward peace."

Yes...even more from just today....

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all encouragement, who encourages us in our every Affliction, so that we may be able to encourage those who are in any Affliction with the encouragement with which we ourselves are encouraged by God."

(Cor 14:7)

And finally....

"The Lord is my Rock, my Fortress, and my Deliverer/ my God is my Saving Strength."

I don't know about you but that was more than enough for me today and will certainly Carry Me well beyond just today alone!!!

Stay Strong!!!

Power in Weakness

Happy weekend!!  Stay Strong!! :) 

I AM IN YOUR MIDST, AND I AM MIGHTY! 

JUST as the sun is at the center of the solar system, so I am at the center of your entire being—physical, emotional, and spiritual. 

I, the Mighty One who created the universe, live inside you! 

Let this amazing truth reverberate in your mind and soak into your innermost being. 

Ponder what it means to have so much Power dwelling inside you. 

One implication is that you don't need to worry about your lack of strength. 

In fact, my Power shows itself most effective in your weakness. 

Remind yourself frequently that I live inside you and I am mighty! 

Let your awareness of My indwelling Presence drive out discouragement and fill you with great Joy. 

As My Life flows into yours, you are strengthened with divine might. 

From "Jesus Today' by Sarah Young 

Stay Strong!

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"The LORD your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing." 

—Zephaniah 3:17 NKJV 

"The Lord said to me, My grace, My favor, my loving kindness and mercy is sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble; for My strength and power are made perfect and show themselves most effective in your weakness. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ may rest upon me!"

—2 Corinthians 12:9 AMP 

"To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy."

—Jude 24

Persevere

"Christians are meant to grow—to become godlier, more loving, more self-controlled, better at persevering—so we don't stagnate spiritually. 

Spiritual growth doesn't happen automatically, accidentally, or overnight. 

Spiritual growth is a lifetime process we never outgrow. 

It takes conscious effort—every effort, in fact. 

The perfectionist in me finds this both overwhelming and comforting—overwhelming because I want to be done growing (meaning perfect) yesterday; comforting because I realize I'm not supposed to be done growing yet. 

Character is built slowly: step-by-step, choice by choice, even mistake by mistake, one strength building on another over time. 

Smack in the middle of this character-building process we find the trait we desperately need when we are waiting: PERSEVERE!

Now let's pair this passage with what James says about perseverance: 

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

 JAMES 1:2–4 

Did you catch that last phrase—

"let perseverance finish its work"—as in it's up to us to allow that work to happen so we can grow? 

As in trials produce perseverance, and perseverance can lead to spiritual maturity, but we have to let it happen, not fight the process? (I know, probably not what you wanted to hear—me neither.) 

If we let Him, God can use our waiting journeys to shape us, to make us into the people He created us to be.

Waiting seasons aren't fun, but they are opportunities. 

Through our waiting seasons—yes, through the not knowing—we can build character one step at a time. 

Through our waiting seasons, perseverance can gradually "finish" its never-ending work in us. 

As waiting does its thing, and God does His, we get the chance to become our best selves, the people God designed us to be."

Stay Strong!

From "When God Says Wait" by Elizabeth Laing Thompson

Wait.....

"And so, armed with our unintentionally asterisked waiting passages, we wait. 

We pray. 

We read more waiting passages. 

We pray some more. 

We try not to fidget. 

We delight in God. 

We delight in God some more. 

We humbly remind God that we are delighting in Him (teeth gritted, fists clenched, neck veins popping, but doggone it, if we were any more delighted, we'd have a heart attack). 

We alter our request to make it sound more spiritual, more like a prayer God would want to say yes to. 

We read more waiting passages. 

We get radical, and we fast. 

We ask friends to pray for us and fast with us. 

Time passes. 

Too much time. 

More time than we'd ever imagined. 

As faith fades, doubts bloom. 

We question God, the Bible, ourselves. 

The longer God's silence stretches, the more things start to break inside. 

I don't know what you are waiting for right now, but we all are waiting for something. 

If you're like me, you're waiting on several somethings. 

Sometimes The Thing we seek is not even a thing, but a feeling: peace, joy, relief, release, security, home. 

For many of us, waiting seasons are the first time our faith has been truly tested. 

They present risk and opportunity in equal measure, making us ask the hard faith questions, making us fight to find—and accept—the answers. 

Yes, No, Wait, and…Maybe 

You have probably heard some preacher say, "When you ask God for something, He gives one of three answers: Yes, no, or wait." 

It's a good point, a nice sermon illustration. 

It makes sense. 

But the problem is, yes is obvious. 

Yes means you get what you want. 

End of story, end of prayer request. 

Time to begin offering prayers of thanksgiving. 

Yes is wonderful. 

Yes is what we want every single time we ask God for something. 

Yes doesn't happen nearly as often, or as quickly, as we'd like. 

And then there's no: Sometimes no is just no. 

You want to marry so-and-so, but he marries someone else. 

End of story. 

Find another guy. 

But it's not always that clear-cut. 

The problem lies between the no and the wait. 

Because really, it's tough to tell the difference. 

Sometimes we think God's answer is no, but later—weeks, months, even decades later—the answer we thought was a no turns into a yes, so it turns out we actually had a "wait" all along."

Stay Strong!

:)

Unfettered

COME TO ME WHEN YOU ARE HURTING. 

VOICE your TRUST in Me, and seek to become aware of My Love all around you. 

Breathe in the Peace of My Presence: Peace that transcends understanding. 

Take time, take time with Me. 

To experience the Joy of My Presence, you need to sit quietly, focusing your thoughts on Me. 

Say no to plans and problems as they try to creep into your mind. 

Say yes to Me—to My Joy and Peace, My unfailing Love. 

Living close to Me is all about transcendence. 

The world is full of trouble, but I have overcome the world! 

I call you to transcend your troubles by looking up to Me. 

Assert your confidence in Me, saying:

"I trust You, Jesus. You are my Hope." 

Short prayers such as these—voiced almost continuously—will help you live transcendently: seated with Me in heavenly realms. 

I am training you to be an overcomer—unfettered by circumstances. 

From "Jesus Always" by Sarah Young 

Stay Strong 

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"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

—Philippians 4:6–7 

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." 

—John 16:33 NKJV 

"God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus."

—Ephesians 2:6