Love and compassion...

My prayer:

Awesome God. I pray for a spirit of love and compassion to blanket the body of Christ tonight.

Fill us with a capacity to love each other, no matter what. Fill us with compassion for the struggles that those around us are dealing with.

Help us to care as much about each others' needs as we do about our own.

In Jesus name I ask it.

What God Said Tonight:

I have anointed you for peace and for joy. I have anointed you to share my word and my love.
I have filled you with my Spirit to help and guide you.

I have loved you like no other.

When you receive all that I have already given you, you will see the love that you desire. It is truly all around you.

The power of love...

My prayer:

Thank you for today God and all that you did. Thank you for your everpresent presence. Thank you for reminding me throughout the day that you were with me. Thank you for your help in getting enough done that I can rest tonight.

I love you.

What God Said Tonight:

We walked the day together with grace and love. You have seen the power of my grace. You have felt the power of my love.

People waste their time looking for power in weapons and violence. True power comes from love.

True power is evident in the release of someone from bondage. There is more power in releasing them than there was in capturing them. There is more power in forgiveness than there is in vengeance.

God's timing...

My prayer:

So, I did not realize when you told me last night that you were going to teach me to wait, that the lesson would start today. I spent the whole day, just missing connections and having to wait.

I can't say I didn't get frustrated, I did. But, I did try to remember that you were in charge. I tried to remember to face each challenge by putting you first. I tried and sometimes succeeded.

I hope I don't have to have too many more days like this one though. It will be nice to going back to the days where you work everything out and I am walking in your favor.

What God Said Tonight:

I was with you all day. I was working it all out. Not in your expected timing, but I was working it all out.

I saved you from worse than a little irritation. I saved you from grave consequences that you could not see.

My timing is not always about what happens. It is often about what does not happen.

I love you and I will never leave you.

God's patience...

My prayer:

Awesome God. You are my fortress and my safe harbor. You shield me in the storm and you protect me from my enemies. You comfort me when I am in pain and you heal me when I am sick. You teach me...all the time.

Thank you for all that you do. You are incredible and I am humbled by your presence. I crave your voice. Let me hear you tonight.

What God Said Tonight:

 I wait. I wait patiently, knowing that everything will happen in its own time. I wait patiently because I have seen the future, I am already in the future and I know the outcome of the humble beginnings you see today.

I have patience because I can see all of the things that need to be in place before the newest blessing can take hold in our life and not destroy you.

I am patient because love is patient and I am love.

I can teach you patience.

God first...

My prayer:

Well, rest time is over and it is back to work tomorrow. I will really need your help God. I do not feel ready. I want to make better choices, dwell in your peace, trust you to work everything out. But, I am afraid I am going to make bad choices, stress out and try to work everything out myself.

I ask for your help to do what I know is best instead of what habit drives me to.

I love you!

What God Said Tonight:

I do not change and I do not move. You can find me, right here, in you, with you, every second of every day.

Your answer, your help comes from thinking of me first and the situation second. Whatever it takes, whatever happens, think of me first and I will work it out.

Now, you have heard that many times over the years but I want you to hear it with new ears tonight. I want you to make it very real. I want you to literally think of me first, in every challenge, in every statement.

It does not have to be a long thought but it does have to be a first thought. If nothing else, think the name of Jesus. See how that changes the atmosphere.

I love you and I am always with you.

Offended...

My prayer:

I am confused tonight God. I know we all have our issues and complicated pasts but sometimes people and their actions confuse me.

God, fill me with your grace for those around me. Help me to see where they are coming from. I choose to forgive and to let go of any offense, right now, and I will leave it with you. I pray that you heal the bruise that the offense left in me.

Thank you Jesus.

What God Said Tonight:

Offended? Why should you be offended by someone else acting out through their pain?

I need you to see the pain behind the action. Not only so you can sympathize and treat them with grace but also so you can love them with a Godly love and be my conduit for healing in their lives.

If you get offended by the action, it limits what I can do for them and it limits what I can do through you. Each time you feel that offense coming on, regcognize the opportunity for ministry and love in that situation.

If you let me I will use you to bring about their healing, I love you.

Time to dance...

My prayer:

What a perfect day God! THANK YOU!

You are so generous and wonderful! Your love and kindness is beyond measure and description. You sustain me, renew me, revive me.

You give me life. You give me joy. You give me peace. You give me everything I need right when I need it.

Praise the all mighty and wonderful God of all creation!!!!

What God Said Tonight:

Dance with me! Celebrate with me!

The season of celebration is upon us. The season to enjoy all that I have provided is here.

Celebrate and join me.

We will talk of more serious matters at a later date. Right now, it is time to celebrate life and our victories against he enemy. Now is the time to celebrate the season of blessing that is here. Now is the time to dance.

I love you now and forever.

Blessings...

My prayer:

What a great day! You are so wonderful to me. Thank you for lining up today to be exactly what I needed. Not what I planned but exactly what I needed. Thank you for the chance to connect with friends that I have neglected.

You are so patient and kind and wonderful. The gifts you give me are so powerful and meaningful. Your love is more precious than anything else in the world.

Thank you for choosing me and letting me choose you!

What God Said Tonight:

Wait until you see what we have for tomorrow!

I do love you and I love seeing you blessed. I love that we get time, away from the stresses and pressures of your everyday life. I am always with you but sometimes it is nice when you slow down enough to truly feel my presence.

I love you and I am always on our side. I am always looking for new ways to bless you. Watch for them. The blessings are headed right for you.

Nothing surprises God...

My prayer:

Made it! 5 days to hang out with you with the pressure turned off. Heaven!

What God Said Tonight:

Listen carefully. I am not afraid of the future and what it holds. I am not afraid of what could happen.

I am the constant in the change. I am the one who makes the end work our for your good. I am the one who created it all. I am the one who will see you through to the end.

Nothing surprises me and there is no situation that I cannot handle.

Cracks in your heart...

My prayer:

Well, if I had to grade myself on staying focused on love like you told me to, I would have to say I got about a C- today. Not great.

I did have a couple of great chances to bless people. Thank you for that.

Help me to do better tomorrow? You are love. You can't even help yourself. To love is more than natural for you, it is impossible for you not to love. I need more of that in me.

What God Said Tonight:

Learning to love is complex and simple at the same time.

It is like a shattered windshield on a car. There are cracks and fissures throughout but it does not fall apart. It can stay in place for years even though it is fractured.

When your heart is broken, it only creates more places for my love to seep through. It is not logical but those who are hurt and healed in me, are those that find the greatest amount of love for others.

Who is more grateful for forgiveness, the righteous man or the sinner? Who is more grateful for love, the one who has never been hurt or the one who has been hurt gravely?

It is in the very capacity of pain that love will triumph. Let the love seep through the cracks in your heart.

Focus on love...

My prayer:

Awesome God. I know I have been doing it a lot lately but I need to ask for your help again. Life is uncomfortable right now and I can't rely on my instincts so I need your clear direction, on everything.

I understand that there is great opportunity in times like this. I can grow and be better off or I can resist and stay right where I am. I want to grow. Help me to make the decisions or do what I need to do God, even if that is to do nothing.

Thank you Father.

What God Said Tonight:

Your focus in this season, is unfailing attention to love. I need you solely focused on love. Giving love, receiving love, exuding love...you focus on love in every situation. In every decision. Your focus is love.

You do that and I will take care of the rest.

God, take me...

My prayer:

What a decadent day of rest God! I pray that everyone gets a day like this every once in a while. No responsibilities. No need to be anywhere at a specific time. Just me and you and peace.

Thank you for all you do and all that you are. I love you like crazy God!

What God Said Tonight:

Your time has come to see the new horizon and the promises. I have come to take you directly there. There are many roadblocks on this road and many children who will not make it.

But you are here and you are asking and I want to see as many of you saved as possible.

Throwing God at the devil...

My prayer:

I am exhausted from no sleep last night but I had to take a second and formally thank you God. Today was amazing.

The fact that I stayed awake and reasonably functional was amazing. Even more amazing was to experience the love that you flooded me with. A love that poured out of me and onto the very people whose words and opinions kept me up all night.

That was truly amazing. Thank you for an amazing day!

What God Said Tonight:

You had it coming. The devil was throwing his best at you. You threw my best back at him. He can't handle that.

He can't handle it when you fight hate with love. He can't handle it when you fight pain with joy.

I am yours, now and forever.

Hand it to God...

My prayer:

Awesome God, I come here to you a bit later than normal. I tried to sleep after a too long day but my own bitterness and inability to let things go woke me up.

I really need your help. I know I should not dwell on these thoughts. I know that the main reason that the words spoken hurt so badly is because I am exhausted and burnt out and likely, when I have my feet back under me, they would not hurt nearly as badly. I know that I need to let go of that hurt, forgive the person. I know and believe all of that but I clearly have not been able to do it.

God, I need your help to forgive. I need your help to let go of the righteous indignation. I need your help to let go of the bitter thoughts. For my sake and for yours.

I know that I will feel better if I do. I know that my life will be better if I do. I know that you have asked me to do it. Now, I need your help to actually do it because I am not getting it done on my own. I am, instead, awake at 2:00 AM dwelling on it instead of sleeping.

What God Said Tonight:

I know you want to reason this out. I know you want to find the logic in it that will make it ok. I know that you have tried and you have failed.

This time, logic won't bring you out. This time trust and reliance on me will bring you out. This time, every time you feel the defensiveness and bitterness welling up, you can hand it to me and ask me to take care of it.

Hand it over as often as you need to. I have big arms and I can hold it all. Stop thinking so hard and surrender it to me. I love you.

Pulpit of life...

My prayer:

Thank you JESUS for healing me! Your healing power never ceases to leave me in grateful awe.

I love you. Everything else on my mind tonight is not worth the effort to even talk about.

I know that 90% of my struggles today were because my attitude was not right. I know that you are the only one who can bring me through the next week. I know that when I forget that and try to take care of it myself, I end up miserable and failing. So, why talk about it? And, yet, I just did. Well, at least you know you don't have to tell me all of that.

LOVE YOU!

What God Said Tonight:

You can outrun them or you can outlast them. The enemy is slow to start and does not stick to one plan for long. Your choice is yours.

You have much to do and you will not get it all done if you are not clear of mind and spirit. You must release the frustrations and bitterness. It will stop you from doing what you need and want to do. It will stop you form achieving all that I have for you.

Press forward in the rain and in the snow. Press forward in pain and in sorrow. Sit here in this pulpit of life, bend a knee and follow my lead. I love you.

God's healing power...

My prayer:

I am calling on your healing power tonight God. The healing you bought with stripes on your back. The healing that you freely give us. The healing that now lives in me, in us.

I pray for your healing power to restore and repair what I injured. Thank you Jesus for restoration and healing!

What God Said Tonight:

I am in you and healing has begun. In the meantime, watch the healing multiply as it spreads around you to others.

True healing power cannot be contained and cannot be held dormant. My healing power is not a life preserver that only works for one person and her dreams.My healing power saves all who touch it. Come and touch me tonight.

Blind spot...

My prayer:

God, I pray for your help with bitterness and discouragement. I pray for your help with this feeling that nothing will ever be good enough, that I will never be good enough.

I feel like it is surrounding me right now and I pray for your help for me and anyone else who is getting smothered in this.

What God Said Tonight:

You have a blind spot in front of you right now. It is keeping you from seeing the future that I have designed for you.

There are reasons for the blind spot. For now, just know that it is there and that I will remove it when it is time.

I love you. Let my love cover you in this time.

Building time...

My prayer:

I have lots of blessings to count from this day God. THANK YOU! There was that moment...ok moments...early on today where I got really angry and could have held on to that. But, that would have ruined the rest of a great day.

Thank you for giving me the insight to see beyond the immediate irritation. Thank you for helping me out of what could have been an ugly spiral. Thank you most of all for loving and taking care of me.

What God Said Tonight:

The groundwork is laid. The foundation is in place. The building can now begin.

I have given you solid bedrock to build upon. It is sturdy and will not crumble or shift as the stresses come upon it. It will hold firm.

You are released to build. You are released to move forward and find the opportunities that I have been holding for you.

Do not worry about taking the wrong road. Your road, is my road. As long as we are on it together, it has to be right.

I love you now and forever.

First rains...

My prayer: 

I am tired but pretty peaceful tonight God. That feels awfully nice. Peace has been just out of reach for awhile now and I have missed it. I am content in your presence God. I am anxious to hear your voice.

What God Said Tonight:

Fresh, like the first rain of Spring. I will bring a freshness to you and to your life that will exuberate you and energize you again.

Big picture...

My prayer:

Well today was NOT easy but as soon as I turned to you for help, things started turning around. I love how you do that!

I just want to be better at asking sooner instead of waiting until things are so bad.

Thank you for your never ending help. I could not do this without you!

What God Said Tonight:

I need you to remember what is important and what isn't. Your view has gotten very myopic. You are only seeing a few inches in front of your face right now and that is when you miss out on all that I am doing and all the opportunities around you.

Step back and see all that I am doing. Open your eyes to the beauty of the big picture.

Pity party...

My prayer:

I am feeling sorry for myself tonight God and I know that is a complete waste of time and effort. I ask for help to pull out of the spiral that comes with self pity. I ask for your help to see a different perspective on all of this.

What God Said Tonight:

I have seen and experienced everything that you have. I have  been betrayed and I have been used. I have trusted people who turned their back on me. I have been taken for granted and I have been ignored.

If I, Jesus Christ son of the living God experiences these things, why would you be exempt?

These experiences are not a reflection of who you are. The fact that you get rejected does not make you a rejectable person. The fact that you get used by someone does not make you used. You are not what is left after people chip away at you.

You are a child of the Most High God. You are a King's kid. You are a mighty woman of God who hears and knows my voice. You are a miracle walking. You are a voice in the middle of silence and a light in the middle of darkness. You are mine, now and forever and I will show you to the world.

That is who you are. These petty disappointments and revelations of some people around you are only meant to distract you from your true identity in me. Do not let yourself be led astray. Trust my lead and I will take you to the moon and back.

The flesh and the spirit...

My prayer:

Amazing Father. I am grateful for the rest and the guidance you provided this weekend. Thank you for the chance to reconnect with friends and the opportunity to minister. All and all, this was a pretty great weekend. And yet somehow, I feel what is missing more than what I have tonight.

I know it is my fault. I know my perspective is wrong. But knowing that does not make me feel differently. God, I pray for your continued help.

What God Said Tonight:

The flesh is delicate and easily damaged. The flesh is temporary. The flesh is the package that you travel in while on this earth. It is not that important in the overall scheme of it all. But I understand that  to you, right now, it does not feel that way.

I remember what it was to walk in the flesh. I remember hunger and pain. I remember the sting of betrayal and the joy of affection. I remember the comfort of touch. All of those things find different meaning the flesh than they do in the spirit.

I encourage you to look to your spirit and to look to my Spirit in you to see the more eternal connections. The love that never fails. The bond that cannot be broken. I encourage you to keep your eyes focused on your eternity with me and not get too caught up in what your flesh wants today. You won’t miss out on anything that matters, in the long run.

It’s hard. I am not saying that it isn’t hard.

Trusting God in the chaos...

My prayer:

Awesome God, I pray for your peace tonight. Or maybe it is wisdom that I need? I am really not sure. I just know that I feel a little off. Something is not quite right but I can't tell you what it is.

If it is you trying to tell me something, please give me the wisdom to understand and the guidance of what to do. If it is not you, please flood me with your peace.

Thank you Jesus.

What God Said Tonight:

Things are not what they seem right now but I am still in charge. You can trust me to be your guide and your protection.

Things are in a state of flux. There is change on the wind and the change will work for our good, in the end. Trust me as your Father to keep my covering over you as the chaos seems to rain down.

I have got you and I won't let go. I love you now and forever and it will all be for the best in the end. I promise.