A Father's love...

My prayer:

My Holy Father. Today, Father's Day, I want to thank you for so many things. Thank you for restoring my relationship with my earthly father. Thank you for all of the wonderful men of God that you surrounded me with before that restoration so that I could know a father's love. Thank you for teaching me what that love is all about. And, most of all, thank you for being my heavenly Father and loving me so perfectly and wonderfully yesterday, today and forever.

What God Said Tonight:

My child. My sweet child. 

We are about to embark on a journey together. A new journey that will be wonderful and beautiful and will require every bit of trust and love that we have built over the years. 

Our love is for a purpose. Our love will heal a nation and a world. Our love is powerful beyond what you can imagine and we will be taking it on the road. Get ready.

Waves...

My prayer:

Basking in your presence tonight God. Resting in your peace. There are many things to consider, many things to do, many things change; but, right now, I just want to be with you. I want to hear your pure voice. Not in response to any need of mine or of anyone else; but, just to hear your voice for the sake of hearing your voice. Just to experience your presence for the sake of experiencing your presence. 

I love you God and I worship you. I surrender all to you.

What God Said Tonight:

I won't say ;much because this is a precious and holy moment. I am here and I receive you my daughter. Come into the Holy of Holies with me and we will speak and not speak. I will show you my glory tonight. Get quiet with me...

I have waves of blessings for you. I have waves of glory for you . I have a flood coming that will leave you with great abundance and you will never be the same. Get ready and see if it is not so.

Paths...

My prayer:

Wonderful Father. Thank you for today and for helping me take care of all of the little details that had been falling between the cracks. You made everything go so smoothly today. I truly felt your blessings and your favor all over me and it was AWESOME!

God, I love you and I am in constant awe of you. I am so grateful that you, who knows everything, is in charge of my life. I was reminded again tonight that if it were just up to me, I would likely make some really wrong choices that would not turn out so well.

I pray God that you always give me wisdom and discernment so I know and can make the right decisions, the ones that are firmly within your will for my life. I don't want to waste any more time going down paths that are not your best.

I love you!

What God Said Tonight:

No path is a wasted path for my children. You may go down some paths that are not my best for you but you always learn from them. I always turn them for your good. 

I know that you are after my heart and that you want to do my will in your life. You have shown your faithfulness and I am fully convinced of your desire to follow me. I have plans for you, and you know that they are good plans, but I also want you to choose, make decisions, move in directions that are true to your heart. 

I will be with you and I will bless the things that should prosper and I will withhold that blessing from the things that should not prosper. But I will always be with you. I will always use those things for your good. 

Sometimes, it is not so much about what you do for me and for the Kingdom but it is that you do something. I would rather have you doing something that you think will be a blessing to me and the Kingdom than have you sit back and wait for me to tell you what to do. 

Now, I don't want you to sin. Sin will take you down paths that you REALLY do not want to go. But, short of sin, I have given you freedom. I have given you the choice to do the things that bring you joy. I am not a slave master. I don't need you to be at my beck and call and only doing what I tell you. I am a Father, a brother, a husband to you and I want to support you in your dreams and plans just as I know that you support me in mine. 

Feel free to fly. I will catch you every time.

Guilt vs. Compassion...

My prayer:

Wonderful Father. I cannot thank you enough for the last four days God. Such peace and rest. Wonderful hiking. Time with you and Mom. A gorgeous place to stay. And you guiding, directing, and helping every step of the way. I almost feel too blessed. 

To come home to find so many people who have been chased out of their homes, or lost their homes to fires that I did not even realize were going on...I almost feel guilty for having such a good time when others are suffering so much. 

But, when I really think about it, there are people suffering unbearably every day around the world. If I were to start thinking I can only be blessed when the everyone in the world is blessed...I would never be blessed. Ughh. I don't know. It just feels selfish to enjoy myself and be relaxing when people around me are losing their homes.

I pray and ask God that you make a way out for every person who is in danger and who has suffered loss. In particular, I pray for those who are being threatened by wild fires right now God. Please put up a hedge of protection around them, keep them safe, keep their families safe, and provide a way for them. Thank you Jesus.

What God Said Tonight:

The world and the people in it are not your responsibility, they are mine. I love that you are my hands and feet in this world and that you want to be a blessing to everyone but you are not their savior. You are not their protector. You are not the one who can make a way out for them. 

Yes, I need you to pray. Yes, I need you to help in any physical way that you can. Yes, I need you to do your part. But the responsibility for my people lies with me. 

You, live our life. Enjoy my blessings in your life and do your best to be a blessing. 

Guilt, is not from me. I do not cause or create guilt. Guilt is a result of thinking you see the truth and doing the opposite. But sometimes, the truth you see is not the actual truth. It is not my truth. Look at life through my truth and you will know no guilt. You will only know compassion.

Compassion is the gift of the Holy Spirit. Guilt is the gift of satan. Choose your gift.

Rest...

My prayer:

SO, my plan was to go on vacation, take a few days off from the blog, let folks look up old postings...looks like your plan was a bit different...let's go with your plan since it always works out better :).

Truth is, I want, need to spend quiet time with you at least every night. Whether we do that here or some other way, it doesn't really matter to me. As long as you are with me, nothing else really matters. 

This place that you brought me to is so beautiful. I am looking forward to seeing what all you have planned!

What God Said Tonight:

I am with you always but I do confess I love when you focus on me. When you listen just to me. When you take the time to be with me, no distractions and no competing demands. Those times are truly precious to me. Just as you are precious to me. 

I love you and I have planned this time of rest, calm, before your next season. There is a lot coming and it is good but you will need to be rested and at your best for it. Take the time to rest but be sure that you are resting in my presence. That will ensure that your rest is fruitful and you are ready for the next season.

Restoration...

My prayer:

What a long but pretty wonderful day God. I am still soaring on the amazing things you did today through prayer. Healing of eyes that were going blind, healing another back, and beginning the restoration for one of your kids who was sexually abused. You are amazing and you are our hope. There is nothing too hard and nothing too ugly for you to handle. 

I am not sure when we started white washing things in church. I don't know when we decided that we shouldn't talk about "certain things." Seems to me, the best place to talk about the nastiness of life is at church with people who can help me seek you and find a way out. 

I love you God. Thank you for being the God who can handle it all!

What God Said Tonight:

I am here for your every need. I will provide for you always. 

I never meant for you to live a sanitized life. I never meant for you to change before you come to me. I died for you while you were yet a sinner, not after you got your life cleaned up. And truth is, your life will never be cleaned up enough for you to be righteous. It will remain filthy rags if you are trying to do it on your own. 

Bring me the soiled rags, the unspeakable things and I will clean them. I will restore you through them. I will make you new. Bring me the thing that is so awful you can't even talk about it and I will turn it to your good. I promise. As impossible as that seems, I promise I will turn it to your good. 

Try it out. I promise you can't shock me. I already know what happened. I love you anyway. Bring it to me. Speak it out to me. I will heal you and I will restore you. I love you so much.

Love them...

My prayer:

Mighty God. I am not sure what to talk with you about tonight. Not that I don't have anything on my mind. My mind is actually racing with a million different thoughts. Some are too difficult to put into words, others would take to long to explain, and others are so random, I am not sure they are worth your time. 

A lot of them are centered around trying to understand what to do when everything is falling apart. I have some wonderful people in my life who are doing everything they know to live for you and to live in your purpose for them and yet their lives are falling apart financially, in relationships, and in their health. 

I know that is not your will for their lives. They are earnestly seeking you for answers and a way out. And still, they are truly suffering.

Not only do I want to understand so I can provide them with hope, but also, for those people whose lives are going well but see these things happening to your children and get worried they are next, I need to know what to tell them. I need to know what to tell myself about it.

I ask God for wisdom and understanding.

What God Said Tonight:

No two life stories are the same. No two paths are the same. I cannot provide you with a blanket answer that will give you what you hope for. The blanket answer, you already know. You live in a world that still has sin in it. As long as sin is in the world, bad things will happen. Sometimes, for no apparent reason. Because I allow people to make their own decisions, I can't stop the bad things from happening but I can use them for your good. 

But, I think what you are wanting tonight is something more specific. You are wanting to know what to tell the people who are suffering. I have some answers for you and I will give you the words when you need them. 

Most of all, love them. Most of all, make sure they know that no matter what they face, you will face it with them. That is more important than any words of wisdom you might provide Love is the key to all healing and all restoration. Let them know your love in a real and tangible way and that will do more than you can imagine. 

I have not forgotten them. I have not stopped loving them. I have not forgotten the plans I have for them (which are good). I have a way out for each of them I will not leave them or forsake them. 

And, I will not leave you either. As you walk with them through this journey, I am right there with you. I am in your midst. I will comfort, heal, strengthen, guide, and teach them. I love you.