Happy Birthday Jesus!

My prayer:

Happy Birthday Jesus! I hope it was wonderful. I hope you were blessed by people celebrating the day you came to be born here on earth. 

It seems we are always fighting to put aside all of the things that have become associated with Christmas that do not have anything to do with you. They have become accepted and expected and it is difficult to not get distracted by them, especially because so many of them are really fun! 

I guess, when I think about it, that is a struggle with everyday life. It is so easy to distracted with the things of this world and get our focus off of you and your new covenant relationship with us. It takes real dedication and effort to be in this world and not of this world. I know I get it wrong more often than I get it right.

But, tonight, right now, I want you to know how grateful I am to you, not just for what you have done but how you did it. It hasn't always made sense to me why you saved us the way you did but I am beginning to understand more and more that the "how" of our salvation is a beautiful reflection of your love for us. Not just that you wanted to save us from ourselves but that you did it in a way that redeemed us fully and made us one with you. You will never leave us or forsake us because we are one with you. You cannot leave yourself. 

Thank you. I am humbled by your love. 

What God Said Tonight:

I had a wonderful birthday and was blessed by so many. Every knee shall bow and every voice proclaim that I am Christ. That moment, which is not so far way anymore, will be a glorious sound and a momentous event that will never be equaled. The angels in heaven will join in. The demons will have their say but all will acknowledge the Kingship and Lordship of Jesus Christ. 

Gold dust...

My prayer:

Best Christmas Eve EVER!!!!! You are so amazing! You are in us and we are in you. For the first time that seems REAL. We are one. You are the vine and we are the branch. 

We become "like Christ" not through our works but through our existence in you! Whoa!  

You came to earth to be born of a woman. We are to be  born again in the Spirit. We are one. Thank you God for the insight!!! LOVE YOU SO MUCH IT IS CRAZY!!!!!!

What God Said Tonight:

Moments like this are like gold dust. They are beautiful in themselves but are more beautiful as they come together. You have a piece of gold. As you connect with other children of mine, they have bits of gold. When you come together in me you combine your wealth and make a great and valuable creation. 

I love you my sweet daughter and I have many more nuggets of gold for you. You will continue to go from glory to glory from here. I am building on a foundation that is strong, holy and true. I have tired to build this before but the time was not right. What is happening in you is real and is for now and will bring in the final harvest of my people. 

You and me, we are one, now and forever. 

God's fuel...

My prayer:

Wonderful Father. One of the reasons I enjoy this time together with you each evening is that it gives me a minute to reflect on the day and all of the wonderful things that you did throughout the day. Today was a day full of bad circumstances that you took care of and turned to my good. 

Don't get me wrong, I love those blessed days where everything goes perfectly. You are glorified in those days for sure. But I also love days like today where your hand on my life is so evident. No matter what life and the world threw at me today, you batted it back in its face. 

Thank you for being my Father, my protector, and my provider God. LOVE YOU!

What God Said Tonight:

No weapon formed against you will prosper. It is my promise to you as my child, my beloved. 

I can't keep you from the dark circumstances that run rampant in this world but I can keep you from being defeated and overwhelmed by them. 

I celebrate every time you trust in me. Every time when the rotten comes against you and you trust in me, that is what makes me happy. That is what makes me full. Your love and your trust fuels me. 

It is the best way to grow my presence in your life, love me, trust me and see if I don't show up, every time. Love you now and forever.

Tears...

My prayer:

I shed a lot of tears today God. Some sad, some happy, some in sympathy. I am drained but somehow lighter for the experience. Crying is not something I do a lot of usually. And, you know that there were quite a few years when I couldn't cry, even when I wanted to. 

You talk about how you save our tears. You talk of them being precious to you. I don't think I have ever really understood that. But, when I think about today and some of the tears that I shared, there was something beautiful in the tears that she shed. Both in the honesty of the pain and in the cleansing of your comfort and healing. 

Thank you God for tears that heal. Thank you for tears that express things that our words cannot. 

What God Said Tonight:

You are precious to me. Everything about you is precious to me. The hairs on your head are precious to me. How could your expressions of joy and pain be anything but precious to me. 

You don't understand how much I love you. You don't understand how deep my affection for you goes. I am enamored of you. You are the most precious creation ever. You were made our image, the most high God. You are the wonder of the universe. The angels are in awe of you.

You see yourself through the veil of sin that satan tries to trow on you. One day you will see yourself as I see you, clean, righteous and perfect. In the meantime, know that my love for you is greater, bigger, longer, and more intense than you can know.

Wrong choices...

My prayer:

Wonderful Father. We have been through a lot together over the years with a lot more to come. I learn more about you every day. I learn how much more amazing you are than what I thought. And yet I know that I have only begun to scratch the surface of who you are and how amazing you are. I may never be able to wrap my mind around your greatness. But I love trying.

The hard part of life is not living with you. The hard part is not making stupid choices. I had a conversation with a friend recently who had asked for help. He needed to understand the best path forward. I did some research and explained to him that there are two ways to go that would get him what he wants. There is a third way to go but it won't get him what he wants and very well could land him in a lot of trouble. No matter how many times I explained the options, no matter how much detail I gave him of why he did not want to go the third way, all he kept talking about was going that third way.

How often do we do that with you God? How often have I done that with you. You lay out the options for me and explain why the good choices are good and why the bad choices are bad. But I get a path set in my head and think it is the only way to go. 

God I apologize for my hardheadedness and for a stubborn heart. I apologize for turning my back on your good advice and making choices that were not the best. I love you and I ask that you never stop guiding me, never stop showing me the best way to go. Help me God to hear you when I get stuck.

What God Said Tonight:

A hard head I can deal with, a hard heart is another matter. When you harden your heart toward me, that is when I can't get through. Keep your heart open to me and I will always guide you.

Remember that even when you do make the wrong choice, I am still your God, I am still in charge and I can still turn all things to your good.

We are in this together, now and forever.

Savor the moment...

My prayer:

Seated firmly in your love tonight God and there is truly no better place in the world. Nothing can separate me from you. Nothing can come between us. You won't let it and I am so grateful. 

I am yours and you are mine, forever and ever. There is no part of me that I will withhold from you. All I am, good and bad, I give to you. I give you my good as a token, a tithe, of the good that you have put in me. I give you my bad that you can redeem and transform it into good. 

I am all yours God with all humility and intense thankfulness of your acceptance of me.

What God Said Tonight:

Dance with me tonight. Sing with me. Be with me as one and celebrate. I love you and you love me and for at least this moment, you are fully aware of it. This moment is precious. 

I live for these moments of clarity with my children when  you know my love. My love is always in you, my love is always around you, but it is moments like this, when you know it, those are the moments I cherish the most. 

Stay with me awhile tonight that we can enjoy this moment. Don't rush off. This is worth savoring. 

Dreams come true...

My prayer:

Awesome God. I don't know what to talk about tonight. 

I have definitely been in survival mode this week, just trying to get through. Plenty of challenges but you are leading me through them all. You are providing for all of my needs, just when I need it, cause that is the kind of amazing Father you are. 

I really am ready for this new season. I want to do something big with you God. I want to make an impact that will ripple through all eternity. I want to see people's lives dramatically changed for and by you. I can almost taste it, it is so close. 

Anyway, I should stop rambling and hear what you have to say. Your thoughts are always better than mine...

What God Said Tonight:

Dreams come true. I have put a dream and a vision in your heart to prepare you for the challenges that will come against it. I have shown you a sliver of what is possible to help you through the times when it seems impossible. I have shown you the hope in the future to get you through the struggle, the attack of today. 

I am your hope and your future. Once day, you will trust me enough to know that is true, no matter the situation and no matter what you see. For now, I will continue to give you peeks into the future. Hold onto those to hold you up on the days when there seems to be no more hope. 

I love you and we do have big plans. Many more souls will know me when we are done.