Gifts of challenge...

 

My prayer:

Thanks for all of your help today God. It was a long and tough day but you brought me through each challenge. I had to share some hard truth today God. I hope that I delivered it in love and it was received in love.

What God Said Tonight:

Every challenge is an opportunity for growth and for glory. I do not expect for you to triumph in every challenge. I do not expect you to be perfect. I do expect you to try, in faith, and with the assurance that I am with you. 

A challenge that is not met is a wasted opportunity. 

I love you my child and I will continue to bring you the gifts of challenge, for you, for them, and for my Kingdom. 

I love you now and forever.

Truth patterns...

 

My prayer:

Thank you for a wonderful weekend with you God. I appreciated all of the messages and teaching you provided this weekend. Sometimes, your teaching comes from really unexpected but effective places. 

You are so good to us God. Thank you for making a place of blessing and teaching and joy in the midst of a world that is missing much of it. Thank you for making me a citizen of your Kingdom where love and kindness and justice rule. 

I am yours now and forever.

What God Said Tonight:

There are patterns in your life. Some are just that, patterns that can be seen and observed. But other patterns can teach you something. They can teach you about yourself. They can teach you about me and my Kingdom. 

You will see a pattern of love and forgiveness. You will see a pattern of learning and striving followed by blessing. You will see a pattern of getting back what you give out. 

These are patterns of me and my Kingdom. They are truths that you can rely on. 

In a world gone crazy, my truth remains. Hold on to my truths and they will keep you from blowing away in the storms. Hold on to them tightly. 

I love you now and forever.

Perfect place...

 

My prayer:

Thank you for another amazing day God. Watching you work throughout the day, leading me through the opportunities and the struggles and blessing me for no reason other than you are wonderful, makes for such an amazing life. 

Of course, not every moment is bliss. But even in the tough times, you are there and as soon as I ask, you help. Life with you is truly incredibly wonderful. Thank you!!!

What God Said Tonight:

Every piece has a place in the puzzle. You can try to jam the piece in to where it doesn't fit, but it will never work. It will displace the pieces that are intended to go there and it will mess up that final picture. But, if you wait to find the perfect spot for the piece, everything can work together to make the whole. Those pieces, when put together in their right positions, create a bond that is not easily broken. 

I have a perfect place for you. You are in that place now. One day, it will be time to build a new puzzle, a new picture and at that time we will move you to the new place But, for now, enjoy being in your perfect place, providing the support and piece of the picture to all of those around you. 

I love you now and forever my child.

The fire...

 

My prayer:

Awesome God. Thank you for an amazing time of rest and thankfulness. It was really good to slow it all down for a little bit. I can't think of a thing to talk about tonight. I am at peace and content in you Lord. What is on your mind?

What God Said Tonight:

Sometimes the fire, the thing that you think is out to destroy you, is nothing more than a light to point out your next blessing. 

The fire is an opportunity. It is a place where everything that is not right, that is not of me, gets burned out until all that is left is you and me. That makes the fire, the times of challenge, a really glorious time. 

I will see you through the fire and I will see you through the times of peace. I am with you now and always. My love for you will never fail. 

The gift and the law...

 

My prayer:

Awesome Father. I am thankful for you. I am thankful for all that you have done and do for me, but more than all of that, I am thankful for you. You are more than I can imagine and you love me more than I can know. Thank you for teaching me each day how to live out the love and the life you have given me. I am yours.

What God Said Tonight:

A gift is not a gift if it has to be earned. I don't need or want you to earn my gifts. I only want you to hear my voice and follow my lead to live the best life you have available for you. 

My laws are not about authority or ruling over you. My laws are. They simply are. The law of gravity is not intended to punish anyone but if you jump out of a plane with no means to slow your fall, you will be crushed to death. 

The same is true of my laws. The law, "Do not kill," is not meant to punish you but if you kill, there will be consequences of that. 

I love you and I have saved you from sin and death. The direction to follow my Father's law is nothing more than me trying to help you to live your best life. I love you and I want you to be blessed, now and forever.

Stone to dirt...

 

My prayer:

Thank you for the renewed understanding of what you Jesus Christ have done for me and for all of your children who know you as Lord. It is easy to get complaisant in life. When I have had a gift for most of my life, sometimes I need to stand back and remember how wonderful that gift is.

Thank you for saving me, washing me of my sin, making me whole, healing me, and most of all, loving me. I am yours now and forever, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

What God Said Tonight:

A stone broken up is rubble. Rubble broken up is gravel. Gravel broken up is sand. Sand broken up is dirt. 

A stone can be hard and strong but can still be broken up. Dirt, on its own, is not very strong. But mix it with water, heat, and pack it in, you can build cities with it. 

No matter where you are in your walk in the Kingdom, with my help, you can be strong and you can be whole. I will be your water when you are dirt. I will be your protection when you are rock. I am yours my child and we have eternity together. 

Patterns...

 

My prayer:

Amazing Father. Thank you for today and every opportunity in it. Thank you for helping me to be your reflection. Thank you for giving me the words and the wisdom to see through the challenges. And, thank you most of all for your grace, your mercy, and your love. I am yours, now and forever God.

What God Said Tonight:

There are patterns in life. Sometimes they are regular patterns and easy to recognize and sometimes they are more complex. With the complex ones, you may only recognize the pattern when you get some distance from it and see them from a new angle. 

Those around you often can already see the pattern. That is one of the many reasons it is good for you to be in a community of people who are willing to tell you the truth in love. That statement of iron sharpening iron is a true and real point. It is when you are with our other fellow believers that you get the insight and perspective of someone with a broader view. 

That wisdom is what will help you out of patterns that lead away from me.