I love when God speaks life-changing words, during a normal conversation.

I was having a phone conversation with a friend.  She was talking to me about where she and her husband are, spiritually speaking.  She shared with me how she had said to her husband, “we have done some things wrong along the way, but we have done some things right too.”

For some reason, over the next few moments, she repeated the statement a few times.  Each time she repeated it, it went a little deeper into my spirit.  God was speaking to me and not only to me, but to you as well.

I think all of us can say we have done some things wrong in the past.  We have made some mistakes.  We have made some bad decisions.  We have not always used wisdom.

We can all look back and say we wish we had done some things differently.  It is good to reflect and learn from our mistakes.  I don’t disagree with that at all.  But in the midst of it all, remember, you have done some things right too.

How can I know that?  Because you are still here.  You are still seeking His face.  You are still reading His word.  Apparently, you have done some things right as well.

I love Philippians 3:13-14, which says; but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

If the word tells us to forget those things that are behind, why do we find it so easy to remember our mistakes?  It’s not God reminding us.  He doesn’t remember them.  If we have repented, they are as far as the east is from the west.  If He doesn’t remember, neither should we.

I am a person who desires to sow mercy to all those around me.  However, when it comes to me personally, I am hard on myself.

I can see the mistakes I made in the past that caused delays for me.  I can see decisions I should have made differently.  I can see where I should have prayed more, sought more, used more wisdom.  I can easily see those times.

But I don’t always see the truth that…I must have done some things right too.

I am still here serving God.  He is still the love of my life.  He is still the one I go to for every little thing.  I continue to read His word and follow it.  I continue to seek His wisdom.  My relationship with Him is closer this day, much closer, than it was ten years ago.  Apparently, I have done some things right too.

So then why don’t we remember that truth?

When I heard my friend make that statement, it brought freedom and peace to my mind.  Freedom and peace in knowing I have done some things right too.  There is fruit in my life.  There is evidence of the good things I have done and accomplished.  I thank God for that.

Today, if you are feeling you have messed up somewhere along the line.  Remember this, you have done some things right too.  Celebrate those things today.  Let the mistakes stay in the past and remember the good things you have done.  Look and see the fruit of your labor.  Allow God to bring freedom and peace to your mind concerning where you are today.

I will leave you with Philippians 4:8; Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy–meditate on these things.

Meditate on this:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  Proverbs 3:5

Today I was reminded of a word I once read by Marsha Burns.  It was profound and really captured my attention.  It said; Keep yourself from defilement.  This may require pulling back from activities and relationships that are not beneficial to you.  Stop and consider what and who influences you the most and make sure the input is positive and not negative.  Your relationship with Me, says the Lord, requires time and spiritual effort as you allow Me to be the greatest influence in your life.  Psalms 62:7 In God is my salvation and my glory; the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.

The word influence means the following:

IN’FLUENCE, noun [Latin influens, influo, to flow in; in and fluo, to flow.] Literally, a flowing in, into or on, and referring to substances spiritual or too subtle to be visible, like inspiration.  In a general sense, influence denotes power whose operation is invisible and known only by its effects, or a power whose cause and operation are unseen.  Moral power; power of truth operating on the mind, rational faculties or will, in persuading or dissuading, as the influence of motives, of arguments, or of prayer.  To move by moral power; to act on and affect, as the mind or will, in persuading or dissuading; to induce.  (Webster’s 1828 dictionary)

Think about that!  Influence literally flows into a person and is very subtle. Although it is very subtle, it denotes power over a person that becomes visible and known by its actions.

Influence literally moves a person to act.

As I was studying this word, I came across the following scripture in the New Living Translation.

This is how the LORD responds: “If you return to me, I will restore you so you can continue to serve me. If you speak good words rather than worthless ones, you will be my spokesman. You must influence them; do not let them influence you.’   Jeremiah 15:19

Daily, in our life we come across many influences.  People influence us.  Situations influence us.  When someone is drunk on liquor, we say they are under the influence, and that is truth.  Their actions are the end result of the liquor and its influence.  It is something that has flowed inside of them and causing actions on the outside of them.

My question today is this; what is influencing you today?  What are the visible actions of the influence you are under?  What is flowing in you that is causing an action on the outside of you?

If we find ourselves yelling and angry, we have been influenced by someone or some situation.  If someone is upset and crying, they have been influenced by something.  If someone is walking in total peace in the midst of chaos, they too have been influenced by something.

What is your influence?  What is your action and what is moving you to that action?

Just a few days ago I was making my bed and the Lord said to me; “it is what is on the inside that defiles a man.”  I knew it was scriptural.  I didn’t understand where God was going with this.

Matthew 15:17-20 says; “Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”

Heart issues.  These are the things that defile.  Issues in our heart that needs to be healed or resolved.  I wonder if we realize that when someone commits an evil act it first began in their heart.  It may have begun with the influences that they had in their life, they are simply acting on those influences.

I can promise you if you hang around people who sin or even people who lie and gossip, before long you will find yourself doing the same things.  I have found in my own life, if I hang around negative people for too long, negative thoughts will attempt to grab my attention.  On the other hand, if I hang around positive people, and especially people who are strong in the Lord, I stay upbeat and positive.

Also, I have found, if I am having a bad day, if I will call a friend who I know is strong in the Lord, she will often lift me up.  But what I won’t do at those times, is call a friend who is negative when I am already struggling to stay positive.

Our daily influences are very important.  We must allow and even invite God and His word to be the ruling influence in our lives.  If we do that, we will live in victory.  Today, let’s not only remember what Marsha Burns said but let this become our daily prayer: Keep yourself from defilement.  This may require pulling back from activities and relationships that are not beneficial to you.  Stop and consider what and who influences you the most and make sure the input is positive and not negative.  Your relationship with Me, says the Lord, requires time and spiritual effort as you allow Me to be the greatest influence in your life.

Allow God and His word to be your greatest influence in your life.

Meditate on this:

Never stingy and always generous to those in need, their lives of influence and honor will never be forgotten, for they were full of good deeds.  Psalm 112:9 (The Passion Translation)

Amos 3:3 says, “Can two walk together unless they agree?”

This scripture came to mind during a conversation with a friend.

We were talking about a biblical situation when she gave me her frank opinion on the subject. I didn’t really respond. She asked my opinion and I gave it. I didn’t elaborate. I simply became quiet with my thoughts.

Why did I become quiet?

I realized at that moment that we could never partner together in that area. My beliefs were on one end of the spectrum. Hers were on another. I knew I wasn’t moving because it was an area God had taught me about. It was an area He had spoken to me about in great detail. I knew He was showing me I couldn’t partner with this person where this thing was concerned. It made me sad.

Ecclesiastes 4:9 says, “Two are better than one for they have a good reward for their labor.”

I love this scripture. It is truth. However, two cannot walk together, not truly, unless they are in agreement.

“Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?” 2 Corinthians 6:14

I know many people use this scripture when it comes to marriage. However, I do not believe it is for marriage only. I believe it applies to many areas of life.

For instance, you can’t be yoked together in business if you don’t agree on how that business should operate.

You can’t peacefully be yoked together in ministry, if one of you believes one thing the other person believes something else. It’s simply not possible.

You cannot be yoked together on a vacation if one wants to go south and the other wants to go north.

So, why am I saying all this? I am saying this to say, be careful who you are yoked with. Use wisdom in whom you partner with.

Yoked doesn’t only mean joined together. The meaning of yoked is; to be confined in a yoke.

There is a confining when you are tied together with someone. Make sure that someone is on the same page you are.

Especially make sure they believe the same things you believe, biblically speaking. If not, it will cause you a world of problems.

I know this truth from experience. I once went into business with a person from my church. Because they were from my church, I assumed we held the same beliefs. We did not. They believed you could tithe whatever amount you deemed possible. I knew the tithe was ten percent of everything that came into the business. We were not equally yoked, and it was the beginning of the end.

It was a very expensive lesson for me. One I will never forget. One I will never repeat.

Two are better than one, for they have a good reward for their labor. This too is a true statement. Two are better. Find someone whom you can be totally in agreement with and then move forward. Make sure you agree on all the important things. No one will agree on everything, but you should agree on the important issues. You must agree on foundational issues. Especially biblical beliefs.

Once you find that person you can agree with, biblically, great power is released on your behalf. Matthew 18:19 says; “Again, I tell you truly that if two of you on the earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven.”

It is true that you can’t partner with just anyone. Find someone you can partner with. When agreement is in place, true agreement, you can move mountains! You can and you will.

Meditate on this:

“Again, I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” Matthew 18:19-20.

This morning I was praying for our partners.  As I did, I prayed that God would “bring them out” of any times of lack, sickness or challenging times.

My mind drifted back to another time God brought His people out.  I began to think about exactly how He brought them out…

Psalm 105:37 tells us; He also brought them out with silver and gold, and there was none feeble among His tribes.

This story, of course, is talking about when God freed His people from the bondage of Pharaoh.  The Bible says He brought them out with a mighty hand.  A mighty hand, indeed.

In Exodus 5 we read what happened when Moses first ask Pharaoh to let God’s people go.  Not only did he refuse but he put even more labor and bondage on the people.  It became much harder on them, day after day.

Have you ever been there?  In a time or season when you knew God told you He was delivering you, bringing you out, but things only seemed to get harder?  I know I have.

Still, as Psalms tells us, God did bring them out, just like He said He would.

But He didn’t just bring them out, He brought them out with prosperity and wholeness in their body.

Stop and think about this a moment.  These people were slaves, yet God brought them out prosperous.  They had nothing of their own.  They had nothing to take with them but God changed all that.  He took them out with silver and gold!  The wealth that belonged to the very ones who kept them in bondage, they left with all their silver and gold.  ONLY GOD!

And these folks were weary from bondage, they had been worked to the point of extreme fatigue.  They were probably beaten day after day.  They were bruised from the labor.  They worked in the worst heat, and terrible cold, it must have taken a toll on their bodies year after year.  Their bodies must have been exhausted and very weak…yet the Bible says…when God brought them out, there was not one feeble among them…not ONE FEEBLE among them.  How could that be?

With man this may seem impossible, but with God all things are possible!

I want to propose to you today that not only is God bringing you out, He is bringing you out prosperous and whole.  Praise the Lord God Almighty!

This is how He does things.  He does not half do anything.  In Him is shalom…wholeness, complete and lacking nothing.  When He brings you out, it will be lacking nothing.

The Lord is our Shephard, we shall not lack.

You know, sometimes we are happy to just get a little relief…for things to become tolerable.  However, I believe we have settled for that long enough.  Time to come out of that survival mentality and enter into the SHALOM way of thinking.  It’s time to receive the complete package Jesus died to give us, don’t you think?  That includes prosperity and physical wholeness in our bodies.

Today I declare over you… “God is bringing you out.  He is, just as He did before, bringing you out with silver and gold…with the wealth of the wicked, with more than enough, with all your needs met and an abundance in every area of your life.  And He is bringing you out whole in body…with no feebleness in any part of your body…totally healed and whole in Jesus name.”

This is how our God does things, and we refuse to settle for less.  Amen and so be it.

Meditate on this:

You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.  Psalm 32:7

As I was ending the day, I thought, “it’s a buttered egg noodle kind of day.”

To those of you who are new to our ministry, that statement wouldn’t mean anything.  But to those who have been with us for years, you probably know what I am talking about.

You see, there was a time in my life that was quite challenging, financially.  It has been many years now, but I remember it as if it were yesterday.

At the worst of that dark time, I had very little money.  There was a time when all I could afford to buy to eat was egg noodles.  It was the cheapest thing I could think of.  I boiled them, added some butter, and that was my meal.  For several months, that’s how it was.

Oddly enough, it was also a time when I was seeking God more than I ever had before.  His presence was in my life, stronger than I had ever known.  His presence, but not His provision.  I don’t know why.  It is just how it was.

When I think back to that time, I am not bitter.  I am not disappointed.  I am thankful.  I am thankful for those buttered noodles.

I know people who have gone through difficult seasons and come out bitter.  They refuse to look back at those times because they were hard.  There was lack.  There was disappointment.

But when I think, “it’s a buttered egg noodle kind of day,” to me that says, “it’s a day to sit and think on the faithfulness of my God.”

You see, I have been looking for property for a couple years.  It is my heart’s desire.  I want property where I can plant a garden and grow my own vegetables.  A place where I can plant fruit trees and berries and harvest them.  This has been on my prayer list for some time.  I had so hoped to find something before last years planting season.  But that didn’t happen.

Therefore, instead of becoming disappointed, last year I decided to build a raised bed garden and grow a few vegetables.  I chose to “rejoice in what I can do now and not dwell on what I cannot do.”

At the end of the day, I was at peace.  I had a small raised bed garden ready for top soil and vegetables.  As I looked at it, my thought was, “it’s a buttered egg noodle kind of day.”  In other words, God has been faithful to meet me where I was that day.

The Bible says to not be anxious about tomorrow, live for today.  Therefore, since I could not plant the big garden I desired, I did what I could do, that day.

During that challenging time in my life that I spoke of, I lived day by day.  You know what?  God met me every single day.  He did not let me down one day.  He was so faithful to me.  He walked with me through it.  He, alone, brought me out.  When I think about that time, I don’t think so much about the day He brought me out.  I think of the many days He walked with me in the midst of it.

It reminds me of that song that says; He walks with me and He talks with me and He tells me I am His own. 

That is how I felt during that time.  Sure, it was hard.  Yes, there was great lack.  But I was not alone.  It was there I found His faithfulness. It was there, in one of the dark times of my life, that I discovered the depths of His faithfulness.

You may find yourself in such a place today.  Perhaps you are in a challenging season.  Don’t let that season lie to you.  He is faithful.  Yes, He will bring you out.  But more than that, He will walk with you through it.  He will never leave you nor forsake you.  If you keep your eyes on Him, you will see His faithfulness in the darkest times of your life.  I know this truth from experience.   You can too.  Keep your eyes on Him.

Tonight, as I sit here, eating buttered noodles, thinking of my day, I think of Him.  And I am thankful.  Thank you, God!  Thank you for your faithfulness to me.  Thank you for your faithfulness to all of us.  Especially during the dark times.  I stand in awe of you.  We stand in awe of you.  And we give you thanks.  Thank you, Lord.

Meditate on this:

Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.  Psalm 36:5

I awoke with a start. My heart pounded as my mind grasped for the quickly fleeing remnants of the dream that instantly I knew was no ordinary dream.

It was one I knew was from the Lord, but I couldn’t share it, at least not until I gained a better understanding of it.

Instinctively, I knew my questions concerning this dream would not be answered quickly.  It would take time seeking God–hours, perhaps even days, spent in His presence before He would reveal the fullness of this encounter.

In the days that followed, I jotted down insights as the Lord revealed different aspects of the dream.  One evening, I was sitting quietly before the Lord. As I closed my eyes, the dream began to replay in my mind.  Every little detail returned as the dream unfolded.

In the dream, my daughter, her family and I were traveling to a certain destination.  I assumed it was an adventure of sorts because we weren’t traveling on highways, instead we traveled the back roads. Although I didn’t know where we were headed, we were relaxed and enjoying the journey.

As we noticed the setting sun, we began to look for a place to stay for the night. Although the drive through the country was serene and beautiful, there were no readily available hotel or overnight accommodations.

Finally, we pulled onto an old gravel driveway, which led to a small country home.  On the front porch sat an elderly lady.

As we all tumbled out of the vehicle and walked up to the porch, the sweet little lady was sitting in a rocking chair.  She wore a short, striped apron.  I could see her hands were busy, but I couldn’t see exactly what she was doing until we moved closer.  As we neared, I sensed the peace that surrounded her.  She had the most beautiful countenance I had ever seen, as if the presence of God, Himself, surrounded her.  Directly in front of her was an opened Bible, sitting on a stand.  In her lap was a large bowl filled with freshly picked green beans.  As she glanced up and welcomed us, I could see she was breaking beans and preparing them for canning.

As I glanced around the porch, I noticed baskets of freshly picked vegetables all around her. This wouldn’t have been odd if it had been harvest season, but it wasn’t. It was early in the year, before Spring—before the time of planting seeds. It was still months before harvest season would begin. Yet, there she sat with an abundant supply of harvest all around her. Twelve baskets full, to be exact.

As we walked up to her, she stopped breaking beans. She moved her Bible to the side, wiped her hands on her apron and smiled as she stood up to greet us.

She immediately welcomed us into her home.  As we followed this wonderful little old lady into her kitchen, instead of stopping to offer us refreshment, she quickly headed up the stairs to the back of her home. We followed.

We discovered there were many more rooms upstairs than we first imagined.  She led us to an area, which to my surprise had obviously already been prepared for us.  She turned to the right and swung open the door to a well-lit room.  She smiled and said, “This is the Prophets room.”  As I glanced into the room, I saw a bed, a desk, lamps and there was even clothing hanging in the closet…everything one could possibly need was in that room.  It was beautifully decorated, and the aroma of the room drew you in.  Excited, I ran down the stairs to retrieve my bags from the vehicle.

I quickly grabbed my suitcases and ran back up the stairs.  I arrived at the door of my room to find that something was drastically different, so much so, I stopped in my tracks.  The door to the room was no longer a normal sized door.  The door entrance was now about twelve inches wide.  Stunned, I stood there looking at this narrow entrance realizing how difficult it would be to squeeze by body through this door.  I would have to turn sideways to inch my way in. There was no way my baggage would fit through this narrow space.  I stood at the top of the stairway, looking at this small entrance into the room.  Suddenly a voice behind me said, “Narrow is the way that leads to life and few find it.”  Immediately, I woke up.  I was back home in my own bed pondering this strange dream…

As I prayed and asked for insight, I realized it was a call to come up higher.

Come Up Higher

The way of life winds upward for the wise.  Proverbs 15:24

Arise, shine; for your light has come!  And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.  Isaiah 60:1

For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.  Isaiah 55:8-9

After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.”  Revelation 4:1

And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them. Revelation 11:12

In the book of Exodus, chapter 24, God said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord…”

Anytime God calls us, He calls us up.  Always.  When God calls us up it can be for several reasons, as we see in scripture.

One of those reasons is life.  The Zoe life of God.

The Strong’s Concordance defines this word as; the state of one who is possessed of vitality, of the absolute fullness of life.  To attain this life, we must go up in God.

God also calls us to arise when His light is shining on us.  When His glory is about to be seen on us.  Furthermore, when God wants to reveal His thoughts, His ways and His purposes to us, He calls us up…up into Him.

In my dream, I had to go up to get to the place that was prepared for me.  To me, this spoke of a time of promotion in God and a time of fruitfulness.

Fruit Out of Season

As I shared earlier, the elderly lady was sitting in her chair, breaking beans.  This is something I do when we harvest our green beans and I am getting them ready to can…in the summer.

However, in my dream, it wasn’t summer.  It wasn’t even yet spring.  It was not time for harvest at all, yet there she sat with harvest all around her.

I was immediately reminded of Revelation 22:2.

“In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”

If you recall, in my dream, a voice said to me, “narrow is the way that leads to life and few find it.”

This scripture is found in Matthew 7:14; Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

The narrow doorway in the room represented the way to life.

The harvest that surrounded the elderly lady spoke of the tree of life which bore fruit every single month of the year—twelve times a year.  This was further emphasized by the twelve baskets of harvest that surrounded her.

I believe when we find that place in God—the place of LIFE—we will experience the tree of life which yields fruit continually, even out of season.  For you see, it is always a fruitful season in the Zoe life of God.

Remember Mark 11 where Jesus walked by a fig tree that was not producing fruit?  As we know, He cursed the fig tree and it died. The odd thing in this story is that it was not the season for fig trees to bear fruit – yet Jesus expected fruit to be available to Him.  Why?  Because He lived in this place of life (Zoe) in God.  He EXPECTED everything within His realm to produce fruit for Him, regardless of the season.

That reminds me of Genesis 26, when God told Isaac to sow although there was famine in the land. In the natural, it was impossible to have a harvest with no rain.  However, Isaac obeyed and sowed in that land. As a result, God caused him to reap a hundred-fold, even when it was impossible.  What it reveals is that God will cause us to harvest even out of season…even when it seems impossible.

Keep the Word of God Before You

You may recall, in my dream, the lady kept the Bible before her while she harvested. Even while she prepared her harvest for the next season, the Word of God remained before her eyes.

The Word was her focus the entire time. Not the harvest, not the people arriving at her home, the Word of God held her focus.

In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.  Proverbs 3:6

I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.  John 15:5

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.  John 6:63

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  Matthew 6:33

If we are going to attain the life that God desires to give us, the Word of God must stay before our eyes and in our hearts.  Proverbs 3:1 says the Word of God gives life.  The life we all seek is found only in the Word of God.  We must keep it before our eyes and give it first place.

The Way (Gate) to Life

The way to life is before us.  We are invited to enter in.  God wants us to enter it.  It is what He has prepared for us.  However, there are things we cannot take with us.

In the dream, the door to that room was wide open to me until I went back to get my bags.

The meaning is that we cannot take last year’s baggage into this new, higher place in God.  We cannot take our disappointments or our perceived unanswered prayers into this new place.  There is no room for it.  And we cannot look back…we must simply arise and go higher in God.

God has a place prepared for us.  It is ready for us to walk into.  The rest is up to us.  We can leave our baggage at the door and enter in…or we can allow other things from the past to hold us back.

God is the same today as yesterday.  He does not change.  Just as He said in Deuteronomy 30, “I have set before you life and death, now…choose life.”

God is calling us to come up higher.  Will you heed the call?  Will you leave your baggage behind and lay aside the fears, hurts and disappointments of the past?  Will you step through the narrow place and embrace the abundant life God has for you?  It is prepared and ready, enter in.

Meditate on this:

For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.  Psalm 33:4

On the partner prayer call last month we talked about enlarging our territory.  I then sent out a teaching on how we can enlarge our capacity to receive.

This morning, I was thinking about all this, when the Lord reminded me of a word He once spoke to me.  He reminded me that yes, there are steps we must take to enlarge our capacity to receive…and as we do…HE WILL ENLARGE US.  I am excited to share this with you today.

Have you ever heard a single word from God that stopped you in your tracks and lit you up at the same time?  I have!

Kenneth Copeland often says, “One word from God will change everything.”  I have found this to be true in my life.  I think we have all had times when one word from God changed everything.

Today, God reminded me of the moment I heard Him speak one word to me—that changed everything

I was walking through my house to unwind for the day.   Just as I stepped through the door, the Lord said to me “Pino.”

I replied, “Lord, isn’t that a wine?”  Patiently, He repeated, “P.I.N.O.”

I walked into my room as I pondered this word. I quickly pulled out my computer and looked up the meaning of Pino.

It turns out, the word, Pino, is a Hebrew word. Actually, a Hebrew name which means…He will enlarge.  More specifically it means, He will enlarge our borders, our boundaries.

This jumped in my spirit!

I began to dig a little deeper.  It is important that we ask God what we should do when He speaks a word to us so that we can step into the word He has given.

As I dug a little deeper I found even more. It doesn’t just mean an enlargement of our boundaries and borders. By definition it means, Yahweh will enlarge our boundaries and borders.

Oh, my goodness!  Do you see the difference? We don’t have to do it, God will do it!

He is revealing this truth to us in Isaiah 54 which says, “Sing, O barren, you who have not borne! Break forth into singing, and cry aloud, you who have not labored with child! For more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married woman,” says the Lord. “Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; do not spare; lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes. For you shall expand to the right and to the left, and your descendants will inherit the nations, and make the desolate cities inhabited. Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore. For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is His name; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth. For the Lord has called you like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, like a youthful wife when you were refused,” says your God. “For a mere moment, I have forsaken you, but with great mercies I will gather you. With a little wrath, I hid My face from you for a moment; but with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,” says the Lord, your Redeemer. “For this is like the waters of Noah to Me; for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth, so have I sworn that I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you. For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but My kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has mercy on you. “O you afflicted one, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay your stones with colorful gems, and lay your foundations with sapphires. I will make your pinnacles of rubies, your gates of crystal, and all your walls of precious stones. All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children. In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you. Indeed, they shall surely assemble, but not because of Me. Whoever assembles against you shall fall for your sake. Behold, I have created the blacksmith who blows the coals in the fire, who brings forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the spoiler to destroy.  No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me,” says the Lord. 

I was in tears by the time I finished reading this scripture!  This is an awesome promise to us from   God.

Enlargement!  Increase!  This is our heritage as servants of the Lord.  This is part of our covenant with God!  It is already ours for the taking!

God is saying, it’s Pino time, I will enlarge you!  This is His word for you and for me.  Can you receive it?

If you are one who has been found faithful. If you are one who has been standing firm on His promises.  If you are one of those, I believe He is speaking this to you today.  He is saying, “it’s YOUR Pino time, I, Yahweh will enlarge you, I will expand your borders, your boundaries.” 

All we need to do is believe.  Blessed are those who believe and have not seen. (Luke 11:28)

Blessed or empowered to prosper are those who take God at His word.  To believe God is our part in this promise.  Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God.”

We only need to be still, trust in God and align ourselves with this word. How do we do that? With the words of our mouth.

Come into agreement with His word in this season. He is enlarging the place of your tent and broadening your borders. Even if you don’t yet see it in the natural, it’s important that we don’t prevent what God has declared over this season by our words, but instead trust that He is well able to do what He said He would do!  Get ready! It’s Pino time!  He will enlarge!

Meditate on this:

Now Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that You would bless me indeed and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and that You would keep me from harm that it may not pain me!” And God granted him what he requested.  1 Chronicles 4:10

This morning I was reminded of something that happened about this time last year.

One morning Breanne called me to tell me that Bryson had a doctor’s appointment that day.  She said he had a cough and she was going to take him to the doctor to have it checked.  I thought this was odd.  Breanne is not the kind to take the kids to the doctor for every little thing.  However, I didn’t question her, I just told her I would be happy to ride with her.

On the way to the doctor, Bryson seemed fine.  He didn’t cough one time. He didn’t have a fever.  He said he felt fine.  I was thinking we were wasting our time.

The doctor came in and checked his blood pressure and his temperature.  She then looks at his throat.  And finally, she listens to his chest.  After listening to his chest, she said, “he has bronchitis.”  She then did a throat swab to determine that he also had strep throat.

Breanne, Bryson and I were stunned.  He did not feel sick at all.  He didn’t have a fever or a sore throat.  It took listening on the inside to determine there was a problem.

God has been talking to me recently about the many ways He speaks to us.  This is yet, another voice we need to learn to discern.  We need to listen on the inside.

While everything may appear good on the outside, we must become accustomed to that inside voice to determine if there is a problem we need to deal with.  Or a situation we need to address.  That still small voice on the inside will alert us of anything that needs attention.

Like I said earlier, Breanne is not the kind to run to the doctor for every little thing.  Yet she made an appointment this time.  Why?  She was listening to that inner voice.  Thank God she was.

I want to share something with you that I read in a Psychology Today article.

Pause. If you’re uncomfortable and don’t know the reason, don’t presume there isn’t one. It may not be a good one, but a reason most assuredly exists. In the heat of the moment, it’s often difficult to identify it so we often ignore what we’re feeling for the sake of expediency. But most situations don’t require immediate decision making. If you’re uncomfortable for any reason, don’t try to figure it out in the heat of the moment. Instead, don’t make the decision at all.

I agree with this totally.  If you have an uncomfortable feeling about anything, I would call it a lack of peace.  When you do not have peace, stop and pray about it.  Do not move forward.

This is where discernment comes in.  You may not be able to explain why you don’t have peace, you simply know peace isn’t there.  That is reason enough to pause.  Pause and Pray.  Let peace and peace alone, rule you.

Our God is a God of peace.  Jesus is the Prince of peace.  If peace isn’t present, God is not in it.  That is reason enough to pause, don’t you think?

My prayer for you today is that you would hone your inner voice.  You would learn to listen closely to that voice and follow it.  That voice is the voice of God in you.

Jesus said, “My sheep know My voice, they hear My voice and they follow Me, for I know them.” (John 10:27)

The more intimately you come to know Jesus, the clearer His voice will be.  The more you listen to your inner voice (His voice in you) the more you will recognize it.  The more you obey it, the more peace you will have.  The voice of God speaks constantly inside us…listen for His voice.

Meditate on this:

The LORD your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.  Zephaniah 3:17

It’s that time of year… when we begin planting seeds to get a jump start on gardening.

In preparation for this, I purchased some herb seed to plant, some for me, and some for Breanne.  She too wanted fresh herbs.

One day I gathered up all my supplies, dirt, seeds, and pots and carried them to the office.  That day we both planted our seeds, watered them and sat them in the window.

The next day while I was home, I decided to plant some to have at home as well.  I got all my stuff out, planted my seeds, watered them and then found them a place near a window, in the sun.

Just a few days later, Breanne was at my house.  She walked over to my herb garden to look.  “Mom, you already have thyme coming up!” she exclaimed.  I walked over and looked and said, “yes, it looks like I do!”

The next day at the office, I decided to check on my herbs there, they too were beginning to pop up through the soil…oh I love how that works!

After checking on mine and seeing their progress, I walked down the hall to check on Breanne’s herbs.  As I glanced down at her planted herbs, I saw nothing.  Her seeds were not coming through the soil.  There was no visible progress.

I walked into her office and asked, “Have you been watering your seeds?”  She responded, “no.”

“Bre, your seeds can’t grow if you fail to water them.  And it’s the same in the spirit, if you don’t water what you sow into the Kingdom, there will be no growth.”  As the words came out of my mouth, I knew God was giving me a gentle reminder.

1 Corinthians 3:6-8 tells us; “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.  So then neither is he that plants anything, neither he that waters; but God that gives the increase.  Now he that plants and he that waters are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor.”

We see from this scripture that watering our seed is just as vital as sowing the seed.  Just as in the natural, if we sow a seed and refuse to water it, or fail to water it, there will be no harvest, the seed will die in the ground…even if it is sown in good soil.

Most, if not all of us, have sown seed, financial seed into the Kingdom of God.  And we have sown it in good soil.  If we have not seen a harvest, could it be because we have failed to water our seed?  How then, do we water our seed?

Ephesians 5:26 talks about a washing of the water of the word….

If there is a washing…by the water of the word…this tells me that the word of God waters.  It can water your seed.

To water our seed we must speak and declare God’s word over it.  The words that He has given us concerning sowing seed.  Such as…

Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.  Luke 6:38

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:19

Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.  Malachi 3:10

He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.  2 Corinthians 9:10

Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us.  Psalm 67:5-6, KJV

Watering our seed with the word of God is like pouring miracle grow on our seed.  Additionally, there are other ways to water our seed as well.

Zechariah 14:17 teaches us that when we worship God, He causes it to rain on us.  It also says if we fail to worship and praise God, there will be no rain.

Declaring the word, worshipping God and giving Him praise…all these things cause rain to come down on the seeds we have sown.

I know many of you have seed in the ground, just like Breanne does…but are you watering your seed?  If not, begin today.  Begin speaking His word over your seed.  Begin worshipping and praising God for the increase and for your harvest.

Just like 1 Corinthians 3 teaches us, the planting and the watering is up to us…but God gives the increase.  Begin to worship the God of increase and watch Him send anointed rain down on your seed.  As you do you will see your harvest will begin to breakthrough.

We worship you today God!  We ask You to send the rain, water our seeds and bring the increase.

Meditate on this:

But the Lord is faithful.  2 Thess. 3:3

The center of His will. I have heard this statement all my Christian walk. Today, I understood the depth of its meaning.

I once received a gift and a letter from a pastor friend. Within the letter he wrote, “Stay under the shadow of humility, not near the edge, but deep in the center, because God is going to lift you up and it is your humility that will keep you grounded in Jesus.”

Don’t stay near the edge of humility, but deep in the center.

This phrase went over and over in my mind. All night long I meditated on his statement, asking God to reveal the depth of it to me. When I awoke the next morning, God answered that prayer.

I awoke early the next morning and sat up in bed. My first thought was stay deep in the center of humility.

As quickly as that thought came, God began to speak to me. He said, “it is just like the property you are searching for.” In those few short words, I saw the revelation of this truth.

I have been searching for property for a few years. Yes, years! What I am looking for is not easy to find. I am searching for a house with land. I want to develop a place of refuge for weary believers.

I am looking for a piece of property. Every single property I have come across has the house setting on the edge of the property. I am looking for a property that has the house in the center of the property. You see I am looking for a home with land all around the house, so I would have to travel to get outside of my property. This would assure me of security, seclusion and peace.

Most people want a house on the edge of the property, so they can easily leave the property.

So, it is with the center of humility. God showed me this morning, to be in the center of humility, and not on the edge, would provide me security and peace. Why? Because I would have to travel a distance to move outside of humility.

If I live on the edge of humility, I am also living on the edge of pride. Every property line borders something. Humility borders pride. To be safe in the realm of humility, I must be in the center of it, not on the edge.

If I am on the edge of God’s will, I am also on the edge of disobedience. However, if I stay in the center of God’s will, I would have to travel a long distance to remove myself out of His will.

If I am on the edge of love, I am also on the edge of hate. But, if I stay in the center of love, I would have to travel to walk out of it.

With humility. If I press in until I am in the center of humility, pride is far from me. I love that.

Remember, if you live on the edge of anything, it will always border something else.

My friends, it is not enough to be on the edge of God’s word. In the center of His will is the only place to be. I have never been a person who wants to live on the edge. I want to live in the center of all God’s word says. In the center of humility. In the center of love. In the center of peace. In the center of His will.

Meditate on this:

Be completely humble and gentle.  Ephesians 4:2