Author Archives: Live Abundantly Now

A PRAYER FOR THE FATHERLESS

Everyone in the world has the desire to have a loving and caring father. However, in this fallen world, there are many children and adults who have never experienced a father’s love. I have deep compassion for those who are fatherless.

My prayer is that every hurting person (child or adult) will experience the priceless gift of God’s perfect love and rest in knowing how deeply compassionate is the heart of our FATHER IN HEAVEN.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for loving us with a perfect, fatherly love. I ask You to comfort every son and daughter who is hurting today and missing their earthly fathers. Draw close to them and let them know that You are the Father to the fatherless. Help those without a father to rest in Your presence and know that You will never leave them, nor forsake them. Help them look to You always as their provider, nurturer, and protector.

Reveal Your love to them and fill the void by sending a trustworthy man who can help guide and lead them through their lives. Let them walk with confidence and faith in Your ability to meet the longings of their hearts. I pray in Christ’s name. Amen.

“A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation.”  Psalm 68:5

PRAYERS FOR REVIVAL & AWAKENING

Revival begins in humble hearts and spreads like fire. The power of God’s Spirit is spreading like wildfire throughout the earth as we are praying for the greatest Jesus movement of all time to awaken the hearts of countless people.

Isaiah 57:15 says, “For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.”

On this summer day, I can imagine God saying, “I am pouring My Spirit on those who are seeking Me with all of their hearts. I will anoint those who humble themselves completely.”

With all the turmoil in our world, prayer is more important now than any other time in history. I trust our Lord to make our communities stronger than ever as we pray passionately for spiritual awakening. I trust Christ to deliver the youth in our cities from violence, addictions, suicide, school shootings, gang activity, racism and all the epidemics that are destroying the lives of many souls.

God is on the move. This movement will gain momentum as we continue to pray.

Please join me in praying for more and more lives to be awakened, revived, and saved. Countless miracles will happen as we pray for the younger generation to be filled with the fire and power of the Holy Spirit.

With an expectation for even more to come, I want to share a few of the prayers that I have written through the past decade. I hope you will come into agreement with my prayers.

Beloved Jesus,

Thank You for what You are doing in my church and other churches around America. The atmosphere is changing in my church and I see that revival has begun. People are turning to You in their brokenness and it is a beautiful thing to watch. Jesus, pour Your Spirit onto my church and the other congregations in Atlanta. Let us be a forerunner in the reviving of America. Let the flames of Your Spirit consume our hearts. Let all the people who come to our churches sense Your presence and Your love. Make us a strong group of people, fully awakened by Your Spirit. Purify the hearts of Your people, Lord. Make us ready for Your return. Oh how I love You, Jesus. I pray in Your name. Amen.

Our Wonderful Jesus,

Thank You for Your marvelous love and for Your light that floods out all darkness. I praise You for what you are doing on this earth. I lift up the body of Christ to You today. I pray that each one who calls himself a Christian will truly submit his heart to You. I pray that each believer will be drawn to Your goodness and grace. I pray that Your Spirit will permeate the churches in this country. Lord, let Your light snuff out all the darkness that has tried to invade the church.

Jesus, we need true revival to come to every heart. Revive the hearts of Your people. Help the church stand strong and make a bold statement for the world to see. Let us be strong and mighty people who bring light to the world.

Jesus, our country needs You desperately. Come and rescue our cities with a great move of Your Spirit. Send Your anointing power like never before. Prepare the hearts of the people to receive the outpouring of Your Spirit. I’m waiting with great expectation for the work You are going to do. Thank You for Your perfect love and for rebuilding my city and my country. I love You, Jesus, with all my heart. I pray in Your name. Amen.

Our Amazing Jesus,

Thank You for Your unfailing love, for the way You continually pour out Your mercy and grace. Thank You for the way You gently show us the things in our hearts that are not good. Jesus, thank You for purifying our hearts, for removing every thing that hinders us from walking closely with You. Thank You for what You are doing in the body of Christ. Oh how beautiful it is! I feel it in my spirit: Revival is about to break out in a big way in the body of believers here in the Atlanta area. Keep pouring Your Spirit into the hearts of the people who are fully seeking You. I pray in Your name, Christ. Amen.

Jesus,

We (the body of Christ) want more of You. We want You to work in and through us in unimaginable ways. We want thousands upon thousands to be saved in our city due to the massive outpouring of Your Spirit. I am waiting for You with great expectation to do mighty things in the churches in my area. I have visions of people falling at Your feet, weeping in repentance, craving Your love, wanting more of You. Jesus, show the world who You are. Show them Your radical love. Speak to the hearts of all the people who call You, “Lord.” Let each of them come to know You deeply and intimately.

Raise us up to be the church You want for us to be. Jesus, make us ready for Your return, without a blemish or stain. Let us be a church who loves You fully and loves each other perfectly. Let each follower of You be so focused on You that they would not look to each other, but only to You. Let Your perfect unity and love rule in the hearts of all Your followers. I am ready to see You do great and marvelous things in my city. I love You, Jesus, with all my heart. I pray in Your name. Amen.

Jesus,

Thank You for being the greatest joy of life. Thank You for being the one who restores. Thank You for healing every hurt and making us whole. Thank You for speaking words of love and guidance into our hearts. You are the answer to all of life’s problems. I pray for every person who has not found life in You. Jesus, bring revival to this world. Ignite a fire in the young people of our cities and countries. May all the people who are hurting or lacking anything turn to You and find all that their souls are longing for. I trust You to bring change to this broken world. I pray in Your name, Christ. Amen.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for Your amazing grace and mercy. I ask You to fill our country with Your glory and let us be a bright light to a dark world. Let us live surrendered to You as men and women of God. Protect us from calamity and help our nation to thrive. I trust You to do great and mighty things in our country. Make us a strong nation and let America be a blessing to people all around the world.

I ask You to pour out Your Spirit in an unprecedented way in the days and months ahead. Pour out the latter rain and let it be a much greater glory than any other time in history. Let a spirit of unity fall upon the church to replace a spirit of dissension. Let the church walk in love toward each other and walk in authority all over the planet EARTH. Pour out Your Spirit upon Your sons and daughters and upon all flesh. Surround our leaders with a wall of Your Holy Spirit fire so that every weapon or curse formed against them will be burned up forever. Let all the leaders be filled with a greater measure of Your anointing power.

Let a great revival be powerfully ignited this week. Let signs, wonders, and miracles come forth like no man has ever seen before. Most important of all, let us prepare the way for the second coming of Christ and let Your kingdom come ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN. I love You with all my heart and place my hope in You alone. I pray in Christ’s name. Amen.

After years and years of praying for revival in the church, it’s truly amazing to watch it unfold. A great awakening is happening now and will soon shake the world like never before.

Hallelujah.

LOVE ONE ANOTHER AND PRAY FOR RACISM TO END

There are only a few things that break my heart as much as the wickedness of racism. It’s really unbelievable that anybody could treat someone horribly or kill them because of their skin color. My mind cannot comprehend this evil.

A week ago, one of the most horrid crimes took place on American soil. George Floyd’s life was taken from him violently—a precious soul was lost in the worst kind of hate crime. There are no words to express the deep compassion and empathy I feel for his family and for our nation that is mourning over this wicked crime.

The pain of the devastating injustice has caused many people to turn to violence, and riots have begun breaking out in the city I was born in—where I currently live nearby in the suburbs. I empathize with the ones who are hurt and angry, but repaying evil with evil is senseless. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said it perfectly: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

Throughout the week, I’ve prayed and thought about how desperately our world needs love more than anything else. There is a song that has a perfect message for this time of turmoil. “What the World Needs Now is Love,” is the name of a song that was popular when I was growing up. I have vivid memories of singing this song at the top of my lungs as a little girl. It was one of my favorite songs then and it still is now.

I’ve been obsessed with God and HIS LOVE throughout my life. Love is truly what the world needs. God’s love is enough to conquer anything. Evil may be increasing on the earth, but love overpowers it all.

As we love one another as Christ loves us, we will see the world begin to change.

Only Christ can empower us to love the ones who mistreat us. As we spend time in prayer, Christ pours His love into our hearts, so that we can pour it out on others and make an impact while we’re passing through the earth.

Our generation is living in an unprecedented time of hatred. Many have turned away from God because they don’t know that His true nature is love. God is love. (1 John 4:8).

Christianity can be summed up in one word: LOVE.

One of the ways we can love our neighbor is to ask forgiveness for the sins of the past. It is very healing to acknowledge the excruciating pain that our African American brothers and sisters have experienced.

As I’ve been writing and contemplating the condition of our world, I wept many tears for the ones who have been victims of injustices. I’ve felt embarrassed for the horrid mistakes of our country’s forefathers. Slavery has tormented this nation. Precious people were dehumanized, shamed, humiliated, and demoralized by slavery. It was a terribly evil, inhuman act of hatred that no man or woman should ever have to endure. I am so sorry for what our nation tolerated by committing the horrible injustices of slavery and racism. I ask those who may be carrying the pain of racism and slavery, please forgive these terrible sins.

You are beautiful. You are loved. You are made in God’s image. As humans, we have the same blood flowing through our veins. We are one race—all created equal in God’s eyes.

Right now, my most desperate prayer is that we can move forward in the days ahead with a powerful strength we’ve never had before. May we truly walk as a united group of people, in a spirit of unity and wholeness.

Let’s continue to pray passionately for our nation and for all the nations of the world to grow in Christ’s love.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for loving us perfectly and not giving up on our nation. I ask you to comfort George Floyd’s family and bring an end to racism. I ask You to bring healing to every man and woman who has ever been a victim of racism. I ask You to give peace to the ones who are mourning the loss of loved ones due to hate crimes.

Please keep Your hand upon our country and help us to love each other as You love us. Bring unity and a spirit of brotherhood upon our land. Let love begin growing throughout every city in America. Let Your perfect love rule in the hearts of all Your children and let us be an example to those who do not know how to love yet. Let us all walk together in our diversities as one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Let all races be treated equally with respect and honor. Awaken countless souls with Your love and let the greatest spiritual awakening spread across our country and around the world. I trust You to bring forth a JESUS REVOLUTION in the midst of the turmoil and saves millions of souls in the days ahead. I pray in Christ’s name. Amen.

And He said to him, “‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’” Matthew 22: 37-39

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” John 13:34

I will be fasting and praying for racism to end. I invite you to fast along with me on Wednesday, June 3rd. I will fast until 6 pm.

PRAYER FOR PENTECOST SUNDAY TO IGNITE A JESUS REVOLUTION

“We need a JESUS REVOLUTION!” I sank into my chair with a timid feeling after I shouted those words while hundreds of young people were singing a worship song at Passion City Church (Atlanta, Georgia). I will never forget that night in the summer of 2011. Up until that point, I had not ever shouted as passionately during church, so I was embarrassed, until Pastor Louie Giglio began preaching a sermon about the necessity for believers in Christ to be filled with zeal and passion. My embarrassment lifted immediately as I listened to the sermon about zealously living for Christ, and I knew that my urge to shout had been prompted by the Holy Spirit.

Two years before that night, I attended a worship service at Passion City Church for the first time. In 2009, as a middle-age woman, I sat in a sea of college students, and I was fixated on one word: “REVIVAL.” With my spiritual eyes, I could see the beginning of a true spiritual awakening. In the following years, I had a dream in my sleep about a great revival, and it confirmed to me that what I had been sensing was truly from God.

Around the same time period, I was reading about Pentecost in the Bible. I began to envision a true movement of God similar to the stories in the book of Acts. I envisioned people getting healed of diseases, the blind getting their vision back, and chains of addiction being broken. Most importantly, I envisioned people weeping in repentance.

As the years passed by, the seeds of revival increased as the PASSION CONFERENCES took place each year with thousands of young people meeting together. Multitudes of these youthful ones were touched by Jesus, and I believe these gatherings helped ignite a movement that has led to the beginning of a great spiritual awakening.

With more than a decade of watching God move, I’ve prayed passionately for an unprecedented great awakening to be ignited—a Jesus movement that will impact the world by bringing forth a harvest of saved souls. For years, I’ve prayed that the greatest movement of the Holy Spirit we’ve ever seen would begin and spread like wildfire throughout the U.S. and spread to all the nations of the world.

This week, as I’ve been pondering the significance of Pentecost, I suddenly remembered a vision I had in 2010. A decade ago, I had envisioned our HEAVENLY FATHER in His glorious splendor with white hair, standing above a beautiful river with a dam above it. In my spirit, I heard these words: “The dam is about to break.” At the time, I wrote the words in my journal and I shared about my vision with my husband. I sensed that what I had envisioned was a symbol of the mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit that would be taking place in the future.

Acts 2:17 says, “And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams.”

Year after year, I have longed to see an unmatched outpouring of the Holy Spirit. For many years, I have thought it would happen on Pentecost Sunday.

Here’s a prayer I wrote on May 24, 2018.

Jesus,

Thank You for pouring out Your Holy Spirit upon our nation. I ask You to release a move of Your Spirit across this nation like we have never seen before. Remove all the hindrances and open up the floodgates of heaven. Let every false prophet repent or let them be taken out of leadership. Bring forth countless new leaders to lead the body of Christ. Let Your Spirit rule and reign in the churches of America. Let stadiums be filled up with Your glory and let millions of souls be saved. Let Pentecost season of 2018 and 2019 far exceed what we read about in the book of Acts. Thank You, Jesus.  I pray in Your name, Christ. Amen.

A few days after I remembered the vision, I heard the Lord clearly say: “The dam will break on Pentecost Sunday.”  When a dam breaks, it floods everywhere in the vicinity and the water rushes all throughout the land powerfully. The dam breaking means that God’s Spirit will be poured out like it never has been poured out any time before.

I believe God will pour out His Spirit and the outpouring will intensify throughout the Pentecost season and keep intensifying until Christ returns to the earth. The Spirit of God will be poured out in such a significant way that it will be like a blast of dynamite being ignited. The church will never be the same.

This outpouring will spark a Jesus movement like we’ve never seen before. Those ready to receive more of the Holy Spirit will be empowered to do great things for Christ. The ones who are too busy with earthly endeavors will possibly miss what’s coming. Those who are trapped in sin need to repent to be able to experience this glorious outpouring.

Acts 2:1-4 says: “When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.”

There will be naysayers who will say this is not from God, but in due time they will see that this is genuinely the outpouring that the prophet of the Bible, Joel, prophesied (Joel 2:28-32).

We are a truly blessed generation.

Let’s pray more passionately than ever before and trust Christ to bring forth a JESUS REVOLUTION that will begin changing our broken world.

Dear Heavenly Father,

I am in absolute awe of You. Thank You for hearing our prayers and pouring out Your Spirit upon the earth. I ask You to ignite a Jesus revolution this Pentecost Sunday that will begin to break the chains of racism off of our cities and nations.

I ask You to wrap Your loving arms around the the ones affected by racism and heal their hurting hearts. I ask You to awaken us fully with Your love and let us have strong voices against the wicked injustices in our communities. I ask You to bring peace to the areas in our world that are experiencing civil unrest. I ask You to stop the violence that’s happening in America currently. Bring peace among the races and let us love one another with Your perfect love.

Empower us to do great things on the earth. Let each one of us be used mightily to bring forth the gospel message of Jesus Christ. Let us be peacemakers and help us to bring change to the world until the day of Christ’s return. I pray in Christ’s name. Amen.

May you have a blessed Pentecost Sunday and may you open your heart to receive all that Christ has for you.

A PRAYER FOR MEMORIAL DAY

Our hearts are filled with gratitude for the brave souls who have given the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedom. Let’s pray and thank God for all the great men and women who have served and died while protecting our country.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for the men and women who have given the greatest sacrifice to protect our freedom. With gratitude, we remember and honor the brave souls who lost their lives. I ask You to comfort and encourage those who have lost loved ones in the battlefields. Wrap Your loving arms around them and fill them with peace. Bless and protect the service men and women who are risking their lives to serve our country. Keep them in the shadow of Your wings today and always. I pray in Christ’s name. Amen.

“Precious in the sight of the Lord. Is the death of His godly ones.” Psalm 116:15

TREASURING THE GIFT OF MOTHERHOOD

Motherhood is one of the greatest gifts of life. Psalm 127: 3 says, “Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward.” It is an awesome honor and privilege to be a mother.

The love I have for my daughter and son is indescribable. My undying love for them is what drives me to my knees time and time again to cry out to the Lord on their behalf.

There’s absolutely nothing they could ever do that would drive me away from them. They don’t need to earn my love. It’s the purest form of unconditional love—one that was birthed the day they were born and can never be tainted by anything. I look at my children in the same way that I know my HEAVENLY FATHER looks at me. Even though I know they are not perfect; I see them as being perfectly formed in the image of God. I love them just as they are, simply because they are my children.

My daughter and son are my amazing treasures.

I’m thanking God today for the gift of motherhood and savoring every moment of life with my family.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for the incredible gift of motherhood. Thank You for giving me children to love and encourage. Help me to be a vessel of Your love to my family every day. Let me be the one who shows my children a glimpse of Your heart by the way I treasure them always. Give me the words to speak to them and help me always be the most encouraging voice in their lives. Let me always offer my shoulder for them to cry on and help me be the greatest cheerleader in their lives every single day. Let my children feel the love of Christ in a great way through the love they receive from me. I pray in Christ’s name. Amen.

I wrote a post six years ago about savoring motherhood during the years of raising children. Click on the link below, if you would like to read it.

SAVORING THE GIFT OF MOTHERHOOD

NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER: PRAY GOD’S GLORY ACROSS THE EARTH

It’s the NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER in America, and the theme of the year is to pray for God’s glory to be released across the earth.

The glory of the Lord is the manifestation of His presence; it’s HEAVEN touching the earth. Every soul in the world is in need of God’s glory.

Though darkness may be increasing upon the earth, the glory of God is being poured out in an unprecedented way. The light of Christ is flooding out the dark forces in the lives of those who are fully yielded to Him. Our level of experiencing God’s light and glory is dependent upon how spiritually hungry we are. We can either spend our lives craving the things of this present world or we can wholeheartedly seek after Christ and experience His glory in unimaginable ways.

My prayer is that every person who is longing for redemption and seeking to know Christ on a deeper level will catch some of the glory that’s being poured out by God.  As God’s people arise and shine in the midst of darkness, nations will be changed by the brightness of His glory.

Our Heavenly Father,

Thank You for Your marvelous glory and light. I praise You for what You are doing on the earth. I ask You to release Your glory and let it permeate the body of Christ around the world. Release unprecedented amounts of Your glory across the earth and let countless lives be transformed. Let Your glory bring millions of people to their knees and let them run into your arms. Let Your glory overpower the darkness that has tried to invade the lives of Your people. Help the CHURCH stand strong and make a bold statement for the world to see. Let us be courageous and mighty people—ones who carry Your glory and bring light to the world. Let nations be changed by the brightness of our rising and let Your glory continue to increase in our world until the day of Christ’s return. I pray in Christ’s name. Amen.

“Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For behold, darkness will cover the earth and deep darkness the peoples; but the LORD will rise upon you and His glory will appear upon you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.” Isaiah 60:1-3

A PRAYER FOR DESPERATE MOTHERS

Are you a mom that’s feeling desperate as you watch your children struggle through the trials of life? Your prayers are more powerful than you can imagine. There is mountain-moving power in a mother’s prayers.

Jesus can and will move mountains if you pray fervently and don’t give up praying until He answers.

My prayer is that every desperate mom will fall on her knees and cry out to Jesus for help.

LORD,

Thank You for hearing the cries and prayers of desperate moms all around the world. Thank You for loving our sons and daughters more than we do. I lift up the mothers that desperately need You to rescue their children from fears, addictions, suicide, diseases, violence, and all the other things that are wreaking havoc on the younger generation. I ask You to fill the worried moms with unwavering faith and courage. Fill them with hope and peace every day. Give them strength to go forward each day with a new outlook on life. Let millions of mothers rise up and pray for the youth in the world so that countless miracles will be birthed out of their prayers. I trust You to do what seems impossible and I pray in Christ’s name. Amen.

As a MOTHER’S DAY gift to you, the KINDLE EDITION of The Desperate Mom’s Prayer Book is available for download on Amazon for FREE on May 6th and May 7th.  I hope the eBook encourages you during these trying times in our world.

PRAYER & ENCOURAGEMENT FOR THE MOTHERLESS

There is a place inside everybody’s heart that needs the love of a mother. As humans, we are wired with a deep need for a mother’s love and encouragement. Yet, due to death, divorce, deployment, and many other reasons, not everyone has a good mother present in their lives. When that need for a mother goes unmet, it can cause deep pain in the soul. My heart is filled with great compassion for the ones without a loving mother.

Although it may not feel natural to view God in a motherly way, He is a comforter to the motherless. Isaiah 66:13 (NKJV) says: “As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; and you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.”

Along with bringing comfort, God heals our hearts when our biological mothers are absent or have passed away.

I was a fifteen-year-old girl when my mom moved away from me to live in another state. My parents had divorced when I was thirteen, so I had already experienced the pain of having my father move out of our home. After my mom decided to get remarried to another man, I had to choose whether I wanted to move away with my mom or move in with my father. Not having any idea of the ache I would feel in my heart, I chose to move in with my father after my mom moved hours away. During the weeks and months after being separated from my mom, I experienced an indescribable pain.

Even though those days were filled with excruciating pain, I would relive it all over again a thousand times because of the amazing blessing I received during that time of my life. Those painful days were when I began falling deeper in love with Christ. As I cried out to the Lord, He swept me into His incredible arms of love. Those days as a fifteen-year-old girl are when God planted a seed inside me that would later help me grow into a passionate-on-fire-for-Jesus-follower. It was during that motherless season that I learned to fall on my knees in God’s presence and worship Christ with all my heart.

Having my mom absent at times in my life has actually been a wonderful gift to me because it made me realize that Christ loves me like nobody else can.

If you are experiencing the ache of not having a mother or if you have an unloving mom, I want to encourage you and pray for you.

Psalm 27:10 (NKJV) says: “When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take care of me.

Your mother may have forsaken you, but God will never forsake you. He is Your ever-present COMFORTER.

It’s truly beautiful to experience the motherly love of God. As we draw near to God, He nurtures us, empowers us to forgive, and helps us to love those who have forsaken us.

My prayer is that every hurting person will experience the priceless gift of God’s perfect love and rest in knowing that He is with you always.

LORD,

Thank You for loving us with a perfect love. Thank You for comforting us in the same way a mother comforts. I ask You to comfort the ones who have never had a loving mother and fill the void in the hearts of sons and daughters who have lost their mother due to death, divorce, abandonment, or other circumstances.

Help the ones who are hurting today to rest in Your presence and know that You will never leave them, nor forsake them. Help them look to You always as their comforter and nurturer.

Bring forth spiritual mothers to help nurture the hearts of neglected children. Heal the hearts of the ones who have been wounded or abandoned by their mothers and give them joy instead of mourning. Help a generation of orphaned children to become mighty carriers of the gospel message of Jesus Christ. I pray in Christ’s name. Amen.

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The photo at the top was captured on MOTHER’S DAY in 2016 while I was visiting Hawaii.

REJOICING IN CHRIST’S RESURRECTION

Christ has risen! Because He lives, we can rest in Christ’s presence and peace in the midst of a pandemic. We can face adversity with strength and joy because we know that we have our beloved Christ to carry us.

Christ died an agonizing death to pay the penalty for our sins so that we can live eternally, free of condemnation and guilt. He died so that we can live in eternal peace through every trial and loss. Christ’s love is all we need to make it through this life victoriously. The power that raised Jesus back to life is the same power that resurrects us and gives us new life. The resurrection power that raised Christ from the dead is able to lift us up and fill us with joy as we place our trust in Him. We can rejoice that death has been conquered. Our bodies are just temporary tents, so there is no fear of death for the believer in Christ.

I can imagine Jesus whispering words of love and grace to the world.

I am risen! Celebrate My resurrection. Come live fully in Me every moment of every day. Don’t give one thought to the difficulties of life on Earth. You can rest in knowing these are light and momentary troubles compared to the glory of Heaven. Keep your eyes fixed on Me and on eternal things not seen. As you live in Me, you will rise up on eagles’ wings and soar continually. Don’t be afraid of anything I ask you to do. Simply obey Me. Live in the fullness of My joy. Shout to the world of My goodness. Glorify My name so that those in need of Me will know the truth of who I am. Let this day be a day of new beginnings—a day to rejoice in My perfect love for you. My heart longs for you, My beloved bride. I am coming back for you and will live with you for all eternity. Come with Me to high places and never stop singing praises over all you have found in the gift of the cross.

Heaven touches us and stays in our hearts the moment we truly realize what Christ has done for us on the cross. We do not have to wait until after we leave our earthly bodies to begin experiencing Christ’s eternal gifts. Eternity begins when we surrender to Christ, allow Him to carry us through the trials, and trust Him to bring beauty in the midst of turmoil.

Hallelujah.

The hymn written by Bill Gaither is a beautiful song to sing and be reminded of the power in the cross to heal and strengthen us every day.

God sent His son, they called Him, Jesus;
He came to love, heal and forgive;
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.

Chorus
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives.

How sweet to hold a newborn baby,
And feel the pride and joy he gives;
But greater still the calm assurance:
This child can face uncertain days because He lives.

Chorus
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives.

And then one day, I’ll cross the river,
I’ll fight life’s final war with pain;
And then, as death gives way to vict’ry,
I’ll see the lights of glory and I’ll know He lives.

Our Precious Jesus,

Thank You for dying an agonizing death so that we can live eternally in Your perfect peace. Help us walk in Your righteousness continually and let us live in the fullness of Your joy every day. Help us to remember daily the pain you bore so that we can live freely in Your amazing grace. I pray in Christ’s name. Amen.

Have a blessed Easter.