Anyone who knows my mother knows why I’ve always wanted to be like her. During the hardest season, my mother was the wind beneath my wings. She taught me the most valuable lessons of my life.
Today, I am remembering the years after my dad divorced my mother, recalling how she turned to Christ to help her restore and renew her life. I believe wholeheartedly it is what I witnessed during those years that made me the woman I am today. What stands out in my mind the most is how my mom depended on God. While watching my mother, I saw a hurting woman turn to Jesus for her every need. She was a young, beautiful woman and she could’ve easily turned to other men in her desperation. With amazement, I watched her closely as she sought God. Most importantly, I watched how a woman’s passionate love for God could make a bad situation turn into something good (Romans 8:28).
My mother was the first person I ever saw fall deeply in love with God. Since she no longer had a husband, she depended on Christ for everything. I can still vividly remember my mom sitting with her Bible in her hands and reading it for hours. She was always seeking to know God better. Her life was a true testament (and still is) of the goodness of God. Her love for Him, while I was growing up, was evident by the fruit in her life. I saw the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) growing daily as I watched my mom’s example.
I saw a woman giving sacrificially, like no other person in my life. One time, she literally gave away the coat on her back. It was her favorite jacket, the one she wore all the time. She gave it to a young teenage girl because the Lord had asked her to. In that moment, I remember thinking, “I want to be like Mama.”
I learned from my mother that following Christ can be a great adventure. Shortly after my dad moved out of our home, my mom bought a special ring to replace her wedding ring. She beamed as she told her friends why she wore the ring. It was a ring that told the story of her heart—the story of the adventure that God had swept her into. From the side, the ring looked like a roller coaster, symbolizing the excitement of following God. From the top, it looked like a music note, symbolizing the beauty God was creating in her life. She wore the ring as a symbol of her commitment to God and His commitment to her. This was the first time I saw how the Lord personalizes our ties to Him.
The way my mother reacted to the pain in her life was teaching me a life lesson that would stay with me forever. I learned from my mother to see the best in everything, how to overcome any obstacle through Christ’s power, and how to live life to the fullest while enduring hardships. I learned from her how to see God in every situation and how He rescues us in times of need. Above all, I learned from my mother how to forgive completely, how to love others unconditionally, and how to be a woman after God’s heart.
Many years ago, I began feeling very burdened in my spirit for America and the direction it was heading. I sensed the only answer to our problems would be a great movement of God—a true revival and spiritual awakening in the lives of multitudes of people. In 2010 as I was praying, I began to envision a map of the United States with flames around it and bright light coming out of it. As I envisioned the flames of fire around the map of America, I sensed great difficulties were coming to our nation. Along with the coming trials, I believe the flames in my vision were a symbol of the Holy Spirit consuming millions of souls and drawing them into the kingdom of God.
While I envisioned bright light coming out of America, I realized the image in my mind symbolized the church in the fullness of Christ’s light.
After I sought the Lord in that season, I began sensing that the U.S. is called to be the light of the world.
The thought of our country being the light of the world brought so much excitement to my soul. It gave me a fiery passion to pray for an outpouring of God’s Spirit that would change the atmosphere of America and ultimately impact the world with Christ’s glory and light.
I believe wholeheartedly that God will pour out His Spirit in a greater way than ever before. I believe there is a remnant of God’s people who are fully prepared for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and they will be used to release the glory of God into the earth realm. However, the believers in Christ who have not fully yielded to Him will be undergoing more refinement. The Lord will sit as a refiner and purifier of His CHURCH so that she will be filled with His righteousness (Malachi 3:3). In God’s perfect timing, a true movement of repentance and restoration will begin in America which will bring genuine change to cities.
America will be filled with God’s glory if we pray and partner with Christ to see His kingdom come and His will be done on EARTH as it is in HEAVEN.
I can imagine Jesus lovingly shouting: “Rise up, CHURCH, and shine in the darkness. Pray fervently for change in America.”
Let’s pray more passionately than ever to see Christ’s will come forth for the United States.
On this National Day of Prayer, I feel led to share a prayer (video) I recorded in 2018. I prayed for America as I stood on a mountain while the sun was going down. I love how the wind was blowing as I was praying. Please pray along with me and trust our HEAVENLY FATHER to do mighty things in our country.
Nothing lifts the heart like God’s love. God has all the answers to your problems. You only need to submit to Him, humble yourself, and pray: “Help me, God.”
Coming to Jesus with a childlike, humble heart in an attitude of repentance is the secret to experiencing an abundant life of peace and joy.
I can imagine Jesus whispering words of love: “Don’t focus on your problems. Keep Your eyes fixed on ME and MY promises. Turn away from the things that bring destruction to your life. Surrender everything to ME and let MY love lift you up.”
LORD,
Thank You for drawing us to our knees when we need a touch from You. Thank You for lifting us up with Your amazing love. Help us surrender to Your will every moment of our lives. Help us never forget that we are nothing without You and Your Spirit. Help us walk in complete humility all the days of our lives. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Easter Sunday is a beautiful time to celebrate the resurrection of Christ. And as we grow more deeply acquainted with Christ, we realize that every day is a day to celebrate and experience the power of Christ’s resurrection.
Through a deep relationship with Christ, we can experience the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. Christ’s resurrection power floods our soul with joy and peace when we feel like giving up. His resurrection power heals our broken hearts when we’re hurting. His resurrection power gives us strength to endure the most painful circumstances. Christ’s resurrection power delivers us from the demons that try to destroy our lives. His power enables us to forgive and love the people who have mistreated us. There is a never-ending list of the ways we can experience the power of Christ’s resurrection.
Everybody experiences hard battles in life. Pain is an inescapable reality in this world. However, the resurrection of Christ is a reason to dance every single day. When I am facing hard and painful battles, I fall on my knees and cry out to Jesus. As I pour my heart out to the Lord, His resurrection power lifts me up and fills me with supernatural strength. Then I begin to dance in celebration of His amazing love.
May you experience Christ’s resurrection power this Easter and be filled with a great measure of joy.
Our Beloved Jesus,
With every passing day, I am in more awe of You. I will be eternally grateful for Your grace. Thank You for Your indescribable love for mankind. Thank You for being our redeemer and dying an agonizing death so that we can live eternally in Your perfect peace. Help us to surrender to Your will and experience Your resurrection power every day. Help us to always remember the pain you bore for us to be free from sin, death, condemnation, and shame. Help us live with grateful hearts and let our lives be a celebration of Your awesome gift to us. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
I hope you enjoy my all-time favorite worship song. Years ago, I danced so intensely when the song “God’s Great Dance Floor” was sung at the Easter service. The muscles in my legs hurt for a few days from dancing so hard. It was worth it though.
My heart is deeply saddened for the ones impacted by the tragedy that happened at THE COVENANT SCHOOL a few days ago in Nashville. I’m praying for God to bring peace and comfort to those who have been deeply traumatized. I will continue praying for God’s kingdom to come and His will to be done on EARTH AS IT IS HEAVEN.
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 darkness in the lives of those who are fully yielded to Him.
Let’s draw near to Christ and pray passionately every day.
LORD,
Thank You for Your amazing grace and mercy. Thank You for comforting the ones who are hurting today. I know that You hold all the answers for our broken world. Prepare the younger generation for the intense spiritual battle. Pour Your glory upon the youth of the world. Fill them with God-confidence and open the door to their destinies.
Give them a strong hunger for Your righteousness and empower them with Your Holy Spirit. Let them arise and radiate Christ’s light powerfully. Let Your light shine brightly in their lives and use them to ignite a great spiritual awakening. Let Your kingdom come and let Your will be done in America as it is in HEAVEN. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
A new movie, Jesus Revolution, was released in February at theaters in America. After watching the movie, I began pondering the powerful message of the story that’s based on a real movement of the past. So many people in our world have misrepresented what Christianity is. But the Jesus Revolution movie portrays Christ’s message of love powerfully and beautifully.
If you haven’t watched the movie, I think you would be uplifted by its inspirational story. It is amazing. It has the potential to inspire millions of people to become powerful vessels that share the gospel of grace and spread the message of God’s love.
Christ commanded us to remain in His love. It’s by His love that we are able to live a joyful, fulfilling life. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is completed and perfected in us (1 John 4:12).
The following scriptures in the Bible (John 15:9-17) are words the Lord spoke about love. Jesus said: “I have loved you just as the Father has loved Me; remain in My love [and do not doubt My love for you]. If you keep My commandments and obey My teaching, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love. I have told you these things so that My joy and delight may be in you, and that your joy may be made full and complete and overflowing. This is My commandment, that you love and unselfishly seek the best for one another, just as I have loved you. No one has greater love [nor stronger commitment] than to lay down his own life for his friends. You are my friends if you keep on doing what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you [My] friends, because I have revealed to you everything that I have heard from My Father. You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed and placed and purposefully planted you, so that you would go and bear fruit and keep on bearing, and that your fruit will remain and be lasting, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name [as My representative] He may give to you. This [is what] I command you: that you love and unselfishly seek the best for one another.”
May God use the Jesus Revolution movie as a catalyst for transforming the CHURCH into a powerful vessel of Christ’s love and bring forth another JESUS REVOLUTION even greater than the one in the 70s.
Hallelujah.
The scriptures in this post were quoted from the AMPLIFIED BIBLE.
During recent days, I’ve been weeping tears of joy. I have cried multiple times in the midst of feeling tremendous gratitude. I cannot express in words how excited I am about what God is doing in America. On Thursday, February 9, my former pastor’s wife shared about a revival that had begun the day before at Asbury University in the state of Kentucky. Shortly after that, I read two articles posted on the website of the Asbury Collegian. Excitement rose up in my spirit as I read about the move of God that began during a Wednesday morning chapel service on the college campus.
As I read the Asbury Collegian articles, I remembered the move of God from previous years that gave me the desire to pray for a worldwide revival. In 2009, I lived in the suburbs of Atlanta and attended Passion City Church regularly. With a sense of awe, I saw revival happening at Passion City Church. Fourteen years ago, when I first began attending the Passion gatherings, I was amazed by the large number of college students in the services. As a middle-aged woman, I was surrounded by young people that were very hungry for God. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever experienced. God poured out His Spirit upon us powerfully as we worshiped Him in Spirit and in truth. It was truly HEAVEN ON EARTH to experience the outpouring of the Holy Spirit during a number of the worship services and the Passion conferences I attended. Multitudes of these youthful ones were touched by Jesus, and I believe these gatherings helped ignite a movement that led to the beginning of a spiritual awakening.
Those years of worshiping with the college students at Passion City Church changed the trajectory of my prayer life. As I witnessed God pouring out His Spirit, Jesus called me to pray for revival to come upon the entire body of Christ. I began praying more passionately than I ever had before.
Even though there were naysayers that said it was not a true revival, I believe that it was a powerful move of God. Thankfully, there were other people who believed that true revival was happening. But as the years went by, the praying people seemed to get discouraged by all the negative words of the ones who did not believe God was truly pouring out His Spirit. As a result of the discouraging words, I believe prayer for revival was no longer a priority to many people in the church.
Prayer is what fuels revivals. As the church stopped praying consistently for the revival to intensify and spread, the outpouring that we experienced then began to subside.
Thankfully, God’s people are waking up now and praying like never before. So, I am confident that nothing can stop this move of God in 2023 and beyond.
With a faith-filled heart, I will continue to pray and rejoice over all the ways God is moving throughout our country. Countless people are getting redeemed, restored, transformed, delivered from demonic oppression, and set free from addictions in various churches and ministries. It’s surreal to witness God’s Spirit moving mightily in the churches and college campuses.
As we pray, we will witness an even greater measure of God’s Spirit being poured out. I believe 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.
Let’s not allow the naysayers to discourage us. And let’s pray passionately every day for this revival to spread like wildfire throughout America and the world.
The following prayer is one I wrote in 2011. I’m sharing it again because It’s a prayer that is relevant for now.
June 13, 2011
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. Thank You for purifying us and for removing everything 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 our area. Keep pouring Your Spirit into the hearts of the people who are fully seeking You.
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, Jesus. I am waiting for You with great expectation to do mighty things in the churches in our 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 one of them come to know You deeply and intimately. Raise us up to be the church You want 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 and I pray in Your name. Amen.
I am in absolute awe of You. Thank You for hearing our prayers and pouring out Your Spirit upon the younger generation. Thank You for the revival that has begun among the youth in America. Let revival continue spreading like wildfire throughout our nation and world. I trust You to bring forth a JESUS REVOLUTION that will begin to break the chains of hatred and evil off of our cities.
Awaken the church fully and help us pray more fervently than ever before. Bring forth the most powerful prayer movement among mothers to pray for the youth of the world to be saved. Bring forth countless anointed leaders to preach and lead revival meetings. Let Your Spirit rule and reign in the churches of our world. Pour out a greater measure of Your glory upon the church. Let our sons and daughters begin to prophesy with passion. Let the young men see visions and the old ones have prophetic dreams. And let millions of souls fall to their knees in repentance.
Help believers in Christ to be unified and have strong voices against the wicked injustices in our communities. Bring peace to the areas in our world that are experiencing civil unrest. Bring unity among the people in our cities and let us love one another with Your perfect love.
Empower us with Your Holy Spirit and help us do great things on the earth all the days of our lives. Let each one of us be used mightily to share the gospel message of Jesus Christ. Let us be peacemakers and help us bring change to the world until the day of Christ’s return. I pray in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Years ago, I saw something that caught my attention and made me think of God’s perfect love toward us. I was driving home from doing errands. As I was making a right turn, I saw a motorcycle and a bicycle turn in front of me. At first, it struck me as really odd because the cyclist was riding so closely behind the motorcycle. But then I could see clearly what they were doing. It was a father and a daughter riding together.
The man looked to be in his forties or fifties. He was riding his motorcycle directly in front of the girl. They were so close together that it looked as though they were touching each other. The girl looked about sixteen. She had on a biker’s shirt similar to what the professionals wear. She was obviously training for a serious race, and her dad was there to help her train. It was like her father was guiding her and protecting her along the way. As I passed by, the dad was turning around to look at his daughter to make sure she was okay.
While driving by them, emotions rose up in my spirit. I saw a picture of how God loves and protects us.
I could hear God’s still, small voice speaking to me in my heart.
He whispered to me so gently. “I love you with an unfailing love like a father loves His child. I go before you to mark the path that is best for you. Stay on the path with Me, and I will keep you in the shadow of My wings.”
I had tears of joy as I drove home thinking about such a beautiful picture of God’s love for us. I realized in that moment of watching the father guiding his daughter on her bike, how we don’t need to move ahead of God, outside of His protective shelter.
Isn’t that amazing to think about? God our Father is continually with us and sheltering us as long as we don’t try to sneak away from His loving guidance. The Bible says God is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and He relents from sending calamity (Joel 2:13). As we stay close to God, He will keep us from harm, and make us sing for joy all our days on the earth.
I am praying that you will experience the immeasurable love of God today. May His peace rest upon you, and may you always know you are His beloved daughter or son. Most of all, I pray you will bow before Him and be satisfied in His unfailing love.
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As a side note, I wrote this devotion previously, and it was posted on the ‘Live Abundantly Now’ blog in 2013. The photo design work was created by my daughter.
My heart is filled with tremendous compassion for the people suffering in Turkey and Syria. Let’s pray fervently.
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for being our healer and rescuer. Wrap Your loving arms around the ones who are suffering in Turkey and Syria. Draw near to those who have experienced devastation from the earthquake and bring peace to those who have been deeply traumatized. Bring solace to those who are mourning and bring healing to those who are injured. Bring comfort and hope to the ones feeling hopeless.
Send countless workers to help with the rescue efforts. Strengthen the medical staff as they work to help the devastated people. Pour out Your Spirit in a mighty way and wash away the pain with Your love. Let Your kingdom come and Your will be done in Turkey and Syria. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
What is the first thing you think of when you hear the word, “grace?” The word evokes many thoughts in my heart. But the very first thought that grace brings to my mind is the God who created the world.
God is grace. The Bible tells us the Lord is gracious and merciful.
Psalm 103:8 says: “The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. ”
Joel 2:13 says: “And rend your heart and not your garments. Now return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in loving-kindness and relenting of evil.”
I consider myself to be gracious and compassionate in the way I think and act. It’s evident in the way people freely confess their sins to me. I’ve had a number of women share their secrets with me about their struggles to remain faithful in their marriages. I’ve learned so much about grace through the confessions of these ladies.
I remember a time when a woman confessed to me that she was considering leaving her husband and family to be with another man. I wept as I prayed for her and asked the Lord, “What should I say to this woman?” I knew it was very important to speak the truth in love. In these types of situations, it is so important to display the heart of God to those who don’t truly know Him. Many times we can blurt out the first thing that pops into our heads such as, Oh my goodness…are you crazy? But I sought the Lord for the words to say to the one tempted to leave her family. And Jesus gave me the perfect words filled with His grace.
Many are confused about grace. Grace is not an excuse for being disobedient—it is a reason to be completely obedient to God. His abounding grace should be what causes us to want to obey Him perfectly.
A child is much more apt to listen to a loving, gracious parent, than to one who screams at them in anger and rage. A child wants to please the loving parent. It’s the same way with the Lord. I obey God’s commands because I know how very much He loves me, and I don’t want to do anything to disturb the closeness I have with Him.
Isaiah 59:2 (Amplified Bible) says: “But your wickedness has separated you from your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.”
I don’t want to be away from Jesus for even one minute, let alone one hour or a week. He has become everything to me. It’s Christ’s amazing grace that draws me to Him. I would rather have my head served on a platter than do anything that would spoil my fellowship with Jesus. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is for me and for all believers to walk in unity with the Lord. My desire is for myself and others to be one with Christ and share His grace with all those we come in contact with.
On the day I talked with the woman about her temptation to leave her family, my words penetrated her heart. She heard through my voice how deeply God loved her, and that He didn’t want her to mess up her life.
I exhaled a breath that felt big enough to knock over a large building when she told me she had chosen to stay in her marriage and make things work with her husband. Many years later, they are happily married. I believe it was the grace of God displayed through my life that helped her make the right choice.
God’s love is abounding. Until the second coming of Christ, may we—His followers—continually display His extravagant grace.
Enjoy Jesus!
Amy
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Easter Sunday is a beautiful time to celebrate the resurrection of Christ. And as we grow more deeply acquainted with Christ, we realize that every day is a day to celebrate and experience the power of Christ’s resurrection. 
