Best Gift Ever… #Newbeginningsrock

let the dead leaves drop“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet have taken a hold of it.

But one thing I do;

Forgetting what is behind and straining  to what is ahead, I press on

toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward

in Christ Jesus.”

Phillippians 3:14

This verse… these individual words of amazing hope…  speak volumes to

my heart…

If Paul, who zealously went after Christians, rounding them up and killing

them for what He thought was true, could keep straining forward after His

heartbreaking past,

then I, We, can keep straining forward too..

God met Paul in all his ugly…

God redeemed Him, loved him, and had a plan for him that nothing could

destroy.

God took Paul’s worst…

And used it for His best.

If Paul would have kept bringing up his past and complaining  and

grumbling over all the sadness …

all of the unrighteousness he had done, then Jesus’s death on the cross

would have been for nothing.

Jesus’s death was, and is for YOU.

Just like it was for Paul.

His death is the only thing that can set us free.

It matters.

He wants us to live, and breathe and receive all that He is.

If not…

We have not… we are useless in His plan.

He chose you,

He chose me.

He knew all about us before you were even born.

He knew all that Paul was, and yet,  He never chose anyone else  to replace

him…

He chose Paul.

Today is a new day.

It’s a day of reckoning with our past…

He has destroyed every hold on your heart.

He wants to bless you… with so much love.

It’s so time to let the sadness go.  It’s time to let His love, that covers

every ounce of your heart, mind, and soul, lead the way…

Let Him have all your pain.

All your regrets.

All the people you may have hurt, or who have hurt you.

All your fears.

All your failures.

He has plans for all of that…

Do not stand in His way…

He wants your heart…

He already began this new way when you prayed and asked Him to come

into your heart…

“See, I have already begun!  Do you not see it?” 

Isaiah 43:19

Dear Heavenly Father,

How I thank you for seeing my every pain …

For reaching in the  my pit of  my despair, and redeeming my heart, and

my life…

Thank You that my sin will not, and cannot keep me from YOU.

“So do not fear, I am with you: do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right

hand.”

Isaiah 41:10

Today,

I receive Your victory over what was.

Today,

I will strain to what is ahead.

I will press on toward the goal for which You have called me.

I am safe in Your arms…

I am ready to see where this road will lead me…

Letting go of the past, I will press on…

I am sorry for running away…

For not trusting You.

Oh, Father,

I want to know You more…

As I humble my heart into Your mighty love, I pray for my destiny to be

unleashed in my soul.

That I would crave the things you once whispered to my heart.

Not turning back, I pray YOU would break the chains that tried to hold me.

For Your glory’s sake, I pray You to set me free…

Right here in this moment,

I am Yours…

Draw me near, Father, soften my heart, and let me see all that You are,

and have been…

How I praise You for never letting go of me…

and I love You.

Happy New Year…

In Jesus Name,

I pray,

Amen

Live in Love,

Lisa

“For my grace you have been saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves; it

is

the gift of God.”

Eph 2:8

#BESTGIFTEVER

Today Matters…#Newbeginningsrock

a whole year more incredibler“Those who look to Him for help will be radiant with joy;

no shadow of shame will darken their faces.”

Psalm 34:5

Memorize this.

Breathe this.

Cover your heart, and wrap your soul in this…

Live in this.

There are not strings attached…

No debts to be paid…

When You search for Him with all your broken heart… will find him. (Jer 29:13)

As you look ahead to the new year,

I pray You would cling to what is good..What is true, and what is real.

God’s love for you is your freedom.

God’s love  is your  hope.

Let’s keep our face brightly shinning in His light…letting His radiance

shine through to every nook and cranny of  our soul…

Seeking His Sun light…

Basking in His glory…

He gave it all for  you and I to live.

He gave it all for us to shine…

We can rest in His hope.

We can live in His power and grace.

He gave us His all so we would have the strength to carry on…

No looking back.

No going back…

….”no shadow of shame will darken their faces.”

Do not turn from His light…It’s shinning on you for His purposes…

Let Him have all of you.. Let Him be your savior…

Let Him be overjoyed that You have chosen Him over guilt, doubt and shame…

Let Him, at this very moment, fill you will joy…

He needs you to let go…

He wants you to trust His goodness.

He wants you to embrace His grace.

That is His gift to you…

Today, tomorrow, and forever…

He wants you to live in freedom… all for His glory.  All for His sake.

“For the Lord delights in His people; He crowns the humble with

salvation. Let the faithful rejoice in this honor.

Let them sing for joy as they lie on their beds…”

Psalm 149:4-5

He knows your weaknesses…

Your failures…

He sought you anyway…

He chose you anyway.

Let His love for you be enough.

He has plans to give you a hope and a future. (jer 29:11)

Live in His love…

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Today matters…

Live well :)

and

Live in Love,

Lisa

Out With The Old… #Newbeginningsrock

out with the old in with the newLooking ahead to 2016,  How I pray we would let the past go…

Let our yesterdays be gone…

Let our hearts feel the freedom of God’s love and care.

May we rest our souls in His truth and salvation….

May His freedom ring loud and true…

“For I am about to do something new.  See, I have already begun! 

Do you not see it?

I will make a pathway through the wilderness.

I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.”

Isaiah 43:19

Right where you are.

Right here in this moment.

He is moving you forward.

He is whispering your name…

He is creating a pathway through the wilderness…and rivers in the dry waste land of of our hearts…

He is washing away the past…

He is prompting  you to let go…

Do you not perceive it?

Father,

My great defender and king,

I do…

I do perceive Your call…

I am trusting You with my all.

You have never let go…

You have never faltered.

Give me eyes to see, and a softened heart to hear…

You have taken all my bad days and demolished them all.

You have set a course before me, a path of hope…

A path of peace…

Your love has ignited in me a new beginning.

A new and victorious call…

May my soul…  and my thoughts

be grounded in grace…

I am forgiven. Loved and redeemed…

That is the power of grace…

You have shattered our yesterdays, giving us the power and strength to move on.

I am here to please You…

I am here to love…

I am here to forgive, and hope and dream…

I am here because I am Your’s…

In Jesus Name,

I pray,

Amen

Live in Love,

Lisa

Behold Your King… #Christmaslove

behold your king

“But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart…”

Luke 2:19

In a world so full of self ,

Mary treasured and pondered truth…

Dear Friend…

That’s the precious gift  of Jesus…

Mary, treasured every wordEvery touch... Every thought of God’s power

and might…Love and hope..

 That’s the key that opens the door to our peace.. to love, to goodness,

and trust.

Treasuring…

Letting our hearts be fully saturated in all that God

is…

All that He was,  and is to be..

That’s the precious gift  of Jesus…

Mary, treasured every word…Every touch… Every thought of God’s power

and might…Love and hope..

To live flowing in God’s truths..

Adoring: and treasuring His gift of  precious forgiveness and

unconditional grace…

  You are a vessel of His hope to the weary and heavy laden…

To the searching… and to the ones who have given up…

We are living proof of His freedom and forgiveness…

His love, and eternal life…

We are daughters  and sons of the King most high…

I love you…Dear Friend…

Merry Christmas!

In Jesus Name,

I pray,

Amen

Live in Love,

Lisa

Breathtaking…#Christmaslove

he appeared and the soul found its worth.jpg

“So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was

lying in the manger.

When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been

told them about this child,

and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

The Shepherds returned, glorifying an praising God for all the things they

had heard and seen,

 which were just as they had been told.”

Luke 2: 15-20

My heart is calling me to stop.

 To  fully take in the

grandeur and glory of this moment…

I can only imagine the excitement,  and  pure curiosity these shepherds  must have been feeling…

The complete humility that must have captured their souls as their spirits

were stirred with fear…amazement…and then hope….

So much glory…

So much goodness…

They hurried off to see the things the angel told them…

“This will be a sign to you.  You will find a baby;  wrapped in cloths and

lying in a manger…” (luke2:12)

and when they got there, there HE was…

Lying in the manger…

wrapped in cloths…

Whoa!

How unbelievably awesome…

Their hearts must have overfilled with love..

Father,

What a gift it is to be able to read these words

and rush to see the baby Jesus, just as these shepherds did…

I kneel in awe…

My soul gripped with the holiness of this moment…

My heart overflowing with joy.

How I thank You for Your Holy Word of truth..

 My soul finds rest in Your every word, and my heart is filled with peace.

That You would love us this much, feels overwhelming, and thank You

feels…  so; so small…

There is just nothing as precious as a new born baby…

Nothing  more innocent…

pure…

And completely breathtaking…

There are just no adequate words for such a moment…

“But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart…”

So much love…

“The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God, for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told…” (luke 2:20)

May our lives be a beautiful reflection of such a love..

Holy.

Holy.

Is our God Almighty…

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Live in Love,

Lisa

..

Comfort & Joy… #Christmaslove

good tiding of comfort and joy

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.

An angle of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

But the angel said to them,

“Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news of the great joy that will be for all the people.

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.

This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly hosts appeared with an angel praising God and saying..

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another,

“Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

Luke 2 8-15

He shines His love on us…

No matter who we are…

Where we are..

The shepherds were living their daily lives…

Unaware of this most amazing.. most incredible…

most awe inspiring moment…

Can you relate?

Can you remember the moment Heaven shined on you?

The moment Your heart was filled with hope..

With forgiveness…

With pure Holy love…

The moment the glory of the Lord filled Your whole being…

And grace rained down…

The moment your heart was filled with the very best… ” good news” and

overwhelming   joy…

Heavenly Father,

As I read,  and reread,  these amazing words of Your love shining down, I

am ever so humbled of such favor and hope…

You opened our eyes and our souls…

You let Your love light warm our spirits and melt our fears…

How thankful…

How humbled…

How grateful I am…

My spirit  sings…

“Glory to God in the highest….”

In Jesus Name,

I cry Amen…

Live in Love,

Lisa