A Woman's Walk

[Judy Harder]

Week of September 6
Harmony


"Finally, all of you should be of one mind, full of sympathy toward each other, loving one another with tender hearts and humble minds."  ~ 1Peter 3:8 (NLT)

Have you ever been part of a team of any kind and experienced discord?  People just didn't agree.  Everything felt hard, out of sync and each step of progress was painstaking.  Your team wasn't of "one mind."  You didn't have harmony.

What did your team do?  What was the ultimate outcome?  Did they meet their goal on time?  Or did they dismantle?

I believe when people come together in the right spirit, there is harmony.  When egos bow to God's purpose and when comfort zones succumb to stepping out in big faith, God is able to accomplish much through us.  We were made by Him for Him.

In Romans 12:16 (NIV), the Apostle Paul warns us to "Live in harmony with one another.  Do not be proud."  The New Living Translation states, "Don't try to act important . . . And don't think you know it all!"

This is love.  And God gives grace to the humble.  All that's required of us is to do our part.

Harmony means agreement, the Greek translation of which is Sugkatathesis, which means to put together or deposit jointly.

Even if your authority figures overrule your opinion, suggestion or idea, making a decision that you don't like or understand, know that God holds them accountable and the burden is off of you.

Romans 13:3 says, "Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority?  Then do what is right and he will commend you.  For he is God's servant to do you good."

Oftentimes, God uses joint efforts to refine us, to teach us something new, to lend His wisdom and to test our pride.  Could it be that God is preparing us for promotion?  After all, He exalts the humble.

Consider Joseph.  So many of his joint efforts bombed--in the relationship he had with his brothers and in relationships he experienced while in Egyptian captivity--yet in the end, God exalted him above all those who troubled him.  And when his brothers came to him in desperation, he extended love to them.  He chose to live in harmony once again, even though he could have chosen otherwise.  Clearly, God taught him much on the path to promotion.

What is He teaching you?
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[Judy Harder]

Week of September 13, 2009 
Refreshing

"Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."  ~Matthew 11:28

Have you ever been so burdened by your work that you feel like the faster you work, the faster time passes and the less time you have to catch up?  As if running on a  treadmill, you fear you won't meet your goal, and you realize you're on the border of burnout?

We've all been there, if not just temporarily.  And sometimes, when we're in the midst of the fury, God schedules us for a refreshing.  It can arrive when we feel we have the least amount of time to come away.  God may expect us to simply lay down the workload and spend hours or days with Him.  Or He may pull us away for a vacation or retreat or even a simple weekend.

But do we trust God enough to obey and receive?  Do we really believe that the all-seeing, all-knowing God of the universe loves us enough to prosper us in all He assigns us?

Whatever respite God requires of us, it's important to remember that He has our best interest at heart.  He desires to help us.  He will be faithful to regenerate, renew and restore our energy.  And He will give us fresh revelation, vision and insight in the most creative ways, even through others.

In so doing, God reminds us that He is God; He is in control; we are not alone; He works on our behalf; He is committed to our success, and He is the creator of creativity.  He will show us the "obvious" that we didn't see while we were intensely focused behind a PC or otherwise at work.

In this way, we see God's artistry in perfecting and completing His work through us.  Like a painter, He uses us to come in close and step back to "see" the vision, sketch the outline, add the details, then refine the work to capture the whole.

God's perspective is unlimited and perfect.  He rewards diligence.  And obedience is the key.

So if we sense God leading us to come away with Him in the midst of our impending deadline, we must.  He does this to not only test our priorities but also to give us what we need in the intimate place.  Sometimes, it's just a nugget, a single revelation that will make all the other components come into place.  But whatever it is, it will be better than we could have derived on our own--even with our talents, gifts and training.  We'll return to work with a fresh eye and a renewed enthusiasm.

The Lord says in Jeremiah 31:25 that He "will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint."  Sometimes, the most appropriate action we can take is to let go, let God and to pray for the discernment to know when to do so.

God knows what we need.  Is He waiting for you?
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Margaret D. Mitchell is the Founder of God's Love at Work, a marketplace outreach purposed to share God's greatest power source - the love of Christ. Check out the God's Love at Work 2009 Women's Conference & Expo [http://www.godsloveatwork.com/2009womensexpo] in the Atlanta area on Saturday, November 7.
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[Judy Harder]

Week of September 20
Vindication

"He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false.  He will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God his Savior.  Such is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face, O God of Jacob."  ~ Psalm 24:4-6

Have you ever experienced injustice in the workplace?  Perhaps politics played a role.  Maybe you were betrayed in some way, condemned even by those with whom you shared confidences.  Did others gossip about you.  What did you do?

Did you keep walking in upright obedience to God?  Or did you fall for the bait and react in carnal ways?  Perhaps you've done both intermittently.  None of us perfectly process circumstances all the time. 

Although we may feel like we're stumbling through daily circumstances, groping at God to relieve the pain, there is hope.  If we choose honest repentance, there will come a time when God will set things right.  When we have been tested sufficiently, fired for purity's sake, and God has allowed the flames to have their complete work in us, He will move on our behalf.  Isaiah 49:8 says, "In the time of My favor I will answer you . . ."

Repentance leads to redemption.  And although we may feel we've been wronged and it's the other gal's fault, it's important to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to us what part, if any, we had in the issue. 

I know of a married couple who discipline their children by having them sit on a "repentance bench" until they repent for their part in disputes.  As they sit side by side, they are not allowed to blame each other.  When they repent, they are relieved to resume their day. 

How often do we assume the victim role and blame others?  Even if we did not instigate the event, God may be using unpleasant circumstances or behavior of others as a vice-like instrument to force issues within us to come to the surface for the purpose of inviting us to overcome the limitation.  He may be readying us for promotion by preparing us.  When things don't bother us anymore, they can't bind us, and we are free to move on. 

No circumstance or person is too relentless for God's intervention.  If people do not hearken to God's directives, He has been known to release His judgment upon them.  But we must be in right standing.  Our freewill choice will determine a lot.

In God's time, He will deliver us from gossip to greatness, from misery to majesty, from devour to divine, from persecution to peace, from invasion to intimacy, from division to revision, from feuding to favor, from condemnation to compassion, from crushed to comforted, from fear to faith, from holes to wholeness, from blockage to boldness, from hatred to harmony, from sin to sweetness, from false accusations to freedom, from strongholds to life, from strangleholds to new opportunities and adventures.  The chains come off, and we are restored and vindicated.

Our decision to humble ourselves and honestly repent of our part in the journey will break the division and strangleholds in our work lives and beyond.  Though we cannot control another person, God will fight our battle on our behalf, and we will come through victorious.  We will be vindicated.  We will be honored, even publicly.  What has been out of priority will be put into place.  Our garden of safety and security will be restored.  And we will finish the race well.

Are you ready to be vindicated?  Spend some intimate time with the Lord and honestly repent each time He reveals your part in a situation.  In the time of God's favor, you will see the fruit of blessing in your life.  And you will walk in the freedom of victory again.
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Margaret D. Mitchell is the Founder of God's Love at Work, a marketplace outreach purposed to share God's greatest power source - the love of Christ. Check out the God's Love at Work 2009 Women's Conference & Expo [http://www.godsloveatwork.com/2009womensexpo] in the Atlanta area on Saturday, November 7.

[Judy Harder]

Week of September 27
Faithfulness

". . . choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve."   ~Joshua 24:15

Joshua understood well the personal choices involved in serving God faithfully to the end.  He had seen much life and death come to his forefathers as a result of their ungodly choices.  He reminded the leaders of Israel, with great assurance, to serve God with a clean heart.  He knew that God desired to continue to bless Israel but that they would not be positioned to receive God's blessings unless they surrendered their whole heart, even in the little things.

The bar is high for leaders.  And Joshua warned them to not fall into the sins of their past.  Oh how the enemy enjoys enticing and ensnaring us by using familiar behavior patterns and people from our past to bring destruction into our present and future, to prevent God's promises, plans and purposes from coming to fruition.

Is there a god that you need to lay down?  A god that will prevent you from living out your God-given potential and destiny?  Are there any idols that lurk in your heart?

God will be faithful to us if we are faithful to Him and His ways.  Matthew 6:33 says, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

Is God truly our first love?  Are we willing to lay everything that is important and valuable to us down at the foot of the cross to serve Him?

If our answer is "yes," then we exchange our ways for His, which are much higher and which include rewards far greater than we can earn on our own.  The question then becomes, "Do we truly trust God to deliver?"

If the answer is again "yes," then we will embark on an adventure of loving and serving Him on a whole new level that will result in fresh assignments, fresh revelation, fresh opportunities for trusting Him in new areas, fresh opportunities to overcome obstacles and greater measures of blessings to receive, pressed down, shaken together and running over (Luke 6:38).  Is this not life worth living?  This is indeed God's finest for us, and it is anything but boring!

Faithfulness requires discipline in the journey, and it requires a cleansing of the heart at the outset.  Anything less will harbor a contamination that will ultimately lead us to stumble and fall and possibly to not even finish the race God has set before us.  At the very least, the journey will be rocky. 

Faithfulness is obedience that builds trust in relationships.  "Now fear the Lord and serve Him with all faithfulness.  Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped . . . and serve the Lord" (Josh. 24:14).
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Margaret D. Mitchell is the Founder of God's Love at Work, a marketplace outreach purposed to share God's greatest power source - the love of Christ. Check out the God's Love at Work 2009 Women's Conference & Expo [http://www.godsloveatwork.com/2009womensexpo] in the Atlanta area on Saturday, November 7.

[Judy Harder]

Week of October 4
Life

" . . . Choose life, not death! . . ."  ~ 2 Kings 18:32

I recently attended an event where the speaker said, "Drug dealers are living, but they don't have life."  What a profound statement.

Christianity is intended to be dynamic, full of challenges and opportunities for high levels of faith, obedience and love.  Consider every victorious Bible character you can think of.  Did they not live on the very edge of life and death?  How about Mary, who conceived a child out of wedlock amid a culture that stoned such women?  And what about Joshua, who fought battle after battle in the Promised Land so that an entire nation would receive their Godly inheritance?  And then there was Moses, who was called out of the wilderness to rescue a nation.  And how about Esther, who came out of her comfort zone in a big way to confront a king and save her people?   And let's not forget Jesus.

Were they all not living life to the fullest as they hearkened to their callings, all the while treading carefully in obedience, staying close to the father lest they fall to death?

Such is the essence of the Christian life.  God has called us into the world, and Jesus is our perfect example.  It is in the face of life and death that our heart is revealed, our current level of confidence and courage and gifting and expertise and training and knowledge and wisdom surfaces in our face.  How limited we are without God's intervention.  Our medal is tested, our character confronted, and we see our current level of integrity.

This is not only true for us as individuals, but also for businesses and organizations, including ministries.  One of my frequent prayers is, "God, help me to not miss it," because with all that is on my plate, I know that my natural ability offers me many opportunities to get too focused on one assignment or distraction and miss the big picture, the fresh manna, the new wine, the daily watering of the word and revelations that will bring me and this ministry new life.  I need the Holy Spirit to help me focus on God more than on what He assigns me and certainly more than the distractions with which the enemy tries to tempt me.

I want to consistently receive God's greater vision.  I know that the slice or portion of revelation God first gave to me for this ministry is just the beginning.  And when the winds of change come and God desires to move in a fresh way, I want to be in position to go with His flow.  God has so many more revelations for us, which are all intended to direct us to new life if we will just position our greater focus on Him and sit at His table and receive the fresh manna and new wine He desires to serve us.  God is dynamic.  Jesus is life.  I want to live.  How about you?

Although we all walk through dry seasons, and God allows this for a time for various purposes, His originally intended norm is not for us to barely make it or just get by.  So much depends upon the freewill choices that He allows us to exercise.  And the bottom line question is, "Will we rise up, or will we shrink back and make fear our God?"

The people and businesses and ministries I have the greatest respect for are those who know how to live and, with the leading of the Holy Spirit, confront perceived risk.  Consider Rick Warren, who through hearkening to a fresh move of God, was able to turn around the economics of Rwanda.  Does the Great Commission not instruct us to make disciples of all nations?  And how about Franklin Graham, who has made a lifestyle of entering into the most "dangerous" countries and conditions--those that are ravaged by disaster and are often dominated by Islam--to rescue the broken and the lost.  Is that not the heart of Jesus in action?  Is this not living life and giving life?  Look at the fruit.

As we sit in our comfortable churches and behind our cozy desks, I challenge you to not let mundane, busy (and often petty) circumstances ware you down so that you cannot get to the most important and impacting joys God has for you, like spending time with Him and making a difference in the world.  Beth Moore says it very succinctly and profoundly on the back cover of her book, Praying God's Word Day by Day: "Beloved, you will never waste time in God's Word."  Sit before God and invite Him to help you live again.  Just one revelation from Him can turn your life, business or ministry around.

Jesus came to save us from death, not only in the afterlife but during our walk on earth.  Are you living a mundane life?  Do you feel like your life is in a rut?  Is fear holding you back, binding you from living the adventure that God has for you?  Perhaps you've been deceived by buying into the world's perspective of success, and you're disillusioned.  Have you fallen into sin through disobedience and feel like it's a long journey out?  No life is too destitute for God to restore.  He has been known to accelerate our pace.  And remember, the latter can be greater than the former.  I challenge you to repent and find out what God has just for you.  Then choose to step into life with the Holy Spirit as your guide, and reach your divine destiny.

[Judy Harder]

A Woman's Walk

Week of October 11
Forgiveness

"Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you."  ~ Colossians 3:13 

When God assigns us to a job in a particular work environment, He has many purposes in mind besides providing for our financial needs.  He may have us there to be a light in the surrounding darkness; to minister mercy, grace and prayer to those He puts in our path; to test and purify our hearts through challenges; to prepare us for the next glory--otherwise known as a promotion; to bring excellence, influence and transformation to the organization; to be an example to others; and the obvious purpose: to simply work unto Him.

All of these purposes are disciplines.  And all of these disciplines offer opportunities to forgive others and ourselves all along the journey.             

The American Heritage Dictionary defines forgiveness as "To excuse for a fault or offense; pardon.  To stop feeling anger or resentment against.  To absolve from payment of."   

Forgiveness does not mean condoning other people's bad behavior.  It simply means that, by choice, we cancel any debt we feel others owe us due to a wrong we feel they've caused us because Jesus died to pay all sin debt.  When we choose to forgive, we extend mercy and grace to the person who wronged us, just as our Heavenly Father extends mercy and grace to us through Jesus when we have wronged Him, or sinned.  Therefore, forgiveness is a reflection of Jesus' character.  It is an expression of sacrificial obedience in that our "flesh" surrenders to God's higher ways and His divine love in the process.

Forgiveness can feel unjust to our emotions because the enemy tries to provoke and manipulate our emotions negatively.  This is one of his devices for keeping us in bondage.  He tries to cause us to focus on the offense or hurt by getting us bound up in a web of anger, woundedness and revenge that can grow every time we think or talk about the issue, or every time we feel sorry for ourselves.

We must not become victims of the enemy's plan.  Instead, our emotions must come into alignment with God's word on forgiveness.  We must be ruled by the Holy Spirit, not by our emotions.  In choosing this truth, God rewards us with divine peace and rest.  And He promotes us to a level where former offenses will not bother us, a level where He can trust us even more with more. 

We must choose to pass the test by keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus and by asking for His help. Doing so gives us the power to proactively guard our hearts, refusing to allow the enemy to embed hurt, fear and anger long-term.  Sometimes, this is a process, depending on the level and the number of hurts.   

Over the years, the Lord has taught me that forgiveness is a daily journey (Matt. 18:21-22).  It is part of the Christian love walk (I Cor. 3:15).  It often helps me to pray, "Lord, please help me see others as You do and love them as You do.  I cannot do it alone."  It also helps me to remember that no one suffered greater hurt than Jesus, who died on a cross a painful death so that we could be free of all bondage.  Indeed, Jesus understands and knows our pain.  And by His stripes, our hearts are healed (Is. 53:5).             

It may surprise you to know that healing ministries have found that long-term unforgiveness is a leading root cause of disease.  Simply put, unattended wounds glorify the enemy by tormenting us inwardly (eating us alive) and persecuting others outwardly (hurting people hurt others).  We must choose which master we will serve.   

Unforgiveness is also a form of disobedience, selfishness, idolatry and pride.  It is haughtiness that rises up and says, "I'm entitled to process this my way because they hurt me."  Truth be told, this is a victim mentality.  By choosing unforgiveness, we remain controlled by the person who hurt us, claiming this hurt as our portion (a lie from the enemy), and we choose our self and our hurt over God.   This choice, this sin, opens the door for the enemy to gain strongholds in our hearts and destroy us, making us an instrument of destruction.  Again, we must choose which master we will serve.   

Jesus prayed, "Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors" (Matt. 6:12).  Therefore, if we forgive others, we will be forgiven.  But if we do not, God will not forgive us (Matt. 6:14-15).  This is a powerful and loving precept that sets us free.  God holds us accountable for what we hold in our heart, even if others have hurt us.  When we do our part, He deals with the situation and the person who wronged us for us.  Hebrews 10:30-31 says, "'VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY.' And again, 'THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.'  It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God."  Let us have faith in God's word, His truth.

If you struggle with unforgiveness, I encourage you to let the hurt go with God's help.  Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you who you need to forgive.  Confess having walked in the sin of unforgiveness.  Ask the Lord to heal and purify your heart and convict the other person's heart concerning the wrong.  Then sincerely intercede for that person, blessing them, speaking healing and deliverance over them (just as Jesus would do).  Then release them to the Lord.  Rest assured, the faithful and almighty God we serve will take this burden off your heart and handle it in His higher way for you.

[Judy Harder]

Week of October 18
Abundance

"Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work--this is a gift from God."  ~ Ecclesiastes 5:19

Divine abundance is a wonderful gift from God.  Thankfully, divine abundance is not defined by or limited to material possessions.  Rather, it encompasses much more.  In The Parable of the Rich Fool (Lk. 12:15) Jesus says, "a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

What Jesus is saying is that there is more to our purpose and identity than material things and that we must first "be rich toward God" in our hearts, our spirits and our minds by receiving all of Him and walking in His ways, guarding our hearts against greed and mammon in order to have a right attitude toward abundance (Lk.12:21).  In other words, we must first have God's character in abundance before we can sustain His blessings in abundance.  And we cannot accomplish this alone.

It is only through the abundant grace and love of our Heavenly Father that He gave His son, Jesus Christ, as our savior--who is the essence of abundance, who modeled The Father's finest principles and who also intercedes for us now at the right hand of the Father--to help us receive all of His gifts and rewards, many of which are not material.  It is through Jesus that divine joy, love, grace, favor and mercy overflow to us.  James 1:17 says that every good and perfect gift comes from above.  For this alone, we owe an abundance of thanksgiving to God.

Receiving divine abundance is also linked with our faith and actions concerning giving.  Malachi 3:10 says, "'Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.  Test me in this,' says the Lord Almighty, 'and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.'" 

Receiving divine abundance is also linked with how we treat others.  Luke 6:38 says, "Give, and it will be given to you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.  For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."  Remember, motives count.  If we just give for the sake of getting, this principle won't work.  God looks at the heart and sees all things and knows all things.

Both tithing and loving others fit into God's greatest commandments for us, which is to love Him with all our hearts, souls and minds and to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matt. 22:37-39).  This mature level of loving involves walking in obedience to God and forgiveness toward others no matter what the circumstances.  Obedience brings divine favor and rewards that are material and immaterial.

Psalm 65:11 says, "You crown the year with Your bounty and goodness . . ."  So let us ask the Holy Spirit to search our hearts and reveal privately any matters that do not please God, the very issues that would prevent us from receiving Our Father's greatest abundance.  Let us repent and ask Him to fill our hearts with a fresh love for our Heavenly Father and others so that we may have a right attitude of divine priority.  And let us give Him praise for and celebrate that which He has already given us and that which is to come.  Only then will we be positioned to receive His accelerated abundance that He longs to give us during this season.


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Margaret D. Mitchell is the Founder of God's Love at Work, a marketplace outreach purposed to share God's greatest power source - the love of Christ. Check out the God's Love at Work 2009 Women's Conference & Expo [http://www.godsloveatwork.com/2009womensexpo] in the Atlanta area on Saturday, November 7.

[Judy Harder]

Week of October 25
Diligence

"[Anna] never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying."  ~ Luke 2:37

The Bible tells us that Anna was a prophet and that she was married for seven years before becoming a widow.  At that point, she lived in the temple and spent the rest of her life worshipping the Lord with a pure diligence.  She understood that her Maker was her spiritual husband and that she was created for intimate relationship with Him (Is. 54:5).

Although most of us live lives that are not cloistered, we can still diligently worship the Lord everywhere God assigns us, even at work.  All that's required is that we seek His face, ask Him what's on His heart and then carefully obey Him in excellence. 

He will surely respond and guide us because it is His loving desire to commune with us.  Hebrews 11:6 tells us that God is a rewarder of those who earnestly seek Him.

With the Christmas season right around the corner, intimacy with God easily awaits us.  Church cantatas, seasonal worship music in our automobiles and holiday decorations in our homes invite us to slip into quiet time with God and appreciate Him even more.  But will we diligently make time for intimacy with Him after the season passes?  Will God remain our greatest desire 24/7?

Although, one can only ponder all the desires and burdens that were on Anna's heart as she came before the Lord day and night, year after year, the Bible reveals that the Messiah was surely dear to her. 

The NIV note in Luke 2:36 tells us, "Anna praised God for the child Jesus as Hannah had praised God for the child Samuel." 

Anna waited a long time for this miracle child to be born, like Hannah waited for her son Samuel's birth.  Jesus was an answer to Anna's prayers, just as Samuel was to the formerly barren Hannah. 

When Anna approached Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus at the temple, the Bible says, "she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem" (Lk. 2:38).

Anna could never have done this if she did not know what was on God's heart.  And the way Anna knew God's heart was by spending lots of time seeking His heart.  In turn, God rewarded Anna by choosing her to deliver a message that He wanted to share with those who would listen.  God knew He could trust Anna with important revelations.

Anna surely felt honored.  Undoubtedly, seeing her deepest love come forth in manifest presence in the temple (also her home) gave her heart great joy. 

Like Anna, what miracles do we anticipate in this season?  Do we have the diligent faith of Anna to witness God's greatest manifestations?  Do we know His heart and His voice well enough to hear from Him when He shows up?

Like Anna, is God our first love?

My prayer is that all of us would receive great revelations from the Lord as we diligently love on Him and that we would be able to share His heart with those who will listen.
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Margaret D. Mitchell is the Founder of God's Love at Work,

[Judy Harder]

Week of November 1
Awakening

"Wake up, Deborah, wake up!  Wake up, wake up, and sing a song!  Arise, Barak!  Lead your captives away, son of Abinoam!"  ~ Judges 5:12

God suddenly alerted Deborah to speak a battle command to Barak, Israel's military leader, that would free their nation from 20 years of captivity and oppression.

Like Israel, how long and how often have we found ourselves held captive by ruthless consequences of sin?  Perhaps by our own volition or that of others.  Perhaps even by generational iniquity.  Did it not it feel like an eternity?  And did we not cry out for God to rescue us, just like the Israelites?

Indeed, God hears our cries.  And in His time, His gavel falls.  And when it does, it is swift.  Because He loves us, He not only puts an end to our suffering by driving a tent peg through the enemy's head, He revives us (Judges 4:21).  And we begin anew.

An awakening is a revival or renewal of something.  It is the beginning of a new beginning, a spring season in bud.  In Deborah and Barak's case, it was the beginning of a renewed freedom for Israel, a complete turnaround.

Awakenings are a call to action that give us a sudden, glorious opportunity to remove the grave clothes, shake off the dust and get it right.  They are rooted in God's infinite mercy and His heart of love for us.

Consider Peter.  Acts 12:7 tells us, "Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter.  The angel tapped him on the side to awaken him and said, 'Quick!  Get up!'  And the chains fell off his wrists."

As in Peter's case, divine awakenings offer us miraculous opportunity for escape, and they reposition us to fulfill God's plan.  Awakenings awe us and burst open doors of opportunity for us to receive God's abundance of life.  In divine awakenings, we are quickly relieved of burdens.  We are reminded that God's yoke is light (Matt. 11:30).

Divine awakenings send our hearts singing out of gratitude and joy.

Just last week, while sitting in my office, I noticed a bird singing right outside my window.  I don't often hear birds singing this time of year, and when I heard it's lovely chirp, I immediately sensed a spring season in my spirit. 

This occurred a few more times during successive days, which prompted me to pray about what God was telling me.  He responded by showing me the word, "Awakening."  As I continue to seek His heart, I believe the Lord will reveal what type of awakening He has at hand.

Are you in need of God's awesome awakening, His miraculous and "sudden" turnaround?  Spend time in His presence seeking His heart, worshipping Him, and ask Him for one.  God can reverse your circumstances in an instant and can reset you on a path of freedom to complete your divine destiny.  He can awe you!

[Judy Harder]

Week of November 8
Heart

"I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of all His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe."  ~Ephesians 1:18-19

Love for God is powerful.  It drives us to please Him, to carry out His will, His heart from heaven to earth (Ps. 119:11).  When we seek Him with all of our heart, we will find Him (Jer. 29:13-14), and He is always there for us, no matter where we are, ready to fellowship, ready to pour out His love to us.

In relationship with Him, we are nurtured, restored, filled up with His goodness, willing to serve Him.  In His presence, we return to contentment.  We are blessed with joyfulness and peace, no matter what our circumstances.

Heart is the center of the human spirit, according to Biblical language.  The living word of God tells us to protect and watch over our heart and that it is the wellspring, or source, from which life flows (Pr. 4:23).  Whatever we allow into our heart will flow out in some form of speech, thought or behavior.  Do we seek the Lord for purity of heart (Matt. 5:?  Do we invite the Holy Spirit, the one who sees all things (I Sam 6:7), to examine the depth of our heart (Ps. 26:2)?

I've learned that issues of the heart do not just go away.  They must be confronted.  And if they are not handled privately, they will emerge publicly.  Unresolve has the power to destroy our lives and others.  One of my favorite prayers is to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any secret sin in my heart so that I may be in right standing before Him.  Will we find the courage to confront the issues, to turn our heart around with His help (Ps. 51:10)?

Much the same, overwork dries up the heart (Matt. 11:29).  When the busyness of life is prioritized over nurturing our hearts with prayer and meditations of God's word, how will we know the heart of God in any situation (Heb. 4:12)?  What can we possibly pour out to those around us?  The ones whom God puts in our path?  Will we have the patience to love them or even desire to extend compassion? 

2 Corinthians 3:3 tells us that the Holy Spirit is written on our hearts.  Will we lean to His spirit when we are in need or react from the flesh of our heart (Ps. 19:14)?  Indeed, sometimes, a heart circumcision is in order to cut away that which encumbers us so that we may enter into a new place of intimacy with God, a new assignment, a manifest promise.

David is often described as a man after God's own heart.  Psalm 119:11 tells us, "Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You." 

Do we treasure God's word?  Is Jesus our first love?  If not, the solution can be found in Ezekiel 18:31, "Cast away from you all your transgressions which you have committed and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit!" 

Indeed, God has given us the power of self-control.  And when we exercise it, fruit is produced.  Thankfully, we can choose to depart from carnal behaviors, ungodly thoughts and an unloving spirit.

With a heart for God, let us remember David's psalm, "May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.  We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God.  May the Lord grant all your requests."