From the Father’s Heart:

Produce change. You are a worker in the harvest, and producing change is in your job description. 

Let Me use you. 

Abide in the vine, partaking of all you need, and let Me and My life-giving sustenance flow through your life just naturally, even unknowingly. 

Live by the Spirit, and you won’t live ruled by the flesh (Gal. 5:16).

How?

Let Me have My way. Listen and obey the quiet promptings: you know, the ones you too often disregard and instead do what you think is “reasonable” and “rational”. 

Seek My face and require My presence* as your greatest need, and I will be found, meaning I will be with you, in power – not just in word, but in deeds. Be being filled, and pour out.


“Holy Spirit, lead me today. Because each day of following Your lead will add up to getting real things done.”


“… our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers…” 1 Thessalonians 1:4-7

 *I included a few links if you want to read more on these subjects, and the third one is such a timely reminder!

“Then they were quite willing and glad for Him to come into the boat. And now the boat went at once to the land they had steered toward. [And immediately they reached the shore toward which they had slowly been making their way.]” John 6:21 Amplified Bible

From the Heart of God:

I will take you beyond any current fear or doubt and then beyond the next. Past one “rock” or “boulder” or even “mountain” at a time. Only focus on the faith needed for the next step, and you’ll be amazed at where “WE” (together) suddenly are. 

Don’t romanticize the way things were and make them out to be something that they were not. Don’t long for what was, as if nothing ahead can be as good. Face the past in truth. And look forward in hope, faith, and trust.

KNOW that I Am a God of the “beyond”, the God of impossibilities. Nothing is too difficult for Me. No, nothing (Ephesians 3:20, Matthew 19:26, Jeremiah 32:17).

~
“The sea began to be stirred up because a strong wind was blowing. Then, when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat; and they were frightened. But He said to them, ‘It is I; do not be afraid.’ So they were willing to receive Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.” John 6:18-21

Some of you may feel like you have been making your way to a desired destination for a long time now. Then “strong winds” have erupted and stirred up circumstances to make your journey even more difficult. I wonder if perhaps this passage may speak to your heart today – if there will be a moment when you take notice, see, and recognize Jesus in the midst of what you are currently working hard to accomplish and will be willing to “receive Him into your boat” and experience what only He can do (even if He shows up in a way that makes you afraid).

He is more than able to handle anything that concerns us today. He is also able to calm the winds and the seas and make them perfectly calm (Matt. 8:26) – even the storms inside our thoughts and emotions. Allow Him.

Take time with the Lord and ask what it looks like for you to “receive Him into your boat” today? Is there a task at hand that you have been working hard at and are in need of His Presence, which changes everything? “I am with you” is the answer to all our fears, doubts, and seemingly impossible tasks.

Take it all to Him in prayer.

(You can read more about His with-ness being the Difference Maker here.)

 “Lord, what is on Your heart? What are You saying?” 
 
 
I am Lord and ruler of all. Follow Me to a place of sweet victory and bold courage in victory. I always have a plan. I always know the way. So why, pray tell, do you worry and expend so much energy trying to figure things out and making your own plans.
 
Just follow Me. Pray to the Lord of the harvest. Prayer is your first action (not your last!). Pray. You are not begging Me to work but aligning your heart in faith of what only I can accomplish as you pray. Prayer puts your heart in position and puts the hearts you are trying to reach in position. Do not neglect the power. 
 
Do not neglect the power of prayer. Pray to the Lord who in secret knows all and has all the answers.
 
Ask yourself and answer honestly: 
Where are you looking for the answer? 
Who are you looking to for direction, for the next step, for the solution?
 
Look up! From where does your help come? Your help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. 
 
 
“I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;
From where shall my help come?
My help comes from the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth.
He will not allow your foot to slip;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel
Will neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD is your keeper;
The LORD is your shade on your right hand.
The sun will not smite you by day,
Nor the moon by night.
The LORD will protect you from all evil;
He will keep your soul.
The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in
From this time forth and forever.”
Psalm 121
 
 
This is a portion from a journal entry on 7/4/21.

From the Heart of God:

I make a way when and where there is no way.

I am the Creator of all. So, nothing is too difficult for Me. Stop making things “difficult” and seeing them as insurmountable. I can do in a moment what should take days, months, years. I am ABLE. Don’t lose sight of My ability, My power, and My purpose. 

My purposes will be fulfilled and not on “flowery beds of ease”; that is not the pattern or way you see in My Word, so why are you expecting it all to be easy? Suffer hardship as a good soldier (2 Timothy 2:3). Do not give into despair or hopelessness. No. See all you have been given to win the war. Put on the armor, take up the weapons, and fight the good fight (1 Timothy 6:12). You are fully equipped. Just don’t lose sight of the mission.

What is the mission? Souls. Snatch them out of the kingdom of darkness and bring them into this marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). 

So, let us each ask ourselves, “How am I going about that business?” 


The above was written in my journal on Oct. 27, 2021 and is a good reminder as we head into a new year of unknowns. He knows. He goes before us. He has always known and has not ever been “nervous” or “worried” about how it’s going to all pan out; therefore, neither should we. Each time I have read this as I’ve decided if this is the week for this post to go out, I have been deeply encouraged by the weight and hope and encouragement of these words. I pray that you experience the same.I know that many are entering this new year in hard times and with many unknowns and questions. I pray God would use this encouragement to give you peace in the midst of it.

As we entered 2020 I heard the Lord say, “I am on My throne.”

This encouragement is still true. He is enthroned above it all. 

“The Lord has established His throne in the heavens,
And His sovereignty rules over all.” Psalm 103:19

And here’s one last thing I want to share today. As I was getting this post together and looking up some of the bible references to note those, I wondered about the “flowery beds of ease”. I looked and it is not a bible verse but from a hymn that, interestingly enough (God is so sweet to confirm things), also includes the idea of being a soldier. The lyrics of Am I a Soldier of the Cross were written by Dr. Isaac Watts in 1709, to follow a sermon on 1 Cor. 16:13. 

Isaiah 43 would also be a good read to accompany this devotional this week. Press forward! I would love to hear some of your plans and/or goals for the new year. 

Bless you,

Traci

PS: To download and print a Chronological Bible Reading Plan for 2022, clink on this link: My Favorite Reading Plan  This is the one that I have personally used over 20 years. It can be folded and used as a bookmark to mark off as you go. The Psalms show up every 7th day and make for an easy catch up day if you find yourself behind, and you can also check off as you read ahead.

And you can find a checklist for goals for this month here. 

From the Father’s Heart:
 
Make way. Make way for the King of glory to come in.

“What does that mean?” 
 
The Highway of Holiness (Isaiah 35:8) is the only road I can come on. Prepare the way. I cannot move in and through a church that only and always hinders Me. Open up the gates and let the King of glory come in (Psalm 24:7, 9).
 
Prepare the way in holiness and truth with the doctrine conforming to godliness (1 Timothy 6:3) and radical obedience. Be a church (a body) that says “be imitators of me as I am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1) and live it. No more lowering the standard. No more being deceived (2 Timothy 3:13) by deceitful, persuasive arguments of men (Colossians 2:4) who want to make excuses for their sin. Am I not bigger than that? Do MY people need excuses: excuses for disobedience, excuses to not live according to My Word?
 
Realize that if I said it, I have made it possible for you. Read the Word with an “eye” to see the truth and a “heart” to obey. I have given you all you need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).
 
With the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16) and the power of the Holy Spirit, why live life like “spiritual paupers”? Stop laying down your power and authority just because the enemy says so. Listen to Me. And go change the world.
 
People of God, rise up and change the landscape.
 
Enough already of a lifeless, worldly, powerless “church”. There’s no such thing! Body of Christ, you are not powerless. You are full of life and love and power and wisdom. Follow Me. Deny yourself and the mold and methods of the world’s system. And follow Me. 

“If anyone wishes to come after Me, 
he must deny himself, 
and take up his cross 
and follow Me.” 
Matthew 16:24
 
Oh, may we be followers!

 
“Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD?
And who may stand in His holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart, 
Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood 
And has not sworn deceitfully.
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD 
And righteousness from the God of his salvation…
Who is the King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
The LORD mighty in battle…
The LORD of hosts,
He is the King of glory. 
Selah.” Psalm 24:3-5, 8,10
  
 
Friends,

Read and meditate on Psalm 24 this week. Oh, may this be “the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face” (verse 6). And click over and read this entry; it’s a great reiteration of this thought going into the New Year. 

And “be imitators of me as I am of Christ” is also something we will talk more about in this next year. It truly should be an aim of each and every one of us to be able to say as followers who follow Him. 

(Today’s word was a continuation of last week’s from my Oct. 11^th journal entry.)

You can see the verses above in their entirety by hovering over the reference. And if you want to receive these posts directly in your inbox, just click here: Sign me up!

From the Father’s Heart:

I am doing a new thing, always. New things in ancient ways, always new and yet never-changing. I am the God of the impossible and am over-the-top creative. Watch what I can do, even in a suddenly moment. Keep your eyes open and watch.

Watch what we can do. Watch how I partner with the people of God – those who are bold and undignified enough to follow, those who aren’t afraid to BE different and shine to be seen in ways that the world despises. The world hates the light, for they love their deeds done in darkness.

Who will come? Who will (in righteousness, in holiness, and with a willingness to be persecuted for godliness) come before My throne for their marching orders, for their assignment in the Spirit? Who will hide themselves in the secret place to FIND strength and support – mercy and grace for the days ahead – to BE built up?

Who will ignore the “false limelight” and even (seemingly, but not actually) sacrifice the applause and affirmation of men FOR MY pleasure: to please Me and FIND My strength and power.

Come, hide yourself in Me. Be hidden.
Ask. Seek. Knock. Find and be found.

I will strongly support those fully dependent upon Me in these days. Look to no one else and to no thing. Nothing else will do. Eyes on Me. This will build faith and confidence and security.

Will I find faith on the earth? Will you hold it as your most prized possession and relentlessly avoid anything and anyone who steals that confidence from you?

Holiness and radical obedience will be your covering. And both take great faith.

“You of little faith” – if you look at the phrase in scripture, it is always THE malady. Above all else, pray that your faith will not fail. Mix what you hear of My truth with faith.

Faith is the key for the next season, and it will be played out in holiness and godliness. And it will be opposed and hated. You will be persecuted.

Be ready. Ready yourselves in My Presence, in humility, in bowing the knee to Me alone (not bowing to this world’s system).

I have come to set the captives free. I proclaim freedom!

Do not shackle yourself with SIN, in thought or action.

Free from sin, alive to God! Live in this space of mind.
Slaves of righteousness. That is freedom!
Free to obey!

Hi friends,
This word was originally written in my journal on Oct 11th of this year. As I share it today and long to insert all the scripture references like normal so that you don’t miss a single truth that this holds from the Word of God and where to find it, there are just too many. And I don’t want to muddle up the simplicity. So I’ll just make a list of some of them below so that you can simply hover over the reference and it will show up in a pop-up box. 

But I also want to take this opportunity to highly encourage you to make a thorough reading, meditating, studying of scripture a priority in this coming year. We MUST know the truth of His Word! Maybe you love it and have been distracted by all the changes of the past years and not given it its necessary prominence in your life or perhaps the Bible has always been hard for you to read at all – wherever you are there is always room to grow. I feel like I will probably share some more encouragement in this area in the weeks to come as we begin a new year, but would you put it to prayer? wherever you are, whatever your current attitude or daily practice is, would you pray for a deeper hunger and thirst and love for the truth of His Word, would you ask Him to bring it to life and take you deeper and deeper and deeper and lead you into all truth? It’s what He does and a prayer He longs to answer. Faith is the key to the next season and “faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17).

Isaiah 43:19; Hebrews 13:8; Luke 1:37, 18:27; suddenly – 2 Chronicles 29:36; undignified – 2 Sam. 6:22; shine Matt. 5:16, Phil. 2:15; hates light- Jn 3:20;  Matt. 5:10; Heb. 4:16; please Him – Col. 1:10, Matt. 7:7, strongly support – 2 Chron. 16:9; eyes on Him- Heb. 12:2; Luke 18:8; faith not fail – Luke 22:32; mix with faith – Heb. 4:2; captives free – Luke 4:18, Is. 61:1, 2 Tim. 3:12, Matt. 10:22; Heb. 12:1; Rom. 6:11, 6:18

Jesus said to the Pharisees, “‘You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.’” Luke 16:15

From the heart of God:

Give up the worldly definitions of success. 

Lay down the world’s standards and what man esteems.

See what happens as you lay these aside and live only unto Me: in holiness, beyond what people see and would judge, in the unseen of the heart and actions when no one is around, in the stillness and quiet and dark, in the internal life. Start there, being intolerant of any hidden sin and thought that does not line up with My truth (2 Corinthians 10:5). 

Obedience IS success.

Hear My voice and follow (John 10:27). Just be who I’ve called you to be, with the heart I’ve given you. You will attract those who are seeking Me, and at the same time you will repel those who are not (John 6:44, 65). This does not make you a success or a failure. You will always be an “aroma” of life or death (2 Corinthians 2:15, 16). Don’t worry about which you are. What a miserable life of bondage to live for what others will think! 

Obey and walk by the Spirit. I’ll take care of your reputation. Just follow Me. 

“‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, 
he must deny himself, 
and take up his cross daily 
and follow Me.’” Luke 9:23 

“die to sin and live to righteousness” 1 Peter 2:24

Fear and follow the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Lord, convict us of anything we have highly esteemed that is detestable in your sight and any area of our lives we have bowed to man’s opinion rather than to You alone. We do wish to come after You. So we will deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow You. And this will be our success story.

Spend some time with the Lord today and let Him show you anything you need to see.

“Search me and show me, Lord.”

“…I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land…” Deuteronomy 30:19, 20

From the heart of God:

You are My servant whom I have chosen to know and believe Me (Isaiah 43:10) – to know My heart, to obey, and to draw near (James 4:8, Hebrews 4:16, 7:25).

Child, it’s simpler than you try to make it.

Just follow.

Just do the next thing and LIVE, and here’s how: love Me, obey My voice, and hold fast to Me (Deut. 30:19, 20). This is real living and life abundant (John 10:10).

Don’t overcomplicate it.

Things are easy for Me. And you are to abide and let Me live in and through you (John 15:4, 5). I work in you to will and act according to My good pleasure (Phil. 2:13).

Simply simple. Easy/hard.

“The fear of man brings a snare,
But he who trusts in the LORD will be exalted.” Proverbs 29:25

Trusting Me and caring only what I think will uncomplicate so many of your concerns. 

Just follow and be serious about the next prompting I place on your heart. Don’t allow the world to talk you out of My instructions, and don’t make things complicated by wanting to have all the answers before you take that first known step.

I know that you want to have all your questions answered before you begin (before you set off on this new faith journey), but you know it doesn’t work that way. And you also know why.

Let’s build FAITH (2 Corinthians 5:7).

Lean on, trust in, and put your confidence in Me and you will be safe and set on high (Proverbs 29:25 AMP).

“The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace,
Because he trusts in You.
Trust in the LORD forever,
For in God the LORD, we have an everlasting Rock.”
Isaiah 26:3

Fear and follow the Lord Jesus Christ. Period.

Thoughts to pray through and ponder with pen in hand:
-Where are you well aware that you are overcomplicating things?
-In what areas have you feared man more than you have feared and trusted in the Lord God Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth?
-Ask the Lord to show you if there is anything else He wants to show you through those two questions. Confess and repent where necessary.
-Now, pray and lean on, trust in, and put your confidence in Him alone, allowing Him to speak to your heart.

(Remember you can hover over any of these references and see the verse in its entirety in a pop-up box.)