I pray that this week’s devotional finds you in a place of peace in the Lord. Not peace as the world gives, but the peace that passes ALL UNDERSTANDING through the Christ Mind.
There are times in our lives when we must stop our race and become still. Even though we have the authority to speak to the mountains and they must obey, we sometimes need to stop and go back to our charging station.
Our charging station is any place that helps us reconnect with the Living God. We may arrive at the charging station with a low battery life indicated, but once we plug in and spend time worshipping and loving on God, we are renewed and ready to face anything that comes our way.
Scriptures of Refreshing
Isaiah 40:31
King James Version
31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Refreshing Through Worship
Tasha Cobbs Leonard
Family, no matter what you are going through, please remember that you are never alone. There are more with you than are against. Walk knowing that you are waking with the unseen Army of the Lord.
I love you with the amazing and everlasting love of Christ Jesus, our Lord, Redeemer, and Wayshower. It is in His name that I lift this prayer to the Great, I Am.
I pray that this week’s devotional finds you in a place of peace through Christ Jesus. Jesus is indeed our peace. The very one who leads and guides us with His spirit is the very same one that calmed the storm with the words, “Peace, be still. (Mark 4:39).”
In the midst of some of our most toughest moments there can also reside our greatest times of worship. There is something about being pressed on every side that brings forth the most precious oil. Unfortunately, not everyone will understand the purpose or use of the oil that is being poured out.
Once the precious oil is ready to be used for its intended purpose, it is at that point that many folks want to get their hands on it. The oil from your life is set apart for a special purpose.
Just ask Mary, sister of Martha, how precious the alabaster box of oil was that she anointed our Savior’s feet with. She paid a lot of money for this very expensive fragrance. She knew that as she poured the oil in her hair and began to wipe the feet of Jesus with it that He was also set apart for a special purpose. He would soon be the anointed Fragrant sacrificial offering without spot or blemish.
Scriptures of Worship
John 12:1-8
English Standard Version
Mary Anoints Jesus at Bethany
Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table.
3 Mary therefore took a pound[a] of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii[b] and given to the poor?” 6 He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.
7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it[c] for the day of my burial. 8 For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”
Songs of Worship
Family, I know there will be times when we ask God, “Why?” or “Why me, God?” Only God knows the purpose for which we were set apart. Part of the journey of following Christ is to walk by faith and not by sight. If we love our Lord, then we must follow, Amen.
I love you, All, with the amazing and everlasting love of our Lord, Savior, and Redeemer Jesus Christ. May his love surround and enfold you at every moment of every day.
The song lyrics to “Softly and Tenderly” are lyrics that hold a special place in my heart. The heart of God is that no one, not one soul, would be lost.
The heart of God holds more love than many of us can really fathom or imagine. I have had the pleasure and grace to have experienced the sweet and tender love of Jesus through a personal encounter after a time of fasting and prayer several years ago.
I was in a season of seeking God because it felt like I was just “going through the motions” of church. I dont know where or at what point I began to fill distant from God. I just knew that I had to find a way back to my first love. My pastor at the time suggested that I go into a season of fasting and prayer. On the 30th and final day of my fast, something amazing happened.
Instead of reading scripture that day, I felt led to worship and sing a new song to God. While I was singing, it felt like I was going into some type of trance, but at the same time, I knew that I was at home and sitting on my bed.
The whole story would take too long to tell here, but the love that wrapped its arms around me that day was a love that I had never experienced before or since. The love that radiated through me instantly disintegrated any darkness, shortcomings, or fear. I experienced true, pure, unfiltered love. I knew in that instant what it meant to be born again.
It is my prayer that everyone would have that same encounter with God so that they would know what is waiting for them in heaven…and here on earth, as the Kingdom of God is within us.
The encounter I had birthed my desire to teach the Word of God. My worship from that day was never the same. Every song I sing to God is full of gratitude and thanksgiving.
Scriptures of Hope
1 Peter 1:3-5
English Standard Version
Born Again to a Living Hope
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Invitation to Worship
Family, I love you all with the amazing and everlasting love of our Lord, Savior, and Redeemer Jesus Christ.
As always, I pray that this week’s devotional finds you in a place of peace and stillness in the Lord. I pray that the cares of this world do not have you carrying a heavy load in your mind, body, or spirit.
This week, the song that the Holy Spirit put on my heart is the Negro spiritual Wade in the Water. I love the version and verses sung by the acapella group Sweet Honey in the Rock.
Song of Praise and Faith
Credit to Riddlefilms.com
The song encourages the listener to wade into the water because God is troubling and doing a special work in the water. The song reminds most people of the lame man waiting for someone to place him in in the pool at Bethesda, as told in John 5. The angel of the Lord was said to come and stir, or trouble, the water and the first person in would be healed. (I did a devotional on this passage a few weeks ago).
I want to propose a different passage with the song Wade In The Water. I want to offer the passage from John 4, specifically verses 10-14. This passage is of Jesus asking the Samaritan woman for something to drink from the well.
Scripture of Invitation…
John 4:10-14
New International Version
10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”
11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”
13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Family, in the passage above, the Samaritan woman notices that Jesus has nothing to draw the water. Jesus reveals himself to be the Living Water. We have to understand that when we accept the invitation of Salvation, we are accepting the Living Water.
As we make the decision to walk to God, we are, like Peter, asking Jesus to bid us to come. Please know that the invitation to come to Christ is always open. Whether you are someone new to Christianity or someone who needs to come back home, the arms of Jesus are always open, with no guilt or shame. The Living Water is calling you to come.
The Prayer of Salvation is a simple one:
Jesus, I believe that you are the only begotten Son of God. I believe that you are the Messiah and that you willingly died, conquered death, and the grave, and after three days, you got up with all power in your hand to be the perfect sacrifice for my sins. I invite you to come into my heart and my life, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, I joyfully welcome you to the Family of Christ. If you are coming back home, I am so glad to see you, and I love you ALL with the amazing and everlasting love of our Lord, Savior, and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.
I pray that you are in a place of peace and joy in the Lord. Family, no matter what we may go through, God is always with us. May we continually place our trust and hope in the Lord.
We know that no one is perfect. Many of us may have stories to tell about what we did or didn’t have growing up. Our parents, or those assigned to be our caregivers (grandparents, aunt, uncle, foster parents, etc.) are not perfect. For the most part, they each gave according to what they had inside. We are human and we are fallible.
I can say that it has been my truth that God has been so much more than just a parent. God has been, at times, a mother, sister, brother, best friend, pastor, preacher, and friend. God is omnipotent, eternal, and all-powerful. The same God that hung the moon, sun, stars, and galaxies is the same God that created you and me.
Scriptures of Hope and Declaration
Romans 8:12-17
New King James Version
Sonship Through the Spirit
12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba,[a] Father.” 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
Song of Worship and Adoration
#Marizu #Abba #HFPMusic
Family, may I encourage you to keep this song and scripture passage in your heart. For three days this week, the Holy Spirit woke me up with the song Abba by Marizu. The song encompasses all we need to know in terms of our priorities.
May you find peace in knowing that God already has it under control. I love you with the amazing and everlasting love of our Lord, Savior, and RedeemerJesus Christ.
I pray all is well and you are in a place of perfect peace in the Lord. I was grounded the last couple of weeks due to COVID hitting me and my husband hard. I am still healing and getting stronger. Thanks be to God, that my praise and worship of the Most High God did not shake or waiver.
When everything is said and done, nothing else matters except our relationship with the Triune God, consisting of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. If our spiritual life is out of synch, every other area of our lives will be out of synch.
Scriptures of Decision
Joshua 24:14-15
New King James Version
14 “Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of [a]the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord! 15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of [b]the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Songs of Worship and Praise
Family, please search your heart today. If there is anything that is blocking the path to God in your life, I pray that you lay it before God and repent. Open up your heart to God and allow the amazing, pure, and holy love of God to overtake every cell, atom, and molecule of your body.
Open your mouth and communicate with God. Go back to the heart of worship and stay there. I love you all with the amazing and everlasting love of our Lord and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, in whom we live, move, and have our being. Amen and Amen.
I pray that you are living peaceful and full of joy in the presence of God. I love learning and growing in the Lord. There is always so much that the Holy Spirit teaches me. Do you know what’s crazy? No matter how many times I read the same passage of scripture, the Holy Spirit ALWAYS reveals something new.
Being open to instruction and guidance from the Word of God is important. We probably each know a person who thinks that they know everything about everything, especially when it comes to knowing what is best for their lives.
When we talk to people and they begin to share what is going on in their lives, our Spiderman Spiritual Senses began to go off and we offer support by sharing a certain passage from the Word. Nine times out of ten, their sesponse will be one of these:
1. I know that passage. I already read it.
2. I tried it once, and it didn’t work.
3. I gave God a chance and He let me down
What all of those responses have in common is that the person is relying on their own strength to get things done. As Christians, we must know and understand that our strength comes from the Lord. We were not created to fly solo. This life is a two person job, us and God.
There use to be a saying, “God is my copilot.” Honey, if God is your copilot, then y’all need to switch seats.
Scriptures of Instruction
Proverbs 3:1-10
New International Version
Wisdom Bestows Well-Being
3 My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, 2 for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity.
3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.[a]
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. 8 This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.
9 Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; 10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.
Song of Praise and Adoration
Vanessa Bell Armstrong /Malaco Music 1984
Family, in God, we must continually be in a place of humility and have a teachable spirit. We don’t know all there is to know. We must ask God to lead us in ALL THINGS.
I love you with the amazing and everlasting love of Christ Jesus, our Lord, Savior, Redeemer, and Way Shower.
I pray all is well and you are in a mindset of peace and joy in Christ Jesus. For the last few months, God has been calling me to fast and be in prayer regarding breaking a major stronghold in my life that began in my childhood. Praise God, now that the this particular fast is over, I can give a praise report.
Sometimes, our past mistakes, hurts, wounds, and scars can haunt and even torment us. The enemy has a way of up bringing painful thoughts and memories in order to distract us from our purpose and to take our eyes off of God.
Remember, the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy by any means necessary. The enemy doesn’t have to kill you to get you off track. He just has to distract you/us from our purpose.
There comes a time when we have to take a stand and take our power back. We must fight for peace and wellness in our mind, body, and spirit. Two powerful tools that Jesus told in his Word have to be used to break strongholds. Prayer and fasting are the combination punches that we can use as our special weapons in the ring.
There will come a time when you will get tired of the enemy winning. There will come a time when you stop running and turn around to face the enemy. We don’t face the enemy in our own power. We come packing with weapons and tools that put the enemy in a headlock, and we start pulling teeth out of the enemy’s mouth, so that what is left is a toothless liar.
Fasting and prayer reminds us to refocus our attention back on God. Fasting and prayer looks past our problem and allows us to see that there is peace and strength on the other side.
Holy Scriptures
Matthew 17:14-21
Living Bible
14 When they arrived at the bottom of the hill, a huge crowd was waiting for them. A man came and knelt before Jesus and said, 15 “Sir, have mercy on my son, for he is mentally deranged and in great trouble, for he often falls into the fire or into the water; 16 so I brought him to your disciples, but they couldn’t cure him.”
17 Jesus replied, “Oh, you stubborn, faithless people! How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to me.” 18 Then Jesus rebuked the demon in the boy and it left him, and from that moment the boy was well.
19 Afterwards the disciples asked Jesus privately, “Why couldn’t we cast that demon out?”
20 “Because of your little faith,” Jesus told them. “For if you had faith even as small as a tiny mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move!’ and it would go far away. Nothing would be impossible. 21 But this kind of demon won’t leave unless you have prayed and gone without food.”
Worship and Praise
James Bignon
Family, REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE!!! Take your power and authority in Christ Jesus and use them to defeat the enemy. The enemy knows what tricks to use on us because they have always worked in the past. Laugh in the face of your trials and begin using what God gave you, which is the Word of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. You ALREADY HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED, NOW GET UP AND FIGHT!!!
As a result of my fasting and prayer, I offered forgiveness, grace, mercy, and all-around love and blessing to those that may have caused me harm. In the very moment that I did, I was delivered from my stronghold. In the very instant that it happened, I felt a release. Hallelujah!!
Family, I pray that you walk boldly in your birthright, as a Child of God. I love you with the amazing and everlasting love of Christ Jesus, our Lord, Savior, and Redeemer.
I pray this week’s devotional finds you in a place of peace and hope in Christ Jesus. How was your summer? I hope you set aside some enjoyable time for yourself or with your family.
Self care is extremely important. You are one of a kind with a special and unique spiritual and physical fingerprint. Your assignments are specific to your gifts, talent, anointing, and calling.
If we are not conscious about our self care, then we can burnout and run out of steam and/or motivation. I encourage you to set aside time for yourself and time with God.
If your days are full, like mine, I understand that setting aside time can feel like you are being unproductive, or even selfish. Think of it this way, if Jesus set aside time to be alone and have time with God and time with himself, how are we different?
Typically, I add a scripture passage to the devotional. However, this week, I want you to listen to this song in your alone time and pay close attention to how God speaks to your heart. Please share with us, as you feel led, what passages you heard or were led to read.
I love you with the amazing and everlasting love of our Lord and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Go in peace, while serving and praising the Lord.
I pray this week’s devotional finds you in the perfect peace of God. No matter what is going on in our lives, the Peace of God is consistent.
What are some signs that we are walking in peace, God’s peace? What do the scriptures have to say about the Peace of God? Why is it so important to dwell in a mind and heart of peace?
The peace of God commands how we respond to any situation. The peace of God calms us to a state of knowing that whatever it is, God has already made a grace-filled provision to handle it. Being still also strengthens our faith muscles. We understand, by faith, that by trusting in and relying on the perfect peace of God, we have nothing to fear.
I especially love the clarifying and descriptive words of the Amplified Bible in this passage about Peace. Read the passage below, taking in every word.
Scriptures of Peace
Colossians 3:14-16
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
14 And above all these [put on] love and enfold yourselves with the bond of perfectness [which binds everything together completely in ideal harmony].
15 And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state] to which as [members of Christ’s] one body you were also called [to live]. And be thankful (appreciative), [giving praise to God always].
16 Let the word [spoken by] Christ (the Messiah) have its home [in your hearts and minds] and dwell in you in [all its] richness, as you teach and admonish and train one another in all insight and intelligence and wisdom [in spiritual things, and as you sing] psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, making melody to God with [His] grace in your hearts.
Songs of Peace…
Final Words…
Family, be steady in your faith walk. Make every step an act of worship. Be mindful of your words, your energy, and your actions. Plant seeds in your life that will bring forth good fruit (because your fruit will always tell on you…good or bad).
I love you with never-ending and amazing love of God. May your hearts and minds be forever on and in Him.
Sacred Journey Devotionals - Where Christianity and Metaphysics Meet 