Tear-stained cheeks
And worn-out knees.
White-knuckled hands
And a heart that seeks.
A silent cry that speaks volumes
And a whimper that surrenders.
A shout that brings silence
And His promise she remembers….
Click Here to read the rest of this piece from our archives by Stephanie Gable.
On the fifth night of Chanukah the “Love/Servant” candle lights the Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness and finally the Goodness candles…
Goodness… What exactly does this mean? The definition of goodness is: “the quality of being morally good or virtuous.”
If you are kind, isn’t that being good? If you show love, isn’t that being good? If you are patient, that is being good. And yet “goodness” is definitely set apart in this understanding.
As I reflect on this “fruit of the spirit,” it seems to have a deeper quality to it. From this definition, it is the quality of being “morally good.” When one stops to think about it, a person could show an act of kindness and not technically be a “morally good” person or full of virtues. One could show love to another person and not be “good” within their heart. Even joy and patience can be accomplished without having “good intentions.”
I believe that as we move through the fruits of the spirit, we move closer and closer to heart issues. We begin with “acts” that can be done and are a part of many people’s lives, even if they don’t believe in God. Most people would say we should show love, be joyful, have patience, show kindness, and definitely want peace.
This “fruit” of goodness begins to move us to the heart. It should make us stop and reflect on what is happening inside ourselves and ask “why” we are doing something. It should make us think about the reason we are kind, or loving, or patient.
Being “good” is deep. It means that at the heart your intentions are trustworthy and honest. You are not just doing something to “get a reward.” Being filled with “goodness” means that you are focusing on accomplishing something because it needs to be done and is the right thing to be done, even if there is no reward in the end.
What are some verses with the word, “goodness?” I actually found many with the word “good,” but only the fruits of the spirit and a verse in Psalm had the word “goodness.”
Psalm 27:13 If I hadn’t believed that I would see Adonai’s goodness in the land of the living, . . . (CJB)
Psalm 27 is such an encouraging Psalm. I challenge you to read the whole chapter. Here is the last verse, verse 14:
Put your hope in Adonai, be strong, and let your heart take courage! Yes, put your hope in Adonai! (CJB)
David knew that Adonai truly cared for him. David believed that the GOODNESS of God was there for him to see and experience ALL the time. After everything David had faced, he still believed that God’s GOODNESS was there for him. David was said to be a “man after God’s own heart,” which means that David had goodness in him. David’s motives and actions were moral and full of virtue.
As we reflect on what it means to be “filled with HIS LIGHT” and GOODNESS, check your heart. Ask yourself if your motives are pure. Ask yourself if your intentions are “good.” Than move in those actions and be HIS LIGHT to those around you. Spread HIS GOODNESS to all you come in contact with. The fruits of the Spirit really will draw all men to HIM, if we just let HIS SPIRIT flow through us.
This concept is told to us directly by Jesus Himself in Matthew:
Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they may see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven. (CJB)
Take time today to REFLECT on the GOODNESS of Adonai and let HIS goodness flow through you and SHINE HIS LIGHT to those around you.
Love and blessings,
Rose Horton
We all have them – those scriptures that you may read a thousand times in life, but one day when the penny drops, you feel like you’ve read it for the first time.
Understanding Ephesians 2:6 was like this for me. In fact, it has actually changed my life. And it has specifically changed the way that I pray and my understanding of what “intercession” truly is.
God is most definitely moving hearts toward intercession in this hour. I am seeing people across the globe “suddenly” realize that they are called to intercede for nations and generations, and I have walked with a handful of these people just this past week. I feel that God is redeeming intercession in the Church, and teaching His people how to remain happy and hope-filled while they pray.
Intercession is an invitation into hearing more of God’s heartbeat for His people and the globe, it’s not meant to be a weird thing reserved for only a few “special” ones nor is it only a tool to bring home the prodigals. Intercession is actually the very thing that will shake and smash the idols and the sinister spirits that have had such open space in our nations, families, marketplaces and governments.
I believe that it is Bill Johnson who said that intercession is the power to release God’s heart onto the Earth. What an invitation! Yet with this release of God’s heart, an intercessor must both know God intimately as well as know the power and authority that he or she carries.
Ephesians 2:5-6 – “…even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (ESV)”
I suppose to fully grasp the meaning of this verse, we have to go back to the end of Chapter 1 to get the context of Paul’s statements in Chapter 2. Let this sink in while you read it because this is the truth about who YOU are, as His Beloved:
“I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all” (Ephesians 1:16-23).
The idea that we are seated WITH Christ in Heavenly realms blows my mind. The implications of this are listed above – as the Church, we have been given His authority over all things. He sat us at the right hand of the Father (in Jewish culture, sitting at the right hand of the head or leader is the highest form of honor given), and we sit far ABOVE all rulers, dominions, powers, and anything that is basically not Jesus.
We are seated in a place of absolute power, ultimate victory, and all of the same authority as Jesus. 1 John 4:17, “as He is so are we in this world.”
Understanding this and actually believing it changes everything. Notice how Paul states there is “immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe.” What if it’s simply our belief that holds us back from the power that is already ours?
I ran from intercession for a long time because I had a wrong picture of it in my mind. I guess one could say, I “threw the baby out with the bathwater” because I didn’t want to carry the strangeness, the heaviness and the grumpiness (oops…I said it) that some intercessors in my world seemed to carry. Because of what I saw in some, I had the very wrong impression that being an intercessor meant signing up for a life of constant warfare and burdens, though I could not understand how this was possible with scriptures like Ephesians 6 and Isaiah 61:3. There definitely were times that I felt a call to go to war in prayer for certain things – especially as I began to step out in the prophetic – but I always felt like I was begging God to pull Heaven down over Earth, which greatly frustrated me.
Until I discovered that I was already seated in Heavenly places!
Dear friend, if you are currently feeling a draw toward intercession and you want to run from it because of past experiences, misunderstanding or just not knowing how to walk in it, I’d love to encourage you to meditate on the first few Chapters of Ephesians. Ask God to reveal to you the authority and power that He has given you as an inheritance. There is a sense of frustration in always feeling like you have to pull Heaven down to Earth, but there is great ease and joy in knowing that you can, in fact, PUSH Heaven down because of the authority Jesus has given His Church.
We always pray from a place of peace and victory, and though the warfare may be slight, it can never really touch the Child of God who knows how high they are actually seated.
I am by no means an expert on this subject, but I am passionately journeying through the invitation into intercession, and these passages in Ephesians have been the most eye-opening for me yet. It took me some time to fully believe and therefore walk in His immeasurably great power, but once I started to believe I felt the shift in my prayers and began to see Him move mountains.
Now it is my great joy to carry people, nations and situations into prayer. Another book that I would like to suggest for further reading is Beni Johnson’s book, “The Happy Intercessor.” Both her book and an understanding of the ease of my prayers (because of Jesus) have turned me into a Spiritual weapon – and I believe that this is a promise for YOU, as well!
~ Mandy Woodhouse
“If the righteous are scarcely saved, what is to become of the ungodly and the sinner?” – 1 Pt. 4:18.
Sometimes we think that life should get easier as we grow in our faith and become mature adults.
However, there is something about walking by faith that is intrinsically difficult, no matter how long we have been doing it.
The same old doubts and fears never tire of appearing out of nowhere to trouble our spirits.
Like Jesus, we often must pray in our distress with “fervent cries and tears.” He prayed “to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.” – Hebrews 5:7.
Through it all, day by day, moment by moment, we overcome by our faith. It is not easy or pain free, but in the end it bears sweet fruit.
We become like Our Savior.
We develop Our Father’s heart.
We love more deeply with greater wisdom and understanding.
We develop patience and perseverance—proven character.
We become kind and compassionate, faithful and true.
Our Father is greatly pleased when he sees his image in us. He is proud of us. He delights in us. And not just for a few moments – his pleasure is eternal. He is shaping us to enjoy his company forever.
That is why it hurts sometimes. He is pruning away every branch of our lives that doesn’t look like Jesus – all self centeredness, all childish behaviors, all traces of evil. And then he grafts in nobility, generosity, and true goodness. Almost without our noticing how, we become more and more like Jesus.
May we continually behold the glory of The Lord and be increasingly glorified with him!
~ Brad Heilhecker
Yesterday I wasn’t very confident or convinced.
Things didn’t feel good or look good.
Today, they still don’t.
Tomorrow may not either.
But what I do know is God is good.
His Promises are Yes & Amen.
He is not a God that would lie.
He is no respecter of persons.
What He does for one –
He can do for me!
I shall prophecy this Promise and keep believing that even “this” is not beyond His reach and He will work ALL THINGS out for my good.
We press on peeps and keep pursuing
His Promises!
~ XXOO Michelle
So we are convinced that every detail of our lives is continually woven together to fit into God’s perfect plan of bringing good into our lives, for we are his lovers who have been called to fulfill his designed purpose.
-Romans 8:28 TPT
We are confident that God is able to orchestrate everything to work toward something good and beautiful when we love Him and accept His invitation to live according to His plan.
-Romans 8:28 VOICE
And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose.
-Romans 8:28 AMP
Restored Ministries
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I have experienced good days
I have experienced bad days
Days I did not want
to get out of bed
When my pain screamed
louder then my faith
When my heart was
hurting beyond repair
The voices in my head
begging me to end it all
Then there were days
when I would dance on
the sound of Papa’s heart
Soar high above my circumstances
The impossible became possible
in His presence
The more I surrendered,
Papa stepped in
Lifting me higher to places
in Him, that I have never been
I have also seen how Father
led me on journeys
I wanted to run from
Journeys in the scorching sun, the untamed storms, the dry deserts
Many times His silence was
my only companion
These journeys tested me beyond my natural abilities
Stretched me
way beyond
my capabilities
Built my faith in ways
I never imagined
My life a living testimony of
the power of the Blood!
I have seen the goodness
of my Father in every area
of my life
He restored me to His
original design
No more anxiety
No more fear
Every voice of the enemy
Papa silenced with His love
I know the depth, width
and the heights of Papa’s faithfulness
He never gave up
on me
Even on the days I turned
my back on Him
His kindness towards me
left me in awe
Where would I have been
if it was not for Him?
Through Papa’s persistent love
I discovered my strength
Through Papa’s persistent love
I discovered my voice
Through His love I stumbled on unopened gifts and talents
Hidden deep in my heart
Buried under the hurt when
He unpacked my heart
Every generational and bloodline curse is under His blood
Every demonic web around
me tore
I used the sword in my hand and
the sword in my mouth
No demon can stand in the presence of the One I love more than life
His bride has made herself ready
Radiantly beautiful she
moves in His light
Everything the enemy sent
to harm her
Father turned around for
her good
She was trained by the Best
Every trial and attack
now serves its purpose
Her testimony will set many alight!
~ Ebigale Wilson
Her Testimony Will Set Many Alight
The Journey
Anyone catch the CMA awards recently and this duet between Pink & Chris Stapleton?
I thought it was great!
“Life is like a cafeteria line – it offers us many choices, both good and bad.
The Christian must have a spiritual radar that detects the difference not only between bad and good but also among good, better, and best.”
~Dennis Swanberg
The fourth night of Chanukah is marked for us by the word, “kindness.” The “LOVE” candle lights Joy, Peace, Patience and now Kindness…
The moment I hear this word I think back to a song from years ago that Leslie Phillips sang and the words say, “It’s your kindness that leads us to repentance oh Lord…”
It truly is amazing to think that we have a GOD who loves us so much that He will carry ALL our worries and sins. HIS KINDNESS should lead us close to Him, and then we SHARE that kindness with others.
What happens when someone treats you with kindness? When you know you have done something wrong and the person still treats you with kindness, your life is changed. When you take the time to treat someone else with kindness, both your lives are changed. Acts of kindness are a way to share HIS LOVE with those we come in contact with. Kindness can CHANGE the world we live in!
What does the Word of God say about KINDNESS?
In Genesis 40:14 But remember me when it goes well with you; and show me kindness, please; and mention me to Pharaoh, so that he will release me from this prison. (CJB)
This is the story of Joseph. He was in prison and had just interpreted the dreams of the cupbearer and baker. He asked them to “show him kindness.” Joseph requested that they remember him when they went before the king. Joseph’s kindness was repaid to him.
As I was researching verses, I found that many translations have exchanged the word “kindness” for the word “grace.” Here is an example:
Isaiah 54:8 in the NIV says: In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,” says the Lord your Redeemer.
The Complete Jewish Bible says: I was angry for a moment and hid my face from you; but with everlasting grace I will have compassion on you,” says Adonai your Redeemer.
This happened in many verses throughout the Old Testament. It shows that God’s GRACE was there throughout the time that many believe laws abounded.
Many believe that the Old Testament is only filled with God’s judgement when they didn’t follow those laws. Many people read the Old Testament and think that GRACE began when Jesus came. This is something we need to reconsider. GRACE was shown to the Children of Israel many times. God should have, and could have, completely destroyed the nation. They walked away from His TRUTH and were not following what HE desired them to obey. By showing them GRACE and KINDNESS, HE allowed them to LIVE.
Through this line, our Messiah was born and now we really have a reason to show KINDNESS and extend GRACE to others. OUR sins and wrongdoings should cause us to be destroyed. It is only because of the GRACE of GOD and HIS KINDNESS towards us, that when we REPENT, HE turns to us and receives us.
Our ministry, Touched by Grace, says that God’s GRACE:
God
Rescues
Adopts
Completes
Equips
us for HIS SERVICE. God really does care about His children and He will do whatever it takes to HELP THEM SUCCEED. Once they are taken care of, HE wins because they share that KINDNESS with others.
What does the New Testament teach about kindness? Most of us know many verses that explain we are simply required to “be kind.”
Colossians 3:12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with feelings of compassion and with kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (CJB)
2 Corinthians 6:6 We commend ourselves by our purity, knowledge, patience and kindness; by the Ruach HaKodesh; by genuineness of love (CJB)
Titus 3:4 But when the kindness and love for mankind of God our Deliverer was revealed, (CJB)
Clearly, every community of FAITH in the New Testament was responding out of KINDNESS to those Holy Spirit brought to them. This was done because (as it says in Titus) the “kindness and love for mankind was revealed…” When the communities of faith did NOT respond in kindness, Paul challenged them.
As we are entering Thanksgiving season, prepare your heart now with KINDNESS. Kindness that will lead you to repentance and LOVE for your fellow communities of faith. Kindness that shows HIS GRACE to others. KINDNESS that leads others to HIM.
Since Chanukah is known as the Festival of Lights, we can also focus on verses about LIGHT:
I John 1:7 But if we are walking in the light, as he is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of his Son Yeshua purifies us from all sin. (CJB)
When we WALK with the LIGHT, than HIS GRACE cleanses and we show KINDNESS to others. Take time to show KINDNESS today and be HIS LIGHT.
Love and blessings,
Rose Horton
Listen to the song by Leslie Phillips below
https://youtu.be/t5aFoxyrL4E
I am an American, deep-South girl that’s now living in Australia and absolutely in love with Jacaranda trees. Jacarandas supposedly come from America, but I have never seen them in the South, so I obsess and squeal over them whenever I am in Australia during their blooming season (which happens to be right now).
I often stare dreamily out the car window, completely in awe of the sea of purple that seems to cover the hillsides in parts of Brisbane.
Last week as I was walking along the side of our home with my dogs, I noticed that there were Jacaranda petals all along the ground under my feet. I had not noticed any jacaranda trees in our yard, so I took this as a special kiss from heaven or some supernatural encounter from the Father’s heart to mine because He knows just how much I love them.
After telling my husband about this encounter, I was surprised to find out that there was actually indeed a jacaranda tree just at the fence in the neighbour’s yard! It was so tall and broad that I had somehow missed seeing it at all.
After a few minutes of staring at this gorgeous tree that has actually been just in front of me all along, heard the Holy Spirit say, “My Blessings are sometimes hidden in plain sight.”
Just as I had access to the beauty of this jacaranda tree at any time, we children of God – by faith – have access to the blessings of God whenever we want.
Sometimes we get distracted or weary, and we miss that the blessings are right there in our vicinity carrying all the beauty and life that we need. Sometimes we are just looking in the wrong place.
I also heard the Holy Spirit say that just as I was convinced that I was having a supernatural encounter when I saw the petals on the ground, so too God is delighting to give supernatural encounters to those who have the eyes to see.
Clear as a bell I then heard in my Spirit that all we have to do is LOOK UP.
“My Blessings are sometimes hidden in plain sight.”
I feel that this is an invitation from the Lord to stop, breathe and take time to look around. We are already seated with Christ in Heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6) so we don’t have to look very far. We also have a Father who loves to be the “lifter of our heads” (Psalm 3:3) so He is happy to help us see by faith if we need Him to.
He is so faithful to draw near to those who draw near to Him (James 4:8) and He will allow us to find Him when we seek Him with our whole heart (Jeremiah 29:13). And when we seek Him first, everything else will fall into place (Matthew 6:33).
It’s also important to note that although He will pour out good blessings upon His children just because He loves us and is a good Father (Matthew 7:9), there is actually nothing in the world like seeking His face and Presence over His blessings. He certainly delights to give good gifts to His children (Matthew 7:11; James 1:17), but there is nothing that satisfies like just being at the feet of Jesus.
~ Mandy Woodhouse
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