91. FRESH WIND
There's a song by Keith Staten titled "Such Joy", and there's a line in the song that goes like this: "There's a joy no bounds can hold when the Spirit blows a fresh wind through my soul." I love that.
Lord, blow a fresh wind through my soul.
Open the windows, all the entry points to my soul:
the senses---the sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch, and the thoughts.
Lord, open and clear them by Your Spirit of all the debris.
Clear the dust of compromise, the secret corners that are dark,
the webs of self-interest and self-obsession,
the entanglements that steal my time,
the stale air of my own perspective.
I give Your Spirit free reign over mine, today, right now.
It is a choice I must make every moment.
My Spirit answers like a rushing wind, unleashing prayer with power according to My will. Pray. Love. Pray. Each moment that you choose My Spirit's rule over yours will have the potential to change you and the world around you. Pray My word over this world and be a participant in My sovereign kingdom. Today, right now, moment by moment.
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92. MY KINGDOM
I'm struggling, Lord, to understand how I'm
to respond to the changes I see in the world
around me.
It's easy to get angry or afraid, but mostly I'm
just sad.
An election year seems to bring out the worst in
everyone.
I see and hear such a wide range of
reactions and opinions that I need to close
all that out and hear from
You.
Only You have the words of life.
These are tempestuous times, to be sure. Your need, My child, is to come to Me and hear My heart. Close out the voices that scream for your attention and sit at My feet. None of these things come as a surprise to Me, nor are they out of My ultimate control. I have given dominion of the earth to man who fell under Satan's deceit, and the consequences are played out in every place on every day. But I am still God, Alpha and Omega, beginning and end, and I rule over even the brokenness you see around you.
As you sit with Me, hear My beating heart for a world and its people who are blinded, seduced, and enslaved by sin. I sent My very own Son to pay the price in full for the sins of the world; His blood was powerful enough to cover it all. It is My will and heart that each person would come into My kingdom. There is not a person that I do not love with all My heart. I hate sin, but I do not hate sinners.
Beware of pride or any form of self-righteousness. I hate the sins of My children just as much as any sins of the world. Besides simply being wrong, those who practice these sins heap more condemnation on themselves by claiming to know Me or speak for Me. They mislead people by giving the impression that I agree with their assessment even while they speak in hateful language. Cursing, name-calling, belittling, and the like have no place in My vocabulary, nor should they in yours.
Right is right. Wrong is wrong. I am a holy God, and judgment lies with Me alone. Leave it there. I can handle it. Remember that I see every attitude and sin of your heart, speech, action, and motive just as clearly as I see any flagrant sin of any unbeliever.
No matter who I put in your path...at your workplace, your family gathering, your grocery store, your gas station, your school, your church, your golf course, your rec center...remember I put them there. I love them. I expect you to let Me love them through you. Be willing to face criticism, but do not assume the worst in others. If others speak ill of you, love them and pray for them. Give no one cause to disrespect Me, but live so that your good works and kind ways silence and discredit their criticisms.
Pray. Pray like you have never prayed before. Pray for your country, your leaders, and your citizens. Pray for conviction and repentance to sweep the land. But as you pray remember that your country is not My kingdom. Pray for My kingdom to have dominion and rule over all, and for your country to play its part in My sovereign plan for the world. Keep your citizenship firmly planted in My kingdom, and let My peace rule your heart.
Luke 10:41-42; Genesis 1:28; Genesis 3; Ephesians 1:18-23; John 3:16-17; Luke 10:1-10;
Matthew 23:13-15; Jude 14-15; Jude 17-25; Matthew 5:43-48; 1 Peter 3:14-17;
1 Timothy 2:1-8; Matthew 6:10, 33; Philippians 3:20; Colossians 3:15-17
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