Clothed in beautiful apparel

“And He spoke to those who stood before Him saying, Take away the filthy garments from him… Behold, I have caused your iniquity to pass from you, and I will clothe you with rich apparel.” Zechariah 3:4 AMP

Gather up all of your sin, all of your iniquity, all of your dirt, filth, and fear; bring all of it before the Lord, place it at His feet, and let Him do His amazing work.  He will turn all of that darkness into beautiful blessings, healings, new beginnings, strengths, and joy.  Yes, if you allow, He will wash away your sins and hurts, and replenish you with His glory and goodness.

My friend, it is never too late give your darkness, sin, and pain over to God.  Whether you are nine or ninety-four, it doesn’t matter, you are still His precious child.  So, if you haven’t already, or if you have, but you’ve fallen off track, then go ahead and do it now – give all of you, and all that you are carrying around with you, to Him.  Not only will it serve you well in this life,  but it will open your mind and heart  to amazing possibilities, beauty, and joy that is awaiting you in eternity with the Lord himself.

Glory in your midst.

For I, says the Lord, will be to her a wall of fire round about, and I will be the glory in the midst of her.” Zechariah 2:5 AMP

You are protected, you are loved, you are glorified by the Lord Almighty.  Therefore, there is no need to fear anything in this world, you have all the Power you need.  So, focus on God, look past those who oppose you, and go for your dream.  Yes, go for all of your God-given hopes, and dreams, and whatever the outcome may be, know that you will be more strengthened and more empowered for the next challenge, (dream, vision, goal).

Friends, this world is easy to get distracted by, but if you do what it takes to keep your focus on God, and God alone, then His glory becomes your glory and His fire will be ablaze before you, and these are all you need to keep you protected from any opposing force that tries to keep you from crossing the finish line. So, get focused, get serious about your relationship with God, and grasp hold to the victories that lie before you… they are patiently awaiting your presence!

 

Work for your blessings.

“… be strong, alert, and courageous… says the Lord, and work! For I am with you… My spirit stands and abides in the midst of you; fear not.” Haggai 2:4-5

We cannot claim to be God’s children, yet do nothing to obtain the promises and blessings He has in store for us.  We must work for them!! Idly standing by for the Lord’s blessing will pretty much leave you idly standing by, blessing-less; empty-handed.

As children of God’s we must be bold, courageous, alert, strong, and willing to work for our blessings.  We must move forward toward our God-given destiny and blessings every day, (your destiny is whatever hits you in the heart with a warmth and confidence; something that you can visualize and see yourself wanting and doing). Therefore, work on your relationship with the Lord every single day; move yourself away from sin; grasp to the promises that you feel so strongly in your heart; and remain hopeful and faithful through, and in, all things!  Yes, it takes work to grasp hold of God’s blessings and promises to us, but the work you do now will bring great reward, proving to be worth every ounce of energy you’ve exhumed for them.

God is good and He really, really loves you!!

Collect your thoughts. Gather your sins.

“Collect your thoughts, yes, unbend yourselves [in submission and see if there is no sense of shame and consciousness of sin left in you]…” Zephaniah 2:1 AMP

After reading this and you do happen to find some sin, (evil, resentment, fear, idolatry, hate, etc.), lurking within your soul, then begin to rid yourself of it – get it out.  How?  Seek God; pray, seek forgiveness, and ask direction as to how to make your wrongs right. Then, every time you feel cleansed of one sin, start doing some soul searching, and cleanse yourself of another!  We all have something going on most of the time, so the important thing is that we continually hold ourselves accountable and do something about it.   Then, God – our amazing, loving God – forgives us our sins, and restores us, more and more, into wholeness, which gives us strength and power to fulfill His destiny for our lives.  Yes, God is so good, He heals us of our faults, so we can live a life that leaves a legacy, an inheritance, and a memory in others hearts of what Christianity is truly all about.

Enemy? What enemy?

"He, [the Lord your God] has cast out your enemy. ... you shall not experience or fear evil any more. ... [He] will deal with all those who afflict you. ...[He] will gather you, for [the Lord, your God] will make you a name and a praise among [mankind] ..." My version of Zephaniah 3:15, 19-20

Oh, how good God is!  It seems that we spend so much wasted in time in worry, being intimidated, being fearful, and feeling full of reproach.  Why? Because we have fear of losing, failing, falling, being hurt, being rejected, being overlooked...  But, when I read this, I realize that there is no need to waste our time on any of it - God has already conquered our enemies, so we can never lose; we can't be cast down, we cannot be stepped on, we cannot be broken, we will never be rejected, and being overlooked only means that we are being protected from something disastrous!

Albeit difficult at times, let's begin to live like God wants us to live! Since our enemies are already destroyed by our Savior and Lord, we should live like conquerors, with boldness, determination, God-type confidence, and a sense of victory in all of our undertakings.   You and I should live with this type of thinking: Enemy? What enemy? I see no enemy before me!!  So, let's do it!  What do we have to lose?  Therefore, from today forward, join me in being determined to live fearlessly in this world, and, instead, live boldly for God knowing that what He puts in our hearts to do, we can do it with ease; He's already trampled the enemy, obstacles, and roadblocks that the world has tried to set before us!

I believe if we focus on Him more, and less of the, What if's, of the world, we would realize that we've put ourselves through way too much struggle.  Our battles have already been won! All we have to do is step above the world long enough to realize our victories have open doors with our name on them, and it's been that way all along! So, let's do it! Begin to focus ever-more-so on God, and begin to step into all of your victories.. they've been patiently waiting, and if you look real close with your heart, you will see your name brightly glowing on those victorious doors before you.

Silver and Gold

“Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord’s indignation and wrath…” Zephaniah 1:18 AMP

Let make this quick and simple, (forgive me if I come across harsh – I don’t mean to):

Better to be poor and homeless, yet believe in, worship, and love, the Lord our God, rather than being wealthy and glamorous, yet believe in anything, (or anyone), else.  For the poor and homeless believers will rise up with God on the last days, but the wealthy and glamorous non-believers will be trampled upon, spending their eternity with weeping and gnashing of teeth*!

Money, fame, and fortune mean nothing to God!  But, a pure heart, devoted to Him, means eternal life – money, fame, fortune not necessary, because it will be freely given to you the moment you walk through the pearly gates of Heaven.

*see Luke 13:28

More than a conqueror

“Yet I will rejoice in the Lord… my strength, my personal bravery, and my invincible army; He makes my feet and will make me to walk [not to stand still in terror…] and make [spiritual] progress upon my high places [of trouble, suffering, or responsibility]! Habakkuk 3:19 AMP

When we declare God has our Lord and Savior, nothing in this world is able to hold us back! Nothing! I’m sure if you are reading this it is because you’ve declared Him as your savior, right?  Well then, why are you standing back in fear, timidity, or because of naysayers? Get up! Move it! You can do it with God!  Take your God-given dreams, hopes, and prayers, and you move toward them.  I don’t care what this world tries to do to hold you back, don’t let it; God is more than this world, and He is all the knowledge, power, and strength you need.  Remember, my friend, you are more than a conqueror, and now is the perfect time to start declaring, believing, and living like it!!

Praise God ~ Hallelujah