Here is a new song:

Your Favor

Thank You for Your favor. It surrounds me like a shield. As I take each ordered step. My feet You intentionally place. Step by step You lead me upon Your charted course. You have gone before to prepare the way

Any obstacle or delay. They have orchestrated purpose. So I must wait. To rush ahead is foolishness. Your timing is pristine. Take my hand Lord and help me find Your way. Each path is chosen and carefully planned

Don’t chafe, fret, or pine. All in time – My time – you will find perfect peace and rest

I love Ephesians 1:11. We can lean on it, stand in it, and embrace it with a believing heart. It says, “In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works ALL things according to the counsel of His will.”

It is His will that we walk in the fullness of His irrevocable gifts of joy, peace, and favor. Here is a question. Would you purposely cover over your treasures with dirt? I wouldn’t and I am sure you would not either.

Then why do we allow anything from the enemy to cast his dirt? Here is something to ponder that the Lord showed me last night. Anytime our flesh reacts it is deflecting us away from a hidden lie.

They were fiery darts that we allowed to penetrate, make our own, and parrot them with our mouths. They are buried in our unconscious. Fiery dart-lies are strategically designed to control.

When we react it is a blessing. The Lord has, at that moment, allowed us to recognize there is a hidden lie. If we stop and confess our pride-reaction as sin, His grace will be there to expose the lie so we can be set free. Ask Him: why did I react? What do I believe about myself right now?

Unforgiveness is direct disobedience to God’s command to forgive as we have been forgiven. Worry is direct disobedience rooted in unbelief that the Lord will take care of us. Disobedience is rooted in pride. Pride blocks grace.

Psalm 119:5-6 says, “Oh, that my ways were directed to keep Your statutes! Then I would not be ashamed, when I look into all Your commandments.”

Lord, I ask You to help us be sensitive to You. Help us to be aware of when You are exposing a hidden lie that has been buried to sabotage our faith. Help us to walk in humility with a ready heart of obedience to Your commands.

Psalm 30:5 says, “For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” I want to pull one part of this verse out for you. It is essential to remember that God’s favor is for life, meaning that it is another irrevocable gift. We don’t earn it because we have it.

Here is another of my favorite verses. I use it as a phrase to praise Him. Psalm 5:12 says, “For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield.”

Ah, surrounded with favor like a wrap-around shield. What a delightful gift! Peace and joy are irrevocable gifts. Yet, our disobedience will cover over all three gifts. Even though they are still there, the dirt of our rebellion is thrown upon them.

Luke 2:52 says, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” Hebrews 5:8 says, “Though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.”

A great question to ask ourselves: am I learning obedience through the trials in my life? Our trials are His instruments to expose and weed out roots of rebellion that are hidden to sabotage our faith.

God’s favor on our life is most evident when we reflect His character. Remember from Romans 5:3-4 that our character is developed and proven as we persevere through our trials.

As we gaze upon the Lord, we are transformed into His image. It is part of our progressive sanctification. 2 Peter 1:4 says that we become partakers or sharers of His divine nature. O Lord, may we walk as You walked, and speak as You spoke in absolute obedience that will glorify You.

Jesus’ disciples were with Him daily. John described their time together. 1 John 1:1 Amplified says, “(We are writing) about the Word of Life (in) Him Who existed from the beginning, Whom we have heard, Whom we have seen with our (own) eyes, Who we have gazed upon (for ourselves) and have touched with our own hands.”

They heard His voice, saw and touched Him physically, and gazed upon Him. Therefore when He declared to them that He was going away, they were understandably sad.

I wonder what they felt like when He explained His reason. John 16:7 says, “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.”

It is through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives that we are empowered to do the work He has called us to do. Jesus’ warning and encouragement to them is the same for us. Verse 33 says, “…in the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

We endure our trials through abiding, beholding, and gazing. The Lord taught Moses this discipline, who also modeled it for Joshua. Exodus 33:8-9 says that Moses went into the tabernacle, while all the children of Israel watched from their tent door.

Verse 11 says, “So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle.”

Joshua learned how to lead the children of Israel through his time with the Lord. Are you learning the lessons the Lord has for you through your time of abiding, beholding, and gazing?

Gazing imbues us with the strength we need to endure. Moses is our example. Hebrews 11:27 Amplified says, “(Motivated) by faith he left Egypt behind him, being unawed and undismayed by the wrath of the king; for he never flinched but held staunchly to his purpose and endured steadfastly as one who gazed on Him Who is invisible.”

I love the word picture of Deuteronomy 32:10-12. It recorded God’s expression of love for His people Israel. It says, “He found him in a desert land and in the wasteland, a howling wilderness; He encircled him, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye.

As an eagle stirs up its nest, hovers over its young, spreading out its wings, taking them up, carrying them on its wings,

So the Lord alone led him, and there was no foreign god with him.”

Does it remind you of Psalm 91:1? It says, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” Verse 4 says, “He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.”

I heard this story years ago. A farmer was walking through his charred fields after a prairie fire. He was discouraged and kicked a charred clump. Out scurried many baby chicks. The momma hen gave her life to save her chicks.

I love Psalm 63:8 Amplified which says, “My whole being follows hard after You and clings closely to You; Your right hand upholds me.”

Another expression of the Lord’s love for us in His Presence. David wrote Psalm 139. Verses 5 says, “You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me.” Verse 13 says, “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb.”

When dark thoughts crowd in, or you are assailed by fear, remember this promise. Isaiah 41:10 says, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

I have used Gary Chapman’s five languages of love to help stir us up to lay hold of the Lord in a new way. Let’s set our expectations on Him. He is waiting to reveal Himself in ways we have not experienced Him before as we read through His word, embrace it, and inculcate it into our thought processes.

Do you love receiving gifts? It is always fun to watch our gift being opened and the expression of joy of the face of our receiver.

There is only one condition put on a gift–it has to be received. When our gift is rejected, it causes sorrow in our heart. We gave it out of love, but it was spurned.

God’s gave the greatest gift ever to be given John 3:16 says that He gave us His Son because He loved us. Romans 6:23 says, “…but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

What does John 1:11 say about Jesus? It says, “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.” The Jewish people rejected God’s gift.

Verse 12 says, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” The only condition God the Father put on His gift was to believe.

Ephesians 2:8-9 says that we are saved by grace through faith without works. Our salvation-gift cost us nothing. We receive His gift through a yielded believing heart. Yet, it cost Jesus everything. He gave His own life that we might live eternally with Him.

The gift-receiver gains everything through Jesus’ death: His love, redemption, mercy, grace, righteousness, justification, and sanctification. The list is endless and wrapped in abundance.

Romans 5:17 says, “For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.”

James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”

Affirm means to encourage and support. The Lord continually affirms us through His words. They encourage, strengthen, buoy our slagging spirit, and reinforce the truth of His love for us.

Jeremiah 31:3 says, “The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.” Sometimes we need to be reminded that His love has nothing to do with our performance.

I love Psalm 119:73. This verse helped enhance and broaden my understanding so I could let go of self-hatred and self-rejection. It says, “Your hands have made me and fashioned me, give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments.” We cannot love our ‘neighbor’ as ourselves unless we love and appreciate God’s design.

Isaiah 43:1 was written to Israel, but I encourage you to put your name in place of Jacob and Israel. “But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine.”

Jeremiah 1:5 readily affirms that our conception and all our days are just as God planned them. “…Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you…” You are created with all of God’s design for your life. Every good work that you walk in was preordained. Every natural gift and talent you have was placed in you at conception. The Lord delights in you!

John 15:16 is a great reminder that He is always the Initiator. “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.”

God’s word is eternal. It is settled in the heavens. Nothing can alter or delete it. His words of affirmation cause our spirit man to thrive. They strengthen and reinforce our heart to keep believing in the face of our impossibilities.

Quality time is not a single pursuit. It takes two, but not three or more. It is a face-to-face intermingling of hearts. I love to put Song of Solomon 2:14 in the personal sense. It says, “Oh my Dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the cliff, let me see Your face, let me hear Your voice; for Your voice is sweet, and Your face is lovely.”

Beholding the Lord is part of our inner character transformation. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

Quality time is knowing that the Lord knows your heart, and you opening it to Him without any veil. My new songs come from my quality time with Him. He sings them to my heart and my heart responds.

Our quality time with Him is the seed bed for fruit that will glorify Him. He shares rich insights that you don’t read in a book or hear from the pulpit. They are perfectly timed to what you are going through in the moment, yet remain timeless truths to share. They are revelational insight to navigate, enhanced wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. His words impart life and light that illumines our heart.

I want to give you one example. One of His first new songs was Womb Of The Morning: Your words like oil penetrate the places in my heart that were hardened through fear. You say My child don’t be afraid. I’ve been there all along to shield and protect. Let go of that which you clutch so tight. That I might fulfill the deepest longings of your heart.

My deepest inner healing has come through my quality time. There is nothing like it on this earth. He uncovers and reveals the roots that block, impede, hinder, and obstruct truth that will set us free.

‘Come and dine’ is an invitation to His abundant life beyond anything that we had previously experienced. John 14:21 says, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”

How does the Lord show His love through acts of service? Pruning! John 15:2 Amplified says, “Any branch in Me that does not bear fruit (that stops bearing) He cuts away (trims off, takes away); and He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit.”

Pruning is an art. I had fruit trees in my backyard. Every year I hired an arborist to prune. Why? He knew just what branches needed to be removed. I didn’t.

Years ago I pruned a low hanging limb on a tree in my backyard. It took a lot of my energy to maneuver my hand held saw. I left the severed branch on the ground and rested for an hour. When I went back to haul it away I was shocked to see it had withered so quickly.

It has remained an example for me. When I don’t abide in the Vine, my life is cut off from His life-giving sap. John 15:5 Amplified says, “I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me (cut off from vital union with Me) you can do nothing.”

Isaiah 43:7 says that we are created to glorify Him. John 15:8 says, “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, so you will be My disciples.”

You may have been in a ministry that was bearing fruit. Therefore it was a shock when that branch of your life was severed. That happened to me in 1999. I was going to Costa Rica two times a year with a ministry team. When the Lord cut that off I was beside myself.

Isaiah 55:8-9 says that the Lord’s ways and thoughts are far higher than ours. He prunes through wisdom. Fruit is borne out of abiding not service. John 15:7 says, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” We can trust Him with every aspect of our being.

John 15:1-8 is about abiding in the Vine. To abide is to commune Heart to heart as the Lord shares His heart with us. Amazing. The Creator of the universe desires time with us His creation.

What does that look like? I love Psalm 63:1. It says, “O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.” Here is another. Psalm 73:25 says, “Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.”

A few nights ago I was reading a book. I felt the Lord drawing me to Himself. I closed the book and came before Him. As His Presence began to envelope me this new song bubbled up.

You Alone Are Worthy

You alone are worthy. You alone, O Lord. You are filled with majesty and splendor. Clothed in light and love
.

I drink in Your Presence. I bask in Your grace. Your eyes are pooled with love for me. For me You rose again

Seated in the heavenly places. Far above and over all. You are Lord of Lords. King Eternal Ruler Supreme

The call to intimacy is a heart response. It doesn’t matter what you are doing, when He draws you, just quiet your heart and be still. It is a holy interruption. It is a life-giving moment that nothing on this earth can equal. Sometimes He does it just because He wants to be with us. His desire is for us. We reciprocate through stillness.

Do you remember years ago that Gary Chapman wrote a book about the five love languages? Affirmation, acts of service, receiving gifts, quality time, and physical touch.

Each of these five are fulfilled through intimate communion with the Lord. How? They are expressions of His love for us. John 15:9 says, “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.” Then He qualifies it. Verse 10 says, “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.”

Daniel had another purpose of heart. He had purposed to pray toward Jerusalem three times a day. Now those who served the king with him were very jealous. They plotted how they could trap Daniel. Why? Daniel 6:3 says that Daniel distinguished himself because he had an excellent spirit.

Verse 4 says, “…they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him.” The fruit of Daniel’s purpose of heart was God’s empowerment to resist temptation, faithfulness, and heart integrity.

They devised a plan and influenced the king to sign a decree that whoever petitioned any god or man, except the king, would be cast into the lion’s den.

Verse 10 says, “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.”

It was his lifestyle since early days. Have you purposed in your heart to spend time with the Lord every day? Are you like Daniel, no matter what your circumstances are, you remain faithful to your heart-purpose?

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all record how Jesus went away to commune with His Father. Matthew 14:23 says, “And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.”

Our quiet time is Heart-to-heart communion with the Lord. He is our central focus in this holy time. Our lives are absolutely dependent on Him. Therefore, as we set this time apart for Him, He is present to reveal Himself in ways we have not known before. He longs to impart His wisdom, understanding, knowledge, but also His desires for us and through us.