Category: Uncategorized

by Tammy Phillips
April 10, 2021

Listen to the LORD who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. ² When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. ³ For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. 4…you are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you. (Isaiah 43:1-4 NLT)

While sitting at the feet of Jesus on the beach and listening to “Oceans” by Hillsong (https://youtu.be/dy9nwe9_xzw) , I heard the Lord ask me to trust Him completely.  He called me to go deeper with him.  This lyric from Oceans became my reoccurring prayer:

“Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior”

I cannot tell you how much this song and encounter with the Lord has changed my life.  And then Holy Spirit gave me a guiding scripture to stand on, Isaiah 43:1-4.

The Lord God has paid for our life with His own blood, and He has called us with His loving voice.  And He will call us into some pretty uncomfortable places “where feet may fail.”  However, He assures us that we are His.  He is always with us.  He goes with us. We are precious to Him and most of all that HE LOVES US.

When He calls us deeper, He encourages us in Isaiah 43 by saying “when you go through deep waters, I will be with you.”   He does not say, if you make it through this. He assures us that we will go through. 

Think about it like this. 

“When you pass through deep waters…”.

When God led Moses and Israel to the Red Sea in Exodus 14, He called them out upon the water to trust Him through deep waters.  He was faithful to make a way. He made away that we could never imagine, through the sea on dry land.  Moses trusted God.  He brought them through and saved them.

“When you pass through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you.”

When God called Joshua and the Israelites to cross the River Jordan in Joshua 3, He gave them very specific directions. In Joshua 3:5, “He told the people, ‘Purify yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do great wonders among you.’” (Joshua 3:5 NLT). The Jordan was overflowing its banks.  However, as soon as the priest put a foot in the river, the flow of water was cut off up stream, the river backed up, formed a wall and all of the Israelites crossed over on dry ground.

“When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned, nor will the flame kindle on you.”

In Daniel 3 Shadrach, Meshach and Abendnego, were ordered to bow to the government and worship, King Nebuchadnezzar or be thrown into the fire.  They paid no attention to the order.  They refused to serve the king or worship the gold statue he sat up. King Neb even gave them a second chance to bow, but hey said in Daniel 3:17, “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty.”   They were bound and thrown into the roaring fire that was so hot that it killed the men that through them in.  BUT GOD, He was with them, showed up in the middle of the fire and loosed them.  They came out unscathed.

And then there is Peter!  He sees Jesus walking on the water.  Jesus tells them, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” (Matthew 14:27 NKJV). Peter and His silly self said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” (Matthew 14:27-28 NKJV) Jesus calls Him out to the deep water, “Come.” Peter stepped into the deep and walked on the water.  However as soon as the wind came, He lost focus on Jesus.  “But when he saw that the wind [was] boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”  And immediately Jesus stretched out [His] hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 30-31 NKJV).  

Even when we are called to go through the deep waters and fail, Jesus is always there to pick us back up.  Deep will challenge, stretch and grow us.  Our faith will increase when we go through the deep waters with Him.

I enCOURAGE you not to be afraid.  He is with you.  He has redeemed and called you out into the deep waters, the roaring rivers and fiery furnaces with Him.  He will get you through because you are precious, prized, valuable and very rare in His sight.  There is only one of you and He loves you more than you can imagine.  Go deeper with Him.  You will not regret it.

 

 

 

by Tammy Phillips
April 9, 2021 

And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. (Genesis 17:1 KJV) 

I can name every extra pound on my body.  The voices I listened to, helped me name each pound.  I listened to voices that told me. “You are not enough!”  They filled in the blank of “You are not _____ enough” with words like…

Good
Skinny
Pretty
Tall
Smart
Successful
Rich

They told me that I was not a good enough daughter, wife, mother, worker, sister nor friend.  Nothing I ever said, did, drew, wrote, wrapped or made was good enough.  These voices can be good in pursuit of excellence.  They can prod us on towards perfection, if they are encouraging words, but they were not for me.  They were discouraging.  They were meant to insure my destruction.  My lying friends, Comfort food, Sweet food, Crunchy food and Bad food, we had many a party.  Almost Every Monday, I would say no more partying with them.  The weekend would come, another hurt, or another offense would visit, and the party was back on.

I have learned and overcome their voices many times only to fall prey to their lying taunts, again.     

I have finally tuned them out and turned on the voice of Truth.  They try to come back but his voice is more powerful.  It is full of truth and love.  I have wised up and discovered that it Is not about the I am that I am.  It is ALL about the “I AM.”  It is about who He is and who I am in Him.  My God says, “I AM Almighty God; walk before me and be thou perfect.”   I do not have to be enough  because  He is, El Shaddai, God who is  More than Enough.  He is the All sufficient One. 

And God [is] able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all [things], may abound to every good work: (2 Corinthians 9:8 KJV)

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9 KJV)

He is enough.  His grace is sufficient enough.  He makes grace abound toward us so that we ALL SUFFICIENCY IN ALL THINGS.  All means all.  He makes us strong when we are weak.  He gives us wisdom when we are lacking.  When we fail, He picks us back up.  When we miss the mark, He forgives us.   He heals us when we are hurt.  When we are broken, He completes and perfects us. When we say we are not pretty enough, He says that we are the apple of His eye and made in His image.  He says in Psalm 45:13, “The King’s daughter is all glorious within!”  When we are broken, He completes and perfects us. 

I enCOURAGE you to stop looking at you and focus on Jesus.  If we can truly look into His compassionate and adoring eyes, we will see how very much He loves us.  We will see ourself through His eyes and know that we are enough only because of who we are in Him, who is MORE THAN ENOUGH!

by Tammy Phillips
April 8, 2021

“Con vuestra paciencia ganaréis vuestras almas.” (Luke 21:19 RVR60)

I do not read or speak Spanish, either.  When I first read Luke 21:19, the treasure of this verse was hidden to me, just as if it was written in a foreign language.  I did not get it.  As I dug deeper into these words of Jesus recorded by Dr. Luke, I discovered the richness of this scripture. 

Meditate on: 

“In your patience possess ye your souls.” (Luke 21:19 KJV)
“By your patience possess your souls. (Luke 21:19 NKJV)

The word “in” is the Greek word en.  This is not a word that indicates direction.  This is preposition denoting a fixed position in place, time or state.  So, when we are in a fixed position in patience, we possess our souls?  We love the word patience, right?  What does it really mean?  “Patience” is from the Greek word hypomonē which means:

• Strong endurance
• Steadfast
• Constancy
• Enduring (cheerful and hopeful)
• Wait
• Abide
• Remain
• Stand
• Do not lose heart
• Bear Bravely (misfortunes, trouble, offense, or injury)

When we are in a fixed position in place or time, enduring, being steadfast, waiting, standing, not losing heart and bearing bravely, we possess our souls. 

Possess simply translated means to get, acquire, obtain, gain.

Look at the light shined on the uncomplicated words of Jesus in the below translations:

“By standing firm, you will win your souls.” (Luke 21:19 NLT)
“By your endurance you will gain your lives.” (Luke 21:19 ESV)
“Stand firm, and you will win life.” (Luke 21:19 NIV)

In Matthew 24:13 the same words of the Lord are declared just a little bit differently than Luke:

“But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

If there was a Tammy’s International Version, Matthew 24:13 (TIV) would read:

“He who is resolute to the end will be whole, healed and complete!”

Further, Luke 21:1 in the TIV would read:

“BE RESOLUTE AND YOU WIN LIFE.”

I enCOURAGE you to dig deeper.   If you do not understand a verse in the Bible, look at different versions of the same verse.  Looking into the definitions of words.  You will find a treasure trove.  The Blue Letter Bible is an excellent tool to help you dig. (https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/jhn/10/1/t_conc_1007010) 

As I was growing up, I would ask my stepfather the definition of words.  He would make me so mad.  Instead of giving me what I asked for, he would ALWAYS tell me to go look it up.  I am passing on that advice.  If you don’t get it, go look it up.   In other words, be resolute and you win.  Endure and you will be saved and get your answer.  This works with words.  This works with life!  

by Tammy Phillips
April 7, 2021

Are we moving mountains?
Are we helping others move mountains?

In every word, do we help others hear God? 
In every action, do we help others see God?
In every deed, do we help others know God?

The Word of God says in Isaiah 41:10…

Do not fear!
I am with you!
Do not look around.
Do not turn your eyes from me.
Do not look to another for help.
I am your God.
I will strengthen you
I will help you.
I will uphold you.
with my righteous right hand.

This looks like God’s will to me.  He said, “I will” three times.  We can conclude it is His will  to help, strengthen and uphold us.

 “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31 NIV)

Do not forget how big God is!  Remember, He can hold all the water, oceans and lakes in his hand! (Is 40:12). Nothing, and I mean nothing, stands in the way with God’s help!   If we have the faith, He empowers us to moves mountains. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE…if we believe.

He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20 NIV)

Our will should align with God’s will.  Our actions, words, thoughts, site, hearing should align to the will of God.   Our do’s and our do not’s should align to the word of God. 

Our declaration should be, I will align my…

Beliefs
Actions
Choices
Words
Thoughts
Sight
Hearing
Do’s
Do not’s
Eating
Exercise
Children
Future
Destiny
Friends
Church
Prayers
Truth
Hope
Faith
Love

… to the will and the word of God.  Remember…

I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:13 NIV)

Our prayer should imitate that of our Jesus:

“Abba, Father,” he said, “EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE FOR YOU. Take this cup from me. YET NOT WHAT I WILL, BUT WHAT YOU WILL.” (Mark 14:36 NIV) 

I enCOURAGE you to align your will to His and watch the mountains in your life move.  It is His will to help us.  It should be our will to partner with and help Him build His kingdom. 

When I align my words, actions and deeds to His, I begin to see my mountain, my weight, move in the right direction.  When that mountain is finally torn down, melted and thrown into the ocean, will I not be able to help build faith in others to move their own mountains?  As I give my God all the credit for the transformation, will that not help bring others into His kingdom? 

It is time to move mountains and tell others about it!  Let’s go, kingdom mountain movers.

 

by Tammy Phillips
April 6, 2021 

The LORD is trustworthy in all He promises and faithful in all he does.
The LORD is righteous in all His ways and faithful in all he does. (Psalm 145:13, 17 NIV)
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8 NIV)
There is a time for everything. (Ecclesiastes 3:1 NIV)The Lord is RESOLUTE.

The Lord is FAITHFUL.
The Lord is UNCHANGED.
The Lord is NEVER LATE.

We remain RESOLUTE.
We remain FAITHFUL.
We remain UNCHANGED.

We wait.

In the wait…
Sing it out.
Shout it out.
Laugh it out.
Dance it out.

Wait it out.

I enCOURAGE you to remain resolute, faithful, and unchanged.  Wait on the Lord.  In the wait, sing, shout, laugh and dance it out before the Lord.  He is working behind the scenes and aligning His plans and purposed for your life.   Are you at the edge of your own “Red Sea?”  In the words of Moses, “Do not be afraid.  Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today…. ¹⁴ “The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” (Exodus 14:13-14 NKJV)

by Tammy Phillips
April 5, 2021

Many years ago,  I drew a little heart shaped shovel beside this verse.  I ask the Lord then to go into my heart and clean out the trash…shovel it out.  My prayer is the same today.  Take out the trash and make me more like You. 

Create for me a pure heart, O God! Renew a resolute spirit within me!  Psalm 51:10 NET

CREATE…
Shape
Cut
Carve out
Form by cutting
Make smooth
Polish
Birth

FOR ME A PURE HEART…
A clean heart
A clear heart
An uncontaminated heart
An unmixed heart
A bright heart

O GOD!
Great
Almighty
Exceeding
My Hero

RENEW
Rebuild
Repair
Restore
Cut

A RESOLUTE…
Upright
Plumb
Prepared
Established
Constant
Ready
Right
Erect
Fixed
Set up
Ordered

SPIRIT
Breath
Wind
Life
Thought
Action

WITHIN ME
In the middle of me
In the center of me
In my interior

Do not reject me!
Do not take your Holy Spirit away from me!
Let me again experience the joy of your deliverance!
Sustain me by giving me the desire to obey!
Then I will teach rebels your merciful ways,
and sinners will turn to you. (Psalm 51:11-13 NET)

 I enCOURAGE you all to pray this prayer with me and with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord. Share the mercy of the Lord and His deliverance.   Draw others to Him.

 

by Tammy Phillips
April 4, 2021

No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up there on, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there. (Isaiah 35:9 NKJV).

  Read Isaiah 35 and be blessed!  

As we remember the death by crucifixion and celebrate the resurrected life of Jesus, think about one of the last things He said.  In John 19:20, He stated, “It is finished.”  What was finished?  Jesus had completed what He stepped out of heaven to accomplish.  He had redeemed us.  He bought back our lives.  He saved us to be whole, healed and complete in Him. 

Isaiah 35 is one of the most beautifully painted pictures of the finished work of Jesus on the cross. This is what the King of Kings bought back for us:

We shall see the Glory of the Lord.
We shall see the excellency of the Lord.
He will strengthen the weak hands.
He will make firm the feeble knees.
To the fearful hearted He says:
Be strong!
Do not fear!
God will come with vengeance.
God will come with recompense. 
God will save you.
The eyes of the blind shall be opened.
The ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
The lame shall leap like a deer.
The tongue of the dumb will sing.
The waters shall burst forth in the wilderness.
Streams will be in the desert.
The parched ground shall become a pool.
The thirsty land springs of water.
A highway shall be there and a road.
The road will be called the Highway of Holiness.
The unclean shall not pass over it.
It is for others.
The redeemed will walk there.
Whoever walks the road, although a fool, Shall not go astray.
No lion shall be there.
No ravenous beast can go up on it.
It will not be found there.
The ransomed of the LORD shall return.
The ransomed of the LORD come to Zion with singing.
Everlasting joy will be on their heads.
They shall obtain joy and gladness.
Sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
(Isaiah 35:3-10 NKJV)

Jesus is the Way!  He made a better way for us, the Highway.  In Him we have ALL that Isaiah 35 says.  He is our strength.  We do not have to fear.  He is the God of impossible.  He pours into the dry places in us and life springs up.  God has saved us and will save us every time. NO LION will be there or any ravenous beast because he defeated the beast!    Cancer is a ravenous beast.  C-19 is a ravenous beast.   Addiction is a ravenous beast.  Worry is a lion that roars loudly.  All authority is His. He obliterated every obstacle.  He cleared the way and made a way for us to live life abundantly with Him here and now and for all eternity!  Everlasting joy! Glory to God.  And thank you Father! 

I encourage you to think about this.  “It was our weaknesses He carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down.  And we thought His troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for His own sins! ⁵ But He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. ⁶ All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on Him the sins of us all.”  (Isaiah 53:4-6 NLT) He made the way where NO LION will be there! Oh, wait.  I hear the roar!  The LION OF JUDAH IS here with us every step of the way, but no other!  HAPPIEST EASTER. 

by Tammy Phillips
April 3, 2021

There is nothing like the hugs of my husband, but his hugs are different.  You know what I mean?   My Papa Abney was a big man.  He was a larger-than-life man to me.  He used to give the best hugs.  They were all encompassing bear hugs.  When he embraced you, he was giving you all the love he had at that moment.  He held nothing back.

On January 14, 2021 the Holy Spirit collided several verses together and showed me how the love of our heavenly Father encompasses us.

This “rabbit trail” began as I was looking at the necklace my precious daughter-in-law to be gave me for Christmas.  It is a gold pendant that has “4110” on it.  She said that she had scanned my blog and that Isaiah 41:10 was a verse she noticed that I often used.

“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.’ … For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand, Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’ (Isaiah 41:10, 13 NKJV)

As I pondered over 41:10 and I read further to 41:13, a picture came into my mind.  The Lord is holding us up with His right hand and holding our right hand.  For this to happen, He is either bear hugging us like the picture above to the left or He is holding us up with His right hand and looking at us face to face and pulling us gently into Him by holding our right hand.  Either way, He has us in a bear hug and He is not letting go. The word of God tells us over and over again that He is with us and that He will never forsake us.  

An example is when Moses speaks these words to Joshua in Deuteronomy 31:6, 8 (NKJV):

“Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” … 8 “And the LORD, He [is] the One who goes before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”  

And, the word of God says that He is with us.  It also promises in Isaiah 52:12 that He goes before us and He has got our back.

“For you shall not go out with haste, Nor go by flight; For the LORD will go before you, And the God of Israel will be your rear guard.”

 And again, in Isaiah 58:8 (NKJV):

“Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.” 

Not only does God hold us up with His right hand, go before us, guard our backside, Psalm 118:6 (KJV) tells us that He is also on our left side and our right side. 

The LORD [is] on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?

Do you see it?  Do you see the all-encompassing love of God, as you look into His eyes full of compassion?  Can you feel the warmth of His adoring touch?  Can you hear His strong, mighty, and comforting voice through the collision of all these scriptures? Can you hear Him gently saying: “I got you; I will hold you up?”  Can see in His caring face His encouraging you to be strong and repeating over and over again, “Do not be afraid.”

I enCOURAGE you to spend some time today meditating on the “bear hug of God.”  The Lord God who loved us so much that He gave His only Son as an exchange for us.  Jesus died so that we could live and have a loving relationship with God, the Creator of the whole universe and God who is LOVE.   The God that I know wants this kind of relationship with you!  Bask in His love.   He has you covered on all sides and holds you tightly in His loving arms.

by TAMMY PHILLIPS
April 2, 2021

Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man from Kabzeel, who had done many deeds. He had killed two lion-like heroes of Moab. He also had gone down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day. (2 Samuel 23:20 NKJV)

My last encouragement was about fasting.  Take a journey with me.  Allow me to outline how mightily God showed Himself and directed me in the first week of the fast in 2021.  I felt like Isaiah in Isaiah 6:5, I literally became “undone” at how Holy Spirit wove all this together. Remember, faith comes by hearing.

January 4, 2021:
I heard this word of encouragement from Lana Vawser, excerpt from her post, https://lanavawser.com/2021/01/04/i-heard-the-lord-say-battle-weary-warriors-i-am-restoring-your-roar/ : 

“The Lord will RESTORE THE ROAR of these battle-weary ones.  He is raising them       up in FIERCE BOLDNESS.  There is not only a complete restoration, healing,            deliverance, and resurrection coming upon these, but FIERCE BOLDNESS to declare      and speak the word of the Lord and the revelation of heaven with such accuracy, such conviction and such power, that it will cause the kingdom of darkness to shake and      tremble.  These ones were HUNTED by the enemy, but the resurrection power of God is coming upon them so strongly right now that they are now becoming the HUNTERS. They are the ones being sent out on assignment from the Lord with the ROAR of the Lion of Judah within them and through them that will bring an OVERTURNING to the enemy’s plans.”

January 6, 2021:
A podcast from Ana Werner and Lana Vawser I heard:

• RESOLUTE ONES HOLD onto your promise! (You know, RESOLUTE is my word.)
• A warrior filled with wisdom ascends into the high place and releases regional breakthrough, bringing down the strongholds of the mighty.” (Proverbs 21:22 TPT)
• We are warriors in the kingdom.

Later the same day, I learned about an inspirational, valiant character in the Bible that I knew absolutely nothing about, Benaiah.  I first heard of him from my son, Parker.  On Park’s first day as an Operations Volunteer with the Austin Peay State University football team, he learned about Benaiah from the head football coach, Scotty Walden.  He came home and shared the story with me. The team’s mantra is “Chase the Lion.”  Scotty encouraged the team to “have an attitude of ATTACK in everything they do and, when faced with opportunity or adversity, run to the fight and not away from it.”  This mantra was all based on the story of Benaiah. 

I did some research and found out that not a lot is said about Benaiah in the Bible.  One would be led to believe from the few things that were said that he was a fearless warrior.   And he took after his valiant grandfather, in that he was bold, brave and courageous.  I mean… he went on the defense, chased and killed a lion in a pit on a snowy day.  Hello?  HE CHASED THE LION! We are also told that he killed two Moab heroes that were as strong and brave as lions.  And like David, he killed his own, seven-foot tall, Egyptian giant by plucking a spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and slaying his enemy with his own spear.  Benaiah seemed fearless.  His exploits earned him favor as one of  David’s might men. He was given charge of David’s bodyguards (2 Samuel 23:23).  Later, after his faithful service, he was named commander-in-chief of Solomon’s army.

The amazing thing about God is He KNOWS ME and you, and Holy Spirit always confirms His word.  He knows that for us to really get what He is saying, He is going to have to hammer it home and tell us more than once.  It’s like confirming appointment.  He sets the appointment, but He always follows up, if there is somewhere He really wants me to be.   

January 8, 2021:
Within days of Parker telling me about Benaiah, Dutch Sheets in his, “Give Him 15” devotional, also shared about him.  He stated that Benaiah had a warrior’s heart and that we are called to have one, too.   Isn’t that what Proverbs 21:22 said?

Take-a-way lessons from Benaiah, the lion and the word:

• BE RESOLUTE.
• A warrior rises, brings breakthrough in their life and the lives of others, and brings down the mighty.
• We are determining to become fierce, bold, warrior hunters in Him.
• “He is always using past experiences to prepare us for future opportunities. But those God-given opportunities often come disguised as man-eating lions. And how we react when we encounter those lions will determine our destiny. We can cower in fear and run away from our greatest challenges. Or we can chase our God-ordained destiny by seizing the God-ordained opportunity.”-from Mark Batterson’s, In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day
• With resolute, focused, ferocious faith, we are to attack everything we do.
• Run to the fight not away from it.
• CHASE THE LION!

Like Benaiah, praise God, I have valiancy in my lineage!  My great grandmother Mary Willie Veal Hewell was a “Benaiah.”  She was something else.  She was a warrior in her own way.  She was sassy, obstinate, stubborn, strong, bold, brave and courageous.  She was a protector.  I do not believe she was afraid of anything.  When she was in her seventies, I saw her more than once chase down a rattle snake with a hoe.  I do not know how she would do it, but she would chop the head right off the snake with her hoe.  I do remember that.  What an example she was to me!

Who fearlessly chases the lion and the rattlesnake?  The one who God has built up.  Benaiah translated means, “Jehovah has built,” or “Yahweh has built up.”  God builds us up step by step and from glory to glory.  I want to be a warrior in the kingdom of God. I want to walk by faith on the rattlesnakes of my life.  How about you?

I enCOURAGE you to chase your lion into the snowy pit.  Be a bold, brave, courageous warrior in the kingdom of God.  Walk by faith. He goes before you, stands behind you and is beside you every step of the way.  CHASE THE LION and the rattlesnake!

by Tammy Phillips
April 1, 2021

“However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” (Matthew 17:21 NKJV)

Who wants to talk about disciplining their body, said no one ever?  However, fasting has become a very important part of my life. I fast each year at the beginning of the year for at least the first 21 days.  (I also fast, as called to do so, during the year.)  I have been doing this for the last five years.  It is a way for me to kick off the year solely focused on the Lord.  It is way to get the things to go out that need to go out and to call the things in that need to come in.   It is a practice in self-control and discipline.  Sometimes, I do a full fast with no food, just water and juices.  Sometimes, I give up a certain group of foods. Sometimes, I do the Daniel fast.   I gave up desserts in a fast in August of 2020 and I am still withstanding.   I loved desserts.  I do not think I ever met a dessert that I did not love. You would think with that cutting out sugar and with the loss of smell that I would be skinny by now.  I am not…yet. (I lost 90% of smell a year of two before covid hit with some strange sickness like c-19.  It has not returned.)

All this to say… great revelation, great breakthrough, great pain and great change have been results of a fast.  I have come to realize that the fast is also a great time of acceleration.  It lives up to its name, FAST.  As I honor the Lord in prayer and fastingt, the Holy Spirit pours into me sometimes faster than I think I can receive.  January has become one of my favorite times with the Lord.  Our relationship is always strengthened and grows during these times set apart to our great God.

I strongly enCOURAGE you to fast and pray before the Lord.  It is a time when you can focus on Him, deny yourself, pour yourself out to Him and  hear clearly all He has to say.  AND…great things always come out of a fast!!!

Below are some links about fasting and a link to a couple of good books about fasting, if you are interested. 

https://jentezenfranklin.org/fastingbasics

https://jentezenfranklin.org/daily-devotions/fasting-tips-2

https://jentezenfranklin.org/fasting

https://jentezenfranklin.org/products/fasting-kit