Keep me as the apple of Your eye; Hide me under the shadow of Your wings, (Psalm 17:8 NKJV)
I love the word picture that David paints in this verse. I find such comfort in knowing that we are protected under the wings of our Almighty God, our Abba Father, our Daddy (as we Southern girls like to call him). When the storms of life come at us hard, the wind and rain are relentlessly trying to move us, there is nothing like crawling up in Daddy’s arms. No place that I would rather be than enveloped in His love and protection.
Psalms 91:4 is a verse I often like to hide out in, “He shall cover me with his feathers, and under his wings I will trust: his truth is my shield and buckler.” Comfort and protection can be found in our Father like we can find it in no other place. Sometimes little birds or ducks are so tucked away under the wings of protection that you can hardly see them. I want to be so hidden in my Daddy that all you can see of me is Him!
I enCOURAGE you to hide under the wings of our Daddy today. You will find rest in our Strength and Shield. The storms, big or little, will soon pass and the glorious light will come. We should then go out, shake our little tail feathers and give Him all praise and glory.
Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. (Mark 1:35 NKJV)
Wonder why we awake between, 3AM and 6AM? Pray-er, you know that the Holy Spirit often awakes you to pray at that same time. According to Mark 1:35, Jesus set the example for us. The word morning in this scripture is the Greek word prōï, meaning the fourth watch of the night, from 3 o’clock until 6 o’clock in the morning. It is the watch before daybreak.
Jesus was our example.
He arose really early.
He took action and went.
He departed to a solitary place
He prayed.
For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: (1 Peter 2:21 NKJV)
According to 1 Peter 2:21, we are called to follow in his steps. He prayed early, we are called early follow his example in prayer. I love the definition of the word, “example.” It is the Greek word, hypogrammos, which means: a writing copy, including all the letters of the alphabet, given to beginners as an aid in learning to draw them; a copy for imitation. Remember, how we learned to write? By carefully imitating and following an example. Do you remember laboring to get your pencil to follow the exact lines of the letters laid out before you? I do. We spent hours and hours mastering it until it was finally a habit and came easily. I also adore the Greek word for “follow” in this verse, epakoloutheō. It means to tread in one’s footsteps; to imitate one’s example.
I know he knew what He was doing. The quiet solitude of the morning allows one to hear His gentle voice without the multitude of distractions the day brings. Since we are called to imitate Him and follow in His footsteps, early to rise and pray, it is! We should find our solitary place and get to it. These early morning meetings have changed the course of my life and my families.
I enCOURAGE you to follow Him, when He calls and let Psalm 5:3, be your declaration to our Lord: My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up. (Psalm 5:3 NKJV)
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13 NKJV)
If we believe the word of God, then you and I can do all things!
Repeat after me.
I can. I can do. I can do all. I can do all things. I can do all things through… I can do all things through Christ. I can do all things through Christ which strengthens. I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.
YOU CAN.
You can get up off your couch. I can help my mother move twice within in a year.
You can be a good listener. I can be patient.
You can easily forgive. I can love hard.
You can remain calm. I can be slow to anger.
I can. How about you?
I enCOURAGE you to say you can. I enCOURAGE you to believe you can. I enCOURAGE you to have faith that you CAN.
“Chasing the sunrise with Mom in our PJ’s,” Athens, Georgia, February 4, 2021
by Tammy Phillips February 6, 2021
But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle [you]. (1 Peter 5:10 NKJV)
BUT GOD of ALL GRACE (unmerited favor; loving kindness) who hasCALLED us BY NAME (His Name, Name above all names) into HIS ETERNAL GLORY (His majesty, His excellence, His absolute perfection and glorious condition)
BY CHRIST JESUS…
…after you have suffered and been in pain a little while…
He PERFECTS you. He COMPLETES you. He RESTORES you. He REPAIRS you He ORDERS you. He MENDS your BROKENESS. He makes you as you ought to be.
He ESTABLISHES you. He STRENGTHENS you. He BALANCES you. He empowers you to…
STAND IMMOVABLE.
STAND IMMUTABLE.
STAND FIRM
STAND FAST
STAND SAFE
STAND SOUND
STAND UNHARMED
STAND UNWAVERING
STAND READY
STAND PREPARED
STAND STEADFAST IN MIND
BE RESOLUTE
HE SETTLES you. He LAYS YOUR FOUNDATION. He STABILIZES you He ERECTS you. He CONSOLIDATES you. He GROUNDS you.
I enCOURAGE you in CHRIST JESUS. This is what He does. It is His Word. We can count on it.
We are CALLED UNTO HIS GLORY! We are CALLED UNTO HIS GLORY! We are CALLED UNTO HIS GLORY!
His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do [it].” (John 2:5 NKJV)
In John 2, Mary had a need, and she took it to Jesus. They were out of wine at the wedding feast. She had faith in Jesus, in who he was and who he was to become. She simply said to the servants, like she would say to us when we take a need to Jesus, whatever he says, do it.
How many times do we vacillate in our mind? Should we or shouldn’t we? There is no vacillating in faith. We either believe He will meet our need, or He won’t. If we have prayed about a problem and God has given us a solution, we should do it! If we believe the word of God has directed us or the Holy Spirit has led us to do something, we better just do it. If we have asked for direction and we get nothing, we better do nothing. We should wait to hear from Holy Spirit. We sure do not want to miss the miracle.
I enCOURAGE you in that whatever He says to you, DO IT! If he says nothing, do nothing.
“And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach and publish openly the good news (the Gospel) to every creature [of the whole human race].” (Mark 16:15 AMPC)
Once, a few years ago, I read this verse. I became a bit overwhelmed with the magnitude of the commission, “GO…to all the world…preach the good news to everybody!” I had not worked a regular job outside the home in a few years. I did not have a lot of social contacts to deliver the good news to, or so I thought. I had a husband and two teenage boys. It was not like I could pick up and move to Bora Bora. I did not have spare time to visit my home state of Georgia, much less the whole world. I spent most of my extra time at the ball field.
I heard the hearty, gentle laugh of God and then Holy Spirit imparted a little wisdom into this mom’s spirit.
He showed me that “go” in Greek means to pursue the journey on which one has entered; to order one’s life; travel; traverse; to step; to walk. Although go infers motion, it does not mean you have to travel from zero to a hundred miles per hour in seconds. I learned that it was fine to go slow and steady. It also did not mean that we do not have to cross the Pacific to go on mission.
Holy Spirit then taught me what “all the world” meant in this verse. The Greek word for world is from the Greek word kosmos. It denotes order; circle of earth; the circle of human family, general collection of particulars: circle of friends; circle of coworkers; circle of political affiliations; circle of baseball family. I learned that our world, our cosmos, is our sphere of influence.
God shrunk the whole world down to a comprehensible size. I understood that we are to go to every creature in our sphere. Our mission field was to the red, yellow, black and white, to the young, to the old, to the mom and to the baseball player. We are to share Jesus with Bridgenetta, the cashier at Kroger. We are to share the good news with the hopeless wife and mother whose husband asked for a divorce after 30 years of marriage. We are to share the good news to friends with brain cancer, to the friends with breast cancer, to friends who lost a child or grandchild too soon.
We are girls and guys on assignment. Our assignment is to our sphere.
I enCOURAGE you to go, to love, to preach the good news of Jesus to your world. Alongside you, I will go to mine! We have much to say!
(PS… the more you share, the bigger your sphere of influence grows…even to the whole world.)
Holy Spirit loves to get my attention in the REST room, be it shower or water closet. I hear Holy Him so clearly in those spaces. I was recently showering. Out of nowhere, the Holy Spirit showed up. I was reflecting on the words of a sweet sister’s text, “I feel like the devil is trying to come in.”
Loud and clear, I heard Revelation 12:1, “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation(!) and strength(!) and the kingdom of our God(!), and the power of his Christ(!) for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
HELLO? According to John 10:10, Satan’s mission is to steal, to kill, and to destroy! He knocks on our door all day, every day and night! If he isn’t, there may not be anything he needs because we are already helping him out enough.
HELLO? He is after us! We have an enemy! He does not go away! Sometimes, he might be quieter than others, but do not be fooled into thinking that he is not in pursuit. He is trying to shake us. He is trying to distract us. He is trying to steal our joy. He is trying to kill us!
Here is the GOOD NEWS!
Jesus’ mission was to SAVE us in every situation not just eternally. The good news is He won! His mission is complete. Satan is defeated. Jesus won and wins every time!
I asked my Intercessory prayer warriors: “How do you keep a poker face in the front of the enemy?” We came up with three things:
WORD UP! Pull out the sword, the Word, and use it. There is an answer for every situation in the Word of God. Find it. Deposit it. Use it. Say it.
“No weapon formed against me will prosper!” “Peace! Be still!” which translated can mean, “Hush! Put a muzzle on it!”
SANG! “Raise a hallelujah!” David did it best. Pick a Psalm or any song. Sing it to the top of your lungs or quietly in your spirit. Resist the devil and he will flee.
“Devil not today! Fear you don’t own me!”
LAUGH! The book of James says we are to consider it nothing but joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you fall into various trials. Why? We should never let the enemy see, nor hear that we are moved from our resolute stand with the Lord.
“Strength and dignity are her clothing, and her position is strong and secure; And she SMILES at the future!” (Proverbs 31:25)
I enCOURAGE you today, every day, and in every situation: WORD UP! SANG! LAUGH!
It’s your choice. When you cannot hold up that sword alone or sing or laugh, call on assistance because we are doing life together.
Lastly, turn on your ears! You never know what you might hear in the REST room!
I have come to realize that our Heavenly Father does not mind big asks nor little ones. We can seek Him about anything because, as this verse explains, He wears the name of every good thing. He is infinitely good so it would be impossible to name every good name, but this verse gives us a great sampling of His greatness and His covering.
Thus, saith the LORD the maker thereof, the LORD that formed it, to establish it; the LORD [is] his name; Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou know not. (Jeremiah 33:2-3 KJV)
LOOK closer at what these verses are saying:
Thus, says the LORD who made it. The Lord is:
The Maker
The Creator
The Doer
The Worker
The LORD who formed it…
The Former
The Framer
The Fashioner
The Squeeze-Into-Shaper
The LORD who established it…
The Establisher
The Decision Maker
The Resolution Former
The Stand-Up Righter
The Straightener
The Accomplisher
The Appointer
The Arranger
The Producer
The Planner
The Perfector
The Preparer
The Provider
The Erector
The Furnisher
The Fastner
The Firmer
The Fixer
The Fitter
The Stabilizer
The Restorer
The Renewer
The Rebuilder
The Founder
THE LORD IS HIS NAME!
Call to Me…
CALL ME! (This Word Has The Idea Of Accosting A Person)
Cry Out
Call My Name
Call To Oneself
Utter A Loud Sound
Summon
Invite
I will answer you…
I WILL ANSWER!
Eye you
Heed you
Hear you
Speak to you
Sing to you
Pay attention to you
Respond to you
I will show you…
I WILL “SHOW AND TELL” YOU
Be in front of you
Be in your sight
Plainly profess to you
Declare to you
Make known to you
Expound to you
Message you
Report to you
…great and mighty things
Hidden things
Secret things
Restrained things
Fenced in things
Enclosed things
Inaccessible things
Mysterious things
which you do not know.
Can you see it? Do you hear Him? His NAME is ALL THINGS good. We can call Him for ANYTHING because He is EVERYTHING.
I encourage you to meditate on the enormity of God. As immense as His character is, His love for you is equal. Know that you can call on Him for ANYTHING because HE IS EVERYTHING. And… He loves us that big!
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28 NKJV)
I have run from this verse. I have avoided using this verse in encouragements. How could I confidently tell my sister who lost her son too early, ‘we know all things work together for good to them that love God and who are called according to his purpose.’ How could I be so bold as to include Brandon’s passing into “all things?”
In retrospect, it is easy to quote Romans 8:28 when we see bad situations turn better. It is easy for me to say it about my sons. I have seen God take really bad circumstances and turn them into really good things in their lives. This is never an easy verse to quote in reference to the loss of a child. However, by faith in almighty God, my sister, quoted it to me. Although, it is hard to say and see, by faith in our Daddy, I believe and have seen the truth in this verse.
When my sister texted Romans 8:28 to me, the Holy Spirit had already told me to use it in a devotion. It was not my choice at all, but then sister Sparkle texted: “Let’s go get our bible verse tattoo. Have you heard the lyric from Chris Lane’s country song, ‘What’s your wrist tattoo bible verse say?”’ She inferred that, by getting a tattoo, she would want to keep this verse before her eyes at all times! She is strong in faith. She told me, through faith in God, Brandon is alive and has moved to a better place. She has said that she is at peace because she knows Brandon is at peace.
Through unimaginable pain, she has faithfully lived out this verse before my eyes. Her words and actions have enCOURAGED me to have faith and “…know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
I enCOURAGE you to be resolute in your faith in our God. Believe His word is true and that all things really do work together for good to them that love God. My sister Sparkle, her faith in God’s word, and her faithful testimony will change the lives and future of others. I cannot wait to see her crown in glory! Know God will take what the enemy meant for evil and destruction and use it for His good and His glory.
And Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the LORD; My horn is exalted in the LORD. I smile at my enemies, Because I rejoice in Your salvation. (1 Samuel 2:1 NKJV)
Hannah had been bullied and tortured because she had not produced an offspring. She asked God for a child:
“For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted my petition made to Him. Therefore, I have given him to the Lord as long as he lives, he is given to the Lord. And they worshiped the Lord there.” 1 Samuel 1:27-28 AMP
She in return gave the child to the service of the Lord. 1 Samuel 2:1-2 is her prayer of thanksgiving after leaving her baby at the temple. She was so happy to have had the child for just a very few years. I cannot imagine praying this prayer after leaving my baby at the altar. She was just ecstatic that God had been faithful.
When Hannah said that her heart rejoiced the in the Lord, she was really saying, my heart jumps for joy in the Lord. Think about when your favorite team scores or when your child hits a home run. Elation! This is the joy Hannah was talking about. I can see her jumping around, praising God, and saying, “I am strong in the Lord!” I see her laughing out loud…again pure elation… “Enemy you got nothing on me. I laugh in your face! God has saved me.” She was having a praise party with her Father. She was not concentrating on what she had given up nor what she had been given. She was praising and appreciating the Giver.
When the enemy is telling you, “No!” and God says, “Yes,” I enCOURAGE you to smile over and in the face of the enemy.
When the enemy yells, that ou are not good enough. Our Father loudly says that you are the righteousness of Christ. I enCOURAGE you to smile in the face of the enemy.
When the enemy says to sit in sadness and depression. Our Father exclaims, “Choose joy.” I enCOURAGE you to laugh in the face of the enemy.
When the enemy says that you are a loser. Our Deliverer says that you are more than a conqueror and you are an overcomer. I enCOURAGE you to smile over your enemy.
Complete in Him 