And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain. 1 Kings 18:41

I had the opportunity to attend “how sweet the sound” this year and hear the Southern California selected, as well as the awarding winning choir sing live. The sound, the performances and the experience was needless to say, wonderful! The roar or the sound of the arena was mighty with tens of thousand voices shouting at one time and on one accord. It made me begin to think about the natural definition of sound; the vibrations sensed by the ear; traveling through the air. I can only imagine how Ahab felt when Elijah told him there is a sound of rain coming, just wait and you will experience the rain in excess. Honestly, just to be able to encounter this significant event would be valuable to one’s belief system. Although Ahab probably didn't understand it fully when the servant came to give him the message from Elijah; but when he began to see the blackness, the clouds and felt the wind, he knew without a doubt that Elijah’s prayer unto the Lord was about to come to pass.

How sweet it would be to be able to hear the sound of an abundant rain coming; a great downpour of blessings showering you like rain because of the prayers that you have sent up before God regarding your circumstance. Like the servant, because we can’t see it we begin to doubt it. If it doesn’t come when we want it, panic or unbelief sets in. But we must remain unmovable, and believe God; we have got to stand on His Word and not waver. We can’t say we have faith to believe God will work in our situation and then start to think about how we can fix it ourselves because God has not shown up yet. James tells us let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. So, whose report are we going to believe, who will we put our confidence in; in whom shall we put our trust. Who can save us and deliver us, except out God?

Rainfall sometimes comes in drizzles and sometimes in drops, it comes slowly and sometimes it’s falls heavily and quickly, but Elijah said he heard a sound… an abundance of rain coming; He had been praying for the Lord to send rain and He did. I remember those days in the country when you could hear the rain coming, the skies would begin to turn black and most times before you get get inside the house, the rain was pouring down. This is how it happened while Elijah was on top of Mount Carmel before the rain and before he had sent his servant down to let Ahab know; the sound, the performance of God and the experience was needless to say, awesome!

I don’t know what you are praying for today but there is a sound of abundance of rain … can you hear it? Can you feel it in your bones as the old folks use to say? God is getting ready to work on your behalf, He's about to step into your situation; He's about to show Himself faithful and those around will know that it was God who has done this thing. How sweet it is to hear the sound of an abundance of rain coming our way! Elijah was as sure the rain that God had promised was coming as if he heard it dropping the very minute before it hit the ground; because Elijah believed God. We've got to believe God, we have to take Him at His Word regardless of what we see or we don't see. The Word says that NOW FAITH is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Heb. 11:1). So again I say, whose report are we going to believe? Hold on, just stand and see the salvation of the Lord; wait on Him, He is surely going to show up on our behalf, right on time!

Until the morning, be blessed,
Cynde

Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God: Psalm 146:5 (Ref: Psalm 146)

I have been traveling over the weekend and the past couple of days and that alone is enough to make me extremely happy; up the northern California coast to San Francisco and surrounding areas. There is nothing like a road trip to clear the mind and to feel, hear and be at one with God. Let me tell you the beauty of the Lord is in every place and it’s an awesome thing! The trip was blessed and it calmed and confirmed so many things in my spirit. I came back feeling refreshed and ready to take on the world!

When we think of happy, what comes to mind? Happy is a feeling of pleasure, or to be satisfied, fortunate, content or just simple joy. These are great to define the word but insufficient to describe what I’m feeling on the inside. This psalm expresses my inner thoughts today. We give over to so much of the world, i.e., our emotions, our fears, our cares, our thoughts, and our passions and forget sometimes that God is in control of all things and only what we do for Him will matter and last. David penned this psalm and is letting us know that while I live, I will praise the Lord because he put his trust in God because we cannot put our trust in man. Because man will perish because his breath will fail and his thoughts will perish. When he’s gone, he’s gone, then what can man do? Nothing! But God is forever.

If we could “remember” who God is at all times and how He has made provisions for us, even in the smallest of things that concerns us. He is our help, He is our refuge and it is in Him that we should put our trust. We have to be careful about where or whom we put our trust in. When we give over totally to Him and let Him have full reign over our lives, then happy are we because our hope is in the Lord our God; He, who never fails us; He, who made heaven and earth and all that is in the earth, why would He not have made a perfect plan for us? He, who provides for every living thing upon the earth, also cares and provides for us the more. Why would we doubt that? Even the angels wanted to know why He was so mindful of us (Psalm 8). Now that’s saying something!

Because we get caught up in the daily routine of our lives, we sometimes forget that the God we serve loves and cares about us and our well being. I’m happy and excited about that and all bubbly while waiting. I am in anticipation at how the Lord is working all things for my good; understanding that all things do work together for my good. So in spite of what I think or understand, His ways or not my ways and His thoughts are not my thoughts. He sees my tomorrow and he sees my expected end. How can I go wrong? The words to a song I’ve been singing all morning, “Don’t you worry, don’t you fret, God has never failed you yet, I’m a witness, He will come through. They that wait, shall renew their strength; they shall mount up as eagles; run and not be weary; walk and not faint.” Don’t even let me get started on the eagle…. We will leave that for another time!

Be encouraged today, and hoping my excitement this morning will pour over on you, ‘cause I’m bubbly while waiting!

Until the morning, be blessed,
Cynde

Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. Jude 21, 24-2

Until the morning, be blessed!
Cynde

But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. I Cor 15:57-58

There is a phrase I heard from a Pastor years ago to help us understand who we are in Christ. He said, “if we fast forward our life to the end, you would see that we win!” That phase has been a saving grace for me throughout the years. Some words you have to hold on to for recall because no matter what we are facing, no matter what we have gone through or going through, essentially, when it’s all over, we need to remember we have the victory.

God designed; deliberately created, intended, planned, considered, and purposed for us to have victory; victory and success against and over the enemy. In a natural battle, the outcome always determines the victor, so think about how much more He has determined for us in our natural and spiritual battles as well. No matter how hard or how difficult the battle seems or becomes, it’s only the outcome that matters, the end result. Sure, we are going to have some trying times, some sacrifices, some hard trials and some difficult obstacles; we are going to wounded, knocked down, knocked over and around, but if we continue to abound in the work of the Lord, get up, brush ourselves off, reload and endure to the end; we still win! The scripture says, For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? (I John 5:4)

It is important that we keep that in mind as we continue to live, move and breathe in God to not only remain steadfast, but stand firm, don’t waver, stay loyal, and be unmovable. We cannot be moved by what we see, so stand strong and know that He is God and the victory is ours. Remembering all the while to do well and flourish in your Kingdom work. Although you might not see it or feel it while working and laboring in the field, know that it is not in vain. God sees your work and the fruit of your labor. That is enough to motivate me to continue on to the end.

If you don't remember anything else today, just remember to fast forward your life to the end, you will see that “you win!” We were designed for victory!

Until the morning, be blessed,
Cynde

And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth. I Samuel 3:10

This passage speaks volumes every time I read the content as Samuel gets up several times during the night thinking that Eli was calling him. After awhile, Eli realized that Samuel was hearing the voice of God; with much wisdom, he tells Samuel the next time you hear the voice calling, answer and say, speak Lord. When Samuel heard his name being called again, he was obedient and answered, “Speak Lord, for thy servant hears.”

This was my prayer this morning, “Speak Lord.” Speak in regards to all that concerns me for this day; directions on what I should do; how I should proceed and how I should continue on this path. Speak Lord and let me hear from you. I don’t want to make any decisions without you, I don’t want to go forward unless you lead me and I certainly won’t go without you. While I worshiped, all I could say was “Speak Lord.” My prayer was that I would hear His voice while I was yet asking Him to speak. Well, needless to say, the Lord spoke simply and said, “I’ve already provided.” Everything you need, everything you are concerned about, I’ve already provided; whatever you have need of, I’ve already provided. Those three words, simple, yet powerful!

The Lord had a task for Samuel and He spoke to him that night concerning it, even though Samuel didn't know the Lord and what He had for him to do had not been revealed to him, he asked the Lord to speak, I'm listening. Samuel was positioned to hear what the Lord had for Him to do. It is so important that we put ourselves (young or old) in the position to hear from God; alert and ready to listen to what God is saying to us. He is nearer than we think most often; waiting and wanting to speak to us concerning the work or the task ahead for us if we would just say Speak Lord, your servant is listening. In my case this morning, I asked the Lord to speak in regards to what He would have for me to do. I had gone to the throne of grace for direction, guidance in how proceed in this day. The scripture tells us in Proverbs to trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. We must, in order to be effective in our purpose, go before the Lord and ask Him to speak regarding direction. Don’t wait to see if He trying to get your attention so that He can talk with you, ask Him to speak to me Lord. The key is to position ourselves to hear what He will speak into your life and what He is requiring you to do. Like Samuel, ready to do His will.

Please know today, He has already provided everything we need to go, to do and to be; freedom, liberty, healing, deliverance, just to name a few; in a word…victory! The provision has been made; whatever you have need of, He’s already provided. It shall come to pass, it will manifest itself … He promised and most times, we just have to learn to stand and wait to see the salvation of the Lord in our lives. I'm excited and in anticipation of how the Lord will work all things out for my good. In the wait, I'm going to praise Him!

This was reassuring for me and I am still in awe, every time I hear the Lord speak. I encourage you to ask Him to speak Lord for the servant is listening!

Until the morning, be blessed,
Cynde

O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy Name. Psalm 63:1-4

Imagine your life right now and how different it was or could have been without the mercies of God. Imagine being in a place where you were not able to get the living water that sustains life. Imagine not being about to go before Him in prayer, early morning or otherwise. Imagine not being able to see His wonder working power or His glory moving in your life. Imagine not being able to give Him the praise of your lips. Imagine having lost your thirst for God.

Thirsting translates into a desire, a need or strong craving; a longing or wanting for something. David speaks of his soul longing and his heart crying out for the living God; he knew first hand about the power of God and had seen His glory on many occasions. Through all of David’s life, he continuously gave God praise.

Because we have seen the move of God in our lives, we should be crying out as David. We should be seeking Him early in the morning because of His lovingkindness and His tender mercies toward us. When we think of His goodness and when we think about all He’s done for us; all the dangers He’s kept us from, especially the ones where we know we should have been dead, we should be praising Him at all times (Ps 34:1). I know that if it had not been for the Lord who was on my side, I would not be writing and you would not be reading this today. When we think about all of His grace, our lips should desire to praise Him and say, I will bless thee O Lord while yet I live. I hear the song, “Total Praise” and the words say, “You are the source of my strength, You are the strength of my life, I lift my hands in total praise to you.”

We may not understand where we are or why in our life right now; David didn't either in some instances but God's ways are not our ways; His thoughts are not our thoughts. We can stand on the strength of His Word and believe that He is working or has worked things out for our good. Our minds are kept in perfect peace if we keep it on the Lord and not concentrate on our circumstances (our dry and thirsty lands). I’m not saying that it’s easy all the time, because we are human and our flesh will sometimes get out of whack and worry. But we have to go to the Word of God where our strength lies and the Lord will begin to comfort our heart. Seek Him early, so that you can see His power and His glory in your your life. The more time you spend with Him, the more your inner man will begin to thirst for Him. You'll want to spend more time in His presence, where there is fullness of joy.

I don’t want to ever be in a position of wonder and I certainly don’t want to imagine life without God or not being to get to Him. As David, my soul continues to long for Him no matter where I am in my life and my words to the Lord, "O God, my soul continues thirsting for you while I yet live!

Until the morning, be blessed,
Cynde

The Lord shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. Deuteronomy 28:12
(Ref verses 8-13)

Sometimes you will just get a word that is not only on time but excites you so that you want to run, skip, and jump, act silly and dance. The Lord allows me to have those moments often and I would love to do cartwheels right now but that might prove to be a bit risky. Nonetheless, you do get my point, don’t you? I love the Word today! What a wonderful way to start off the morning with the kind of rainfall where you don’t mind getting wet.

The Lord had Moses to remind the new generation of the children of Israel the importance of obedience. He let them know if they were obedient to God’s word they could expect the blessings of God. Nothing has changed about this principle and it is still holds true for us. If we are obedient to God’s Word, He will in turn bless us. This passage reads in the natural but it speaks prophetically today.

Naturally, before the harvest, which is the season in which crops are gathered, sometimes you’ll see some fluctuations due to rain shortages, which has an impact on how the crop will grow because the rain or lack thereof has an effect on its growth. All living things need water to survive and are dramatically affected one way or the other if they don't get it. On another note, not only does rain influence or sustain the harvest, but rain can also influence the spirit man; it can bring about joy, lift moods, or have a soothing affect especially for those who live in dry places and are accustomed to long periods of drought. Clearly, rain brings about change, both naturally and spiritually. It has also been proven that rain produces a pleasant scent from the oil that’s produced from the plants and then released into the air, which makes sense, now when you hear people say, "I love the smell of rain", you'll know why.

The Word today, tell us, if we have been in a previous dry season or drought, then get ready, for we are about to become saturated, drenched by the rainfall. It’s about to rain in abundance in your season. Think about the scent or the sweet smelling fragrance that is about to be produced and then released into the atmosphere because of the rainfall in your life. Others will see and know that the Lord's hand is on your life because of the overflowing of blessings. The passage says the Lord "shall" open, not maybe, but shall open unto you His good treasure, and the heaven will give rain into your land and He will bless all the work of your hand. You will lend and not borrow. Now that is a reason to dance!

My prayer has always been, Lord bless me so that I can be a blessing to someone else. I definitely want to be the lender and not the borrower! This reminded me of these words in Malachi: … "prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts."

It's a blessing just to be called blessed; knowing that our labor has not been in vain; knowing that if we don’t get weary in well doing: in due season we shall reap, if we faint not (Gal 6:9). The Lord is delighted to bless us and it is His good pleasure to do so. This is what I love about the Lord; without His Divine guidance, wisdom, and care, where would we be? If He provides naturally for the land and the harvest, you have to believe that He is going to provide even that much more for them that love Him and are called according to His purpose. It's comforting to know that we can rest in His arms where we can find peace and rest for our soul and in Him there is fullness of joy until the rain comes.

Normally, if you were to ask me about the rain, you might get the “I do not like the rain” face because I am a sunshine kinda girl; give me bright and sunny everyday. However, in lieu of the Lord's Word to me (make it personal) today, I am so dancing in the rain!

Until the morning, be blessed,
Cynde

Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach. Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work. Nehemiah 2:17-18

I liken myself to several Bible personalities: Deborah because of her strengths, her ability to judge appropriately through discernment, her willingness to fight for what is right, her boldness, and her strength to encourage others in the midst of difficult circumstances. Jeremiah, because I weep for the people of God and how we have made a mockery of the cross and the blood that Jesus shed for us; and lastly, Nehemiah because of his concern regarding our carelessness for the things of God, the handling of His Word, the protection of the people of God, as well as our petty concerns for things that are of relatively little importance.

In this book, Nehemiah is saddened by the condition of the city, so much so, that he went to the king because he had desire and a willingness to make an effective change, not only the city, but in the heart of the people. Nehemiah asked permission to rebuild the wall that surrounded Jerusalem and showed the king just cause as to why it was imperative that this be done and was granted the commission of rebuilding. The wall had been built for the purposes of providing protection, as a barrier against its enemy; built to guard a city and a people that had fallen apart. However, due to neglect, the wall had become partially ruined and therefore couldn't serve its initial purpose. Some rebuilding was needed.

Nehemiah addresses the people and tells them, “can you not see the difficult and dangerous situation we are in? Jerusalem is truly in a mess! The gates have been burned and are now dilapidated. We must rebuild the wall so that we can again take pride in our city and we will no longer be a disgrace to ourselves or in the eyes of others. God’s hand is upon me move forward and do good, and the king has given us his authority to do it, so let’s rise up and build.”

Of course, I thought about the comparison to the people of God today and how we have allowed the wall to crumble, become dilapidated because we have not taken responsibility for the things of God. Consequently, the wall of protection (i.e., prayer, fasting, witnessing, etc) has fallen apart and the city has been left exposed to the outside elements and the outside forces have come in to destroy us. We have been given the permission and the authority to evoke change, not only for the protection of the city, but in the lives of the people. We are allowing the city to be destroyed from the inside out because we have let so much go unnoticed and we don't speak, pray, fast, or cast out the real issues that plague us. Yet, we make time to speak to the trivial matters that have nothing to do with salvation.

Where are the Deborah’s, the Jeremiah’s, and the Daniel's of today? Where are the called of God with the kind of standards and strength of character that Nehemiah possessed? Why are we not conducting our lives and making a difference as Nehemiah did? He was willing to be different, willing to step out and stand up against all odds, speak the truth regardless of what others would say. He was more concerned with what he was purposed to do and what God thought as opposed to fearing what man would think. The scripture tells us, the Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?

If we are not willing to be different, willing to stand up and step out, willing to speak up and go out in the authority we've been given regardless of what others say; if we are unwilling to repair the wall that provides the protection needed, we will be even more vulnerable to the enemy than we are right now. If we continue to take on the attitude that it's not my issue and we are not concerned about God's people, then the enemy will trample through and overtake the city, and the long term effect will be devastating.

We don't have time to tear down... why? because the city is at hand and souls are at stake. It's time for us to rise up and build!

Until the morning, be blessed,
Cynde

Every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him. Isaiah 43:7

When you get older, you begin to remember (and quote) sayings that our parents or grandparents have said to us. I have often over the years, recalled phrases that my Granny used to say while growing up. Although there were many, this particular one always stood out, “The Layne name stands for something and you should never bring shame to your name.” She told me, “The Layne's are a proud and prosperous family, pillars of the community, known and respected by many.” So, it would stand to reason that she would be concerned about the content of the character of her children, grandchildren, and the next generation of her family. That phrase has stayed with me even as an adult and I always felt the need to live up to the name’s reputation.

As I begin to read and study this passage in Isaiah years ago, I remember hearing “you are called by My name.” I love this verse, it serves as a reminder that I am called by His name, created solely for the purpose of His glory. He formed me and made me just for Him. What a wonderful revelation to infuse with what is embedded in us as children. That resonated in my spirit and I begin to realize even though the Layne name is my birth name, and proud of course to be called by that name, it does not compare to my “new birth” name. The name that I have been called to bear witness to and the Name that is essentially above every name, Jesus. His Name is the name that stands for everything, in all things, and by all things and certainly, I don’t want to bring shame nor taint the reputation of that Name.

When we profess to be called by His name, we are professing to bear witness in our lives daily. We can reverence His name or disrespect His name with our conduct, our actions and even our words; the Name that we bear witness to is a Name that we should never allow to be ill spoken of by something we've said or done. There should be a quality of character that comes with our witness since we are to be example to the world, the epistle read of men (2 Cor 3:1-3); proudly acting accordingly. In a world with all of its naysayers and cynics that are lying in wait to give report on how we are all just hypocrites; how we are faking and shaking because we don’t live the life we profess and that there is nothing to us, based on what they see. Sadly enough, it’s in our actions and our presentation sometime that bring shame to the Name by which we say we've been called. The verse states, we were made for His glory, so for sure, it’s definitely not about us.

We live in a time of a Godless society, everybody is “spiritual” or too far right or left religious, worshiping other gods, idolatry and sin is running rampant; just an anything goes society ... reminding me of the children of Israel. Yet, God was always there for them, waiting and continuing to love them but they had their own agenda. Sound familiar? We are modern day Israelites, just as stubborn and as hardheaded as they were. The difference is that we possess a power that they did not. God has sent His Spirit to rest, rule and abide in us; He can and will keep us, guide us, and lead us, just to name a few, and keeps our character in check, if we let Him.

Let’s be concerned about the content of our character for this generation, for this dispensation; remaining steadfast in our witness and holding firmly to the Word of God; being a living epistle so that others will see and desire to know about the God we love and serve. Always remembering to uphold this Him, our Father, in all we say and do because we have been called by His name and made for His glory!

Until the morning, be blessed,
Cynde

The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. Psalms 121:5-7

As little girls, fairy tale romances and stories of rescue are unknowingly embedded in our psyche; that one day our prince charming or our knight in a shining armor will come, riding on a white horse, whisking us away and riding off into the sunset to live happily ever after. These stories of enchantment gave us a feeling of happiness, excitement, and anticipation about the coming of a prince one day, as well as providing us with a sense of protection, security, safety, and the thought of being kept happily ever after as a princess. Although, the stories were great and personally, I loved (and still love) the thought of being swept off my feet and riding off into the sunset, however the reality is that most little girls grow up brokenhearted because the prince or the knight never comes to fruition based on the perception of what is believed that life is supposed to be.

Naturally then, it would stand to reason that we all have longed for that someone, that relationship that would provide us with security, safety, and being kept; someone who would protect us from harm and danger; defend and care for us on a continual basis. Let me tell you there is someone that can provide all of these and much more. It's wonderful knowing there is comfort in the Word as it tells us the Lord provides the security, the safety, the protection, and the covering we desire. He keeps us from hurt, harm and danger and He is our defense in every situation because He loves and cares for us. He is our keeper and only He can keep us in the way that we need to be kept.

The Lord is there for us without ceasing; consistently and constantly there... meaning He remains the same, He’s never changing, always faithful and ever present. He said He would never leave us nor forsake us. He’s concerned about our well-being; He knows all about us, our concerns, our anxieties, our worries, our ups, our downs, our triumphs, our joys, our coming in and our going out and yet, He sustains and preserves us through them all. No earthly person can keep your soul or care for you in the manner in which the Lord does. Not just in the right now, but at all times and forevermore. He is in the business of keeping folk, just ask the Israelites! They know about being kept. God has made these promises to us as well.

Being a kept woman by the lover of my soul is not only comforting, but exciting, and enchanting. It gives me a feeling of happiness, joy (Psalm 16:11), and the anticipation of the things to come (I Cor 2:9), as well as providing me with a sense of protection, security, and safety; covering and upholding me; staying the hand of the enemy and defending me. He fight for me! To know that He is always there, no matter when I need him, any time of the day or night He’s available for me. He listens to me, He hears my cries, my complaints, and my sorrows. He makes sure that I’m well protected and well cared for at all times. Honestly, who wouldn’t want to maintain and nurture that relationship? Talk about a knight in shining armor!

What if we began to make new stories for our little ones and teach them about the Knight that will come in a bright and shining armor to sweep us off our feet? Begin to tell them real stories of the Prince that will ride in, whisk you away and love you into the happily ever after? I am loving those stories already! Just the thought of being swept off my feet and living happily ever after with the one who is the keeper of my soul!

Until the morning, be blessed,
Cynde

When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the LORD thy God … Isaiah 43:1-3

Last night, I had the opportunity to hear Marvin Sapp sing these words, “I never would have made it, never could have made it, without you… when I look back over all you have brought me through, I can see that you were the one that I held on to and I never would have made it, without you.” I’m sure the words of this song are ones that you too, can also relate. There were many words spoken that resonated in my spirit but before I retired, I was reading something and these two words, “extraordinary mercy” jumped out at me and solidified the entire evening. There is something about getting a good word in the midnight hour!

If we were to describe extraordinary, we would say it can be defined as: astonishing, amazing, surprising, or exceptional; uncommon, unexpected, and unexplainable in most cases. Usually, it is so remarkable or great that it’s hard to explain what has happened. This is the God we serve, the one we love and who loves us; the One who grants us extraordinary mercies, compassion, kindness, favor and grace.

This passage is simple, yet powerful. These are words of comfort and it describes His extraordinary mercy not only to Israel but to us. It lets us know that He is our source of protection; our source of relief from the anxieties of this world. He assures us that we are safe from even the natural elements, and I not just speaking of water, river or fire, that seek to harm us. It shows us that we are going to go through some things, but He reminds us that I am the Lord thy God. Sometimes we need to be reminded that He is the Lord our God and there is nothing too hard for Him!

Isaiah tells us when you pass through the waters, He will be with you. I thought about the children of Israel passing through the Red Sea on dry ground and how the waters stood tall and at attention but did not overtake them at His Word. How the rivers won’t overflow because it cannot spread beyond the limits that He has given it. I don’t care how swift it flows or how turbulent it gets. I don’t care how deep it runs, because the Lord contains it and He controls all elements of life! Then He said when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned. I hear God saying that the fires of life may form but they will not come near you (“no weapon formed against you shall prosper.”) and neither will a flame kindle upon thee. It won’t even begin to burn you, it certainly won’t consume you. Think about the Hebrew boys thrown in the fiery furnace that was so exceedingly hot, the scripture states even the men because of the flame of the fire were killed. That's hot! Yet, the Hebrew boys, who were bound in their clothes and hats were not burned, not one flame was on them. They weren't even singed and knowing God, they probably didn't even smell of smoke.... now that's some extraordinary mercy!

We can take comfort in knowing that God will be there no matter what this life may bring our way, no matter how how it looks (because looks can be deceiving!) the Lord is able to give extraordinary mercy to us in every and all situations that concern us. He is concerned about what we are concerned about, we must trust Him and give Him the opportunity to work on your behalf; believe Him to bring you through your circumstance. God knew that someone, including myself, needed to hear and be reminded today that when we look back over all He has brought us through, we’ll see that it was Him that we held on to. He knew that we would have lost our mind and we never would have or could have made without Him if it were not for the mercies of God that kept us!

God lets us know today that He is still in the business of blessing by His extraordinary mercy!

Until the morning, be blessed,
Cynde

For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. Hebrews 6:10-14

I posted a quote this weekend that certainly applies at all times, “be a blessing to someone whether by word or deed.” This should be something that's automatic to us as believers, something that is done at all times. We should be a representation of love and consider ourselves life changers. We never know who we will meet or what circumstance we’ll encounter that will put us face to face with someone who will need encouragement, a word or just an act of kindness that could make all the difference in the world. Some of us are born with a gift to be givers, helpers, or lovers of others and we don’t have to pumped or primed to do what comes naturally. In any case, whatever we do must be done in love and from our heart even unto those who are of the household of faith, the saints. Be kindly affectioned, loving, caring, fond, one to another with brotherly (and sisterly) love; in honor preferring one another; not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality (Rom 12). I think we forget that our ministry, our labor of love really starts at home.

This passage of scripture tells us that God is not unjust to forget us, our work or our labor of love that we have done in His name and for His glory. We can’t get weary because of our well doing and think that it doesn’t matter to God or that He is not pleased or concerned because we are not seeing the results we want. This serves as a reminder that He sees our labor, both large and small and He said in His Word that He would not forget. He desires that we should continue on and in the same vein of diligence to the end to the greatest extent and with the highest degree of assurance of hope; having confidence, along with the faith and the endurance to run on to inherit the promises of God. We cannot lose hope, or be slothful, lazy or inactive; we cannot become less or give anything less than what we've been giving of ourselves. We must continue on with fervency! The Spirit of God gives us the inspiration we need in order to run on to see what the ends going to be… while keeping us mindful of our future glory!

This is our word of encouragement for today … Surely, definitely, positively, undoubtedly, certainly, without hesitation and without fail, God promised to bless and multiply us! However, we must stay on the path and continue to work, being good stewards both in word and in deed; because obedience brings about the blessings! Abraham knew about being obedient, he was also a man of great faith. He believed God and because of that, God promised Abraham and then He swore by His own self (now that's saying something!) The good news... this promise was not just given to Abraham but to us as well. You can be confident today and from this day forward that the Lord has promised and said, “Surely, I will bless and multiply you!!

Until the morning, be blessed,
Cynde

And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.
Exodus 33:14

There are many things that I love about Moses; however, without a doubt this is one of my favorite chapters. It shows that Moses had a relationship with God. From birth to the basket, we know that God’s hand was on him. Moses was destined for great purpose.

When there is a relationship, a fellowship with God, it becomes easy to ask or make your requests known to Him. This passage shows that Moses had that kind of fellowship and a bit of wisdom too. He speaks quite candidly and reminds the Lord, “You say to me, bring up this people, but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you said, I know you by name and you have also found favor in my sight. Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, and if you are pleased with me, teach me your ways, continue to give me favor and remember these are your people.” Sounds like something I’ve said before, yet in the condensed version, “Lord, help me because these are your people!” Yet, after all was said and done, the Lord tells Moses. “My presence will go with you and I will give you rest."

We could look at this verse in two ways. Rest, here and during this particular time, did not have the same meaning as we think of it today in terms of relaxing, take a break, put your feet up, take it easy, but rather it’s used in reference to taking root, or preparing a habitation. If we look at that phrase in the same content and added our western dialogue, we can actually combine the two to mean: when you have reached and possessed the land, then comes a stop of movement, the rest, your place of habitation ... then will come a refreshing, a freedom from anxieties, then there will be a relaxing because you’ve reached the promised land.

God’s presence was among Moses and the people for the journey; meaning His presence was in the journey, during the journey and after the journey. They had plenty of time to absorb, immerse and saturate themselves in His presence; or as the kids say today … “marinate in it.” There is nothing like being in the presence of the Lord; imagine having His presence with you everywhere you go. We should have that in our thought process at all times; that we don’t want to go anywhere, or do anything without the Lord’s presence and Moses made that clear to the Lord, that he wanted His presence with him.

The Lord makes provisions for us and He is in the details if we allow Him; if we would think to ask God before we go through with the making of our own decisions, our own plans, we’d have better success and the rest would be better, both in the possession of the promised land, as well as the refreshing that comes with it. I want to be able to be in the place where only He and I dwell and fellowship together. The Word also tells us that in His presence is fullness of joy! It is a place of peace, a place for refreshing, a place where we can be free from anxieties, a place for relaxing, a place where there is no movement and all is still; a place where we can abide and just rest in His presence!

Until the morning, be blessed,
Cynde

Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Cor 3:17-18

I am amused often at how certain subject matter or thoughts are dropped in my spirit and especially in the manner it which it comes to provide me with an example as to the way it’s meant to be understood. It's in these times that I am undeniably sure that the God we serve has a sense of humor by the analogy of the thought and how it relates to reality... just everyday occurrences. As soon as I got the thought, I remembered not only where I heard the quote but the story behind the quote. Immediately I smiled and said, “Lord, you wow me!”

The story, summarized, goes like this: Two people meet randomly, both exhausted from their day;from totally different backgrounds and localities and they talk for hours. It started as informal conversation and blasé glances, looking into the face of the other periodically as they listened intently to each others story. One, was feeling rejected, hurt, disgusted, and just angry from the recent seemingly tragic event of her life. However, on the outside, appearing to be a pillar of strength as if nothing was wrong; as she was losing her husband to divorce. The other was living in their circumstance for over a year but had learned to cope with his tragic and heartbreaking event. He was thankful for love, appreciative for the opportunity, and grateful just to be able to spend time and have another moment, wishing he had a little piece to hold on to, as he was losing his wife to cancer. After this encounter, both lives were changed; each going back to their separate lives, both able to reflect on the strengths of the others vantage point; both sympathetic and compassionate about the other and the hand they had each been dealt presently. Honestly, when you think about it, it is not the hand you’ve been dealt that matters, but what and how you deal with that hand. The story ends with a letter being sent expressing how the meeting on that evening had given him new perspectives and he knew that he could live again. No meeting is ever by happenstance. His last words in the letter were, “… and if we never speak again, you’ve changed my life.”

What an impact this story has on a natural and spiritual level; it might not be your story but it’s saying that we each have a story and each of us is dealing with something. By looking at a person, we can never know one’s story. Maybe they give the appearance of being a pillar of strength on the outside but on the inside they are hurting or barely hanging on by a thread. We sometimes get in our own little world and forget that others are going through things as well and their story could be much worse than anything we are dealing with or have dealt with. This should cause us to see and think about our situations differently. Most of us are not dealing with anything that is "unto to death." Sometimes, a person (even us) needs someone just to listen to the story … no words necessary, just offering an ear or shoulder without judgment.

This especially holds true, if we have been changed or transformed into the image of God. If we, as the people of God, would have an unveiled (uncovered, nothing hid, exposed) face, beholding (seeing and observing) as in a mirror the glory (majesty) of the Lord, and not only realizing but admitting that He has transformed us into His image, which is the image of God, by way of His Spirit. That we too experience hardship, trials, problems and troubles; life, but it is by His power, by His Spirit that we go from faith to faith and which takes us from glory to glory as we trust Him to see us through. If we are the reflection of God always then we are able to be the strength that others can see and are drawn to and in spite of what they are going through, they can find hope through us.

I want others to see that change in my walk, in my talk, and in my service. I want to make and be a difference in the life of those who cross my path, the ones who I know didn’t just show up by happenstance, there are no chance meetings, but divinely orchestrated meeting by God. We ought to be able to speak a word into to those who need change in their lives by the words of our testimony. The words we speak are very often the words that are needed to be heard.

What a great report that would be to hear that because of how you entreated someone, how you listened, how you helped, how you were willing, how you displayed strength … you’ve changed a life. With every soul that is lead to Christ, God gets the glory. I want others to know and I will proudly say it verbally or write it in a letter; frankly however I can get the word out that (come on and say it with me slowly), “Lord, you’ve changed my life.”

Until the morning, be blessed,
Cynde

Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on thee. Psalms 25:21

I know you’ve been faced with this very common question because it has lingered around in the atmosphere for years, “what do you do when you don’t know what to do?” “What do you do when you have done everything you can do?” Each person that has asked that question has a different circumstance or dilemma they are facing, yet the response at the end of the conversation, must be the same. In that, our total reliance, our confidence and our trust must be in the Lord. David conveys that message here in spite of what was going on. He had the confidence and he had hope that God would deliver and restore him. We have to put our complete trust in the fact that we believe that the Lord is going to protect us, sustain us, and uphold us while we wait. Especially when we don’t know what to do and He has not instructed us to move in one way or the other. It would be pleasing to God if we could just stand still and wait, as hard as that may be and not try to help Him help us. It would also help if we didn’t get weary and faint, but the scripture tells us that He even gives power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increases strength. God is faithful and He will keep His promise to deliver us if we could just wait on Him.

Our integrity is the basis of our testimony; our ability to maintain our morals and principles; our standards, our honesty, and most importantly, our uprightness is what preserves, what keeps us while we are waiting. We hinder our blessings with our impatience, our doubts, our anxiousness, and especially our anxieties; not having the faith to believe that God can work out every detail for us will delay our deliverance and usually throws us into state of panic. We stress and worry about things that may not ever happen or come to fruition. We have to make our conversation during this time, personal, “Keep me Lord, keep my mind, keep my heart and help me also not to be ashamed as I wait, nor become disappointed because I have put my trust in you. No matter how things look on the outside or all around me. Even if all hell breaks loose, continue to let the fullness of Your joy (Psalm 16:11) keep me while I wait for you; let your righteousness, and the richness of your entire Being embrace and maintain me while I continue to put my hope in You, the God of my salvation.”

Others may not ever understand who you are, or why you do what you do, or why God has you going through the things you do, just as long as you know (or not) and you are pleasing to God is all that matters and He gets the glory. It doesn’t matter who stays in your corner or who goes; even if some have turned against you … God is always there and He is working it all out for your good… they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Tell the Lord today, I’ll wait for you with confidence as you work things out for my good and for your glory!

Until the morning, be blessed,
Cynde

How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand:
Psalm 139:17-18

“Oh how precious is the name of Jesus” was ringing down in me this morning and I begin to think on just how precious He really is and how He hears us every time we call. Then I thought about how precious are His thoughts are toward us. How He put thought into everything that He has done from the beginning with us in mind, His Master Plan. He has been concerned with every intricate detail of life then and even in the "right now" moments. We are of high value to Him; considered of great importance to Him and not to mention, how much He loves us and has shown His great love to us (John 3:16); we are wonderfully and uniquely made, rare and precious in His sight; His workmanship, His treasure.

I love how He continuously provides for us, no matter how small or how great the issue. He anticipates our needs because He is already in our tomorrow and He already knows what you have need of. Paul tells us in Philippians 4:19, “But my God shall supply “all your need” according to His riches in glory.” All your need, meaning whatever you require or what is necessary to sustain you, God will and can supply it. He has provided it all, He has thought of everything. The scripture said, if we should count them, the thoughts are more in number than the sand (ponder on counting the grains of sand for a moment). I might add that He also sent us a Comforter to keep, teach, lead, guide, counsel, and comfort us, so that we would not be alone. He thought about all that we would need along this journey. His thoughts towards are sure and complete and necessary for our well-being; for each one of us on an individual basis (Jeremiah 29:11). He who is Omniscience; He knows everything about us, our character, our thoughts, our feelings, our hurts, and our pains. He who is Omnipresent; He is everywhere all at the same time and can handle each of us all simultaneously! When you think about that, you think about just how great our God is!

The Lord is concerned about every one of us, know that you are not only precious in His thoughts but in His sight always.

Until the morning, be blessed,
Cynde

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Matthew 23:27

There have been many "Yes!" moments for me over the past few days; various people from different walks of life speaking words regarding the people of God having a need to be about our purpose because the kingdom of God is at hand. How we are in need of getting back to the call of God and back to the commission of God. There are far too many giving the appearance of godliness, all clean on the outside but unclean and lifeless on the inside.

When this dropped in my spirit, my first reaction was “wow” and even at that point, I didn’t have clarity on what direction this would go however, my mind immediately thought of the events in the movie the Sixth Sense and what was happening in the life of Malcolm Crowe. Malcolm had no indication that he was dead; he got up every morning, got dressed, and continued on in his daily activities as though he was still alive. He went the through the motions of his life as he knew it, yet, he was still dead. Not a good place to be ... dead, yet going through your every day as if you're alive and well.

This passage in Matthew is telling of Jesus’ anger at the Pharisees about their works, their practices, their conduct and their pretense among the people. He clearly lets them know exactly what they were doing wrong before he even moved into the “Woes unto you.” He let them know how they spent time cleaning the outside, but was not concerned about what was on the inside. He also let them know how they treated the people with their unfair practices and unacceptable methods because of the power they possessed as the religious leaders. He told them that if they could just see that they needed to clean what was on the inside that the outside would automatically take care of itself. The scripture today describes it brilliantly, as He tells them they are like the whited tombs, which were beautifully kept and washed clean on the outside but inside those tombs it was full of dead men’s bones.

The Pharisees thought they were doing all the right things, the outside was presentable and in place while their hearts were not, apparently they were not really looking at their own reflection in the mirror. To themselves, they appeared to be just fine, but their hearts were full of pride, stature, greed, and power. They were hypocrites, pretending and going through the motions of religiosity; but having their own agendas. They thought they were perfect and righteous in their own sight, when they were actually self-righteous and self-serving.

It’s unfortunate that the same can still be said of the church today (I’m not speaking of the physical building). Too many of us are looking beautiful on the outside but dead on the inside. Like the Pharisees, pious and walking through this journey pretending to have admirable principles, beliefs, and stance but behaving otherwise; there’s no mission, no purpose and no movement ... having a form of godliness, but just dead (2 Tim 3:5); continuing on daily as if we are being effective and of actual service to the Lord. Trust me, God is never fooled by what we show on the outside. He sees what and who we really are, not what we appear to be to other men... for God knows the heart.

It is my prayer that we would come alive, let the Lord breathe on us (Ezek 37:5), arise and be effective for the Kingdom. Search us Oh God; help us not to be as the Pharisees, help us to be not as the well kept tomb ... where we're beautifully clean and kept on the outside but full of dead men’s bones and unclean on the inside.

I've heard, "He can make you clean inside!"

Until the morning, be blessed,
Cynde

Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: Ephesians 3:7-9

Paul was the hardest worker the church has ever known … from a diligent enemy to a diligent saint! What a transformation and what a testament. He admits that God made him a minister by the effective, capable, and commanding working of His power. Paul knew that he could not have done anything by his own ability or his own strength. He tells us in this passage, he was “less than the least” of all saints, yet God has given me this grace to me to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ among the very people that I had persecuted; so all men would see and know the fellowship of the mystery, which has been hid in God from the beginning of the world.

When I read this portion of the scripture, it sounded like a title for a movie, “the fellowship of the mystery”, God, intriguing and full of wonderment. If we put the two definitions together it gives it clarity, the “fellowship” being a group of people who share common interests, goals, experiences, or views and the “mystery” being a truth that is considered to be beyond human understanding and can be made known only by divine revelation. You have to love the Spirit of the Lord right now and His way of expounding on the Word. Then just as quickly, I was reminded of the scripture, “the secret things, the unknown things, the hidden things, belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law (Deut 29:29).

Just like Paul, we have been given the charge to preach what he called the unsearchable riches of Christ; riches that are not capable of being searched, beyond our scope or reach of understanding, not able to be investigated scientifically and certainly not because man hasn’t tried. As humans, we fear what we don’t understand. We have tried to logically, philosophically, rationally, and possibly explain it, however, it still remains a mystery to man. His attempt to find out about these riches will continue to be unknown until he has experienced divine revelation that is only given by God.

We have been given the opportunity to share riches that are more precious than gold; spiritual wealth … a wonderful revenue that's in store for us, both now and later. God's goodness and all that He has for us once we come into the knowledge of Him. The scripture said "the eyes of your understanding being enlightened that you may know what the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints." I could continue in this all day and it wouldn't be enough time, but know this, through His divine power, He has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness … it's no longer a mystery to us, so share this with others. That is our call … to share, to preach what is the unsearchable riches of Christ!

Until the morning, be blessed,
Cynde