A Prayer...for Today, for God's Glory!

Glorious Father! 

I will bless You at all times, for Your praises shall continue to be in my mouth (Ps. 34:1) I Praise You! I applaud You Lord! (Ps. 117) Your love has taken over my life and I am glad! Your faithful ways are eternal O Lord, Your glory is never-ending, unmatched, and cannot be cancelled (Psalm 18:20 – 24) Thank You Abba, for being My Father, for being My provider, for being my Protector, my Shelter in the wind and storm. You are indeed my refuge Lord, You are my One and Only Savior. Father, I thank You that I am a new creature, because I am in Christ as it tells me in 2 Corinthians. I thank You that though I am yet still a sinner, You loved me enough to sacrifice Your Righteous Son, Christ Jesus, Who spilled His blood that I may live and have life…and have life to the full! I turn my face, my heart, my eyes to You Lord, I sacrifice my life and give all of me to You. Everything I am, everything I have now or will ever have – belongs to You. Even my first born to my last born. Father, the very hairs on my head are numbered by Your word and every hair, will do Your will just as will every limb. Train even my thoughts to You Lord, let me not even think of things that fall outside Your Kingdom way. Heal me of past hurts, broken hearts, lost dreams and disappointments. Take away the feelings of pain, fear, anguish, hopelessness. Help me to forget the former things and to not dwell on the past any longer! Your word said You are doing a NEW thing and Lord and it springs up NOW (Isaiah 43:18-19) ! I don’t want to be like Lot’s wife who was turned into a pillar of salt because she looked back, I want to be like Abraham, Noah, even Christ – looking forward to that which lies ahead because I know what is coming is greater than what has been! 

Heal our minds Lord…our minds…our minds…and our hearts. Lord we’re a broken people, broken and many of us are living with hurts, pains, disappointments and despair – touch right now Lord, wherever we are – whatever we’re doing – and run your righteous Right Hand across our hearts, minds, bodies and spirits, give us a NEW way of thinking, NEW life, NEW Spirit, NEW mind Lord! Let us let go of the old wineskins that keep us in bondage to the old ways of thinking, which keep us bound to the old sins and habits that keep us in our desert periods. Lord, soften our hearts and open our ears, close our mouths and let us listen to You. Let us seek Your Face, to know You and stop seeking Your hand to get from You. Help us to develop relationship, to pant for you as a deer pants for water by a stream, let us become enthused in our walks, obsessed with Your love, and passionate about Your presence and our relationship with You. Let us not be comfortable with the surface, with the mundane, with secondary relationships but let every person, including myself and my family, develop a desire for You Lord that makes it impossible to get through the day without You. You are my EVERYTHING Lord. I cannot do this life without you! None of us can….and for those who think they can, forgive them and let them see what life is like when you remove your hand, that they may repent and return to You with a full heart. 

Father, I ask for revival – throughout the world. Bring Your children together from all parts of this earth, unite us. Help us to be as on, just as You, Christ and Your Holy Spirit are one who work together for the good of Your Kingdom. Give us courage to stand up instead of shying away. Give us strength in place of fear. Give us peace and confidence in You Lord. Help us to no longer be content with the mundane religious relationship and to begin to experience the fullness of Your power, Your way and Your truth – let us begin to walk in You, in Spirit and Truth and do the “greater things” that Christ told us we would do, just as the apostles did. Lord, right now, the church patterns itself after the world as if You are some copy-cat who isn’t the Creator of the universe! Nothing the devil can cook up is new or fresh, it’s all a knock off of Your genius Lord – so I ask that You help us to take back the arts, the media, the schools, the communities, our youth and young adults - Lord, help us to take back all these areas that have become corrupted with the ways of the world and return them to You! Help us to show the world that You are the true and living God and serving You is not outdated, bland, boring, or for prudes – anything the enemy can do, You’ve done and done perfect – his is only a poorly constructed knock off. Raise up young children, youth, teenagers, young adults, old adults – everyone Lord – You said You would pour out Your Spirit on Young and old – so we’re looking for that! We’re expecting that! Revival Lord! Revive! 

Lord, you already know the burdens faced by every person represented in this room – even if they never look in – I ask that you intervene Lord. Where salvation is needed, give them a heart of repentance and turn their hearts to Christ that they may accept Him and begin life anew! Bring people into their lives who will nurture and support them, who will be an example. For those who need growth Lord, grow them in You. Give them a heart for You, help them to cut out the distractions and excuses that keep them from getting closer to You, spending time with You. Send people to help them learn, to show them how to study, to be patient with them to work with them, someone they can relate to as they grow in their walk with You. Give them a willing spirit and a desire to do so for themselves. For those who need to come to repentance because they have strayed away from Your loving path – restore them Lord, give them the heart of repentance, compel them to return to You where life is secure, where You are our refuge, our covering, our grace. Lord, I know that some of us can’t get past our own circumstances to come to You so I ask for Your mercy and Your grace, ease the burdens Lord, give them some help – for Your glory – be the provider that You are, the Father who gives greater gifts than good fathers on earth, Who feeds the sparrows and dresses the flowers of the fields. Lord You know all of our needs: food, clothing, transportation, debt relief, new homes, financial increase, lasting employment, healing, weight loss, evictions, relocations, grief, prison, childcare, protection, mental health, friendships, love, children…Lord whatever the issue whatever the problem – we know You are the answer and nothing is to hard for You Lord. I ask that You answer these problems in such a way that we know it is You Lord and I pray that when You do, each and every person has a heart of gratitude that moves us to deeper relationship, trust, and faith in You. 

Thank You Abba for answering this prayer before I even typed it, thank You for putting this prayer on my heart and for moving on it Lord. Thank You for transforming lives and that someone will be saved today Lord! Thank You! You are a glorious, mighty, marvelous God and I adore You!! Now to Him Who is able to do immeasurably more than all I can ask or imagine according to His Power at work within us, I give GLORY TO GOD!! PRAISE HIS NAME!!! Amen and Hallelujah!! God is Good!

Everyone Doesn't Want Your Help....Some Just Want Attention....Don't Enable.

There is a difference between a person wanting your help and simply wanting your attention. When a person wants help - they will take the help/advice given and use this to move forward, from the old habits/problems/issues and into a new place in life. The problem or whatever it was that they needed help with has been dealt with and the person can move forward in life able learning from the situation and using it to make wiser choices in the future. They don't keep having the same problems over and over again - because they are actually taking the "help" and making an effort to change their lives.

Now when someone simply wants attention - they will ask for your "help" but nothing will ever come of it. They'll be seeking your help and advice for the very same issues in three years as they are today. They don't want the help - advice - or guidance - they only want the attention that comes with your advice, guidance, assistance. These are the individuals who have the same issues and complaints today as they did one, two, three years ago. The situation never changes - no matter how much you pour into them or try to help them and no matter what, they always seem to find a problem and see the bad. This is a drainer - they have no intention on receiving help, they are getting what they desire - your attention, your time, your energy, your focus - don't enable them.

God calls us to help one another, but He does not call us to be manipulated and used. Not only does this empower the individual to look to and trust in man for what they need (instead of God), this also can cause you to turn your focus from God, as you become "savior" to the person you're trying to help. And this is not me talking about any individual, for those who like to read more into things than what's there, this is something that I have observed and has been on my heart. Many people are complaining about feeling used/taken advantage of by people and though those who do these things are at fault - those who continuously allow themselves to be used in this way, without ever learning from the situations, are also partially at fault. We must learn from these things - so we can recognize them and have wisdom enough to empower them to seek God for what they are missing, instead of man who will never be enough. 

Loving People in spite of People.....

If you cut-off every person who lets you down, hurts you or breaks your trust - you'll surely find yourself completely alone in the end. So what do we do?

We need to love people enough to love them where they are, as they are - this is what it means to love someone fully, deeply, without condition. That's not to say that we should open ourselves up to manipulation and allow ourselves to be used and abused, by no means, but that is to say - that even if someone has done us intentional harm and they mean us malice - we - who bear the name "Christian" - must be willing to keep on loving.

Our love should always be evident - even in the midst of hatred from others. We should always show and offer the love Christ has so freely (and mercifully) given to us. The only perfect love...is the love of God....so stop holding people to perfection in this area. All of us are flawed and all of us, at some point, will hurt someone even in when intentions were/are pure. Not every hurt is done out of malice or even with ill intent.

Instead, we are called to do as Christ does.... meet them where they are. Love people in spite of things. Love people anyway! Real love, pure love --- the kind of love that loses count of who has done more and who has done less. The kind of love that gives and helps without underhanded motives. the kind of love that endures-- even when you may not receive back the same love and kindness, even in the face of slander and hate - LOVE!

Be strong, be courageous, be firm and wise, be diligent! Focus on love and keep your eyes on Christ and let Him do the rest.

WE ARE CHARGED with LOVE! 
Love...
Beyond the faults.
Beyond the pain. 
Through the betrayal.
In the midst of anger and frustration. 
When they try to manipulate and use. 
When they slander and abuse. 
When they scheme and lie. 
When they hate you without reason and they set you up to throw you down. 
L-O-V-E.
Love! Deeply. 
Love! Purely. 
Love! Wholly. 
For LOVE! covers a multitude of sins....even your own. 
The answer to all things....
LOVE! 

*Note, this is not to say if you are being abused - physically, spiritually, or emotionally that you are to stay with someone under the guise of love. You can love someone and also sometimes have to walk away from that person to protect yourself and your spirit. Some people do not mean you well and the enemy (the devil) will use any vessel he can to come against you. However, if God instructs you to walk away from someone who is not acting in love towards you - someone who may have even harmed you - this does NOT give you permission to go around slandering, gossiping, and generally being messy and nasty towards the individual(s) or when mentioning the person to others. If you've nothing nice to say or you can't help - pray about it. Keep praying for God to heal you and help you overcome your anger - daily if necessary (trust me I've done it) - until you find that you no longer harbor resentment, anger, or strife for that/those person(s). We are still called to love and forgive ALL people  that we may also receive forgiveness... seek guidance from God always above all else and let don't make moves until He guides. Blessings!

The Power of Intimacy....

One of the reason many Christians and the church lack the power and victory predesignated for us by our Father, through Christ, is because we don’t have that intimate relationship with God. The bible tells us that we are to do greater things than even Christ did (John 14:12) – and what did Christ do? He Loosed the demon possessed, He healed the sick, He opened the eyes of the blind, He fed the masses with little food, He even raised the dead! Now I know what you’re thinking….wait a minute, I’m not Christ – that was Jesus, I mean of course HE could do those things. Well, not only did Jesus do them, but the apostles also did them after Christ returned to heaven to be at the right hand of the Father. Check out the book of Acts if you don’t believe me!

First, let’s take a look at the word ‘intimate’ and breakdown the general meaning (of course we know in this manner we do not mean a sexual relationship so we will skip that meaning):

·        Closely acquainted; familiar, close. "intimate friends"

o   Synonyms (same): close, bosom, dear, cherished, faithful, devoted, fast, firm, familiar;

o   Antonyms (opposite): distant

·        (Of a place or setting) having or creating an informal friendly atmosphere. "an intimate little Italian restaurant"

o   synonyms: friendly, warm, welcoming, hospitable, relaxed, informal;

o   antonyms: formal, cold

·        Involving very close connection. "their intimate involvement with their community"

·        Private and personal. "going into intimate details of his sexual encounters"

o   synonyms: personal, private, confidential, secret;

·        (Of knowledge) detailed; thorough. "an intimate knowledge of the software"

o   synonyms: detailed, thorough, exhaustive, deep, in-depth, profound;

o   antonyms: sketchy, superficial

·        A very close friend. "his circle of intimates"

o   synonyms: close friend, best friend, bosom friend, confidant, confidante;

A great way to test this is to go through the definitions above and honestly ask yourself if you are these things with God – or if you are more like the antonyms (or opposite).

Throughout the bible, God used ordinary men (and women) to do extraordinary things! Even in the Old Testament! Yet and still, present day believers tend to act as though that power was only reserved for the biblical stories of the old age, never to be tapped into by this generation of believers. In a way, the church has allowed us to dilute the word of God to mere words – reserving authority in Christ for only the “highest” and “holiest” in the church.  WHATEVER!  When Christ died, He died for everyone! When the Holy Spirit was LOOSED on earth, He was LOOSED over all believers. Not just the “priests” and “teachers”. No! All of God’s children were charged with going forth and doing “greater things” than Jesus did – not just a select few. Sadly, we’ve been duped into believing we can’t access this power and this is why the churches seem dead – unable to help or make a difference. This is why people think “I’ll pray for you” is just a nice saying – but, it’s not really going to change anything.

I cannot stress enough how important the following scripture remains:

“But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness….” Matthew 6:33.

This is where we fail. We don’t seek Him first. We don’t develop a deep intimate connection with Him. We are comfortable staying at the surface – allowing our pastors and grandparents or popular preachers feed us regurgitated spiritual food that we never digest ourselves. Intimate relationships are only made through a dedicated and conscious investment in knowing the other person…God already knows us deeply and intimately, He created us…so now it’s up to us to get to know Him (and in the process, learn all about yourself!).

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t deny that the trouble of this world can weigh us down…but I also don’t deny the power of Christ to keep us calm in all circumstances and filled with peace and joy ----if our focus is truly on Him.  With intimacy with Christ – the kind where you can’t keep your mind off Him! The kind where you really do have songs of praise in your heart, and you are overflowing with joy and peace – in spite of things not being perfect in your life – the kind of intimacy in which you seek God to know Him and not because of what you need and what He can do for you.

Oh no, this is a totally new type of relationship with God. One in which God confides in you just as you in He. One in which He trust you with the secret things of God and He considers you a friend, not just a child or a servant in His kingdom….. Tapping into this type of relationships gives you access to the limitless power of the true and living God! You’ll begin to walk in His power, you’ll begin to do things that you’ve never known and you’ll be amazed at God’s glory upon you and through you….. This is when you will enter the phase of “anything you ask in My name shall be given unto you” that Jesus promised in John 14. 

But this does not come without much investment in your relationship with God. Because He’s got to get your heart right in order to allow any of His children to tap into this type of God awesome power that it may be used for His glory and not our personal gain. But don’t for a moment think that you won’t be blessed in the midst.

When humans seek God with their entire heart, desiring to develop a lasting, loving intimate relationship with Him – God surely rewards them with this. And from that springs an overflow of peace, joy, righteousness, strength, right-living, justice, joy and most of all – LOVE.

So please, if you’re reading this and you think a relationship with God is something to be overlooked and put on the back burner until you’re old and grey…I’m here to tell you now – you’re missing out. Missing out on the very best of God – the purpose after the purpose! Salvation is only the start – but the victory and power comes when as you grow deep in your love for and relationship with the Lord –and this is when we’re able to go out and break strongholds, bind and LOOSE  and introduce the lost to the light of salvation! But it all starts with you…. Just how much are you willing to invest?

Go deeper… God is waiting to show Himself to you in a new way!

Prayer:

Dear Lord, I come before You first giving You praise for sending this word and allowing me to be Your vessel. I ask that you put me out of the way and let all who read this see You in these words. Penetrate hearts, divide souls and spirits as only Your word can do Lord. Bring those to this word Who have been struggling and going around the mountain for years, decades even, entire lifetimes – and yet they have no understanding why. They know of You Lord, they were even raised up around Your word – but don’t understand the truth in Your word and the might of Your Power!

Father I ask you for a great awakening within Your church – and not the physical church buildings – I mean the church body, Your chosen agents assigned for a specified time to carry out your predestined will and purpose, not only for our lives but for Your Kingdom. Father we thank You for a total move of Your Spirit, May Your Holy Spirit overwhelm us with praise, joy, peace, strength, power in You that we may go forth with renewed zeal, vigor, and BOLDNESS – declaring Your goodness and Your word!

Father, You said this is our time to rise up! Bring us together, connect us, mature us in You! Most of all Father – help us to go deeper in You to seek You with our whole hearts, pure hearts, without selfish motives or desires. Let us seek You to know You because knowing You is good! Abba, I ask that you bless those who have received this seed, may this, Your word fall in good soil, take root, and spring up a great harvest for Your Glory Father!

And for those who are in despair, lost, fearful, lonely, unsure, frustrated, on the verge of giving up – suicide – LORD I BIND THESE FEELINGS FROM THE PITS OF HELL IN THE NAME OF JESUS AND I CAST THEM DOWN BACK WITH THE DEMONS OF SATAN WHERE THEY BELONG! LORD, YOUR WORD TELLS US THAT YOUR WILL BE DONE – ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN – Father, we know from Your word, in heaven there is no weeping, pain, sadness, frustration, death! NO!

Your word tells us in heaven there is PEACE, JOY, STRENGTH, MERCY, TRUST, LOVE, LIFE – RENEWED! THERE IS WHOLENESS! THERE IS MORE THAN ENOUGH! Lord, it is NOT Your will for Your children to live empty lives poor in Spirit, You have called us to live an EXCEEDINGLY ABUNDANT ABOVE AND BEYOND LIFE – SO I LOOSE THE FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT INTO THE LIVES OF EACH PERSON READING THIS RIGHT NOW IN THE NAME OF JESUS! I LOOSE PEACE, I LOOSE JOY, I LOOSE STRENGTH, I LOOSE LOVE, I LOOSE FORGIVENESS, I LOOSE TRUST, ENDURANCE, PATIENCE, and all the FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT LISTED IN GALATIANS 5:22-23!

Thank You LORD! THANK YOU THAT YOU WILL DO THIS NOW! RIGHT NOW! And that those who need this, will endure under the pressure as you transform and restore their lives to wholeness in You. Help them to understand Lord, when they want to give up that they must go THROUGH in order to get to the promise land but You will be with them (and have gone before them) every step of the way…help them…help all of us…to trust You, even when our flesh tells us otherwise.

Now to Him Who is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine, to God be the glory, forever and ever, in Jesus Holy Name, Amen! Praise God!!! Glory!!!!! 

The Glory of My Father's Love.... by Trista Robinson

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33

The more I seek God, the more I trust Him.

The more I trust God, the more I rely on Him.

The more I rely on God, the more like Him I become.

The more like God I become, the more I experience and live in His righteousness.

The more I experience and live in God’s righteousness, the more of His peace I enjoy in my life.

The more of God’s peace I enjoy in my life, the more I am able to focus on Him and glorify Him by doing His will.

The more I am able to focus on God and glorify God by doing God's will, the more I will desire to seek Him.

The more I desire to seek my Father, the more I trust my Father.

The more I trust my Father, the more I rely on my Father.

The more I rely on my Father, the more like my Father I become.

The more like my Father I become, the more I experience and live in my Father’s righteousness.
The more I experience and live in my Father’s righteousness, the more of my Father’s peace I enjoy in my life.

The more of my Father’s peace I enjoy in my life, the more I am able to focus on my Father and glorify my Father by doing my Father’s will.

The more I am able to focus on my Father and glorify my Father by doing my Father’s will, the more I will desire to know my Father.

The more I desire to know my Father, the more I fall in love with my Father…

The more I fall in love with my Father, the more I rest in my Father…

The more I rest in my Father, the more I depend on Him for all things…

The more I depend on my Father for all things, the more my Father shows me my trust is well placed.

The more my Father shows me my trust is well placed, the deeper I fall in love with Him…

The deeper I fall in love with Him….

The deeper I wish to go….

Ah......The glory of My Father's Love....

Selah. :)

“And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever.” Isaiah 32:17

Written by: Trista Robinson 10.9.13. 

....A New Season on the Horizon.....God is Awesome!

Dear God, You told me that those who usually have my back would not be there this go round and it would be people I never expected - even some who were once against me - who would be my biggest supporters now....and of course - You were right! At first, I was extremely afraid and a bit upset with You over this...every time I turned around it was like I was losing SOMETHING...since I left Houston I've LOST, LOST, LOST at least that's what I thought initially - ---- I now realize, I've gained so much in YOU - most importantly a relationship with YOU. Talk about a transformation - HA!! Anyone who knows Trista  before 2008 can tell you I am truly NOT the same person I was five years ago...shoot...even two years ago. LOL.

That being said - I'm finally grasping this concept of TRUSTING GOD COMPLETELY and I'm really looking forward to all You have in store - all the new relationships and doors that You are opening.... I've had a lot of ashes in my life and I've been disappointed more than I care to think on - but You said, a new season is coming and everything You have been promised will come to pass - as long as I continue to seek You and keep You first. I wouldn't have it any other way! Lord, I trust You. I believe You. I rely on You. I've given up all those ashes and I look forward to the beauty You are bringing into my life!

I thank You for every person who I've had the pleasure of knowing and loving; yes, even those who were sandpaper, causing me to mature in love, forgiveness and how I treat and react to others. I'm done dwelling on people who are no longer here whether I separated myself or they separated themselves, I've spent too much time toiling over people trying to force things, force relationships...then being disappointed when the things don't work out the way I expected --- I'm done with that, I'm letting them go and moving on...with no ill feelings attached...just peace in knowing that what's coming is greater than what has been.

I am really looking forward to this new season - with new connections, new relationships and putting down roots in a place where we can form lasting relationships and impact our communities for the better. :) It's time [finally] for me to put down some roots again, develop lasting friendships here in our local area, and really impact the community - bless some people  and enjoy ourselves  in the process. I'm excited Lord... Thank You for all of it..every single moment that has instilled in me the strength, determination, motivation and joy I have today! YOU ARE GOD ALONE AND YOU ARE AWESOME! :)