Isaiah 57: 14-15 ” And it will be said: ‘Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of My people.’ For this is what the high and lofty One says – He who lives forever, whose name is holy: ‘I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.’ “

A refreshing is coming.  A time of spiritual edification and uplifting for all Believers.  God will send a new wind of change…to restore and strengthen the broken and discouraged.  He will breathe new life into old places…and fresh vision into tired and apathetic souls.  As Oswald Chambers once said, ” Beware of paying attention or going back to what you once were, when God wants you to be something that you have never been .”  A new wind is coming…a time of refreshing is upon us.

I John 4:4 ” You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

Just imagine what Godly power and boldness you could possess if the significance of this verse could sink deeply into your soul.  There would be no limit to your trust and faith in the Lord.  You would speak to  mountains and they would throw themselves into the sea.  You would pray for people and they would be instantaneously be healed. Grasp this scripture and the importance of its meaning…ponder it…receive it…walk in it.

Isaiah 25:9 ” Surely this is our God; we trusted in Him, and He saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in Him; let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”

Where and in whom does your hope lie today?  Do you trust only yourself and your sheer determination to make your dreams reality?  Or maybe you trust the world around you to give you everything you desire.  Unfortunately, there is no one or thing here on earth that has the ability to deliver you from damnation… for there is only one person that can give you victory over guilt and eternal punishment of your sins.  Jesus is that only person that can save your soul.

I Chronicles 29:11 ” Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is Yours.”

Lord, You are the King of glory.  We thank and praise You,  for You have founded this world and all that is in it. (Psalm 89:11)  Your strength and might…Your glorious beauty is everlasting and forever.  You are great, and greatly to be praised on heaven and earth…Your splendor and greatness is beyond comprehension.

Jeremiah 23: 23-24 ” ‘ Am I only a God nearby?’ declares the Lord, ‘and not a God far away? Can anyone hide in secret places so that I can not see him?’ declares the Lord. ‘Do not I fill heaven and earth?’ declares the Lord.”

God is omnipresent…present everywhere at the same time, which is extremely difficult for the human brain to wrap itself around.  We would like to put God in a nice simple box, but He can’t be contained…His power and majesty unable to be held within the boundaries.  So attempting to escape the Lord is futile…there is simply  no hiding place that the Lord can’t find you.  You may run, but you can’t hide.  The Lord will pursue you to the ends of the earth until you finally turn to Him…so why not do it today?  Really, aren’t you tired of running?

Psalm 47: 7-8 ” For God is King of all the earth; sing to Him a psalm of praise. God reigns over the nations; God is seated on His holy throne.”

God is still on the throne. The Lord’s sovereignty and dominance is in operation in the world, and  no amount of human speculation can compare to His plans and purposes He has in store for this nation…this world.  Lord, You sit on Your throne judging righteously and reigning over the nations with grace and mercy.  We ask for a spirit of unity to sweep over the earth that we may become one under You.

James 3:6 ” The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and itself set on fire by hell.”

How many times have you regretted  a hurtful, unkind remark made in the heat of an argument?  And  thought to yourself, “I wish I could take back what I just said.”   The tongue has a way of causing trouble for all of us.  A flippant, or off-hand remark can cause irreparable damage to a relationship…and something we thought was said in confidence, will sometimes come back to haunt us.  The whole course of our lives can be ruled and controlled by our tongues…but for God.

Ezekiel 37:3 ” He said to me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’ “

The Lord had brought Ezekiel to a valley full of dry bones and asked him this question.  The only appropriate answer Ezekiel could give is, “O Lord God, You know.”  Rather running ahead of God “doing something”, Ezekiel was waiting on the Lord’s direction and working within His Will.  Many times it’s so much easier to “do something” rather than to just trust in the Lord and wait on His timetable.  What we see as good works and “helping” God is more panic than inspiration.

Exodus 2:11 ” …when Moses was grown…he went out to his own people and looked at their hard labor.”

Moses saw the oppression of his fellow Hebrews, and in that righteous indignation attempted to right the wrong…under his own power, in all the wrong ways.  What followed was discouragement and 40 years in the desert with God teaching Moses how to go about setting His people free –  the Lord’s way.   Like Moses, we may have a vision, and maybe even a clear understanding of what God wants…but we’re not ready yet.  We may also need our “40 years” in the desert being discipled by the Lord until He feels we are prepared to do His work.

II Peter 1: 5-7 ” For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. “

Your Christian walk starts out on a  Christ-shaped foundation…grounded in His Word…built on the solid rock of His love for you.  But then starts the journey all Believers must make towards maturity.  This scripture shows the progression from baby Christian to deeply rooted saint.  Like a house being built on a stable foundation, each moral quality is stacked on top of the next…teaching, disciplining, and encouraging as we go.  And in the end, a perfectly built structure will stand before our God.