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It is just as the Holy Spirit says, “If you hear God’s voice today, Hebrews 3:7

Once I

Once I said yes
When I should have said no
Once I said stop
When the answer was go

Once I was sure
That was the way
Disastrous disappointment
For many a day

Once I was hurried
And frazzled with care
I cried out help
Is anyone there

Is there someone to help me
Someone who knows what I need
I haven’t got a clue
I can’t continue at this speed

I received a message
Just in the nick of time
I had been waiting
Didn’t realize why

Is anyone out there
A voice called back
Who are you like looking for
I was taken aback

When out of nowhere
This Voice called to me
I have been here all this time
But you couldn’t see

I called to you and summoned
You were busy with friends
I’ve waited patiently
To speak again

Once I said yes
When I should have said no
Times past I said stop
Now I say go

© laurette laster October 2019

For years I didn’t know our Lord as our ever present help in time of need. I knew sometimes things just seemed to work out, but I didn’t know He was summoning me to walk with Him.

I had the idea that you did the best you could and hopefully the good would outweigh the bad, and if the cards fell just right well maybe you would make it into heaven. Isn’t that a crazy idea or way to think? It is sad.  I wonder how many others think this way?

Being busy and doing good can be good, but it can choke the will and desire of The Lord out. Always running to help someone, always dropping what you’re doing, putting others first, may not be God’s work. Yes I know that we are to do good works. But good works the bible talks about are in addition to other daily activities and works. I let others use me or take advantage of me so they would like me or at least tolerate me.

I’m so glad I was delivered from believing others wants and needs were what God wanted, and that I was somehow appeasing His anger by doing good works.

I pray we set aside quiet time to hear from The Lord and then proceed from Him, not proceed on ignoring Him. The other day I glanced this red bird sitting in my peach tree, alone. I thought maybe he needs some quiet time alone from the crowd.

Then I thought about how I require that too.

He is speaking. Today if you hear His voice do not harden your heart………..

God bless you and keep you and make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you Shalom.

Until next time, thanks for listening with me. Laurette

“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet,

A Pillow of Snow

A pillow of snow
In the lap of the tree
Surrounded by branches
The number is three

Soft yet sturdy
Unique in flight
Flakes from heaven
In color pure white

Stature and strength
Stately old oak
Shields and protects
Covering cloak

Each unique
No two the same
Speaks to me
About The Name

A pillow of snow
In the lap of this tree
Are there comparisons
Can you see

Tender and delicate
Fragile yet firm
From tiny snowflakes
We can learn

God is our protector
A very strong tower
We are at rest
In the lap of His Power

© laurette laster

As I went to take a few photos of the brief snow we had Saturday morning, snapping this shot I heard the words, ‘a pillow of snow in the lap of this tree.’ As I studied the photo thinking of what I had heard I continued to think, what does this mean?

I noticed three main branches coming off of the trunk. I immediately thought of the Trinity, God in the image of The Loving Father and Protector, holding it all together, God in the image of The Redeemer and Savior, The Son, and God in the Spirit of Truth, The Holy Spirit, offering us a safe place to land. We are created in His image and likeness, body, soul, and spirit yet each with a unique print.

No two snowflakes are the same; each so unique, intricate, a delicate design. Amazing how something so delicate and fragile survives the rugged wind storm, holding its shape while blown about…would melt immediately if collected and captured by a warm hand. It is then I’m reminded as believer’s we are a force to be reckoned with by the kingdom of darkness, so fragile yet so strong, being melted in an instant at His touch.

In all of this He holds us secure. Have we ever thought and considered the process a snowflake goes through? There isn’t anything prettier or more beautiful than a blanket of snow, especially when you don’t get much. I have no desire to live off the grid or be snowed in for months. In large quantities gathered together, an avalanche can occur and destroy everything in its path. Then that beautiful calm scene takes on a whole new meaning. Beginning with liquid that is evaporated, collected, poured out, heading to an unknown destination, uniquely designed going through very cold places the consistency and form is changed.

In a short twenty four hours, we had extreme changes. Friday higher than normal temperatures in the low 70’s, and very humid, by afternoon it was raining with tornado warnings throughout the afternoon and early evening, flooding with emergency water rescues, then 27 degrees and snow by Saturday morning. The snow changed it all to a beautiful calm scene erasing the chaos from the day before, into beautiful flakes created by nature.

Though your sins be like scarlet they shall be as white as snow.

By faith we rest knowing we are completely protected in the lap of His Power. But as redeemed and cleansed by His blood we are a force to reckon with. We are cleansed and collected for the Master’s use. Are you ready?

Be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Matthew 10:16

God bless you and keep you and make His face shine upon and be gracious to you. The Lord cause His countenance to rise upon you and give you Shalom.

Until next time, thank you for listing with me. Laurette

Honor and majesty are [found] in His presence; strength and joy [found] in His sanctuary. (1 Chronicles 16:27 AMPC)

Overwhelming Heart Hugs

(from the grace series ©)

Thank You Father is whispered
As tears stream down my cheek
His love hugs my heart so tight
Causing my eyes to leak

Captured in His nearness
Overwhelmed with gratitude
I can barely catch my breath
In His love, oh the magnitude

Intelligible words with value
Escape my mind and being
Surrounded by His love
His goodness is all I’m seeing

Sometimes I weep
Or burst out in song
His gentle touch
Heals all wrong

My face to the floor
Familiar touch reminding
His word will not return void
But accomplish all He’s decreed

His goodness is never failing
His love is never ending
Oh my God and my Lord
With You there is no pretending

So real and completely alive
Only good and forever faithful
He is for us, with us, and in us
We cannot help be praiseful

Yes gratitude comes forth
Running down my face
In double streams proportioned
Like His amazing grace

Gratitude pours forth
At the most amazing times
It’s then I am reminded
We are on His mind

My eyes become like faucets
He sets my feet to dancing
Tears of joy flow freely
His perfect love entrancing

© laurette laster 1/3/2020

You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:11 NKJV)

Have you ever felt the presence of heaven invading the room? I had a visitation yesterday. As I began to complete a simple but great idea, a task given to me by Him, I was praising The Lord in hymns and psalms. As I was singing verses about His faithfulness I was reminded I had a dream in the night. It was an amazing dream. A sweet dream, showing me, that yes the promises of God are true and He is working on these very situations as I go about His business. Later I began to be overcome with gratitude and tears sprang forth. I was joyous, not sad, I was overcome by His goodness and this poem flowed forth. I share this with you to encourage you to reach out and take hold of all God is doing in your life no matter what season you are in.

Last year I had a poem spring forth about liquid faith. The Lord allowed me to glimpse believer’s tears falling on their chest. These tears come forth during the toughest times and become water or streams of faith, springing forth from emotions so deep and too raw for verbal explanation. As our heads are bowed down, tears fall on our heart and water and soften our heart. So tears are clearly an expression of multiple emotions. The emotions that cannot be articulated are clearly understood in heaven. Tears are said to be stored in bottles of remembrance before Him.

When His presence or an angelic visitation takes place it invades our very atmosphere. I have experienced this in differing places, locations, and venues.

We cannot describe what it is, but we know it is Him. We are surrounded, engulfed, and captured, by this permeating, very tangible, yet invisible presence. It isn’t a feeling it is an experience. An experience so exciting and captivating that causes a variable of emotions to burst forth all at the same time. Not knowing whether to dance, sing, cry, shout, or fall on our face, when suddenly clear liquid burst forth from ducts that were strategically placed by our Creator. I’ve come to realize this is His pure love expressed in liquid form and it is in double portions.

Like oil extracted by being pressed from the olive, love extracted from pressing on our heart must be expressed. However there is a love so powerful that it is [ex] pressed in liquid form.

Yes it is Him. Dropping by to remind us, all is well. He is with us.

I wonder if our eyes were opened to this glory what it would be like. Then I’m reminded His love is all around us, even when we can’t feel Him. He is here.

The next time you are enraptured and tears spring forth, and you don’t understand; it is because He is hugging your heart tightly against His.

The joy is so amazing words cannot articulate. It is experienced, felt, and expressed in the quiet whispers of tears caught and stored in bottles for His remembrance.

He draws our heart holding it close to His and the intimacy causes springs of love and gratitude to burst forth. When words cannot be expressed they are pressed, and come forth as tears.

The hug of our Lord is so amazing it makes our eyes leak.

Just a little side note about the lamp I used in this photo. This lamp was my mother’s lamp. I am reasonably certain it was her mothers before her, my grandmother. There have been many hardships by women in our family lineage. Untold broken hearts caused by generational ignorance. My mother was my only parent, her mother my only grandparent. As I experience His goodness I realize many of the prayers being answered were watered by their liquid faith and gratitude before me. I never want to take one blessing or promise for granted. My fight is for those who have gone before me, and for the ones coming after me. Therefore I must persevere that my God may receive all the glory. May I be numbered with the prudent and have my lamp and my extra vessel of oil.

God bless you and keep you and make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord cause His countenance to rise upon you and give you Shalom.

Until next time, thanks for listening with me. Laurette

It’s Time

In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel. Romans 2:16

Where do Holidays (Holy Days) come from? They are derived from the Feasts of God and the Promises of God.

Don’t keep Christmas in the closet

Don’t keep Christmas in the closet
Don’t store it away for months
Keep it out in the open
Let’s decide this now for once

For God does nothing in secret
Though at first we may not understand
But if we continue on in faith
We shall see the work of His hands

It is the most wonderful time
The most celebrated season
But we should take an account
And remember ‘Jesus’ is the reason

So do not put The Lord away
And store Him out of sight
Oh no we must tell of His wondrous works
While it is day and not the night

Yes He was born as a babe
Humbled Himself as a Servant
But that is not all we know
To those who are observant

Yes Christmas was heralded
From Angels melodious chorus
So don’t put Christmas away
Keep our soon coming King before us

I shall not store Christmas away
And I encourage you each to search
In Luke, Isaiah, then Mathew
Each describes His miraculous birth

Oh but that is not all there is more
In every book you can find
That Christmas was forever
And was foremost on God’s mind

Do not put Christmas away
It is the most wonderful time of the year
Keep it magnificently lighted
And displayed from ear to ear

For The Gift that keeps on giving
We can share in daily amounts
Our Hope is in Jesus at Christmas
Are you ready to give an account

© laurette laster

It’s Time

Wednesday, January 1, 2020, today something is stirring in my spirit. I sense The Lord asking, do you know what it means. Our Western traditions, customs, and holidays, are an illustration, mimicking the Fall Feasts or Appointed Times of the Lord, even though others may not be aware of this.
As the Christmas Holidays officially draw to a close, some seem relieved; while others put everything away the day after Christmas.
Our lights are still burning bright in the darkness. I turned on the window candles again tonight, one last time. I will miss the festive decorations but will carry the meaning of Christmas in my heart every day.

Last year (a few short days ago) in 2019 I experienced a prophetic word along with a supernatural illumination from a snow woman I rescued from Goodwill. I will write and blog about that another day. This illumination deserves its own story, not just a few sentences.

Our traditions and Holidays (Holy Days) Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years, represent The Fall Feasts of The Lord our God. Yom Teruah or Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur also known as Day of Atonement and Tabernacles, and Hanukkah or Feast of Dedication are Holy times of God. We’ve been honoring and handing down remnants or portions of these Feasts for generations.

As Greg and I were talking, I asked him, if you had to define time what would you say time is, how would you describe time? He sat there for a brief moment then answered, “I don’t know.” It isn’t easily definable or described in one word. How applicable, right?
Time is a noun, a verb, and an adjective and so much more.
Time is a season, a decade, a day, a moment, a year, an eon, an event, a measure, a duration, a date, an occasion, time is passing, can be appointed and time can be missed. The list can go on and on.
We know that the stroke of a clock doesn’t really change anything and neither does a specific day on our Gregorian calendar, yet we need the boundary time marks and sets. God has a calendar and definitely keeps and marks time and events. God established time of light and dark, evening and the morning, making a distinction between day and night at the beginning of creation. And evening and morning were the first day.
We need the measurement and the distinction time offers.
While we read many opinions and warnings about celebrating pagan holidays, I took time today to thank God for the reason we celebrate. In search of Him we observe His set apart time, recognizing He set, kept, and fulfilled, an appointment with mankind, sending His Son Jesus, our promised Messiah. This promised event changed the destiny of mankind. The Gift given to us, poured out for us, at the Cross for the forgiveness of our sins. At His resurrection This Gift would open unto us the offer of complete salvation and meaning, new life, a living hope, redemption, restoration, sanctification, and eternity with Him in the next life while giving us power here and now for the rest of the journey.

What a God, what a glorious event; The Gift that is still being opened.
We have been given a set time, the acceptable day, an appointed time to die and then judgment.

Why would anyone miss the day of salvation?
It is time! Today is the day, now is the acceptable time of God’s favor. If you haven’t already made Jesus Lord of your life, I pray you will stop right now, take time and ask Jesus to be your Savior.
He’s The Real Gift and the meaning of Christmas!

2^nd Corinthians 9:15 Thank God for his gift that is too wonderful for words! Indescribable, unspeakable gift that gives us the victory through Jesus Christ our Lord.

God bless you and keep you and make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord cause His countenance to rise upon you and give you Shalom.

Until next time, thank you for listening with me. Laurette

Those who do wickedly(violate the covenant) against the covenant he shall corrupt (seduce, deceive, corrupt, and entice, turn to godlessness) with flattery; but the people who know their God (remain faithful, are loyal,) will display strength (firmly resist him) and take action. Daniel 11:32

Look For The Beauty

Look for the beauty
When darkness surrounds
Search for His holiness …
Though evil abounds

“In 2020 Seek His face
Yes like never before
For I know yes I know
There is so much more”

When darkness seems darker
“Hope” is never lost
It is then we must believe, yes believe
Hold on no matter the cost

Jesus is our anchor (Hebrews 6:19)
He indeed is our “Hope”
So darkness must flee
We are not of those who grope

We are led and summoned
Called His very own
Fear not little flock
His kingdom is our home

Yes, Look for the beauty
When darkness surrounds
Search for His holiness
When evil abounds

© laurette laster

As we usher in this new decade my prayer is we seek God, more than ever before. In a world that tries to make Him common, I pray we esteem His holiness, being filled with His fullness.

In a world attempting to dilute and dumb down, watering down and weakening the truth in His word, so it isn’t too strong, (don’t want any offended), I pray we know our God and do exploits, never watering down the gospel. I pray we grow in wisdom and stature, stretch and reach (higher) to pursue, always looking towards the goal, for the prize of the calling on high of God in Christ Jesus.
May we never be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ,  After all, “It is the power of God unto salvation” that changes people. I pray we put a demand on His power in dark days, as plugged in believers, we shine brighter and brighter, bringing others to His Power and Light. To Him be glory in the church, may all be changed by His great love.

For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
Ephesians 3:14-21 NKJV

Happy New Year
2020 A Decade of Hope
Look for the Beauty

God bless you and keep you and make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord cause His countenance to rise upon you and give you Shalom. Laurette

Until next time, thanks for listening with me. Laurette