Through All Seasons

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Devotion

March 10, 2020 listeningwithlaurette

“I long to drink of You, O God, drinking deeply from the streams of pleasure flowing from Your presence. So I say to my soul, “Don’t be discouraged. Don’t be disturbed. For I know my God will breakthrough for me.” (Psalm 42:1,11 TPT)

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Devotion

Intertwined feelings

Dry untapped emotions

Quickly I am summoned

Captured by pure devotion

We may be stressed

Somewhat miffed

In the end what matters

Keep that upper lip stiff

A season of difficulty

Fear and panic spreading

We are told to keep the faith

We are not dreading

Drink from His cup

From the wells of His salvation

Pull away a little longer

Fast and sanctification

Drink deep from the wells

From whence salvation comes

Jesus Christ extends His scepter

Into His open arms we run

We are not of those who turn back. In the midst of chaos and fear, offer hope. Bring light into darkness. Speak peace during the storm, comfort in times of stress.

Jesus called us the salt of the earth. Salt causes thirst. My prayer is that we walk in such a way others thirst for Him.

When they ask how you are so calm, take their hand and pray, saying only in His Name.

When they admit they’re fearful, take their hand and pray.

When they confess fear of the future speak His Name…

When they don’t know what to do, just say Jesus!

“Hathach came back and told Esther everything Mordecai had said. Esther talked it over with Hathach and then sent him back to Mordecai with this message: “Everyone who works for the king here, and even the people out in the provinces, knows that there is a single fate for every man or woman who approaches the king without being invited: death. The one exception is if the king extends his gold scepter; then he or she may live. And it’s been thirty days now since I’ve been invited to come to the king.”

Mordecai sent her this message: “Don’t think that just because you live in the king’s house you’re the one Jew who will get out of this alive. If you persist in staying silent at a time like this, help and deliverance will arrive for the Jews from someplace else; but you and your family will be wiped out. Who knows? Maybe you were made queen for just such a time as this.” (Esther 4:9-14 MSG)

Purim Blessings,

Resurrection power is breaking forth all around us. Drink deeply, stay a little longer, look more intently, don’t miss the intricate details of life emerging and breaking forth all around us. We serve a Risen Savior and the earth is rehearsing the joy felt all those years ago. This joy no man takes from us. Restore to us the joy of Your salvation.

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

poetry

Super Worm Moon on Purim 2020

March 9, 2020 listeningwithlaurette

I found the Super Worm Moon emerging in bold beautiful fashion just before sundown.

Happy Purim!

Blog, photo, poetry

Captain at the Helm;to know Him

February 29, 2020February 29, 2020 listeningwithlaurette

Like the Ocean “knows” the Shore…in the quiet morning hours I heard the words: Like the Ocean Knows the Shore. I was completely captured. To know Him! To know Jesus this intimately. The mere thought of this intimate image, what a beautiful visual. I knew it was a word for me. Forever yearning to [Ginosko] more of Jesus, I knew He was speaking to me through these simple yet thoroughly thought provoking intimate words.

Ginosko-To know, experience, to have intimate knowledge of, come to trust through experiential knowledge, and I could see ocean waves washing up over the sand; over and over.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Captain at the helm

Like the ocean knows the shore

How I long too know You more

As the tide does rise and fall

To hear Your voice and know Your call

Sometimes settled and smooth like glass

Other times anxious like waves that crash

So bold and ferocious the ocean’s roar

Yet measured in Your palm I can’t ignore

Destin and Leaders Meeting 168

That vast sum of all You become to me

If I continue to sail in Your great sea.

So when I feel completely overwhelmed

I just remember “The Captain” at the helm

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Guiding and showing me distant shores

Because I did pray to know You more

The kingdom of heaven suffers violence

Together we sail sometimes in silence

I will sail on as You’ve taught

Speak to wave’s command them stop

I shall not fear my “Captain” is at the helm

Voyaging with You, My Lord and “Captain” I shall not be overwhelmed.

Recently I was reminded of the word Ginosko

Ginosko – often translated as “know” or “known” is a word that means so much more than that. This word implies a certain type of “knowing” that is explained and defined by several English words.

The best translation in English is too personally, intimately, and to experientially “know” something. It doesn’t just mean to know about something but to have known it through personal experience. This is much more than head knowledge.

“In light of this, Ginosko could have times where it should not be translated to know at all but rather to experience but most of the time it indicates the knowledge that comes from experiencing something in an intimate or personal way.” (From conformtoChrist)

We are aware, all too familiar with the power, and driving force, this fierce body of water contains. The same beautiful Ocean can rage, rise, crest, and create tidal waves and Tsunami’s that wipe out villages, leaving a wake of disaster in their trail.

But after the raging, the clean up, the same Ocean calms once again, and becomes peaceful. Settling back into the gentle rolling motion we all enjoy.

The love of God is the most powerful force on earth…

Jealously demanding as the grave, and many waters cannot quench His love, it may gentle or full of wrath, but those who know their God will be strong and do exploits.

Fasten me upon your heart as a seal of fire forevermore.

This living, consuming flame

will seal you as my prisoner of love.

My passion is stronger

than the chains of death and the grave,

all consuming as the very flashes of fire

from the burning heart of God.

Place this fierce, unrelenting fire over your entire being

Rivers of pain and persecution

will never extinguish this flame.

Endless floods will be unable

to quench this raging fire that burns within you.

Everything will be consumed.

It will stop at nothing

as you yield everything to this furious fire

until it won’t even seem to you like a sacrifice anymore. (Song of Songs 8:6-7 TPT)

Yes! This is how we know Him!

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

poetry

Jesus

February 24, 2020 listeningwithlaurette

There’s just something about That Name!

Blog, poetry

My Forever Valentine and my Best Friend

February 14, 2020 listeningwithlaurette

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Zephaniah 3:17 GWT

The LORD your God is with you. He is a Hero who saves you. Happily rejoices over you, renews you with his love, and celebrates over you with shouts of joy.

My Forever Valentine and my Best Friend

He’s my forever Valentine

And my very best Friend

I have a forever Valentine

He’s with me daily all of the time

He is perfect loving and full of zeal

Oh yes this One for sure He’s the Real Deal

Musical Notes

When I was single and felt alone

He came and made me an offer

From out of His special love

I accepted of course, I’m not a scoffer

So kind and humble

And gentle in heart

This doesn’t even begin

To tell the greatest part

Things hadn’t worked out

As planned or thought

No time to despair

I was being sought

The enemy thought

He had won

But he didn’t have a clue

Of what was to come

My Valentine ask me to learn of Him

To seek out His true nature

I simply couldn’t resist

He wasn’t a distant stranger

So I began to study

Seeking only His Face

And through the line of time

I began to trace

I found where He is my Salvation

And my Solid Rock

Perfect Lamb of God

From the Tower of The Flock

He’s my Forever Valentine

And my Very Best Friend

So since Two Thousand

Plus years of five

My Forever Valentine

Touched my heart and made it come alive

Something changed

Early that Valentine morn

When my heart was awakened

With a deeper love adorned

Perfect love

And joy unspeakable

Cannot be explained with words

Pleasures forevermore inconceivable

So it you think you need

A forever Valentine

“I AM” most happy to share with you

The One I call mine

For His heart is amazing

Gigantically enormous

He has room enough for all

Yes for everyone one of us

Guy or gal young and old

No matter the age

May I introduce to you my Forever Valentine

King Jesus center stage

A complete and perfect Love

The River of Life that never runs dry

He is more than enough

Reach out give Him a try

He conquered the grave

Lives forever to make intercession

How about that

For a Valentine True Love confession

1 Corinthians 2:9-10 GNT

But as scriptures says: ” No eye has seen, not ear has heard, and no mind has imagined the things that God has prepared for those who love Him.

God has revealed those things to us by His Spirit. The Spirit searches everything, especially the deep things of God.

His love is never changing, cannot questioned or understood with our carnal minds. Our love is the fallible, weak and questionable love mentioned in the passage above. Jesus said if you love Me you will keep my commands, so the love He is looking for is love in action. A verb, and a transitive verb at that. You, me, us, His people, we are the direct object Jesus is speaking to for us to do what He is saying. If we keep His commandments, He and The Father will come and make their abode with us.

John 14:23 various translations – anyone who loves Me will obey my teaching, do what I say, keep My words, obey My teachings, will do what I say. And My Father will love them, and We will come and make Our home with them. Whoever does not love Me does not keep my word or teachings.

Even Jesus and The Father, cannot live or make their abode with selfish, self seeking people. No wonder we struggle also. Love is the answer. Love is the key to His Heart.

A couple of years ago while reading something caught my attention. I learned that a clef, the musical clef is also called a key. I had know for years music had keys but had never made the connection. I understood immediately, praise and worship are the keys to our Lord’s heart. We know this but I saw it in action. We are commanded to praise ‘in’ all things not ‘for’ all things. Worship begins with adoration of Him. When we see Him, we see or should see ourselves. The real us, as we really are, the real us. Breaking through the barrier of outward things we see our heart, lay bare and open before Him. Seeing His pure and perfect love, we repent, fall prostrate and say Oh my God and my King.

When Isaiah saw The Lord, he wasn’t like, yo God, hey Lord, glad you could drop by, whas up. I’m concerned that with our cultural Christianity we attempt to make The Lord common, comfortable with sin. Our Lord is not common. He is Holy! He died that we can come away from and be delivered from sinful lifestyles, warning others. Jesus did not hang out with sinners, He changed sinners at their very core. We do not find where Jesus was ever okay or comfortable with sin. Read Luke 4:18-19.

Isaiah said, “Woe is me, for I am undone! I am a man with unclean lips and I dwell among an unclean people.” The seraphim took a live coal from the altar of The Lord and touched his lips.

When I saw and experienced His pure love, I too was undone. If you haven’t had an encounter that has left you undone, go back there is so much more waiting for you. Go back for a life changing encounter with the Lover of your soul.

Good morning and 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

Blog, poetry

I Have Been

February 13, 2020February 13, 2020 listeningwithlaurette

For the Lord is always good and ready to receive you, He’s so loving that it will amaze you– so kind that it will astound you. Psalm 100:5 TPT

I Have Been

I have been abandoned
Lost and alone
But I have been found
Heaven is my home

I have been shattered
broken and bruised
I have been made new
and totally rescued

I have been afraid
Trembling to my soul
But I have been set free
Perfect peace now in control

I have been shaken
Felt it would never get better
But I have been steadied
I’m no longer a debtor

I have been a beggar
With no money which to buy
But I’ve become rich
Because Jesus does supply

I have been a sinner
With no reason left to think
That He would want to help me
Or be the ship that couldn’t sink

He is so much more
Than I could’ve ever guessed
He’s my rescuer and redeemer
Designer of righteousness

He is my peace and security
From all of earths snares and alarms
He is my King and Savior
Underneath The Everlasting Arms

Deuteronomy 33:27 GWT
The eternal God is your shelter, and his everlasting arms support you. He will force your enemies out of your way and tell you to destroy them.

Have you ever felt unlovable? Feeling nothing is, or will ever be right. I’ve felt so lonely in huge crowds of people, I remember the feeling of agonizing loneliness in the wrong relationship. I’ve felt isolated in the largest groups of people. But since making Jesus my hiding place and best friend I no longer have that cold, lonely and empty feeling. I am satisfied with much or with little, but I am no longer satisfied with counterfeit or fake relationships.

No matter where you are today I pray you will reach out and call out to your redeemer, His name is Jesus. There is not a human love or a human relationship that is capable of filling this God centered place in your soul. It is a place reserved for Him alone. Once it is occupied by Jesus all other relationships come into alignment or they go.

Today if you’re are struggling, feeling lonely, while it seems the rest of the world is in love; don’t worry. Jesus wants more than your today, He desires your forever. He is a consuming fire and a jealous God. He wants your whole heart. Once you give Him your whole heart you won’t only ‘need’ human love, you will desire healthy love, wanting to be loved and give love. Need says I must, desire says I can choose and agree with the Lord. Don’t settle for a counterfeit, or second best when heaven is calling your name.

Once we have tasted the love of Jesus we are changed down in our core. In this week of Valentine’s Day, the love celebration, just remember the greatest love celebration made all the angels in heaven burst out in song, worthy is The Lamb who was slain but now lives. Love died and rose again that we can live and have life abundant.

I pray you make Jesus your forever Valentine. It is the sweetest love ever tasted.

With my whole heart, with my whole life, and with my innermost being, I bow in wonder and love before You, The Holy God! Yahweh, You are my soul’s celebration. How could I ever forget the miracles of kindness You’ve done for me? You kissed my heart with forgiveness , in spite of all I’ve done. You’ve healed me inside and out.

Lord You are so kind and tenderhearted to those who don’t deserve it and so patient with people who fail You. Psalm 103:1-3,8 TPT

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

Blog, poetry

Hand Over The Key to Love

February 12, 2020February 12, 2020 listeningwithlaurette

Depths of purpose and layers of meaning saturate everything You do

(From the grace series)

It is so enjoyable to come before You with uncontainable praises spilling from our hearts! How we love to sing our praises over and over to You, to the matchless God, high and exalted over all! Psalm 92:1 TPT

Hand Over The Key to Love

Have you ever longed to hold

The key to another’s heart

To see them light up and glow within

Like light overtakes the dark

Have you longed to love

Be loved back with a vengeance

To know this kind of love

Oh feelings available and endless

What if you never had to fear

Afraid that love would leave

But you could fully trust

At last you had received

Oh to think of a love so pure

To imagine a love so strong

To truly know and understand

It is yours and to you belonged

That you were more than enough

To be loved through and through

Well I have come to share

That is exactly how God loves you

He sent His only Son

To come deliver the news

That God had made a way

For you beaten scourged and bruised

Why would He do this what was He thinking

He longs for you to understand

That you’ve held the key to His Heart

On your love He makes a demand

For God so loved the world

He gave His only begotten Son

That whosoever would not perish

Believe then rest secure in His eternal Love

A Father who comes to fight like this

Wow can you even imagine

Why would He do it what was His plan

You hold the key to His heart,

Can you just fathom

A love so strong that won’t let go

A love that will search you out

I know you’ve been feeling His draw

Reach in your pocket and pull it out

That key you’ve been holding

Fits the lock to open your heart

You closed it off long ago

And now is the time to start

Open and unclench your fist

You’re safe, hand that key to Jesus

That anger you held against God

It belongs to satan the lying deceiver

Jesus came to make a way

You’re safe in His love and Care

Jesus has come to rescue you

Follow Him! Unending love waits there

Melodies of praise fill the air as every musical instrument, joined with every heart, overflows with worship. No wonder I’m so glad; I can’t keep it in! Lord I’m shouting with glee over all You have done, for all You’ve done for me! What mighty miracles and Your power at work, just to name a few. Depths of purpose and layers of meaning saturate everything You do. Psalm 92:3-5 TPT

As God’s chosen instrument, He created as His masterpiece, a people to make sounds with our larynx and mouth, He created us to speak. So we are vocalist. We therefore have instruments of percussion. We are His sumphoneo (pronounced soom-fo-neh-o) His symphony. Our whole bodies are a praise. We bow our heads, we bend our knees, prostrate with faces to the ground, we fold or lift holy hands, we set our feet to dancing, we sing, we cry out, and when we do this in unity or harmoniously we become his sumpheneo, His symphony. May we not only lift our praises but become His praise. In the scriptures above we see what love really is. It comes from an internal deposit by Holy Spirit on the inside. This love is from the inside out. Love is much more than an emotion, it is an explosion of His goodness poured into us, then we in turn pour into others.

In this the week of love, I encourage you to learn of Jesus and grow in love with Him. He is our pure Love and Valentine. His heart poured out His never ending love proving this.

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