All posts tagged: Monday Motivation

You Are Clean & You Are Loved: The Beautiful Position of His Bride

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“You are all fair, my love, And there is no spot in you.” ~SONG OF SOLOMON 4:7 You are beautiful. You are worthy. You are perfect. I love you. You are welcome. All of these phrases seem so simple, compiling of only three words in the English language, but each of them has the power to change the trajectory of a person’s moment, day, and even life. The thing about those phrases, the power within them, not only come for the words themselves but from the speaker of the words. Sure, we all enjoy a compliment or two, but when the words transcended surface appreciation and speak to the core of one’s being, that is when lives are changed … that is when Grace finds a home and thrives. When we read the Song of Solomon, we find a man beautifully and unapologetically in love with his bride. Even in the moments that she attempts to list her flaws, there he is speaking of her perfection and beauty and telling her passionately how he longs …

Recline in His Goodness

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“Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.” ~JOHN 13:23 Recline in My Goodness. Tell My people this.” These were the words the Lord Jesus spoke to me during a moment of worship. The moment He spoke the words, the remembrance of the season came to mind. He graciously reminded me that we are speedily heading into the Passover and Resurrection season and that just like with the first Passover, when many plagues were striking the land, that He was covering His people. Specifically, during the night of the first Passover, when the spirit of death came for the firstborn of the land, the Lord gave a few simple instructions in EXODUS 12: Take the blood of a lamb and cover your lintel so that the angel of death will pass over your home and not touch you Be dressed and ready to go Eat Basically, they were called to wait on the Lord and rest while ready to move when the time came for them to do so …

Staying in Shalom by Briana Lassiter

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As you read this, may the shalom of God cover you, keep you and enlighten you as you move from glory to glory, from grace to grace. ~Briana Lassiter I remember the first time the Lord told me that Shalom was not a location I would arrive at or something to achieve, it was a state of being. As it usually happens when the Lord tells me something new like this, I didn’t get it. When Jesus teaches me something, I like to know, “How does this practically affect my life, Lord?” Over the next few months, He began to show me that Shalom begins with a series of choices. It is almost an equation, x + y =? When x happens to y (you) what is the result? I believe every situation we encounter is a mathematical equation. If you don’t understand the process of solving the equation, it doesn’t matter what you come up with, you’re not going to get the right answer. However, if you know the process to solve the equation, …

He is Known in Praise: Lifting Up the Name of Jesus

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“In Judah God is known; His name is great in Israel. 2 In Salem also is His tabernacle, And His dwelling place in Zion. 3 There He broke the arrows of the bow, The shield and sword of battle. Selah” ~PSALM 76:1-3 When I read Psalm 76:1-3 recently, the Lord immediately led me to look up what He was saying via the translations of each of the places mentioned in verses. What I discovered by doing the word study was that our God is revealed and known in praise! We already know that He makes our praise His dwelling place (PS. 22:3), and thusly in His presence is fullness of joy and pleasures evermore (PS. 16:11). All of this is obviously beautiful, but it only comes as a direct response of closeness and closeness comes by communication, communication is a fruit of praise. KNOWING HIM IN PRAISE Here is the breakdown of the verses using the meanings of each location’s name and outlining the significance of each. v.1a In Judah God is known: God has …

Declaring All the Reasons You Can

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It is easy and practically the given norm of humanity to find all the reasons why we ‘can’t’ and shouldn’t do a thing that has been burning in our hearts to do. We can come up with the typical lists of why’s that range from financial restrictions, age, gender, and the all too famous stumbling block, time. We see and feel the burn for more, given to us by Christ Himself, swirling within us, and yet, like Moses we begin to tell the God of Creation who has called us to ‘speak’ that our mouths don’t work, as if when He called us and put that fiery seed to go forth in us, He didn’t know the so-called odds against us. In fact, it is because of those very odds that the Lord has called us to go forth and to do things that are seemingly impossible, things that take us out of our comfort zones, things that the word and statistics say we are disqualified to even pursue. “But God chose the foolish things …

A Reason to Rejoice

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“Rejoice always.” ~I Thessalonians 5:16 I‘m sure that whether you are a Christian or not, you have heard that the shortest verse in the bible is John 11:35, “Jesus wept.” While this is true on one hand, there is a verse that rivals it for the two-word title and that is a passage found in I Thessalonians 5:16, “Rejoice always”. While the two verses seem to have a world between then in meaning, I want to encourage you of how they both give us a reason to rejoice and empower us to do so in the Lord God Christ Jesus. In John 11, we find Christ Jesus at the tomb of His beloved friend, Lazarus who has passed away, and Jesus, fully understanding the grief of those around Him wept along with them. He being, fully God, and fully Man took on the role of complete friend and shared in the sufferings of those around Him even though He knew what He was capable of doing as the God of all creation. Even with His …

Think on These Things: The Art of A Focused Mind

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“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” ~PHILIPPIANS 4:8 To think on things that are ‘good’ in the face of those things that seem to weigh our minds down seems like a call to ignore reality. If not this, many of us struggle to figure out what exactly to think on, defaulting to just, “Jesus is Good.” Now, there is nothing wrong with that thought, because it is absolutely the truth, and we oftentimes, especially in the midst of trials, need to remind ourselves, but I believe that there is a deeper meaning to it all, both the good things and Christ being the Best Thing! THINK ON THE WORD AND PROMISES In the face of hardship and tragedy, we are to think on the Word and Promises of God that He has already spoken over our circumstances. If you …

Into Rich Fulfillment: The Journey of Change

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“…We went through fire and through water; But You brought us out to rich fulfillment.” ~PSALM 66:12b Trials are something that the Lord in His grace and tender mercies toward us, His beloved children, assured us we would all endure. He tells us this truth many times over in His Word, not only to assure as that we will face the process, but to encourage us that we will make it through each and every one of them and that if we hold on to Him in faith, we will come out into richness. But why the trials? Let’s be honest, none of us looks forward to struggle or resistance. The very thought of doing so goes against our human nature. But there is beauty and benefit within the struggle. Just like when one decides to pursue a healthier lifestyle, that transition is often a struggle, to say the least. Changing one’s diet, making a point to walk more, to take the stairs instead of the elevator, to go to the gym and actually lift …

Upgrade: Taking on the Mantle of Next

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“And so it was, when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you?” Elisha said, “Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.” So he said, “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.”  Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried out, “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” So he saw him no more. And he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces. He also took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan. Then he …

Awaken the Dawn: Praising into the Promise

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“My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise. Awake, my glory! Awake, lute and harp! I will awaken the dawn.” ~PSALM 57:7-8 Psalm 57 is a Psalm of David written while he was on the run for his life, hiding in caves from King Saul. For a lengthy amount of time, too much time for the innocent to run from the wrath and heat of anyone’s jealously does David in the aftermath of being anointed king, returning to tend his father’s sheep, killing Goliath–the champion of Israel’s enemy, flee to the caves in obscurity to preserve his life from the king and father-in-law he has pledged to serve. Talk about trouble within the family. Despite the many attempts on his life by his father-in-law, the then reigning king, Saul, does David still remain in his righteousness and presses deeper into the goodness of the Lord, even though there were times bitterness tried to sway him. In this instance, David, in the back of a dark cave cries …