thoughts by Sylvia Gunter Archives - Page 5 of 11

Published August 2, 2021

The Fathers Beloved

Listen to God’s Word with your spirit.

“Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders” (Deuteronomy 33:12).

You can rest in the truth that you are your Father’s beloved. Taste deeply of the love of God. Know the treasure you are to him. You are a chosen one, a special person, noticed in your uniqueness, eternally valued. You are priceless and irreplaceable, safe in his everlasting embrace, at rest in his non-comparing love. Be increasingly aware of your belovedness.

You are precious in your Father’s eyes. Receive this so that you live with a stable, settled sense of true belonging. Your real gift is not so much what you can DO; it is who you ARE. The good things you DO reveal what a beautiful person you ARE.

Your beloved Father provides a safe, secure environment, and you don’t have to test him continually, fearfully asking questions, such as “Are you still with me?” “Will you still be with me if...?” “Prove it by...” Be blessed to choose against the accuser’s lies about your adequacy, identity, legitimacy, your past, present, and future. Be blessed to know that you can never be rejected or abandoned by your Father. He never leaves you alone. His love is your companion every step of the way.

Be blessed with knowing his heart that nurtures belonging, inclusion, and worth. Be blessed with healing of your soul’s rejection wounds and the abandonment wound that is deeper.

Discover more fully who God is and whose child you are. Your life is an opportunity to become who you are, to affirm your own true spiritual nature and to say “Yes” to the One who calls you the beloved. Your legitimacy is settled in him. Trust what he wants you to see and hear. He gives you great gifts of inner peace, joy of living, sense of well-being, solidness and strength inside, and healing. Share your life in encouragement, hope, and trust. When you are secure, your presence is a joy to those who know you.

Get quiet and listen to the voice of love saying good things to you. Trust God’s voice of affirmation; it is persistent, strong, and deep. It will never let you go. Don’t be pulled out of your center in your belovedness.

Be blessed to be attentively present to him to see his fingerprints and feel his closeness. Drive a stake in this blessing as the truth that shapes your daily life. Synchronize with the voice calling you the beloved, and continually align yourself with your belovedness.

Be blessed in the life of the Chosen One (Luke 23:35).

By Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission
From: You Are Blessed In The Name Of God

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Psalm 91 – God’s Protecting Presence

Published July 29, 2021

Psalm 91 – God’s Protecting Presence

Psalm 91 Begins with: Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. …

One of my greatest privileges is to try to express what Psalm 91 means to me. There is no way to overstate its importance in my life and yours. God’s covenant promises in Psalm 91 are dear to his heart. It deals with warfare, relationship, and intercession. In some Bibles, it is subtitled “The Security Of The One Who Trusts In The Lord.” I have stood in Psalm 91 many times, defensively to plead God’s shield of protection and offensively to push back the adversary, for myself and others. It is particularly powerful when prayed out loud.

Psalm 91 pictures Biblical confidence and poise. The heart of it is the protected place of abiding safely in God, as we run to our covenant position of settling down under His defense. After establishing who God is, the psalmist describes the work of the enemy. Spiritual warfare is, first of all, about experiencing all the majesty and supremacy of God, who assures us that He is committed to defending us. His commitment is based on his deep covenant love relationship between Him and His people, which the psalm affirms and celebrates in the closing verses. We can confidently claim His rest, refuge, protection, safety, covering, faithfulness, freedom from fear, angelic watchers, deliverance, and salvation.

Take time today to meditate on Psalm 91 in several translations. Do word studies on it. I have written a verse-by-verse reflection on Psalm 91 many times. Write a personal paraphrase. Cross reference supporting Scriptures. Add other verses that God whispers to you that confirm and expand the truths in Psalm 91. Take them deep into your heart, spirit, and life-experience. Most crucially, apply them and see God’s power.

Pray, “Most High God, my El Shaddai, teach me to be biblically fearless, based on my covenant love relationship with you.”

By Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission

Psalm 91 in Prayer Essentials For Living In His Presence, Vol 1, page 209-211. © 2000 Sylvia Gunter.
There are also reflections on Psalm 91 on pages 60-67 and 173-174 of Prayer Essentials For Living In His Presence, Vol 2.

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The Lord is My Shepherd

Published July 11, 2021

The Lord is My Shepherd

The Lord is my Shepherd –
Thank your Shepherd that He knows you by name and wants to communicate with you. Talk to Him about your intimate relationship with Him.

I shall lack nothing –
Thank your good Shepherd that He provides all your needs, beginning with redemption. Ask Him to carry all your worries, burdens, and cares.

He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters –
Thank Jesus your Peace for His attention to the details of your life. Tell Him you want to see Him more clearly in your daily living. Let Him speak to you.

He restores my soul –
Because Jesus your Healer became man, He understands everything you have experienced. Thank your Healer for healing the hurts. Remember His times of restoration.

He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake –
Thank the Righteous One that you are accepted in Him and completely forgiven. Thank your Shepherd for His guidance of your life for His name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for You are with me –
Thank God who is always there for you. His presence with you dispels all fear. Your Shepherd is always there for you. Thank Him that He will never leave you nor forsake you.

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Thank God for His loving authority in your life to discipline and correct you and give you the security of loving limits. Thank Him that you can never mess up so bad that you fear punishment by Him.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies –
Thank your Banner for His presence with you dispels all fear. He is strength and protection against the enemy. Thank Him that Jesus lives victorious in you.

You anoint my head with oil. My cup overflows.
Thank your Shepherd for His grace and favor that He gives you so generously. Thank Him that you can enjoy fellowship with Him.

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Thank your Shepherd that you can continuously sense His presence because of His faithfulness. Worship Him with a song that speaks of His goodness and love with you that dispels all fear. He is eternal nearness and love.

By Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission

“Praying The Character Of Your Father From The 23rd Psalm,
” Prayer Portions p. 245-246, © 1991, 1992, 1995 by Sylvia Gunter.
Available at www.thefathersbusiness.com

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Favor

Published June 25, 2021

Favor

“For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield” (Psalm 5:12).

Who you are and everything you have is the result of God’s favor. He has blessed you with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3). You are surrounded by His grace.

Your Abba wants to take you as His precious child right up next to His heart today. He will keep you close and make His face shine on you and be gracious to you (Numbers 6:24-25). Your Father smiles on you with His compassion as you seek Him (Isaiah 30:18).

Your Father’s providence goes before you to provide for every need. He is with you to strengthen you and keep you from harm (1 Chronicles 4:10). The Lord God is a sun and shield; He bestows favor and honor; no good thing does He withhold (Psalm 84:11).

He has written this day of your life in His book. Be blessed as His favor rests on His appointed work through your hands (Psalm 90:17). See the great thing He is about to do (1 Samuel 12:6). His Word says, “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases” (Proverbs 21:1). Be blessed as God breaks through hindrances and uses everything to fulfill His purposes. He rejoices today in doing you good (Jeremiah 32:41).

Even if circumstances make it hard to believe, trust in His unfailing love. He is not slow in keeping His promise. He surrounds you with the shield of His presence (Psalm 5:12). He promises that weeping may endure for a night, and His anger is only for a moment. Joy comes in the morning, and His favor lasts for your lifetime (Psalms 30:5). He keeps you today in His love and faithfulness (Proverbs 3:3-4). He is inviting you to live in the assurance of your Father’s blessing and favor. Be blessed to trust His goodness toward you today.

By Sylvia & Elizabeth Gunter
Used by Permission

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Why Know the Father’s Heart

Published June 20, 2021

Why Know the Father’s Heart

I never tire of talking about or receiving the Father heart of God.

We have a crisis of fathering in this country. A hundred years ago Teddy Roosevelt said,

“What we need in our public officials is not genius, not even brilliancy, so much as the exercise of the ordinary, rather commonplace qualities of honesty, courage, and common sense — the qualities that make a man a good husband, a good father, a good neighbor.”

Our crisis in good fathering is ultimately more serious than any economic or political crisis. Very few people have been fathered in their spirit and soul. We need to receive from Father God his re-parenting us as true sons and daughters. The good news is that God wants to be our Father. Jesus came to show us His Father and ours.

Receiving the perfect Father nature of God is essential if we are to love Him and be assured of His love, trust Him, be secure in Him, pray to Him, yield to Him, live holy before Him, receive His guidance, serve Him, be like Him, and much more.

Spend time with your Father in His Word, His love letter to you. Receive His Father love for you. He is our Father by right of the blood of Jesus (John 1:12).

Our basis of eternal security is being in the Father’s hand (John 10:28-29). We pray to the Father in Jesus’ name (Matthew 6:9).

God’s Father love for us is our highest motivation to holiness (1 John 3:1-3). His Fatherhood is the basis of understanding His guiding hand (John 5:20, 10:3-4, 27).

Every family derives its name from the Father, so God the Father is the model for headship in our families (Ephesians 3:14-15, Psalm 68:5-6).

Our Father wants us to yield to His gentle parental authority (Hosea 11:1, 3-4, Ephesians 6:4).

The basis of trusting Him is seeing Him as our totally able and faithful Father (Matthew 18:19-20, Hebrews 13:5, 2 Timothy 2:13).

When we know Him as Father, we will trust His generosity (Matthew 6:32-33, James 1:17, Psalm 37:3-5).

Knowing Him as Father is the basis of receiving His affection (John 17:23, Hosea 11:4, Jeremiah 31:3, Deuteronomy 33:12).

His Father-heart is the basis for His parental attentiveness (Matthew 6:25-26, 31; 1 Peter 5:7).

When we rightly knowing Him as Father, we are secure in his acceptance and rest securely in Him (Galatians 4:5-7, Romans 8:15-16, 32-33; Zephaniah 3:17).

His relationship to us as Father is the legal basis of receiving all our inheritance in Christ (Ephesians 1:13-14, Colossians 1:12, 1 Peter 1:3-4).

The Father is seeking worshippers. When we understand His Father heart, we will worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24).

Knowing our loving Father is the foundation for intimate relationship with Him.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 is a picture of our Father’s love. Personalize it, and receive it for yourself.

My Father who loves me is patient with me, kind to me….
My Father’s love is not rude, nor self-seeking, not easily angered, and keeps no record of my wrongs.
My Father’s love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
My Father’s love always protects me, always trusts me, always believes the best about me, always perseveres and never gives up on me.

My Father’s love for me never fails.
That’s shouting ground!

By Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission

If you don’t know Jesus and would like to start the special father – child love relationship you can do that right now by talking to him (Praying). You can submit to him with a simple but powerful prayer. This is a sample.

“Lord Jesus, I want to know you and be loved by you and know your heart. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be.”

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Never Leave or Forsake You

Published June 12, 2021

Never Leave or Forsake You

Hebrews 13:5

Father God has promised that He will never leave you or forsake you. He has not abandoned you. His perfect love casts out all fear. Rest in His love. Receive from your heavenly Father all the father’s blessing that you craved from your earthly father.

Be blessed with life-changing encounters with the Father heart of God. Be blessed to receive His perfect healing that can make you whole. Allow Him to bring healing, recovery, and restoration of your broken trust.

Your Father’s best healing work restores your heart and soul according to His design that He had for you before He laid the foundations of the world. As you drink in your Father’s love, He will re-innocence you, restoring your childlike faith and trust.

Respond this way:

God, I choose to trust you today. I choose to believe Your heart toward me is kind, good, loving, approachable, and accepting. I choose to bind my will to Your will. I bind my mind to the mind of Christ. I bind my emotions to the Holy Spirit for healing and alignment.

Thank You for wanting to be my Father, not my taskmaster or my boss. You are indeed loving Master, Sovereign, Judge, King, and so much more. How majestic is Your name in all the earth (Psalms 8). I am in awe of all You are, but You are first of all my “Abba, Papa.”

Thank You that You created me to be loved as Your child and for me to love You. It’s that simple. You like me and You like having me around. Thank You that the greatest blessing is nearness to You, and You want me near You. Thank You for inviting me to draw near to You so that I may experience joy and peace in Your presence. Thank You for Your promise to hold me in Your everlasting loving arms.

I accept Your invitation to come closer to Your Father heart.

By Sylvia and Elizabeth Gunter
Used by Permission
From: Safe In The Father’s Heart: Finding The Love You Have Always Wanted

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When You Don’t Know What to Pray

Published May 27, 2021

When You Don’t Know What to Pray

Have you ever been so burdened by a problem that you say “I just don’t even know what to pray?” When the circumstances of life seem too big or complex to comprehend, shift your focus to who God is by praying God’s character.

For every circumstance I believe and proclaim…

God is sovereign. All authority and all power is His. Mathew 28:18.

Nothing takes Him by surprise. All circumstances serve Him. God knows the end from the beginning. Psalm 119:91, Isaiah 46:9-10.

His word is forever settled in heaven. Psalms 119:89.

God does all things for our good and His glory, to conform us to be like Jesus. Romans 8:28-29

The blood of Jesus covers all circumstances, people, places, and times. The One who did not spare His own Son will freely give us all His best. Romans 8:31-32.

God is for us and nothing can separate us from His love. That was settled on the cross. Romans 8:35-39.

God’s loving kindness never ceases. His compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23.

God supplies all our needs by His riches in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19.

God knows and cares. The very hairs of our head are numbered. Mathew 10:30.

He is God of all comfort and Father of mercies. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4.

God is able to supply His abundant grace to us, so that in all things, at all times, we have all His sufficient grace we need for strength, encouragement, and hope. 2 Corinthians 9:8.

God is able to show His perfect power in our weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10.

We can know with certainty that He is able to guard what we have entrusted to Him. 2 Timothy 1:12.

He is our strength, our shield, our strong tower, our refuge, our hope, our joy, our peace, our all. Psalm 18:1-3, Colossians 3:11b.

God renews our strength as we wait on Him. Isaiah 40:31.

God promises that He never leaves us nor forsakes us. He is with us, a very present help. Hebrews 13:5-6, Psalm 46:1.

God never goes back on a promise. Joshua 21:45.

God has a heart that tears can touch and invites us to climb up in the Father’s lap and cry. Hebrews 4:15, Psalm 56:8.

God gives gladness instead of mourning and praise instead of fainting. Weeping endures for a night, but He gives joy that comes in the morning. Isaiah 61:3, Psalm 30:5.

God is enthroned on the praises of His children. Psalm 22:3.

When we lift God up continually in a sacrifice of praise, we glorify Him in this situation in the here-and-now. John 12:28a.

Father, glorify Yourself this hour. John 12:28

By Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission
From: For The Family (1994)

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He Is Faithful To Lead Us

Psalm 32:8 I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.

Published May 7, 2021

He Is Faithful To Lead Us

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you” Psalms 32:8

Your life is like a treasure map, and you are on a journey of discovery. As you follow after God you will see that it is not a specific destination that is most important. Each stop along the way is created by God to show you more of Himself.

Be blessed as you follow His faithful guidance. He will teach you His ways and make you sensitive to His hand on your life. Be blessed with assurance that you don’t go anywhere today without your personal Guide. Be blessed with His open door before you that no one can shut, according to His sovereign will, and with closed doors that are outside His purposes for you (Revelation 3:7-8). May the blessing of His presence lead your spirit.

Wherever you go, God promises “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it’” (Isaiah 30:21). Be blessed as you hear Him whisper direction, “This is the way. Walk this way.” If His word is to fight, let it be for His glory. If He says to wait, let it be with hope and grace, secure in His timing and sovereign hand. If His word is to flee, let it be with His permission and at His direction. If He tells you to offer a sacrifice of praise, let it be with thanksgiving that is sweet to Him.

Be blessed to be confident that He is working out all things for good, whether you see it or feel it now. His eyes are open to all your ways (Jeremiah 32:19). Let your expectation be centered in Him (Psalms 62:1&5). Receive His peace as He directs your paths. He promises that He will keep in perfect peace those whose eyes are fixed on Him, because you trust in Him (Isaiah 26:3).

By Sylvia Gunter and Elizabeth Gunter
Used by Permission
From: Blessing For Life: Word Of Hope and Healing

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God’s Chosen People

Published April 11, 2021

God’s Chosen People

I am grieved by the tone of today’s rhetoric as I am sure you are. There is so much toxic public conversation with accusation, shaming, vulgarity, you-name-it. It troubles me. Are we like the frog in the proverbial pot of water on the stove, with the temperature being raised so slowly that we did not jump out when there was still time, before we boil? Can’t we all get back to more civil engagement with each other?

Colossians 3:12-15 As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts… And be thankful.”

How often this standard is violated in me and in our fallen world. These simple commands struck deep contrition in my heart as I thought about each characteristic.

Compassion: identifying with the distress of others to relieve their discomfort. God is described as compassionate more than 50 times in the Old Testament. The Gospel writers described Jesus as having compassion 5 times. And in the magnificent portrait of the father of the prodigal son, he was filled with compassion for his son.

Kindness: choosing to be considerate, others-focused, and generous.

Humility: The opposite is pride, which destroys as it makes a person feel more entitled, thus more demanding, more insistent on control and having the last word.

Gentleness: responding so that a person feels safe with you, essential to a relational bond.

Patience: choosing to be willing to wait for gratification or vindication.

Forbearance: choosing patient self-control, restraint, and tolerance; choosing being long-bothered without showing any ill temper. In law, it is refraining from exercising a legal right.

Forgiveness: choosing to give up the delusion that you yourself have nothing to forgive.

Love: choosing to live in 1 Corinthians 13.

Peace: choosing to commit to making peace, not war. Letting Jesus referee in your heart.

They are all about the character of God. He has shown Himself to be this to each of us. We now get to choose to respond to others out of our experience of His indwelling grace.

We all make choices every day. I choose to walk the Colossians 3 way.

By Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission

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The Promise of Hope

Published March 17, 2021

The Promise of Hope

Hope is a command, the promise of God, and a position in Him. Last week we look at the command to hope. This week we will enter in to the promise, and next week the position.

Hear God’s Word for you in Isaiah 49:23.

“Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who hope in me will not be disappointed.”

And Romans 12:12.

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

The presence of the Holy Spirit lives in you, filling you with assurance that God cannot disappoint you. Be blessed with confidence that the sovereign Lord of your life is in charge of your circumstances. When expectation delays, when your hope is waiting without fulfillment, when disappointment tries to overwhelm you, you can have confidence in your Father, because you know that He is in control. He is Lord; He can’t get it wrong. When you are tempted with hopelessness, your Father says that those who wait for Him, those who hope in Him, will never be put to shame.

The psalmist said,

“One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving” (Psalm 62:11-12).

Your confidence in Him will never disappoint you, because He is strong and loving. Be blessed with security and safety because your hope is anchored in your Father’s unchanging love and strength.

Be blessed with the truth of Psalm 16:5-6.

“He is my portion… He maintains my lot.”

Your Father’s eyes are on those who hope. Be blessed to submit your soul to Him, because your soul will ask the wrong questions. The question is not “Why?” Be blessed with asking your Father the right question as your gaze is fixed on Him. The right question is “How?” Be blessed with knowing that He is your “how.” Be blessed with this dialogue with your soul. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul. “Therefore I hope in Him!” (Lamentations 3:24).

God dwells with those who Hope in him, and He is enough. Your Father speaks hope to you, hope in Him that does not disappoint, because He dearly loves you. Be blessed in God’s promise that the desire He gives leads where He wants you to go: learning to endure, developing strength of character, in confident expectation of seeing the glory of His purposes for you and in His joy in hope. Jesus is your promised hope.

Receive the prayer of Paul in Ephesians 1:18-21.

“I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when he raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given…”

You are seated in heavenly realms in hope, in the name of your glorious Father.

Be blessed in the name of the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know your Promise of hope (Ephesians 1:17).

By Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission

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Evening Prayer for Your Household

Published February 23, 2021

Evening Prayer for Your Household

God set apart the priests to carry the ark of the covenant, to stand before Him to minister to Him, and to bless the people in His name (Deuteronomy 10:8).

The perpetual assignment of the priests was to uphold the word and presence of God, worship Him and pray to Him, and bless His people (Jeremiah 33:18).

Under the new covenant, we are a royal priesthood by the blood of Jesus (1 Peter 2:5,9; Revelations 1:5b-6) with the same charge of continual worship, prayer, and blessings. (1 Thessalonians 5:17, Hebrews 13:15).

Prayer is the most powerful means of protecting your family.

Pray for your family each evening. You might start with this prayer for your household.

Prayer suggestion:

Father, I bow before You to worship and adore You. You are all-loving, all-wise, and all-powerful. You are worthy of all honor, praise, and glory. I come to You in Jesus’ name and by the sacrifice of His atoning blood which covers our sins this day. I confess my sins of ______________. I repent and ask Your forgiveness. You are faithful and just to forgive me of sin and cleanse me of all unrighteousness. Thank You for Your mercy. I am clothed in the righteousness of the Lamb of God and anointed with the oil of Your Spirit. You have blessed me with every covenant blessing in Christ Jesus.

In Your delegated authority in this home, I present our family to You. Thank You for the protection of the blood of Jesus covering us, our property, our possessions, and everything in our personal and spiritual jurisdiction. Put the cross of Jesus between us and the schemes of the enemy to steal, kill, and destroy. You have clothed us in the full armor of the Lord Jesus to withstand all the flaming missiles of the enemy. The blood of Jesus is between my family and all evil footholds of the enemy, which we may have invited by ignorance or disobedience. Break the power of any soulish prayers not in Your perfect will that we have prayed or that have been prayed about us. Captain of the Lord’s hosts, command any encroachment of the evil one to leave this home. Send mighty angels to surround us, dismiss all enemy assignments, and protect us from harm (Psalm 91). As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

You are in sovereign control. Do what You know is best for each of us and that which will bring Jesus the most glory. Fill our household with Your Spirit, so that sin has no dominion here. Minister to us Your love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. You are our rear guard throughout the night (Isaiah 52:12, 58:8). Bless us with refreshing and renewing sleep to awake to a new day of Your plans for us. May we grow in trusting You with all our hearts, leaning not on our own understanding, and acknowledging You in all our ways. Go before us to show us the way we should go, and make our paths straight
(Proverbs 3:5-6).

Thank You for the assurance of Your covenant of faithfulness to us. Draw us closer to You, give us a passion for Jesus, and enable us by Your grace to fulfill Your highest purposes. Equip us to stand firm and courageous in all Your will. Thank You for the right and privilege of protecting my family by this prayer offered in Jesus’ name. Amen.

By Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission

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Endurance and Encouragement

Romans 15:4 “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

Published February 4, 2021

Endurance and Encouragement

Listen to God’s Word for you in Romans 15:4.

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

One of the assignments against the people of God is to oppress them by wearing them down (Daniel 7:25). You may have experienced debilitating discouragement. You may feel assaulted and assailed from every side. In the name of the Ancient of Days, you can resist this oppression. Hear God’s words in 2 Chronicles 20:15 and 17. “This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.'”

You can be afraid and discouraged because of the vast army against you, or you can be confident and encouraged because God is with you. He is your hope and your victory in the battle. In His great heart He has a plan for your welfare, to give you a future and a hope. You are anointed with grace to stand with hope, encouragement, and positive assurance of seeing His goodness at work in your life. Run to the joy of the Lord that is your strength. Be blessed with endurance and encouragement as you stand in the One who fights your battles for you.

Look to your Father in heaven in devotion and trust. He is with you when you are discouraged and not at peace. His presence never leaves nor forsakes you. The name of the Lord is a strong tower to which you can run and are safe (Proverbs 18:10). Hide there in Him from the devourer and the accuser. Hide in Him from heaviness and discouragement. He wants to cover your weariness with His blanket of strength.

You have celebrated His intervention in your life many times and many ways. Be blessed to remember how He has shown Himself strong to you. He gives endurance and encouragement. He will continue to reveal Himself to you.

Jesus rebuked winds and waves, saying, “Peace be still.” You are blessed by the One who stills the storms (Mark 4:39). Another time, Jesus commanded Peter, “Come to me.” Peter stepped out of the boat onto the wind-driven waters, but when he took his eyes off Jesus and looked at the waves, he sank. Whether Jesus stills the storm or invites you to come to Him on it, you will be steadfast, immovable in Him, unless you look at the tempest. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. He will come alongside, lift you up, strengthen, and refine you to bring about His sure purposes. You can stand in the rule and dominion of the Prince of peace. Be blessed in His great faithfulness to you that is new every morning.

Be blessed in the name of the One who bids you come to Him (Matthew 14:29).

By Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission
Based on You Are Blessed In The Name Of God,

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The Peace of His Presence

Published January 25, 2021

The Peace of His Presence

This is what the LORD says- he who created you, O Jacob,
He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
And when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned;
The flames will not set you ablaze.
For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
You are precious and honored in my sight, and I love you.
Do not be afraid,
for I am with you. Isaiah 43:1-5

So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand
And says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. Isaiah 41:10-13

God has said,

“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

Everybody is looking for peace. Once Jesus spoke to a storm and stilled it, but on another occasion in the midst of a storm of the fears of his friends, He said simply,

“I’m here. Take courage. Don’t be afraid” (Matthew 14:27).

Then He commanded His friend Peter to walk toward Him in the midst of the storm that tested his faith. The point is this: Jesus does not remove all the storms even of His friends, but He is present in them with us. He comes walking on top of them to demonstrate to us that He has reasons for them and to show us His greater glory. Sometimes the footprints of His presence are not obvious:

“Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen” (Psalm 77:19).

Even then, the wind and the waves are under His feet that were later nail-pierced for us.

Why is peace a prayer issue? Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, coupled prayer with peace that passes understanding.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus“ (Philippians 4:6-7).

When did you sense God’s presence the strongest? Was it at the emergency room with a child with a concussion? Was it when a doctor gravely told you that you needed surgery? Was it through the hours of a loved one’s last days? Was it when a friend betrayed you? Was it when you could not see the future but trusted that God was guiding? Were these times of His presence challenging or sweet, or both? In times like those, Jesus calls you blessed.

“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed“ (John 20:49).

The psalmist summed it up:

“You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand“ (Psalm 16:11).

God’s peace is one of the benefits of our covenant relationship with Him.

By Sylvia Gunter
Used by permission

If you have never walked in a relationship with Christ you can start today by committing and submitting your life to him. You can start this with a simple prayer:

Lord, thank You for dying so we can be set free from all of guilt and sin — no matter how big or small. Your blood has erased all of our sin. Thank You so much! Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to you and ask you to come in as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be. Amen

It starts now.

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Your Father’s Heart Longs for You

Published January 20, 2021

Your Father’s Heart Longs for You

“The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing” Zephaniah 3:17.

“The Lord Your God is in the midst of you, a mighty One, a Savior—who saves! He will rejoice over you with joy. He will rest in silent satisfaction… He will exult over you with singing” (Amplified).

Your Father’s heart longs for you.

Be blessed as you receive His embrace. He loves you in the way you were created to be loved. He has come to overwhelm you with His love. He takes great delight in you. The prayer of Jesus was

“Father, let them know deep inside that as You love Me, so You love them, they in Me and I in You” (John 17:21,26 paraphrased).

God loves you as much as He loves His Son. His love for you is way beyond anything you can imagine.

Rest in His presence and let His peace quiet your mind. Let His love calm your heart. He is for you. God is mighty to save. He will fight your battles for you. He has said to you,

“You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you” (2 Chronicles. 20:17).

Your Father smiles at you today. God likes you — today, every day, every moment. Hear Him rejoicing over you with singing. Let His love be the foundation of your life. You are beloved in the complete finished work of Jesus. God delights in showing you His love.

Let go of the past, as you face the future with your Father. Be blessed with joy, peace, and rest in Him. Be blessed with refreshing and renewal in His presence, as you pursue the fulfillment that He has created for you. Be blessed as He gives you victory and rejoices over you.

By Sylvia and Elizabeth Gunter
Used by Permission

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No Fear in God’s Hiding Place

Published January 8, 2021

No Fear in God’s Hiding Place

Listen to the Word of God in Psalm 32:7. “

You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.”

And in Psalm 42:8.

“By day the LORD directs his [covenant] love, at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.”

Be blessed to know that the God of your life sings over you as a mother soothes and comforts a child.

In His arms, He surrounds you with songs of deliverance as you are led through strongholds of fear and anxiety to a place of safety, assurance, and confidence in Him. In any trouble, you can sing under the wings of the Most High in harmony with His songs.

Your Father secured His covenant with you in His only Son. He can never forget His covenant promises to you. He has written your days in the Lamb’s book. Listen to how The Message expresses Malachi 3:16-17.

“Then those whose lives honored GOD got together and talked it over. GOD saw what they were doing and listened in. A book was opened in GOD’s presence, and minutes were taken of the meeting, with the names of the GOD-fearer’s written down, all the names of those who honored GOD’s name. GOD-of-Angel-Armies said, ‘They’re mine, all mine. They’ll get special treatment when I go into action. I treat them with the same consideration and kindness that parents give the child who honors them.’ “

Beloved one, receive this promise. You can tell others of your confidence in God’s name and His faithfulness. Your name is ever before Him in heaven on a scroll of remembrance. He acts on your behalf, just because you are His. He cannot deny His own special treasure. He will rescue you as a compassionate father spares an obedient child.

All spiritual warfare is about revealing the majesty and supremacy of God. Live in the power and authority of His spiritual victory as GOD-of-Angel-Armies. He that is in you is greater than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4). You have abiding safety in the Commander of the armies of heaven. His love covers you completely. His defense of you is invulnerable and never ceases. He is your defended place. Run to Him as your safe place. His nearness is your good. You have undisturbed fearlessness as you settle down and make your home in Him. He prepares a table before you in the presence of your enemies.

Believe and receive His unfailing perfect covenant love that casts out fear (1 John 4:18). Take this deep into your spirit and life-experience. You have His faithful promises that you are secure in His protecting presence. You can rest totally depending on the character of God. Be blessed to trust in the All-sufficient One who is enough. See what God is doing in your life that is a stepping stone to more of Jesus. Jesus is your shield of faith. In Him nothing can destroy your joy, your hope, your relationships, your witness, or God’s purposes. And the God of peace will soon crush satan under His feet.

Be blessed in the name of the one who will never forsake you, as He says to you:

So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
For I am the LORD, your God,
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.
Isaiah 41:10,13

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Deuteronomy 31:6,8

Be blessed in the name of the God of your life
(Psalm 42:8).

By Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission
From: You Are Blessed In The Names Of God, page 103-104, © 2008 Sylvia Gunter

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Further Reading

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Further Reading

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“For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield” (Psalm 5:12).

Further Reading

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I never tire of talking about or receiving the Father heart of God.

My Father’s love for me never fails. That’s shouting ground!

Further Reading

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Further Reading

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For every circumstance I believe and proclaim…

Further Reading

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“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you” Psalms 32:8

FURTHER READING

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FURTHER READING

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FURTHER READING

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Prayer is the most powerful means of protecting your family.

FURTHER READING

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FURTHER READING

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The Peace of His Presence

God’s peace is one of the benefits of our covenant relationship with Him.

FURTHER READING

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Your Father’s heart longs for you.

FURTHER READING

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Be blessed to know that the God of your life sings over you as a mother soothes and comforts a child.

Be blessed in the name of the God of your life (Psalm 42:8).

FURTHER READING

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My Father’s love for me never fails.
That’s shouting ground!

Be blessed in the name of the God of your life
(Psalm 42:8).