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God's definition of wealth is much different from what we are led to believe in this world. For many years I was believing a lie that the wealth of this world would bring me security and happiness. The Lord has used situations in my life over the past few years to teach me that having money will never satisfy the longings of my heart. The abundant life that Jesus died to give me is found only in my relationship to Him. Does that mean that God doesn't want to bless me, of course, He does! What good Father does not want to give His children everything their heart's desire, the Bible tells us this truth over and over.  For example in Mathew 7:9-11 Jesus said, “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?     Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?      If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! God is our loving Father and He does wa...

I gave my heart to Jesus twenty years ago but for many years I struggled to die to myself and to obey the teachings of Christ. Oh, I professed with my mouth that Jesus was Lord, but truth be told it was and still is a daily decision to surrender my will and pick up my cross and follow Christ.  Surrendering to God isn't easy and anyone who says it is likely has not entered the narrow gate that Jesus talked about (Matthew 7:13). After all this time of believing in Christ,  the human in me can still love my life more than God.  It's been a constant battle to die to my flesh because for many years I identified more with my life story, my past pain, my hurts, my regrets, my disappointments and sorrows of this life. I realize now how early trauma in my life really affected my ability to see the good God had placed in me.   For a lot of my life I focused on the negative parts of my story, I saw myself as flawed and broken, which I was. Now, of course, it wasn't just negative thing...

  Scriptures for Healing what ails you! stand on the promises of God today! Speak life! No matter what the doctors have said you are healed - oh blessed child of God! “To be spoken by mouth three times a day until faith comes, then once a day to maintain faith. If circumstances grow worse, double the dosage. There are no harmful side effects.” —Charles Capps Exodus 15:26 If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee. Exodus 23:25-26 And ye shall serve the Lord your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee. There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil. Deuteronomy 7:14-15 Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there...

Scriptures for Healing what ails you! 😍 stand on the promises of God today! Speak life! No matter what the doctors have said you are healed - oh blessed child of God! “To be spoken by mouth three times a day until faith comes, then once a day to maintain faith. If circumstances grow worse, double the dosage. There are no harmful side effects.” —Charles Capps Exodus 15:26 If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee. Exodus 23:25-26 And ye shall serve the Lord your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee. There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil. Deuteronomy 7:14-15 Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there s...

I opened my journal today to an entry from a year ago when I was at a spiritual retreat. During the conference, I wrote these words. "Do I live by what I fear or do I live by what I trust? Am I ply-able in the hands of the master? Like the clay collapsing on the wheel. Do I will to do this? Do I allow the master to mould me?" But now, O LORD, you are our father; we are the clay, and you our potter; and we all are the work of your hand. Isaiah 64:8 What a beautiful image of the master potter with his gentle hands upon the delicate clay on the potter's wheel. If you've ever watched a potter work with clay you know it takes very fine, delicate timing and movements of the hands upon that spinning wheel to create a masterpiece.  And so are our lives in the potter's hands, so fragile but so beautiful, as He forms and shapes us into His masterpiece. The clay's only job -- to surrender to the work of the master as He turns the wheel. We are that clay in God's hand...

Have you ever wondered if you are walking in God's will in your life, if you are on the right path on your spiritual journey? If you are anything like me I sometimes wonder if I'm lost, did I take a wrong turn, am I where God wants me?  Is my life making a difference? Sometimes God seems quiet and the road ahead seems long and hard.  Some days my prayers are questions and full of lament for the way my life has turned out.  In the quiet of my heart, I hear a response in God's ever so gentle way, "ssh my beloved, everything is okay, just trust me, press on, do not fear, I am here." Comforting yes, but before long I find myself seeking to know if I'm in His will again.  Which isn't a bad thing I suppose, at least my heart is in the right place. Today I received a profound nudge in a sermon I heard at church. The preacher was speaking about walking in step with the Holy Spirit and how to tell if you are working with Him, instead of against Him.  Sometimes we c...

    No matter who you are, where you live, how much money you possess, a profound truth of our human condition, is that we cannot and will not ever escape pain.  It may be emotional pain; it could be physical or even spiritual pain.  Pain is something we cannot avoid in this fallen world.  Jesus tells us this in John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”   Please don’t get me wrong the purpose of this blog post is not to negate your pain, I know that many Christians are experiencing a lot of opposition in their lives right now that is undoubtedly causing much suffering, myself included.  That is why I felt led to write this blog post.   This past year has been a year of significant change for my family and I.  I have dealt with many stressful life events that have caused me to feel weary some days. This past year, I experienced the death of a loved one, ...

  Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Luke 12:7 NIV Wow! Such a powerful truth. The other day I finished showering and I looked down at the reality of aging and my hair loss. lol As I stood there and stared at my hair in the tub this verse came to me. I believe it was God reminding me that He is always watching over our lives. There are many verses in the Bible that tell us this but I think He chose to bring this one to my mind to remind me that He's in the details of my life too. Just ponder this reality that the Almighty God himself knows how many hairs are on our heads even after one falls out. He keeps track of this tiny detail so how much more does he care about the big things in our lives? Trust God for He knows the plans and ways of your life. Breathe deeply and just know He is God.. Let go of any thoughts, people or things that stop your rest in Him! God's got it all figured out, so you don't ...

      The Lord spoke to me back in May of this year regarding His Church but I never felt called to release this until late last night (August 16/17).   May 20, 2017   The Church was created by me and for me.  I dwell there, yes but I also dwell in you.  I am everywhere.  Do not look for me in the Church alone, any Church alone, for when you do you will be deadened by man’s one-sided view of me.  You must always view me within yourself because that’s where the true temple of the Holy Spirit now dwells.  You are a resting place of the Holy Spirit. The Church is an organization of my people – a group of believers and I bless their work because I know when they come together it brings the unity, understanding, oneness, as human beings you desire, you need really. I tell you do not forsake gathering with other saints but my caution is and always has been: You must, you must, find your worth in me and me alone.  I’m not asking you to walk the way alone. I am asking y...

In my last post ( http://www.narrowgatetraveller.com/?p=302 )  I talked about self-worth and how our identity should always be in Christ.  Our worth should never come from people, roles or "things" that are here today and gone tomorrow.  Our identity must be grounded in Christ and who He is and who the Word says we are in Him.  So, if we are Children of God first, what is our purpose for being on this planet and what significance if any do our roles play in our lives? Our roles on Earth are not worthless, they are essential to our spiritual growth, so we must not negate them.  They are part of who we are and they are an important part of our identity in Christ.  They are in fact where our purpose lies, and it is okay to embrace these God-given roles, remembering always that we are children of God first and that we must never get our worth from this world. God has placed inside our spirits many purposes.  That is why it is so important to become spiritually aware.  If you go t...

Many people struggle with personal identity, they don't know their worth or value in this world. Physiologist who study child development have learned that by age seven one's self-image is formed. Who we believe we are and how we perceive others see us is created at this very early stage of our development. One area that deeply affects our identity is our relationships and how they play out in our lives good or bad.   We must realize that no matter their effect on us relationships are a gift to us from God, as they help us grow spiritually. Whether it is a romantic relationship, a friendship, or our children, relationships are given to help us learn how to love and serve others and how to fully love God. We must not get our worth from them good or bad, as they do not define who we are.   Our relationships can truly challenge us and help refine our character but they must never define us. This is a profound truth that God shared with me and that I've had to learn in my heal...

Today is International Women's Day and I thought what a great day to celebrate being a daughter of God and to share a personal word I received from the Lord recently while in deep prayer.God has been speaking to me lately about how I am His child and I know He is re-parenting me. During my prayer time, our Heavenly Father spoke to me about how I had some faulty thinking about Him that he needed to correct.  He showed me how a lie I had learned from my own parents had created a wall around my heart.  This lie was not only making it hard for me to receive love from others, it was especially hard to receive the truth about how much God loves me. You see intellectually I understood that God loves me and that he was a good God who wanted to prosper and not harm me. I've read it in scripture after scripture, but it hadn't truly been received in my heart. God in His beautiful grace showed me that I was taught by my own parents that to be punished meant they loved me.  I had taken ...

In order to fulfill this commandment of Jesus we must receive God's love and grace for ourselves first.  Do you know how much God loves you?I mean really know the love of God? For years I didn't. I thought in order to be righteous - I had to do something. The truth is there is nothing we can do, we just have to accept the truth that what needed to be done to make us right with God and others was done by Jesus on the cross. Our job is to receive this precious gift of love - the gift of salvation which Jesus died to give us. We can't give what we have not received for ourselves first. When you truly receive God's love you will become a conduit of His love which will naturally flow from you and then you will be able to fulfill your highest purpose in God. To love others as He loved you.       Happy Valentines Day!

  When you listen to your heart, do not allow others judgement of you from a far to impead your journey. For they have no idea where you are heading and that your journey is bringing you closer to God and a deeper awareness of who you truly are. So keep on believing in yourself and never look back. For the road behind has been washed away by the changing tides of life, and the road before you has yet to be rebuilt. The only solid piece of ground upon which you can rely, is the one under your feet right now. Therefore, walk forward one step at a time, fully aware that life is happening right NOW in this moment. Keep walking and trusting that as you move forward, the road will appear built just for you by God himself, and that with each new step you take, He will give you just enough light to see your way. ~Laura Sterling~ narrowgatetraveller.com

  Happy 2017 - the Spirit of Lord is moving mightily in this earth! It's all around us! Do you see it?! Do you hear it?! Today I heard the Lord say: my beloved child - I declare 2017 a year of abundance in the Kingdom of God - in every area: healing, wealth, salvations, sanctification of believers, deliverance, restored relationships, return of my prodigals back to my side! Not looking back but pressing forward together in the unity of my Spirit. Together in love! Yes!!! Not for us Lord but for your Glory - to shine your light into the darkness. Equip us, anoint us for this year of abundance. May you BE glorified Mighty God!! Amen!! Now is not the time for us to shrink back but press onward to our high calling in Christ Jesus! Press in and keep moving! Let's just Love one another as He loves us - because God is love!  ❤ I challenge you this year to commit to doing one act of unconditional sacrificial love a month - more if you like. So much better than a resolution don't yo...

“To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person. If someone slaps you in the face, stand there and take it. If someone grabs your shirt, gift-wrap your best coat and make a present of it. If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously. “Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that. If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that’s charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that. “I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a re...