I am writing to you this month as I look over my balcony onto the beautiful Emerald Coast in Destin, FL. This spot on the beach has become a tradition of mine and Greg after discovering this cozy bed and breakfast on our 25th wedding anniversary. We have been coming here regularly almost 10 years as we continue to celebrate God’s goodness, His overwhelming love, His faithfulness, and His restoring healing power in our lives and in our marriage! We are grateful!
<Before I share my heart with you today, don’t forget to scroll to the “Healed by the Word” article. Click to read: A Healed & Whole Heart Loves Like Jesus!>
This morning as I woke up, I noticed Greg had already left the room as he typically wakes before I do. I wasn’t surprised when I took my coffee out to our balcony, to look across to the common balcony to see he had made some new friends.
Greg had taken his Bible to spend the early morning with the Lord as we both love to meet with Jesus first thing in our day. And as he enjoyed his first cup of coffee, the Lord lined his steps with others who were in need of a touch of God. I heard the stories over breakfast when I joined him, of people who had recently had deaths in their families and of others who needed encouragement or prayer. This happens to Greg all the time and I believe I know the reason why. God trusts Greg to represent Him well. I constantly tell Greg he gets to minister to others so often because he woke up! This is his lifestyle. He loves God and seeks first HIM…then he intentionally loves on them!
Just as Matthew 6:33 tells us, that as we seek Him first…He truly does add “all these things” to us. For Greg, “all these things” regularly include “opportunities to meet and love on people” that come in all shapes, sizes, colors, backgrounds, ages, cultures, genders and beliefs. He loves so well and I love that about him.
Greg is a humble and generous man of integrity and a truly transformed man of God. He gets asked all the time if he is a Pastor, and it has happened again, here on the beach. I’ve pondered why that is and I truly believe it is because the world is not used to seeing people read their Bible’s in public, ask their names, show interest and genuine godly love for them or offer to pray for them regardless of who or where they are. They try to wrap their heads around it and conclude it must be a Pastor they are speaking with. This thought both saddens and encourages me. Why? It saddens me because the world is not seeing enough of this behavior to know it is the normal way of living for those who are pursuing Christ and walking in relationship with Him. But it encourages me to know that ALL who are in Christ, carry this same hope the world so desperately needs. We have found that most people we encounter are open to receiving the touch of God through our prayers for them. Rarely do they turn it down.
Here’s the Good News: When we surrender to the Lord, allow the Holy Spirit to do a cleansing and purifying work in our hearts and minds, and when we choose to follow God’s plans for our lives, He surprises us and pours out His mercies, peace, joy and love onto us and in us so that we can’t help but overflow Him to others. Our deepest desires are fulfilled in Christ alone! And as we choose to love others with the love of Jesus…our desire should be that they too will be fulfilled in Him. We get the privilege of showing the world what He looks like and by letting them know Jesus loves them. It really does not take much to offer the hope and love of Christ to others. They are hungry for the authentic and are seeking answers.
The Holy Spirit desires to move through our lives to love others so they too will put their trust, hope and faith in Jesus. But He will only move through the willing who take a risk (faith) and jump on in even when we’re afraid of what people might think. Through experience, I’ll tell you most are feeling God’s love more than thinking anything else. The love you show causes hearts to respond because they are usually not used to anyone caring about them this way. We who have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, know the ONE who is the hope of the world and who is the answer they seek. People just need an introduction to Him and that’s where we come in!
Regardless if you are reading this during the day, at the end of it or first thing in the morning, won’t you join us and “wake up” today? Ask Holy Spirit to move upon you and line your steps with others who need a touch from Him. Acknowledge and declare in agreement the Lord has plans for you that far exceed your thoughts or imagination. He is the creator of all things and He has created new things for you and for others through you today. Great is His love and faithfulness and His mercies are new every morning!
Let’s ask God to fill us up today so we can spill Him out as we go about our day loving the ones He lines our steps with. He will give us strength as we love Him and them!
As always…If you have a specific prayer request you’d like to me to pray, I’d be honored. Just reply to this email.
God bless you!
Before you read the article…know this, God wants to bring you into complete and deep inner healing in your heart and mind. He wants to heal you, strengthen you and help you to let go of hurts and beliefs that are keeping you bound and trapped. There is freedom for you and He wants to flow freely through you to others.
Jesus breaks every yoke of oppression they are bound to as He heals the brokenhearted and sets them free! Perhaps you already love Jesus but are thinking…”that’s me! I’m the lonely one. I’m oppressed, I’m bound to fear, anxiety, unbelief, bitterness, or hopelessness.” Maybe you desire to be free yourself or wish your heart wanted to love others this way. I believe God wants to bring your own heart into wholeness and give you deep inner healing and peace of mind first so that you are free to love others the way He loves. Curious to learn more?
<Download the article and ask Holy Spirit to instruct your heart as you read. He wants to set you free!>
His love and healing washes over our lives, our hurts and our past. He restores ALL things and makes ALL THINGS NEW in Christ!