Nature Walk With God

Posted on October 28, 2017February 2, 2019 by DSilvan

At Lakeside Church’s Women’s Retreat at Zephhyr Point Presbyterian Conference Center I took and adventure on a “Nature Walk With God” at Spooner Lake in Glenbrook NV. I’ve included the instructions here. This is my journal entry I felt God impress upon my heart as I asked Him questions about my snapshots. This was transformational and inspirational. I encourage you to challenge your self to hear God speak to you through the nature He surrounds you in. Listen for His whispers everywhere you go. May you be blessed.

Nature Walk With God
Spooner Lake ~ Glenbrook NV

Stay on My path. For it is smooth clear and easily traveled — but it’s narrow. If you get off there will be many distractions, cumbersome to walk through and you will have to dodge many things. So please child look for My path I’ve provided and don’t choose to go your own way.

There will be times on My path that are steep, exhausting and contain corners you will not be able to see around. Keep going. Be strong. Endure. Trust Me.

Along the way I will have things that fence you in and make you feel bound, trapped and not free, but this is for your protection. Though that barrier makes you “feel” secluded, hindered, limited, isolated, like a wall that restrains you from experiencing all you want and desire, those feelings are lies. The presence of that barrier is keeping you from a dangerous area that you are unaware of. BUT I see it and I am protecting you. Do not follow the temptation to go around or climb over for there’s a steep treacherous hill you will roll down. Stay on the clear path I’ve provided. Even on the other side though you can jump off to explore, there will be stickers, rocks, weeds and uncomfortable things to endure and stumble on or stub your feet on. Stay the course, focused on My path. Trust Me.

Daughter even while you’re on My path you must keep your eyes attentive, you must be of sober mind. There will be logs(issues) that enter in, struggles with yourself, your husband and marriage, your children and your ministry areas. These all arise because of the influence from the world, your flesh and the enemy. Stay focused on My path placed directly in front of you. If you get distracted and look to the right, to the left, behind, or way ahead for too long you will encounter the upcoming problem without noticing it and most definitely trip and fall. Pay attention. Stay focused on directly in front of you, so you may step over each issue and continue on.

Oh my child…there will be times when you feel like everything has been cut off — just annihilated. You thought things were going good and the direction you were heading was right.

However in My wisdom and omniscience I know what needs to be cut away. I know what needs to be cleared to make the path safer and healthier. You will need to trust Me. My ways are not your ways. My thoughts are not your thoughts. The absence of what was will be painful, but cling to knowing that I know what’s best.

There are going to be times that you walk on your path that you feel like everything around you is barren, dead, ugly, no beauty to be seen. But don’t be fooled ~ this is a lie. Be wise and understand things are not as they seem. Your marriage is not dead, your children’s faith is not dead, your small group is not destroyed and dead. You are walking through a season where the leaves in those situations are supposed to fall off. This is how I’ve designed it. Understand this truth! Look forward to the season ahead of new growth where the leaves will fill your land abundantly.

Hold on to HOPE!

Listen, there’s still beauty in this season. You must look for it. Look at how my light dances among the trees, look at the shapes of each intimate area for the intricacies are revealed during the time of stripping down. These things you would never notice if a laying bare had never occurred. Yet, be careful and watchful for even among healthy trees disease can enter and kill and choke you out. Be wise and know the difference. Seek Me for guidance. Don’t let parasites from outside come in and attack you. Be vigilant. Be wise to the world and the dark army against you and yours. Make sure to come to Me for refreshment and cleansing by the washing of water by my word — use My word as food to feed properly so you can remain healthy and not rot away and die.

Each barren season is different. Some times you will feel like you’re surrounded in all areas of your life like above. Everything appears dead and void all at once. You’ll exit that season into a green section full of luscious evergreen growth, only to enter another season of barrenness. This next dry season might only be on one side, in one area, but don’t get confused. This will only be for a time. Hold on. Let the process work. Let the leaves fall as designed and eagerly anticipate the new growth and beauty that is yet to come. During these times you will feel that these moments in time are never ending. Persevere. Only in hindsight will you be able to understand.

Along your path you’re going to realize you’ve been collecting and stacking up grievances, problems you’ve superficially dealt with but still hold on to, only you haven’t handled yet, but stacked it in the pile to deal with later. This is very dangerous! Each one of these issues whether big or small, long or short, thick or skinny from yourself, husband, marriage, children, parents, friends, ministries is a piece of kindling. Though stacking up “feels” like cleaning up the debris in your life, it’s merely providing a fertile place where dead dried debris gathers waiting for a spark to come in and ignite a huge forest fire! Deal with each of these issues individually; don’t stack them and save them for later. Pick it up, address it and discard it quickly never to be addressed again.

Remember, in hard times, you are walking through a season where it doesn’t look so beautiful or bountiful. It looks bare, void of color, you feel isolated, cold, abandoned, forgotten, so small in the midst of it all. But stay on My path; it’s only a season. Remember that when you finish walking through this time of emptiness, you will see My beauty. Colors will begin to show up again and different life will be present. Keep moving. You will end up in a new place with a new song to sing. Keep moving ahead.

Those times in the stripped areas, where you felt you couldn’t see, feel, or sense My presence. Places where you felt I’ve left you and do not see your pain…Listen, for that little whisper of wind through the rustling of the leaves I sent that to remind you . . . I’M HERE. I hear you. I see you. I’m with you. Don’t let the external view deceive you in your circumstance. I’m with you always and forever. I walk with you through these painful and empty times.

Look back on your journey around Spooner Lake. This terrain displays how your life’s adventure truly appears. The evergreen trees cover the landscape of your life. They are painted abundantly upon the hills…the truth is there is much happiness, good and growth to see! Those grayed out patches that you can barely see are the barren places that seemed so void of life. They aren’t as big as you thought. They are reminiscent of what you are going through right now…your fiery trials. But, LOOK. They are tiny in comparison…merely a fraction of your lifetime. Don’t get confused while traveling through them — life is not horrible; these times are not “never ending”; they do not engulf your life. These lies that run through your mind are meant to steal your hope. Control your mind — hold your thoughts captive. Remember this picture. The reality is there are tiny seasons in your life that will be absent of color and the expectations you anticipated might disappear, perhaps they never appear, or things you thought were to be a certain way just didn’t work out the way you thought because other people and their wills are involved. As you continue moving forward, these times always lead you into another area, a season full of luscious greenery to discover, explore and enjoy. Focus on the abundant goodness. Don’t magnify and constantly focus on the gray patches of struggles and mistakenly think your entire life is grey. That’s a lie. Remember that in different seasons those deciduous/broken areas will sprinkle color and different texture in your lifetime. They serve a purpose that you can see when you stand back soberly evaluating the situation. In the midst of that season it will seem immense and unending, engulfing you all around, but in reality they are only a tiny dash amidst a beautiful journey.

Understand that you will be placed in the midst of things that will continually be good those are your evergreen trees, but there will also be times sprinkled within that provide various texture to your life, provide different colors during seasons, and go through times of barrenness to usher in a time of new growth. Trust Me. I have good intended for you.

When you are looking all around for the correct way to go when there are multiple routes to follow. Look for My signs. I place them along the way to guide your steps. Look also for people that are heading the same way, those who have gone before you can help you maneuver and find your way. There will be steep hills to walk even towards the end. They will make your body sore, your lungs burn, your legs quiver, but endure. At the end there will be a place to rest to catch your breath — a time to reflect on all that you have walked through and see where I have been by your side the entire time.

Pillars of Faith

Posted on October 12, 2017February 2, 2019 by DSilvan

A year and a half ago God called me out of 5 years of rest by saying again, “Feed My sheep.” I obeyed. I don’t see these ladies as “my” group or “our” group, but rather “His” group that He’s chosen to put me in the midst of for a time. My goal remains to seek what He desires for them and to be intentional, diligent and faithful in discipling them in their faith as He guides me.

The previous year God gave me a vision of huge white ivory pillars standing before me. He impressed upon my heart that He was saying these women will be pillars of faith for Me. They will be My Warriors doing battle with Me. They will be strong, brave, courageous, supportive, unwavering, grounded, steadfast, established, solid, sturdy, unmovable and faithful . . . His spiritual warriors against darkness.

Last year I asked Him, “Father what do You want for Your women? How do You desire to mold them?” He revealed five areas: 1) Prayer, 2) Armor, 3) Spiritual Warfare, 4) Identity, and 5) SHAPE. Prayer is our battleground. He’s placed His armor on us to wear and Jesus fulfills each piece. As with Joshua He said do not be afraid for He reigns, is sovereign and all powerful, and Satan is not His equal but merely a created vessel that answers to Him. He tattooed our identity in Jesus Christ on our hearts and opened our eyes to how intricately and uniquely He created each one of us. His desire is for us to illuminate Jesus to others as we operate in the way He designed us to function.

During summer, my Father impressed upon me that He was not finished, so I asked Him, “What do you want next for them? Where do You desire to strengthen them?” He showed me four more areas: 1) Hearing His Voice, 2) Holy Spirit, 3) Forgiveness, and 4) Mentoring. He wants us to learn to recognize His voice and be intimately involved with Him for His sheep hear His voice and follow. We must be still and listen. His Spirit speaks to our spirit and reveals secrets to us as He lives within us. He has given us His Holy Spirit with power to help us and we must embrace and believe all that He supplies. He desires us to discover how important forgiveness is and how to release unforgiveness and bitterness so we can be set free to experience healing and peace. Keeping what He’s given us just for ourselves is not His end goal…He desires us to mentor others in our circles, to train our oikos with the treasures He poured into us and then step out in faith to share with those in our midst about His Kingdom.

My heart continues to hear God say, “I desire you to pursue the lost, the captive, the emotionally hurt, the sick, the physically wounded, and the spiritually imprisoned and bring them to Me for healing and deliverance. Trust Me for big things Denise and teach my daughters to do the same.” My desire is for them to see me hear God’s voice and respond, to watch me pray and war immediately for those in need, to see me believe God’s word and act, to see me believe mighty things and expect mountains to move, to watch me live as a disciple in the days of Acts, to hear me encourage the timid who step out to share, to watch me lift them up and build them up as they step out in faith to do what they never thought they could, to see me pointing them to Jesus for answers and praying with them…I desire to inspire them to do the same with others. I want them to soar into Pillars of Faith…becoming God’s Warriors for such a time as this.

We must be diligent and intentional about connecting and giving people a place to belong. God desires everyone to feel loved, cared for, valued, cherished and important. Being intimate with a few is important. Providing a place to be authentic, raw and real is invaluable. Encouraging one another, praying for each other and sharing a word the Lord gives for each one. Though I try to follow this model Jesus impressed upon my heart, each person needs to be free to find how God works through how he/she is wired. The most important key God encourages in me is to be authentic and unmasked with my life and struggles so that they may see I’m real and that our circle is a safe place to be real.

As for the people He has placed by my side, I want them loosed and released from all that has hindered them and bound to a trust in God that is unstoppable. I want them to embrace God for mighty works. I desire them to see God’s faithfulness and experience exponential transformation . . . to see His fingerprints all over their life. I want me to become less and them to become more.

God growing an army of Pillars of Faith ready to be His Warriors.

Shattering Strongholds

Posted on September 22, 2016February 2, 2019 by DSilvan

Our children were raised in the church and all of them spoke of God, praised God and raised their hands in worship. But when the teenage years hit, the world sucked them in, friends in the wrong crowd led them astray, their rebellious ways of their flesh surfaced and the enemy slyly entered causing chaos, destruction and discouragement. The Scripture “Train them in the way they should go and they will not depart from it,” tortured me because I wondered where I had gone wrong.

With one of our daughter’s we dealt with drugs, promiscuity, an attempt to harm herself, homosexuality, vile disrespect, uncontrollable anger and much more. I was lost. I didn’t feel equipped on how to battle these things. God spoke frequently and reassured me through His Word. God gave me two Scriptures that buoyed my faith and anchored me during these storms. One is Isaiah 43:5-7 and the other is Jeremiah 31:16-17.

Jeremiah 31 states —

This is what the Lord says: “Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded,” declares the Lord. “They will return from the land of the enemy. So there is hope for your descendants,” declares the Lord. “Your children will return to their own land.”

Over the last 7 years God has been teaching me much about spiritual warfare. He’s provided experiences, people who give me random books like “God Wins,” and packets that contain random prayers. The random prayer led me to a book that transformed how I prayed for our children: “Shattering Your Strongholds“ by Liberty Savard. God was teaching me how to fight spiritual warfare through prayer.

I love how God sets up divine appointments to encourage us and to foreshadow what the future holds. Five years ago I roomed with a complete stranger at retreat. We stayed up late talking. She shared how she was at the retreat with her rebellious daughter whom she thought would NEVER EVER come. I remember thinking, God that would be amazing. I long for that day to be seen with my daughter. But if I’m being honest, I thought it would never happen. My faith in God was lackluster.

Six months ago, our daughter was going through something. Honestly I don’t remember what the topic or issue was. However, the way I always handle difficulties is I point to God. I quote Scripture that comes to my mind in the conversation and I speak of His ways. He’s the first thing to roll off my tongue, whether I’m speaking to a believer or non-believer. My solution is always, God.

After I mentioned God, our daughter said, “Mom, I knew you were going to talk about God. I don’t want to hear about God. It’s not always about God. Sometimes I just need you to listen and say something different. STOP talking about God!”

Clearly, she didn’t want to hear His name.

Anyone who knows me, understands all I ever talk about is God this and God that. God. God. God. He is my everything and I see Him involved in everything. According to her, I just needed to listen to her and give her worldly advice, but never mention His name.

So, I stopped. I gave her space. I resolved to not say God’s name to her again. HARD!

My heart mourned . . . I still didn’t really understand truly what I was battling.

Shortly afterwards, God reminded me of the book He led me to, “Shattering Your Strongholds“. I pulled out this arsenal and began praying. At first I prayed exactly word for word what the author wrote. I began commanding all the ways of the world and ways of her flesh to be loosened from her in the name of Jesus. Then I asked for her to be bound to the opposite godly characteristic. I commanded anger to be loosened from her and for her to be bound to God’s love. I commanded rebellious ways to be loosened from her and for her to be bound to God’s obedient ways. I prayed for her heart, mind and soul to be bound to God’s heart, mind, and soul. I asked for her thoughts to be flooded with thoughts of God. Then after doing this for a few days, I could sense the Spirit prompting me to pray specific things. I continued praying over anything and everything ungodly that popped into my mind to be loosened from her and sought God to reveal what I needed to bind her to specifically. I was commanding the ways of the world and flesh to be loosened from her and commanding heaven to come to earth for her.

Two months later, our daughter called me asking if I had an extra Bible to read and if I had that Bible study on forgiveness. In all calmness I said, “yes.” Secretly, on my side of the phone, I was doing a happy dance while my heart was nearly exploding from my chest! I didn’t have an extra Bible but she didn’t need to know that. I ran right to the Family Christian store and bought her one in her favorite color. Just like how God works, two days earlier, I had just found these studies hidden under boxes in a room that I was cleaning, otherwise I would have had no idea where they were.

Within 2 hours she had both. Over the next few months she began asking me to pray and her sisters to pray. Then, she mentioned she was praying. Through moments of amazement, God’s faithfulness was becoming visible. His provision. His direction. His leading. All of it was perfect.

Two weekends ago, all three of our girls went with me to the Girl’s Getaway…even the one I thought would NEVER come. God had been working on her heart. The walls she had erected to protect herself and keep others out were being chiseled away and torn down. She was revealing brokenness within her to others and showing tears during small group. She has NEVER allowed herself to be emotionally vulnerable before. Life had taken its toll on her and she was ready to admit she couldn’t do it on her own. She submitted and surrendered. Verbally choosing to receive His free gift of hope.

God brought her home. God returned her from the land of the enemy. God provided hope for my descendants. He is faithful. He is true to His Word. He is trustworthy and worthy of all our praise. We serve a Mighty and Sovereign God. One Who is beautiful in all His ways. One Whose timing is impeccable and Whose faithfulness is never ending.

These are the prayers God reminded me of. Pray them in their entirety or take the snippets that speak to you heart. Let the Holy Spirit guide you to what you need to do. He has provided this for you . . .

Satan and His Demonic Forces

If the person for whom you are interceding has not confessed Jesus as Savior and Lord, pray specifically for his/her salvation if you have not already done so. Stand and thank the Father that it is done in the name of Jesus. Then pray:

“Father, in the name of Jesus, I come boldly to Your throne of grace and present before You. I stand in the gap and intercede in behalf of , knowing that the Holy Spirit within me takes hold together with me against the evils that would attempt to hold in bondage. I unwrap from the bonds of wickedness with my prayers and take my shield of faith and quench every fiery dart of the adversary that would come against .

Father, You say that whatever I bind on earth is bound in heaven, and whatever I loose on earth is loosed in heaven. You say for me to cast out demons in the name of Jesus.

In the name of Jesus I bind ‘s body, soul and spirit to the will and purposes of God for his/her life. I bind ‘s mind, will and emotions to the will of God. I bind him/her to the truth and to the blood of Jesus. I bind his/her mind to the mind of Christ that the very thoughts, feelings and purposes of His heart would be within his/her thoughts.

I loose every old, wrong, ungodly pattern of thinking, attitude, idea, desire, belief, motivation, and every wrong mind/body agreement he/she has about wrong behaviors. I tear down, crush, smash and destroy every stronghold associated with these things. I loose any stronghold in his/her life that has been justifying and protecting hard feelings against anyone. I loose the strongholds of unforgiveness, fear, and distrust from him/her.

Father, I ask you to commission your ministering spirits to go forth and provide the necessary help to and assistance for .

Father, I have laid hold of ‘s salvation and his/her confession of the Lordship of Jesus Christ. I speak of things that are not as though they were, for I choose to look at the unseen — the eternal things of God. I say that Satan shall not get an advantage over , for I am not ignorant of Satan’s devices. I resist Satan, and he has run in terror from in the name of Jesus. I give Satan no place in . I plead the blood of the Lamb over , for Satan and his cohorts are overcome by that blood and Your Word. I thank You, Father, that I tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy in ‘s behalf. is delivered from this present evil world. He/she is delivered from the powers of darkness and translated into the Kingdom of Your dear Son!

Father, I ask You now to fill those vacant places within with Your redemption, Your Word, Your Holy Spirit, Your love, Your wisdom, Your righteousness and Your revelation knowledge in the name of Jesus

I thank you, Father, that is redeemed out of the hand of Satan by the blood of Jesus. He/she is justified and made righteous by the blood of Jesus and belongs to You — spirit, soul and body. I thank You that every enslaving yoke is broken, for he/she will not become the slave of anything or be brought under its power in the name of Jesus. has escaped the snare of the devil who has held him/her captive and henceforth does Your will, Father, which is to glorify You in his/her spirit, soul and body.

Thank You, Father that Jesus was manifested that He might destroy the works of the devil. Satan’s works are destroyed in ‘s life in the name of Jesus. Hallelujah! walks in the Kingdom of God, which is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit! Praise the Lord! Amen.

This prayer may be prayed as many times as necessary. It takes time to realize the faith that leads you into a position of praise and thanksgiving. Stand firm, fixed, unmovable, and steadfast remembering that greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.

Shattering Your Strongholds Prayer

I have included a prayer from Shattering Your Strongholds by Rev. Libery S. Savard. This prayer stresses the importance of binding ourselves and others to the will and purposes of God and loosing the strongholds from our souls that prevent healing prayers from penetrating our spirits. I recommend that you incorporate this powerful prayer into your deliverance intercession. Shattering Your Strongholds is excellent reading for all involved in intercession whether individual or corporate.

“In the Name of Jesus Christ, I bind ‘s body, soul and spirit to the will and purposes of God for his/her life. I bind ‘s mind, will and emotions to the will of God. I bind him/her to the truth and to the blood of Jesus. I bind his/her mind to the mind of Christ, that the very thought, feelings and purposes of His heart would be within his/her thoughts. I bind ‘s feet to the paths of righteousness that his/her steps would be steady and sure. I bind him/her to the work of the cross with all of its mercy, grace, love, forgiveness and dying to self.

I Loose the power and effects of wrong agreements from . I loose deceptions and lies from ‘s mind, and I loose the effects and influences of any soul ties heshe has with other people. I loose the confusion and blindness the god of this world from ‘s mind that has kept him/her from seeing the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I call forth every precious word of Scripture that has ever entered into his/her mind and heart that it would rise up in power within him/her.

In the name of Jesus, I loose the power and effects of any harsh or hard words (word curses) spoken to, about or by . I loose all generational bondage thinking and associated strongholds from . I loose all grave clothes from him/her. I loose all effects and bondages from him/her that may have been caused by mistakes I have made.

Father, in the name of Jesus, I crush, smash and destroy generational bondages of any kind from mistakes made at any point between generations. I destroy them right here, right now. They will not bind and curse any more members of this family. I bind and loose these things in Jesus’s name. He has given me the keys and the authority to do so. Thank You Lord for the truth. Amen”

*Used by permission of Rev. Liberty Savard, Pres., Liberty Savard Ministries, P.O. Box 41260, Sacramento CA 95841. 1993 Bridge-Logos Publishers, New Brunswick, NJ.

May we all be loosed from the strongholds of anger, anxiety, competition, confusion, control, deceit, denial, depression, disease, disobedience, distress, distrust, doubt, envy, false security, fear, fornification, gossip, greed, guilt, hostility, immorality, immaturity, independence of God, isolation, jealousy, lust, manipulation, oppression, prejudice, pride, rebellion, self indulgence, sexual soul ties, sickness, suppression, violence and wickedness, procrastination, sibling rivalry, people pleasing attributes and intimidation.

May we all be bond to love, faith, peace, God’s order, a sound mind, freedom in Christ, truth, agreeable spirit, joy, hopefulness, health, obedience, contentment, belief, clarity, kindness, security, courage, boldness, purity, faithfulness, keeping people’s names safe in your mouth, seeing the good in people, generosity, virtue, honor, respect, goodwill, benevolence, moral uprightness, maturity in faith, dependence on God, companionship, delight, God’s favor, blessing, justice, humility, harmony in relationships, submissiveness, unselfishness, peacefulness, cooperation, pleasing God, building one another up.

An Abundance of “GOOD”

Posted on August 3, 2016February 2, 2019 by DSilvan

The majority of the time, reflection over my life’s daily meanderings becomes a microscope that reveals God’s movement in my life.

For the past 6 months, God has been surrounding me with suggestions in a certain direction — Prayer.

By looking back through the months one can vividly see God guiding me in a laser beam direction: 1) Healing Prayer year long study, 2) War Room movie on prayer — inspired to pull out ALL my books on prayer, to journal specific prayers for each family member again, prompted to color code them to pin on a “Prayer Wall”, 3) Battle Plan for Prayer study, and 4) Power of a Praying Wife.

. . . God had me CHASING after prayer!!!

So here I sit . . .

Arriving late to my scheduled appointment with God on my back patio . . . BUT I’m HERE!

Not knowing where to start . . . BUT just starting!

I’ve prayed for years. Always spontaneously. Frequently for the good. Usually for all the bad in our life. Interceding for others but always feeling they were meager offerings. Always left with a longing . . . a deep desiring for more!

I want to leave a legacy of prayer.
I want to be a Power House of prayer.
I want to demonstrate for our children and their children, and their children’s children how FAITHFUL God is!!!
I want them to see me faithfully, diligently, persistently fighting for them in prayer!

All of this brings me to this morning . . . the first morning of the rest of my journey!

I’m a process oriented person. Scheduling everything out makes me feel completely in alignment. Yet, when it comes to my prayer life I’ve ALWAYS defended my free-spirited, pray whenever you want, don’t set a scheduled time to pray as a thing to check off my list attitude. I was adamant to not let it just be a “thing” to do, but rather shoot prayers up randomly when prompted.

Yet now, after some more learning, my first goal is to begin initiating a “scheduled” time to meet God. If King David set aside time in the evening, morning and afternoon . . . and . . . Daniel met with God 3 times a day . . . and . . . Jesus disciplined Himself to kneel with God early in the morning . . . SHOULDN’T I?

Why did I resist so vehemently to enact a scheduled time to sit with my Father when God repeatedly illustrated how important this is for us throughout Scripture?

Why did I cling to merely the spontaneous form of prayer?

Why did I settle for such a little taste of Him?

Don’t get me wrong. God LOVES my spontaneous prayer! BUT . . . I wanted MORE and He is showing me how to get there.

As I struggled at 0’dark to crawl out of bed, I hit my snooze every 9 minutes for one hour. I had missed sunrise, but I’m here!

God was faithful to paint a picture across the blank canvas of my mind while I wrestled with my desire to meet with Jesus bright and early. And, what I anticipated . . . the encounter I had hoped to receive . . . arrived in a different package than expected.

What I love about God is how He can speak VOLUMES into my soul within a matter of seconds. It’s like He immediately, concisely, and completely downloads His conversation into my consciousness with His gentle whisper. Then He let’s me unwrap His instructions, view His perspective and digest how my current situation relates. WOW! A•H•Mazing!

He’s always patient in letting His teaching meander and wander in my mind until my heart catches up and grabs hold. And if I’m being honest, the transferring of the information in the nerve endings of my brain can’t be done by myself. God must transport His truth into the fibers of my heart.

DISCLAIMER: I am FAR from perfect. I have way more areas for God to work on then are beautiful for others to imitate.

I don’t know what I was expecting God to talk to me about . . . but it wasn’t this.

I’ve been struggling with an area of being a godly wife…putting conditions on following God’s instructions to me as a wife as long as my husband does what God instructs him do in Scripture. In the midst of my pain, I’ve felt “justified” into allowing my hurt areas to usher me into times of disobedience.

Just for the record…this is NEVER wise to do.

Now, let’s move on to the metaphorical journey God took me on this quiet and cool morning.

My husband, Bill, and I took our grandkids to the Sacramento Zoo. We were having a GREAT time! A wonderfully fun time! Unfortunately, we informed our vibrant and animated granddaughter that we would not be able to go to Fairy Tale Town because WE, the older grandparents, were exhausted after our 5 hour Safari Adventure! And, we knew the kiddos were exhausted too as they were sprawled out in our wagon. We announced we would be back to visit Fairytale Town another day.

Well . . . needless to say. That did not go very well. According to her all the fun we just had . . . was now. . . HORRIBLE!!!

She cried. Screamed. Shook her hands in rebellion against our words. Acted out a grandiose 4 year old tantrum masterfully.

Immediately upon delivery of our words, she no longer remembered how she ran to see the salmon pink flamingos with bubbling excitement, how she giggled when the hedgehog jumped as she touched him, how captivated she was to feed the ENORMOUS giraffe, how she laughed at the Orangutan picking things off his girlfriend’s fur, or how she raced to see the screaming and screeching chimpanzees fight as she pushed her way to a front row seat with wide-eyes!!!

Instead, she laser beam focused on the ONE bad thing that happened and allowed the rest of the FANTASTIC adventure to be killed, destroyed and stolen from her fun chamber.

I was so frustrated! We just had an outrageous time at the zoo with animal watching, junk food eating, tons of ooo’s and ahhh’s, train rides and carousel rides. Why would she look at a tiny moment and allow it to deplete all that was good? Why would she let that one negative to steal the abundance of GOOD she had experienced?

Like I began with earlier, God plastered this image of my granddaughter having a tantrum as I wrestled to roll out of bed for my “newly” scheduled quiet time.

Why was this in my thoughts?

Is this what God had scheduled for our conversation today?

I decided to camp here for the next 20 minutes and then unpack it for the next few hours as I sat with God writing.

I remembered my feelings of frustrations, disappointment, anger, loss for words, confusion, yearning for her to not focus on the one bad thing BUT to embrace all the glorious encounters she was allowed to have. Clinging to the memories and fun laughs that were had. Remembering the beautiful and majestic animals we were allowed to see, smell, hear and touch.

And our dialogue began . . .

GOD:
In a gently, loving, nurturing and teaching whisper, God said “Exactly! Denise, stop shaking your fists at Me in a 4 year old’s dissatisfaction. Embrace the good! There is an abundance of “GOOD” in your life. In stomping around in this tantrum, pouting about what you don’t have, you are missing what else there is for you. You are alienating yourself from other fun-filled times.”

“Remember to place a magnifying glass on these good moments and allow them to flood your mind. Don’t let this one area of dissatisfaction kill, destroy and steal the 33 years of love and fun you’ve been given with your husband.”

“My timing is not ‘NOW’ for what you desire to take place.”

ME:
“That’s not fair. What about me? When is it my turn?” As the tears flooded my eyes and rolled down my cheeks. I wanted to continue in argument, plead my case and shake my fists while screaming “I want what I want and I want it now!” A picture of Veronica from Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory popped into my head. I was behaving self-centered, spoiled rotten and ugly just like Veronica. UGH!!! Okay it wasn’t that bad, but it sure felt like it.

GOD:
“Do you see how Bill experiences frustration, disappointment, anger, loss of words, confusion, a yearning for you to not focus on the one bad area that needs work, but instead embrace all the magnificent areas he gets right? That you both get right!?”

ME:
Silent. . .

GOD:
“As you plan to take your granddaughter back to Fairytale Town for more fun and adventures at a time that is better for all involved . . . I, your Heavenly Father, am planning this for you. Please be patient and TRUST me. I have good adventures planned for you, too.”

“Understand the patience I have with you as you learn to accept this time of waiting like you did beautifully with your granddaughter. No longer shake your hands in rebellion, but quietly wait for My timing and trust Me.”

“Understand Bill’s experience of pain, bewilderment and confusion. Honor Me by loving him well.”

“Understand what I’m asking of you. Be obedient in this time of waiting. Love without conditions. Respect at all times. Be his helper always. Show My love as God’s child because you are Mine, not because someone has satisfied your conditions.”

“Most importantly, in order to do this, come to me BEFORE so I can fill you up, come to me DURING so I can guide you and come to me AFTER so I can replenish your strength.”

Okay. So that was pretty jaw dropping for my first scheduled prayer time!

It probably goes without saying . . . but this almost 50 year old, experiencing a 4 year old spiritual fit, is obviously going to be meeting with God often to make it through this time of waiting.

I LOVE God! I love His tender care of me. I love how He grabs my heart and teaches me through things I understand. I love how He’s willing to endure my 4 year old tantrums even after walking with him for almost 30 years. Always patiently waiting until I surrender and submit to Him . . . REPEATEDLY. I also love that He paired me with a humble, patient husband who is willing to stand on the battlefield as I figure this all out . . . all the while loving me unconditionally.

As my granddaughter shed tears for having to wait . . . I too experience the same.

I know God is faithful and true to His word for He has shown me time and time again. I’m choosing to TRUST Him in this area of waiting . . . until He says “Precious child, the time is NOW!”

Wherever you are, whatever you struggle with . . . seek your Heavenly Father. Hearing His words is a reassuring and soothing balm to your hurting soul . . . even when it’s for correction and redirection.

Father,

You are good, good, oh.

I need help. Heal my wounds and forgive my tantrumous ways.

My husband, my granddaughter, my family and friends need help.

Thank You for all You have done, all You are doing, and all You will do.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Special Note: For friends and family reading this…divorce has never been in the horizon for I love this man that God has knitted my heart together with…and in case you think this is something “BIG” it’s merely about spending more quality time with me traveling…and I don’t want to wait. I’m jealous of the time he spends on the field coaching and I was looking forward to this season of life to end as our youngest leaves for college and finishes travel ball…but unfortunately, it’s not NOW. And, I wrestle with jealousy, anger and bitterness often…REPEATEDLY having to surrender it all to Jesus.

I know I can’t be the only one out there who wrestles with things like this…but perhaps you have different areas. More difficult areas could be a fixation on drugs, alcohol, work, hobbies, pornography, affairs, really anything that steals time from you spending time with your loved one and leaves you feeling less than and not as important.

Through my longing to spend time with Bill, through desiring Bill to want to spend more time with me on his own not based on my demands, God teaches me how He feels in regards to my devotion and time with Him. And this last epiphany is probably the most important lesson learned.

Because of this, I merely decided to reveal the ugliness of my heart and it’s needed correction in loving Bill better . . . and . . . God better. I chose to share my encounter with God in this journal so future generations of ours will know difficult times come, but God is always there. Always Faithful! Always breathing life into your circumstances. Always showing you how what you’re wrestling with relates to your relationship with your Heavenly Father.

Praise you Father for your sovereignty in all circumstances!

Awkward Elephant In The Room

Posted on July 12, 2016February 2, 2019 by DSilvan

My heart breaks for this topic. There’s a writing brewing deep inside . . .

Having an almost son-in-love who is black (although, I don’t look at him as a color) I have experienced racism first hand. We’ve gone to eat with his family and our family in Sacramento and the non-verbal looks we received blaringly spoke “Why are these white people with those black people…and why are these black people with those white people.”

As if we are different people.

Extremely uncomfortable.

This was the awkward elephant in the room no one would acknowledge, but clearly it stood there waving his trunk and flapping his ears. The racist undercurrent was so strong you could almost feel it rushing forcefully through the room, violently wrapping around your legs waiting to suck you under. This was 2 years ago.

We’ve also experienced this with our other son-in-love who is Hispanic (struggling for the last 7 years to come to the US.) My eldest daughter is in San Francisco today seeing our 5th lawyer who is going to be “the one.” This “one” loves taking challenging cases and winning. My prayer is that God finally placed a lawyer in our path who can help devour the red tape and daunting paperwork that the government has asked us to maneuver through…all within a cost we as a family can afford.

In reflection, I grew up in a small town that had only 1 black boy at my high school. I didn’t view myself as racist. Yet, I would switch to the other side of the road innately…just as in the story of the good Samaritan. Where did this come from? It’s not like I had a bad experience that tainted my view and shaped my perspective. I would make racist comments, say racial jokes and say stereotypical slurs that if said directly to someone would pierce their hearts. Until my children called me on it.

Where did this come from? Why was it there? Perplexing.

As I read this article (link below) and having pondered on my feelings over these last weeks, I’d be a hypocrite if I didn’t say there is still something hidden deep within my soul…I’m able to push it down…I’m able to move beyond it…BUT IT’S THERE. Even if it’s only faintly existing now like the morning mist in the early morning.

This morning I asked, “Why is this still a problem? Why haven’t things changed drastically for the better? Why do these lies remain?”

I realized I’m only 1 generation from a heritage of extreme racism that moved here to the West from the deep South. ONLY ONE. I’ve been a tiny bit removed from the dark lies so it’s faintly and slowly dissipating in me. Although I’m more “accepting” than my forefathers, racist tendencies still raise their ugly head in my heart. It’s like an ingrained fear that’s been etched into my fibers from the repeated lies I was told growing up… “THESE” people are……. “THOSE” people do this……. you fill in the blank you were told.

Do you have any hidden lies that lay secretly dormant but are quietly forming your reactions?

I’m grateful that through the refining of my being, by my girls challenging me to see with a different perspective, the lies that are like deeply grooved carvings in my belief system have been diminishing. They’re gently being sanded down so I can see clearly. I’m able to rationalize that just because one black man/woman does evil DOES NOT therefore mean ALL black people are bad. And, the same for those who are Hispanic.

Not every Hispanic or black man is in a gang, a drug lord, or a dead beat wanting to live off the system. Most of the time they are hard working humans looking to escape an oppressed country/culture and give their family a better life. They are metaphorically prisoners of the place or color they were born into fighting against a system that does not make it easy to jump out of and better themselves.

Our girls have unknowingly been breaking down the racism thread in our family. They are the SECOND GENERATION from the highly racist viewpoints. They had parents that being 1 generation removed didn’t brainwash them as intensely through fear into seeing certain colors as bad people…so they have hardly any segregating grooves to refine. They have put racism in the forefront of the older generations to face and confront. Desensitizing their irrational fears and providing a new point of reference for them to experience people through their heart instead of their color.

This has been amazing. Most of the time it’s in a good way. However other times racist comments are made in jest (and, I cringe), stereotypical sayings are said behind backs (and, my heart breaks), racial jokes are made (and, I remember where I was.) These times merely reveal that the older generation’s hearts have not yet acknowledged the ugliness that still lies beneath the murky waters of their broken soul, just like was the case in mine. More compassion, understanding and willingness to see from a different perspective will continue to help bring to completion the good work God has started within our family to break down barriers.

When you hesitate to introduce a loved one to your elders, I think it’s quite easy to admit RACISM still exists. If you would be mortified if your daughter or son brought home a black/Hispanic fiance, you must admit RACISM still exists. We can ignore it when it’s not in our neighborhood, in our back yard, or right inside our home. But when it touches your life personally and you experience it first hand you must admit racism exists…not admitting it’s existence would be complete foolishness.

One of my daughters always says “Acknowledging the problem is the beginning of recovery.” We first have to see it and admit it. Then, we can make intentional choices to change the landscape of the world around us. One relationship at a time.

We must remove the broad brushstroke that was used to teach us about people who are different looking than us and instead choose to look to a person’s heart. We might not be able to cause BIG change on a large scale, but in every person we encounter, we can make a BIG difference in their life by loving them. And if all of us did that, what a great world we would live in.

Love. One. Another. John 13:34

Father, God I pray You will remove the scales from everyone’s eyes and allow them to see one another the way You see them…with unconditional love. May You give us all a healed heart from all the wounds and lies. Father, allow everyone, black, brown, yellow, white, blue to receive Your love. A deep unending love from a Faithful Father Who adores His precious and treasured children. I pray You transform our pattern of thinking from believing the lies and viewing one another as “these people” and “those people” but instead enable us to be one Nation, united as one to do mighty things for You and to glorify You in all that we do. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

We. Have. Hope.

God has shown His power in the past. He can move mountains and part seas that seem unmovable. He can restore and resurrect where division and death have occurred. Trusting in His faithfulness, omnipotence and sovereignty.

Here’s the article I read on FB. This outpouring was ignited from these words…

Roaring Lion Within

Posted on July 5, 2016January 28, 2019 by DSilvan

Seriously…these images were ALL AROUND me! EVERYWHERE. The saying on the photos was irrelevant (rarely fitting what I heard from God). So, I edited them and placed wording on them that God spoke to me.

Back on April 27, 2016 God began surrounding me with images of Lions and Tigers.

The searing images are what God used to speak to me…instantly… deep within my soul. I am small, but HE is the Immense, Regal, Powerful, Protective Lion within…embrace what He says about you and allow the shadow of Him, the reflection of Him, touch the lives of all you encounter. “Denise, let Me have all of you. Let Me reign in every area of your life. BELIEVE all that I say about you. Then, your simple human form will reveal the Mighty Ruling King you serve. Let Me reign within you and God’s presence will be known”

Sitting in AWE.

Does He hit you from all directions, too?

I love it when this happens! When He drives home a point. Encountering Him like this is beautiful! I’m always left craving more.

In addition to the images, He surrounded me with music that He used to tie all the photos up beautifully with…like a magnificent wrapped gift tied with a silky red bow waiting for me to unwrap all that He had for me.

God spoke clearly each time that He is the Lion within me . . . How do I see myself? Challenging me, “Denise, believe what I say about Me and what that means for you.”

How do you see yourself? Choose to believe the truth!

Claiming what God has made true about me because of Jesus in me will be a life long journey. The reality of it is that the thief, the prince of this world, the serpent from days past, comes to speak lies with his forked tongue… you are unworthy, you are good for nothing, you are useless because of the things you struggle with or the things you’ve done in the past, you are unforgivable, you are poor, you are ugly, you are fat, you are too skinny, you are this, you are that, you are . . . — you fill in the blank with whatever the enemy whispers in your ear to tear you down. Those are lies! Believe in God’s truth about you. That’s what matters.

These lies that torment me come from many places. The world has warped my thinking; the enemy has used bullies, a critical parent and harsh people to tear me to shreds; as well as, my own faulty perceptions twisting me in to knots. Fighting against these lies and replacing them with God’s truths takes diligence to change the voice within my mind and transform the pattern of my thinking. With God’s help this is possible!

This entire year, God has been chiseling into the flesh of my heart His truths about me because of His Son. I’ve KNOWN them in my mind, I’ve READ them for years . . . but many times I don’t EMBRACE them and then my behavior doesn’t portray them accurately because they haven’t traveled to my heart. I have to repeatedly REMIND myself Who I belong to and what that means about me.

I read a timely devotional on May 1 . . . clearly God had some words for me during these past 5 days. Read below and see what it says to you?

What you are about to read ties in with a past post I wrote when God downloaded my identity a fresh. Check it out here: Identity in Christ.

Sharon speaks of much of what my heart has walked through.

April 27, 2016
You Are Who God Says You Are
Sharon Jaynes

Today’s Truth
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! (1 John 3:1 NIV)

Friend to Friend

I became a Christian when I was a teenager. But even after I made a commitment to follow Christ, feelings of inferiority, insecurity, and inadequacy clung to me like a spider’s sticky web. The dirge of “I’m not good enough” was a song I couldn’t get out of my head. The lies of the enemy created limitations in my life. They were the barbed wire that fenced me in and kept God’s best at bay.

The problem was, I had no idea who I was, what I had, or where I was as a child of God. Oh, I understood that I was going to go to heaven when I left this earth, but what I was supposed to do until I got there had me stumped. I felt that I was always disappointing God, and I was certainly a disappointment to myself.I tried the best I could to be the best I could be, but always fell short.

Eventually I joined the ranks of thousands of Christians before me who settled in the land of in-between: saved from my Egypt—the penalty of sin in the hereafter, but worlds away from my Promised Land—experiencing the abundant life in the here and now. I settled into a stagnant faith, a safe faith, the stuck faith with other defeated believers who falsely saw themselves through a filter of past sins and failures, rather than through the lens of their new identity as a child of God.

After high school I went to college where I met and married an awesome Christian man. About four years later, I became a mom. Life was good, except for this termite-like gnawing in my gut that I just didn’t quite measure up to all the other church moms with their smiling faces. (I wonder if you’ve ever felt that way too.)

I walked around with the fear that one day I would be found out—that one day folks would figure out that I wasn’t all I was cracked up to be. I lived under an undefined self-imposed standard of approval.

Childhood echoes of “you’re so ugly” and “what’s wrong with you” and “you can’t do anything right” left me feeling congenitally flawed. I sat in Bible study groups like someone in a hospital waiting room: hoping for the best but expecting the worst. My greatest fear was that I’d be no closer to being free of the insecurity than I was before the study began.

When I was in my mid-thirties, I sat under the teaching of an older woman in my church, Mary Marshal Young. She opened my eyes to the truths in Scripture about who I was, what I had, and where I was (my position) as a child of God. I had read those verses scattered throughout Scripture before, but when she encouraged me to cluster them together into one list, God began a new work in my heart.

You are a saint.

You are chosen.

You are dearly loved.

You are holy.

These truths were right there on the pages of my Bible in black and white and a few in red.

You are reconciled through Christ’s life.

You are justified by Christ’s blood.

You are free from condemnation through Christ’s death.

You have the mind of Christ.

You can do all things through Christ.

I knew the verses were the infallible Word of God, but I felt rather squeamish hearing them, reading them, believing them.

They didn’t feel right.

They didn’t sound right.

They made me downright uncomfortable.

And all the while I was studying about my true identity, the devil taunted me with accusations. Who do you think you are? A saint? Are you kidding? This stuff might be true for some people, but it certainly is not true about you.

One day God asked me an important question—one that He is asking you right now. Who are you going to believe?

I was at a crossroads, one you might be standing at this very moment. Was I going to believe God and begin seeing myself as God saw me, or was I going to continue believing the lies of the enemy and the echoes of my past? Was I going to remain stuck in a stagnant faith because I was too insecure to take a step toward the abundant life that Jesus had promised, or was I going to march confidently around the walls of my inadequacies until they came tumbling down?

Finally, I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. “God, I’m going to believe I am who You say I am,” I prayed. “I don’t feel it. I can barely think it. But I’m going to believe Your Word is true for me and about me.”

And that’s what I’m challenging you to do today. Let go of your insecurities and take hold of your true identity. Will you join me? If so, click over to my Facebook page and say, “I’m taking hold!”

I encourage you to pray with me —
Heavenly Father, I bring myself before You. I thank You for choosing me to be your child, for calling me Your beloved, and loving me just as I am. Today, I ask that You loosen from me all the lies I have believed and ask that they no longer be part of me. Help me choose to believe that I am who You say that I am—a holy, dearly loved, child of Yours who is equipped by You, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and enveloped in Jesus Christ. Father, when my faith waivers, and unbelief sneaks in, quickly remind me that I am who You say I am. Lead me not into the temptation of doubting, but deliver me from my wrong thinking, from the lies the enemy throws at me and replace the deceitful words with Your truth about me. Enable me to be the child You’ve created me to be! And in the process of changing the patterns of my thinking, may I bring glory to You!

In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.

Here is the song that just pierced my heart! Enjoy!

God’s Not Dead ~ Newsboys

French Coffee Press & Crockpot All Day

Posted on March 1, 2016February 2, 2019 by DSilvan

Over the weekend we had a special guest speaker at church, Rene Schlaepfer . He’s the pastor at Twin Lakes Church in Aptos, California next door to Santa Cruz. What an amazing story teller he is. My husband and I loved his message. During our brief encounter with him we were inspired to intentionally use our iphones to capture pictures daily of beautiful things…things we’re grateful for…as a way to “frame” our life to focus on the positive and “notice” the amazing things we encounter DAILY because of our amazing God.

I innately peer through glasses as a “realist”…but really that means I naturally view things from a negative bent. These marred lenses are something God has been redefining, adjusting and refocusing through the years. For others I’ve always been able to see the silver lining on their situation, however when immersed in a difficult quagmiry mess, I look at the yuck…I mean…I used to only see the ugliness. But, what I’ve noticed is there are new sproutings occurring within me…I’m LOOKING for the good in the darkness…the lessons being brought forth for new beginnings…a fresh perspective… a new song on my lips. So, this concept of “framing” my life through my iphone will help me look for God’s beauty in everything on purpose. Intentionally looking for good. This treasure I will be incorporating into my everyday life! I challenge you to do the same.

Another tidbit he reinvigorated and breathed fresh life into, is the concept of meditating on God’s word. I’ve done this often throughout my walk of faith. However, he created a picture that enlivened and awakened my desire to begin again.

Place God’s Scripture in a French Coffee Press, “slowly, reading God’s word, pressing gently down to steep on a word or two” gleaning what God had in store for me that day…working hard to get the “woodsy, aromatic, earthy, fruity, richness” of His word. And…then…I can take that same verse and CROCKPOT it all day…meditating on what God was saying to me.

Funny how routine things that have taken on a form of staleness can take on a different appearance. This isn’t anything new. I’ve marinated in God’s word like this often, but God grabbed my heart through the picture of the French Coffee Press and Crockpot and said “Denise, I want you to do this more intentionally! There is a rich, warm, tenderness that you’re missing from My word.”

Rene gave us a weeks worth of Scriptures to start with and WOW! Loving it!

Psalm 145:2 is where we started:

“Every day I will bless you
and praise your name forever and ever.

I read this slowly, pondered over each word. Reading it again and again. And then I started having questions…

“Wait. God HOW can I ‘bless’ You?”
“What does blessing You really mean?”
“Really God, even as I’ve been having trouble dragging myself out of bed the last 4 weeks after being sick…EVERY DAY I will ‘choose’ to bless you?”
“What does that look like?”
“God…is this what You’ve been speaking to my heart recently? Is this why I told people even in the ugly we can find things to be grateful for? You’ve been spinning and transforming my perspective in the midst of the hard moments, weeks, months, years. I’ve been finding myself grateful in the hard experiences of losing our home, our diminishing finances, our loss of health, and destruction of many things we took for granted…Is this what you’re speaking of?”

I mean really…how do “I”, the created, bless God, the Creator? The Maker of Heaven & Earth. The Self-Existent One. The Everlasting God. The Beginning and the End. The Alpha and Omega. The Almighty God. Sitting quietly perplexed…

I eagerly swiped open my Blue Letter Bible app so I could research what “bless” meant in Hebrew. Words in Hebrew and Greek usually mean so much more than the simple word we give them in English. I know, you’re getting to see the “geeky” side of me, but this is where God meets me best. Digging into His word, unwrapping what He said at it’s basic original meaning. I LOVE doing word studies! For all of you, maybe reading the Scripture seems so simplistic, “duh…Denise.” But for me to understand the simplistic, my brain requires me to research, dig, pick apart, digest for longer periods of time in order to get God’s simple words. It helps me understand God better and what He’s asking me to do.

Just in case you have never used Blue Letter Bible, I want to give you step by step so if you’re intrigued and want to try this out for yourself…you’ve been given some simple guidance.

When you open up BLB, at the top of your screen, for an iphone, there is a Bible that is displayed open, touch that icon. In the search bar type in your Scripture reference. In this case it would be Psalm 145, then click search at the bottom. I read the Bible typically in ESV (closest word for word translation) or NIV (easier version to understand). I believe the app default is New King James (NKJV). If you’d like to switch, tap on the Psalm 145 header and it will bring up: the Books of the Bibles, OT & NT, and Bibles….click on Bibles, then Manage Bibles, and you can select different translations to read.

Now that you’re in the Bible version you desire, scroll down to the verse you desire to dive into deeper and tap that verse. Our verse is Psalm 145:2, so tap on the #2 verse. Now you will have many selections, but what you want for a word study is “Interlinear/Concordance.” This will take you to the Hebrew text for Old Testament (OT) and each word has a lexicon reference# and Hebrew word displayed.

Because I wanted to know what it meant to “Bless” God, I looked up “I will bless:” #1288, “barak.” Tap that phrase and the meaning comes up. Sometimes it’s exactly what the translators wrote in English and it supplies no additional meaning, but in this case I was able to see what God meant in a deeper fashion that helped my heart grasp what David was saying for God. *Even more can be read under the Strong’s Definition and under Gesenius’s Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon.

Bless – “Barak”
To kneel, adore, praise, salute, kneel before our Maker…Jehovah. Celebrate God.

Then I wanted to know what Praise meant, so I looked up “You, And I will praise:” #1984, “Halai.”

Praise – “Halai”
To shine, flash forth light, boast, glorify, to rave, show, celebrate

To make show – external appearance, grandiloquent words

To sing, praise, celebrate

Then I wanted to know what Name meant, so I looked up “Your Name:” #8034 – “Shem.”

Name – “Shem”
Name, reputation, glory, character

All of a sudden a beautiful picture was revealed to me on what God was saying to me in Psalm 145:2 — “Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever.”

Every day no matter whether I’m in a bad, hurtful, ugly, trying place or a wonderful, amazing, easy, joyful, time, I will choose to bless God. I will kneel down and adore my faithful God. I will praise and salute Him for His mighty ways. I will kneel down before my Maker, Jehovah and CELEBRATE my sovereign GOD! I will sing praises of His mightiness, I will shine a light on His unending love for me. I will celebrate and boast over all the great deeds and works He has down throughout time and in my life. I will boast, rave, glorify and show all in my midst how amazing my God is. I will use grandiloquent words to speak of His Name, reputation, glory and character forever and ever.

Now after studying His word deeper, I was able to grasp a much crisper picture of what He was encouraging me to do through David’s words in this tiny verse in Psalm 145. For me, doing this takes a black and white verse that in basic form appears 2-dimensional and transforms it instantly before my eyes. As I combine the additional understanding I’ve unearthed, brush strokes with vibrant rainbow colors are masterfully applied and brings to life a 3rd dimension so I can wrap my hands around His words. WOW! Right?!

Now I encourage you to take a moment to read through all 21 verses of this Psalm. David provides specifics on what each item he refers to. He clearly tells us how we are to bless Him and praise His name. Below I’m recording everything I gleaned from this Psalm…write down what God whispered to your heart during this time in His word.

I can’t wait to get to tomorrows Coffee Press. What will God provide as I place His word in the crockpot all day to simmer…what tender meat will He provide for me to savor at the end of the day.

Thank you Jesus for supplying faithful servants to remind us how your Word feeds us. How if we are obedient and read Your word as food for our soul, You will be faithful to fill us up. We don’t survive on merely food alone, but on the word of the LORD. Amen.

Father, to my husband, to my children, to my brothers and sisters, to my parents, to my friends, to my acquaintances, to my readers, I will:

…speak of Your greatness
…exclaim how greatly You are to be praised
…shout from the mountains how Your greatness is unsearchable
…commend Your works
…declare Your mighty acts
…speak of and teach how to meditate on the splendor of Your majesty
…tell of Your wondrous works
…share Your awesome deeds
…declare Your greatness
…speak of the fame of Your goodness
…sing aloud of Your Righteousness
…share how Merciful and Gracious You are
…celebrate how You are slow to anger
…boast of Your abounding steadfast love
…exclaim how You’re good to all
…explain how Your mercy is over all You have made
…give thanks to You as on of Your works
…bless You as Your saint
…share the glory of Your Kingdom
…tell of Your power
…make known to the children Your mighty deeds
…teach them of the glorious splendor of Your kingdom
…share how Your kingdom is everlasting
…explain how Your dominion endures throughout generations
…speak of how faithful Your words are
…tell how kind You are in all Your works
…share how You uphold all those who fall
…speak of how you raise all those who bow down
…instruct how are eyes are to look to You
…remind how You give food to us in due season
…celebrate how You open Your hand
…bring focus to how You satisfy the desire of every living thing
…sing of how You are righteous in all Your ways
…remind them that You are kind in all Your works
…teach that You are near to all who call on You in truth
…share how You fulfill the desires of those who fear You in reverence
…shine a light on how You hear our cries
…joyously celebrate how You save us
…remind all that You preserve all who love You
…warn the wicked You will destroy them
…speak with my mouth and sing with my voice the praise and adoration of Your ways
…sing and praise Your reputation and character
…boast of Your name and glory
…glorify, shine a light on and celebrate Your ways forever and ever

After reading and journaling all God had for me, I found it interesting that in all 21 verses David spoke of POSITIVE words of affirmation and praise of God (43 praises to focus on.) There was only half a verse at the very bottom that spoke of the negative that can be experienced from those who are against God. That means in that 21 verses of Scripture 98% was focusing on God’s beautiful character and only 2% was reminding of the wrathful side. Is that not a beautiful picture of how we, as Christians, are to fill our speech with an abundance of focusing on God’s goodness, mightiness and amazing ways. Rather than getting stuck on the ugliness and beating lost ones with the terror of what awaits them because of x, y and z, we are to inundate them with praise and adoration of a Mighty God that has done miraculous things in the past for the Israelites and how He’s met us in our own life today. God’s love, faithfulness, goodness, works and mighty deeds are what win people over for Him. We need a God like You in a world that surrounds us with pain, fear and trials. Father I pray that You will remind us daily how to do as You ask us to do…Love on the people You’ve created so they may see a clear and accurate painting of You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Identity In Christ

Posted on January 6, 2016February 2, 2019 by DSilvan

This list of Biblical truths reveals who God made you to be and what you enjoy as a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ. You can’t earn these qualities for they are from the grace of God, a free gift, when you were born into God’s family through faith in Jesus. I encourage you to embrace, own and commit these to memory. Knowing exactly whose you are and the qualities you possess as a child of God will help you grow and mature in your walk with Jesus.

I am a child of God (John 1:12).
I am Christ’s friend (John 15:15).
I am chosen of God, holy and dearly loved (Colossians 3:12).
I am righteous and holy (Ephesians 4:24).
I am holy and without blame before Him in love (Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:16).
I am a temple – a dwelling place – of God (1 Corinthians 6:19).
I am a member of Christ’s Body (1 Corinthians 12:27; Ephesians 5:30)
I am a saint (Ephesians 1:1; 1 Corinthians 12:2; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:2).
I am complete in Him Who is the Head of all principality and power (Colossians 2:10).
I have the right to come boldly before the throne of God to find mercy and grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).
I am alive with Christ (Ephesians 2:5).
I am free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).
I am free forever from condemnation (Romans 8:1).
I am far from oppression, and fear does not come near me (Isaiah 54:14).
I am born of God, and the evil one does not touch me (1 John 5:18).
I have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16; Philippians 2:5).
I have the peace of God that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7).
I have the Greater One living in me; greater is He Who is in me than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).
I have received the gift of righteousness and reign as a king in life by Jesus Christ (Romans 5:17).
I have received the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus, the eyes of my understanding being enlightened (Ephesians 1:17-18).
I have received the power of the Holy Spirit to lay hands on the sick and see them recover, to cast out demons, to speak with new tongues. I have power over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means harm me (Mark 16:17-18; Luke 10:17-19).
I am a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17).
I have put off the old man and have put on the new man, which is renewed in the knowledge after the image of Him Who created me (Colossians 3:9-10).
I am a new creature in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).
I have given, and it is given to me; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, men give into my bosom (Luke 6:38).
I have no lack for my God supplies all of my need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).
I can quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one with my shield of faith (Ephesians 6:16).
I can do all things through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:13).
I show forth the praises of God Who has called me out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9).
I am God’s child for I am born again of the incorruptible seed of the Word of God, which lives and abides forever (1 Peter 1:23).
I am God’s workmanship, His handiwork, born anew in Christ to do His good works (Ephesians 2:10).
I am a spirit being alive to God (Romans 6:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:23).
I am a believer, and the light of the Gospel shines in my mind (2 Corinthians 4:4).
I am a doer of the Word and blessed in my actions (James 1:22,25).
I am a joint-heir with Christ (Rom ans 8:17).
I am more than a conqueror through Him Who loves me (Romans 8:37).
I am an overcomer by the blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony (Revelation 12:11).
I am a partaker of His divine nature (2 Peter 1:3-4).
I am an ambassador for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20).
I am part of a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a purchased people (1 Peter 2:9).
I am the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21).
I am the temple of the Holy Spirit; I am not my own (1 Corinthians 6:19).
I am the head and not the tail; I am above only and not beneath (Deuteronomy 28:13).
I am the light of the world (Matthew 5:14).
I am His elect, full of mercy, kindness, humility, and long-suffering (Romans 8:33; Colossians 3:12).
I am redeemed and forgiven of all my sins and washed in the Blood (Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 1:14).
I am redeemed from the curse of sin, sickness, and poverty (Deuteronomy 28:15-68; Galatians 3:13).
I am delivered from the power of darkness and translated into God’s kingdom (Colossians 1:13).
I have been justified — completely forgiven and made righteous (Romans 5:1).
I have been blessed with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:4).
I am firmly rooted, built up, established in my faith and overflowing with gratitude (Colossians 2:7).
I am called of God to be the voice of His praise (Psalm 66:8; 2 Timothy 1:9).
I am healed by the stripes of Jesus (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24).
I am raised up with Christ and seated in heavenly places, a citizen of heaven (Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 2:12, Philippians 3:30).
I have been bought with a price, I am not my own, I belong to God (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
I am greatly loved by God (Romans 1:7; Ephesians 2:4; Colossians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:4).
I am strengthened with all might according to His glorious power (Colossians 1:11).
I am submitted to God, and the devil flees from me because I resist him in the Name of Jesus (James 4:7).
I press on toward the goal to win the prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward (Philippians 3:14).
For God has not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).
It is not I who live, but Christ lives in me (Galatians 2:20).

Wielding the Same Sword

Posted on January 1, 2016January 31, 2019 by DSilvan

DISCLAIMER: I have been the victim of this AND I have been the perpetrator, too. I stand not in judgment, but lay prostrate in humble submission acknowledging my behavior’s ability to be so ugly at times. What a wretched tent of flesh I live in.

Sometimes my heart just breaks.

Sometimes those wounds are caused through friends.

Many times those pleading their case don’t realize they’re wielding the same sword.

One night 4 years ago, we held a party at our home. We invited our close circle of friends that we study the Bible with and enjoy doing life together. They are our extended treasured family.

We also invited a dear friend Gertrude. Although I love Gertrude dearly, my buttons of irritation go on high alert around her. No matter the situation my filter interprets how she treats me, talks to me, reminds me and instructs me in a derogatory way. I feel I’m treated like I’m 5, yet I’m rounding the corner to 50. The words I hear in my head are “She thinks you’re stupid!” and it drives me absolutely CRAZY! I don’t think her intention is to treat me this way, but I can’t get my mind to stop decoding our interactions this way. Much immediate prayer in the moment is required to help me be loving to her at these times. And many times, I fail miserably.

Have you ever met anybody that loves what they do yet their words seem to create a different picture? I listen in perplexity to Gertrude’s story telling. How the patrons at her volunteer job break all the rules of no food, how volunteer peers just can’t seem to follow the clothing guidelines, how players in her Sports Club are rule breakers and how frustrating it is to “police” all of this. After attentively listening, my unloving quips begin to flow… “Why don’t you stop volunteering at your job or stop being the Rules Administrator for your Club?” When excitedly I’m met with her exclamation, “No way! I love what I’m doing!” I sit and scratch my head trying to understand how someone can love something so much yet focus on only the bad and appear to hate every moment. Interesting. Peculiar. The behavior is the exact opposite of what Scripture says in
Philippians 4:8:

“…whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.”

And yes, I realize at this very moment, I’m guilty of doing the exact same thing. I love my friend Gertrude dearly and yet my focus in these first few paragraphs is on revealing only the blemishes she wears…is it okay if I’m only speaking of it in order to illustrate how God taught me through it? I’m not sure…because He asks me to focus on the good and give Him everything else. Hhm.

Despite these behaviors, I love her. I try hard to accept and understand this about Gerty and this remains to be one of my biggest struggles. I must admit, I did this much better when I was younger. As I get older I wrestle more and more with overlooking these flaws and loving her well like God instructs me to do. Eliminating my sarcastic remarks and responses filled with irritation and intentionally loving this dear widow He’s placed in my life. In an effort to overcome this ugliness in myself, I’ve found it imperative to acknowledge that with these blemishes come many things that are right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. Gerty goes above and beyond to help you out, is generous when someone is in need, runs all over the mountainside to find what you’ve asked for, functions like a workhorse at the age of 79, adores her grandchildren and great grandchildren, and loves to serve in order to make a difference in your life. Gerty will cook, clean, wash laundry, take care of animals, you name it she will do it because she LOVES YOU! She’s a servant at heart. I have no doubt when she stands before Jesus that she will hear “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

Unfortunately, all this good quickly gets overlooked because many people focus on her flaws. They get drained by her innate ability to focus on and speak of the difficulties. Some are wounded by her comments and don’t unconditionally love her well. I get this response because often times I have found myself sitting in this same bed of ruffled feathers. Like I said, without Jesus and His power I would fail all the time.

After our party I was confronted by a friend with a wound that had been inflicted by Gerty. Late one night Julie called saying she wanted to chat. Ugh…by her voice I knew the topic couldn’t be good. I realized a few seconds into our conversation that she had been emotionally hurt by my dear friend Gerty and wanted to talk to me about her.

Apparently Gerty had expressed her extreme dislike, probably more like hatred, for our new Worship Arts leader. Gerty was busy tearing him down and saying how horrible a music leader he was. Stating they had brought this Rock-n-Roller in to our church and he was terrible. Basically, Gerty had nothing nice to say. Gertrude is a traditional Baptist who believes Christian hymns are the only way to worship God. Our new modern and very LOUD music with electric guitars and drums is not worship music. The absence of piano and organs categorizes it as obnoxious noise that hurts her ears. In contrast, Julie, as well as I, adore this worship leader. Julie loves how he brings her into the presence of our Mighty God. She sees him as very gifted and a blessing to our church. Julie’s heart connects to all the songs he fashions for our service. Consequently, her heart was ripped apart by listening to how Gerty was tearing him down. Agreed. I understand completely.

Julie proceeded to tell me that what Gerty did was extremely hurtful by tearing down a person she deeply loved. A person Julie admired. A person Julie had grown to view as family. And, Julie was left feeling at a loss and didn’t know quite what to do.

Not knowing what Julie desired to accomplish through our conversation, I apologized for Gerty. I said I understood how she felt, I’ve felt the same many times before, but what I’ve found over time is I must focus on the goodness of her heart and understand Gerty doesn’t mean to cause harm. Understanding that this learned communication style to speak about the difficulties is something Gerty has done her entire life. She’s set in her ways. Oh don’t think for a minute I’ve mastered this…my husband is the first one to gently remind me GRACE, Denise extend Grace and Mercy.

I apologized again for the pain it caused Julie. I think Julie just needed to process her encounter with someone safe in order to obtain understanding. But I was at a loss for how to proceed. I didn’t know if Julie had any specific desired outcome or if she just needed to be heard and share her burden. I encouraged her to speak with Gerty and share how this encounter had hurt Julie’s feelings. But Julie did not want to do that. I stated that I can’t really “dis-invite” Gerty to my gatherings, but that Julie and her family could choose to not come in the future if it would be too uncomfortable…but I hoped that she would try to understand Gerty, have compassion for Gerty despite her behavior, and see her with God’s eyes.

There was so much else I wanted to say, but I felt it was merely going to inflict more pain…

Like maybe practice what Jesus says in Matthew 18:15-17:

¹⁵“If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. ¹⁶But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

I know if Gerty was approached in love, in private and heard how she’d hurt Julie’s feelings, Gerty’s heart would have been broken and she would have apologized. Devastation would have occurred. Gerty means no harm, she just has no internal monologue filter anymore. I’ve determined as we age beyond our 60’s, we begin reverting to toddler ages and start doing and saying whatever we want without a thought or care in the world. Remember when your kids or nieces/nephews would blurt out embarrassing comments at 3-5 years old and you were MORTIFIED…yeah, just like that! I’ve already begun apologizing to my kids…saying I’m fairly certain I’m going to do these absurd things and I’M SORRY!!!

And, the lesson begins. Unfortunately instead of privately sharing with Gerty how what she said was hurtful, Julie chose to complain to me about what happened…in essence, gossip to a dear friend of the perpetrator. And the pain was perpetuated. Ugh. As humans we get it so wrong majority of the time. Father forgive me when I have done this…I’m sure I’ve done it without realizing.

Once I hung up the phone, tears gently slid down my face. Speaking to my husband as I lay in bed, I shared what just transpired on the phone. I wept because although I get frustrated with Gerty, I want others to love her. I want them to understand her. I want them to have compassion for her. I want them to overlook her flaws and deeply treasure her.

What Julie was so angry and hurt about, the issue that had prompted her to call me…Gerty tearing down our highly esteemed worship arts leader who she loved…was exactly what Julie was now guilty of doing to me in regards to Gerty. In a moment, in a turn of a dime, in a flash of lightening, and in a blink of an eye Julies’ complaint morphed into what she was complaining about. One of my dearest friends was complaining about a woman deeply loved by me, admired by our family, treasured beyond all treasures and truly family to us. Julie was speaking ill of my Gerty, saying what a horrible Christian she was, tearing her down and judging Gerty on her poor behavior. Julie became guilty of the same behavior she called to complain about. How’s that for irony.

Why is it my heart is so ripe for teaching when I encounter pain? This moment taught me to be very careful not to wield the same sword. Many times we judge others in areas that we fall so vastly short. Sometimes we encounter painful situations or sandpaper people because God is placing a mirror up in front of us so we can see ourselves and how our interactions touch others. Be mindful of your ways, be compassionate, show mercy and above all else LOVE. Love covers a multitude of sins.

In hindsight, one thing I will do differently next time is offer to pray with the hurt individual. Why did I neglect this opportunity? Seeking God’s healing during a painful encounter is the only way to find peace. He is the only One who can reveal why things happen the way they do and provide sustaining relief, redeem the situation and restore relationships back to wholeness. Always a work in progress!

Remember, that when we think or say harsh things about ourselves, our loved ones, our neighbors, and even our enemies…God’s heart is broken in a similar fashion. He adores each and everyone of us! He created us in His image. Despite our blemishes and flaws He adores us! He looks beyond our brokenness. He is long-suffering, gracious, merciful and faithful and chooses to focus on and help us to become the beautiful Masterpiece He created us to be.

Invisible Foe

Posted on December 11, 2015January 28, 2019 by DSilvan

As I was floating through this quiet period, I didn’t realize the storm that was brewing. We were heading directly into a battle for our lives and our children’s lives…this time I call our Job experience. Our finances were cut down to 30% of our normal income; we lost our cars; we lost our home after 20+ years of owning; we struggled to hold onto a business which eventually we lost; metaphorically we lost our kids as they went through intense trials and warfare of their own: suicide attempt, homosexuality, drug using, stealing, arresting, NAB (Neighborhood Accountability Board) interventions, court appearances; we encountered marital conflicts over how to deal with issues. There was division in every relationship possible and simultaneously our health was attacked. I was exhausted! I wanted out! This is not what I signed up for! I loved God, read His word, fed His sheep, tried my best to follow Jesus’ ways and yet my life was filled with chaos…wasn’t life supposed to be smooth?

You see God had encouraged me earlier to read Job on my own. So I did. I studied it diligently. Picked it apart. Immersed myself in it. Not knowing what lay ahead in our future. So when I found myself here, I was determined to Praise God through the bad like Job did. It was if God said,

“Denise this is in your future, I’m preparing you, remember to praise me. You can do this. Understand that Satan has requested a time to sift you and I have approved it and I know you will rise to the challenge. Remember, I’ve only given him permission to go so far.”

During this time I worked hard to stay positive, sometimes I soared on eagles wings, while other times I was pulled through the quagmire of mud just trying to hold on to the edge of Jesus’ robe. I wrestled with trust issues with God and searched for His fingerprints in every episode. I continue to mourn over the many losses and grapple with understanding why He felt I could walk His children through these times graciously with unconditional love in the midst of all the judgment and stares. I don’t get His ways, I don’t like that it isn’t wrapped in a perfect beautiful box with a gorgeous bow…you know the elegant box that all are envious of. But I know in my heart that His way is better than the painting I have created…I just need to trust Him more. He has shown me that I am a prodigal. I understand prodigals and He knows exactly what He is doing by giving my children me as a mother. I am a prodigal raising prodigals. I understand them and I will love them despite of all their broken areas. It’s taken a while to get here, but He’s grown my faith immensely during these last 7 years.

After two years of hiding and many attempts to bring me back, I finally accepted a dear friend’s invitation to a Daniel study. The first 3 weeks of the study, He fanned into flame a renewed energy. He once again immersed me into doing two studies. He divinely placed two books out of nowhere to read simultaneously—all 4 intertwined with some aspect of warfare. In His ways, He’s awakened me to the spiritual warfare that has been always present in my life from the time I was little. He’s busy making connections, showing me ways to fight, and surrounding and bombarding me in all directions on this topic of warfare. He’s been placing one verse on my heart repeatedly. Matthew 7:5 “…first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” But what He says to me is “first Denise learn how to fight My way successfully, and then you can help others do the same.” I don’t know what He has planned, but He has physically opened my eyes and everywhere I look I see brokenness, I see spiritual warfare, and I see wounded people unaware of how to fight this invisible foe that is very much present and what steps to take.

I’m so grateful that He’s allowed me to see His activity in my life. Although it’s not usually at that moment, He eventually weaves a thread throughout that helps pull everything into perspective. I’ve realized that He uses a lot of “dual referencing” in my life. Most times it’s not something I’m aware of as a “foreseeing as to what’s down the road” but rather I notice it in an after the fact “oh, that’s why He had me do that study in order to prepare me for this stretch of my journey.” In past experiences, He uses these references to explain through a biblical story why something happened in my life, connecting the dots and bringing everything full circle. Through my life experience He brings those 2 dimensional Bible characters into a real life 3D play with current day participants… my loved ones, enemies and me. I’ve come to understand and accept that I won’t just learn the principles behind the bible stories by merely reading them. God knows I learn best when He allows me to walk them out through a personal experience so that His lessons will be permanently tattooed onto my heart. Amazingly that’s what allows God’s glory to shine brightest because by doing this I can fully understand, gain compassion, drop all judgments, and become a high priest to a wounded soul during their journey that resembles mine. That’s how He brings beauty from our ashes, brings good from our pain, heals the wounds of the afflicted and helps release the captive from their prison.

This brief segment in our journey has not been easy at all. But when someone is training to run a successful race there must be a ton of conditioning and strenuous workouts to build stamina, endurance, and strong muscles. Trust is like a muscle… as God gives me opportunities to exercise my trust in Him, my faith get’s stronger and I’m able to persevere. I’m so grateful for all that He has done, all that He is doing, and eagerly anticipating all that He will do in my life. Look for His fingerprints in your life because He encourages you through them!

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