Category: Living In Him

PRAY Until Something Happens – 2016

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PRAY Until Something Happens – 2016Today I pray for our families. I pray that the fathers will live a life of purity and accountability with God. That they would be examples to our children and teach them how a young man should cleanse his way. That husbands would love their wives and uplift them. I pray for mothers that we would parent our kids with grace and love. That every word that comes out of our mouth would be in tone and content how the Lord would want us to speak. That as wives we would learn to honor and respect our husbands in word and deed.

Let our children experience the tangible presence of God so intensely that their destiny will be thrust into place. Let them walk in purity and holiness with a passion for You. Thank you that there is NO Jr. Holy Spirit. And greater things will be released through them this year. Let us and our children lay hands on the sick and see them healed, that the blind will see and the deaf will hear, the dead will be raised. No disease is impossible for Jesus to heal!!! HIS BLOOD PAID FOR EVERYTHING.

Most importantly that God would be the center of our homes that we would to walk and talk with Him throughout the day and allow His voice to direct our steps. That we would serve each other and the body of Christ with a willing heart. So the world will see Jesus in us THE HOPE OF GLORY and come to His loving arms. Father God come and move in our country. We lift you up and magnify your Holy Name. The name that is above all names. Come and stir your church to walk, talk and be your hands and feet to the world. Let the trembling that is felt in the spirit break forth demonstrations of your glory in a powerful way. Let health and wholeness which is our spiritual birthright be released over us that we might walk in your power and might. Jesus you have already won every battle! You are our captain and we stand at attention in your army.

Use us Lord, let us be a light in this word. You said if I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me. Let us see this year every prodigal return, every hardened heart softened and salvation and restoration come to our loved ones. Thank you Father that greater is He that is within us than he that is in the world. We are MORE than Conquerors because of the blood of Jesus. And NO WEAPON FORMED AGAINST US SHALL PROSPER!! HALLELUJAH AND AMEN!!

 

Keys to a close relationship 

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I have walked through the image on this picture so many times in the last 15 years of marriage. The first thing that happens when something is wrong is to clam up and not share what is really going on. We think the other person is going to just know what is wrong and change. Seriously? That never happens! What does happen is we are filled with anger, resentment and frustration. The wedge between us becomes wider and the angry giant is fed.
Relationships require humility & thinking of someone else before ourselves. In this case it means taking out the scalpel and digging into the deep parts of our heart even if it hurts us and possibly the other person. Transparency is the first step of reconciliation. Transparency with God and with our spouse. If it is too hard to take the first step then we must go to God first before we go to someone outside the problem. God is the best counselor, but too often we don’t trust him enough to take care of us. In our society we want everything microwave fast, even wisdom and counsel. We will spend time talking to a friend or counselor before we talk to God. He is Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and PRINCE of PEACE! Allow the Prince of Peace into your marriage and relationships then allow yourself to open up and share what is on your heart. In most cases the other person will open up and share what was bothering them and reconciliation will come!
This year, lets see 2016 bring together husband and wife, father/mother & children, siblings, relatives, friends and coworkers. Lets allow the love of the Father to penetrate every relationship and bring a revelation of unity to the world. Happy New Year!!  

The Angel in My Daughter’s Room

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We experienced this picture the other night. Elicia gets asthma when she has a cold and this one really has hung on for a while. A couple nights ago she was coughing all night, finally I got up at 4am to check her breathing, she would take a breath and then cough. I set up the nebulizer, woke her up and sat with her to giver her a treatment. During the treatment in her dark room I saw the brightest light out of the corner of my eye. I thought was that what I thought it was? God spoke very clearly and said, “The Angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear me. I have my eye on Elicia.” It wasn’t till last night when I was tucking Elicia in bed that she opened up and told me she didn’t want another bad dream like she did the night before. She said she dreamed that a burglar broke in to our house and came up to her bed and put a mask over her face so she couldn’t breathe. She said she could hear and feel her in her dream. Then I smiled and told her about the angel I saw in her room last night and what God told me about watching out for her. She smiled so big and I prayed for her again. No weapon formed against us shall prosper! 

I love this song from Fred Hammond, “No Weapon”. It is a powerful reminder of God’s truth and promise of protection 

 

Recipe for Peace- whats on Your newsfeed?

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If you spend any time watching the news or way too long looking at your newsfeed, than you know it is getting crazy out there. Dwelling on what is going on in the world without balancing by taking time resting in God’s presence and reading the Bible will lead to unnecessary anxiety. One of the last things my Grandpa David Hjertstedt told me before he died was to always keep my eyes open to what is going on around the world so I know how to interceed. He lead a long life of sacrifice and service to God while interceeding 24/7. He would lay on his bed all night weeping and groaning for the world to come to salvation. He taught my family and thousands of others to always have a pulse on the world and keep our ears open to what the Spirit of the Lord was saying. 

To be honest, lately, I have gotten out of balance. With all that is happening with ISIS, the Middle East and the lack of godly leadership coming from the White House my heart and mind and been overwhelmed. My source of peace has been right there but I did not turn to Him.  Today, I began looking up verses on Peace. While I read them it was like the Word slapped some sense back into me. We have to keep both eyes on Jesus Christ who is the salvation of our world, while looking at the world He holds in His hands. When our eyes are only on the world and where it is  heading we are willingly allowing anxiety, stress and fear enter our heart and spirit. The last thing you want is for a door to be left open to the enemy. CLOSE THAT DOOR IN JESUS NAME!! Repent for opening the door. Close the Door of fear! Close the door of worry! And Close the Door of doubt! Do not allow your good intentions of being alert to what is going on so you can pray, to be turned into an open door where the enemy can take advantage of your sensitive heart. 

Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” 

  
We need to make sure we let God carry the burdens while we walk side by side with Him carring His yoke. 

  
So my encouragement to you today is to stop watching/listening to the news for a while and set your focus on Him. Fill your facebook newsfeeds with scripture and encourage others where they can find true peace. Are we being a testimony of peace or are we only stirring fear? Never stop sharing truth of what is really going on in the world because too many people feel better with their heads in the sand. THAT IS NOT AN ACT OF BEING VIGILANT! Some Christians think that getting into politics or world affairs is not a position of peace, but in reality it is exactly what Jesus encouraged us to do. 

1 Peter 5:6-9 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 

We need to be ambassadors of PEACE! We need to hold up the banner of Peace, Truth and Righteousness. There is an old song I remeber and the chorus goes “For the captain of the Host is Jesus. We are following in His footsteps. No foe can stand against us in our land!”

PRAY -BE ALERT & AWARE- SPREAD PEACE – SHARE THE SALVATION THAT ONLY COMES THROUGH JESUS CHRIST!  

Thank you Starbucks for the reminder

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This is the message every Christian should be spreading this Christmas season. Not the stupid “up in arms” message that some evengelist is trying to get out there about being offended that Starbucks isn’t decorating thier cups for Christmas this year.

Seriously, you think God cares if there are Christmas decorations printed on a disposable cup? In the next few months I encourage you to pray for every person you see holding those cups, that they would have a personal encounter with Jesus. That they would know, it is the Blood of Jesus that SAVES them, DELIVERS them from the power of the enemy, and HEALS every sickness and disease. So Thank You Starbucks for reminding us what the Christmas story is really about! 

#BloodOfJesusThankYouStarbucks

  

Time to Shake off those Grave Clothes – HOPE

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There are many times in our life where we want a quick solution and way out. We hate walking through the pain or watching others walk through their own difficulties. God gave me this verse this morning, but it was not what I wanted to hear. I wanted a quick fix and a solution. But when I looked again at the verse I saw the revelation He is teaching me. He wants to guide me in truth, in the Hebrew the word truth here is ba-a-mit-te-ka and means: faithfulness and reliability. If God came to our rescue right away, every single time we would have no reason to have faith. He does not hold out on us to intentionally bring pain but to show us we can always rely on him no matter what, that he will always be here. 
Dont forget what Mary and Martha went through, they thought their brother was Lazarus was dead and gone for good…BUT JESUS WHO IS RICH IN HIS MERCY…. Came and commanded the Dead to Life. Jesus wants to come to you today and command the dead things in your life that you thought would never come to pass TO ARISE!! It is time to shake off the grave clothes and look to your salvation because HE is here. HAVE HOPE AND WAIT UPON HIM WITH EXPECTATION!!! 

http://www.livelifeoutloudforgod.com 

 

My favorite song for seasons like this is Hopes Anthem by William Matthews. I hope it blesses you as it does me!

You can get his album here, it has blessed me like no other

http://www.amazon.com/Hopes-Anthem-William-Matthews/dp/B0055V0HUC

What will push you to the edge today?

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What are you going to do today that pushes you to the edge? FAITH at times feels like taking a long walk off of a short cliff and jumping into the abyss. We are not alone, no matter what we are going through. Jesus is going to be there watching over us as we take that leap of faith. Even in the little things, his strength is made perfect in our weakness. Time to get this day started and not be afraid to take a leap!
(I thought this pic was photo-shopped but it is at Jacobs Well in Wimberley, TX

http://www.amazingandweird.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Jacob’s-Well-Texas’-World’s-Most-Dangerous-Diving-Spot.jpg)

  

How to teach our kids to make wise godly decisions 

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HOW TO TEACH OUR KIDS TO MAKE WISE GODLY DECISIONS. This verse arrested me this morning. I have been seeking God about something for one of my kids and God told me to turn to Hosea 10. Nothing hit me until I got to Verse 12 then it was like the Fourth of July went off in my spirit- there is more to the story that I will continue very soon.
What I can say now, is that I am so thankful we have taught our kids how to hear the voice of God. It is in times like this where God is directing my 12 year old’s path and even talked to my son before he talked to us his parents. Our conversation about this totally took us by surprise. We are teaching our son that having the feeling or a sense is not the only way we go about making decisions. When we feel like God is talking to us there are many confirmations we need to get before we make major decisions in our life. Even though he had a couple vivid dreams about this situation and really wanted to do it, we told him we need to dig in a little deeper to God’s heart and get confirmation in other ways. 🚦

1. We asked him if he had prayed about it. Yes, sincerely🙏🏻

2. Did he ask for advise from parents and pastors? 👍🏻Yes from us and he went on his own to talk to his pastor yesterday, which was easy because it is his (Papa) Grandpa Hjertstedt. The cool part was that we didn’t even tell him to do this, he did it on his own 😍

3. What confirmation has he seen in the Bible? 🔦 he hasn’t come to this part himself but the verse below did it for me. Reading it and studying its meaning gave me confidence and peace. Now I will ask him to see what God says to him from the Bible.

Colossians 3:16 Let the word spoken by Christ the Messiah have its home in your hearts and minds and dwell in you in all its richness, as you teach and admonish and train one another in all insight and intelligence and wisdom in spiritual things, and as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, making melody to God with His grace in your hearts. – Amplified

4. Is there an open door for the desired decision to happen? 🚪Need to knock and find out.

5. Provision? Is the financial part working out?💸 “If it is God’s WILL it is God’s BILL .” says my dad, Joel Hjertstedt

6. Do you have peace? Do your parents and pastors have peace? ✌Yes

Colossians 3:15 And let the peace (soul harmony) which comes from Christ rule (act as umpire) continually in your hearts deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state to which as members of Christ’s one body you were also called to live. And be thankful appreciative, giving praise to God always.   -Amplified

Unfortunately, I know many adults who have never learned this process of making a wise godly decision. It breaks my heart and I hope this blesses you to see how we can go about making a decision and know we have followed God’s heart and lead down his path.

Here is a link to Joyce Meyers article about making good decisions. Definitely a confirmation.

https://www.joycemeyer.org/articles/ea.aspx?article=following_peace_to_make_the_right_decisions

Hosea 10:12 Sow for yourselves according to righteousness uprightness and right standing with God; reap according to mercy and loving-kindness. Break up your uncultivated ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, to inquire for and of Him, and to require His favor, till He comes and teaches you righteousness and rains His righteous gift of salvation upon you. (Amplified version)


CHURCH OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA! DON’T LOSE HOPE…THIS IS YOUR FINEST HOUR SAYS THE LORD…

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I just read Lana Vawser’s word after posting the following on a friends post. HOPE IS THE KEY WORD – do not give up your intercession. Our responsibility of standing in the gap has only increased.
We can either be stirred up in anger and hatred or there are those of us who are stirred up with a righteous indignation at the sin and spirit of immorality that is being welcomed and celebrated in our nation. The feelings some prophetic intercessors feel is one of a heavy burden for our country because we know without a Divine move of the spirit across our land it is only going to get worse.
“If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face, then I will hear from heaven forgive their sin and heal their land.”
When you see prophetically with eyes and ears of the spirit, just like the prophets who wrote the OT, you can see the blessings and the curses at the same time. That is why you may be hearing the “doom and gloom” from religious leaders. It is a very hard thing to process knowing the consequences of curses. There are always blessings and the potential of outpouring that God wants to release and has promised He will release. But at the same time, He will not force Himself on anyone with the intention of forcing their will. In America there are millions who are crying out to God and I believe revival is in each of our hearts and is our responsibility to release the kingdom on Earth. God is coming and will continue to pour out his Spirit and glory like the waters cover the sea- in a way that we have only dreamed about.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. We need to cry out to God for a miracle that our next leader is one who will stand for righteousness and put people into office who will do the same. We can clearly see what happens when leaders have a goal of destroying the moral fabric our nation was founded on. I believe the next move of the spirit has to do with God’s people’s hunger and desperation, just like it has done in the past. If we do not intercede through the eyes of Hope we will only focus on the negative. We can declare and release blessings over our country, while at the same time humbling ourselves and repenting for the sins of our country. Sometimes feeling schizophrenic because you carry excitement and hope while at the same time understanding the results of a society when sinful choices are made. Perspective and balance and eyes of hope. Our eyes need to be steadfast on Him while being those who stand in the gap on behalf of our land. If we all saw the world through Rose colored glasses, as many do, denying any possibility of evil or the consequences of sinful lifestyles, we would never have anything to stand in the gap for. We would think, everything is going to be just fine. There would be no urgency and fire to prophetically declare and intercede. We need the balance of rest, trust and hope as well as a fire in our bones to boldly approach the Throne of Grace and intercede on behalf of our land.