THE FATHER'S BUSINESS - SYLVIA GUNTER

[MIRIAM JACOB]

THE FATHER'S BUSINESS - LOVE

And now remain these three: faith, hope, and love.
But the greatest of these is love

Listen with your spirit to Romans 8:38-39. "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Your Father made you beautiful and beloved. Beloved one, I bless you with receiving the Father-heart of God and his matchless love for you. His love revealed in you is a gold mine of identity and legitimacy from which to live out your birthright confidently and purposefully. I bless you with the belonging, inclusion, and worth that his love nurtures in you. I bless you with being convinced deep in your spirit that nothing in heaven, earth, or hell can separate you from your Father's love. Nothing in your past, present, or future can take his love from you. I bless you with being sure of his love in your fears and worries, in your problems and pain, in good times and bad. He promises that because of his love, his power, and his blessing upon you, he causes pain and negative things to be transformed into good, and I bless you with deeply abiding in that truth.

Listen with your spirit to John 15:9,11. "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love... I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete."
Beloved one, I bless you with being filled with complete and overflowing joy, knowing that Jesus loves you as his Father loves him. Imagine that! I bless you with experiencing that rich love of your Father. I bless you with deep heart identity as God's very own beloved child, securely loved in his family, calling him "Abba, dear Father." I bless you with seeing in the Spirit realm the gifts, the presence, the hand of your Father, his truth, and the touches of his love all through your life. I bless you with experiencing your Father's faithful love for you, with your heart knowing, feeling, and delighting in the love that your Father expresses to you. I bless you with experiencing that so often that you never doubt your Father's love. I bless you with knowing deeply in your spirit the truth that you are accepted, affirmed, and capable. I bless you with receiving God's love that casts out fear. I bless your spirit with being completely persuaded that nothing can separate you from his love.

God is love. I bless you with being known as a person who is loved by him and who loves him. I bless you with knowing deeply that your Father's favor is upon you, he likes you, he enjoys you, he takes pleasure in who you are today, regardless of what you are doing or have done. I bless you with being secure in your Father's love, having the peace of Jesus in your relationship with your Father. I bless you with receiving his communication of his love to you in a thousand ways. I bless you with creative and unique reminders of your Father's love for you. I bless you with recalling countless times that your Father has been with you, has loved you, has taken care of you, has blessed you. You can do nothing to make him love you more and nothing to make him love you less.

I bless you to love and be loved, to enjoy life and enjoy your Father and be enjoyed by him. Now abide faith, hope, and love, but the greatest of these is love.


I bless you with his banner of love over you.


Taken from Blessing Your Spirit, by Sylvia Gunter and Arthur Burk, Day 36, p. 94, © by Sylvia Gunter, 2005.

Available at www.thefathersbusiness.com

[MIRIAM JACOB]

THE FATHER'S BUSINESS - HOPE

And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love.

Listen with your spirit to Romans 5:2-5. "Our [Lord Jesus Christ] ... through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."

Beloved one, Jesus has brought you into the grace of highest privilege, and you can be full of joy now, in problems, troubles, and trials, because you confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing his glory. The Greek word translated hope means desiring some good and confidently expecting to obtain it. Your victory is in your Father, in spite of opposition, challenges, or suffering that comes to you. Even when expectation delays, when the waiting gets long without fulfillment, you can have the confidence of your Father that he is working good for you. God-given desire leads somewhere: to learning to endure, to developing strength of character, and to confident expectation of seeing the glory of his love for you. This confidence will never disappoint you because how dearly he loves you will never change. The supernatural power of the Holy Spirit is with you to fill your heart with assurance that your Father loves you. That's why as a Father he can tell you gently and firmly, "Be joyful in hope."

Listen with your spirit to Jeremiah 17:7. "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him." And Isaiah 49:23. "Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who hope in me will not be disappointed."

Beloved one, you are in God's waiting room, anticipating and expecting while you are learning the meaning of hope. I bless you with hope when your expectation is delayed. One of the Hebrew words for hope and wait derives from the same root word. The Hebrew words translated hope mean confidence, twisting in labor pains, waiting, shelter, expectation, patience, security, trust, enduring, expectancy, something longed for. When your temptation to hopelessness continues without fulfillment, your Father says that those who wait for him will never be put to shame. The God of hope fills you with all joy and peace as you trust in him. I bless you with overflowing with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit in you filling up what is lacking that you can't humanly do. Your Father's eyes are on those who hope, and I bless you with knowing that he rewards those who hope in him. I bless you with security and safety because your hope is anchored in your Father's love.

Listen to Psalm 62:5-6. "Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken." And 2 Timothy 1:12. "I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day. "

Beloved one, I bless you with rest and quietness in your spirit that come from God. I bless you with a strong sense of standing on a solid rock of God's faithfulness and timing. I bless you with unshakable confidence that your Father is in charge of your circumstances. I bless you with asking your Father the right questions as your gaze is fixed on him. There is never a valley of trouble that he does not intend you to pass through with his wisdom and guidance and grace. I bless you with faithfulness and fruitfulness in the face of circumstances that look hopeless.

Listen with your spirit to Hebrews 6:18-19. "God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure."

Beloved one, your Father cannot lie and will not lie. I bless you with continued faith in his goodness and unmovable hope as gifts from God that produce encouragement. I bless you with perfect understanding in your spirit that he will never change his mind about you. I bless your spirit with running to him as the strong and trustworthy anchor of your soul. I bless you with taking refuge in him so that you hold on to his character and his promises with confidence. I bless you with remaining in the three-fold cord of faith, hope, and love. I bless you with allowing your Father to replace your burden with his faith, your disappointment with his hope, and your doubts with his love. I bless you with offering him a sacrifice of thanksgiving, with singing songs in the night of your soul, with connecting with your Father in a special and deep way as you praise him for his unchangeableness. I bless you with unshakable hope, when everything else is shaken.

I bless you in the name of the God of hope.

Taken from Blessing Your Spirit, by Sylvia Gunter and Arthur Burk, Day 35, p. 91, © by Sylvia Gunter, 2005.

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[MIRIAM JACOB]

Brokenness And Glory, Part 1

Don't miss the weight of these words from God, one phrase at a time. Tell your mind to let your spirit lead in connecting with the Spirit of truth in this passage.

1 Peter 1:3 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead..."
Resonate with the words "living hope through Jesus!" He gave you birth to new abundant life in him. Be blessed as your life in him unfolds daily, one step of faithfulness at a time. Seasons end, new birth happens. It can be confusing, because God doesn't give you neat signposts. He wants you to keep your eyes on him, as Jesus is your living hope. Be blessed with glimpses of God's purpose in it all.

1 Peter 1:4. "...into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade, kept in heaven for you..."
You are an heir to a rich inheritance, all the riches of Christ Jesus. His purposes for you are in his keeping power. They can never die, or spoil, or fade away without fulfilling his heart for you. You are right in the middle of God's process for you. You don't have to settle for God's second best because of somebody else's choices or your own. As you are being who you are in him, you can do what you are supposed to do. You may have disappointments, but your life is his story with depth, adventure, suspense, surprising plot turns, and darkness that Jesus defeated. Be blessed as you understand more of his story that he is writing in your life.

1 Peter 1:5. "...who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time."
God surrounds you with his favor as a shield. You are shielded by his power, so that in every dark thing you've experienced, you can live large and strong. God put you on earth in your exact place for his specific purpose, and you are living in that purpose, even when you don't know it. Your soul may be grumbling and resisting, but you are living the story that God is ready to reveal to you. God is a lot bigger than you expect him to be. He's a lot bigger than your circumstances. He is the God of detail. When you seek his face, he is deeply involved in the small details of your life, but he has a "bigger yes" for you. Your true glory is the revelation of his splendor, revealed in you day by day.

1 Peter 1:6. "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials."
As Jesus is revealed in you, you can rejoice no matter what. The display of his glory often comes through your wounds. Your dark nights showcase by contrast his splendid dawns, your griefs contrast with his glorious joy. In brokenness, God works in you something beautiful, deep, and substantial to offer others. You are developing inner strength as you are being blessed, broken, and given as an offering in your trials. True strength comes from your desperate need of God. You are a joy to him as you offer your true self as a spectacle of his sufficiency. God can't trust a man or woman who hasn't suffered. Paul said he wanted to know Christ and be conformed to the fellowship of sharing his sufferings, knowing there's a resurrection coming (Phil. 3:10).

Be blessed to know that your Father created you for this time, for these very circumstances. He knew exactly what would be happening in your life as you are living it now. He knows the impact for which he is preparing you that still awaits you. Be blessed to live into the purpose for which you were created, in spite of difficult people, through hard circumstances, and through tough challenges. Your purpose is in process. You won't get there overnight. You won't magically wake up with it one morning. But today you are closer than yesterday, and tomorrow you will be closer than you are today. Be blessed in him to know these things and rejoice in him.

Taken from You Are Blessed In The Names Of God, page 71,
© 2008 by Sylvia Gunter.

Available at www.thefathersbusiness.com
________________________________________________

Brokenness And Glory, Part 2

Our son Charley's family were Hurricane Ivan refugees whom we took in. The hurricane and its accompanying tornadoes passed right over his house in south Alabama. The next day he left his family here to go check on their home. As he left, choking back emotion, with me in tears, he said to me, "It'll be all right. And if it's not all right, it'll still be all right." That is a man profoundly at peace in the providence of God.

In your Bible read 1 Peter 1:3-9 slowly, allowing your spirit to connect with the Spirit of truth in this passage. Then continue with this devotional, verse by verse.

1 Peter 1:7. "These have come so that your faith- of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."

Jesus is pleased because he already sees your life as the pure gold he is refining. He sees the real you, the true you, the person he has in mind as he is making you shine like precious gold. You shine to reflect him, not to do for yourself the best that you can do and grit your teeth and merely survive. The walls you build against harsh realities keep your life from being opened up and transformed. God is doing for you something that is more wonderful. He is displaying his praise, glory, and honor in Jesus in you.

God is making eternal precious gold. Look into his face to reflect him. Keep God-referenced, God-oriented. If you lose your connection with his face, you lose your orientation. He is your true north. In finding out where you are and where you are going, orientation is everything. God has written the treasure map of your life, the way to the gold, so let him be the marker that says "You are here." At times that may be all he will give you, just the witness that "I am here." He won't let you see the whole map, but he knows the place in time meant only for you and found by you only at that moment. He inhabits that place and that moment. Wait on him to interpret it and lead you there. Be blessed with real faith that has been tested and proved genuine. Be blessed with faith made strong by Jesus the author and finisher of your faith. Be blessed with the riches of faith that is worth more than pure gold.

1 Peter 1:8-9. "Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls."

Be blessed with trusting love that is certain that God is fulfilling his good purposes when you don't know what he's doing. Be blessed with love that is fully satisfied that he is keeping his faithful word to you, no matter how long it takes or how contrary your circumstances look. Be thrilled with inexpressible and unspeakable joy now, and be blessed with glorious joy that sees you to the other side of your difficult circumstances. Be blessed in the name of the faithful One who is totally worthy of your love and trust. Be blessed with the faith, love, and joy beyond words that believing him brings.

Be blessed in the love of the One
who engraved you on the palms of his hands
from beginning to end, whole and complete (Isa. 49:16).

Taken from You Are Blessed In The Names Of God, page 72,
© 2008 by Sylvia Gunter.

Available at www.thefathersbusiness.com

[MIRIAM JACOB]

Fruitfulness

Listen to God's purposed fruitfulness for you in John 15:16. "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last."

Beloved one, your Father chose you and appointed you to bear the fruit of the nature of his Son within you. The more you abide in him, the more fruit you will bear. His Spirit is working in you his love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Do not be discouraged when you feel that the fruit of your life is barrenness or ugliness. Jesus is the seed of God planted within you. He prunes, feeds, and nurtures you to your full potential of the beautiful fruit of the Spirit and all the full qualities of Jesus in you. You do not produce this fruit alone; he does. Rest in his nature and his power to live through you. He is the Fruit of the Spirit. Every good and perfect fruit is him living his life in you.

Receive this truth in 2 Peter 1:3-4. "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires."

You already have within you everything you need to bear the fruit that remains. In him you can choose to step into those inner qualities commanded in 2 Peter 1:5-7. "For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love." All these are spirit qualities that the Spirit of Christ Jesus works in you with your obedience and active participation. And you have God's promise that you are blessed if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, because they will keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 1:8).

Be blessed as you let your Vinedresser take you through the process to be fruitful. God is tender to give the right amount of sun and rain for the branch that you are. He must fertilize, tend the soil, and prune you for maximum fruitfulness. Be blessed with fruitfulness in his determined and appointed place and time for you. Be blessed in your unique identity, legitimacy, authority, anointing, and birthright in the Spirit of liberty, for with him there is full freedom and fruitfulness. "The fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth" (Eph. 5:9). That's the harvest of the nature of Jesus in you.

Paul poured out his heart for his friends in prayer in Philippians 1:11 that they would bear the fruit of their salvation. That's what the fruit of the Spirit is. Hear him praying this for you. " filled with the fruits of righteousness which come through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God." He prays again in Colossians 1:10. " lead a life worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God."

Receive this promise in Psalm 92:12-15. "The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, 'The LORD is upright; he is my Rock.' "


Be blessed in the Lord,
in whom you flourish and bear fruit even to old age
(Ps. 92:14).


Taken from You Are Blessed In The Names Of God, page 85,
© 2008 by Sylvia Gunter.

Available at www.thefathersbusiness.com

[MIRIAM JACOB]

THE FATHER'S BUSINESS

Seeing the Unseen

Listen to this majestic picture of God in Job 26:14. "These are but the outer fringe of his works; how faint the whisper we hear of him! Who then can understand the thunder of his power?" And 1 Peter 1:8. "Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy."

I bless your softness in the hands of your Father when you don't understand what he's doing. I bless your surrendered heart to look for him when he's not doing what you wanted or expected. Every season has its beauty and is preparation for the next season. In this time of the hiding of his power, take faithful steps of faith and obedience, faith and obedience. Beyond obedience, even when you don't see him, be blessed to love him with joy. Although you don't see him now, be blessed to believe in him and be filled with glorious inexpressible joy... his joy.

Be blessed with eyes to see the fingerprints of his ways in your ordinary days, knowing that he says, "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isa. 55:8-9).

When you know you don't understand and when you think you do, the earth keeps shouting to you that he is completely faithful. He is as faithful as the rain and snow that water the earth and make it bud and flourish and yield seed for the sower and bread for the eater. That's the law of the harvest. He promises that his word to you is like that. "It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it" (Isa. 55:10-11).

As you see seedtime and harvest in the natural realm yield its return every year, come into his courts with praise that you will reap a spiritual harvest as you sow in faith and joy. Worship leads you to rest and trust in his faithfulness, his sovereignty, and his love. Be blessed to see that God is there, increasing your knowledge and experience of himself. Know this: with each place he takes you in those sometimes not-your-first-choice circumstances, he draws you deeper into himself.

Even when you see only the edges of his ways, hear only his small whispers, and cannot understand him, he is the best. Even when he seems to have withdrawn from you, he promises that "you will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands" (Isa. 55:12). Remember that in the spring time when the trees are in blossom and in the autumn time when the leaves are turning brilliant colors. You can celebrate him in the growth points of your journey, even in his faintest whispers. Remember Elijah. God was not in the violent wind, or the fire, or the earthquake, but in the gentle blowing of the still small voice. Be blessed to line up with his still small voice practically and in prayer. Be blessed with an "upgrade" of your image of God, because what you think about him, who he is to you, is the single most important element in trusting him and bearing fruit in every good work (Col. 1:9-13).


Be blessed in the name of the King of the kingdom
he promised to those who love him (Jam. 2:5).


Taken from Prayer Essentials For Living In His Presence, Vol. 2, p. 161-162, © 2000 by Sylvia Gunter.

Available at www.thefathersbusiness.com

[MIRIAM JACOB]

Zephaniah 3:17

Listen to Zephaniah 3:17. "The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." Listen again from the Amplified Bible. "The Lord Your God is in the midst of you, a mighty One, a Savior who saves! He will rejoice over you with joy. In his love he will rest in silent satisfaction. He will exult over you with singing."

Receive your Father's smile today. All the affectionate imagery you can muster is only a dim picture of how he feels about you. You have not yet heard or seen or known the majesty of all his great love. You have longed and ached for a father's embrace, and you have a Father whose heart longs for you. Be blessed as you receive his embrace. Look into his eyes to see him and yourself reflected there. He loves you in the way you were created to be loved. He loves you with his love as strong as death. He has come to overwhelm you with his love. He will pour out over your life everything you need. He has saved the best till now.

One thing is necessary: live at his feet and rest in his presence. Let his peace permeate your mind. Let his love calm your heart. As your Abba delights in his Beloved Son in whom he is well pleased, he delights in you in the same way, because he is in you and you are in him. The prayer of Jesus was "Father, let them know deeply that as you love me, so you love them, they in me and I in you" (John 17:21,26 paraphrased). He loves you beyond anything you deserve or can earn.

Let his love be the foundation of your life, and you will be filled again and again in all the promises he has spoken to you. He wants you to know that you are beloved in the Beloved Son and complete in the finished work of the cross, where he dealt with all sin, wounds, words, and other hurtful things that separate you from his love. God delights in you. There's power in that little phrase. "I am the one God likes." We need to live in this truth: "God LIKES me" today, every day, every moment. That doesn't mean we do everything right, but when we do something wrong, we come to a throne of grace and find mercy to help us in our need. Be blessed as you receive mercy and grace there, that empowering presence of the Spirit to believe the truth and live in it. Allow God to remove all that causes offense.

Coach your soul to let go of the past, the pain, the problems. Turn your back on them as you face your Father. Be blessed with joy and a different peace and a greater rest than you have ever known. Be blessed with refreshing and renewal in his presence, as you pursue all that he has created you for.

Spirit, be blessed in your Father's house where there's a party in your honor, to celebrate you, just as in Luke 15. He is an extravagant Father. Be blessed as he rejoices over you with great gladness. Be blessed in the wonderful sound of the Lord himself exulting over you in happy song.


Be blessed in the name of your Savior
who rejoices over you (Zeph. 3:17).


Take from You Are Blessed In The Names of God, page 121-122, copyright by Sylvia Gunter 2008.

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[MIRIAM JACOB]

You Don't Need an Apology
You Need God

It is inevitable in a fallen world that offenses will come. Each time, we face a choice to nurse unforgiveness and bitterness or receive the offense as an opportunity to grow in God. When we have been wounded, we too often focus on getting fixed, instead of getting more of God! Too many of our prayers are about fixing some person or situation to our satisfaction. God says, "You don't need to fix the person or circumstances. You need Me! Put your hand in Mine! Stay committed to seeing Me in this. I am inviting you to go to a deeper place in My heart."

David gave us a model of how to pray in time of great distress. Read Psalm 63:1-8, written by David while he was in the desert, fleeing for his life either from Saul (1 Sam. 23:14) or from his rebellious son (2 Sam. 15:23,28). We all can put ourselves in David's place, remembering a time when we were in difficulty, and it felt like someone or something was pursuing us to destroy us. Perhaps we are there now, with all the mixed emotions that David must have felt of fear, doubt, anger, and pain at being alienated from someone significant to us.

In his desperate situation, what David prayed for might surprise us. His focus was God, not his dire and desperate circumstances or his broken heart. David did not ask for protection, vindication, a quick resolution, a happy ending, or countless other good ideas and fixes that we would have instructed God to provide. God alone and His covenant-keeping relationship was the centerpiece of Psalm 63:1-8. David's heart was fixed (Ps. 57:7). God's lovingkindness was better than life itself, and David's deep satisfaction was in God and the presence of God, nothing else and nothing more. The nearness of God was his good (Ps. 73:28), and he testified that he was tasting the goodness of God. He could sing in the middle of the dark night of his troubles.

In Acts 4:23-31 Peter and John had just been arrested, jailed, and threatened for speaking and preaching in the name of Jesus. Upon their release, Peter and John went back to God's people and reported what the authorities had said. Study the response of the believers gathered there. They prayed a model prayer. "Sovereign Lord, "you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: " 'Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One. Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus."

Their prayer was focused on their Sovereign Lord and His sure purposes. Of the seven verses, six are taken up with the praises of God, His sovereignty and power. With one sentence, they delivered their adversaries and all offenses into His hands. In one sentence, they requested that God take note of the threats and give them boldness and confidence to speak of Jesus, while God does what He does best-show Himself strong through the name of Jesus. They did not ask for vindication, stage a political action, hold a rally, or even pray for the authorities to act better. They knew that more than getting wrongs righted, they needed more of God on the scene.

In Acts 4:31, God affirmed their prayer and their purity of heart by shaking the place where they were praying, giving them a fresh touch of His Holy Spirit and empowering them with great boldness to speak His word. When they gave up the offense to God, He gave back more.

You may be saying, "But they really did me wrong!" Yes, but when we give up the offense, God gives back more. Offenses carry weight, and an apology never balances the scales. God wants to put His weight on the scale and restore more than what was lost in the offense. God turns the plans of the enemy into good (Gen. 50:20).

With David and the early church tremendous offenses had taken place: rejection, rebellion, lies, abuse, accusation, injustice, and shame. Yet neither David nor the early church nursed and rehearsed the offense. It was not made the centerpiece of their hearts and prayers.

When we are thinking, "They owe me," or "How can I get back at them?" or "When will they get their just recompense?" or "When will they be known for who they are?" the offender still has control of our souls. We are allowing the enemy to plunder and ravage our lives still further. We must pray God-based prayers, not offense-based prayers. We may think we need our offenders to say, "I am sorry. Please forgive me." We do not need the injustice avenged or an apology as much as we need God and what He will give us, far more than they could give us with "I'm sorry." God would say to us, "You don't need an apology. You need Me. You are blessed when men persecute you. Put yourself in My bosom, the place of healing and freedom. I am your very great Reward."

Trust God as a priority. Live in these truths by the power of the Holy Spirit. Get into freedom by the Spirit of truth, because when you know the Truth and live the Truth, He will set you free.


For more on this topic go to "You Don't Need An Apology, You Need God," Prayer Essentials For Living In His Presence, Vol. 1, p. 185-187, © 2000, by Sylvia Gunter.

Available at www.thefathersbusiness.com

[MIRIAM JACOB]

Seeing God's Fingerprints

Listen with your spirit to God's Word. Psalm 66:5 "Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works in man's behalf!"

Beloved one, I bless you with seeing your Father's fingerprints on your life. I bless you with your Father planting reminders of himself and his majesty everywhere around you. I bless you with appreciating that the heavens declare the glory of God and everything around you proclaims the work of his hands. I bless you with remembering and celebrating his mercy and grace in all that touches you. I bless you with knowing that your Father has made everything beautiful for its own time. I bless you as he makes himself known to you more profoundly and intimately. I bless you with deep awareness that he has planted eternity in your heart.

Be in awe that the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end is so incredible. I bless you with knowing that your Father's plans for your life are too numerous to comprehend or even imagine. I bless you with tracing his hand and understanding how particulars fit into his cosmic picture. I bless you with glimpses of his whole design, as his image within you longs to see the beauty of it all, to know the meaning of it all, to discern the ultimate purpose of it all. I bless you with grasping the strategy of heaven, at least in part, but I also bless your spirit to entrust your desire to know into his all-knowing.

I bless you with coming to your heavenly Father, with drawing near with your heart and your spirit to him. I bless you with seeing with fresh perspective what your Father has done for you, the awesome miracles he is doing for you. I bless you with seeing with thanksgiving and gratitude God's working in your life and in your world. I bless you with celebrating the heritage of blessings your Father has invested in you. I bless you with counting your blessings, never ceasing to give glory to God as you were created to do. I bless you with fulfillment in joining the heavenly chorus of worship of your heavenly Father for his character, his availability, his Father-heart, his love, his mercy, and on and on.

I bless you, beloved one, with enlarging your spirit. I bless you with room to breathe free, to become, to grow, to fill the whole frame of God's masterpiece of your life. I bless you with receiving your life from the hand of your Father. His plans are marvelous. I bless you to appreciate your awesome, overwhelming creativity and intricate design and the design of everybody and everything in your world. I bless you with more revelation into the plans and purposes of your Father's heart for you, and in you, and through you, and for others, and for the place and community in which you live. I bless you in the name of Jesus of Nazareth.


Taken from Blessing Your Spirit, by Sylvia Gunter and Arthur Burk, Day 33, p. 86, © by Sylvia Gunter, 2005.

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[MIRIAM JACOB]

Dry Bones Praying

You may be standing in a desperate situation in the battle of a lifetime. You may feel that you are in the darkest storm of your life. You may be the parent of an out-of-control child, and it seems that everything in your world is out of your control. Good news! It is! But God is still in control. El Roi, the God who sees, knows it all and has a plan that he is working out. God will change your prodigal inside out, not just clean up his act.

Once my heart cried with a friend for her wayward young prodigal. My friend said, "We were in a new place of desperation of soul that could only squeak 'Jesus' or 'God, help me' or 'God, do something.' These are incredibly powerful squeaks because of the desperation that throws itself entirely on God." This is the cry from a parent's desperate heart for God to do what only God can do.

God gave the vision of the valley of dry bones to his prophet Jeremiah because his heart weeps over the dry bones of his people, as Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem. The Spirit of God wants to breathe new life into vast areas of spiritual dryness, barrenness, and deadness. I identified with the need of that family and prayed for the barrenness in that young life through Ezekiel's word picture in Ezekiel 37.

This passage can be intensely personal. Take strength and comfort from these prayers. Re-center yourself on God's purposes and promises, and take up new prayer weapons to fight the real enemy, not the person. Ask for a weeping heart of mercy, not judgment, to carry the gift of discernment for repentance. Until you can put your tears and your life on the line for the person, marriage, family, church, city, or nation that needs God, you are not in the position of having the heart and mind of Jesus for them. Open your Bible to Ezekiel 37 and read the verses, crying out to God for your own "dry bones" situations in your family.

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[MIRIAM JACOB]

You Are A Priest - Isaiah 61:6

Did you know the Bible says that you are a priest? The basic functions of priests were to represent God to man to man before God. One of the duties was to bless the people. Our culture doesn't understand blessing as it was practiced in the Bible. The Bible was written in and to a culture that was steeped in blessing - the blessing of shalom, blessing the child with his name, the patriarchal blessing to the sons, the blessing of God for his people, the blessing of Jesus, of the disciples, of the early church, of Peter, Paul, and James.

In the New Testament the priestly functions are transferred to all believers, and we are a royal priesthood (1 Pet 2:9). We have authority and privileges as priests. Through Jesus we have the right to come into the holiest place in worship. We are called to offer spiritual sacrifices of praise and prayer (1 Pet 2:5), abiding in his presence, drawing near to him and dwelling in him, and he in us.

In the Bible, blessing flows three ways: from God to people, from people to God, and from person to person. Because Jesus is in us, we can pass on to his people the blessings of his heart for acceptance, identity, meaning, affirmation, legitimisation, and God's good purposes.

Here's a blessing for your spirit in your identity as priest.

Isaiah 61:6 promises, "You will be called priests of the LORD and ministers of your God." And in Revelation 1:6. "[Jesus] has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father. To him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen."

When Jesus died on the cross, the veil of the holy of holies was torn from top to bottom. Now the awesome privilege of access to the inner court belongs to all believers. You may boldly come into the holy of holies to praise, worship, adore, and glorify your Father. Be blessed with knowing your free access to him. Receive the words of 1 Peter 2:5 and 9. You are a priest and minister to God. That is your duty and your privilege as a member of the royal priesthood. Be blessed in drawing near to him, abiding in his presence, and dwelling in him, and he in you, as you offer spiritual sacrifices of praise and prayer.

Be blessed as you minister to God in the secret place where he releases his heart to you. Be blessed as you seek him intimately and experience all of who he is. Be blessed to worship and adore him, being joyfully, willingly submitted to the One you love. Be blessed to meet him in complete surrender of all you are. Be blessed to draw near as the Spirit of the Lord abides in you, indwells you, rests on you, and anoints you.

Be blessed as you represent God to others by releasing his heart of blessing to your world. By standing in the gap in prayer, faith, intercessory living, and blessing, you open the door for restoration for yourself and your family. You are an instrument of renewal and rebuilding of generations of desolation and ruin. As God moves upon you, you can bless and minister to others, so that God can convict, woo, love, and reconcile them. He will make all things new and glorify himself as he ministers through you, and the glory of the throneroom puts its stamp on all you are and do in his name

You are blessed to be a blessing. Be blessed to speak deeply personal words of acceptance, identity, meaning, affirmation, and legitimacy. Be blessed to envision God's special future for others as they come into the fullness of all he made them to be. Be blessed to let God's presence and blessing flow through you to his glory and praise. Be blessed as you sow to the Spirit, and you will reap the things of the Spirit, for the one who sows to the Spirit reaps life. Be blessed in the Spirit of life (Rom. 8:2).

Be blessed in the name of Jesus, your High Priest (Heb 3:1; 9:11).

Taken from You Are Blessed In The Names Of God, page 193. © 2008 by Sylvia Gunter.

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[MIRIAM JACOB]

My Beloved Child,

I am writing you today to let you know I am thinking of you. Actually, I am always thinking of you, because you are the apple of my eye. I created you unique and special. There has never been anyone else in the history of the world like you, and there never will be again. You are perfectly accepted in my beloved Son. You are never alone. You are hidden under the shadow of my wings. As you start your day today, I want to remind you that you are who you are because of who I am.


You are secure.
Deut. 33:12 Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long...
I am your defender and defense.
Zech. 9:15 NKJ The LORD of hosts will defend them.

Your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Col. 3:3 ... your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
I am your hiding place.
Ps. 32:7 You are my hiding place...

You are lifted out of the depths.
Ps. 30:1 You lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
I am your burden-bearer.
Matt. 11:30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

You are clean.
John 15:3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.
The blood of the Lamb cleanses you from sin.
1 John 1:7b The blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

You are refined by fire.
1 Pet. 1:6-7 ... your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-
I am your God, a consuming fire.
Heb. 12:29 Our God is a consuming fire.

You are my handiwork.
Eph. 2:10 We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus...
I am your Creator.
Ecc. 12:1 Remember your Creator in the days of your youth...

You are encouraged.
2 Thes. 2:16-17 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts...
I am your comforter.
Is. 51:12 I, even I, am he who comforts you.

You have a place prepared for you.
John 14:2-3 In my Father's house are many rooms... I am going there to prepare a place for you.
I am your dwelling place through all generations.
Ps. 90:1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.

You are a friend of God.
John 15:15 I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.
I am your friend.
John 15:14 You are my friends if you do what I command.

You have rest in me.
Mat. 11:28-30 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ... you will find rest for your souls."
I am God of stillness.
Ps. 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God.

You know all things work for good.
Rom. 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God...
I am good.
Ps. 100:5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever...

You abide in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
2 Cor. 13:14 May the...fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
I am the Holy Spirit.
Eph. 2:13 You were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.

You are mine.
Is. 43:1 Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
I am the I AM.
Ex. 3:14 "I AM WHO I AM ... say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'"

You are an heir of all things.
Gal. 4:7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.
I am your inheritance.
Eph. 1:11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance...

You are not lacking wisdom.
Jam. 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally... and it will be given to him.
I am your teacher.
Ps. 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go...

Your days are ordained by me.
Ps. 139:16 Every day ordained for me were recorded in your book before one of them came to be.
I am the keeper of your times.
Ps. 31:15 My times are in your hands...


With love from,
your Abba

Taken from Revealing The Treasures, an A-to-Z list of 455 pairs of Scripture revealing who you are, side-by-side with who God is. Each pair of truths asserts who you are because of who he is.

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[MIRIAM JACOB]

Matthew 1:23. "The virgin will be with child
and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" which means "God with us."


Jehovah-Shammah

Listen with your spirit to Ezekiel 48:35. "And the name of the city from that time on will be: 'THE LORD IS THERE.' "

Jehovah-Shammah is a compound covenant name of God used in the Old Testament. Ezekiel ministered to the exiles in Babylon after Judah had been punished for sinning against God. The prophet foretold the restoration of the political, social, economic, ecological, and spiritual state of all the tribes of Israel. This will result in the reconstruction of the temple, the restoration of priestly service, and the habitation of God once again among his people as his glory fills the temple.

The last phrase of the book of Ezekiel is "THE LORD IS THERE." God intended this reality for man from the time of the Garden. Adam and Eve had the presence of God with them as he enjoyed their company. The religious history of mankind is the story of trying to get back to God's design, or else manufacturing our own religious days, ceremonies, books, buildings, programs, songs, etc. God wants us to rediscover the simplicity of the Garden, where his children enjoyed his presence without man-made filters.

Beloved one, I bless you with a heart that says that your Father's presence is indispensable to your life and fulfillment and joy and peace. I bless you with passing the test of faithfulness in longing for and pursuing the perspective and presence of God. I bless you with pursuing the presence and favor of your Father more than the comforts of life.

I bless you with knowing that God is there for you at all times. He is there as Abba-Father, when you need fathering. He is there as the Answer for your uncertainty and questions. He is there for you as your Defender and Deliverer when you feel attacked. He is there as your Faithful Friend when you feel alone. He is there as God of love when you feel unloved and need a hug. He's there for you as mercy and grace when you are too hard on yourself or others. He is there for you with hope when you are discouraged and want to quit. He is there for you, never-failing and the same, even when you are fickle and faithless. He is there as quieter of the storm for conflicts and fears within your soul. He is there as true satisfaction when you've tried everything but him. He is there as true riches when you are tempted by the world's allure. He is there as way-maker when there seems to be no way out.

I bless you with proving him true, over and over again. I bless you with being certain that he is covenantally committed to being true to his names and attributes by which he has revealed himself to you. I bless you with never living a minute without realizing that your Father is there, that Jesus is Immanuel, God with you, and that no need or desire of yours can strain his resources or his willingness to give you his very best.

Be blessed in the name of Jehovah-Shammah,
God who is always there with you.

Taken from Blessing Your Spirit, by Sylvia Gunter and Arthur Burk, Day 11, p. 131, © by Sylvia Gunter, 2005.

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[MIRIAM JACOB]

Expect God's Favor

Psalm 5:12 "For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield." And Job 10:12 "You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your providence watched over my spirit."

Precious one, know the assurance of your Father's blessing, his presence, his favor, and his surrounding grace. Who you are and everything you have is the result of his favor. He is your sun and shield, and his honor validates you (Ps. 84:11). Your Abba wants to take you as his precious child right up next to his heart today. He will keep you close and make his face shine on you and be gracious to you (Num. 6:24-25). Your Father smiles on you today with his compassion and his full blessing as you seek him (Isa. 30:18). He has written this day of your life in his book. He knew you before you were born (Ps. 139:16). You are constantly on his mind (Ps. 139:17-18).

Be blessed to know that your Father's providence goes before you to provide for your every need. He is with you to strengthen you and keep you from harm (1 Chron. 4:10). Be blessed as his favor rests on his appointed work through your hands (Ps. 90:17), because his purposes and power for you are great.

Precious one, you need favor with your authorities whom God has placed over you and with those in decision-making positions (Ezra 7:27; Neh. 1:11). His Word says, "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases" (Pro. 21:1). Be blessed as God breaks through all hindrances and uses all concerned with you to fulfill his will on your behalf.

Let your Abba protect your emotions, as he surrounds you with the shield of his presence (Ps. 5:12). He promises that weeping may endure for a night, his anger is but for a moment, but joy comes in the morning, and his favor lasts for your lifetime (Ps. 30:5). He keeps you today in the favor of his love and faithfulness (Pro. 3:3-4). He withholds no good thing from you as you live before him blamelessly (Ps. 84:11).


Be blessed in the name of the One who rejoices today in doing you good - (Jer. 32:41).


Taken from You Are Blessed In The Names Of God, page 50,
© 2008 by Sylvia Gunter.

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[MIRIAM JACOB]

Be Still, My Daughter

Sit still, my daughter. Ruth 3:18 NKJV

My personal paraphrase of Ruth 3:18 is precious to me. God spoke to me and said, "Sit still, My daughter, the apple of My eye, waiting as long as it takes, until you learn (know, perceive, understand, discern, and distinguish as truth) how the matter, thing, question, or cause will turn out, because surely the Man Christ Jesus, your Kinsman-Redeemer, will not by any means be idle, or silent, or have any peace until He finishes His purposes, working until the job is done, in His eternal now."

Will you take the challenge to "Be still and know that I am God?" Will you take some time to sit and quiet your soul before the Lord? Ask God how He wants to meet you in His presence. Meditate on these "be still" verses.

Be still and see the salvation of the Lord. Exodus 14:13-14

Be still by the side of the Lord. Exodus 33:21

Be still so you won't miss the great things God is doing. 1 Samuel 12:16, Job 37:14

Stand still and see the deliverance of the Lord. 2 Chronicles 20:17

Be still. It's the antidote to fretting. Psalm 37:7

Be still and know He is God. Psalm 46:10

Be still before the Lord. Zechariah 2:13a

Let Jesus rebuke your storms, "Peace, be still." Mark 4:39


Taken from Prayer Essentials For Living In His Presence, Vol. 2, p. 81-82, © 2000 by Sylvia Gunter.

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[MIRIAM JACOB]

Remember Whose You Are

He is Jehovah-Jireh (provider).
Genesis 22:14 Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide.
You can be sure he sees and knows your every need.
Matt. 6:8 Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

He is Jehovah-Rophe (healer).
Ex. 15:26 I am the LORD, who heals you.
You are being renewed.
Isa. 40:31 ... those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength...

He is Jehovah-Shalom (peace).
Jdg. 6:24 ... and called it The LORD is Peace.
You have life and peace.
Rom. 8:6 ... to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

He is Jehovah-Nissi (banner).
Ex. 17:15 Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my Banner.
You are led in Christ's triumph.
2 Cor. 2:14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ...

He is Jehovah-Rohi (shepherd).
Ps. 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd...
You are his well-tended sheep.
Ps. 100:3 We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

He is Jehovah-Tsidkenu (righteousness).
Jer. 23:6 This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.
You are free from the law of sin and death.
Rom. 8:2 Through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

He is Jehovah-Shammah (THE LORD IS THERE, Eze. 48:35)
Mat. 28:20 Surely I am with you always...
You are continually with God.
Ps. 73:23 Yet I am always with you...


Stop and allow these truths to sink deep into your spirit. You may "know" these Scriptural facts, but now really receive their truth deeply in your spirit where your legitimacy, identity, significance, and birthright are defined by God.

Remember whose you are... and who you are in him!

Taken from Revealing The Treasures, an A-to-Z list of 455 pairs of Scripture revealing who God is side by side with who you are in him. Each pair of truths asserts who you are because of who he is.

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