Courage and joy: two words I ask you to carry inside you throughout the most difficult circumstances, the darkest times when you don’t understand My answers to your prayers.

I am beside you at those moments, even closer than I was when you were carefree.

Sometimes the devil does things that I have to allow so that this world will run it’s course and good will play out against evil. Other times, I put roadblocks up just when you thought things were okay, to grow your trust in Me, to develop your character.

Lean on Me in either circumstance. I am your constant guide. I will never put you in a position where the pain will be too great to bear.

Look up, My precious child. Let Me see your face. Let Me fill you with the courage and joy to face any and all circumstances.

Courage and joy.

Remember those two words today as you go out in the world. Find them in Me.

Isaiah 55:12, New King James Version:

“For you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace; the mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before You, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.”

I have an investment in you, such a huge investment in you. One of time, love and sacrifice.

You are familiar with the Sacrifice, but not the pain and suffering behind it. The pain you feel over losses, even the loss of a beloved child can not compare to ours.

Jesus was a sinless child Who chose to love even those who reviled Him, those who drove the nails into His hands, those who tore His flesh with whips with metal barbs at the end. He allowed the separation from Me during that time so that He could bear all the weight of the world’s sin on Him, the sinless One. He knew there was no other way to conquer evil than for the sinless One to bear everyone else’s sin.

And I chose to let My precious Son, of whom I was so proud, endure it. I had to separate Myself from Him in order to allow it to happen. I could have destroyed the whole world at that moment, but Our love for you and humanity was so intense that I chose to allow My Child, My only begotten Son, to die so that one day you could live in a sinless perfect world where all sadness will be gone.

Yes, I have an investment in you. One that I will always cherish and protect.  

Look for the nail scars. Search for them. They will always be there as a reminder of My investment in you.

Isaiah 53:6-7, New King James Version:

“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter”

It was Me all along.

The one you envisioned being beside you, sitting and walking with you. I’m not saying you do not or will never have an earthly partner to walk and sit beside you, but that I have always been there, and when you dreamt of the one, it was Me.

I want you to know, particularly today, how much I love and adore you. I feel the heaviness in your heart.

Come and let Me hold you against My chest. I will be your El Shaddai today, pushing the cares of the world away and just for the moment, our moment, I can make you forget all the pain and sadness in this life because I know how frightened you are.

Oh dear one, please know that although this door seems closed, it is not. Just trust Me during this time. You thought you were on the right path with your plans. It will come in My time. Trust Me for the answers. I want you to take care of other things first.  

Don’t be frightened, dear one. Trust in Me. You are not alone, now or ever. I will not let you fall.

Your burdens are heavy, but My arms are strong. Strong enough to create the universe, and strong enough to carry it in My arms. Strong enough to hold and comfort the child I have chosen as Mine.

We will get through this, too, beloved one. Just hang on. The ride is not over.  

It is just beginning.

Psalms 9:10, New King James Version:

“And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.”

Did I not show you My love in a direct way recently? Do you still continue to doubt not only My presence in your life, but My very existence, as well?

I know what lingers in the back of your mind, and it hurts, beloved one. The devil will send you these types of messages constantly. When you stay tuned into Me, you shut them quickly out, but when you are weak, you allow them to linger, causing a deadly cancerous growth that, if unchecked, will take over your body and your mind.

Beware of these things. Shut them out. Shut him out. He is the author of sin and pain, yet the wily one comes bearing gifts, looking kind, compassionate and wise. He robs people of their faith and trust in Me.

Consider the reality of what is going on. I love you more than you can understand, even sending My Son to die a cruel death on the cross so We would overcome evil, and I could have you with Me. Yet you are listening to the one who started this pain and suffering thousands of years ago and who only wants to separate us so that you will die. He wants to take as many people with him as he can.

You have chosen Me. When one of those negative thoughts come to your mind, immediately shut them out and say “I choose You, Lord!”

The stakes are high and the battle is real. Be ever aware.

John 17:15-16, New King James Version:

“I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.”

Are you facing a “lion’s den” today? Are you afraid of the outcome?

You never need to be afraid, dear one, for I am with you. If you ask, the whole Wonder Team surrounds you. Not just the three of us Big Guys, but a score of angels!

We are your defense team, a mightier one never seen. Nothing can prevail against us.  

Watch for the miracle to happen, one you never even thought about. So walk into your situation with your head held high.

Or is it pain, so unbearable you think you can’t handle it? That same Wonder Team is there, surrounding and comforting you. There is joy and peace on the other side. 

You will never be alone, My beloved child. Never. I have promised you that, and I have shown you that. Your deepest thoughts and fears are in the front of My mind. My pain for them and for you is greater than what you feel. I understand and I know.

Together we can conquer and overcome anything. There is joy on the other side.

Isaiah 54:17, New King James Version:

“No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me,” says the Lord.”

Ever since you first came to Me I have filled you with a longing for My presence. My Holy Spirit has entered in and found a home in your soul.

Every day you say, “I choose You!”, He settles in to guide and direct you, prompting you to say or do things that are in My plan for your life.

He is My secret tool, the One everyone who comes to Me needs and receives. He prepares the heart of the most hardened atheist and the greatest skeptic and moves them to wonder at My creation, to have guilt for their actions, and to seek Me in the crucified and risen Christ.

He is the beginning of salvation in a sinner’s heart, My right hand.

You don’t need to know or study much about Him, just know He is there inside you when you ask for My presence and guidance.

The team of “Us” have got you covered, My beloved one. You never need to fear.

Romans 5:5, New King James Version:

“Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

As snow falls so tenderly from the heavens, so My love gently falls on you, caressing you with little drops of love notes to let you know you are cared for.

Oh, so gently they land on you and around you, little stimuli to encourage and guide you until you are totally surrounded and covered. 

Do not shake off this wonderful cascade. Let these little messages from Me absorb into your body.

Most of the world runs quickly and they don’t feel or hear Me. If they could remove the dark glass in front of them and see My beloved ones as I do, they would see the snow flurries of love and guidance falling all over you, and then they would look at their plain, ungifted existence and want what you have.

The enemy sees it, beloved one. He sees, and because of it, he knows you are set apart.  He may wreak havoc on the world, but he may never enter your “space” if you stay close to Me.

So, no matter what the temperature is outside, close your eyes and stand with your arms outstretched. Feel My loving snowflakes falling on you and around you. 

Just a little of the joy I share with you.

I Peter 1:7-9, New King James Version:

“that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.”

Your mind is far away as you think of how to solve your problems. Don’t you know it is with Me that your problems will be solved?

Bring them to Me, and thank Me, having faith that I will answer, and then have peace because you have placed them in My hands. 

Keep remembering this promise throughout the day. Yes, there are things you need to do, but I will let you know what and when.

How sad the world of people who don’t know Me and what I bring when they make the choice for Me!

Tell them, dear one. Tell them about the many joys of coming to Me. Don’t keep it to yourself.  

Learn to come to Me with your whole mind. Put your focus on Me. Lay your head back and close your eyes. Say, “I choose you, Lord. Please help me today.”  

I will be there, dear one. I am with you now. Now and always. Just call out My name.

Ephesians 1:17-18, New King James Version:

“that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,”

Do you feel like you are the child of the King of the universe? When others tout the importance of the person they might know, or have met, do you tell them about your lineage and how I, the Ruler and Creator of all, chose you to be My child, perfectly forming you to be exactly how I wanted you to be?

What a privilege you have! And your growing connection to Me is proof of that privilege.  

Do you take it for granted? Oh, the terrible price that had to be paid for it!  

The awesome weight, and yet the joy of it should overwhelm your life. It must never be taken for granted.

Isn’t that where you want to be, beloved? Wouldn’t you rather be with Me, and talk about our real relationship, or with those whose sense of importance stems from their connection to someone who lives and breathes and dies, and who has garnered temporary and fleeting fame on this earth somehow?

What you know is that you can introduce them to the most important relationship in their life. One that will determine not just bragging rights, but eternal life, and the love, support and joy our daily relationship brings.

So, next time you hear about that “important” so and so, don’t hesitate to tell them about the Master of the universe, your friend, your beloved Father…..Me.

Isaiah 44:6, New King James Version:

“Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God.’”

Write down the thoughts I send to you today. They are things I am impressing on your mind. These thoughts can be read during the day to strengthen and encourage you.

When I created you, I gave you a mind to seek and worship Me because I want to keep you close to Me. 

But how do you do that? By coming to me in the morning and committing your life to Me daily, by reading My Word, and then by listening to My gentle urgings throughout the day.  

And when you write your thoughts down it not only helps you remember them, but it helps increase your faith.  

My Word is true and I will never let you down.

These words of love and guidance will be a source of comfort when you are low or need assurance of My presence in your life.

Listen, dear one. I am the still small voice ever in and around you, and always with you.

Deuteronomy 30:19-20, New King James Version:

“I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days;””