This was such a wonderful devotional on my birthday. Thought I would share it with you.

Jesus Calling Devotionals by Sarah Young –April 27^th

Come to Me with empty hands and an open heart, ready to receive abundant blessings. I know the depth and breadth of your neediness. Your life-path has been difficult, draining you of strength. Come to Me for nurture. Let me fill you up with My Presence:  I in you, you in Me.

My Power flows most freely into weak ones aware of their need for Me.

Faltering steps of dependence are not lack of faith; they are links to My Presence.

John 17:20-23  “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one — I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

Isaiah 40:31..."but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint."



Praying the Word (Ephesians 6:10-18)

¹⁰In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides].
    ¹¹Put on God's whole armor [the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God supplies], that you may be able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies and the deceits of the devil.
    ¹²For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.
    ¹³Therefore put on God's complete armor, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place].
    ¹⁴Stand therefore [hold your ground], having tightened the belt of truth around your loins and having put on the breastplate of integrity and of moral rectitude and right standing with God,
    ¹⁵And having shod your feet in preparation [to face the enemy with the ^[a]firm-footed stability, the promptness, and the readiness ^[b]produced by the good news] of the Gospel of peace.
    ¹⁶Lift up over all the [covering] shield of ^[c]saving faith, upon which you can quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked [one].
    ¹⁷And take the helmet of salvation and the sword that the Spirit ^[d]wields, which is the Word of God.
    ¹⁸Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God's consecrated people).

Praying  the Word closes the gates of Hell, and opens the windows of Heaven.

From Ephesians 6:18 we see that prayer is a part of our spiritual armour, but what kind of prayer? All kinds of prayer are to be used in our walk with God.

The prayer of agreement: prayer in which two people come together to pray in harmony about an issue.

United prayer:  prayer in which a group of people come together to pray in one accord.

The prayer of thanksgiving: prayer that offers sincere thanks to God for His goodness in general or for a specific thing He has done.

Prayer of praise and worship: prayer which does not ask for anything but instead praises God for what He has done, is doing, and will do. It especially praises God for Who He is—for Himself. This prayer moves into worship and adoration, expressing  love for the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The prayer of petition: prayer which makes a specific request, asking God for something for ourselves. This is probably the most frequently used prayer.

The prayer of intercession: prayer which involves standing before God for someone else, in his or her behalf, asking God to do something for his or her benefit.

The prayer of commitment: prayer which takes a problem or burden and casts it upon the Lord, committing an issue to Him for His care.

The prayer of consecration: prayer which sets apart a person or an object for God’s use.

The important thing about prayer is that whatever kind it is, in order to be effective it must be filled with the Word of God and offered in full assurance that God keeps His Word.

Fill your prayers with God’s Word. By doing so, you will be commissioning the angels to minister on your behalf. According to Hebrews 1:14, angels are God’s ministering servants sent out to assist the heirs of salvation. Psalm 103:20 reads,

Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, you His angels, you mighty ones who do His commandments, hearkening to the voice of His Word. This Scripture tells us that angels are moved into action by God’s Word being voiced.

Psalm 138:2 shows us the exalted position that God gives His Word: I will worship toward Your holy temple and praise Your name for Your loving-kindness and for Your truth and faithfulness; for You have exalted above all else Your name and Your Word and You have magnified Your Word above all Your name!

We know how we are to honor the name of the Lord and how powerful His name is, and yet, in this Scripture He tells us that He magnifies His Word even before His name!!!

Fill your conversations, prayers, and meditation with His Word.

Quotes taken from Joyce Meyer;  The Word, The Name, The Blood

"If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you." (John 15:7)

A person who learns to abide in the Word, and let the Word abide in him will have power in prayer.

In addition to these words spoken in John 15:7, Jesus also said, …if ye continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (John 8:31,32 KJV) If you and I abide in His Word and let His Word abide in us, we will have power in prayer!

Consider 1 John 2:14 also,”I write to you, fathers, because you have come to know (recognize, be conscious of, and understand) Him Who [has existed] from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong and vigorous, and the Word of God is [always] abiding in you (in your hearts), and you have been victorious over the wicked one."

These men were victorious because they were abiding in the Word of God.

Many believers go to church every week to listen to someone else preach the Word to them, but they never know the Word for themselves. You must do your own study of the Word –

Dig out for yourself the gold that is hidden in the pages of the Bible.

This is talking about something far beyond reading a chapter a day. That is good but we need to give God’s Word a place of priority in our lives and that also means in our thought life.

We ABIDE in God’s Word by staying in it!

As soon as our feet hit the floor, we should be confessing and singing the Word. If you struggle with temptations, addictions, depression, saturate yourself in the Word – teachings, preaching, and Christian radio. On lunch breaks, read the Word; also filling our prayers with the Word.

Abiding does not mean unceasingly, define it as relentlessly – on a regular, continuing basis.

Sing it, speak it, LIVE it!!! Seek Him and His Word and He will find you….

Quotes by Joyce Meyer-- The Word, The Name, The Blood

My Beloved,

I AM calling you to a constant life of communication with ME. Basic training includes learning to live above your circumstances, even while interacting on that cluttered plane of life. You yearn for a simplified lifestyle, so that your communication with ME can be uninterrupted. But I challenge you to relinquish the fantasy of an uncluttered world. Accept each day just as it comes, and find ME in the midst of it all.

Talk with ME about every aspect of your day, including your feelings. Remember that your ultimate goal is not to control or fix everything around you. It is to keep communing with ME. A successful day is one in which you have stayed in touch with ME, even if many things remain undone at the end of the day. Do not let your to-do list (written or mental) become an idol directing your life. Instead, ask MY Spirit to guide you moment by moment. He will keep you close to ME.

In ME you have everything. In ME you are complete. Your capacity to experience ME is increasing, through MY removal of debris and clutter from your heart. As your yearning for ME increases, other desires are gradually lessening. Since I am infinite and abundantly accessible to you, desiring ME above all else, is the best way to live.

It is impossible for you to have a need that I cannot meet. After all, I created you and everything that is. The world is still at my beck and call, though it often appears otherwise. Do not be fooled by appearances. Things that are visible are brief and fleeting, while things that are invisible are everlasting.

Ephesians 3:20-21 - Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, ²¹  to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

2 Corinthians 4:18 - Since we consider and look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are visible are temporal (brief and fleeting), but the things that are invisible are deathless and everlasting.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 - Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Proverbs 3: 6 - In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths.

--Jesus Calling