I soar my spirit and unfurl my joy.- Jonathan Lockwood Huie...
Meaning of unfurl: to open up by unrolling. (intransitive, figuratively) To turn out or unfold; to evolve; to progress.
In our search for this word we unfurled the beautiful pages of God's words we found two instances where this word was used.
I am unclear why this word dropped into my heart today… But as I closed my eyes and began to relate to this word …
I found myself being directed to a time in my life when I was on autopilot… I believe many of you can relate… We seem to get caught up with our daily activities… and one day just overflows into the next… We become so tightly wrapped that we miss God's beautiful gifts before us… Do we take the free moments to see life? Or has our lives become just a blur…
I can speak of feeling tightly wrapped because I lived it. I too was caught up in the tidal wave of life… Do we know where to go when we are drowning? Or do we wait to gasp that final breath before we look for Him???
I can not take any credit for finding Him. Because He is the one who found me… even when I did not even know I was lost!!
He came soft as a whisper in the wind… and spoke a love song to my thirsty soul. At first, I was so confused? I was not sure what this love from heaven wanted from me? What was the cost??? As each day passed I became more drawn into this presence that would greet me every morning … I began to trust Him more each day… I relaxed and His love began the slow deliberate dance as He began to unfurl my once-bound heart!!! There was a transformation in my soul that I could not contain… I began to see life in new vivid colors... I began to seek His face in every instance … I began to discover His eloquent words... Words that have been passed down from generation to generation… it’s His love story being unfurled right before our eyes… He loves us like no other !!!
Unfurl my heart Lord … take it it belongs to you, as you well know my life will never be the same…
It’s Him, it is always him !!!
But for those who fear you, you have raised a banner to be unfurled against the bow.Psalms 60:3-4
God's presence is in every corner of our world. Sadly there are only a fraction of souls that are awake to Him and His magnitude of love, peace, and hope.. (LG)
Meaning of presence, a person or thing that exists or is present in a place but is not seen.
48 verses refer to the word presence...
Are we present?? Or are our hearts and our thoughts elsewhere?
Many of God’s children speak of feeling, seeing, or being touched by God’s presence?
What is this heavenly gift that can give us goosebumps? Make the hairs on the nape of our neck stand at attention? Or make tears flow from a soulful place in our hearts?
Why does His presence speak to our soul on such a heartfelt spiritual level? How do we put this monumental gift into words?? It truly is difficult because His grace, His power, and love can leave us in awe!! These moments can render us speechless or find us babbling like small children... But as we reach for words of adoration, we feel a strength and a love that will make us fall to our knees... Our hearts will open and sing a love song with a passion we never knew existed!!!
You will find yourself worshiping the most majestic presence one could ever experience. You will throw caution to the wind as you surrender your soul!! You will not care or even be aware of what the people around you are saying or doing... Because your spirit will be at one with the most Divine presence one could ever be blessed to know and you will fall in love with Him... It's a love that is not of this world... There are not enough words to explain His beauty, His Love, His Holiness!
Many may not understand, many will be skeptical, and many will stand holding your hand in unity... Because they have been swept away in this beautiful state of being in God's presence...
Your soul will crave these moments with Him more and more. You will yearn to discover everything about Him, His promise of Love, His Kingdom. And what your role may be in this soulful journey with our Creator?
How this happens is different for every heart.
I can only share, that for me music draws me to Him. My heart opens and my mind, body, and soul become singularly focused. I become fully present ... I have become successful in clearing my busy schedule of all things of this world. And I concentrate solely on Him... I begin by inviting Him into my life. Into my heart and into the moments that I have reserved for Him alone... And I wait ... He never fails. He sweeps me away to that special place where love abounds with such a magnitude of splendor...
OMG ... My Heavenly Father is whispering my name... I must go.. for He awaits.
It's Him, It has always been Him!!
I am so awe-struck... I can only whisper in a faint but audible voice...
I am here LOVE... I am here!!
God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. 1 John 14:16
Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? Psalms 137:7
“Love looks through a telescope; envy, through a microscope.”- Josh Billings
Meaning of jealous feeling or showing envy of someone or their achievements and advantages.
We located 143 verses that point us to the word jealous...
Jealousy is an emotion that stems from both desire and insecurity, but not love. I would probably be safe in saying that most of us have felt jealous at some time in our life. I have witnessed jealousy so strong that it has choked out and destroyed relationships.
So when God says He is a jealous God? How is this possible ?? He is love! And jealousy is not based on love.
He made us in His image so yes this emotion is also part of our heritage from God.
I believe when we speak of a jealous God, the Creator of all things. It is possible because of all of the emotions we feel God feels them as well.
As our creator, we will always belong to Him. He knows the beginning and the end... He loves His children with such vigor, passion, such tenderness. His deepest desire is to have our hearts completely.
He does not want to share us with anything, especially false Gods... Because He knows the results of our wayward choices. He knows these indiscretions have the ability to harm and destroy our life, our salvation, and our hope of eternity with Him.
His love is unconditional, I do not believe His jealousy is coming from insecurity it is coming from a heartfelt concern for the wellbeing of His children. Yes, He gave us free will but like any good parent, He will go to great lengths to protect us all.
I do believe man's jealousy is tainted by our world.. and our human insecurities. Jealousy becomes all about self.
The question becomes can we learn how to understand and control this emotion?
I do believe as we learn to love more like Jesus we began to love with a free spirit and think less of ourselves and more of others... Leading us to become secure with ourselves and content with our surroundings. We began to think more spiritually and less of worldly possessions.
As this transition happens would it be possible that our jealousy would come from a secure place not be tainted by our human insecurities? It's then that maybe we learn to love with vigor, passion, and a tender caring heart.
He is the reason we exist. His love is not even measurable. The more we share Him the more love He will freely give to each of us. There is no reason for jealousy because His love is limitless... And it is available for every soul. It’s Him !!
It will always be Him.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud 1 Corinthians 13:4
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves Philippians 2:3
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33, NIV...
He existed in the form of God, yet he gave no thought to seizing equality with God as his supreme prize. Instead, he emptied himself of his outward glory by reducing himself to the form of a lowly servant. He became human! Philippians 2:6-11
Do we truly understand the magnitude of this verse??? Do we understand that He surrendered more than we could ever give back? As He watches our world fall apart do we understand His heartfelt pain??… As I sat in front of my canvas to try to convey His emotion I could only hear in my soul… Don’t be disheartened… “They did not believe me either”
And then this word appeared
Ahava (אהבה)Why a Hebrew word? I ask myself that same question 🤔 so I then looked it up ❤️ (take a moment and look it up.. 😀)
“Let everyone give all their praise and thanks to the Lord! Here’s why—he’s better than anyone could ever imagine. Yes, he’s always loving and kind, and his faithful love never ends.”
Psalms 107:1 TPT
Wishing you a day filled with inquisitive wonder… I challenge you to discover just one fact about Jesus that you did not know yesterday and if you are bold enough to share it please share it in the comments below… if you are not feeling bold just share a heart ❤️ that by reading this it taught you something new… be safe, be blessed be loved…
1 John 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love, and he thatdwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him. 17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
Turn your eyes upon Jesusand thethingsof thisworld will grow strangely dim InspiredbyJohn 8:12
The meaning of Gaze is to look steadily and intently at something, especially at that which excites admiration, curiosity, or interest:
As we gazed at His beautiful words we found eighteen verses that contain the word we were so diligently searching for…
Do we gaze with our soulful eyes? Or have we become so human that our souls have lost their way ???
How can we look for something to fill the void in our lives… and still not see… How do you fall in love with someone you can not gaze upon … How does our heart yearn to be in His presence? How does our soul thirst just to hear His beautiful whispers of love…
What is this magnetic pull He has on the amazing souls that He so loving created… Do we yearn to gaze into His eyes… Will we be lost in the moment? Will our words fail, as we fall deeper into His gaze?
As we continue on this journey of life… We can only imagine…
What will that day bring? Will I be able to contain my love for Him, or will my excitement seem like that of a child? Or will my soul be so overwhelmed by His beauty that I am not able to move? Will I be mesmerized by His inviting smile…
And if He opens His arms will I melt upon the floor beneath my feet… Or Will I willingly jump into His embrace ??
There is no greater love… that will engulf all of our senses…
It’s Him, It is always Him.
For now, we can only close our eyes and dream of being drawn into His Gaze…
If we've responded to His gaze by recognizing His love and by loving Him back, then He has given us the mission of setting the world ablaze with His love.
To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek him the greatest adventure; to find him, the greatest human achievement.
St. Augustine of Hippo
Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Proverbs 4:25-26
“And fix our eyes on Jesus, faith’s pioneer and perfecter. He endured the cross, ignoring the shame, for the sake of the joy that was laid out in front of him, and sat down at the right side of God’s throne.”
Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.
Meaning of long-suffering having or showing patience in spite of troubles, especially those caused by other people.
This word is not a word that I wanted to research or even feel…
When we look at Galatians chapter 5 verses 22:23, we will find the “Fruit of the Spirit” listed as follows: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;.
Life has its beauty but how do we learn to appreciate the beauty? I believe we must have opposite feelings, so we have a base of comparison…
For instance, how could we recognize Joy without knowing sadness? Peace without conflict? Patience’s without impatience? kindness without unkindness ?? And the list goes on???
Strangely enough, when I looked up the opposite of long-suffering, I found the word blessed!!
But how can we find the blessing in Long Suffering? If I transpose the words they would read Suffering long!!!
No one in their right mind would want to own these words... But for this exercise, I will put my mind on hold and look at this word with my heart and soul...
How could that be a blessing?
Long-suffering is a heart-crushing feeling that leaves scars... It has no defined timeline.
But what life has taught me is Long-suffering is a great teacher!!! Those scars serve a beautiful purpose.
We live in a beautiful but challenging time. So many things to experience in one’s lifetime.
The pain and suffering are real but always remember you are not alone... He stands by our side through all our trials. He wipes every tear... And His beautiful peace will engulf your soul and joy will come in the morning...
It's Him... He is our joy, our love our peace...
However, do we even think of His suffering on the cross? Do we think of His daily suffering?
When many souls do not even acknowledge Him. (sad)
Do we not love Him as much as He loves us?? I believe It wounds His soul and breaks His beautiful heart...
How deep? How long? Will we let His Long-Suffering go on??
He had to ask Peter 3 times in order to get the true answer “ Do you love me? “
If He asks you today! Do you love me? How would you answer??
Would you hesitate or would your answer roll off your tongue like sweet honey...
Yes!! I love you. You know I love you.
I feel it is in each one’s power to lighten His long-suffering one heart at a time...
It's truly about Him! It's about loving Him with all our heart, soul, and mind...
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. “This is the first and great commandment”
This is the greatest blessing a person could ever achieve!!
After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you” (1 Peter 5:10).
Written and Art by Lori Garner(Image Enhanced by AI)
“The only way you can reach your full potential is if you open up and allow yourself to be exposed to how you really feel.” ― Turcois Ominek
Meaning of exposed: open to view: not shielded or protected
The word exposed is in the Bible approximately 74 times
When we expose our true raw feelings to the world it can be a difficult, heartfelt task. We share and then hold our breath. We sometimes start to second guess ourselves ...
But then we ask ourselves what is our motive? Why are we opening our hearts for possible rejection, ridicule, or negative comments?
I can only speak from experience... God gave me a story to share... and not sharing His story would grieve His soul... and that would wound my heart for longer than I care to even imagine.
As I began to study this word my mind drifted to my youngest grandchild. She is such a refreshing delight... But the one thing I have discovered about children is that they do not hold back they will tell you what’s in their hearts and on their minds.. without any filter.. even if it scares, hurts, or makes you laugh... and then they let it go .. without another thought.
So what happens as adults? And why do we find it difficult to talk openly about so many subjects? Subjects like God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit. This subject makes many uneasy. Or uncomfortable. Some engage willingly and it brings joy to their soul, some run. The conversation about our Creator should be as natural as enjoying a beautiful breakfast or taking a shower. But it is not. So many hide and many do not talk about the most important relationship in our lives.
The ones that bravely step out and open their hearts and souls. Take that chance, but they do feel exposed and have moments of insecurity.. they feel vulnerable.. a word I have grown to respect.
But there is a beauty in exposing one's true self if you can share the most incredible love to anyone willing to listen ... It is like taking a deep breath of fresh air into your congested lungs. Your heart becomes lighter and your soul feels freedom like never before. I find it’s much like childbirth... there are pain and suffering but when they lay that beautiful child in your arms, and you look upon their tiny beautiful face... the pain and suffering become a faint memory and soon fade from existence... He heals our hearts, loves us through the pain ... He loves us far beyond our imaginations!
He has exposed hearts with His love since the beginning of time... it’s what we do with this love that matters most...
It’s Him, It’s always Him.
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:14-15
So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtakes you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. John 12:35 ESV
Isaiah12:2 - “Behold,Godis my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; forthe Lord Godis mystrengthand my song
The meaning of gird: Prepare oneself for action.
I have been given the task of tackling this very odd word…
“Gird”…
I find this word rolls off my tongue much like a guttural sound or growl.
I believe this word is not used in today's modern world… So let’s roll the clock back to a time long ago.
When men were men and women were viewed as inferior souls… But we’re we?
I know of a man that walked the earth, humbled Himself but had and still has the power within his soul to fight and win any battles… He is a Kingly warrior in every sense of the word… He has that unique power under the control aura that surrounds Him.. He is a beautiful site to behold!!
Through His life and teachings, He has taught us that we are all equal and loved dearly by this great and noble warrior… but does this love have a cost?
Many say it free …. But is it?
Do we need to gird our path with His pillar of strength? Is this life we are living our daily battle cry? Is it a journey that we all must embark on? Our souls are born with a beautiful soulful mission to discover the path to our Savior's heart. Each of our paths is uniquely our own... There may be stumbling blocks, trials...and challenges...
Have you ever heard the “ Roomer” that one day soon He will return? It will be an amazing time. But I wonder how many will be ready??
What did he mean in the following verses?
Jesus is quoted in Mark 8:34-35 “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
And then in Philippians 4:6-7, He is quoted
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
So when we make that commitment to pick our cross, we must ready ourselves for the battle ahead... He never said it would be easy. But He has promised gifts that are not of this world…
When we accept the gift to follow Him. He will gird our lives... He is that inner strength that most of His followers do not even know they possess.. until they are tested … Others will witness this peace, this strength, this love … And this life event is God's messenger’s opening to share his amazing love story !!
To feel His strength and love well up in your soul… will leave you awestruck and your life will never be the same..,
And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.Colossians 3:14...
His mission on earth left a legacy like none other. His life and love were so grand they could not be stopped even through death...
It is documented that He uttered these words “It is finished” But as He was reborn into the spirit perhaps, He uttered “It’s just the beginning.” His work of loving unworthy souls will never be finished!! His love is new, fresh, and everlasting not even death could contain it!
Most paint this moment to show the agony and suffering He endured. My heart is wounded by this moment, but my soul revealed that yes feel His pain… remember His beautiful sacrifice. But paint the peaceful moment when the fragile human body could no longer contain the amazing gift of the soul…
The soul is Free… Free to return to its first love … There is a sad somber moment for those that are detained on earth within their human existence ...
Are we sad for them because we will miss them? Or does our soul have that unique understanding and yearning to return home hidden deep within.
Perhaps we should celebrate our soul’s freedom as that marvelous moment when we are no longer bound by our human frailties, limitations, and our body's inability to sustain life.
It’s that awe-inspired moment when we can finally gaze into His loving eyes, as He smiles, opens His arms, and welcomes us home. And the earthly souls will witness a bodily facial expression of a beautiful peaceful surrender that comes from falling into His arms.
For those that have felt His great love on earth, I feel it is only a fraction of what we will experience on that destined date with our beloved Savior…
We can only imagine!!! ❤️❤️❤️ The BEST is yet to come!! And it’s only the beginning!!!
Now, it is God himself who has anointed us. And he is constantly strengthening both you and us in union with Christ. He knows we are his since he has also stamped his seal of love over our hearts and has given us the Holy Spirit like an engagement ring is given to a bride—a down payment of the blessings to come! 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 TPT
“Age wrinkles the body; quitting wrinkles the soul.” - Douglas MacArthur...
Meaning of quit leave (a place), usually permanently.
We located twenty-five verses that talk to our hearts about the word quit.
I QUIT!!!!!
Things are just too hard... I cannot take another step... People just don’t understand!!! What am I doing wrong? Where am I failing??? Is it me? Is there just one person in my world that understands??
They say we should be happy.... but they do not finish the statement by saying not all are happy...
It’s been a trying time for so many hearts these last couple of years... Many of us struggle just to put one foot in front of the other... medical? financial? jobs? pandemic?? variants?? LIFE? ... Where and when will it end!! Problems seem to be magnified this time of year...
How do we go on.. our world is so fractured... My heart is heavy... The air is thick, am I drowning... How do we heal? How do we mend our own hearts?? What can we do to settle our minds and soothe our souls...
Have you heard that nagging whisper in your soul...?
Quit!!! Thrown in the towel... Life is too complicated to continue!
We know these are not the words that God would whisper... Get to know God's voice ... Do not be fooled.. by the imposter. The imposter will rob you of the beauty of life.
Let’s open the book that contains God's own words and see where His words lead our hearts...
I feel I must go to the man I have grown to love and trust... Many have heard the stories of His life trials and what He had to endure.
Do you ever wonder how many times Jesus felt like saying to our Heavenly Father,
I am tired of trying... they just don't get it !! They just do not understand!
"I quit!"
There is a saying ... Do not judge until you have walked in their shoes...
He was a gentle kind soul with a mission to love... He was persecuted, shamed, spit upon, tortured?? I cannot even imagine?? The thought crushes my soul. But I thank God and love Him for having the strength to persevere...
But what was it that set Him apart???
His mission looked like an enormous mountain, way too difficult to climb... He indeed must have felt discouraged, depressed, and perhaps overwhelmed... He even asked His Boss (God) to take this cup from me...
Why didn’t He just say I quit?? He could have quit so many times... He could have just walked away... He could have taken the easy way out...
But where would that have left us ??? All of humanity would have been lost and our existence may have become extinct ...
However, there is good news.
He knew that one day you and I would need Him... There would be a day that we would cry out bewildered and confused. HELP ME Lord, I can not face this alone.
He knew without a doubt that He LOVED us far beyond our own human understanding. He knew in His heart that He held everything we could ever need in the palm of His scared hands.
Can you even imagine being loved by this kind of love ?? He loves us more than He loved His own life... How were we so blessed to receive this beautiful gift from heaven?? How did He find the strength to endure life struggles on earth?? How did He show such strength during His death?? How? Do ever ask “Where did this inner strength come from??” He felt pain and shed blood and He carries the scars of life just like you and me.
But what made Him different, What set Him apart?
He carried a secret in His heart ... He knew He was special in the eyes of God... He was chosen ... His Heavenly Father loved Him with a love that defies all human logic... Before He arrived here on earth, He must have felt His Father’s, great love. He felt how amazing this gift of love can be. He knew that He craved it and would do anything within His power to return to His Father's arms. He never wavered He kept His eye on the prize.
But that was not all He knew...
He knew all of God’s children are special in God’s eyes. As a child of God, we were also chosen, and He loves us far greater than any love on earth...
And when we turn our page to Jeremiah 1:5 we can see that we felt our heavenly Fathers' great love... even before we were born... How amazing is that!
So when the imposter whispers in your ear “quit”!
Remember God loves you... Keep your eyes on Him ... He will give you the gift of inner strength. He is the magnificent prize that awaits...
He is whispering in your ear...
Follow me!!! Follow me our Father awaits ...
It’s Him, It’s always Him!!!
He never will quit loving us far greater than we even deserve...
I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14
A fountain of life was in Him,for his life is light for all humanity.And this Light never fails to shine through darkness. Light that darkness could not overcome! John 1:4-5 TPT
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5
Don't quit - Help is available ... Talk to someone... YOU ARE LOVED!
