Hear God’s Word for you in Psalm 31:15.

“My times are in your hands.”

In Daniel 7:25.

“He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws.”

In Revelation 1:8.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Let God bring your spirit, soul, and body into alignment with his divine time. Choose to stay in the present tense of God’s time. Be blessed as you understand the wiles of the enemy to change God’s times (Daniel 7:25). Ask God to deal with all warping of your time. Be blessed in every part of your spirit to be in harmony with God’s time. Ask him about time, timeliness, and bringing time into alignment, so that you stand in his victories and the breakthroughs already won.

Be blessed with lining up with your birthright and with God’s divine time, so that no portion of your being or spiritual identity or inheritance is out of kilter. God who is out of time can keep your spirit, soul, and body in right relationship to the flow of his days for you. Anticipate his timing on your coming and going. Be blessed to see his fingerprints upon everything that concerns you. If it concerns you, it concerns him. Look for and receive his nurture, and grow and increase and be strong in all that your Father has for you to receive. You have worked hard over time to overcome brokenness. Trust God to propel you forward, because he is nurturing your whole being. Fragmentation is a thing of the past as God brings all of you to full stature, as Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man. Be blessed with being whole in every part: spirit, soul, and body.

Be blessed to know the fullest dimensions of what God has placed inside you. Be blessed in the perfect harmony of all his gifts, all singing the same tune in the same key of music. One may sing the lead at times, and then another, but none will overpower the beauty of all the gifts together in divine symphony. Be blessed with knowing your identity in Christ for such a time as this. Understand what your Father designed you to do and how he wants to implement your gifts to accomplish that work with authenticity. He is mentoring and coaching you in the completeness of Christ’s likeness. Be blessed with receiving that spiritual deposit now. You have a powerful destiny and purpose. He is guiding and equipping you to demonstrate his magnificence.

Recognize that God’s hand is on every circumstance of your life, as he gives you opportunity to learn and to express all of himself in you. Be blessed as you accept the giftedness he has placed in you, and know that you are a gift from him to all the people in your circle of influence. Be blessed today in God’s redeemed time. He made everything beautiful in his time.

Be blessed in the name of the Alpha and Omega,
with whom time has no beginning or end (Revelations 1:8).

by Sylvia Gunter
used by permission

FURTHER READING

• One Step at a Time
• Blessings of Time
• God’s Plan or My Plan?

The post Alignment of Your Times can be found at Thoughts about God.

My seminary course in Trinitarianism included several class lectures on “I AM” in the Bible. I wrote the following piece to fulfill the assignment of a creative project having to do with the Trinity.

I have wondered if Jesus had come at a different time how he would have communicated with His children. The following is a result of two greats in my life coming together: God, the ultimate lover of my soul, and Dr. Seuss, who had a love of the simple things of life. If Dr. Seuss had written theology books, instead of classics such as Green Eggs and Ham, I think it would have gone a little something like this.

Green Eggs And I AM

My name?
I AM.

I am I AM,
I AM I am.

I AM here,
I AM there,
I am I AM everywhere.

Father, Son, and Spirit are we.
We are one, but we are three.

I AM here,
I AM there,
I am I AM everywhere.

One in Three and Three in One,
Jesus is God, Jesus is Son.

Spirit’s Power, Father’s Plan,
Nail scars in the Son’s pierced hands.

“What,” you exclaim, “How can that be?”
Shhhh, my child, just rest in me.

I will not be put in a box.
I will not let you worship an ox.

I created it all-the family, the mountain, the tree-
We created it all, so you could grasp the “we.”

I will call you here and there,
And I will go with you everywhere.

I AM here,
I AM there.
I am I AM everywhere.

Confused, uncertain, and having doubt?
Give up now, you won’t figure it out.

Father, Son, and Spirit are we.
We are one, but we are three.

Adonai, Yahweh, Savior, Friend-
The aspects of me never end.

I will not be defined by just one name,
But I will love you just the same

So what should you do?
How should you react?
Learn enough truth to guard against attack.

Then let go of questions like “Why?”
And raise your voice in praise toward the sky.

Never to leave is my promise to you.
Stay focused, listen to me, and follow through.

Wherever I lead, wherever you go,
I’ll be there, too, just continue to grow.

I am I AM,
I AM I am

On a train
In the rain
In a box
With a fox
On a boat
With a goat

Anywhere, everywhere you may go,
I am I AM is all you need to know.

by Sylvia Gunter
used by permission

FURTHER READING

• I AM by Vonette  Bright
• The I AM God
• Who Do You Say I Am?

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The post Green Eggs and I AM can be found at Thoughts about God.

Hear the Word of God for you in Psalm 36:9.  “For with you is the fountain of life.”

Listen to God’s loving invitation. Isaiah 55:1-2 “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!  Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare.”

You have received the water of eternal life that Jesus gave you. You are blessed with the Fountain of living waters of God’s presence welling up in you. Be blessed to drink from living waters that stream even from hard places because He is your Spiritual Rock (1 Corinthians 10:4). Psalm 107:35 says, “He turned the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into flowing springs.”

God’s compassion will lead you beside springs of water. Drink often of His thirst-quenching water. Be blessed with rejoicing in His unfailing springs of joy and mercy. God will make the Valley of Trouble into a place of springs, and you will go from strength to strength in Him (Psalm 84:6). His righteous spring of blessing is flowing to you. Let Him fill you up and pour you out to others who are thirsty.

 Listen to the promises of God for the poor, the needy,  the thirsty. Isaiah 41:17  “I the Lord will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. 18 I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs. 19 I will put in the desert the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive. I will set pines in the wasteland, the fir and the cypress together, 20 so that people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it.”

You are blessed to stand in God’s river flowing from His throne, carrying the sound, motion, power, and fragrance of heaven to you.

Be blessed in the name of the One who is Living Water, who invites you to come to Him (John 4:10; Isaiah 55:1).

By Sylvia Gunter
used by permission

FURTHER

The Promises of God

Called to Remember God’s Promises

The Promises and the Promiser

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The post Fountain of Life can be found at Thoughts about God.

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous run into it and are safe.” Proverbs 18:10

In Hebrew and Greek, each personal name communicated something indispensable for distinguishing that person’s character and personality. Names were so important that when the person’s character changed, the person’s name changed, like Jacob to Israel, Simon to Peter, Saul to Paul. Their new name corresponded to their new nature and the purposes of God in their life.

The many names of God present some aspect of His inexhaustible, awesome glory. God made a big deal of making His name known to Israel, and Jesus said that making the Father’s name known was one of His continuing functions, so that we will love Him more and receive His abiding presence (John 17:26). Knowing the names of God causes us to know the riches we have in Him, and we rejoice His heart when we know Him.

God intends for us to see Him through His names. There are 37 names and 120 ways and attributes of God in Revelation. Can you find the 61 names or titles and 300 attributes of God in Psalms?  How about the 64 names and titles of God and 150 attributes in Isaiah?  Knowing the names of God leads me to know the riches we have in Him. What we call God says a lot about our relationship with Him. As we pray, do we call Him Lord? Abba-Father? King?

For every need and circumstance you are facing there is a name of God to meet that need. Focus your attention on the overcoming God of the universe, rather than on your problem or need. Worship God in any way that is meaningful to you, as His Spirit leads you. Make it your ambition to glorify God and enjoy Him in his many names. The King of kings wants you to personally know Him in all His fullness.  Think of it!  You are privileged to walk with the Lord of hosts. Think of it! The Living Water invites you to drink deeply of Him. The Bread of Life invites you to feast upon His Word.

by Sylvia Gunter
used by permission

FURTHER READING

The Names of God

The Names of Christ

Names of Jesus

The post Praying the Names of God can be found at Thoughts about God.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness”  (1 John 1:9).

“As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12).

Forgiveness brings you close to the heart of God and enlarges your capacity to love.

Jesus prayed on the cross, “Father, forgive them; they don’t know what they are doing.” Be blessed as you look to Jesus and receive healing from any resentment or unforgiveness you carry.

Ask Jesus to help you forgive yourself. He removes your transgressions from you as far as the east is from the west. Feel His cleansing washing you and making you whole. Be blessed to be released from condemnation, self-judgment, or self-punishment. You are pure and blameless in His sight.

Ask Jesus to help you forgive anyone who has hurt you. Forgiving others doesn’t mean that what they did was OK or right. Forgiveness brings complete freedom to your heart and lets God be the judge of all things. Allow God’s grace to free you from the bondage of resentment and bitterness.

Ask your Father if you hold any bitterness or anger against Him about what He has allowed in your life. If painful events have distorted your image of God, receive His healing love and compassion. May your spirit and soul see those things from God’s point of view through His spiritual insight and understanding

(Colossians 1).

May the grace of God do the deep work of forgiveness in you. The Lord says though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool (Isaiah 1:18). Be blessed to choose to live from that freedom.

Be blessed in the name of Jesus who paid the complete price for sin.

By Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission

From: Blessing For Life: Word Of Hope and Healing (p. 28)
© 2017 by Sylvia Gunter and Elizabeth Gunter.

Learn more about knowing Jesus at: https://thoughtsaboutgod.com/four-laws/

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The Power of Forgiveness

Instant Forgiveness; Lingering Consequences

The post Forgiveness can be found at Thoughts about God.

Don’t we all, deep down, desire to be known and understood for who we really are?

We long for someone to help us answer the question “Who am I really?” and “Why am I here?”

The truth is that before we came into being, God had a plan for us.  But for most of us, life, the words and actions of others, their expectations, our wounds, or sin issues have warped God’s design.

Our families, our churches, and others have formed us into their mold and caused us to feel shut down or rejected, leaving us unable to see God’s original design for us and unsure of who we are.

Psalm 139:12-16 says that God created you special, and he really knows you, and regardless of how others have tried to shape you, he has a design and plan for you.

Your Father longs for you to grasp these four foundational truths about who you are.

1. You are uniquely you, and you are special (Psalms 139:13-16).
2. You are uniquely you for a purpose (Ephesians 2:10).
3. You are uniquely crafted and placed in this time in history and in this certain place (Acts 17:26, Esther 4:14).
4. You are uniquely gifted and needed by those whom God has called you to be with (Romans 12:6-7, 1 Peter 4:10-11, 1 Corinthians 12:12-15).

When we fully grasp these principles, it changes the lenses through which we see everything.

Several years ago I discovered life-changing teaching by Arthur Burk that helped me to begin to uncover God’s design for me.  As I have shared this with others, it has been liberating in every case.  One young woman said, “I’m normal, I’m normal, I’m normal!”  One young man said, “This describes me better than I could describe myself.”  Another young man said, “I thought I was weird, but this is so totally me!”

Recently Chuck Wale has compiled these teachings by Arthur Burk into a resource workbook entitled Designed for Fulfillment.  The premise of the book is that we are most fulfilled as we live in the freedom of who God designed us to be and develop the resources that he placed in us.
Designed For Fulfillment is based on the seven gifts of Romans 12:6-7.  It is an attempt to better understand ourselves and our birthright through the seven foundational gifts: prophet, servant, teacher, exhorter, giver, ruler, and mercy, which Arthur Burk refers to as redemptive gifts.

A redemptive gift is more than a personality profile.  It is the essence for which we were created.  It sheds tremendous light on who we are — our spirit, soul, personality, outlook on life, and even the way we minister.  Through this study, we can know in a deeper way why God created us.  This study includes an in-depth section on each of the seven gifts. There is a tremendous amount of details presented in a more complete picture of who we are created to be.

These concepts of redemptive gifts have been transformational to me.  I’m confident that you will find them a tremendous blessing to you personally and an asset in your ministry.

by Sylvia Gunter
used by permission

FURTHER READING

Stepping Into a Personal Revival

We Plan – God Directs

Pressing Your Reset Button

The post Designed for Fulfillment can be found at Thoughts about God.

Isaiah 9:6-7 NIV

The names of God in Isaiah 9:6 are familiar to most of us.

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace.

But have you ever really unpacked it and felt the depth and passion of the verse?

For to us a child is born, unto us a son is given, dedicated, granted, given in exchange for or to pay a wage

and the government dominion shall be up on His shoulder,

and his name, reputation, fame and glory

shall be called, recited, cried out, and proclaimed to be

Wonderful, extraordinary, a hard to understand thing, a marvel of God, Counselor, one who advises, consults, counsels, gives purpose, devises, plans

Mighty strong, chief, valiant God,

Everlasting ancient of past time and forever of future time

Father, the head or founder of a family or clan, the first of all fathers

Prince, ruler, leader, chief of Peace, wholeness, completeness, soundness, welfare, quiet, tranquility, contentment, complete health.

That would be enough right there, but then it continues to in verse 7.

And of the increase abundance of his government dominion and peace wholeness, completeness, soundness, welfare, quiet, tranquility, contentment, complete health there shall be no end.

Through Jesus, God has offered us a great exchange through the only One with enough dominion, power, strength, and wisdom to pay our debt of sin in full so that we might know Him who is our Father, Ruler, Leader of wholeness, completeness, soundness, tranquility, contentment, and peace. And He is those things to us in abundance that never runs out.

That is worth proclaiming and crying out to the world!

by Sylvia Gunter
used by permission

MORE GOOD READING FOR CHRISTMAS 

The post A Child is Born can be found at Thoughts about God.

For those of us who grew up celebrating the birth of Jesus, the Christmas story can become too familiar. It easily slips from a story of awe to simple facts of history. We rattle off these events, such as Mary gave birth to Jesus and then the shepherds and wise men came to see Him, with the same ease that we describe what we did last weekend. When you stop to really consider it, the story of Christmas is anything but normal. It is absurd. It is full of biological impossibility, strained family dynamics, emotional turmoil, supernatural encounters, a failed assassination attempt, and people asked to do the craziest things.

This is an invitation to deeply experience the Christmas story.

How would you feel if God told you that you are bearing His Son? Feel the fear of telling your fiance and parents that you are pregnant, and Joseph is not the father. Sense the shame as the village whispers about you. Imagine the weight of knowing you are carrying God’s son, hoping that you don’t mess the whole thing up.

Put yourself in Joseph’s shoes. How would you feel if your beloved comes to you and says she is pregnant and you know that the baby is not yours? Feel the betrayal, rejection, and heartbreak of Joseph, based on the wrong conclusions about Mary, until God sends the angel who straightens things out.

How would you feel on a ordinary night at work taking care of your sheep if an angel of the Lord showed up to say, “Drop what you are doing and go“? Feel the fear of such a supernatural event, followed by the doubt that creeps in to say, “Did I make that up?” What about leaving the sheep which are your sole source of income? Sense the wonder, fear, uncertainty, and hope of the shepherds as they come to meet their Savior.

What if you were one of the servants in the entourage of the magi? You are following your master who is basing his journey on a star. It is not a short journey either. It was weeks, months, maybe even years before you arrive at your final destination. How long would you keep walking to a place you don’t know to meet a person no one else seems to know about with only a star as a guide?

Then as the story continues, when is the last time you had a dream that you woke up from and knew that you, your wife, and child were to leave immediately to live in a foreign country? What was that discussion like? Would you leave friends and family behind, based solely on a dream your spouse had to go to Egypt?

The story is full of one crazy event after another. Beyond recording the details of Jesus’ birth, the Christmas story reveals to us the otherness of God and how He longs to partner with big-spirited people to do the impossible. His reality is so much greater than ours. While we are thinking about getting married and settling down with a family in our hometown, He is planning to partner with us to fulfill His plan for the world.

The joy of this season is that with each twist and turn in the story God finds people who choose to live from their spirit and follow when they are challenged to believe what they have not seen and do what they have never done before. That is the adventure He is calling each of us to live.

This Christmas marvel at the outrageous and awesome lengths to which God the Father will go to give you the perfect gift.

Give Him the gift of the same reckless abandon of Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and the magi to pursue and follow your King Jesus.

May your spirit be so large and in tune with the Holy Spirit that when God shows up in the middle of your ordinary day with an extraordinary plan, you are ready to follow Him regardless of how absurd it might sound.

As 2015 approaches, open your heart to God-size dreams. Wait expectantly for God-sized visions, and don’t be surprised as He does exceedingly abundantly more than you can ask or imagine.
(Read Luke 1-2)

By Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission

The post Christmas: An Invitation to Reckless Abandon can be found at Thoughts about God.

Listen to the Word of God for you in Song of Solomon 7:6. “How beautiful you are and how pleasing, O love, with your delights!”

Set your spiritual compass heading to these words of God to you. You are his precious one, and he takes pleasure in you. Be blessed to be enlarged with his deep love. Be blessed with knowing that you delight his heart.

Listen as the Love of your life tells you again from the Song of Solomon 4:1,9-10 that you are his beautiful one. “How beautiful you are, my beloved! Oh, how beautiful! All beautiful you are, my beloved; there is no flaw in you. You have ravished my heart, my sister, my bride with one look of your eyes… How fair is your love, my sister, my bride! How much better than wine is your love, and the scent of your perfumes is better than all spices!”

Now is the time for you to receive how deeply God cares for you. Listen to his words to you in Song of Solomon 2:11-13. “See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land. The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me, for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.”

You have faithfully endured the hardship of winter. Even in winter months, the earth is not completely dormant. The process of life continues. And now the spring has come. Let go of any fear or unbelief and fully embrace the spring. Rejoice! Sing! Breathe in the fragrance of new life. It is time to put the winter behind and arise in the new abundance that this season has for you.

You are the object of heaven’s fiery love. He calls you precious one, his beautiful one. His love for you can never diminish, because he is the eternal I AM. He loves you freely with unchanging love (Hosea 14:4). How can you doubt God’s love for you? He doesn’t give you some of his love; he is love, and he gives you himself (1 John 4:16). You have all of him, so you have all of his love at all times. Receive his love, just because you are his. His great love for you is bathed in rich mercy (Micah 7:18; Ephesians 2:4). What more can God do to prove his love than by giving you his Son in exchange for your life (Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 5:25)? Be blessed in the wonder of such an amazing love story.

Be blessed in the name of the God of love who is with you
(2 Corinthians 13:11).

by Sylvia Gunter
used by permission

FURTHER READING

God Loves You

God’s Love is Holy Love

Sacred Romance

The post Be Enlarged by the Love of God can be found at Thoughts about God.

If I say,

‘Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,’ even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. Ps. 139:11-12

Christmas is often a time of joy filled with lights, decorations, and the warmth of family. But for some, this season also brings a sense of darkness from grief, uncertainty, or a feeling of being lost. When life gets dark, my first instinct is to find a way to turn the light back on. But there’s a purpose in the darkness. It’s not a pleasant journey, but it’s one that God has designed for my growth and deeper understanding of Him.

Have you ever been in a remote location with city lights nearby? At night, the deep darkness allows you to see so many stars shining so brightly. I have only experienced it once, and ever since, I’ve found myself longing to return to dark places just to see it again. You can’t truly appreciate the light until you’ve been in the darkness. In the same way, life often involves walking through darkness to better see the light of God.

May you find deep comfort in knowing that even in the darkest seasons, you are never alone, for God is with you in every shadow. Though darkness may surround you, remember that it is not dark to God; to Him, the night shines as bright as the day. When the weight of darkness feels heavy, may the light of Christ illuminate your path, for the darkness cannot overcome His light (John 1:5). Be blessed to trust that His light will come, and when it does, it will be all the more beautiful because of the darkness that preceded it.

Be blessed with unwavering trust in God’s presence, even when life feels overwhelming and unclear. May your heart be anchored in the truth that He is the light that shines in the darkness, guiding you with His love. As you walk through this season, may you embrace the lessons found in the shadows and wait with hope for the dawn. May this Christmas season renew your trust in God’s promises and remind you that the darkness will not last forever. The light of Christ is ever near, bringing hope, peace, and the assurance of His eternal love.

by Sylvia Gunter
used by permission

FURTHER READING

• When the Light Goes Out
• Be the Light
• God’s Word Gives Joy and Light

The post Light in the Darkness can be found at Thoughts about God.