May 2023 Be an Ephesians 3:20 Year

Happy New Year 2023 - a new year, a new beginning, a fresh start! I want you to know that I am praying for you that 2023 will be a breakthrough year full of unexpected blessings and spiritual growth. I am committed to pray through Ephesians 3:14-21 daily keeping you in mind. I hope you join me. Below is a deeper look into Paul's prayer for the saints in Ephesus. It is also my prayer for you.

That the Father would grant you according to the riches of His glory . . .

As I surrender myself to the Father in prayer for you, I am in awe that He welcomes me, accepts me and provides unlimited resources and spiritual riches of His glory for every request I bring before Him. The vastness of His grace, mercy and all His attributes are available to us, His children. Right now, He hears. Right now, He is mindful of you and all your cares and concerns. Right now, He will grant our requests according to Who He is, according to the riches of His glory!

2023 New Year Prayer for You

“For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height-- to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:14-21

1) I pray for you to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man.

Though the outward man is perishing may your inner man grow strong through the Holy Spirit. May your life be characterized with spiritual power in all circumstances. May the Holy Spirit strengthen you in your faith so you can stand strong against the attacks of the enemy. May you have mighty power in ability and in action. May you persevere through all of life's trials with grace, joy and praise to our Lord Jesus.

2) That Christ may dwell in your heart through faith.

May Jesus inhabit and fill up all the space in your heart. May your heart belong only to Him and no other. May His presence within you pervade, prompt and govern every area of your life. Your heart is a dwelling place for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, may you keep it clean and prepared for Him. May you enjoy His presence and the sweet fellowship He gives.

3) That you would be rooted and grounded in love

The greatest of attributes is love. Every good & beautiful characteristic flow from it for God is love. May His love be rooted and grounded in your soul. May the firm, solid foundation of your life be love. May it go so deep within you that it overpowers all other emotions and actions. As Christ loves you, may you love others. As Christ forgives you may you forgive. We love because He first loved us. May you initiate love as He has initiated love towards you. May your life be characterized by sacrificial love for others.

4) May be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height - To know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge

It is only when we experience the love of God within the body of Christ can we comprehend the vast, limitlessness of His love. We cannot lay hold of it without sharing it with each other. I pray you will lavish love upon others even when undeserved for we are all undeserving. May you experience the massive, boundless, expansive love of Christ within the body of Believers this year. May you come to know, really know the Love of Jesus that surpasses all knowing – it will change everything!

5) That you may be filled with all the fullness of God

I pray you will be so spiritually strong, so controlled and compelled by His divine love that you are totally and fully dominated by the Lord Jesus with nothing left of self. Filled with all the fullness of God. Oh, how is that possible? Thank you, Lord, that you immediately answered this question. It is YOU, all about You, Your ability, not ours. Your strength, Your abundance, Your Holy Spirit and power that works in us and through us from generation to generation.

NOW to HIM who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, To Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever, Amen Ephesians 3:20-21

My prayer for you is to have 2023 be an Ephesians 3:20 year! May you experience Jesus in His fullness and His love in abundance. I am trusting Jesus with you that no matter what this year brings this LIFE Jesus gives us is not only possible it is assured! Give Him your whole heart and He will amaze you exceedingly abundantly above all that you ask or think!

All for Jesus and His Glory,

Janette

P.S. I would like to challenge you to take 30 days to draw close to God. Watch the video below for the challenge and a quick look inside the Women's edition of our Bible Time Journal. You can use the Bible Time Journal for Women, Men or Teen Girls to keep you focused or just use a notebook and your Bible. BUT JUST DO IT!! Make it a habit - it will change your life.

“It's amazing, I know, and I tell people, 'Get in the Word and you will find true happiness.'” Melissa Camp

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Rejoice Highly Favored One

I hope your Christmas season is filled with hope, joy and so much love! For many of us this time of year brings up beautiful memories but it also intensifies our feelings of loss. The loss of a dear loved one, a divorce, estranged family members, even the loss of a pet that has shared holidays with us for years can completely alter Christmas as we have experienced it in the past. The emotions of grief and mourning can come upon us quickly and are hard to understand. They can leave us feeling misunderstood, alone and possibly abandoned by family, friends and even God. The life of Mary, the mother of Jesus, should encourage you that God does not abandon you in the hard, difficult seasons. I pray you will see that your Heavenly Father is there with you through it all and that He has a plan, a spectacular plan for the “hard” things that come into your life. Look carefully, God may open your eyes to see that you are highly favored and blessed.

Highly Favored One - The Beginning of Mary's Christmas Story

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her,

"Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!"

Luke 1:26-32

Mary was given great honor by the Lord but not by man. Her blessing did not include a life of ease, wealth or fame. Her calling was to live a life characterized by shame, ridicule, poverty, suffering and great intimacy with God Himself. The shame and ridicule came from man not from within herself. People who thought they were better than her judged her and considered her a fornicator and her son Jesus as an illegitimate child born out of wedlock. These accusations followed her throughout her life. This is not exactly a life that we would expect if we were “highly favored” or called, “blessed among women.” In fact it seems the exact opposite. Some might even think it was a life where God was against her, not for her, certainly not blessing her.

Mary was just a teen when the angel Gabriel came to her. What was it about her that caused her to be called “highly favored” and “blessed among women?” She was just a young girl in the obscure town of Nazareth. A town with a reputation of one of the lowliest places on earth, nothing good could come out of it (John 1:46.) Yet, God saw her and chose her out of all the women in the world to be the mother of God. What was it about Mary that made her stand out in God's eyes?

We learn a lot about Mary in her response to Gabriel and in The Song of Mary in Luke 1:46-55

To Gabriel: Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. Luke 1:38

Mary was a willing servant of the Lord. Totally submissive to His will and rule over her life. She had a heart of obedience and accepted the authority of His word over her.

In Mary's Song we see into her heart.(Luke 1:46-55)

She magnified the LORD

She Rejoiced in God her Savior

She was humble

She was His servant

She was grateful

She worshipped Him and set His Name apart as Holy

She acknowledged His Mercy

She reflected on His strength and mighty works

She declared His power, justice and righteousness

She proclaimed His compassionate and faithful character.

She believed and trusted His Promises.

She knew God and He knew her!

2 Chronicles 16 tells us: “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him . . .” Mary had a loyal heart, a heart after His. He showed Himself strong on her behalf and chose her to be blessed and honored above all women. She was a human just like us. She had her fears and doubts. But she believed and trusted in her God. She worried about her child and even had panicked moments' when she couldn't find him. She was trying to control at times and even tried to interrupt Him when He was speaking to the multitude. She grieved at his suffering and mourned at His death. She rejoiced at His resurrection and was praying with the disciples while waiting for the power of the Holy Spirit to come and fill them. Her life was painful and spectacular. Blessed, Honored yet full of suffering and disappointment. As Simeon said, "(yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." Luke 2:35 Mary's heart & soul would experience a continual piercing throughout her life but not in vain or without an eternal purpose that generations of hearts would be revealed and would come to know her Son as their Savior and Lord. Yes, truly a woman highly favored and blessed above all others!

So dear one, woman or man, if you think your life falls short of your expectations. If life has been hard, full of suffering and painful events. Do not think that God is against you but know that He is for you. He will not waste your suffering and will never leave you alone. You are accepted in the beloved and if Christ is your Savior you are His precious child. Look for the blessings in the hard. Look for His favor and blessings in the intimate relationship you have with Him. Meditate on what made Mary favored and blessed. Look at her heart and ask yourself where are you in your relationship with Jesus? Is your heart fully surrendered to His will and His Word above all else? This is the only way to have a truly honored and blessed life my friend.

All for Jesus & His glory,

Merry Christmas!

Janette

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In Everything Give Thanks

Oh, give thanks to the Lord for He is good for His mercy endures forever! This year Thanksgiving will look very different for us. It is no longer focused on food or family. It is a day of pure Thanksgiving to the LORD.

'Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.' - 1Thess 5:16-18 God's beautiful, perfect will for me is to rejoice always in every situation whether good, bad, sorrowful or joyful. For He is worthy of all my praise. He is my eternal joy. He never changes and He never leaves me. His goodness, His mercy and His love for me never falters. It is not based on me or my present circumstances but solely on His unchanging character. Thank you Jesus. His will for me is to pray without ceasing. Oh, how I cherish this. For He is my constant companion. I am never alone and He is always there to listen to me, comfort me, encourage me and challenge me for more. More of Jesus every day, every hour, minute and second. His voice is always in my head. All I have to do is listen. God's will for me is always for my benefit. He strives to draw me closer and to reveal Himself in greater depths. More than anything else God uses our need, pain, suffering and the hard, hard things we go through.. In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for me! Everything means everything. So I wholeheartedly must thank Him for the hard, the horrible, the unthinkable in my life because He tells me to. It is for my benefit. It lifts my burdens and focuses me on eternity. Melissa would always say," God has eternal plans for me.: Yes He does. Our pain is momentary but the benefits are eternal. Join me this Thanksgiving in whole heartedly thanking the LORD for all things. Focus on all the good things He has given you and all He has done throughout your life. Be grateful for the small and little blessings in your day. Say thank you Lord for all the difficult people in your life as well as those who bless you and love you. Say thank you for the plenty and the sparse. Take time to pray and tell the LORD how much you appreciate Him, not only for all He has done for you; but most importantly for who He is. The greatest gift of all is Jesus Himself who gave His life for us so we can live eternally secure in His love forever. I am thankful for you on this Thanksgiving day. You have blessed me and encouraged me on my journey. My prayer for you is for an abundant life filled with the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus. For you to love Him with your whole heart. For happiness and joy to fill you and for you to find fulfillment in Christ Jesus; for He lives!

Happy Thanksgiving! All for Jesus and His glory, Janette

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