Author: Travail and Transform Ministry

Philippians 4:7 NIV ~ “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:7 AMP ~ “And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stand guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours].”

Philippians 4:7 ERV ~ “And because you belong to Christ Jesus, God’s peace will stand guard over all your thoughts and feelings. His peace can do this far better than our human minds.”

Philippians 4:7 NKJV ~ “and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Yes, I wanted you to have this scripture in all of these different versions so that you can be sure to understand what the Bible is saying. As you can see, I made the following words “Will Guard” or “Stand Guard” bold and underlined it for clarity purposes! This is what the Peace of God will do for you! 

Let’s talk about what a guard is, according to Merriam Webster Dictionary, it means that one is assigned to protect or oversee another. According to Easton’s Bible Dictionary, it means a defense to a point of danger; to take great care of something, to pay close attention, and to protect from intrusion (Nehemiah 4:22; Ezekiel 38:7).

The Hebrew word for “guard,” mišmār, which tells the nature of how someone should guard another. The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon says that guarding is active, not passive. You see you are not trying to protect yourself from loving others love, but you are trying to protect yourself on how to love others. You cannot let the pain of what you are going through consume you and cause you to be a carrier of hurt instead of a conduit of God’s love! “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)! God wants your heart to be a wellspring of our life and the source of everything that you do. Just as a polluted well pours out water that causes pain, so can your heart, this is why you have to allow God access to your heart, where He can stand guard to protect you, and sometimes it is from, you! 

This Peace that God is offering you is a peace that transcends, rises, surpasses, goes beyond and any other kind of peace that you can ever experience. When you are going through a thing, you will sometimes reach out to someone else first before you reach out to God, you try to find peace in other people, places, and things, but there is no peace like the Peace of God! I want you to know that the Peace of God will outshine every other attempt made by you to produce peace anywhere else. This Peace, the Peace of God is in a category all on it’s on, it can stand alone and not fall or fail! There is absolutely nothing in the world that can compare with the Peace of God that is in and on you! 

Paul wrote in the Bible, what the peace of God will produce in your life! He says that this peace “…shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds….” Guard in this verse, is a military term that expresses how soldiers stood faithfully at their post at the city gates to guard and control anyone who went in and out of the city. They were the gate keepers, and no one could enter or exit the city without their approval or knowledge. The word guard is used to explicitly tell you that God’s peace, is everything you need to be safe! The only thing is, you have to allow Him to work in your life, and then He will stand at the gate of your heart and mind as a Guard that has been positioned there to control and monitor everything that tries to enter your emotions or exit in your responses to your emotions. When God’s Perfect Peace rules over you, nothing can get past that divine Guard and slip into your mind or heart without His approval!

Do you see this good thing that God is doing for you!  It means you can refuse to allow the devil access to you or throw you into panic mode or push any button inside of You that is contrary what God says! When the peace of God is standing guard at the entrance of your heart and mind, the devil has lost his access to your thought life and your emotions! God’s peace is different from the world’s peace (see John 14:27). True peace is not found in positive thinking or in good feelings, it comes from trusting God to work everything out in a way that is best for you as you fulfill the role God called you to do in this world!

Your citizenship in Jesus Christ Kingdom is sure, your destiny has been set, and you have victory over sin, because of what Jesus did for you on the Cross! Today, let God’s Peace guard your heart against all your troubles, test and tribulations of this world that try to bring you down and keep your focus off Jesus. When you trust God, He will give you a peace in a traffic, and He will interrupt anything that is trying to distract or pull you away from Him no matter what, because you made Him your Guard! Today, let your guards down so that God can Guard you properly and keep you from harm and keep you safe at the same time!  

Father, I am grateful that You have positioned Your Peace to stand at the entrance of my heart and mind and that it may dominate and control my lips and life because of what You put on the inside me is what rules me! Today, I choose to let Your Peace and Presence rise up and conquer me. For I am assured that with Your Peace standing at the gate of my heart and mind, I know it will disable every trick of the enemy in my life, for I was chosen by You and I belong to You! 

Let’s Pray:

Father, Thank You! Thank You for Your Peace! Father, the greatest desire of my heart is to love and to have Your Peace and to love others the way You love me. Father, I worship You and adore You with all of my heart, mind soul and strength. You reign from heaven above with wisdom, power and love. How excellent is your Name! Father, sometimes I go through difficult dynamics in my life, and it can get a little tough in my natural relationships, so I’m asking for Your help in navigating this season, I need You to help me walk in Your ways. Show me how to approach my closest relationships with both compassion and a commitment to emotional health and healing, for I desire to be more like You, for You are my righteousness. Father, disable, destroy, and dismantle every illegal activity that would try to disrupt or disturb my peace, attack my emotions or slip into my mind to cause chaos!  Father, I Thank You for loving me enough to put Your powerful Peace in my life as a guard! Father, I’m praying for a refilling of Your Holy Spirit and for You to cleanse my heart that I may act like You want me too. Father, guard my mind and put Your sweet savor on my lips and let your healing balm of virtue flow through my organs that each one of them may function in the way You have designed it. Thank You for shielding me and sustaining me with your peace, the peace that surpasses and exceeds every fiber of my being in the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen! 

Blessings…

Love, Minister Jean 

Deuteronomy 2:7 ERV ~ “Remember that the LORD your God has blessed you in everything you have done. He knows about everything that happened on the trip through this great desert. The LORD your God has been with you these 40 years. You have always had everything you needed.”

Deuteronomy 8:3-4 NIV ~ “He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. [4] Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years.”

When we become Christians, we feel that the Holy Spirit will lead us on peaceful journeys through this life at all times, but that is not the case, you will walk through some wildernesses! God led Jesus into the wilderness for a long and difficult time of testing and preparation for 40 days and 40 nights, the devil tried to tempt Him; Matthew 4: 1-11. Just as you are led into the wilderness and sometimes you lead yourself into those difficult journeys by not letting the Holy Spirit guide you; but nevertheless, you have wandered around the wilderness long enough, but don’t worry nothing was wasted, God did it on purpose!

Just as the Israelites; you have spent years on a journey that should have lasted for a few days. It was not the distance that stood between them and the promised land, it was the condition of their hearts, just like you, it is the condition of your heart that keeps you from reaching the promise. God’s purpose for the journey in the wilderness will prepare you to live in total obedience to Him, the journey is painful, dying to self and obeying is tough, but it is necessary for your preparation and His purpose in your life for the long run!

The Lord led the people through the wilderness with a purpose. It was not a waste of time for them or you to wander in the wilderness the over these last years. Yes, I know it’s been trying and testing, but all it had a reason. God wanted to humble them and test their hearts to see what was in it! You do know that this is what He is doing to you, He wants to know what is at the core of your heart; and will you keep His commands!

I want you to think about this for a moment, God brought the people in the wilderness so that they would become humble and show what was really in their hearts. Let’s look at verse three again closely, you need to see exactly what God did, “And he humbled you and let you hunger so that He could feed….” Do you see God’s hand all over this, you being hungry in the wilderness was not by accident? God did it, so that He could provide you with bread from His mouth! God let them hunger in the wilderness to humble them! God let you be hungry to humble you! What you went through or whatever you are going through was created to draw you to depend on God! He used this so that you could learn to live with Him and not without Him, you need Him for everything!  (3b, “That he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord”)

This is the reason that you have had some difficulties, it was to humble you in the wilderness! You needed to be tested! You needed to have what’s really in your heart revealed to God and to you, you need to see you with your own eyes! These difficulties will let you know if will obey God or not! This humbling experience in the wilderness will shatter your pride and selfishness! Life has a way of bringing things front and center in your life! God is trying to teach you a critical truth while you are in the wilderness; life is about trusting in God. In particular, life is about trusting in what God says not what you feel like! God did more than just give you food in the wilderness, it was to teach you that God is able to provide you and not just food but everything you need! Sometimes all you can see is that God will provide. But the greater message is that the words that promised bread came from the same mouth that promised you everything else. By receiving the Word of God and enjoying the provisions that God gave, you can enjoy the promises as well, for both came out of God’s mouth!

I need you to see one more thing, they wandered for 40 years, their shoes never wore out and their feet never swelled! Only God can do that! You should be fully aware of this one thing now, more than ever, God takes care of those He chooses. God is providing for you in your wilderness and yes you can fully rely on God for every promise that He promised, it will come to pass, you just have to have the right heart to receive it! You have to trust every Word that comes out of His mouth! You will have to obey every word that God gives on this journey; this is the only way that you are going to survive the journey! On the journey in the wilderness God is going to teach you things that you could not learn anywhere else, He is teaching you who you will become through the Holy Spirit. God says you will be blessed! God is giving you knowledge and wisdom, power and strength and the ability to have understanding and be able to make good choices! God has given you everything that you need today! You are going to make it!

Let’s Pray:
Father, Thank You! Father teach me today how to fully rely on you on my journey in the wilderness. Help me to know that I can make it with Your help, for You said that You would never leave or forsake me, that You are always right here with me no matter what! Father, thank You for sustaining me as I walk through the wilderness, thank You for drawing me directly to You, and for not letting me get worn down as I walked. Father, Your Presence in the wilderness has humble me, Father please help me keep my heart right before You, I need You and only You can do it! Father, Thank You for Your Word, for it is sufficient for everything that I need, for the Bible tells me that I cannot live on bread on, but that I need every Word that comes out of Your mouth! Father I pray that Your word would be the center of my life and that I am totally dependent upon You day in and day out! Father, Your Word is so satisfying, and I love it more than anything else. Father I pray that others will find the love and joy that Your Word brings and how it curves our hunger, and we grow stronger and stronger each day, because we feast on You. In Jesus Christ Name. Amen!

Blessings…
Love, Minister Jean

Psalm 119:105 KJV ~ “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”

Can you really see where you are walking in the dark? Do you need a lamp and light to help you get to your next destination? If you answered yes to any one of these questions, look no further, I have the answer for you! It’s the Word of God, it’s your lamp and light, it’s your compass and your guide and it will always lead you in the right direction and bring you back home front and center!

Whenever someone talks about feet in the Bible, they will point you to our scripture for today, Psalm 119:105, because you have to go where feet go, and your feet are symbolically used in the Bible to represent your lives. The Apostle Paul talked about the significance of how a person shares the gospel with someone else, you have to take it to them, so that they can respond to the Good News. How can people tell the Good News if no one sends them? According to the Word of God, it sats, ‘How beautiful are the feet of the messengers who announce the Good News.” Romans 10:15. So as you can see, your feet are very important, as a matter of fact, the Bible calls them beautiful because of the value of the message being delivered. They are a symbol for the traveling and the effort required in bringing the Good News to others!

As God’s chosen children, you must seek the Word of God daily so that you are not wondering off into dark places, after all there is no need for you to be stumbling around in darkness, when you have all the light that you need, and it is found in God’s Word! As you journey across this land sometimes you are going to have to go to some places and you will need a natural flashlight to help you see, but when you go with the Word of God, He will make every dark step light and you will stay on the path, both naturally and spiritually! You see God’s Word is the corrector of right and wrong steps and paths, and when you step in step with His Word, the more clearly you can discern and choose the path that He wants you to take!

God’s Word is the light to the flash that you need to take with you everywhere that your feet will go, for it is the lamp for your path! Stay right where you are and keep your eyes on God and let Him continue to light up your world with His Word! The light of God’s Word will illuminate the darkest places in your life and show you the way to be free in God! The light of the Word of God will lead you out of all darkness and into His Marvelous Light! Trust the Light of Jesus Christ to get you where you are supposed to be today!

Nobody knows what will happen in the next minute, but we serve a Faithful Father, who knows everything! I love how Charles Swindoll says it, “How comforting it is to know that God sees the events of our lives ahead of time.” God has hindsight, insight, eyesight, and foresight where you are concerned, nothing gets past Him, before Him, around Him or over Him, He’s on top of it all! In every place you go today you will need the Word of God to help you see. Hindsight to help you remember what God has shown you before! Insight to help you discern what is natural and what is spiritual! Eyesight for you to see where you are right now! Foresight, that you may see where God is taking you! Just surrender to Him, let Him have control, you won’t be sorry that you followed Him!

God made your feet secure and keeps you on a firm ground so that you will not sin (1 Sam 2:9; Ps 17:5; 26:12; 31:8). He is the One who makes your steps sure as you walk through life. The Bible declares that the Word of God is a lamp for your feet and light for your path, when you follow the light, and you will stay on your path!

Let’s Pray:
Thank You Father! Father, I accept Your Light today! Today, I will praise and worship You because You are my Light, You are my keeper and sustainer! Father, give me eyesight, insight, hindsight, and foresight today, that I may see and discern all that You have planned for me in this moment and time! Father, Thank You for being my compass and seeing me safely to all my destinations that You will send me today. Father, Thank You for being the Light of my life and showing me where to step and what to avoid! Father, I acknowledge my need for You and Your Word, for I would not be able to see my way out of where I am, if it was not for You Father, it’s Your Word that illuminates my way and I say Thank You! Thank You for giving me light to see where I am going today and for keeping me surrounded in and by Your Light, for everything in me and my life is for Your Glory. In the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen!

Blessings…
Love, Minister Jean

John 14:27 AMP ~ “Peace I leave with you; My [perfect] peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. [Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and give you courage and strength for every challenge.]”

John 16:33 NIV ~ “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.”

Life is a series of changes, it’s like a roller coaster, it can bring you all the way up, straight to the top in one moment and the next you are plummeting down to bottom and just as quick, you are going around the mountain, before going up and down again in the same season!

Be encouraged today, Take heart! For your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has said it and that settles it! Jesus Christ overcame the world and all its trials, temptations and tribulations, and all the sin, sorrow, and sufferings that you will face and because He did that you can and will overcome it too!

In spite of it all, you will go through stuff in this world, but don’t be surprised by it, no matter what it is, no matter what you are facing, no matter what temptation, trial, tribulation, sin, sorrow or suffering that surrounds you in this present moment, have faith and be steadfast, don’t deny your pain,  just hold on to God’s unchanging Hands!

Don’t give into despair, depression, or discouragement, just desire more of Your Father and He will strengthen you in the midst of the process! You can speak the Word, speak the Peace of God right in the middle of that thing! So, do not think for one second that you are defeated! Lift up your head, for you are the child of a King who conquered death on a cross, and who was buried in a borrowed grave, and He rose on the third day for you, He overcame this world and because of this He promises to bring you into His Perfect Presence and Peace today, tomorrow and forever more!

Take Heart, because He that overcame the World is here to see you over! So, again I say Take Heart and don’t walk with your head down because God’s Spirit resides on the inside of you, John 14:27! Lift up your eyes and look to Him, for He is your Hope! He is your Victory! And you will be an Overcomer when you put your trust and belief in Jesus Christ!

Today’s scripture is your Good News Word, it’s your assurance and the good news, tribulation and trouble won’t have the last word, Jesus will! Jesus Christ is reminding you of that today! He is an Overcomer! He is a Victor! And you get to share in that victory with Him, so stand still on His Word! So, you don’t have to settle for a piece of His peace, you can have it all in His Presence! Learn to say, “It Is Well With Your Soul!” For the best is truly yet to come, just have faith and believe!

Let’s Pray:
Father, Thank You! Father, pour out Your Spirit and Your Peace on me and everyone that is connected to me and live in us day by day! Father, I am so grateful that you promised to comfort me in the midst of my troubles and trials and rumbles and rivers! Father, help me to take heart today and to not be distracted, discouraged or defeated no matter what is happening around me! May others see You in me and with me. Father, because of You, I can be an overcomer today and have Your Peace! “For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river. “Isaiah 66:12a)! I look forward to Your peace and the promise to end my trials, for I know and believe You will make all things new for me, You said it in Your Word, (Revelation 21:5)! I exalt You Jesus, because You are the One and Only One who has overcame this world, and today I can take heart in what You did for me. Father, I pray that my faith continues to increase day by day and that no matter what comes to knock me down, I can still stand up and say, It Is Well With My Soul and may Your Peace cover me. In the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ. Amen!

Blessings…
Love, Minister Jean

1 Samuel 16:1 ~ The Lord said to Samuel, ‘How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”

Have you ever been discouraged before? Samuel was one upset man, and God asked him, “How long will you mourn for Saul?” How long will you mourn for that which did not work out the way you thought it was going to work out?

God gave you mourning as an outlet to process your pain, but it’s not the place for you to take up permanent residence. Samuel had exceeded the “expiration date” of mourning over Saul, and it was time for him to live again. I’m telling you that you have exceeded the expiration date, it’s time for you to live again! I know that you have had things in your life that has not worked out the way that you thought they would family, finances, jobs, relationships and ministry, Today I say to you and to myself, “How long will we mourn this?”

I was at a funeral on Saturday and the MOG said how the people that seem the least likely are the most likely to be blessed! How many times have you seen God use those people in the Bible, I get so encouraged by who God used in the Bible. There are many people God used who I would have not used if I was God, and this should give you hope!  This great man of God, Samuel, battled fear and disappointment, but our Heavenly Father still empowered him to move forward into new things and He is doing the same thing for you too!

God gave Samuel some specific instructions to follow, He told him to Arise! Today, God is saying arise, forget about what happened yesterday, and move forward! The Word says, “One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14! As you arise and move forward, you are moving out of disappointment and despair!

Next God told him to fill his horn, you have to feed your spirit man with spiritual food! Fill up on God’s Ways, Wisdom, and Word and His Holy Spirit will give you Power from on high! Ask God, what is it that He is calling you to do in this hour? Now that you have risen and filled your horn, you can step forward and give God you and get you into your what you were called, assigned and purpose to do in your new season!

Now you can expect the unexpected as you let go of your preconceived ideas of how it has to look. Ask God to give you new eyes to see the morning, because in this movement, you will be moving from mourning to morning! You will have to be like Samuel, you will not be able to use your human reasoning in this new season! (1 Samuel 16:6-7)! Man is always looking on the outside, but God looks at the heart! Stop looking for God in the old things, He is doing something new. What does your new day look like? You see when you go into situations with your mind on who God is, what He can do, and what it will look like, you open yourself up to the possibilities to what the Lord can do through you! But first you have to move past the mourning!

I know that you can relate to Samuel and what he was experiencing; put your name where Samuel name is and what you are mourning in Saul’s place and ask yourself this question, what are you mourning over, what do you need to move past? You see we all have experienced disappointments in life, but you can’t just stay in the mourning stage! At some point and you have to level up and arise and get your hope up and fill your horn with oil! Now you will be influenced by God and what He is doing! And you will experience and embrace the unexpected. As you move from mourning to morning God will usher you into a new season of blessing and joy.

Today, God is saying, how long will you mourn in this place? It’s time to fill your horn and be on your way! God has something new for you! And you can’t get the new until you rid yourself of the old, (this includes your thinking)! For Samuel, God had a new king for him to anoint and to become part of his future, but he couldn’t do that while he was still mourning Saul! The new king was waiting! What new thing is the Lord asking of you? Is there anything old or cold you’re still giving your thoughts, emotions or energies to? Do you need to let go of something in the past so you can embrace the present? I want you to know that your “New” is waiting on you in the fields to relinquish what had been so that you can be a part of what is to be! The New You is Waiting!

May you hear the beautiful and unwavering words of the Lord this morning, arise, be on your way, fill your horn and any way in which the Lord is leading you promises to be a good way, indeed. It’s morning time!

Let’s Pray:
Father, thank You! Thank You for a brand-new day, a new morning, for Your Word says that joy comes in the morning, so I’m going to Thank You again for a new morning. Father I’m so tired of mourning those that have hurt me and disappointed me and today I choose that I will not mourn them another day. I’m putting all of my trust in You to guide me through the process of forgiveness, and I choose to leave reconciliation in Your hands. Father forgive me for making anyone or anything an idol in my life, where my mind stayed on them in the good and the bad, I have to let go! Father, wash my mind and my thoughts, that I may think on good things that will bring You Glory. Father, please teach me how to pray for those that have hurt me, and I know that I can only do that through You God and the Holy Spirit. Father, Thank You for loving me and filling the gap with Your love and peace. Father l, Thank You for teaching and helping me to let go, even when it’s hard, but I know that I have to let go in order to move forward. Father, Thank You for Your patience, kindness, compassion and love, for me in spite of me. Father, I need You like never before in my life and I know that I can’t make it without Your love, for You are everything that I need, You are the very air that I breathe! Father, let me know when it’s time to move on and let go graciously that my heart won’t hurt or be hard, but that I will do right by others simply because I love them and that is all I want to owe someone, love! Father, Thank You for easing my pain as only You can and giving me a brand-new morning to praise and worship You. In Jesus Christ Name! Amen!

Blessings…
Love, Minister Jean

Hebrews 13:8 NKJV ~ “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.”

I normally don’t do repeat devotionals but today I’m led to do just that. As I read it and re-read it, I could not change one Word. In the Word of God, it never changes, it is the same day in and day out! As you read and re-read the Bible, it does not change but you change, and you grow from level to level. So, when you read this in 2021, you were a different person, I’m sure that you have grown; that you have matured in the things of God, how you use to see is not the same as you see today. I pray that you receive that it is time for your Shift to Change for His Glory and for your good!

Everything in your life will change except Jesus Christ, He will remain the same, yesterday, today, tomorrow and forever more! God is the Standard and the Standard is the Word of God!

You are the one that has to change! No one can do this for you, but you. I received this word in March 2021 and shared it with my prayer partner and tonight I heard it again, “it’s time for a Shift Change!” Those of you that have worked in companies where there are multiple shifts that change you will understand the natural nature of this. As some work on the day shift, mid-day shift to early night and then the night shift to early day, and the cycle continues day in and day out. And spiritually you are to be changing every day, moving from level to level and glory to glory!

These two words, “Shift” and “Change” go together like your pulse and your heartbeat, you can’t have one without the other!

To Shift means: to change a place, position, or direction to another place, to MOVE!

To Change means: to make a shift from one place to another, to make radically change, to TRANSFORM!

You see you can’t make a Shift (Move) without making a Change (Transform) something has to happen; you cannot remain the same when you truly come into contact with Jesus Christ and it’s because Jesus Christ never changes that you can change!

I have some questions for you, and I want you to take your time and think about it, write them down and answer them earnestly. What has manifested in your life because of a Shift Change? Are you still the same person that you were this time five years ago, what about this time last year? What has changed in you or changed you? What are you waiting for? Are you still saying that you are a baby in Christ? When will the shift change take place? Or do you think you have more time to decide, Matthew 24:36? Aren’t you ready to move from your old ways and be transformed into the new creature that God designed you to be? Are you ready to walk into your God ordained purpose? Guess what, nobody else can answer these questions for you and nobody else can do what God created you to do!

I have this old antique typewriter and in order to move to the next line you have to press down on the “Shift Key” to move forward, otherwise you will stay on the line that you are on, but what is awesome about this typewriter, is it makes a clicking sound when you press the Shift Key, and this is when the “Change” takes place you hear the sound of the click and then you knew that you had moved to the next line (place)! Listen for the sound in the Spirit, and when you “Shift” from the old you and “Change” to the new you, there will be a sound from Heaven, God rejoices when His Children move to Him and are transformed and renewed into His likeness!

Today, I know that you may be going through some transitions, but just be reassured in your Faith in Jesus Christ, that He is close to you and He hears your hearts cry, Psalm 34:17-18! Some of what you are walking through is to strengthen and stretch you for His use, and in your stretching, He’s refining you in the Fire to remove stuff out and off of you! He gives His strongest soldiers the toughest battles, for He knows that you trust Him and that you will not waiver, because you are more than a conqueror, you are a Child of God! In this place of Shift Change you have to walk by faith and not sight, 2 Corinthians 5:7! In this moment when it doesn’t feel like anything is happening, God is Transforming you in the Move for His Glory!

This weekend be prepared for your Shift Change, it’s coming!

Let’s Pray:
Father, Abba Father, I cry out to You and say Thank You! Thank You for remaining the same, yesterday, today, tomorrow and forever more! Father, Thank You for making it possible for me to change, for I know that in me it’s impossible but in You everything is possible! Father, Thank You for Your Shift Change in my life, I chose You as my Lord and Savior! Father, create in me a clean heart and as You transform me, please remove everything from my life that is not like You, move anything and anyone that would keep me in a stuck or stagnated place. Father, I’m ready to be and do more for You! In the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen!

Blessings…
Love, Minister Jean

Daniel 2:20-21 ~ “Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.”

God has ordained all the seasons of this world that we experience, fall, winter, spring and summer. He has also ordained the seasons of your life, “The Now Season” and “The Dry Season” and “The Dew Season” and “The Off Season” and this is our devotion for today, The Off Season! 

When I think about the Off Season, I think about sports and what the coach, team and supporters! It’s in the off season that they and you should be preparing for your next season. It’s in these seasons that we can that you learn to trust God! It’s God’s choice of timing, but none of it is by chance or error! As a coach, I’m sure that it is hard to make athletes understand that it is in the off-season where growth and improvement takes place.  It’s in this season that you will put in the work, and this work is always better off in the end! This is a big deal to your coach! 

In June at Hello Gorgeous, Lady Whitney Holland spoke about the seasons of a coach, what you carry, who you coach and how you cover! I’m still feeding on this word! As a coach they have to carry in season and off-season, it’s in this season that not only are they carrying what they have to deal with, but they have to carry those that God has assigned them. It’s in your office-season that you will learn how to pray, how to fast, how to watch, how to wait, how to walk and bend, how to worship and how to work on behalf of somebody else all while you are trusting God with your own off-season! It is in this season that God uses you to coach and cover others! 

So, stop denying the obvious and trying to outrun the unavoidable, you cannot stop the breezes that carry away your best moments. But you can learn to live more wisely in the wind as you coach and cover someone else! You are living your best life now! For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven,” Ecclesiastes 3:1, and God is the one who has made it so. God gives seasons of joy and gladness, seasons for holding and laughing. But on this side of heaven, God gives none of these seasons forever, you must pass through each one, and you must prepare yourself for the next season that you are going through. 

I know that there will be some things that try to distract you in your off-season, to stop you from paying attention, but you must stay focused and deny the enemy for this season will be of the utmost importance, so you must work hard now! I know that you may see others relaxing, but this is not your season to retreat, but it’s time to work, time to do, it’s not the time to just sit inside, it’s time for you to get out and outside of the four walls! As wise as Solomon was, he said that it will take effort on your part to work, to do the work that God called you too! 

In this Off-Season spend time working on the things you struggle with as a disciple so that when your season rolls around, God will see you working and not wasting the time that He has given you! As a Christian you must constantly strive to grow closer to God. I read a quote from a promising high school quarterback he said, “If kids our age would spend as much time reading the Bible as they do on video games, what kind of world would we have today?” Interesting thought. I will ask the same question to you adults, if you would spend more time in the Word of God and praying, what would you seasons look like? You see God in all His tender and merciful timing, the giver of “every good gift” takes back the treasures he lent, reminding us that they never truly belonged to us” James 1:17.  It’s like the beams from the sun, your seasons are not your own, they belong to God and so do you! 

In this Off-Season you are being commissioned by God to Consecrate yourself, to pray, too fast and to worship! You are to be slow to speak, yet’ quick to hear what the Holy Spirit is saying to you! For in this Off-Season there is going to be a cataclysmic shift in heaven to deliver revelation and wisdom from God and you will see tangible manifestations of what happens when you labored in prayer during the off-season in every sphere of your life! Don’t despise your off-season, embrace it, for it will make you better for your next season, no matter what it may be! Just remember every season of your life is ordained by God! 

Let’s Pray:

Father, Thank You! Thank You for every season of my life. Father, continue to grow and groom me in whatever season that I am in! Father, help me to grow, to be disciplined, to have wisdom and to increase my faith. Father, please forgive me for being lazy. Help me identify areas in which I need to be better in my spiritual walk and the work that You have called me to do in season and out of season. For I know that I cannot do anything without You, but in You and through You I can do all things. For everything is for You and Your Glory! In Jesus Christ, Name. Amen!

Blessings…

Love, Minister Jean

Romans 5:6 NIV ~ “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.”

Galatians 4:4-5 NIV ~ “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, [5] to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.”

Today, I am thinking about the precision of God’s timing. There is a door I believed would have opened up for me, but it has remained closed. This has thrown me off s little and couldn’t believe that God didn’t guide me where I had previously expected. However, I had to remind myself about the precision of God’s timing. Everything is done in God’s timing, so many times we try to go ahead of God and do it like we want and every time we do that we get into trouble. Sometimes, you may be in the right season, but it still may not be the right time for something to materialize for you. While your timing is off, God’s timing is always Perfect!

How often do you think about God’s timing being off? Have you ever felt like you were in need, and you needed God to come right away because you could not help yourself out in anyway. You said to yourself God, “I need You to come and act quickly and decisively on my behalf!” I’m sure this is how Mary and Martha felt, they thought that Jesus was late, after all He waited two days to begin His journey after receiving word that their brother, Lazarus, was sick. They thought He would come immediately to Bethany, but He intentionally delayed His trip for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it (John 11:4). God’s timing is perfect, even when you are not sure about it! 1 Peter 5:6, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper
time.”

In prayer on December 4, 2023, Apostle Comery ministered this about “Time and Chance!” He said that there are important variables in a believer’s life; it’s where the trajectory of your life can change, and that timing is perfected by God, and it will propel and prepare you for life that you are meant to live.
He said these 4 things happen when time and chance connect:
1. When they meet, it interrupts everything that you have going on and that you need to follow Jesus as He will intervene your comfort zone.
2. The perfect timing of God is Kairos and Chronos timing. It makes the impossible, possible. Kairos is measured by seasons and not days. The natural will say no, the spirit will say yes.
3. God puts a halt to all of your hinderances when time and chance comes together. Everything that was blocking you has been stopped! This becomes the perfect timing of God!
4. When time and chance meets, He releases favor in unfavorable conditions. You need God when you have run out of all of possibilities. You will say, I need thee oh God and mean it! Ecclesiastes 9:11-12!

In this season, God is inviting us to take steps of faith that will bring powerful breakthroughs and reevaluate what you spend your time on and what you think about. During this time in your life, God is offering you an invitation to cultivate your faithfulness. Show up even when it seems like nothing is happening. Take time to dream and imagine the promises God has given you instead of fears and doubts. Right now, it’s time to take steps of faith towards what God has called you to do.

You must learn to wait on His timing! God’s hand delayed leads to God’s glory displayed! God’s timing sets everything in order in just the right time for you! God is never late. He is never early. He is always, perfectly on time! Today, I want you to try this, instead of trying to manipulate time, trust God and know that He is working in perfect rhythm with His Glory and that at just the right time, He will act in accordance with His Sovereign Will! Declare the perfect timing of God! Get ready for this time. The time is now to be at the feet of God, and you will need to have great discernment. You need to become so sensitive to the Holy Spirit, that you know where to be and when to be there, the Precise Timing of God!

I want to leave you with this question? What is your spiritual clock saying to you this morning? Is it set to God’s standard or to your own?

Let’s Pray:
Thank You Father for this beautiful day that I have never seen before! I will rejoice and be glad in it! Father, I come to You today seeking Your guidance and wisdom. I know that You have a plan for my life and that everything will happen in Your perfect timing. Father, help me to remain patient and faithful in my times of waiting, even when I don’t understand Your plan! Father, give me discernment to recognize the opportunities and doors that you are opening for me and for those that are staying closed. Father, give me the courage and faith to step through those doors, even when it means leaving my comfort zone. Father, Thank You for being the God of Perfect Timing!  I have put all of trust that in You, and I surrender my life and my timing to you. Father, remind me throughout Your day to trust your timing and to know that everything will happen according to Your plan. Father, I know that waiting on Your timing doesn’t mean that I can just sit by idly and do nothing, but I must take action and pursue the desires and passions that You put on the inside of me and to remain open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the leading of Your plan for my life and to know that the right time and the set time in my life is orchestrated by You! In the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen!

Blessings…
Love, Minister Jean

Psalm 102:13 ERV ~ “You will rise up and comfort Zion. The time has come for you to be kind to Zion.”

In this new season that you are walking into, walk in it doing something for God! And know that what you have or have not done up until this moment will not cancel out your future blessings from God when you choose to obey Him! Repentance has re-routed you back to Him, His Presence and His Glory!

God is pouring His living water into you, and in the pouring out of that same water, you are being changed and moved into your God ordained purpose. This new change will be at a 180-degree turn, there will be no more 360 degree turns for you, for there is no going back to where you were! There is “No Looking Back”, so stop avoiding the process! I know this seems hard, but appreciate what your Father is doing, He has saved you from you! It’s time for you to release and relax and let go and move forward!

Whatever God tells you to do today in this new season, it would be in your best interest to find yourself doing it! There is a servant leader in you waiting to emerge and serve God’s children, so receive the gift of servitude, for it will give you the ability and the endurance to carry out God’s instructions properly this time!

And again, I say come into your new season doing, doing what you have been commissioned, called and chosen to do! All the tools and talents that you need have already gone before you and God is waiting for you to collect them at each junction that He has sent you on as you have journeyed in this land. Did you hear Him, “what you need is already there” (and some of your wants just because He loves you)!

It may seem like it’s not the right time for you to move on to move forward because of where you are and what you are walking through, but God says “It’s Time!”, He’s getting ready to do something off schedule and off season in your life and it is going to require your obedience and willingness to follow Him, this is where your faith needs to kick in and this won’t be done in your time, but in His time, because His time is the perfect time and fit for you!

Let’s Pray:
Father, Thank You! Thank You for loving me so much and reminding me of Your promises to me! Thank You for pouring and re-pouring Your Word and Your Wisdom in me! Father, my heart longs for time with You, time in Your Presence is everything to me today and every day! Father give me the strength to accept and move in this place that I am in, for I know that Your timing is not my time and everything that You do, You do perfectly for my life. Help me trust You in all things knowing that You are working everything out for my God because I was chosen by You and for You. Father, I will walk into my next season doing the work that You have anointed, ordained and appointed me for. In Jesus Christ Wonderful Name. Amen!

Blessings…
Minister Jean

Proverbs 19:2 ERV ~ “Being excited about something is not enough. You must also know what you are doing. Don’t rush into something, or you might do it wrong.”

Hello you! Yes, I’m talking to you, you are reading this devotional right now; Impatience will get you into trouble, don’t rush, take your time!

God has good things planned and prepared for your life; you just have to go through the process! I know your nature is to want it now…not later. And you can find yourself being tempted to ask God when, when it doesn’t happen the way, you want it! God knows that you need to mature in some areas before He gives you certain things, you need to grow in the area of trusting God instead of focusing on the “when” and the “why “question.

I know sometimes it can be frustrating when you’re in a hurry and you think God isn’t moving fast enough for you! I want to let you know what I have learned, God is never, ever in a hurry! The Word of God says a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like a day to God, 2 Peter 3:8! So, if you’re missing joy and peace, you’re not trusting God. If your mind feels worn out all the time, you’re not trusting God. You can’t force God to move when you want Him to move!

No matter who or what you do, will never cause God to move in your time, so it’s really useless for you to waste your time trying to cause God to speed! You see when you (me) try to take matters into our own hands and help God out, we get in trouble. It’s like when God puts something into your spirit, instead of you waiting on Him, you go into your go mode instead of being patient in God’s in His waiting room, you start trying to figure out ways of doing God’s plan on your own, you are headed for trouble!

The Word says in Psalm 37:7, “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.” You see there is peace in waiting and resting in God, this is your act of faith. It means you’re waiting on and in God and you are not going to allow the “wait” to “weigh” you down! I know that you remember the story of when the disciples were in the boat with Jesus and a storm arose and Jesus was sleeping, and when they woke Him up, they asked Him, why are you sleeping Lord, save us, because if You don’t, we are going to drown! This is what happens when you try to go ahead of God, you will drown in you! Jesus said, where is your faith, and why are you afraid, Jesus has you, and in just the right moment, He got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm, Matthew 8:25-26! You will not sink as long as you keep Jesus with you!

God says, “Don’t fret. Remember that He is always with you, and you can trust His timing, it’s perfect! Stop worrying, it will make you miserable and make you try to do it in your strength and just to be clear, you have no power, only God has the Power to control time! Don’t worry, trust God to work it out, He knows when you are ready to move to your next moment. Know that God is working in and through you while you are on your way to your destination, the one that He predestined for you from the beginning!

Let’s Pray:
Thank You Father, for being a God of perfect timing. I trust Your plans for me are far greater than I could ever imagine, and I surrender my life and my timing to You and Your Way. Father, please remind me throughout the day to trust in Your timing and to have faith that everything will happen according to Your plan. Help me be open to the opportunities and doors that You have destined to be open for me, even if they aren’t what I expected or planned for. Father, I know that waiting on your timing doesn’t mean sitting idly by, that I must be about Your business. Father, I will take action and pursue my passions, but I will always remain open to the guidance of Your Holy Spirit and the leading of Your plan for my life. Father, I will put all of my trust in You, even in my seasons of waiting, I will wait patiently for You and I won’t be weighed down by the weight of this world, for I know that Your timing is perfect. Father, fill my heart with faith, peace and joy as I wait, hope and believe in Your perfect time as I watch Your faithful plan unfold just for me, and I know that everything is for Your Glory. In the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen!

Blessings…
Minister Jean