Ministering To The Lord.

-Meditation-

1 Samuel 2:18-20

--TheSecretPlace--

What strikes me about this scripture is in verse 18 where it says that Samuel ministered before the LORD, even as a child. I love how Samuel in the place where he is, a young child, in the LORD's temple under a priest named Eli who has wicked sons, he just ministers to the LORD, before the LORD, all day, every day. In the same way in the midst of a dark generation, an evil wicked people, the LORD is looking for those like Samuel, who will press in and minister to Him even though all oppose them, and ministering to the LORD may sound lame to others, He is looking for those who do not care if they look or sound lame, they just want the LORD. They just want to sit before Him. This amazes me, that Samuel in the LORD's eyes, though he was a child, was blessed, and highly favored, and I believe he found characteristics about the LORD that no one else had ever looked into, and we are blessed because we benefit from Samuel by reading, and learning what he learned from the LORD, and it encourages me to press in, and hear from the LORD.

Hannah would come up with Elkanah every year, and she would bring a little robe for Samuel, and Eli would bless her, and Elkanah saying "The LORD give you descendants from this woman for the loan that was given to the LORD.''

I believe the dedication of Samuel to the LORD made by Hannah is a very significant, and risky thing to do, but her faith to the LORD in remaining true to her word gives us such a great picture of what it looks like to remain faithful, and true to the LORD in all we do, and when we make commitments, and promises this promise that Hannah kept brings new meaning, and life to what promise, and faithfulness really is.

I want to be, and believe that you want to be faithful to the LORD, and to others in the way Hannah was. No matter how hard it may be sometimes the LORD is worth all that we are, and when we do remain faithful He rewards us greatly. I want to call you, and challenge you to stay true to your commitments to the LORD, and to others. Stay faithful in your fasts, and remain in the place of trusting in the LORD. Most importantly I want to urge you to love the LORD with all of your heart soul, mind, and strength, because that is what we were all made for-LOVE. Let's stay true to our number 1 calling.

To LOVE God.

---Intercession---

Lord, though I haven't said much, I just ask that You would speak to those who are reading this powerfully. Lord, I pray that You would make Yourself known to us, and pour out Your Spirit on us. Lord, You are so good, and wonderful, and I just ask that You would help us to minister before You even when all of the rest of the world is turning away from You. Lord, You are worth all of our struggle, and You are worth Your people being faithful to You. Thank You LORD for Your goodness. I love You Jesus!! Come Lord Jesus!!

-Meditation-

1 Samuel 2:16-17

--TheSecretPlace--

Eli's sons were obviously very wicked in the LORD's eyes, and we see one reason why in these verses, it says that they treated the LORD's offering with contempt, which means with disgrace, dishonor, and in despise. That is not very pleasant. They considered the LORD's offering like it was worthless. This displeased the LORD. Though they were Eli, the priest's sons, they were wicked in the LORD's eyes. Though they were themselves priests, and were in the house of the LORD, their sin was very evil, and great(in a bad way) in the LORD's eyes.

This reminds me about how so many people go to church, and call themselves Christians, and still go on with sin, chasing after the desires of their own hearts. So many abandon the LORD, in the LORD's house, and turn away from Him. This truly breaks the heart of the Father, and I believe He is calling His people back to Himself, but still only few will enter in through the narrow path. We have turned away from the LORD, even in the LORD's house, and we have even become so so occupied with ourselves, and what we want that we disregard the things that the LORD wants and is looking for.

I want to call you, and encourage you strongly to examine your heart before the LORD today, and even though we may not be rebellious, and evil, the LORD may want to reveal something to you in your life, and heart that needs to change. We always need improvement, and help from the LORD. Don't be timid to just get rid of your sin, and walk in the freedom that the LORD is offering you today, and even right now in this moment.

---Intercession---

Jesus I want to lift up to you our hearts today, and I just ask that You would show us where we may have gone wrong, and reveal to us the ways we can improve, and get closer to Your heart. You are so good, and You are always good, thank You LORD that You never stop being good!! Jesus, You are so Beautiful, Wonderful, and Glorious. Be exalted in our lives, and reveal to us more the depths of Your love. I love You LORD. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Regard For The LORD.

-Meditation-

1 Samuel 2:12-15

--TheSecretPlace--

Hello all. As I think upon this scripture I think about how many people have turned away from the Lord, and we have had no regard for Him. I think about how the LORD wants a people who have high regard for His Name, who long to see Him. Who desire to know Him, but His people are turning away.

Eli was the priest in Shiloh, and his sons were decided to turn away from the LORD, and do evil in His eyes, they had no regard for the LORD at all. What this makes me really think about is how we in America, so many of us have forsaken the ways of our forefathers, and the Solid Rock on which our nation was built, and that is Jesus Christ. Our nations leaders have gone from calling national days of prayer, to shedding the blood of millions of innocent babies. Sadly this has been going on for a while, but RIGHT NOW the LORD is raising up an army of intercessors, (because we are all intercessors) and He is raising us up to cry out to Him for the establishment of righteousness, and justice, and for His kingdom to come to earth. Now is the time to cry out.

Today is July 5, and a national call has gone forth from some of the Christian leaders in the prayer movement calling the body of Christ in America to cry out for mercy on behalf of our nation. The call is to fall on out knees, on our faces, and to cry out to God, and ask Him for mercy for our nation.

I believe that even though our nation has many who have no regard for the LORD, God is still holding back some judgement that we so do deserve, and I want to call you just as the LORD has called many, and me, I want to call you to get on your face before the LORD, and pray the prayer out of 2 Chronicles 7:14, and even more of the Bible.

WE NEED MERCY. God is the only one who can give us mercy, so let us lift our voices to Him!

Just as the sons of Eli the priest turned away from the LORD, and were wicked, we can see that many of our leaders in America today have turned away from the ways of our forefathers in America who modeled their lives after Jesus. Let us be the change!! Let's turn back to the LORD, and cry out to Him on behalf of our nation.

---Intercession---

Jesus please strengthen us, and encourage us to cry out to you every single day for Your kingdom to come, and You will to be done. Thank You for the way you want us, and for loving us with the deepest love, I just pray that you would reveal to our hearts this great love, and show us Your heart. I love You Lord Jesus. In Your Name. Amen

To Love The LORD.

-Meditation-

1 Samuel 2:11

Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy(Samuel) ministered before the LORD under Eli the priest.

--TheSecretPlace--

This is truly amazing to me because even when the rest of Samuel's family went to Ramah He stayed before the LORD, and he served the LORD under Eli. When I read this verse I think about how the LORD is looking for people who, when everyone else leaves their side, they do not leave the LORD's side. He is looking for people, His people, to stand before Him day and night ministering to His heart, and sowing into the Spirit. He is extending an invitation to His chosen people to minister to Him, and to have an intimate relationship with Him. We have an invitation given to us by the King of Glory, El Shaddai, Adonai, El Ohim, and the invitation is to LOVE-With all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

God's love is the greatest love, and delight, and we have a personal invitation given to us by Love Himself to love. How could we not accept??

Though it is to me, and maybe you as well, unthinkable some push away this great love that the Father wants us to receive. Some don't want anything to do with Jesus. But this is one thing I know, and that is that the LORD takes so much pleasure in us, and even when we mess up, and even when things are going horrible, HE STILL LOVES US!!!! With all that He is He wants us to enter into right relationship with Him, and this love is worth all we are, and all we have to give.

Just as the LORD is, I want to encourage you in this invitation to holy love. To love Him with all of your heart soul mind and strength. To pursue Him, and minister to His heart even when you are the only one to do just that, and even if everyone who is close to you abandons you, I want to encourage you, and extend this very invitation to you to even in those times, SEEK HIS FACE, and stay before Him. We were created to love, and we were created for love.-For LOVE HIMSELF. Jesus Christ. The Holy and Risen One.

---Intercession---

Jesus I just want to thank You for extending this invitation to love wholeheartedly, and to love you even when we are the only ones loving You. I just want to thank You that we are able to be apart of what You are doing in the earth, and I just ask Father that You would strengthen, and empower us, Your people to be faithful to You, even unto death, let us take into our hearts the Words of Your mouth. I just ask in Jesus Name that You would make Yourself known Lord. You are good, and Your mercy endures forever. You are forever, and Your kingdom is forever! Lord, I look forward to spending eternity with You, and I just ask that You would set all of these things into our hearts, and that You would help us to love You wholeheartedly. I love You. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Let Your Kingdom Come.

-Meditation-

1 Samuel 2:10

those who oppose the LORD will be shattered.
He will thunder against them from heaven;
the LORD will judge the ends of the earth.
"He will give strength to his king
and exalt the horn of his anointed."

--TheSecretPlace--

This scripture just reminds me, and gives me a picture of what Jesus is coming back to do. He is coming to judge the nations of the earth, and even right now is making ready His people for His return. We are being set up to cry out for justice, and for Jesus to establish His kingdom on this earth even now. The LORD is, I believe, about to wake up His bride, and pour out His Spirit on the earth, and on those who are crying out to Him. The establishment of His kingdom is the one thing we need to

be praying for. In Matthew when the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray He says to pray that His kingdom would come, and His will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. I am moved to ask Jesus to release anointing, and strength to pray for His kingdom to come, and I believe that we are in a time, and season of grace to pray, and seek the face of the LORD, and what a true, and blessed calling it is!!

---Intercession---

Father I just want to thank You for Your awesomeness. Please teach us how to pray for Your kingdom to come and Your will to be done. I love You Lord, and I ask in Jesus Name that Your kingdom would come and Your will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Knowing the LORD for who He Is.

-Meditation-

1 Samuel 2:8-9

For the foundations of the earth are the LORD's; upon them He has set the world. He will guard the feet of the saints, but the wicked will be silenced in darkness.

--TheSecretPlace--

The LORD is so so good. I am reminded by this scripture that everything is held together, and in the LORD. I am reminded that God, our God is the CREATOR GOD, He is the uncreated creator, and He is watching over the earth, and He guards the feet of the saints, but the wicked will be silenced in darkness. He loves us all, but for those who are HIS-those who belong to HIM, are guarded by the LORD.

The foundations of the earth are the LORD's.

I am blown away at how amazing the LORD is, He laid the foundations of the earth--> That which we are standing on! He died for me, because He loves me, and He died for you, because He loves you! I don't thank Him enough for all He does, or who He is. I am brought to the place of just realizing that I don't really know that much about God, and who He is, and because of that I really want to begin to get a really clear view of who God is, and how He feels about me, and about others. It is so important to know Him as He is, and really it is that way with every person, I wouldn't want to know you for who I am, but for who you are, and in the same way I want to know God for who HE is, and not who someone else is.

I believe that when we begin to view God rightly, our whole lives change, because truth is breaking into our lives, and that really does change us. I want to believe the right things, the true things, the things that the Word of God says about God, about God. And I am convinced that the LORD is making every way possible to know Him the ways He wants to be known. Just like this scripture, so let's take advantage of this, and go after the heart of God to know God.

I just want to encourage you to go after this with all you are. He is worth it ALL.

---Intercession---

Jesus Thank You! Thank You for making yourself known, and available to us, weak and broken people. LORD I pray that You would just pour out Your Spirit on us, on Your people, and I just ask that You would please help us to go after You to know You for who You are. I love You LORD. You are so so good. In Jesus Name.

The LORD is Always Good.

-Meditation-

1 Samuel 2:6-8

6 "The LORD brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up.
7 The LORD sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts.
8 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor."For the foundations of the earth are the LORD's; upon them he has set the world.

--TheSecretPlace--

Hello everybody! I absolutely love this! This scripture highlights many truths, and I really love the way it tells about how the LORD works. So many times we get these false views of Jesus that He does all we want Him to do, or He does everything He does against us, we so often take our situations, good or bad, and blame them on Jesus. Really I think He wants us to realize that He is good no matter what our circumstance is. He may be moving in ways that you don't understand like He normally does, and you may get mad or frustrated with Him, and He may be working in ways that you like a lot, but really no matter how He is working what determines whether it is good or bad is not how it makes you feel, but it is that He does everything He does for your good, and He has a purpose for what He is doing, and no matter what He is a good God, and who He is, is marvelous, and beautiful, and glorious, and He is full of love for you. So no matter what your circumstance, you may feel like He is far off just know that He does everything for the good of those who love Him, and even though our love is weak, He sees it, and He loves it, and He does good on our behalf.

That changes the way I think.

I don't know about you, but in my life in the past yes, but even now I go through hard times, and I don't understand what is really going on, but I know that the LORD sees me, and He is doing good on my behalf.

Our God is worthy of ALL of our praise!!

My encouragement to you is that no matter what the LORD sees you, and is doing a good work, even though we may not see it as good, He is a good good God.

Praise the LORD.

---Intercession---

Jesus, Thank You for the way you move, whether you make us low, or make us really really really low, You do it all for our good, and I just want to tell You that I am thankful for the ways you move, I pray that You would move powerfully in the lives of each person reading this. I love You LORD, and thank You Jesus for all You do. In Your Name LORD. Amen.