Author: Ashley McClelland

~By: Danielle Sanders

John 6:29 NET – “Jesus replied, ‘This is the deed God requires – to believe in the one whom he sent.’”

You’re probably familiar with the term “dangling a carrot in front of a horse.” This refers to the practice of a horse driver placing a carrot on a string and holding it in front of a horse’s head, just beyond its reach, to entice the animal to move forward to eat the carrot. Of course, as the horse moves forward, so does the carrot. Thus, the reward remains unattainable no matter how much effort the horse puts forth.

This is a great metaphor for religion. The blessings of God are the carrot, and the believer is the horse. Religion dangles the carrot in front of the believer with the promise that with just a little more effort, the prize can be attained. When a person thinks that he must do more in order to get more from God, he will find that, despite his best efforts, he always falls short, and the blessings of God remain unattainable. This leaves him in a chronic state of disappointment with God.

Fortunately, the carrot-stick model is NOT what Jesus gave us. Through Him, we have an actual relationship with a loving Father. God becomes our Good Shepherd, not a cold horse driver using gimmicks to get us to do what He wants (John 10:11, 14). Instead of using His blessings as bait, He richly gives us all things to freely enjoy. (I Timothy 6:17) The only condition is that we believe on Him.

So if you’re having trouble hearing from God, believe that you can hear Him because He said, “My sheep hear My voice.” (John 10:27) Are your needs seemingly going unmet? Believe that He will supply them because He said, “I will never forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5) Faith without works is definitely dead. However, believe God first, and the appropriate works will become evident. He will lead you into them because He loves you and wants you to succeed.

Your relationship with God is designed to be a never-ending source of everything good. (John 10:10) If it’s not, then give up on being a horse and become a sheep, and let your Good Shepherd lead you back to the lush, green pastures where every provision and delight is waiting for you. (Psalm 23)

~By: Stephen McClelland

Are you struggling with hearing God?

The biggest change for me happened when I started thinking relational and stopped thinking religiously about God.

I realized that God wanted to talk to me. I realized that He knew how to make it obvious that He was talking to me. I never worry about whether “my ears are in tune”, or whether my “receiver is in alignment”. Ever.

It would be rude if I asked someone a question and they only answered in riddles. Religion says that God probably won’t answer you clearly and there are plenty of reasons why. In relationship, if you said something the other person didn’t understand, you would try to help them get it.

Religion says that God keeps talking when He knows you aren’t listening. You should have been paying more attention! Relationship says God will get your attention and make sure that you hear Him.

Good relationships are never one sided, where religion usually is. Religion says that it’s your fault you can’t hear God. Relationship says that even if you are at fault, God can get to you anyway. That’s the gospel.

I don’t have ANYTHING that I need to do to be able to hear from God clearly. I hear Him when I’m doing good, and when I’m doing bad. When I’m spiritual, and when I’m in the flesh. It’s so contrary to the gospel to think that you need to get your life sorted out before you can hear from God. It’s even more important that I hear God when I’m struggling.

It’s so contrary to the gospel that God loved you enough to send His son to die for you but now you  aren’t worth speaking to.

When you talk to Him, think relational. Nothing is stopping you from hearing God.

God bless.

(A reflective story when God met me in the weariness and newness of marriage, ministry, and disappointment. Taken from my book: Romantic Rendezvous for the Soul. You can read a portion of the book for free on my Free Inspiration page or purchase a copy on amazon by clicking here)

“What I want is for your soul to be fully alive.” The King spoke clearly to my heart. When He did my eyes shimmered like brimming pools of the deepest amber. Something in my mind resisted His invitation. I knew He was calling me away into the depths of my soul.

“Forget about religion, darling, forget about everything you’ve learned…and let me show you.”
He extended his hand, his eyes beckoning me.
“I’ve been told You wanted my service. I’ve been told You wanted my works.”
“What natural father only wants that out of his daughter?”
I paused and looked down remembering my own father. Even when he made me do
things…he only did it with my best interest at heart. He wanted me to succeed at life. He wanted me to do well and be secure.
“Ashley, your earthly father wants you to prosper in the ways that he knows is best for you to prosper. He can’t cause your soul to prosper…to be fully alive. But this is the thing that I want as your Heavenly Daddy, as your Papa…nobody knows what your soul needs better than I.”
I met His eyes once again and they beckoned me to come with Him.
“Let me show you…let me love you.”

I took His extended hand and was surprised by its warmth and tenderness. Immediately my whole body went warm and I felt like my heart was turned into a hearth softly humming with a burning fire. What was it inside of me that He touched? I knew not…only that healing was already taking place.
“Now close your eyes beloved one.”
I closed my eyes without hesitating. Immediately we were in the Colorado mountains.
“What do you see beloved?” He inquired.
I sighed with disappointment. “I see snow…typical.”
“What’s wrong with snow?” He asked.
“Nothing is wrong with it. It’s beautiful…but …,” my voice trailed off until it disappeared.
Unmet desire shuttered like a seed underneath frosted soil threatened.
“You miss California, don’t you?”
My eyes pricked with tears. I felt an unwanted pain in my heart, “More than words can say. I didn’t expect this…I know it’s not my home but it still feels that way within.”
A surprising anger rose within, “And every time I want to go it’s like my plans are
thwarted. I just don’t understand! Is this really what adulthood is like?! You can’t go where you want? You must be on someone else’s clock ALL the time?! Is ministry just service? Is being a wife letting go of your vision for a man’s? I feel so used in a way. I feel so lost, and yet I’m expected to pray and minister to others. I’m supposed to take care of the house, I’m supposed to support my husband, I’m supposed to cook and clean and be a good wife, a good mentor to the young women You bring me. And I FEEL like I’m failing ALL the time!”
My anger turned to sorrow and I forced myself not to cry in front of Abba.

God took me on a walk along a park path. Trees dripping with white snow powdered the
pavement. We turned a corner and I felt disappointment of the bareness of it all. The mountains
made waves of white and emerald green along the horizon. I sighed at the scene. I missed the lush carpet green of the hills of California. I missed the jade grass, the polychromatic flowers of Spring. I missed the sparkling waves of the beach. I missed the way the water shimmered like opal marble under the sun. Only it was moving marble. It was living art—like stepping into a painting only to find it real.

Jesus took me to a section of the park where there was dirt. He knelt down on His knees
and dug up some dirt before cupping it in his hands.
“Beloved wife, what do you see?” He asked. His voice was like the most welcoming fire. I wondered where Abba went but I knew He was here still…in Jesus. Somehow, they were One.
Why He would switch on me I knew not. But I didn’t mind at all.
“I see frozen earth.” I let out a heavy sigh.
“Is this dead to you?”
“Much more dead than other places I’ve been,” I said noticing it was lacking nutrition and
covered with snow.
“Do you know what’s underneath here?”
“No.”
“Seeds.”
I frowned slightly.
“These seeds never die…they wait.”
“I don’t understand what You’re trying to say.”
“What do seeds do?”
“They grow…into things.”
“They grow into who they are. Nobody knows what a seed is with the naked eye until it
begins to grow…at least not most,” He grinned brightly.
I took an unexpected comfort from His smile. He made me feel so at home…so
comfortable.
“Do you remember when Papa asked you if you missed California and you had a pain in
your heart?”
I nodded.
“Well,” He continued, “let’s say that pain is like a desire coming from a seed inside your
soul. What would cause that seed or desire pain? When it is stifled. You want to grow. You want to become. But you can’t seem to in your eyes. There are places within in you that are like seeds underneath frozen earth. There are seeds of joy in you that seem to be stifled underneath circumstances, beliefs, disappointments, depression, and sadness…those things could represent a layer of ice on your soil…on your heart.”

I felt a brokenness in my heart. It was, I realized, like earth so solid in some places it could have been ice. Yet it was ice with rifts of tears in it.
“You need not worry, my darling,” Jesus reassured me, “I will tell you the answer.”
“What is it?” I asked eagerly.
Jesus blew on the dirt in his hands revealing some seeds.
“Hope.”
I stared at the seeds in His hands. These white seeds hadn’t even begun to sprout.
“Hope…” I repeated, thinking.
“It’s the only thing warm enough to melt the snow into water that the seed needs to grow.”
“I think it will be hard to hope.”
“Why loved one?”
“Because my hopes…were…,” my voice faded.
“Disappointed?” Jesus asked with a knowing look in His eyes.
“Yes,” I said silently, “for years.”
“My dear, put your hope in a place where it will never be let down. Your heart is too
precious for anything else.” He rose, a great compassion in His eyes. Tears began to trail His
cheeks and I was surprised by His empathy. “I created your heart,” He breathed warmly, “I put an eternal hope in there. There is a sun within you that can melt any snow outside of you.”
“I don’t feel that strong,” I choked up and began to sob.
“Let me be strong for you…just hope.” He embraced me and relief swelled throughout my body like an ocean wave.
I sighed as I breathed in the scents of Him…the aroma of His soul.
“Only imagine, beloved…only dream, and hope will emerge like a bird with beautiful
wings and take flight in your soul.”

~Dear Reader,
Since writing this story Father has lead me deeper into a daily hope. Almost all of my
dreams have come true, and the rest are in process. Stephen and I have a baby girl, Eden-Rain. We have moved to California for ministry, and I live close to family. My Christian Daycare has been approved by the state of California and my author website is up and running. I have lost all of my baby weight, and I am now a licensed Christian Life Coach. God promised me He would provide for all the money in order for me to take go through the certification courses and He did! More recently my book Romantic Rendezvous for the Soul has caught the eye of a literary agent, and she would like to present it to publishers for marketing and distribution.

I encourage you to give your precious heart dreams to God. He is so tender and faithful to breathe life and promise on the gifts and talents that He’s placed within you. He has no favorites. What He will do for one, He will do for another. We are all His children and He loves each of us unconditionally. Your walk with God is sacred and beautiful ground to Him. He longs to be intimate with you and invited into the deep places of your heart. He wants to revive every place within you and make your soul into a lush garden where dreams blossom like wide petal flowers and faith becomes like sweet, juicy fruit dripping from trees.

“Now I know that I am filled with my beloved
and all his desires are fulfilled in me.
 Come away, my lover.
Come with me to the faraway fields.
We will run away together to the forgotten places
and show them redeeming love.
 Let us arise and run to the vineyards of your people
and see if the budding vines of love are now in full bloom.
We will discover if their passion is awakened.
There I will display my love for you.
The love apples are in bloom,
sending forth their fragrance of spring.
The rarest of fruits are found at our doors—
the new as well as the old.
I have stored them for you, my lover-friend!”

-Song of Solomon 7:10-13, taken from Biblegateway.com

Pictures from my date with Jesus at a beach in California, after He granted me the desire of my heart to be close to the ocean again <3 :

I sit on what seems like the softest cushioned couch. The Holy Spirit breaths on me and my body relaxes to the touch. I can feel His arms wrap around my heart and spirit. Now it is my soul in the depths of me that is being called to a sacred place where she can go and talk with Jesus. For a moment to be healed, to be replenished in that sacred land. My head leans in a lazy peaceful way resting, and relaxing. A white cloth is draped over me long enough to reach Heaven.

I am here no longer. I am with Jesus. I can feel Him and I am found in God’s warm love. I imagine myself where the grass is thin and softly moving as if the wind blows, yet it is calm. Rays of sunlight dance on the earth here in ripples like the sand below water. The sky is a clear steely blue. My eyes are glassy with gladness, but my spirit is calm and peaceful, because the Counselor, the Comforter holds her hand.

My spirit sits, and before longJesus is there sitting with me. I have yet to see any sight like the limitless love of God sitting before me and talking with us. My spirit is healed and strengthened. Then it looks as if Jesus turns to me, for in His voice I know He is talking to my soul, to my heart…the seat of my emotional well-being.

“You have My love,” He says in the calmest, richest, most soothing, and deepest of tones, “all of it. You breath it in, live in it, eat it…drink it. My love surrounds you and stretches forth yonder on your path before you walk it. My love is inside you, all around you.Rest in My love; do not let your heart be troubled for I am with you. Otherwise you could not live. Rest easy beloved, your spirit is saved.”

His mellow and powerful words became glowing fruit that I ate, and it shone in my heart that now felt so light. My spirit flew inside of me.

“I love you,” I told Him.

“I love you as well, enough to give My life so you could know Me.”

He began to rise to Heaven. Again my soul asked, “Where?” though my spirit well knew.

“To My Father’s Kingdom. To your home where you will live forever when your journey here on earth ends. Rest easy soul for the Comforter stays with you. The Holy Spirit sent from God.”

I return to where my body is and always has been. But I am newly replenished.

~This short devotional was taken from my book Visions of Celestial Love 🙂 

“Visions of Celestial Love is just that; a visionary work of epic proportions. It is glimpses into a loving and remarkable relationship with the creator of the universe.

You are invited to Dive into stories of love and compassion, healing and provision, loss and recovery, profound grace and faith. Ashley draws us in with her descriptive prose and unique style of writing.

There are so many stories to relate to in this book and I’m sure you will find your own story among the many that are told here. So, find your favorite spot, your favorite beverage, and curl up with “Visions of Celestial Love!” -Amazon Reviewer

There is a King inside of me.

I feel Him periodically throughout my day.

He calls me to daily lay down my life. 

I sense the heavy peace from this Lamb.

A peace that melts away every worry and stress from life.

He is meek and lowly.

Within Him are the waters of the Spirit.

Within Him is the wealth of eternal life.

The heavenly currency that flows love. 

“Die to self-centeredness with Me on the cross.” He beckons. 

His voice ushers me with pure, life-giving intimacy. 

When I lie down with Him and rest my head on His wooly belly I am poured upon with grace.

I see Heaven’s Kingdom and I arise inside the heart a Lion.

He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. 

True and unfeigned worship bellows from my soul like a rushing river and surrounds me in unstoppable power. 

This power is the Lion.

Amen, this is the result of true worship. 

It is not the singing of songs or the lifting up of hands.

It is a humility so deep, an intimacy so binding, a spiritual work so divine, that your life is laid down with Christ. 

It is the same love He has for you.

He has hidden Himself in my heart….and I am learning to hide myself in His.

This Lamb lays within my chest so meek and lowly.

He says to me, “you can trust my heart.”

In the deep alcove of His being, all my fears are cast out. 

There is no resurrection without death.

In the eyes of Jesus, I see both. 

I experience both.

 How low is this death, how high is this resurrection life! 

~If you enjoyed this short poem, check out my book Visions of Celestial Love.

“Ashley presents us with a true cornucopia of modern psalms, personal testimonies, and short stories. She has set out to reveal and unravel some of the most complex heart issues mankind faces in our quest of understanding what true intimacy with God really looks like. Prepare to have your soul massaged and worked on as you read Visions of Celestial Love.” — Jeremy Minard, Licensed Minister, Founder of Servant King Apparel, Active U.S Navy

~This devotional began with my heart longing to go on a date with Jesus:

Jesus said to the thief on the cross, “amen I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” Luke 23:43

There is a secret place in my heart called Paradise. It is a lush garden, bedded with polychromatic flowers. Everything is full of pure life here. A fountain with sweet living water is at the center. It is perfumed with the scents of heaven. Every time I enter this placeI find immeasurable strength, life-giving joy, rejuvenating peace, rest fueled by trust and incredible love.  

The truth is…I can’t lead anyone here. I don’t know how to lead others to paradise…I can’t even lead myself. I am ushered in by the Holy Spirit. He leads me into the depths of me. And there…in paradise…I see Jesus. I am with Jesus. 

Just as the thief on the cross had nothing to show for himself but faith after beholding Grace and Truth…so I come here with empty hands but child like trust. 

You see, the truth is, I haven’t traveled to most countries in the world. I haven’t seen the seven wonders of the world. I haven’t even seen most of our national monuments. But, I never need to. 

I’ve seen something…no Someone…in this secret paradise that gives life meaning. In His face, I experience all of my desires are met. I have been lead to heaven on earth. And this secret place, this sacred space, is worth more than all the gold and diamonds in the world. Grace glitters on every blade of grass like translucent pearls.  

I write because Jesus has marked me with intimacy. Because God has given me a gift from his Holy Spirit to invite others into the one true thing that matters most in life…relationship with the Trinity. <3 xoxoxo

Just like the thief on the cross, we who have believed, have also died with Christ on the cross. Today, He is with us in paradise. 

~By Danielle Sanders

Before I understood the true gospel, I thought that I had to do so-called “Christian duties” to get God to bless me with a good life. If I had needs and wants that were not being met, I thought it was because I wasn’t doing enough of the good things He required, like reading the Bible, praying, and going to church, and perhaps I was also indulging in too much bad stuff like thinking bad thoughts, being unkind, and gossiping. My conscience was bothered, and I assumed a bothered conscience was God’s way of telling me that He was not pleased with me. I’d begin doing things to ease my conscience, checking items off the spiritual to-do list, and hoping it was enough to please God so that I could maintain the good life. It was the silent motivation behind almost every prayer, devotional study, and worship time.

When I learned the true gospel, that because of Jesus, and my faith in Him, God is forever pleased with me and has already blessed me with every spiritual blessing, I realized that my previous way of thinking was very wrong. Under the New Covenant, there is no such thing as “do good and God will be pleased and good to you; do bad and God will be angry and punish you.” Instead, the Lord, speaking through the prophet Isaiah, described what life would be like for believers under the New Covenant. He said, “Just as I swore in the time of Noah that I would never again let a flood cover the earth, so now I swear that I will never again be angry and punish you” (Isaiah 54:9 NLT). Since Jesus already suffered our punishment, God doesn’t need to punish us in any way, even though our outward behaviors may vary from day to day. Instead, He is confident that His goodness and grace will lead us to repentance and teach us to deny ungodliness (Romans 2:4; Titus 2:11-12). He has absolutely no doubt that His Word will produce the changes in our behavior that He desires as it transforms us from the inside out (Psalm 119:9; II Timothy 3:16-17). This is the good news!

Therefore, God is not in the business of withholding good things from us when we don’t do our “Christian duties.” However, doing these good things is still vital. The way we access anything in God’s Kingdom is by our faith. The way we keep our hearts fixed in faith is through the discipline of spending time with Him in Bible study, prayer, and worship. By doing our “Christian duties,” we allow God to minister to us, which keeps our hearts tender toward Him, not the other way around. His heart is always tender toward us because He never changes. Spending time with Him is how our hearts remain encouraged and convinced of His loving character and faithful promises. In fact, it’s the only way our hearts will stay convinced. When troubles arise and needs present themselves, it is the heart that steadfastly trusts in God that will be able to take ahold of the things He has already freely given. (James 1:6-7)

May your personal time with God be both precious and productive as your heart becomes increasingly more convinced of His good character, loving nature, and the nearly-too-good-to-be-true promises in Christ.

~A word-picture allegory that described the work of the Holy Spirit in my soul after my born-again experience. 

Jesus, I love thee, oh how I love the sheer splendor of Your majesty. There is a cottage in a land of honey and milk. There is a love enclosed in velvety marine water, clinging to this love, yet drifting past it, barely touching its power. Dancing in graceful circles the water is life, life surrounding this pure love, never leaving its lifeline. Every clear drop acts as one—shimmering, reflecting, absorbing, sparkling, and snow-dusting rays from love.

There is a mushroom-shaped lighthouse behind this cottage lying on a hill, where the wind blows and streaks of golden sunlight rest on the tips of grass moving freely with the breeze. If one didn’t know better, one would think the grass liquidly moved, appearing like a sepia-colored ocean.

This egg-colored cottage has oval-shaped sides, with a small wooden circle-carved window at its tender center. You will find wonderful things inside; you will find love. The mushroom-shaped lighthouse behind it is creativity personified. Its white stem bark stretches ten stories in the air with a wide, deeply-dark, warm roof that towers over the stem. At the middle of the roof there is a pale yellow tinted glass that opens.

You will travel down the lighthouse stairway from the top floor, gliding, drifting like a light feather. The air here is soft and has a hue of pale yellow. When the roof slightly opens, sparkling golden dust–like a goldfish’s smooth scales, catches the sun’s light and drifts down with you. Beautiful paintings, sketches, and crosses are hung, posted on the circling wall.

The floor is a marble pearly-white, reflecting forms in the room. A wooden table is set by an oil painting canvas. On this smooth wooden table rests a crystal vase, a quarter filled with the cleanest river water. Gentle scarlet roses open their buds every morning, exposing an intricate pattern. Their silky petals peddle a cure, and they close every night, budding again. Beside this vase are cinnamon, clove, and ginger scented candles. When lit, a hazy cinder-like smoke is released from small yellow fire. Some of the scent spirits leave the tower to heal those who need Jesus’s light, His comfort. A Bible rests beside the candles—the truth—enclosed in its brown covering are eternal words that will never be ended by time.

There is a girl that lives here. She is Wisdom; Wisdom in youth, here is her pilgrimage. A yellow flower with a vibrant color and cream texture always adorns Wisdom’s hair. The oil painting she finished depicts a milk sepia background. A wave of dark sepia is at the center of this painting, while a tulip flower whose creamy petals form a bowl that fills with spring rain, filled with love, garnishes it. Beside this two-leafed flower is a bundle of raspberries. Its rich color stands out, adding to their realistic appearance; it is as if you could take the cluster and savor every bite.

There is a look in Wisdom’s eyes—Jesus has just sent her another inspiring work of art to create. She takes the Water Flower painting in her hand only to release it. It floats up, moving like paper onto its home on the wall. The new art is that of a fall forest. The trees thin, dark, and tall hold royal red-colored leaves, some splashed with yellow, gold, orange, or brown. The living soil that protects its roots is rich, nutritious and earthy-scented, like soil after a short April rain.

It is night time and the sky is scattered with enchanting stars. There is a girl in this forest whose hair and eyes are dark brown. She wears a deep aqua dress. She is the rain that waters this forest. Her contrast catches the eye.

From her blissful realm Wisdom leaves for the pilgrimage that she must do alone with God. She will venture from the cottage whose home is love where there is always warmth. Her journey is to defrost those who have cold hearts.

 There is a brick fireplace on the right side of the cottage bending with the crescent-shaped wall. Its flames can never be extinguished. A small bed rests beside the window where floating brown leaves sometimes enter. The inside wall surrounding this round window portal is painted a warm marine color. Threaded on it are entwining carefree golden threads, some making flowers, others making leaves, fresh oven bread, and Bibles, while one makes a cup representing the Holy Grail. Beside the fireplace are two royal moss-green colored couches, one a three-seater, the other a rocking chair. The fabric on these chairs is softer than mist, and more gentle than rain. They have been stuffed with a filling more flexible than cotton, conforming to any shape, to any being; they were made for all, leaving no one unchanged or unhealed.

Draped over a dark wooded tea table between the bed and couches is a thin cloth. The cloth is green, and sewed in are many small white flowers. On top of that rests a cup of simply calming, soothing spice tea that wakens peace inside. Although one may drink out of this cup it can never be emptied, for it is filled and powered by love. It is the Holy Grail.

In the left of this endearing house there is a light tannish-colored carpet. This carpet is like a cloud, gentle and easy on the feet for all who enter this paradise. On the wall lays a curved painting, an image with astounding eyes. A white light is given off by this image. Any who wish it in their heart are immediately freed from flesh to walk in the Holy Spirit. May this light you carry with you be protected from all evil spirits who host wickedness.

To the right there is a small and square-shaped carpet, feeling smooth like dry olive oil beneath your feet. Anoint your head with a dab of biblical oil that stands in a clay pot beside the painting. The carpet is red representing the blood that Christ shed for our sins.

To your right shoulder is the kitchen. It has white tiles with peach spots. Here is where you take communion, and drink of the wine and break the bread that Christ has given you freely of His own will. There is a large glass sliding door but a foot to the left of this wooden table; it is always open for all who wish to enter, for all who wish for love. The sandy-colored curtains are spread apart and fly freely when the breeze of a soul enters. Looking like silk in the wind, they fly gracefully, happily, in gladness that one more will be saved.

To the right of this table of faith is a small room lit only by candles and hanging lanterns of hope, where the spirits of the disciples visit when a guest enters to help them take communion.

There is a rest area in another part of this cottage. Here, to unwise eyes, it is nothing but a beautiful little bathroom, but to the ready it is a place to leave things of the flesh, to leave materialism, to leave ungodly ways. There is a pocket-sized open Bible on a kelp-green marble counter. A verse is highlighted. Standing out, it reads:

Your word is a lamp to my feet,

and a light to my path,

I have sworn an oath and confirmed it,

to keep your righteous rules.

—Psalm 119:105–106 ESV

Are you ready to follow Him who loves you most? There is a new sunrise in this land that warms the maple-scented tree that canopies this cottage. Its brown leaves sometimes entering through the round window. The grass dances like the sea. There is a spirit who walks near. “I love You, Jesus, make me anew. Give me Your word so that I may recognize the truth when I see, hear, smell, and feel it. May I return Your awesome love and shun hate, jealousy, and immoral practices. Thank You God for sending your Son, who forgives continually. Thank You, Jesus.”

Jesus, I love thee, oh how I love the sheer splendor of Your majesty. There is a cottage in a land of milk and honey.

~This allegory was taken from my book Visions of Celestial Love. To purchase a copy click here. 

~Dearly beloved reader, I found this old journal entry that I had written in 2014. Under blankets of snow in my first year at Bible college…the Lord began to melt my inner being with the warmth of His hearth. I felt like I was nuzzled in His chest. I pray you enjoy this entry of my journey of leaning into deeper trust. May the lavish grace, the beautiful heart peace and the exuberant joy of the Lord be realized in you as one in Christ Jesus. I hope this old letter finds you well, and enjoying the abundant life Jesus died to give you and the rich fellowship of the Holy Spirit and the saints.

~Journal: Friends, lately our Father has been changing some core beliefs in my heart and He has been calling me sweetly to dream again…to believe again in some promises and things that I had buried under the dirt of disappointment and heartache. It’s been a real healing journey as Jesus has helped me to realize these dreams were earthed from fear stemming from lies and that they could only be uncovered by the truth of His marvelous love. I’ve had to disagree with these lies and agree with the truth in order to dream again…and it’s a daily process…a daily changing…a daily eating at the table of intimacy with Jesus. And I know in the safe alcove of His love, my heart will blossom with dreams.

As time here in Colorado goes by I’ve watched the golden leaves of the aspen trees fall to the ground like little suns. A blanket of snow has taken the place of the carpet of the earth and the trees are glinting with snow. Despite the frosty cold God is doing a warming in my inner soul and a mending in the midst of winter. His Presence is melting away strongholds of pain as the seeds of His promises enter the soil of my imagination. He prepares a table for me daily and it is a feast of His goodness….a feast that I’ve been afraid to partake of in the past.

Recently Jesus has given me 1 John 4:16-19 to study and ponder. The most incredible phrase I have ever read chimes in the center of these verses like some small whiff of heaven: There is no fear in love. I came across this fragrant passage last night and wrote it down in my scripture journal, then my roommate Sarah wrote the verses down for me in Greek. Today in class one of the professors mentioned it and this evening as I was enjoying time with the Lord and listening to Pandora a song called No Fear in Love came on by Steffany Gretzinger.

Jesus has been taking me deeper and deeper into the truth of His love and it has been like drinking pure water from a saltless ocean. I feel like in my soul that I’m a child kneeling at the shore of His endless love. I cup my hands in the waters of His Spirit and drink…then I look out and see….wave after wave of affection rolling in and I know I’ll be drinking forever. It would take more than a million lifetimes to absorb all of His goodness. Then I realize Jesus calls me to take one sip at a time and savor my daily walk with Him; for all the goodness of God is wrapped up in the Man Christ Jesus.

I’m reminded that it’s a daily walk…because it’s a relationship—the sweetest and most fulfilling relationship. This journey of savoring His love has been kissed with yet another truth…that I already have all of it…that the ocean lives inside of me: Christ in you the hope of glory, as Jesus is so are you in this world, you are complete in Christ -Colossians 1:27, 1 John 4:17, Colossians 2:10 . My enjoyment of what I already possess in Christ is what I am experiencing in the daily delicious sips of truth. His truth is warm spiced ointment in my heart and the scents of His love are becoming one with the fabric of my soul as I allow Him to love different places within me.

As I’ve been walking the white shores of Ephesians 3:16-21 I’ve discovered the key to diving into the sun stained waters is 1 John 4:16a: And we know (understand, recognize, are conscious of, by observation and by experience) and believe (adhere to and put faith in and rely on) the love God cherishes for us. The secret, as I believe the Holy Spirit is whispering to me, is observing, putting trust in, resting in, and consciously meditating on the love of God as you walk with Christ in everyday life.

I pray the love, comfort, peace, pleasure, affection and joy of the Lord will blanket you all and may your souls be made into the garden of Eden…rich with the presence, thoughts and heart of Jesus as He walks with you inwardly in the cool of the day. May The Holy Spirit who is the source of all comfort, comfort and console your inner man, may you be loved on deeply and sweetly. May all your needs be met exceedingly and abundantly above all you could ask for and hope for in Christ Jesus, may you walk the blessed life God prearranged for you before the foundations of the world, may you receive from the Lord what you most need in this season…whether it be a word, direction, joy, peace, or anything, spiritual, mental or emotional. In Jesus name <3 

My love (that true love growing out of sincere devotion to God) be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen (so be it), -1 Corinthians 16:24

~p.s: if you’ve found this devotional to be encouraging, please check out my free ebook on divine romance: Romantic Rendezvous for the Soul. You can find it on the Free Inspiration page and on amazon.

~If you’d like to give back to my ministry of words, please consider writing me a review on amazon by clicking here. Your review encourages others to read the things that Father has laid on my heart <3 ! You can also purchase a copy of my book Visions of Celestial Love. I pray you are blessed through it and share that blessing by loving others.