Candice Simmons: "A New Day of Destiny!"

As the Body of Christ we have moved into very strategic times. In my meditations this month I keep hearing the Lord say that He is about to focus your gaze, the way you see and the place that you intercede from so that you can be more strategic. He's sharpening your vision, your focus and your strategy. We're headed into some remarkable days, and He must be our strategy and He must be our guide, for when He is, then all of our earthly dreams and plans will come into focus.

You are in the midst of your next upgrade and breakthrough! I see you picking up things that will sharpen and enhance your forward march, and you will abandon the things that have slowed you down.

Matt. 6:33, "So above all, constantly chase after the realm of God's Kingdom and the righteousness that proceeds from Him. Then all these less important things will be given to you abundantly."

Look Up!

I had a dream in which I saw people carrying huge, heavy backpacks. They were looking through binoculars, trying to see down the road ahead of them, and many were having a hard time moving forward and in the right direction. Their vision had become clouded and foggy until suddenly I heard a voice say, "Look up here!" Some would not lift there eyes, for they were consumed with what they saw with their natural eyes around them and were focused on carrying their burdens. But those who looked up saw the atmosphere change before them.

The clouds parted and the throne room came into view. I heard the Lord say, "What have you been focusing on? Now look at Me and live." As they looked up they were transported into the heavenly realm, their heavy loads dissolved and they began to understand and see clearly. Long-awaited strategies began to manifest as fiery scrolls were released from Heaven. These scrolls had been locked up for such a time as this and were released into their hands and into their hearts. Then they began to advance quickly down the road mapped out before them.

Ps. 32:8–9, "I hear the Lord saying, 'I will stay close to you, instructing and guiding you along the pathway for your life. I will advise you along the way and lead you forth with My eyes as your guide ... '"

I hear the Lord saying, "Come on up. The air is fine. This is where you belong. Your seat is here waiting for you, and in this heavenly realm you have access to everything you need. Look to Me and you will find your way."

In Christ we have it all, but on Earth we often fail to appropriate it in our lives. Here are some very simple, very practical keys that will keep you on track. They will help you advance, so that you're gaze will remain ever upward and focused.

1. Start Each Day in the Throne Room

"To be enthroned with Jesus is our heavenly calling (Phil. 3:14, Col. 3:1-3). Every time we pray our desires and longings must turn to the dwelling place of the Lord. We find our hearts' true home in the place of prayer. Notice the heavenly gaze of David:

"'Here's the one thing I crave from God, the one thing I seek above all else: I want the privilege of living with Him every moment in His house, finding the sweet loveliness of His face, filled with awe, delighting in His glory and grace. I want to live my life so close to Him that He takes pleasure in my every prayer' (Ps. 27:4).

"This heavenly attraction must fill our hearts in prayer. Our cares vanish as we turn our thoughts to the One who is in 'heavenly realms.'" (Throne Room Prayer)

Col. 3:1-2, "Christ's resurrection is your resurrection too. This is why we are to yearn for all that is above, for that's where Christ sits enthroned at the place of all power, honor and authority! Yes, feast on all the treasures of the heavenly realm and fill your thoughts with heavenly realities, and not with the distractions of the natural realm."

Ps. 143:8, "Let the dawning day bring me revelation of Your tender, unfailing love. Give me light for my path and teach me, for I trust in You."

2. Limit Your Distractions

Limit your distractions by esteeming the Word of God. Eat it, treasure it, let it come alive and consume you so that the distractions of this life don't take over.

Mark. 4:14;18-20, "... The farmer sows the Word as seed... And the seed sown among thorns represents those who hear the Word, but they allow the cares of this life and the seduction of wealth and the desires for other things to crowd out and choke the Word so that it produces nothing. But the seed sown on good soil represents those who open their hearts to receive the Word and their lives bear good fruit—some yield a harvest of thirty, sixty, even one hundred times more than was sown!"

Col. 3:16, "Let the Word of Christ live in you richly, flooding you with all wisdom ..."

Jer. 15:16, "When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear Your name, O Lord God of Heaven's armies. Your words were found and I did eat them and Your words were the joy and rejoicing of my heart!"

3. Let Everything You Do Be an Act of Worship

Let everything you do be as an act of worship, a sweet smelling fragrance. (Photo via Unsplash)

Col. 3:23, "Put your heart and soul into every activity you do, as though you are doing it for the Lord Himself and not merely for others."

Ps. 40:5-8, "O Lord, our God, no one can compare with You. Such wonderful works and miracles are all found with You! And you think of us all the time with your countless expressions of love—far exceeding our expectations! It's not sacrifices that really move Your heart. Burnt offerings, sin offerings—that's not what brings You joy. But when You open my ears and speak deeply to me, I become Your willing servant, Your prisoner of love for life. So I said, 'Here I am! I'm coming to you as a sacrifice... I delight to fulfill Your will, my God, for Your living words are written upon the pages of my heart.'"

Rom. 12:1-2, "... I encourage you to surrender yourselves to God to be His sacred, living sacrifices. And live in holiness, experiencing all that delights His heart. For this becomes your genuine expression of worship ... live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in His eyes."

4. Walk in Forgiveness

Walk in forgiveness, desiring unity above all else so that the commanded blessing might be released in and through you.

Lk. 11:4 (emphasis mine), "Forgive us the wrong we have done ... "

"To refuse to forgive those who have injured or offended us, is to keep our hearts at a distance from the throne room. To come into the throne room is to come clean, drawing near with a clean heart. To be hurt is to be human. There is nothing evil with you being hurt by the words or actions of others. You can't repent of being human with intricate, legitimate feelings. However, our hurt feelings and brokenness can hinder a divine encounter in prayer. All of us need forgiveness, and all of us must release forgiveness. The prayer model of Jesus has the component of releasing forgiveness to those who have wronged us.

"There is no unforgiveness in Heaven, so we must model our relationships after what we see above us, not around us. This is like the priest going to the laver (the washing bowl in the Temple), before entering in. We too must enter in to His presence with clean hands and a pure heart. They have already been provided for us in the Blood of Christ, but we must appropriate them each and every day as we walk with our fellow mortals. After we come clean, receiving forgiveness, we can move forward toward Heaven and closer into His heart." (Throne Room Prayer)

Matt. 6:12, "Forgive us the wrongs we have done as we ourselves release forgiveness to those who have wronged us."

Eph. 4:31-32, "Lay aside bitter words, temper tantrums, revenge, profanity, and insults. But instead be kind and affectionate toward one another. Has God graciously forgiven you? Then graciously forgive one another in the depths of Christ's love."

Acts 3:19, "And now you must repent and turn back to God so that your sins will be removed, and so that times of refreshing will stream from the Lord's presence."

5. Rest in the Father's Love and Avoid All That is Wrong

"Our confidence in prayer is established upon our security and the love coming from Father God. We rejoice in the privileges of being His beloved ones, His favorite ones in all the earth. It's our great privilege and joy to call Him Father. The Father's love and acceptance is always real, even when we don't feel it... And as children of the Most-High God we are the 'Church of the Firstborn' (Heb. 12:23) and therefore have the rights of the firstborn. We step into our full inheritance as His firstborn sons and daughters as we call out to Him, our Abba, Father.

This is what it means to have God as our Father:

"I am the center of His attention.
I am the subject of His concern.
I am the recipient of His glory.
I am the focus of His planning.
I am the object of His love.
I am His total and continual occupation."
(Throne Room Prayer)

Rom. 8:15-16, "... But you have received the 'Spirit of full acceptance,' enfolding you into the family of God. And you will never feel orphaned, for as He rises up within us, our spirits join Him in saying the words of tender affection, 'Beloved Father!' For the Holy Spirit makes God's fatherhood real to us as He whispers into our innermost being, 'You are God's beloved child!'"

6. Celebrate Every Victory and Refuse to Be Limited By Setbacks

Ps. 20:5, "When you succeed, we will celebrate and shout for joy. Flags will fly when victory is yours! Yes, God will answer your prayers and we will praise Him!"

Heb. 12:2-3, "We look away from the natural realm and we fasten our gaze onto Jesus who birthed faith within us and who leads us forward into faith's perfection. His example is this: Because His heart was focused on the joy of knowing that you would be His, He endured the agony of the Cross and conquered its humiliation, and now sits exalted at the right hand of the throne of God!"

It's time to discern the new day of destiny breaking out around us. Let a new song be released in your hearts; the break-through is close at hand. Our unbelief has held us back, but no more, for our eyes are illuminated and a new realm opens up before us. This is our day of seeing what has always been there, but was invisible to us because of our fear and unbelief.

"It's a new day to see what God has prepared for His lover-friends. It's time to see the angel armies surrounding us [like Elisha's servant saw], ushering us into the new day: 'And Elisha prayed, "Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see." Then the Lord opened the servant's eyes and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha' (2 Kings 6:17 NIV)." (The Sacred Journey)

"[And as it states in the Lord's prayer let's pray]: 'Manifest Your Kingdom realm and cause Your every purpose to be fulfilled.' This is the longing of our hearts: to do the will of God and to see His purpose fulfilled in us [here on Earth].

"It's important to speak to your needs and say, 'Be fulfilled, purpose of God! Be done in my family, my church, and my workplace.' Proclaim the right of God to enforce His will over you and over every spiritual foe you face. This is a declaration of God's sovereign power to do within us all He longs to do. We were made for His pleasure, not for sin, discouragement and fear. This prayer is also a prophecy that God will win your battles and release His wisdom to maintain victory in all situations. As you release these words in prayer just you watch as it comes to pass. Take authority with these words: 'Cause Your every purpose to be fulfilled.'" (Throne Room Prayer)

Our first and foremost focus must be on our lovely Lord Jesus. We have been made one with Him and He must be our eyes. Song of Songs 5:12, "He sees everything with pure understanding. How beautiful His insights—without distortion. His eyes rest on the fullness of the river of revelation, flowing so clean and pure." (Photo via Pixabay)

And finally, I keep hearing this song in my spirit: I Can See Clearly Now by Johnny Nash:

I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.

Have a bright (bright) "Son-shiny" day! (To Subscribe to the Elijah List subscribe here.)

Candice Simmons
Stairway Ministries | The Passion Translation
Email: brian@passiontranslation.com
Website: www.stairwayministries.org 
www.thepassiontranslation.com

Brian and Candice Simmons have been married for 43 years. With their three children, they spent nearly eight years in the tropical rain forest of the Darien Province of Panama as a church planter, translator, and consultant. Now, nearly everyone in the village follows the Lamb of God. After their missionary career they came to New England, and were involved with starting Gateway Christian Fellowship, which they pastored for 18 years. After turning the church over to a wonderful leadership team, they began to travel full-time speaking, teaching, and helping churches and leaders to grow in Christ. They've had the joy of traveling to over 30 nations, sharing the message of God's greatness and His end time glory that will be revealed through His people. Brian is also the lead translator for The Passion Translation Project which will result in a new, dynamic version of the Bible for this generation. Brian and Candice have three children, six grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren.

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