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In the month of December, God is drawing people back to the secret place. It's time to come back to your first love and let go of busyness and distractions. There's a beautiful invitation to discover the power of anointing and consecrating yourself unto the Lord and a grace for surrender. He is softening hearts right now. Take time to spend in His presence, and lay down your agenda in order to experience what God is saying and doing in your life.
Returning to the Secret Place
"Therefore tell the people: This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Return to Me,' declares the LORD Almighty, 'and I will return to you,' says the LORD Almighty." (Zechariah 1:3)
Busyness can be an addiction. And unfortunately, we live in a culture that is both addicted to busyness and celebrates it. Our culture celebrates hustling and striving and over-committing. However, when we are overly busy, one of the first things to go is intimacy with Jesus. Busyness can be a trap to keep us out of the presence of God. Sometimes, busyness can actually invite attacks of the enemy into our lives, because we let go of that which matters most. For many people, December is a non-stop month of busyness. However, there is a powerful invitation back into intimacy in the middle of the madness.
The lyrics to Kari Jobe's song "First Love," remind us of the power and importance of coming back to intimacy and cherishing our sweet times with the Lord:
I'm returning to the secret place
Just an altar and a flame
Love is found here in our sacred space
I hear Your voice, I see Your face
You're still my first love
You're still my only one...
If you're exhausted by constant movement, if you feel like you need things to change but don't know how to bring them about, this is for you. God is bringing relief, but it requires your partnership. (Photo via Unsplash)
What can you let go of in order to spend more time in His presence? How can you change up your rhythms and routines in order to encounter Him? One favorite strategy is this: take yourself on a God date. Go outside or to a cafe or to a museum with the Lord and ask Him to show Himself to you in an impactful way. Say "no" to extra activities and see what you can eliminate from your schedule in order to prioritize His presence. Even a few moments of focused attention – during a daily commute or while drinking your coffee – are significant.
The Power of the Anointing
"Then you shall take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it, and shall consecrate it and all its furnishings; and it shall be holy." (Exodus 40:9)
We come into partnership and agreement with Heaven through our physical actions and not just our words. One of the ways we come into agreement with Heaven is by anointing places, people, and things with oil. This isn't something superstitious we do out of fear or religion. Rather, it's an act of consecration and cleansing. In Scripture, people were anointed when they stepped into leadership or for specific roles; places were anointed and set apart as holy, and people were anointed when they needed healing. This is a prophetic act that declares that this place or person is now set apart for the Lord.
Every time I move into a new house, and often even when I stay at hotels, I anoint the rooms, declaring that it is now a holy place. If you've been experiencing intense spiritual warfare, or if you feel like you're up against intense battles, it might be time to pull out the anointing oil and anoint your space for the Kingdom of God! In addition, gather together with fellow Believers and pray over and anoint one another. Anointing with oil is a powerful spiritual practice and way to partner with Heaven's word of truth. If you've been facing weird spiritual battles, or feeling like you've been unable to access breakthroughs, take time to pray and anoint with oil.
Soft Hearts
"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." (Ezekiel 36:26)
Right now, God is softening the hearts and minds of those who have been against you or whose hearts have been hardened and trapped in a certain way of thinking. There is a powerful shift happening in the spirit and an outpouring of grace for repentance. Freedom from addictions, complete changes of heart, and prodigals coming home are all happening, right now. There is a divine grace being released to repent and experience powerful transformation. Repentance, essentially, is shifting from one way of thinking and living to a completely different one. God is releasing His heart over people and over situations.
If you've been battling an addiction or a loved one with an addiction, now is the time to cry out to the Lord for freedom. If you've experienced slander and intense opposition, release peace and love over those who've been against you. If you're feeling trapped in lack, ask God for His way of thinking and seeing. Right now, God is pouring out a fresh grace for transformation and soft hearts. We may even see powerful shifts in government and influential leaders showing up and confirming what God is doing. If you've been facing fierce battles, lean into the presence of God and ask for His heart. Your perspective can either turn bitter and resentful or soft and tender when you experience struggle. Lean into His presence and allow Him to mold and shape you. (Photo via Unsplash)
True Surrender
"Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?" (Romans 2:4)
"Jesus said to them, 'My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.'" (John 4:34)
Mary, the mother of Jesus, faced shame, ridicule, and ostracization for saying "yes" to the angel Gabriel. She faced slander and accusation. Who would believe a young girl who was suddenly pregnant out of wedlock? And yet she surrendered to God's word and gave her "yes," even though it didn't make any sense. Likewise, Joseph surrendered to the voice of the Lord and married a woman who was already pregnant. In addition, Jesus surrendered His "God power" and became a man, submitting to living fully human. He made Himself vulnerable to us. Each of the people in this story surrendered their own agendas to God and made themselves vulnerable to the unknown. Their surrender led to our salvation.
Many of us avoid surrender because we want to avoid the cost of vulnerability and the pain of letting go of control. It can be terrifying to trust a God outside of ourselves. With surrender comes obedience, laying down our own agendas and surrendering to the Lord's. Take time to ask God what He wants to say and do in your life. Who does He want you to become? It may mean relinquishing something you thought was important to you or being willing to give up your reputation or the way others see you. But surrender always equates to encountering His goodness.
Declarations:
• I am returning to the secret place and my first love.
• I am consecrating myself unto the Lord.
• God is softening my heart.
• I surrender my agenda and pick up God's purposes.
• God is turning my surrender into an encounter with His goodness.
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Anne Jackson
The Crowning Jewels
Website:Â www.thecrowningjewels.com
Email:Â hello@thecrowningjewels.com
Texas-born Anne Jackson worked as a nurse for seventeen years before fully embracing her creative nature. Having grown up believing that God only spoke through the Bible, her life was transformed with the personal knowledge that He still speaks today. As she experienced a revelation of God's love for her and the power of words to transform and heal, she began designing jewelry, partnering with the Holy Spirit to create a tangible way to bring Heaven to Earth. This is where her prophetic jewelry company, The Crowning Jewels, was birthed. Many people recognize her company as a business-ministry hybrid. She is known as a prophetic visionary with the drive to accomplish her dreams. Her mandate is to champion others as they discover their God given identity and fulfill their divine purpose. After living in Redding, CA for ten years, she recently moved back home and currently resides in Texas.
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