Waiting in the Wings

For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.

Tag: Matthew

The Gift of the Present Moment

{vision} One day, as I was praying for wisdom in carrying out a long-term goal, I saw a vision of a Christmas tree with presents beneath it. In my spirit, I saw myself waking up each morning in the way I did as a child on Christmas morning—with a feeling of excitement, expectation, and hope.

When I received this vision, I sensed Holy Spirit calling me to seek the treasures that the Father has prepared for me each day of my life. So often, from the moment we wake up until the time we fall asleep, our thoughts can be plagued with our to-do lists. Many things need to be done, and many things need to be addressed. And depending on the urgency of those needs, it can be hard to stop and recognize the good that is before us.

However, in those moments when we feel like we’re not moving fast enough and doing enough, our thoughts are consumed with the possible future. As a result, we can miss the treasures hidden in the present moment. Therefore, Holy Spirit is calling us to slow down and take inventory. 

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The Window of Your Heart

“Ayin Tovah (Good/Generous Eye)” by Meghan Williams of Dyed4you Art

Matthew 6:22-23 (RSV) “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is not sound, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!”

I once heard a wise saying that goes something like this, “Whenever you’re feeling negative emotions, it is because you have stopped loving.” Or, as I have come to interpret it, whenever we are in a negative state of mind, it is because we have inadvertently disconnected from the source of love—the heart of God.

We don’t always disconnect from God’s love out of willful sin and rebellion. In fact, I often find my disconnects occur in the subtlest of ways. Usually, I’m going along in life, some minor or major event occurs, and suddenly, my perception of life and God has subconsciously shifted. It often takes me a while to recognize that I’m no longer looking at my life and experiences through the lens of God’s infinite love. Little by little, feelings like fear, shame, guilt, condemnation, and worthlessness begin to creep in and darken my inner man. All in all: I have forgotten that I am loved.

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The Blessing of Fellowship

“Ekklēsia (Assembly)” by Meghan Williams of Dyed4you Art

One day as I was pondering the subject of fellowship, the Holy Spirit dropped a download into my spirit. A picture came to mind of a group of people gathered together for a potluck meal. However, I knew the dinner was symbolic of spiritual communion. 

The Spirit highlighted the fact although this was one community meal, it had contributions from every individual. I was immediately reminded of how God has taught me that I can learn something from every person that I encounter, regardless of their age, social, cultural, or even religious differences.

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Simply Shine

“Shine Unafraid” by Meghan Williams, Dyed4you Art

Beloved, in the midst of darkness, resist the temptation to believe that you are powerless. I have not sent you into the world unequipped and unprotected. In fact, you are a mighty one in Me, capable of overcoming any obstacle that stands in your way. The power that dwells within you is My light, and that light is love.

The foolish seek and exalt earthly forms of power. They accumulate wealth, knowledge, cunning, the favor of men, or physical might. Yet all earthly power pales in comparison to the power of love. Just as water has the ability to erode rock until it shatters and crumbles, so too can the light of love within you overcome the darkness. I urge you not to underestimate what resides within you. 

In the face of insurmountable odds, unleash My love. Allow your joy to lift heavy circumstances. Watch as your peace settles the greatest of storms. Your patience, kindness, and goodness has the ability to soften hardened hearts. Your gentleness will heal the broken spirit. The fruit of love that you bear by My Spirit will always shift the atmosphere, so hold nothing back.

There’s no need for you to fight the darkness, beloved. You don’t have to kick, scream, or struggle. Remember that the very nature of light simply makes no room for darkness! So I call you to simply be, simply love—simply shine. 

Galatians 5:22–23 (TPT) But the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit within you is divine love in all its varied expressions: joy that overflows, peace that subdues, patience that endures, kindness in action, a life full of virtue, faith that prevails, gentleness of heart, and strength of spirit. Never set the law above these qualities, for they are meant to be limitless.

Matthew 5:14-16 (TPT) And you, beloved, are the light of the world. A city built on a hilltop cannot be hidden. Similarly it would be silly to light a lamp and then hide it under a bowl. When someone lights a lamp, she puts it on a table or a desk or a chair, and the light illumines the entire house. You are like that illuminating light. Let your light shine everywhere you go, that you may illumine creation, so men and women everywhere may see your good actions, may see creation at its fullest, may see your devotion to Me, and may turn and praise your Father in heaven because of it.

Looking Up

“Infinite Possibilities” by Meghan Williams, Dyed4you Art

I admit that I have often struggled to find a balance between keeping my feet on the ground and having my head in the clouds—keeping my thoughts in the heavens that is. I always thought that “looking up” meant continuing to looking forward to Christ’s reign. Someday, Christ would return. Someday, the Kingdom would come, and the earth would be restored. All the while, the daily demands and desires of the flesh kept me miserably rooted to the earth moment by moment. How could I practically pursue heavenly things while still in the flesh?

Over the years, God has been teaching me what it truly means to be heavenly-minded. Christ’s reign is now. In fact, Christ can reign through you and me in the earth today. It simply takes a yielded heart that’s willing to look up and ask, “God what would you like to do in the earth through me right now?”

And this perspective by no means limits our life on earth or the things we can accomplish. It doesn’t mean that we forsake our basic human needs or tremble in fear over our carnal desires. On the contrary, when we yield our hearts to Christ, we are allowing Him to reign over us. And when we allow Him to reign in our hearts, we enter the realm of the Kingdom—the realm of unlimited possibilities. Through the Holy Spirit within us, we each have access to the thoughts and perspective of the Eternal One. This way, we can keep our heads in the heavenlies and view the things of earth as God does instead of through the lens of our flesh.

Temporal desires and fears no longer drive me when I am truly being heavenly-minded. Instead, I am motivated by a desire to explore, create, and build as the Creator inspires me. All at once, I feel connected to that spark of the Eternal within me that has always been waiting to express Himself uniquely through my hands.

Colossians 3:1-2 (TPT) 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.

Matthew 6:25, 31-33 (NKJV) “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? …Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

The Way of Righteousness

“Heir of Righteousness” by Meghan Williams, Dyed4you Art

John 14 stands as an important reminder for those who are followers of Yeshua (Jesus): we can show our love for our Bridegroom best by keeping His commandments. Doing so will not only stir up Christ’s love for us, but the Father will love us as well (John 14:21). From this perspective, one could say that “righteousness” is God’s love language!

And how can it not be? As we yield to the work of the Holy Spirit in our innermost being, we are giving Him permission to write God’s law upon the tablets of our hearts. We are agreeing to adopt His desires as our own and showing God that we value what He values. Each time we yield our inner desires in favor of another, we are demonstrating a small act of self-sacrifice. Doing so mirrors the love of our Bridegroom as expressed through the Cross.

To choose the way of righteousness is to allow our love for God to transform from feeling to action. We are putting our affection for Him on display by doing what is just, especially when it is hard. Our righteous acts become a sweet and powerful fragrance in the spiritual realm that touches the heart of God and the hearts of our neighbors.

John 14:21 (NKJV) He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.

Matthew 22:37-40 (VOICE) Jesus (quoting Scripture): “Love the Eternal One your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is nearly as important, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” The rest of the law, and all the teachings of the prophets, are but variations on these themes.

As it is in Heaven

“Watch and Pray” by Meghan Williams, Dyed4you Art

I remember when the Father dramatically changed the way I approached prophetic intercession. I had a friend who would often share prayer requests with me. Because I’m an intercessor, she knew I would always be willing to stop and pray. One day, she sent me a prayer request for a friend of hers. I had barely uttered a word of my prayer when the Father suddenly downloaded a lengthy vision to me. I sensed it was for her friend, so I wrote down the vision along with the revelation, which came as I wrote. 

The same scenario happened about two more times in the span of a week or so, when the Father finally said to me, “You know, when you pray, you can ask me for revelation about the matter, right?” In my spirit, I suddenly saw things so clearly. So often, I approached prayer from the perspective of the one requesting it. I would automatically pray in agreement or struggle to find the words myself. I also prayed not expecting that the Father would want to have a dialogue about it. But that string of divine “interruptions” taught me that, when we go into the secret place, we are going directly before our King. He not only hears our petitions, but He always has something to say about each earthly matter we face.

Since that time, I have never prayed the same way. When someone passes along a prayer request, I go into the secret place intent on finding out what Heaven has to say about the matter first. As Romans 8:26 tells us, we don’t truly know what to pray for. So, I have learned to seek the Father’s will for each prayer request. I will either pray forth what He shows me, or I will share it with that person if He so desires. 

The Father has shown me that prophetic intercession is about praying from our positions in heavenly places. It truly removes each burden off our shoulders and places it before the One who already has the answers. Through prophetic insight, we can pave the way for the Father’s will to be done “on earth as it is in heaven.” 

Matthew 6:9-10 (TPT) Pray like this: ‘Our Father, dwelling in the heavenly realms, may the glory of your name be the center on which our lives turn. Manifest your kingdom realm, and cause your every purpose to be fulfilled on earth, just as it is fulfilled in heaven.

Matthew 16:19 (VOICE) Peter, I give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

Catch the Rhythm

“Heartbeat of Heaven” by Meghan Williams, Dyed4you Art

Beloved, there can be a fine line between living your life in a state of striving and operating from a place of rest. The difference between striving and rest comes when you try to create a rhythm in life as opposed to quieting yourself and simply finding it. I created all life to exist in the flow and rhythm of my Spirit. From the waters of creation, My Spirit has guided all things to flow according to My will. It knows My perfect pattern and plan by which all life can flourish and prosper.

Just as a drummer must hold the rhythm of a song in his or her heart and mind to execute it, so you must press in for the rhythm of my Spirit to live by it. My Spirit stands ready to usher you into your place of rest and abundant life in Me. Just as it was in the garden, I long to walk with you and guide you through every moment, day, and season of your life.

Beloved, will you draw near and grasp ahold of what I offer you? Will you listen for the sound of My Presence moving through the garden of your heart each day? Let your spiritual ears be opened, that you might catch the rhythm of My Spirit and live by it.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV) There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens….

Galatians 5:25 (VOICE) Now since we have chosen to walk with the Spirit, let’s keep each step in perfect sync with God’s Spirit.

Matthew 11:29-30 (NIV) Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

That Men May Marvel

“Shine Unafraid” by Meghan Williams, Dyed4you Art

Matthew 15:31 (TPT) And the crowds marveled with rapture and amazement, astounded over the things they were witnessing with their own eyes! The lame were walking, the mute were speaking, the crippled were made well, and the blind could see. For three days everyone celebrated the miracles as they exalted and praised the God of Israel!

Deep intimacy with God is guaranteed to release the depths of our anointing in the Holy Spirit. We become like Moses who soaked in God’s presence upon Mount Sinai, and whose deep intimacy caused his face to shine with the glory. Yet very much like Moses, those who reach this kind of depth with God can often struggle with stepping out into the spotlight to show the world how God has transformed them. This kind of person is what the Jewish people call a tzaddik—a righteous one. A tzaddik is quite humble yet so deep in the flow of the Spirit that they become the very extension of God. Miracles abound in their midst and the kingdom of heaven is seen upon the earth. Of course, Yeshua our Messiah, became the chief tzaddik, shining with God’s love and glory that all might see.

The Scriptures say that the crowds that gathered around Yeshua marveled at the works He performed. He stepped into the spotlight, became an extension of the Father in heaven, and challenged what humanity thought to be possible. Not only did great miracles occur, but a remnant believed through the Messiah; they opened their hearts to also become extensions of the Father and received miracle-working power. This is because when the kingdom of heaven (the power of God) is seen, it makes room for the kingdom of heaven to be received in the hearts of humanity.

Therefore, it is well worth the risk to cast off fear and insecurity in order to “arise and shine.” Take what God has cultivated within you in the secret place and let it be seen before men. Perhaps, God has given you prophetic insight, scriptural revelation, emotional healing, or unique wisdom for walking through life. Or perhaps, you have experienced personal miracles and know that God is calling you to become a catalyst for miracles with others. Therefore, arise and shine! Allow God’s light to be seen upon you! Do so that men may marvel in who our God is, and that the kingdom of heaven may be received upon earth.

Isaiah 60:1 (VOICE) Arise, shine, for your light has broken through! The Eternal One’s brilliance has dawned upon you.

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