Unapologetically Marcia

Abide In God’s Presence Always | A Blessed Prayer To Start Your Day

Monday Morning Scripture (Wk33/2022) – Ephesians 1

The Blessings of Redemption

¹ Paul, an apostle (special messenger, personally chosen representative) of Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed), by the will of God [that is, by His purpose and choice],to the ^[1]saints (God’s people)^[2]who are at Ephesus and are faithful and loyal and steadfast in Christ Jesus:

²Grace to you and peace [inner calm and spiritual well-being] from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

³^[3]Blessed and worthy of praise be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ,

⁴just as [in His love] He chose us in Christ [actually selected us for Himself as His own] before the foundation of the world, so that we would be holy [that is, consecrated, set apart for Him, purpose-driven] and blameless in His sight. In love

⁵He predestined and lovingly planned for us to be adopted to Himself as [His own] children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the kind intention and good pleasure of His will—

⁶to the praise of His glorious grace and favor, which He so freely bestowed on us in the Beloved [His Son, Jesus Christ].

⁷In Him we have redemption [that is, our deliverance and salvation] through His blood, [which paid the penalty for our sin and resulted in] the forgiveness and complete pardon of our sin, in accordance with the riches of His grace

⁸which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and understanding [with practical insight]

⁹He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ,

¹⁰with regard to the fulfillment of the times [that is, the end of history, the climax of the ages]—to bring all things together in Christ, [both] things in the heavens and things on the earth.

¹¹In Him also we have ^[4]received an inheritance [a destiny—we were claimed by God as His own], having been predestined (chosen, appointed beforehand) according to the purpose of Him who works everything in agreement with the counsel and design of His will,

¹²so that we who were the first to hope in Christ [who first put our confidence in Him as our Lord and Savior] would exist to the praise of His glory.

¹³In Him, you also, when you heard the word of truth, the good news of your salvation, and [as a result] believed in Him, were stamped with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit [the One promised by Christ] as owned and protected [by God].

¹⁴The Spirit is the ^[5]guarantee [the first installment, the pledge, a foretaste] of our inheritance until the redemption of God’s own [purchased] possession [His believers], to the praise of His glory.

¹⁵For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people,

¹⁶I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers;

¹⁷[I always pray] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may grant you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation [that gives you a deep and personal and intimate insight] into the true knowledge of Him [for we know the Father through the Son].

¹⁸And [I pray] that the eyes of your heart [the very center and core of your being] may be enlightened [flooded with light by the Holy Spirit], so that you will know and cherish the ^[6]hope [the divine guarantee, the confident expectation] to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the ^[7]saints (God’s people),

¹⁹and [so that you will begin to know] what the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His [active, spiritual] power is in us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of His mighty strength

²⁰which He ^[8]produced in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places,

²¹far above all rule and authority and power and dominion [whether angelic or human], and [far above] every name that is named [above every title that can be conferred], not only in this age and world but also in the one to come.

²²And He ^[9]put all things [in every realm] in subjection under Christ’s feet, and ^[10]appointed Him as [supreme and authoritative] head over all things in the church,

²³which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills and completes all things in all [believers].
Ephesians 1:1-23 (AMP)

Footnotes

Ephesians 1:1 “Saints” refers to born-again believers. All believers are holy, that is, set apart or sanctified for God’s purpose.
Ephesians 1:1 Three early mss do not contain “at Ephesus.” Some scholars suggest that this was intended as a circular letter for various churches of Asia Minor (modern Turkey), sent first to Ephesus and then to the other churches. See Paul’s instruction to the Colossians in 4:16. Others believe the letter was directed only to the Ephesians because of its many personal references. The books of Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon are believed to have been written by Paul while he was a prisoner under house arrest in Rome (a.d. 60-62) (cf 6:20).
Ephesians 1:3 In Greek this passage (vv 3-14), also referred to as a doxology, is one sentence.
Ephesians 1:11 Or our destiny.
Ephesians 1:14 Or down payment.
Ephesians 1:18 In the NT the word “hope” expresses a cherished desire along with the confident assurance of obtaining that which is longed for.
Ephesians 1:18 See note v 1.
Ephesians 1:20 The first of three manifestations of God’s power exhibited in Christ.
Ephesians 1:22 The second manifestation of God’s power exhibited in Christ.
Ephesians 1:22 This is the third manifestation of God’s power exhibited in Christ.

Lion Bites – Global Prophetic Alliance – Chosen

My beloved, today you must know that you are chosen. I chose you long ago and I will continue to choose you each and every day. When the sun rises each morning, I choose you. When the sun sets, after the busyness of the day, I still choose you.

Will you choose me?
Will you sit and dwell with me? While away the hours with me?

It is my joy to walk with you and talk with you; to be your confidant, your love, your friend.

There is no where you can go where my love cannot reach you. You are like a seal upon my heart; we are joined as one.

While it may feel like others have passed you by – that you have been forgotten or overlooked in the past – please believe that my gaze never left you. My love for you will never fade and I shall not pass you by. You are my precious inheritance – the one whom I love.

Activation: Ask Holy Spirit if you are carrying any wounds of rejection or hurt. Release them and ask Holy Spirit for a fresh in-filling of this truth: You are chosen by God!

And he chose us to be his very own, joining us to himself even before he laid the foundation of the universe!
Ephesians 1:4 (TPT)

I am truly his rose, the very theme of his song. I’m overshadowed by his love, growing in the valley!
Song of Songs 2:1 (TPT)

#lionbites

Friday Morning Scripture (WK32/2022) Ezekiel 3

¹ And he said to me, ‘Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the people of Israel.’ ²So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.

³Then he said to me, ‘Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.’ So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.

⁴He then said to me: ‘Son of man, go now to the people of Israel and speak my words to them. ⁵You are not being sent to a people of obscure speech and strange language, but to the people of Israel – ⁶not to many peoples of obscure speech and strange language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely if I had sent you to them, they would have listened to you. ⁷But the people of Israel are not willing to listen to you because they are not willing to listen to me, for all the Israelites are hardened and obstinate. ⁸But I will make you as unyielding and hardened as they are. ⁹I will make your forehead like the hardest stone, harder than flint. Do not be afraid of them or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious people.’

¹⁰And he said to me, ‘Son of man, listen carefully and take to heart all the words I speak to you. ¹¹Go now to your people in exile and speak to them. Say to them, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says,” whether they listen or fail to listen.’

¹²Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a loud rumbling sound as the glory of the Lord rose from the place where it was standing.^[1] ¹³It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures brushing against each other and the sound of the wheels beside them, a loud rumbling sound. ¹⁴The Spirit then lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the Lord on me. ¹⁵I came to the exiles who lived at Tel Aviv near the River Kebar. And there, where they were living, I sat among them for seven days – deeply distressed.

Ezekiel’s Task As Watchman

¹⁶At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁷‘Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. ¹⁸When I say to a wicked person, “You will surely die,” and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for^[2]their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. ¹⁹But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself.

²⁰‘Again, when a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling-block before them, they will die. Since you did not warn them, they will die for their sin. The righteous things that person did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. ²¹But if you do warn the righteous person not to sin and they do not sin, they will surely live because they took warning, and you will have saved yourself.’

²²The hand of the Lord was on me there, and he said to me, ‘Get up and go out to the plain, and there I will speak to you.’ ²³So I got up and went out to the plain. And the glory of the Lord was standing there, like the glory I had seen by the River Kebar, and I fell face down.

²⁴Then the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet. He spoke to me and said: ‘Go, shut yourself inside your house. ²⁵And you, son of man, they will tie with ropes; you will be bound so that you cannot go out among the people. ²⁶I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be silent and unable to rebuke them, for they are a rebellious people. ²⁷But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth and you shall say to them, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says.” Whoever will listen let them listen, and whoever will refuse let them refuse; for they are a rebellious people.
Ezekiel 3:1-27 (NIVUK)

Footnotes

Ezekiel 3:12 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text sound – may the glory of the Lord be praised from his place
Ezekiel 3:18 Or in; also in verses 19 and 20

Lion Bites – Global Prophetic Alliance – Speak Out Loud

Release my truth into the atmosphere. The truth of who I am; of what I am doing on the earth; the promises that I have made. I dwell amidst the multitudes and yet so many are hardened to the truth of who I am.

Oh my beloved church! Would your words speak to the truth of who I really am!

Today, would your declarations release truth into the atmosphere, drawing people’s attention to the truth of who I am.

I am love.

I am redemption.

I am faithful and I am just.

When you speak truth, the darkness must flee, giving way for more light to come in. The more truth you speak out into the atmosphere, the more the darkness will fall. When you speak the truth of who I really am, you scatter seeds of love, joy, and compassion amongst those who surround you. Do not underestimate what I can do with a small scattering of seeds.

Activation: What truth is God asking you to speak out today? Perhaps it is a testimony? A declaration of His goodness? Talk with him today about how you can speak out His truth into the atmosphere.

¹ And he said to me, ‘Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the people of Israel.’

²So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.

³Then he said to me, ‘Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.’ So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.

⁴He then said to me: ‘Son of man, go now to the people of Israel and speak my words to them.
Ezekiel 3:1-4 (NIVUK)

#lionbites

Lion Bites – Global Prophetic Alliance – Occupy

I have created a place for you to occupy that I have ordained and boundaried for you. I have called you by name to occupy this space, not just in your family, your community, your workplace, or in your fellowship on the earth, but a place in the spirit realm.

I have called you to occupy territory – real estate in the spiritual realm in each of your environments. As you occupy the place I have called you to, you impact the ground I have given you, creating an impact for the kingdom. You are called by name to stand and occupy the space I have allotted to you.

Just as the Israelites were given clearly defined territories, I have marked out land for you to possess, both in the natural and in the spirit realm. Start by stepping in faith into the place you have been allocated to. There are places where you have not stepped forward, where you have abdicated your position, where you have given ground, and where you have left a gap in the defences.

Occupy your space!

Activation: Ask Him to reveal to you territory He has ordained for you to occupy.

Lion Bites – Global Prophetic Alliance – Access

I told you I would prepare a place for you and I have. I have made a place specifically for you in my kingdom, in my house. You have pushed this reality, this truth, into the future as something to be accessed when I return. Yet, I have already seated you in heavenly realms in me; there is a reality for you to access right now.
I have given you access. Access to me, to the throne room, to all the resources of heaven. You have full access right now and it is my desire for you to dwell in that place of total access.

It is a place of abiding, strength, and security. It is a place of authority as you are seated far above the kingdoms of this world, in me, and out of reach of your enemy.
Dwell in me. Live aware of your heavenly seating and your position in me for you have full access.

Activation: Ask the Father if there are any lies you are believing about your access. Ask Him what the truth is that He wants you to replace the lies with.

²In My Father’s house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you, because I am going there to prepare a place for you.

³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and I will take you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also.
John 14:2-3 (AMP)

And He raised us up together with Him [when we believed], and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, [because we are] in Christ Jesus…
Ephesians 2:6 (AMP)

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Ephesians 4:16 (NIV)

#lionbites

Lion Bites – Global Prophetic Alliance – My Name

In this season of transformation, the enemy is trying to kill, steal, and destroy the place you are in right now. The enemy is trying to make you think that the next season is going to be impossible for you. That you don’t have what it takes to walk in that new season. It makes you feel naked and afraid, as if you are in the dark.

But church, do you know My Name?

Do you truly understand the meaning of My Name?

My Name is the Word and in the Word there is Life. Do you know what happens when you use My Name? It’s not just a name you use because you are praying or worshiping. It’s the Word backing you up. It is every truth, every promise, every blessing, every declaration that is in the Word because I am the Word.

I will never leave you nor forsake you. So when the enemy comes and tries to kill, steal and destroy what I have for you now and in the future, command him to leave in My Name. And know that when you use My Name, every knee must bow down and the enemy must leave. There is no other option! Use My Name with this in mind and start walking in the authority that I have given you!

Activation: Ask the Lord: What of your Name do I truly understand? What of your Name do I need to get a better and deeper understanding of? How can I partner with You in the coming week to get a better understanding of what it means when I use your Name?

¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

²He was in the beginning with God.

³All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

⁴In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

⁵The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:1-5 (ESV)

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
John 10:10 (ESV)

#lionbites

Monday Morning Scripture – James 1:1-12

Testing Your Faith

¹^[1]James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve [Hebrew] tribes [scattered abroad among the Gentiles] in the dispersion: Greetings (rejoice)!

²Consider it nothing but joy, my ^[2]brothers and sisters, whenever you fall into various trials.

³Be assured that the testing of your faith [through experience] produces endurance [leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace].

⁴And let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfect and completely developed [in your faith], lacking in nothing.

⁵If any of you lacks wisdom [to guide him through a decision or circumstance], he is to ask of [our benevolent] God, who gives to everyone generously and without rebuke or blame, and it will be given to him.

⁶But he must ask [for wisdom] in faith, without doubting [God’s willingness to help], for the one who doubts is like a billowing surge of the sea that is blown about and tossed by the wind.

⁷For such a person ought not to think or expect that he will receive anything [at all] from the Lord,

⁸being a double-minded man, unstable and restless in all his ways [in everything he thinks, feels, or decides].

⁹Let the brother in humble circumstances glory in his high position [as a born-again believer, called to the true riches and to be an heir of God];

¹⁰and the rich man is to glory in being humbled [by trials revealing human frailty, knowing true riches are found in the grace of God], for like the flower of the grass he will pass away.

¹¹For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass; its flower falls off and ^[3]its beauty fades away; so too will the rich man, in the midst of his pursuits, fade away.

¹²Blessed [happy, spiritually prosperous, favored by God] is the man who is steadfast under trial and perseveres when tempted; for when he has passed the test and been approved, he will receive the [victor’s] crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
James 1:1-12 (AMP)

Footnotes

James 1:1 James, the leader of the Jerusalem church, was the half brother of Jesus. He became a believer after the resurrection of Jesus and was later martyred for his faith.
James 1:2 Lit brethren.
James 1:11 Lit the beauty of its face perishes.

Lion Bites – Global Prophetic Alliance – I Have A Question

I want to ask you a question my beloved child; How are you doing? I already know the answer but sometimes it is good to verbalise your feelings honestly, and I will listen to your reply.
Yes, I know it has been tough getting through the last season and the new season will be much the same with so much new growth and change. I know it will challenge your comfort zones. But one thing you did gain access to in the last season, and you do not even realise it, but I have released to you my gift of endurance.

Yes, supernatural endurance is a gift that will enable you to walk through the times that are coming, and you will not be shaken. My gift of endurance is grounded in my character and as you draw from it and endure, you will become like me.

Activation: Ask the Lord for his gift of endurance and embrace what is before you, knowing that you have been equipped beforehand to make it through in victory.

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
James 1:12 (NIV)

¹Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.

²Give thanks to the God of gods.
Psalm 136:1-2 (NIV)

#lionbites