Unapologetically Marcia

Thursday Morning Scripture (Wk24/2022) – Matthew 7:24-29

The Two Foundations
²⁴“So everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, will be like a wise man [a far-sighted, practical, and sensible man] who built his house on the rock.
²⁵And the rain fell, and the floods and torrents came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.
²⁶And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do them, will be like a foolish (stupid) man who built his house on the sand.
²⁷And the rain fell, and the floods and torrents came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great and complete was its fall.”
²⁸When Jesus had finished [speaking] these words [on the mountain], the crowds were astonished and overwhelmed at His teaching;
²⁹for He was teaching them as one who had authority [to teach entirely of His own volition], and not as their scribes [who relied on others to confirm their authority].
Matthew 7:24-29 (AMP)

Lion Bites – Global Prophetic Alliance – A New Era of Building

Come out from the rubble, My children! Move out from the war-torn places where the enemy has blasted you with heavy artillery. It is a new day and the old man-made structures that have held you back in religious bondage have been torn down. I used the shaking of the past two years to remove the hindrances that have kept you blocked from entering into your promised land. It was a divine realignment to launch you into an entirely new era of freedom and liberation.

See, the whole land is before you to explore and expand into the fullness of your capacity. I will give you blueprints to build heavenly structures that will last the test of time. You will build on My rock so that you will not be shaken when the waves and the wind come to shift you. You have experienced a season of loss, but I am about to bless you with a time of great harvest and abundance that will flow in many directions. It’s time to leave the old structures and step into the new places I have for you!

Activation: Ask the Lord what old mindsets or “structures” He is tearing down in your life. Then ask Him what He wants to build in this new season.

See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.
Jeremiah 1:10 (NIV)

Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
Matthew 7:24 (NIV)

#lionbites

Lion Bites – Global Prophetic Alliance – Perseverance Brings Endurance

I see your tiredness; I see your hardship. I see the areas where you have lost hope and where your faith has been tested so many times you are unsure of what you believe.

Do not give up!

This is the time for perseverance; this is the time to stand up and press in. Keep holding onto truth, for it is time to hope again and cling to my promises.

You might not have seen the breakthrough yet, but I am on the move. Don’t slow down. I am giving you endurance to keep running this race when you choose to persevere during this time.

Teach me your way, Lord,
that I may rely on your faithfulness;
give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear your name.
Psalm 86:11 (NIV)

²⁵Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.
²⁶Give careful thought to the^[1] paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways
Proverbs 4:25-26 (NIV)

#lionbites

Footnotes

Proverbs 4:26 Or Make level

Tuesday Morning Scripture (Wk24/2022) – Psalm 86

A Prayer of David
¹Hear me, Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.
²Guard my life, for I am faithful to you; save your servant who trusts in you. You are my God;
³have mercy on me, Lord, for I call to you all day long.
⁴Bring joy to your servant, Lord, for I put my trust in you.
⁵You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you.
⁶Hear my prayer, Lord; listen to my cry for mercy.
⁷When I am in distress, I call to you, because you answer me.
⁸Among the gods there is none like you, Lord; no deeds can compare with yours.
⁹All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord; they will bring glory to your name.
¹⁰For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God.
¹¹Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness;
give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.
¹²I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.
¹³For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths, from the realm of the dead.
¹⁴Arrogant foes are attacking me, O God; ruthless people are trying to kill me—they have no regard for you.
¹⁵But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
¹⁶Turn to me and have mercy on me; show your strength in behalf of your servant; save me, because I serve you just as my mother did.
¹⁷Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.
Psalm 86:1-17 (NIV)

Gospel Song of the Day – Show Me Your Ways

¹¹Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.
¹²I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.
Psalm 86:11-12 (NIV)

Lion Bites – Global Prophetic Alliance – How Is Your Heart?

How is your heart?

How are you feeling deep down in those places you like to keep hidden from everyone?

How are your emotions? Yes, even those that you don’t express too often.

You know, I already know the answer to these questions, but I am asking you so that we can have a dialogue about these deep things that you have found easier to keep hidden than to discuss with me or your friends.

Yes, that’s right. I want you to share with me how you are feeling, even if it is negative. And know this: I am here to listen, even if you want to rant. I am someone that you can get it all off your chest with; even if it is messy, even if it’s even shameful, I will listen. In sharing your deepest feelings and emotions with me, it will bring freedom as you are honest in expressing them. So, shout if you need to, cry if you need to, have a temper tantrum if you need to. It won’t surprise me; it won’t make me think any less of you and it won’t offend me. The benefits you will gain are enormous as I will draw near to you, into a place of peace once again. I will settle you down like a parent settles a child at bedtime, with words of comfort and reassurance. So, be real with me, unburden yourself, and I will listen and respond with my love.

⁴ I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
⁵They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed.
⁶This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.
⁷The ^[1]angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them.
⁸Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
⁹Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no ^[2]want to those who fear Him.
¹⁰The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.
¹¹Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
¹²Who is the man who desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good?
¹³Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit.
¹⁴Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
¹⁵The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry.
¹⁶The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to ^[3]cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
¹⁷The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.
¹⁸The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as ^[4]have a contrite spirit.
¹⁹Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
²⁰He guards all his bones; Not one of them is broken.
²¹Evil shall slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous shall be ^[5]condemned.
²²The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, and none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.
Psalm 34:4-22 (NKJV)

#lionbites

Footnotes

Psalm 34:7 Or Angel
Psalm 34:9 lack
Psalm 34:16 destroy
Psalm 34:18 are crushed in spirit
Psalm 34:21 held guilty

Monday Morning Scripture (Wk24/2022) – Matthew 19:13-30

To Enter God’s Kingdom
^13-15One day children were brought to Jesus in the hope that he would lay hands on them and pray over them. The disciples shooed them off. But Jesus intervened: “Let the children alone, don’t prevent them from coming to me. God’s kingdom is made up of people like these.” After laying hands on them, he left.
¹⁶Another day, a man stopped Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”
¹⁷Jesus said, “Why do you question me about what’s good? God is the One who is good. If you want to enter the life of God, just do what he tells you.”
^18-19The man asked, “What in particular?”
Jesus said, “Don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t lie, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as you do yourself.”
²⁰The young man said, “I’ve done all that. What’s left?”
²¹“If you want to give it all you’ve got,” Jesus replied, “go sell your possessions; give everything to the poor. All your wealth will then be in heaven. Then come follow me.”
²²That was the last thing the young man expected to hear. And so, crestfallen, he walked away. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and he couldn’t bear to let go.
^23-24As he watched him go, Jesus told his disciples, “Do you have any idea how difficult it is for the rich to enter God’s kingdom? Let me tell you, it’s easier to gallop a camel through a needle’s eye than for the rich to enter God’s kingdom.”
²⁵The disciples were staggered. “Then who has any chance at all?”
²⁶Jesus looked hard at them and said, “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it.”
²⁷Then Peter chimed in, “We left everything and followed you. What do we get out of it?”
^28-30Jesus replied, “Yes, you have followed me. In the re-creation of the world, when the Son of Man will rule gloriously, you who have followed me will also rule, starting with the twelve tribes of Israel. And not only you, but anyone who sacrifices home, family, fields—whatever—because of me will get it all back a hundred times over, not to mention the considerable bonus of eternal life. This is the Great Reversal: many of the first ending up last, and the last first.”
Matthew 19:13-30 (MSG)

Lion Bites – Global Prophetic Alliance – Let The Children See

I am calling you to bring your testimony forward. You have wrestled with me in the fight, but you keep it to yourself. I say to you that it is time for the children to know the battle.

There are many around you who must in turn grow up and fight, who must inherit the ground that you are taking. They have to see you fight the battles. They have to know what I have done. They have to be told.

Pull them onto your knee and tell them your testimonies. Show them your wounds and declare my faithfulness. Set up memorial stones and answer the questions they ask.

Teach them to hear my voice; teach them to obey me. Let your walk with me be lived in front of them in a more open way so that they will remember your example when they are in your place.
I, the Lord, have placed children in your life and it is no small task. Feed them and train them while you have the opportunity.

Activation: Ask the Lord to show you who the children are in your life. They may not be young in years, but those who are younger than you in the faith need to hear your testimonies. Find a way to edify one of them today with your witness of what the Lord has done.

One day children were brought to Jesus in the hope that he would lay hands on them and pray over them. The disciples shooed them off. But Jesus intervened: “Let the children alone, don’t prevent them from coming to me. God’s kingdom is made up of people like these.”
Matthew 19:13-15 (MSG)

#lionbites

Friday Morning Scripture (Wk23/2022) – 2 Corinthians 2:1-17

Reaffirm Your Love
¹ But I made up my mind not to grieve you with another painful visit.
²For if I cause you grief [by a well-deserved rebuke], who then provides me enjoyment but the very one whom I have made sad?
³And I ^[1]wrote this same thing to you, so that when I came, I would not be filled with sorrow by those who ought to make me glad, for I trusted in you and felt confident that my joy would be shared by all of you.
⁴For I wrote to you out of great distress and with an anguished heart, and with many tears, not to cause you sorrow but to make you realize the [overflowing] love which I have especially for you.
⁵But if ^[2]someone has caused [all this] sorrow, he has caused it not to me, but in some degree—not to put it too severely—[he has distressed and grieved] all of you.
⁶For such a one this punishment by the majority is sufficient,
⁷so instead [of further rebuke, now] you should rather [graciously] forgive and comfort and encourage him, to keep him from being overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.
⁸Therefore I urge you to reinstate him in your affections and reaffirm your ^[3]love for him.
⁹For this was my purpose in writing, to see if you would stand the test, whether you are obedient and committed to following my instruction in all things.
¹⁰If you forgive anyone anything, I too forgive [that one]; and what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of [and with the approval of] Christ,
¹¹to keep Satan from taking advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his schemes.
¹²Now when I arrived at Troas to preach the good news of Christ, even though a door [of opportunity] opened for me in the Lord,
¹³my spirit could not rest because I did not find my brother Titus there; so saying goodbye to them, I left for Macedonia.
¹⁴But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us spreads and makes evident everywhere the sweet fragrance of the knowledge of Him.
¹⁵For we are the sweet fragrance of Christ [which ascends] to God, [discernible both] among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing;
¹⁶to the latter one an aroma from death to death [a fatal, offensive odor], but to the other an aroma from life to life [a vital fragrance, living and fresh]. And who is adequate and sufficiently qualified for these things?
¹⁷For we are not like many, [acting like merchants] peddling God’s word [shortchanging and adulterating God’s message]; but from pure [uncompromised] motives, as [commissioned and sent] from God, we speak [His message] in Christ in the sight of God.
2 Corinthians 2:1-17 (AMP)

Footnotes

2 Corinthians 2:3 Many scholars believe the contents of the communication to which Paul refers in this verse are implied within vv 5-11, and again in 7:5-12.
2 Corinthians 2:5 The incident and offender to which Paul is referring is unclear, but it may have involved some affront or challenge to Paul’s position or authority during his visit to Corinth.
2 Corinthians 2:8 The key to understanding this and other statements about love is to know that this love (the Greek word agape) is not so much a matter of emotion as it is of doing things for the benefit of another person, that is, having an unselfish concern for another and a willingness to seek the best for other believers.

Lion Bites – Global Prophetic Alliance – Bloom

It is time to step out and share what I have placed inside of you. I have hidden you for a time so that your roots could grow deep, but now I am calling you out of your comfort zone.

Don’t be afraid.

Can you tell the seasons have changed?

Lean on me and I will lead the way. The confinements that once held you back are no longer there. I have pushed back the limitations and prepared a wide open space for you. You are like a budding rose ready to blossom. Now is not the time to hold back but to reveal the real you! Many will be shocked by your transformation. Some will walk away, but others will see my beauty radiating from you. This is who I created you to be. Embrace your authenticity and release the sweet aroma that brings life.

Now is the time.

Bloom!

Activation: Ask God what areas of your life have been hidden and what areas he is bringing into full bloom. Challenge yourself today to put these characteristics and gifting on display today by choosing to step out and talk to someone about the journey God has brought you on and what he is taking you into. Break your agreement with comfort and familiarity and ask God for boldness to break you out of where you have been.

Who is this coming up from the wilderness, Leaning on her beloved?
Song of Songs 8:5 (NASB)

We have become the unmistakable aroma of the victory of the Anointed One to God—a perfume of life to those being saved and the odour of death to those who are perishing.
2 Corinthians 2;15 (TPT)

#lionbites