My future . . .

"He sets on high those who are lowly, and those who mourn are lifted to safety" . . .
"Be the lifter of my head, be the lifter of my head, be the lifter of my head, tonight" . . .

This song was recently birthed into my heart by the Lord for this season I have been walking through in my life. It is such a beautiful thing that the Lord has used the Holy Spirit who lives inside of me, to minister to ME through the songs that HE inspires me to write!! Our God is SOOO creative, yah?! I am so encouraged that God's promises in His word are for us when we believe them and stand, even if it takes every last thread of hope for us to hang on to. I know of this personally; it's what I've lived through this past year. But I have a HOPE and a FUTURE knowing that the God of this universe is in love with me and desires for me to flourish, no matter what the circumstances are that surround me! I don't have any answers, I don't even have a clue, but I know that if my eyes are firmly fixed on the Lord, He WILL guide me every step of the way! I wake up every day thinking, "Lord, I don't even know how this day is going to turn out, but I know that "You are working in my afflictions, and my afflictions are working for me!!", as Jason Upton says. You see, all of these afflictions (daily battles, spiritual and physical) we face daily have a purpose; we are finding out that we are literally DEPENDENT upon God for everything - we cannot do anything separate from Him!! (Oh sure, we can, but we'll mess everything up REAL GOOD!! I have . . . )

I love Jeremiah 29:11, so much in fact that I have memorized it, and whenever I feel like my situations are completely hopeless, I am reminded about what GOD says about my future, and it helps me to stop believing and agreeing (yes, I said AGREEING) with the enemy, and his plan of deception to destroy my life! If we are not agreeing with what the word of God says about our lives, we are coming into agreement with the enemy, and his lies and whisperings of hopelessness, loss of direction and purpose! Read all of these different translations; any way you read them, they are all encouraging!

NET © For I know what I have planned for you,’ says the Lord. 1 ‘I have plans to prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you 2 a future filled with hope. 3

NIV ©

biblegateway Jer 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

NASB ©

biblegateway Jer 29:11
‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.

NLT ©

biblegateway Jer 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

MSG ©

biblegateway Jer 29:11
I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out--plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.

BBE ©

SABDAweb Jer 29:11
For I am conscious of my thoughts about you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you hope at the end.

NRSV ©

bibleoremusJer 29:11
For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.

NKJV ©

biblegateway Jer 29:11
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope

We all experience obstacles and go through life's trials. When we find ourselves in these situations we must not give up. We must do our part and continue living and being fruitful. God does have a plan for us but His plan might not be on our timing. We must pray to God and when we do, He WILL listen!! We must seek Him with all of our hearts. Then and only then will we find Him and He will bring us out of our captivity to experience the plans He has for us. And finally, God does indeed want us to live an abundant life here on earth but the true plans He has for us will be realized when we meet Him.

*******"I am tearing down all of the old foundations in your life, so that I, the Lord, can build new foundations; foundations built on love, trust, purity, respect, honor, kindness and goodness! And behold, the LATTER shall be GREATER than the FORMER!!!!"*******

I have received this prophecy by many different solid, grounded believers of God, more than a half a dozen times this past year!!! (I think the Lord is trying to tell me something, eh?!) I am open to WHATEVER the Lord has in store for me; my heart is open to receive what His will and plan for my life entails, and it may just shake up everything that I thought it looked like from my current perspective!!