Today’s Reading:
Zechariah 9-10
12 Return to the stronghold, O prisoners who have the hope;
Zechariah 9:12
This very day I am declaring that I will restore double to you.
The Lord says,
Deep, abiding, immovable joy. Joy that holds fast as the storm tosses and waves rise. A joy that buoys you above the waves, that lifts your head and causes you to be able to see out on the horizon of hope. I Am your joy, your strength and your source. I Am energetic life itself. Seek My joy. Fight for it and refuse to let it go. Wrestle it back from darkness, circumstances, frustrations and disappointments. Own your joy. Own your hope. Let not darkness overcome it or remove it from your grasp. My joy that I give you is stronger than these. My joy that I give you is conquering, powerful and fierce. It is abiding, renewing and refreshing. My joy can withstand the storm and the waves and the darkness against all odds. I Am the overcomer, the usurper, the God of the turnaround. I don’t need odds. I Am the God of the impossible. What are odds to Me? I hover above the deep, and I do what I please. It is My pleasure and My good will, My purpose to lift you up with My joy in the midst of this tumult.
5 “They will be as mighty men,
Zechariah 10:5-7
Treading down the enemy in the mire of the streets in battle;
And they will fight, for the Lord will be with them;
And the riders on horses will be put to shame.
6 “I will strengthen the house of Judah,
And I will save the house of Joseph,
And I will bring them back,
Because I have had compassion on them;
And they will be as though I had not rejected them,
For I am the Lord their God and I will answer them.
7 “Ephraim will be like a mighty man,
And their heart will be glad as if from wine;
Indeed, their children will see it and be glad,
Their heart will rejoice in the Lord.
The storm is training ground for holding fast to your buoy of joy and your anchor of hope. Don’t fear the wind or the waves. These are the angry convulsions of the enemy as his forces retreat, divide, weaken, fall into confusion and self-destruct. This is the chaos caused by last-ditch efforts that are uncoordinated and will ultimately fall flat. This is the bully swinging wildly at the end of the fight he knows he’s lost as he’s no longer able to land a punch.
Hold firmly onto My joy. It will lift you. And My hope, it will anchor your soul and cause to to stand immovably on My Word, My promises, and the dreams and the visions I have given you.
11 “And they will pass through the sea of distress
Zechariah 10:11-12
And He will strike the waves in the sea,
So that all the depths of the Nile will dry up;
And the pride of Assyria will be brought down
And the scepter of Egypt will depart.
12 “And I will strengthen them in the Lord,
And in His name they will walk,” declares the Lord.
Return to your stronghold, you prisoners who have hope. You can indeed find rest for your weary soul in the midst of the storm. I Am also calling you to action in the storm. This is a time of deliberate advancement. This is a time for coordinated, deliberate advancement for your family, your business, your church. Though the conditions are poor and the wind is unpredictable, work to advance as I call you and where I call you. Even the enemy’s wind will send gusts at your back for some great strides forward.
You will be amazed when the new day dawns and the tossing sea turns placid. You will find yourself in new territory, in uncharted waters. This new territory will be slick with My grace, and you will be perfectly situated for very quick advancements across long stretches. It will be a place where your work requires much less effort and yields greater returns. It will be a place where all that you have fought and hoped and prayed for manifests. Fight for joy and hold onto hope. We are nearing the end of this bitter storm. The new day of advancement and visibly having the upper hand is near.
How to Respond
- Deliberately choose joy and hope. Hold onto them, and refuse to let go.
- Declare, the Lord is my joy, my strength, my shield, my anchor of hope and the One who brings me to a new day. I will hold onto Him, trust Him and refuse to give way to the enemy in the midst of this storm.
- Pray, Lord, help me to hold onto You. Help me to encourage and strengthen myself in You. Help me to build myself up in my most holy faith, so that I am positioned in just the right place when the storm subsides and the new day of accelerated advancement dawns.
- Decree, I will hold onto and fight to keep the joy and hope of the Lord. I will be one who advances even in the storm. I will be one who is united to those whom the Lord has called me to advance with, and we will find ourselves positioned in new, uncharted territory of accelerated advancement when His new day dawns.
For more encouragement from Glory & the New Wine, check out the post from this day one year ago: Jesus’s Love Is All You Need.
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