Made in God’s Image
So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God, he created them; male and female, he created them. Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!
Genesis 1:26; 31 NLT
When God looks at you, He sees a masterpiece. He sees an exquisite sight. Of all the things He created, you are His absolute favorite! You were created in His very image. He wanted you to exist.
Never doubt your worth or your existence. You are not an accident. God planned for you before the foundations of the earth. He then looked at you and didn’t just say it is good; He said it is VERY good! He is enthralled with you. He adores you, and He brags to all creation about you. Square your shoulders, raise your head high, and walk with confidence because you are made in God’s image! You are loved!
Drink Deep from the Fountain of Life
You give them drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.
Psalm 36:8-9 NIV
When you drink deep Jesus, and His living water, you will never thirst again. It satisfies every single part of your being. He is the Fountain of Life, and He gives you abundant life. A life that is free and whole, that you could never even dream of. He is the light that guides each step of your way. He will never leave you or forsake you. He invites you to drink deeply of Him every day and experience this abundant life. Take a deep drink today. Savor the moments in His presence. Let that Living Water from the Fountain of Life wash over every part of you. Let it heal your mind and your soul. Let it mend your broken heart and be like healing oil throughout your entire being. Drink freely and deeply from the Fountain of Jesus. You will never thirst again.
He Sings Over You
For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty Savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With His love He will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.
Zephaniah 3:17 NLT
God loves you so much, and you are His great delight. He is always with you, right beside you, watching over you and protecting your every move. He calms all your fears with His perfect, unconditional, unimaginable love. When you know how much He loves you, you know you can trust Him with every single detail of your life. He always has the best of intentions for you. He rejoices every time He sees your face. He sings a new song over your life every single morning. He is your kind and compassionate Father who will never, ever, for one moment abandon you or reject you. He is yours, and you are His forever. Live each day out of His love for you. He does not love you according to your behavior, but He loves you regardless of your behavior because He wants to love you. He created you to love. He will always love you. He is pleased with you and proud of you. Hold your head high because you are His child, and you are highly honored and dearly loved!
Stay Focused
We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.
Hebrews 12:2 NLT
God calls you to keep your eyes on Jesus, the Author, and the Perfector of your faith. He endured the cross because of the joy awaiting Him. You were that joy. He endured the taunts and the beatings; He took the nails in His hands and feet because He knew that waiting on the other side of the pain of the cross was a relationship with you. He didn’t worry about how it looked to others or if they were pleased with Him. He didn’t worry about if it was going to bring shame to Him. He loved you so much that He took it all with joy. Remember today in whatever you face, that you can face it with joy when you keep your eyes fixed on Jesus who loves you more than you can imagine. The One who is now seated at the right hand of the Father. The One who awaits in anticipation to pour His love out on you.
Ministry Adventures
We are getting ready for our very first ministry adventure for Finding Rest Ministries! First we would like to thank Jack & Debi Cole and Ellen Sallas for our very first donations which made us able to purchase some gift cards to hand out to those who need help! Our new adventure we are praying you will join us in is to gather supplies to give to the needy that we may see walking along the roadways, or asking for help at the stoplights. We are going to be purchasing the following supplies and would love if you would partner with us in giving to this. The following supplies will be going into the ziploc bags to hand out. We will have separate bags for men and women.
Lifesavers
Toothbrushes
Travel sized toothpaste
A pair of socks
Travel sized hand sanitizers
Travel sized lotion
Travel sized wipes
Washcloth
A bar soap
Travel sized shampoo/conditioner
Granola bars
Deodorant
2 $10 gift cards for a couple of different restaurants
Sanitary pads
A note to say they are known and loved by Jesus
We are so, so excited!
We are also working on getting a line of merchandise ready to purchase all proceeds will go to help those in need! We give 100% back into the ministry! We do not put this money in our pockets. If you cannot give anything, please keep us in your prayers! Also, if you live in the Springfield, MO area and would like to give some of the supplies we need instead of money, that would be great also! You can reach out to us and we will set a time and place to pick up those items. We will begin collecting these items today and this will be ongoing. To give you can go to the Donate tab or give to us directly. You can also visit us at https://linktr.ee/findingrestmin
Thank you all! We love each of you! Blessings!
Even in the Dark
God loves you! Beyond anything you could ever imagine, He loves you (Ephesians 3:14-21). His love doesn't mean that life will never be hard, or that we won't face challenges, but you can be sure that right there in the middle of it all He is with you (Matthew 28:20). He will work it out for your good, even if you can't see it yet (Romans 8:28). He will never leave you or fail you (Hebrews 13:5). Hold tightly to Him, He knows what is coming and He knows what is best. Trust Him even in the dark!
I Have Given You Right Standing
Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? Will God? No! He is the one who has forgiven us and given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? Will Christ? No! For he is the one who died for us and came back to life again for us and is sitting at the place of highest honor next to God, pleading for us there in heaven.
Romans 8:33-34 TLB
I have chosen you; why would I then accuse you? I sent My Son to be a sacrifice for your sins to give you right standing with Me. When you are in Christ, there is no longer any condemnation for you. When man tries to accuse you, I see your heart. I know the truth about you that no one else knows. I love you, and I forgive you once and for all. I throw your sins into the sea of forgetfulness to be remembered no more. My Son sits at the right hand of My throne. He is seated in a place of highest honor, and He is continually interceding for you. Jesus is your advocate. We are always here with open arms waiting for you to turn to us. The moment you ask for forgiveness, you receive it immediately. I don’t wait for you to get it all together; the moment you call My name, I run to your rescue. I am always here for you, always attentive to your prayers. You are so very loved.
I See You Even in the Dark
I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night—
but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day.
Darkness and light are the same to you.
Psalm 139:11-12 NLT
There is not one place you can hide that I am not there with you, watching over you. Even when darkness surrounds you, it is still light to me. I am Light and Life. There are times that you feel shame and run from Me, but I will still pursue you even in those times. My love will never stop chasing you. I will never abandon you or fail you. Run to me, do not run away from Me. When you feel unworthy, I still want to comfort you. I still want you to run to me. Let My light shine in your darkness. Know that you could never do anything that would turn my face from you. I stand with open arms no matter what you have done or where you have been.
I Am Your Help
I look up to the mountains—does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth! He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps.
Psalm 121:1-4 NLT
When life seems to be shaking around you, and the darkness is closing in on you, look up! I am your help. No man can take care of you the way that I can take care of you. I created everything in heaven and on earth, and I will take care of you. Nothing is impossible for me. I have access to everything I need to help you. I can create something out of nothing if I need to. I can change molecular structures if I need to. Trust your life in my hands. I will keep a firm grip on you. I never close my eyes to sleep because My eyes are always watching out for you.
I Am Your Strength and Peace
The Lord gives his people strength. The Lord blesses them with peace.
Psalm 29:11 NLT
This world pulls and tugs at your heart and mind all day long. The chaos of this world can wear you down physically, mentally, and spiritually. You must remember to take time away from this world and be with Me. It is sitting in My presence that you regain your strength and your heart and mind find My peace. Jesus is the Prince of Peace. You can run to many things to try to find this peace, but it is only found in Me. You may find a fleeting peace in the world, but only My peace is steadfast and sure. Only My peace goes beyond your understanding. It will keep you calm when everything around you is falling apart. I will be your strength. I will be your peace, just run to Me.
I Will Fight for You
But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand where you are and watch, and you will see the wonderful way the Lord will rescue you today. The Egyptians you are looking at—you will never see them again. The Lord will fight for you, and you won’t need to lift a finger!”
Exodus 14:13-14 TLB
Do not spend all your time striving and trying to figure everything out. The enemy wants to distract you and throw up smokescreens, getting you to fight battles that have no meaning. Jesus has already defeated the powers of darkness. He has rescued you and made you whole. Don’t let the enemy distract you from the most important thing by chasing rabbit trails. Look at the finished work of Jesus, it is your victory! When the enemy comes roaring like a lion in your ears, Resist Him, by trusting in Me, focusing on Me, and resting in Me. He has no power to harm you. Don’t let the fear overwhelm you. Fear likes to be loud and make you think he can harm you, but fear is a liar. I am the greater one, and I am with you and in you. You have absolutely nothing to fear.
In His Presence
"The cherubim will face each other and look down on the atonement cover. With their wings spread above it, they will protect it. 21 Place inside the Ark the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, which I will give to you. Then put the atonement cover on top of the Ark. 22 I will meet with you there and talk to you from above the atonement cover between the gold cherubim that hover over the Ark of the Covenant. From there I will give you my commands for the people of Israel." Exodus 25:20-22
As I read this scripture yesterday it really jumped out to me and I knew God was wanting to speak to me through it. I did some study on it today and it is amazing to me.
The Ark of the Covenant is the representation of God's presence in the old testament. He tells us in this passage that from this place He will give us His commands. That He will meet us here and talk to us. The covenant here was represented by the laws written on stone tablets, today our covenant is represented in the finished work of Jesus Christ.
When we walk into the throne room of God, when we set aside time to be in His presence He covers us with the shadow of His wings. We come boldly before His throne in our times of need because of the blood of Jesus, not because of anything we have done, and when we walk into that Secret Place with Him He will speak to us. He will show us the paths to take. He will speak things for us to carry to those around us. He will meet you in the Secret Place and show you great things that you do not know.
If you are needing God to speak to you today, if you are needing direction, healing, encouragement, whatever it may be, step into His presence. Take time to meet Him in the Secret Place where you are covered by His wings. Don't think you have to be good enough to get His attention, because you walk in boldly covered by the covenant blood of Jesus Christ!
I Call You and Preserve You
Listen to me, O coastlands, and give attention, you peoples from afar. The Lord called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named my name. He made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow; in his quiver he hid me away.
Isaiah 49:1-2 ESV
I have a purpose for you. A plan that is greater than you could ever imagine. Before you were even born, I knew that purpose. Before your mother knew your name, I had already named you. I call you beloved, chosen, royal priest, a precious masterpiece. You are My prized possession. I have you hidden away and protected under My mighty hand until I know the timing is perfect for releasing you into what I have called you to. During that time, I am preparing you for what I already prepared for you. I have gone ahead of you and made the way. I already know what doors need to be opened and when to open them. Rest in who I say you are and in My perfect timing. Nothing is wasted in your life. I will use it all. Stay where I have you until the time is right, and I Myself will bring you out of hiding.
You are Abundantly Free
Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we’re a free people—free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free! He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ, a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth.
Ephesians 1:7-10 MSG
My Son poured out His blood on the cross because of My great love for you. With that blood, we purchased your freedom and set you, not just a little free, but abundantly free! You are no longer punished for your sins when you become My child because Jesus took the punishment for you on the cross. He provided at that moment for absolutely everything you would ever need. I took delight in making plans for you. I am delighted in you, I smile over you, and you are so loved. As you go about your day today, remember that you have everything you need in Jesus to live the life I have put before you to live. As you live that life, remember it gave Me delight to plan it for you.
Be Refreshed
“Listen! Are you thirsty for more? Come to the refreshing waters and drink. Even if you have no money, come, buy, and eat. Yes, come and buy all the wine and milk you desire— it won’t cost a thing. Why spend your hard-earned money on something that can’t nourish you or work so hard for something that can’t satisfy? So listen carefully to me and you’ll enjoy a sumptuous feast,
delighting in the finest of food.
Isaiah 55:1-2 TPT
Jesus satisfies your hunger and your thirst with His refreshing water. You don’t have to be rich or important to drink this water. Greater than the finest of foods and the finest of drink, My Son pours out Himself for you. Greater than any material thing is a relationship with Him. He does not turn away anyone. He accepts any race, color, and economic status. He wants to refresh you and love you. He feeds more than your body; He feeds your soul, the very core of who you are. He invites you to drink deeply of this water and enjoy the feast of who He is. Start your day with a long drink of the finest water you will ever find. Take a bite of the richest food you could ever taste. Taste and see that He is good. Take a long, long drink and savor Him.
Rest in My Unforced Rhythms of Grace
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me, and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
Matthew 11:28-30 MSG
My Son Jesus invites you to get away with Him and rest. To recover your life. It is only in Him that you learn to take a real rest. As you walk with Him and watch how He does life, you will learn to walk freely and lightly with unforced rhythms in your life. He will show you the right rhythms for you. What is suitable for others may not be right for you. He knows you and loves you, and He knows exactly what you need to be able to rest. Today if you are tired and burned out, take His invitation, and walk with Him to a place of rest. Rest in His love for you. Rest in His grace and mercy in your life. Let the striving and frustration of trying to fix everything cease.
I Am Coming
With this news, strengthen those who have tired hands, and encourage those who have weak knees. Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.”
Isaiah 35:3-4 NLT
Be strong and do not fear. Fear can be paralyzing. It can make you think you will never make it. Fear wants to blind you to My love and care for you. It is easy to say do not fear, but it is harder to follow through. Understanding who I am and how much I love you gives you the courage to face whatever may come your way. When your hands feel tired and your knees feel weak, look up to Me. I am coming to save you and to destroy the enemy of fear in your life. Let My love cause you to look fear in the eye and move forward in whatever it is I ask you to do today.
I Think About You
I Think About You
Every single moment you are thinking of me! How precious and wonderful to consider that you cherish me constantly in your every thought! O God, your desires toward me are more than the grains of sand on every shore! When I awake each morning, you’re still with me.
Psalm 139:17-18 TPT
I am thinking about you every single moment of every single day. You are the focus of My mind, and I cherish you. I have nothing but good and kind desires toward you. If you could count the grains of sand on every shore, which is impossible, My thoughts for you even outnumber those. I am consistently thinking of ways to pour My love on you. To care for you. To show Myself faithful to you. I want you to know Me in a real and tangible way. Before you open your eyes in the morning, I am already there thinking about you. Before you close your eyes at night, and while you are sleeping My thoughts are towards you. Today do not allow feelings of insignificance to overwhelm you because you are on My mind. I am the Creator of the Universe, and I am madly in love with you.
I Lead You Out
The one I love calls to me: Arise, my dearest. Hurry, my darling. Come away with me! I have come as you have asked to draw you to my heart and lead you out. For now is the time, my beautiful one.
Song of Songs 2:10 TPT
When you call to Me, I hear your voice. Even the tiniest whisper gets My attention. I lean forward to press in to listen to you. I call you to come away with Me. To rest in Me. Spend time with Me. I love these moments with you. I draw you close to My chest and whisper My love into your ear. I call you, My beloved. My treasure. I love to pour out My blessings on you. Now is the time. There is no need to wait until you think you have it all together or until you feel like you can come before Me without shame. Now, every moment of every day is the time. I am always attentive to your cries; your voice sounds beautiful to My ears. I call you My beautiful one. My prized possession. Take the time to lean into My chest and let Me love you today. You will walk away from those moments refreshed like never before. You are My beloved!
Made in My Image
So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God, he created them; male and female, he created them. Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!
Genesis 1:26; 31 NLT
I look at you and see a masterpiece. I see an exquisite sight. Of all the things I created, you are My absolute favorite! You were created in My very image. I wanted you to exist.
Never doubt your worth or your existence. You are not an accident. I planned for you before the foundations of the earth. I then looked at you and didn’t just say it is good; I said it is VERY good! I am enthralled with you. I adore you, and I brag to all creation about you. Square your shoulders, raise your head high, and walk with confidence because you are made in My image! You are loved!