All posts by jfortes121

OUR-DEVOTIONAL — 7/11/2021

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July 11, 2021

“Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.” —1 Corinthians 13:7-8 (ESV)

I love you, My child. Your trial is painful because you mourn the relational loss the most. You might have lost material things & financial flexibility—but you will get over those things easier than you could relational loss. This relational loss will hurt for a while—long after the logistics of your trial are over. Why? Because you truly loved. You really did. I saw it. I saw the intention of your heart. Your execution of love sometimes left a lot to be desired, but those things can and need to be worked on. Let’s work on them with Me first, okay? Only when you love Me first with all your heart, mind, soul & strength will you be able to love others in the same manner. Yesterday, I told you that love is expressed in serving. My child, I want you to remember this—just because you don’t serve the ones you love all the time, doesn’t mean you don’t love them. I know this has been one of your biggest regrets. You will fall short in servanthood. And that is why you will never love Me perfectly with all your heart, mind, soul & strength, hence neither will you with others. But because you do love is why you keep pressing on to be perfect in servanthood knowing you never will. It’s seems like a dichotomy. But unlike anything else, true love never ends. Love isn’t about being perfect. It’s about never giving up! You have let Me down so many times in servanthood, but yet I know you love Me. I don’t count the number of times you served Me to determine your love for Me. I see the true intent of your heart and your continued desire to serve Me because you love Me. My child, regardless of what happens in your trial, keep loving Me as imperfectly as you do. And keep loving others in the same manner. Your relational loss means a status change to your relationship. It doesn’t mean to stop loving them. Remember, true love never ends. Keep loving, keep pressing on! I love you, My child. I never stopped and never will!

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” —Mark 12:30-31

“We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.” —1 John 4:19-20

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” —Philippians 3:12

OUR-DEVOTIONAL — 7/10/2021

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July 10, 2021

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” —John 13:34-35

I love you! If I were to ask you how do you know that I love you—how would you answer? Because I died on the cross for you? Then you would be right. I gave My life for you, so you could have yours—not just here on earth but for all eternity. That is love! Right before I died on the cross, I gave a new commandment to love one another, just as I have loved you. Loving your neighbor isn’t a new commandment. What is new is the standard by which you love your neighbor—Would you be willing to die for them? This new standard clearly establishes the essence of love: to serve each other. Dying for someone will likely never present itself in your lifetime—but always be willing. Always be willing to serve one another, especially the ones closest to you. My child, your trial has revealed that you fell short of My new commandment. And this guilty feeling is part of the reason you struggle in your trial. I know your heart, My child. No need to feel guilty, okay? It’s not that you didn’t love and didn’t want to serve. It’s you didn’t show your love and servanthood to the point of dying for those closest to you. I know you would have given the situation, but you forgot to show that you would. And those then closest to you didn’t feel and know what you would truly do for them because of your love. You loved them, but you didn’t show them that you loved them. Going forward, let’s work on this, okay? Let Me lead the way on showing love. Just emulate what I do. No matter what happens in your trial, love them all and show it! I love you, My child!

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” —John 15:13

“just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” —Matthew 20:28 

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” —Romans 5:8

OUR-DEVOTIONAL — 7/9/2021

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July 9, 2021

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” —Philippians 3:12

I love you! Lately, you’ve been having more bad days than good. You haven’t been feeling well. And last night you were in tears as you realized part of why you’re struggling in your trial. You’re selfish, My child. I say this with love. Your trial has been too much about you & your feelings. I understand you’re sad & depressed—you lost so much. Your life has been dramatically altered, yet again, so quickly that your feet haven’t landed. Know My heart continues to break for you as much as I desire for you to heal. I said to you yesterday, let’s start to move away from your sadness at your pace. Pace means movement, no matter the speed. Right now, you’ve stopped. You’re drowning in your sadness. You’re stuck in the mud constantly asking Me, “Why is all this happening to me?” I want you to ask Me more, “What do You want me to learn?” The focus of your trial is too lopsided towards you & your sadness. You’re struggling, I get it. The Enemy is persuading you to keep the focus on you. He doesn’t want you to move forward to healing. But I do. My child, look to Me so we can shift your focus to a more healthy balance towards Me & the others still in your life. When this happens, you’ll start to slowly press on, move forward, away from the Enemy and begin to see the answers to the “What” question. And eventually you won’t be stuck asking “Why” as much. Stay in My Presence and you will be able to resist the Enemy and grow into this balanced mind set on a more consistent basis. My child, stay in My Word and keep talking to Me, okay? Keep asking Me “What” more. And you’ll naturally start to see the “Why.” I love you!

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” —Philippians 2:3-4

“Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” —Psalm 25:5

“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you.” —James 4:7-8

OUR-DEVOTIONAL — 7/8/2021

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July 8, 2021

“For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” —Isaiah 41:13

I love you! I really do. You believe in it, but you don’t take it all in. You hear it every day from Me. But then you go on thinking about your trial and how difficult it is. My child, this is what is making you sad every day. My love is greater than your trial. And you’re not receiving My love in its entirety. When you fully receive My love, you think about Me—which yields joyous thoughts. I understand that your trial is painful. My heart still breaks for you every day. I know your circumstances have changed such that you are often in lonely situations—and this contributes to your sadness. But please remember, you are never alone—I Am always with you. I really Am! Similar to My love, you believe in My Presence, but you don’t take it all in. Remember, you are My child because you believe in My Son, Jesus—But also because you received Him! And that’s when our relationship became real! Know My love for you is real! Please receive all of it! My Presence with you is real! Please receive all of it! When you pray, I hear you, it’s real! When you hear back from Me while in My Presence or in My Word, it’s real! Sometimes you hear My silence reminding you to be still, to know I Am real! When you’re sad, know I Am right there next to you—My arms around you comforting you. I really Am! It’s real! My child, let’s start taking baby steps away from your sadness, okay? Beyond believing, keep your eyes on Me so you can fully receive My love and Presence. Easier said than done, I understand. But more than ever in the backdrop of your trial does My love and Presence become more real. Let’s do this, okay? We’ll do this at your pace. I’m right here, My child. Let Me take your right hand. I love you!

“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” —John 1:12

“whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” —Philippians 4:8

“Be still, and know that I am God” —Psalm 46:10

OUR-DEVOTIONAL — 7/7/2021

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July 7, 2021

“Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.” —Isaiah 64:8

I love you, My child! I Am your Potter. You are My clay. Your trial has broken you into many pieces. I have taken your pieces and Am grinding them into fine powder and will reuse them with pliable clay, as I will soon remold you. When I Am done remolding you, I will put you in My kiln for you to bake and dry. When done you will be a new cup. One that is designed to be filled with My faith, My hope and My love. One designed to overflow with so much of My love that you will share it with others so their cup can also have the same contents as yours. Before your trial, your cup had developed some cracks and could no longer get full of Me. My child, for a while now, you struggled in experiencing a full cup My faith, hope and love. You experienced these things, but not in its full abundance. I desire for you to experience Me in full abundance. You tried to share what you had in your cup with others. But it wasn’t from the overflow. So you could only share what you had with others—a limited half cup experience of Me. Don’t get Me wrong. I Am pleased that you are out there sharing Me. But now you know why you always seemed to hit empty when sharing. It’s because you weren’t sharing from the overflow. You couldn’t. Your overflow had stopped. I Am allowing this trial so you come out a new cup without the cracks—So you can experience Me to the fullest. So others who encounter you will see and desire Me because of your overflowing cup. But before we get there, I have to grind you up, reshape you and heat you in high temperatures. Each step is painful. But keep trusting Me, stay in My Presence and you will endure to your new cup. Hang in there, My child, okay? I’m right here. I love you!

“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” —John 10:10 (ESV)

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” —1 Corinthians 13:13

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” —Psalm 23:5

OUR-DEVOTIONAL — 7/6/2021

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July 6, 2021

“The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” —Job 1:21

I love you, My child! I love that your faith in Me remains, despite your ongoing trial. I know it’s hard, but please be patient in your affliction. Remain faithful in Me. I will provide when the time is right. You remind Me of many of My children that I recorded in My Word. Take Job for example. He lost everything and he still remained faithful. Throughout his ordeal, I gave no indication that his trials would end, let alone get better. And while he was frustrated, hopeless and in agony, he participated with Me by constantly & honestly talking to Me. He had every worldly reason to lose faith and no longer talk to Me. But he didn’t. In the end, I restored and provided what Job lost and then some. Or how about Moses? He and My people were up against insurmountable challenges in the wilderness. Remember when the Egyptian army was in pursuit of them? They got stuck at the Red Sea. All seemed lost & hopeless. But Moses participated with Me as we did what seemed impossible—divide the Red Sea. He had faith in Me and I provided a way out. Or how about when I tested Abraham’s faith with Isaac’s sacrifice. Abraham participated by willing to go through with it, even though he preferred not to; and I provided a ram in the place of Isaac. And how about David? I provided just a few stones and David participated by going out there as the heavy underdog and defeated the giant Goliath. Job, Moses, Abraham and David all had faith in Me first & foremost. They knew that the battle or trial they were enduring belonged to Me. And all participated with Me because they trusted the results to Me. This is how faith grows. My child, things seem bleak for you right now. Your trial is difficult. But please continue to have faith in Me. Participate when I tell you. I will provide. Okay? Your battle, your trial is really mine. I love you!

“Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.”—Exodus 14:15-16

“Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide.” —Genesis 22:13-14

“for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” —1 Samuel 17:47

OUR-DEVOTIONAL — 7/5/2021

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July 5, 2021

“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” —John 1:12

I love you, My child! To give you perspective today, let’s talk about My Grace and mercy. Mercy is when I withhold the punishment you deserve for your sin. Grace is undeserved favor. I Am Holy. Therefore, I hate that of which is unholy. I hate sin! Sin is anything you place above Me—if even for a moment. That anything becomes a “god” to you. You desire it ahead of Me. It could be your reputation, a person, money, sex, your job, personal comfort, etc. Sadly, you know what I’m talking about. The first commandment tells you that you shall have no other gods before Me. You and everyone have broken this first commandment. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of Me. Your sin has created a debt that you cannot repay no matter how many good works you do. And the penalty of that unpaid debt is eternal separation from Me—hell! But I Am also Love! I love my greatest creation in humanity. And I desire for all to be saved from My just punishment. But Someone had to pay this debt. That Someone had to be Perfect & free from sin. And that Person had to pay the ultimate price with His life! Only His Perfect life was sufficient to pay for the due penalty of yours and everyone’s sin. My Son Jesus did this for you at the cross! I and My Son are One, as I demonstrated when He resurrected from the tomb. Hence, My Son is Me! The penalty has been paid! And you whole-heartedly received My Gift of Grace in Jesus. You received Me through My love for you, even though you are undeserving because of your sin. You are saved from the penalty of sin! Now, we have a relationship that extends to eternity in heaven. And this is why I call you My child! Do you see how I have granted you my abundant mercy through My Gift of Grace? My child, as you go through your trial, maintain this perspective. It will help you heal. I love you!

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” —Ephesians 2:8-9

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” —John 3:17-18

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” —Romans 3:23; 6:23

OUR-DEVOTIONAL — 7/4/2021

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July 4, 2021

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” —Galatians 5:1

I love you, My child! Today, you celebrate Independence Day—when the U.S. declared independence from England. Freedom indeed! As you go about today, stay in My Presence. Contrary to the day you’re celebrating, you have freedom because you are dependent on Me. Apart from Me, you are a slave to sin. As a child of Mine, you are free to choose to be dependent on Me…To choose My strength to get you through the day—to get you through your trial. As you grow closer to Me, you will choose Me more often. But sometimes you will not. Sometimes you will choose to deny Me in sin—You will choose to try and find your own life independent of Me. When you do, you’re on your own strength and not Mine. Know I will never leave you as I indwell in you. But I will allow your choice, as free-will comes with the freedom you get from Me. You have chosen to deny Me many times since I have come to know you as My child. But as My child, know your salvation is assured. Nothing can snatch you from My Hands. However, your sin & denial—your independence from Me—will have earthly consequences. Trials are sometimes born from these. I allow trials not as punishment, but as a way to get you back depending on My strength; and sometimes to further you away from your sinful denial of Me. They will be difficult, painful, and more than you can handle. Sadly you know this, as you are going through a grueling trial right now. But that is so you rely more on Me. To be more in My Presence—to experience My strength & love more. My child, you are beginning to feel again the freedom you have in Me by staying close to Me in your trial. Your trial is not over. Stay dependent on Me! I love you!

“…We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God…” —2 Corinthians 1:8-9

“Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.” —Matthew 10:39

“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.” —John 10:28

OUR-DEVOTIONAL — 7/3/2021

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July 3, 2021

“Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” —Psalm 37:4

I love you, My child! I know your trial has adversely affected what you normally like to do—share My Gospel. I do understand. But I need you to keep making yourself available so I can work through you, despite the pain you are experiencing. Okay? The other day, I really loved how you allowed Me to share the Gospel through you with that young man who cut your hair. Did you see how hesitant he was at first, but then he opened up as you started talking about My love? We’ll see him again. Most people who have heard of Me, who do not truly know Me, are like this. Deep down they yearn to have true intimacy with Me. They just don’t know how. The world runs contrary to having a relationship with Me. It either limits Me to some cosmic genie hoping to grant their wishes only when they need something. Or it dismisses Me all together. As such, so many people miss out on My true love. See, I love how you & I can talk just as we are now. I love when you pray to Me. I hear every word of yours, the spoken & unspoken. I love speaking back to you—when you’re quiet & contemplating Me. Or when you’re in My Word. I love our growing intimacy! My child, your trial will end one day. And you will experience joy again, I promise! When it does, I desire the intimacy of our relationship to continue to grow. Your trial has brought you close to Me like never before. When your joyous days return, let’s keep this growing intimacy going, okay? In lament, praise or thanks-giving, always delight in Me. And then you will continue to receive the true desires of your heart. Which is to be intimate with Me! I love you!

“You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land.” —Psalm 63:1

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” —1 John 3:1

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” —John 3:16

OUR-DEVOTIONAL — 7/2/2021

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July 2, 2021

“The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance…” —Proverbs 21:5

I love you, My child! Today & going forward, I need you to be more deliberate throughout your day. Especially in the little things; the uninspiring things. Like when you wake up. Be deliberate in your routine. Take that shower, brush your teeth, shave, eat a healthier breakfast. My child, you have struggled in being deliberate in your daily routine. Your trial has derailed you that even daily self-care has often become difficult. You’re alone, depressed and seemingly do not feel the need to get ready. Well, I need you to be ready for Me. Because you never know what I might bring throughout the day. And you won’t see it if you’re not ready. But if you are ready, then you’ll be more apt to identify, do and participate in what I might bring. My child, your lifestyle has become sedentary—mainly because of your trial. To be more active, I need you to be prepared to be active. Similarly, you’ve prepared yourself for My inevitable return. You don’t know exactly when, but you know I will. You took the first step in deliberately accepting Me as Lord & Savior many years ago. And today, you’re deliberately allowing Me to grow you in sanctification through your current trials, however painful. The pain of your trial is humbling you so I can work on you. You are in essence allowing Me to prepare you to be with Me for all eternity—to clean you up, to take that spiritual shower. To get rid of those dirt stains of sin that still exist in your life. Trials tend to bring you to repentance. And that’s what cleans you up—continual repentance! My child, you’re always going through a cleanup process. And thank you for allowing Me instead of pridefully denying that you have dirt stains. My child, when that day comes you will be ready for Me in heaven. All because of what I did and Am doing. In the meantime & likewise, please be deliberate and ready for the things that I might bring throughout the day. Don’t deny it by not being ready. All this to be in My Presence here today and soon for all eternity in heaven. I love you!

“So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” —Matthew 24:44

“Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” —Psalm 51:7

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” —Matthew 4:16