How many times have you approached God honestly, deeply and truly; Asking for nothing, but received everything. Had everything to hide, but hid nothing. Said not a word, but spoke endlessly. Never opened your eyes, but saw eternity… How many times have you approached your Maker; not as who you want to be, not as who you wish you were, not as who you think you are, not as who you ought to be; But just as you are, with all the dirt that covered you, when He first fell in love with you.

Father your love for me exceeds my expectation, it exceeds my perspective, and it exceeds my distance, my ignorance and my earthly place. You love me deeply, widely, greatly and passionately; regardless of my physical position upon this earth. You look beyond my social status, beyond friendships formed, beyond the clothes on my back and far beyond the the dollar sum of money in my bank account - Your concern for me exceeds my physical limitations, and the worlds consideration of all that is deemed ‘important’. You look at Australia and it’s people, you look at Africa and it’s people, you look at America and it’s people; you see we are different from one another in existence, and yet you love us equally, strongly and passionately. Your eyes scan the world for those who are hungry, ready and waiting for change - You look beyond the external appearance, and the physical situation, you look beyond the natural and into the supernatural and the spiritual; and there, You see the motivation, the desire and the fire within the heart. You delve beyond the make-up, beyond the buttoned collar, and the shoes that shine from polish. You look much farther; past the fattened wallet, through the tinted sunglasses, and you set your eyes above hair do’s, business positions and material assets. You stare deeply and intently at the heart, and examine its very core. Searching the world, you come to find those who will stand at the edge of their lives and say “Here I am Lord, send me!” - Their location is irrelevant, their life status holds no regard.. But their heart; is not defined by where they are, but where you are within them. Father, Help us to be desirous of Your treasures, to forget earthly wants or needs, and to look past social status and boundaries we have created for ourselves. Create in us, Father, a heart that is desperate to be chosen by You, and for You, to do Your works throughout the earth.

Oh Lord, how precious You are to me; How thankful I am for Your blood which was shed for me; for every moment, every ache, every turn and every mistake, Your blood was preciously sacrificed for them all. And as You found me, in my brokenness and despair - surely You held me close and nurtured me, personally, intricately and delicately- You took me, and I found you working from the depths of my heart within; You took my humble life; undeserving as it was, and transformed it into royalty. You blessed me with the beauty of Your eternal presence, coursing through my veins, beating through my heart, inhaling and exhaling from within my lungs. You dwell from the very depths of my soul, You are my treasure and my one true love. How blessed I am to know You, my creator, my maker, my restorer and my King. I am a part of Your royal blood line, through my acceptance of You as my Father, and viewing myself as Your child. Oh Lord, despite my status of royalty in Your eyes, I will forever bow at the foot of Your throne; for You alone are worthy, of all glory, all honour and all praise. May my veins flow with your courage and confidence freely, and my heart beat for your burdens, always.

If you will give Me your body, I will come in, and make it My home. And I will take those hands of yours, and make them My hands. I will take those feet of yours and make them My feet. I will take that mouth of yours and it will speak My words. I will take those eyes of yours and they can now see what I need you to be seeing in this world. And I will take your heart of stone and make it a heart of flesh, so that it will beat with My burdens, and you will care for the very things that I care about. And your prayers will become My prayers, And your life, and your attitude and your behaviour, every minute of every hour of every day, will be the very behaviour of God. Will you allow Me, to overtake your life? Because then you go into this world, as little lambs - with the faces of lions; because the all consuming, all mighty Father goes out, within His children. - God

Your Holy Word fills my soul; as I open it’s pages and find Your life within. Page after page, turn after turn, verse after verse and prayer after prayer, You fill me with the richness and goodness of Your truth. As I delve deeply into Your gift to me, Your word; I find encouragement, inspiration, conviction, deliverance, peace, compassion, understanding, guidance and identity. How blessed I am that You have allowed for Your word to be found on this earth- Your living, life-breathing word; Your road-map for our lives, Your manual for our thoughts, Your script for our actions. As I find completion and confirmation in your word; the accounts of Your greatness, the fruits of Your spirit, the love of Your sacrifice and the patience of Your heart for me - are magnified.. Just as the rose grows from within the softened soil; so Your word is growing, sprouting and rooting itself deeply within my heart, daily. May I forever water the garden within my heart; by remaining and dwelling in Your presence, and drinking from Your cup daily. Thank you for the gift and blessing of Your Holy Word, Father. It is the manual for which You designed me to live by, and without it, I would not remain assembled in You, always.

My Brothers; Christ is calling you, our dear Lord and Saviour is beckoning you from your resting place; and desiring you to come forward in Him; He desires to raise you up to be true and honourable men in Him; Men who cannot be bought; whose word is their bond; who put character above wealth; who do not hesitate to take chances in Him; who will not lose their identity in a crowd; who will be as honest in small things as in great things; who will make no compromise with wrong; whose ambitions are not confined to their own selfish desires; who will not say they do it “because everybody else does it”; who are true to their friends through both positive and negative days, in adversity as well as in prosperity; men who do not believe that sneaky and cunning are the best qualities for winning and success; who are not ashamed to stand for the truth when it is unpopular; who can say “no” with emphasis, although the rest of the world says “yes.”; who can stand up and be counted as a sinner, but also as righteous and redeemed; who will admit proudly and boldly to being made new through the perfect sacrifice; who willingly will let words of praise for The Lord leave his lips, and dwell within his heart.

And so He gently said to her, in the midst of her self-doubt, “My dear, why is it that you desire to find your self worth from others? Why is it that you do not seek to receive your worth from Me? You see darling, I’ve already given it to you.. Remember my grace. Yes, my grace - It’s a free gift and it does not come through anything you believe you deserve or can achieve by aiming higher. It is designed perfectly for you; freely. And so I urge you daughter, to rest in My grace. You will tire from seeking to find recognition in the eyes of others, from desiring to be well-liked and to be included in the worlds view of popularity. I see your heart, my daughter. I see it, I see within your want to be appreciated. But dear, I want you to know that you already have an elevated position. It is because of your relationship with my son, Jesus Christ, that You are already appreciated. Already a part of My kingdom as my daughter, and co-heir with Christ. Because you are the daughter of Me, Your Lord, Your King… You are given the position of being a princess. You are My princess, dear. Remember the truth that I tell you; in that an earthly princess is not made wonderful and precious because of who she is or what she can do nor offer, No. She has status and position for her father is a king. She has royalty in her blood, running through her veins.. You, my daughter; You have royalty in your blood as well. You are my daughter and I am the King. And no matter what you do, your status will never change. I have chosen you and I have planned out your life. I will not forget you and will be with you forever and always. I have engraved you in the palm of my hands. And so I urge you now, my beautiful daughter - to rest in the knowledge of who you are in Me. Nothing else outside of me, will ever be enough. Not words, not actions, not thoughts you can produce- But above all -You are my daughter and I love you. And in that you may rest.”

Lord, I dressed myself for so long, in the garments I believed I deserved. Creams, off whites and muted earthy tones. I wore them with acceptance, and yet; I hung my head in shame. They were the sum of my past mistakes, my present aches, and my worldly tastes. Whilst white dresses I saw, I passed them by - for in my eyes; discoloured, tainted and stained was all I justly deserved. But wrong I had been. For it was in the midst of my admiration for all garments white and precious - that You showed me Your magnificence and Your true sacrifice and promise for me. You took me through Your cleansing process, Your refining fire and Your refreshing waters. You took my rags and turned them to riches. You took my creams and made them white as snow. You raised me from earthy tones, and placed me in garments of pure praise. You stripped me bare and washed me clean - and there I stood before You; purified and sanctified, by Your perfect love for me. How blessed I am to come before You and raise my head high, in that I am made whole and righteous, in You and by You.