Hide And Seek Verses Face To Face
Beloved, like a small child, who by covering their eyes believes others cannot see them, you sometimes feel as if you are not being seen…that you are hidden even though in the natural you are in plain view (Hebrews 4:13). It can seem at times as if life is behind you, passed you by or covered you up with its demands and circumstances. When this happens, even in small ways, you have a tendency to think I can’t see you or what is happening to you. For if I could really see or if you really mattered surely I would do something? You do matter and I do care. This type of thinking is not just related to the big crisis of life or to overwhelming situations. It can relate to any need or perceived need. Therefore it is important to know that I am aware of even the smallest detail of your life, both visible and invisible.
Little children cover their eyes to hide for many reasons such as: for fun, hide and seek, out of fear, excitement, or because they feel like they have done something wrong. When they hide their eyes because they feel like they have done something wrong, it is often because they are not sure what will happen to them. Life or people have taught them to be wary. Grace was absent on an experiential level. This is about to change for them and for you.
If they have had harsh treatment, been abused, ignored, or had their self-worth attacked by others, they grow up and use tools of denial in order to avoid shame and guilt at all cost. Many times they are afraid to confess their mistakes because the child in them wants what every child wants, to please their parents, to please others, and if raised in a Christian home, to please Me.
The bottom line when it comes to Me is this; if you are in Christ…if you are in Me…love abounds. I am in love with you for you have been made perfect in Me. Does this mean some of your behaviors and attitudes don’t need to change? No! Of course they do.
However, to believe these behaviors or attitudes have the power to change My love for you is absolute nonsense. Pardon the word nonsense; but, I wanted to get My point across in an implicit but serious way. Simply put, I love you and that settles it. So, do not fear for My love for you will never fail.
Beloved, I am changing everything today…making everything new today. Time has come to forsake childish ways of seeing things, all the while embracing a child like heart full of faith and trust in the goodness I so freely give you.
I am in the process of showing you just how it really is from My perspective. I never want you to fear seeing anything I might show you about any deception or lie hiding in your heart. I don’t even want you to fear discovering what you consider the worst sin of all should it abide in you. Please don’t think just because you have overcome a plethora of things means there is nothing left to overcome. Don’t think just because something might cause you to cover your eyes just enough to make way for you to still have the courage to peek through your fingers it is enough. Only complete trust and freedom of heart is sufficient. I want to look on you face to face and not though cracks and crevices.
Many times I have reminded you how little foxes destroy the vine. I am doing so again because the removal of even the littlest of things can be the “one thing” which opens the way…which causes the enemy’s house of cards to fall.
Therefore, I do not want you to play hide and seek because of any wrong self-perception. I prefer and long for face to face (1 Chronicles 16:11). This is where I bathe you in Amazing Grace.
Eyes Wide Open
Beloved, take your hands down from your eyes in every area of the heart and soul. Look fully into My wonderful face and you will not forget all things work together for good to those who love Me and are called according to My purpose (Romans 8:28). You will not forget about how I take what the enemy does for evil and use it for good (Genesis 50:20). I am the Master of turning water to wine even before it is time when someone presses in with determination. Will you be one who presses in with a fearless, trusting heart all the while having your eyes wide open and uncovered?
Set your face like flint in regards to your great worth. Let no one rob you of your crown of beauty for you are a royal diadem in My eyes…in My hand (Isaiah 62:3). Let no one convince you in any way that ashes are somehow more pious than jewels. If ashes where more pious, I would have them; but, instead My heavenly kingdom is full of jewels radiating and reflecting the glory of My person of which you are one.
Beloved, I am in the habit of exchanging jewels for ashes. Give Me your ashes and I will give you a diadem of beauty. There is no better deal to be found anywhere else. Selah (meditate and think on this).
What is the purpose of all the jewels…all the beauty I give you in exchange for your ashes? Is it to just know who you are and who I am? Is it just about our relationship one to another…our intimacy and communion? Yes, it is about all these things; but, there is so much more. It is about you being free according to all I have given to make it so and then in turn becoming My instrument of exchange in someone else’s life.
What I do for you is so much more than can ever be contained on a personal level. What I give to you is multipliable beyond measure and is for the comfort…the consolation of another (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). What I give you is to help others to see their great worth…to see themselves as a royal diadem in My hand as well. So, come and see what awaits you when you no longer feel compelled to hide or peek through the cracks of your fingers. Come and see what I see. Come and be what I am for I live in you.
No More Blindfolds For I Call You Friend
Beloved, today is your day of determination…today is your day to call yourself a friend of God. “Friend, “You say? I know it may sound cliché for you have heard many say it and many songs sung about it, but do you believe you are MY friend? Do you believe I am your friend…a friend that loves at all times regardless even in adversity of life and heart (Proverbs 17:17)? Do you believe I am really, really your friend? (Selah, think and mediate on this).
Friends trust each other with their very life. Do you trust Me with yours? Do you trust Me with all the blindfolds you keep just in case…just in case you do something so very unacceptable in your own eyes? I want them all. I want anything which has the ability to tarnish in your own eyes what I think about you.
How do hindrances work? At first they are like a blindfold to block your view but only for a while. Over time, blindfolds become barriers…become strongmen in hopes of keeping Me away. Aren’t you glad I am not intimidated by such things?
Beloved, sure it is your choice to choose what you wear (blindfold and such) or what you erect between us (walls of fear and such), but I have determined to pursue you with a jealous love regardless. I choose to leap over your wall…to leap over your defenses and be your strong tower in the day of trouble.
I want you to know what I know which is this: it is easier if you keep up with your heart on a daily basis and trust Me to reveal…to build block upon block…line upon line all that needs to be done. No need to hurry in order to fix all things fast. There is a process. Sometimes process is slow. Sometimes it is fast. Only one thing matters; moving in sync with Me as your trusted friend who will never sow you any harm. For, I have chosen you, appointed you and as My friend that you might bear lasting fruit in your own life…that you might bear lasting fruit for others to eat …that you might know I love you, My friend.
The Life You Now Live Is Hidden In Christ
Beloved, you have been crucified with Me and are now hidden in Me. What does hidden mean? Hidden means to be deliberately concealed. Concealed means to be kept secret or out of sight…to be prevented from being found…to be covered, cloaked, or veiled. This means you are concealed by Me…cloaked by Me…covered by Me in a deliberate, purposeful, calculated and premeditated way. Your concealment was not by chance nor is it subject to removal.
In the simplest of terms, I chose you and you responded. Therefore, I am in you and you are in Me pure and simple. The life you lived according to the old Adam is passed away and now you abide in Me, the new, eternal, life giving Adam, over which death, Hell and the grave have no power. These things have no power over Me and now they have no power over you. All I have is yours.
This new life I have given you must be led by faith. You must accept without a doubt your position as My Word lays it out for you. Your position is not based on any other thing other than My sacrifice and your acceptance of it. This life I have given you is walked out in trust and reliance on Me and reliance on what I gave you to the very point of My own death.
There is no need to cover ones face in the secret places of My heart. There is never reason to be afraid as you dwell in the shadow of My wings.
However, there is reason to set your mind on what is above…to set your mind on what I say and think, for it is the only truth to live by. My truth is all that matters and supersedes all facts which seem to speak loudly. The world shouts your defeat at the door of choice in hopes you will answer its accusations. I, on the other hand, whisper, woo and call you deeper into the deeper regions of grace through the spirit of revelation and truth. No accusations are possible when it comes to Me, for there is no condemnation in Me what so ever, nor is there any condemnation for those who are in Me.
Nothing else other than Me in you can or will stand. Nothing else can keep you from falling. As far as this world is concerned your old life is gone; therefore, set your affections on Me and things above where you are already seated (Colossians 3:2–4).
Beloved, do you think there are any blindfolds or children hiding their faces from Me in the heavenly sphere were you are already seated by virtue of the finished work (Ephesians 2:6)? Not a chance. Setting your mind on things above is not just finding out what is contained there and thinking how cool. One must find out, and then agree in order to truly be transformative on a practical level. I want you to experience the supernatural reality of who you already are in the natural aspects of life at all times without fear of making a mistake or displeasing Me. Discover My grace…live in My grace and it will be for yourself and others as it already is in heavenly places.
Growing In Grace
Beloved, today is a new day of grace. It is a new day to receive grace, give grace and be graced. It is a new day to set your mind on things above where you are covered by Me. Today is indeed a new day for My mercies are new every morning. Think on the reality of new mercies…the reality new grace every morning. Think of every moment as having a morning. What a beautiful thing to have all things new all the time. No real end…no real beginning, for I am the beginning and the end. I am all in between; therefore, all things in Me are growing in grace and newness with each passing moment.
As you grow in grace you will naturally grow in trust, love, purity, contentment and purity of speech. In other words, your words, will be a beautiful reflection of a surrendered yet, liberated heart that knows it is loved even when it fails because it is already made perfect in Me.
Yes, I have given you a grace which grows measure upon measure. I give you grace upon grace, favor upon favor and give upon gift. In My divine power, I have bestowed upon you everything you need for life and godliness through personal knowledge of Me according to My glory…according to My most excellent virtue (2 Peter 1:3)
Yes, I give you grace or you could say I give you the capacity to tolerate, accommodate and forgive people, even your own self. The same love, mercy, favor and goodwill I have shown mankind I gave to you that you might live in My favor…that you might give who I am away to others. In doing this they experience grace so they can come to grace.
Grace is full of elegance, loveliness, beauty, poise, kindness, decency, favor, mercy, charity, leniency, blessing, thanksgiving, dignity, honor, benevolence, and the condition of being free from sin through repentance to God (c.f. MSW Encarta Dictionary).
Beloved, grace is more than all of these things combined. Grace is more than an attribute. It is a state of favor or place of being in Me where you can firmly stand and not be moved. Grace is something you receive. It is a state of being. Grace is the place in Me from which your live and operate. It is something that grows and matures as revelation increases. Grace is why you can rejoice without fear when it comes to our failings in this life.
With all these things in mind, come with eyes wide open into the deep end of My full acceptance of where you are, i.e. loved without qualification and graced beyond measure to walk out an amazing purpose. No hide and seek. Only seek and find from here on out. No blindfolds….no hands over your eyes to hide anything from Me. Today is the day of face to face love in fields of grace.
Hide And Seek Prayer Of Declaration And Supplication
Lord, I am fearfully and wonderfully made by Your own hands. I was knitted and fashioned in my mother’s womb to be a beautiful tapestry to display your image. Every detail of my life…every thread of my tapestry matters to you. In fact, you have numbered the hairs on my head and are aware of each and everyone. You have numbered my minutes, days and hours with great anticipation of all I am and will be. All that I am and do is fully exposed before You without condemnation or shame. I simply give my missteps to you. Forgiveness is my portion: past, present and future.
I am so thankful that you do not treat me harshly or in unkind ways for the world and its ways have no place in You. I am so thankful I do not have to hide my eyes and pretend you do not see or that I am hidden from you. I choose to not walk in denial but boldly before the throne of grace to receive mercy in my times of need no matter how small and insignificant they might seem to be. Simply put, You care about me; therefore, You care about all aspects and concerns in my life. Nothing, and I mean nothing, escapes Your care and willingness to act on my behalf except my refusal to receive what You give me.
Lord, You are making everything in my life new, starting with me as You work from the inside out. I choose to respond to the promptings of your voice by taking the blinders off…by removing my hands from eyes. I choose to see what You see regardless of what it looks like in the natural…regardless of whether the enemy wants me to fear…regardless of what others might say or think, and as a result I am free. I am free to love…free to minister…free to be without any repercussions.
Take my heart…my life…my very soul and search me out to see if there be any wicked way…any “one thing” I need to let go of. Show me the next block in the wall which needs to be removed in order for the wall to fall as Jericho did. There will be no more hide and seek…no more seeking You and then hiding when You come in ways I do not want you to or did not anticipate. I choose to trust in the goodness of who You are no matter what. No more hide and seek for me. I come and stand before You face to face in the place of Amazing Grace.
Lord, I take my hands completely off my face and I will not hide the deep things in my heart and soul. I take off the grave clothes I have used to hide any wounds, bitterness, resentment, wrong beliefs, wrong teaching which you wish to correct or any areas where I do not understand or walk according to grace in my own life or how it relates to others. No matter what evil the enemy has perpetrated in my life, You have the ability and the willingness to work it for my good. I press into You right now. I give You all the water of my life which needs to be changed into wine. I press in with a fearless heart to receive my portion planned for me from the very beginning. I set my face like flint and say I shall not be ashamed, confused, nor shall I be dismayed. Since You are for me, who can be against me?
I am no longer one who collects the ashes of my life, nor do I wallow in them. I give You the ashes of all disappointment, rejection, wrong thinking and believing, betrayal, or apathy. I give You the ashes of abuse no matter what or where they come from be they emotional, spiritual or physical no matter who was responsible for it. Please forgive me, if knowingly or out of ignorance, I have in anyway contributed to creating ashes in the life of another person through attitude, action, deed or lack of action which they might have needed to overcome.
I choose to be one who gives away the very same comfort I receive. I am one who plants seeds of life. I am one who co-labors with the wisdom of God imparted to me in order to bring death to the bad seed and its harvest in my own life. In turn, I become one who is obedient to help do the same in others. I will take the water of my life which is now turned to wine and give it as a healing balm to others. I am a planter of good seeds, new wine and truth. All these things I will give and worth shall come to those who dwell in darkness with eyes covered.
Lord, today is my day. It is my day of determination and steadfast resolve. I choose to use the will and free choice You have given me to choose Your truth over that of the world. I declare myself to be a friend of God and not a slave. Slaves do not know what their master is doing but a friend does. You have called me friend and the truth of Your word is settled in the heavens, on the earth and in my daily living. A true friend loves at all time and is born for adversity. Since this is true of a natural friend, how much more it is and shall always be true of You in my life.
One of the most beautiful truths I know of is the beauty of knowing You were born for my adversity…born for it and died to keep me standing in the midst of it without condemnation forever more. I trust You with every aspect of my life and do give You all the self-tarnishing thoughts, attitudes and actions I have held on to. I hold nothing back for I am loved beyond measure. How awesome it is to know You pursue me with a passionate love. You are not afraid to pursue me when I go into dark and unbelieving places. You are not afraid of my mistakes nor are you surprised. Regardless of what takes place, You just keep pursuing and pursuing and pursuing me until we become one in heart and mind. What a relentless, and passionate love I am subjected to…encompassed by and submerged in. Nothing can compare. I am loved down to the most basic level regardless.
Lord, today I take off any blindfolds. Today I refuse to have any walls of fear of condemnation or rejection between us. I embrace grace. I embrace who I am in you more fully today than I did yesterday. I commit my heart to you on a moment by moment, day by day basis so I may build block upon block in order to go from glory to glory. I am chosen and appointed to set the captives free as I have been freed. I am a bearer of good fruit. I am a friend of God.
Lord, as far as this world is concerned, I am hidden, concealed, covered, cloaked, and veiled in You. My concealment…my hiddenness is not by chance, for you chose me and appointed me in a deliberate way. I have been in the grace of Christ before the worlds were formed.
I, like all men, have been reconciled to God though the Cross; but, not all men have chosen the reconciliation You died to give them. I choose to walk in this reconciliation. I choose to walk in the truth of who I am in You…the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. My old life has passed away and now I abide in eternal life with the King of Kings. Eternity does not begin when I arrive in Heaven. All people experience eternity but not all experience it with You. The moment I accepted You as my Savior, my Heaven based eternity began and will continue forever more.
Therefore, I declare I am one who walks by faith and not by sight. Death, Hell and the grave have been robbed of their power in my life and I accept this as a truth to live by on a daily basis. It is not just for the future. It is for now. I will not cover my face or hide the secret things of my heart. They may be kept as a secret from others; but, the Lord sees the heart, so there is no need to hide anything from Him. He died so I could be free and the only way to be truly free is to give Him all things.
Lord, I give you all things. I give you the good, the bad and the ugly. I give you all my indifference and apathy. I give you every offensive, bitter, resentful, angry or prideful place. I give you all pride and selfish-ambition. I humble myself and You shall exalt me in due season according to your plan and purpose.
My mind and heart are set on eternal things and not the temporal, transitory things of this world. I am captivated by the Lord and His great love for me. The Lord is whispering to me…wooing me and I am responding at a greater level with each passing moment. When He knocks on the hidden doors of my heart, I say, “Come in!” My affections are set on Him and things above. I study myself to be approved according to all things He has given me in the Word and through experiencing Him. Grace is given to me, pressed down, shaken together and running over. This same grace I give to others as I point them toward their higher calling in Christ. I am transformed.
Lord, how wonderful to discover the principle of growing in grace. Realizing grace is a place of growth and not a “to do” list sets me free. Freedom to grow makes way for freedom to make mistakes without condemnation. What a beautiful thing Your grace is. It is living…breathing and full of life…Your life. How astonishing to know every moment has a morning; therefore, mercy is forever new. It does not just come with the literal dawn of a new day though it is new every morning. Every beat of Your heart makes way for more grace…more mercy…and more love.
I declare I am one who walks in all things new all the time. Old things have passed away and all things are becoming new. Are is a present tense word…an active word. Therefore, all things have become new and continue to become new. This makes me want to shout, for I am not the same today as I was yesterday. I declare the person I am has grown in grace and will continue to grow. As a result of growing in grace, I am growing in purity, love, contentment, and trust. The words of my mouth are lining up with the Word of Your mouth. I am perfect as You are perfect. The Perfected One…The Christ lives in me and I am blessed with favor, goodness, mercy, kindness, and faithfulness. I am blessed with the full character of the Lord. The Lord’s capacity to forgive, accommodate and love people in spite of their deeds is in me. I love and act as He loves and acts.
I declare I am one who is full of elegance, loveliness, beauty, decency, favor, mercy, blessing, thanksgiving…full of dignity, honor and benevolence. I am full of the Lord and all He is. I am free from sin through repentance to God. Not only do I experience grace, but I live in a state of continual grace for the Lord of grace abides in me with great mercy. Grace is even now making way for me to rejoice in the midst of my mistakes…in the middle of my failings. Therefore, I come with eyes wide open. I come without any blindfold or covering of any kind over my face. Instead, I come with eyes wide open to look at Jesus the author and finisher of my faith. I come to love face to face Love in fields of grace. Amen
Reflect and Journal
Seek the Lord and His strength; yearn for and seek His face and to be in His presence continually! (1 Chronicles 16:11 Amplified)
And not a creature exists that is concealed from His sight, but all things are open and exposed, naked and defenseless to the eyes of Him with Whom we have to do. (Hebrews 4:13 Amplified)
When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; now that I have become a man, I am done with childish ways and have put them aside. (1 Corinthians 13:11 Amplified)
- Have you ever felt or do you feel that life has somehow passed you by or left you behind in general or in a specific way (big or small)? It could be related to something you have tried to overcome…some habit or thought pattern or something as large as your overall destiny.
- What do you have a tendency to hide from God through perhaps self-denial or fear of failure birthed out of not succeeding in your quest so many times before? Remember, it doesn’t have to be Mt. Everest. It can be as small as a grain of sand. Collect enough grains and you have a beach.
- The Lord exposes the lies of the enemy which we have believed so the manifest work of His death and resurrection can destroy them. We must remove our own self-protective covering in complete corporation so He can expose the lies of the enemy in a meticulous and fast manner. Time is short and we must be prepared. What lie do you most believe about yourself in relation to whom the Word says we are in relation to our position and calling in Christ?
- What is the “one thing” you wish to overcome the most and what does God’s word say about it or who you are in Him? Find out. Don’t hide from His loving truth. Receive it, wear it and confess it until you become it in a visible, profound way.
- Take some time to soak…to rest in His abiding presence with all your faults and successes. As you do, contemplate His Amazing Grace. See it cloaking you with mercy and goodness. Let Him wrap His arms around you until you no longer want to hide anything from Him with which you have to do.
- Take some time to reflect about a time the Lord took something the enemy meant for evil and worked it for good in your life? How did it personally affect you? How did it affect others?
- What watery areas of your life need to be turned into wine so you can be fully able to give the fullness of who Christ is away? Remember, He saved the best for last. That best is you.
- What ashes are you holding on to today? Mediate on this. Don’t be rash or quick to respond. This is a very serious thing. He wants to give you jewels in return. Have you experienced death in any area? He wants to give a jewel of resurrection life in the same area according to His will. What do you want to exchange today? Once you do the exchange, you must relish the experience. Do not take opportunity to walk once again in the lies of the enemy about you when he says, “Hath God Said?” Just tell him when he asks the question that God has indeed said. Treasure your jewels and do not….I say…do not for any reason lay them down to pick up ashes once again.
- Ask the Lord what particular new wine, operating in your life right at this moment, is ready to be given away to someone waiting in the wings of your life…or someone…perhaps a complete stranger you meet at the grocery store. Remember, when you give it away, according to Kingdom principles, it multiplies.
- Rest in His presence and ask Him to show you what He sees when He looks at you? If thoughts of condemnation come, reject them. Say to those thoughts with a loud voice, “Rejected, you are rejected!” Do this as often as it takes while at the same time confessing the opposite once you have stated the truth. This is called submitting to God and resting the devil…yes, even resisting the flesh. Do so and he will flee. Do so and your flesh…your soul will submit to the truth and you will be set free. However, sometimes you must be persistent so the devil will know you mean business…so your flesh will know you mean business.
- What does it mean to you on a personal level to be a friend of God? How does your definition match up with His?
- What is the difference between a slave and a friend?
- In what areas, inner or outward, have you been walking in a slave like mentality?
- How have small blindfolds of unbelief in your own life grown into barriers, or strong men. You must take time to meditate on this. Think of an area you seem to not be able to overcome. Ask the Lord to speak to you and tell you where it started as a simple blindfold…a little fox planted by your own thinking, the words of another or a direct lie of the enemy. Remember, God is faithful. He wants to manifest and destroy the works of the evil one. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested in the first place.
- Beliefs are built block upon block…line upon line…precept upon precept and many times they are disassembled in the same way. This is called process. It is often in the midst of process that we give up. We do not for the most part think God loves the process; but, He does. When we grasp this truth in our spirit things will change. You are right where you need to be in order to move on…to be in rhythm with God. Rhythm can mean to move on at the same pace. Move with His pace with the understanding He has your back and has lit the path ahead. You may only have enough light for the step you are in and it is OK. When you realize this, you can relax and rest in Him whose yoke is easy…whose burden is light.
- Mediate and write out in a couple of precise and straightforward sentences what you feel the Lord has called/appointed you to do. When you do this, print them out, for they are your mission…your vision. According to Habakkuk 2:1-2 it is important to position yourself, look to hear or see what the Lord is saying and then write it out so all who see it can believe. This is the same for you.
- Write out your own personal reflection on what it means for you to be hidden in Christ right where you are at this time of your life in spite of anything you are or are not experiencing.
- What does it mean to you when the Lord tells you that all He has is yours?
- Mediate on all the definitions for hidden and pick one which means the most to you at your particular time in life. Take a few moments and write a thank you note to God for hiding you, cloaking you and tell Him what it means to you in reference to your communion with Him in a personal way.
- How can you personally set your mind on things above? What does doing this look like for you?
- Is your total dependence on God? I know others are meant to help us; but, they like us are human and prone to fail. If we do not depend on God in all His fullness, when others fail we will find ourselves on sinking sand and not the Rock. Been in any sinking sand lately?
- What have you discovered about God’s grace as you have read this devotion? What have you discovered about your own value?
- Today is a new day to receive grace, give grace and be graced…to live in a state of grace. Where do you need to receive grace? To whom do you need to give grace? What does it mean to you personally to live in a state of grace?
- Have you ever thought of grace as something that grows and is a process but, at the same time, is a position in Christ which is in operation at all times regardless. Grace is a place from which you live and a place into which you grow. Write what “to live in, yet to grow” means to you.
- What are some of the results of growing in grace?
- The Lord of Glory lives in you and has given you everything He has including the ability to forgive, to accommodate, to uphold, to favor and bless just to mention a few. Pick an attribute of the Lord you feel you need to grow in. Apply grace to yourself and begin a process of walking it out in steps as the Lord works through you. Depend on His strength not your own. Be willing to make mistakes without condemning yourself. After all, He doesn’t condemn you. He has sent the Comforter to teach, guide and bring you into the fullness of all you need to know to let the very character and nature of Christ manifest in your life with great grace. So, be brave. Ignore all the other times you have failed…just repent for any sin attached…including doubt and unbelief…and be who He already is in you, grace.
- Ask Him if you have been playing hide and seek in any way. When He shows you make sure you take time to stop and listen. You know what He is saying. He is telling you to come out and meet Him face to face…to do so and rest in His Amazing Grace. Today is your day.