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For a while I have been working on a new book and the main idea is that God is the source of beauty. God wants to make our lives beautiful and provide beautiful solutions to the problems we face. Here are some scriptures to meditate on today about beauty...

• 1 Peter 3:4 AMP But let it be the inward adorning and beauty of the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible and unfading charm of a gentle and peaceful spirit, which [is not anxious or wrought up, but] is very precious in the sight of God.
• Mark 14:6 When the woman pours very expensive perfume on the feet of Jesus the disciples give her a hard time but Jesus says “She did a beautiful thing for me.”
• Exodus 28:2 The people were told to make the clothes for the priests “for glory and beauty.” 
• Isaiah 61:3 To bestow on them a crown of beauty for ashes. 
• Isaiah 62:3 You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God
• Psalm 27:4 to gaze upon the beauty o...

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Presence is what I call the grace table turner. When we are present and aware of God's presence with us, it turns the tables and allows God's grace to flow so that we walk in all the things he put within us. The indicator of presence is joy, because in God's presence there is fullness of joy. Therefore, when we are present and in joy God's grace begins to flow allowing us perform in his ability rather than our own. 

But, there are many things that try to steal our presence, and one of the biggest is insecurity. When we feel insecure we turn inward to protect ourselves, which steals our presence. This is where it is important to find our security in God, because perfect love casts out all fear. But, to walk securely in God requires trusting and resting in his unfailing love and that nothing is impossible with him. When we learn to trust and rest in him it leads to security, which leads to presence, which leads to joy, which leads to grace flowing. 

As we take comm...

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Here is this week's Yearly Cycle Update.

Today is day 4 of the 10 Days of Awe. When thinking of AWE think of awe, reverence, and respect for God. These 10 days should be a time to remind us to take action on the things we know to do and to do it cheerfully. Anytime things we know to do pile up on the inside it blocks both our mental clarity and our ability to hear as clearly from God. The goal is that we get to the Day of Atonement(Sept 15-16), with a clear conscience, and nothing piling up on the inside. 

Here are some action steps to think through...

• Is there anyone you need to forgive or reconcile a relationship with?
• Is there anything you have been procrastinating on?
• Is there anything you have been meaning to do but haven't gotten around to?
• What about any steps of faith God is prompting that you haven't taken yet?

You will be amazed at what can get done in the remaining 6 days if you will commit to taking action. As we clear out the things piling u...

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Part of what we pray each day on the daily videos is the prayer of Jabez from 1 Chronicles 4:9-10. The passage about Jabez says...

Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.” 10 Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.

Jabez was named after pain and God granted his request to be free from pain. 

In Isaiah 53:4-6 it speaks about Jesus saying... Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. 

God is interested in every aspect of our lives.... Spirit, soul, and body and he has the ability to help us b...

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1 Corinthians 13:4-7 says... Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Our charge is to love God and people which means being both patient and persistent at the same time. Here are some definitions of patience and perseverance...

Patience

• the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.
• the ability to remain calm and not become annoyed when dealing with problems or with difficult people
• the ability to give attention to something for a long time without becoming bored or losing interest

Perseverance

• persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.
• continued effort and determination:

To have b...

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In Luke 2:10 when the angels appeared to the shepherds to announce the birth of Jesus, they said... I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all people. When we understand God's grace in our hearts it should lead to great joy. 1 Peter 1:8-9 says...Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 

I think of joy as my indicator of being aware of God's presence with me. To have great joy requires removing the pressure from yourself and relying and trusting in God. Understanding the good news means understanding God is with you in everything and this should lead to great joy because nothing is impossible for him. An interesting thing happens when his joy is flowing, we get better results. We could be doing all the right things in life but if there is no joy in them, the...

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Psalm 69:30-31 says... I will praise God’s name in song and magnify Him with thanksgiving. 31 And this will please the LORD more than an ox, more than a bull with horns and hooves.

To magnify God is to make him bigger. In life we can either be magnifying light or darkness. We are all magnifying something every day based on what we are thinking about, meditating on, and talking about consistently. When we magnify God by praising him and thanking him consistently I believe it opens up and expands our capacity to receive more from him. Thanksgiving, especially in the face of pressure or problems, is one of the greatest expressions of faith. 

Being thankful puts us into a position to receive from God, and some of the side effects of thankfulness are supernatural peace and joy. I am seeing more and more that being consistently thankful may be one of the most important things we do. It opens up everything else. The alternative is complaining, which opens up a bunch of ...

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The video and audio training above are from the 7 Dates With Jesus Online Course. 

The feast of Trumpets also known as Rosh Hashanah, starts tonight. Rosh Hashanah means "head of the year," because tonight is like new year's eve on the Jewish calendar. The typical tradition is to eat apples with honey to symbolize a sweet new year.

This feast is a reminder for us to put off our old ways and embrace a new life of faith, connected to God. Trumpets is a wake up call to put into consistent practice the things we know to do, and one of those things is consistent praise and thanksgiving in the face of obstacles and pressure.  

Down below is some additional training and calendar dates for this season of the year. 

• 10 Days of Awe - Eve of Sept 6 - Eve of Sept 16th
• Sept 15th - Sept 16th - Day of Atonement
• Download the Guide for these important dates on God's Calendar

I am praying for you.

Daniel 

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Jesus said that whoever believes in him would have rivers of living water flow out them.

The other day we took our kids on a hike that had a small stream at the end. As we were looking at the stream, some spots were still while others were moving faster with small rapids. The areas with the accelerated flow usually had larger rocks or logs in the water. There were obstacles blocking the flow of the river, but this only served to accelerate the flow. Water is adaptable and if there is a way through it will find it. Since the rocks were blocking the flow of water it must flow through a constrained opening, which makes the water accelerate because of the increased pressure. Think of putting your finger on the end of a garden hose, it is the same principle. Obstacles and pressure only serve to accelerate the water. 

As we take communion today let it be a reminder that God has a way through the obstacles and pressures of life that can make us accelerate. Our role is t...

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Short and simple today!

God gives us grace and treats us better than we deserve. When someone treats us better than deserved it puts us into a position of thankfulness and humility because we didn't earn it. The same goes for our relationships with other people. In all relationships make it a goal to be gracious and treat people better than they deserve. Stop looking at what you are expecting from others and turn the tables by looking at how you can be gracious to them.

I am praying for you. 

Daniel

P.S. There are several important dates on God's Calendar coming soon. 

• Sept 6th -Feast of Trumpets
• 10 Days of Awe - Eve of Sept 6 - Eve of Sept 16th
• Sept 15th - Sept 16th - Day of Atonement
• Download the Guide for these important dates on God's Calendar