ALPHA AND OMEGA 2013

From AYITN , December 31... 

 

 

Today I will live in the now!  I will live in the now because I am whole and complete in Christ, in Whom everything begins and ends, having come full circle in my destiny as it relates to His Kingdom purposes in Creation. 

 

These words are not only faithful and true, they are indelibly written upon the tablets of my heart. 

 

Everything that has happened in my life - every experience, whether positive or negative—has been working together to bring me into Him in His fullness. 

 

He is not just THE Alpha (The “A”) - He is MY Alpha!  My “A!"  He is my beginning, my starting point, my personal Genesis, my eternal source and history. 

 

He is not just THE Omega (The “Z”) - He is MY Omega!  My “Z!"  The Author of my faith is the Finisher of my faith. 

 

The One Who began a good work in me will complete it until the day of the Lord.  He will finish what He started in me!  He is my destiny, my eternity, the consummation of my life experiences, my latter that is greater than my former, my happy ending...the One Who has been there all along, declaring the end from the beginning.  The One Who has ever lived to make intercession for me in order to save me to the uttermost!   I am utterly saved, utterly fulfilled, utterly complete, utterly vindicated, utterly in Christ!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

 

"And the eternal Word morphed into flesh – into a manifested incarnation with human attributes and authority in the natural world – so that He could live with and among us human beings. And He did live with us here in our world, limiting Himself to the constraints of the human condition without reservation, but we could still plainly see His eternal, divine glory. It was obvious that He shined with the glorious light of a unique, firstborn son who was miraculously like His Father who had sent Him. The illumination from that glory revealed that He was literally filled with grace and that He overflowed with absolute truth."
(John 1:14, John In The Now)

'John In The Now' and 'Gospels In The Now' available at amazon.com and www.jimswilleybooks.com

 

CHURCH IN THE NOW EAST

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NOVEMBER: A month to count your blessings

From A YEAR IN THE NOW

Time for thanksgiving for the harvest . . .

Time to show an attitude of gratitude . . .

 

The seeds you have sown
are all finally full grown!
It’s time to say thanks
for all that you own.

 

You’ve reached for the prize,
and attained!  For your eyes
have been brightened by blessed
Harvest Moons in the skies.

 

You’ve not ceased to believe,
Now it’s time to receive
and enjoy the fruits of
what you’ve longed to achieve.

 

Harvest time now is here,
There’s no reason to fear,
You have more than enough;
It’s your bumper crop year!

                                                        - Jim Swilley

 

 

So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good.  At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit.  (Galatians 6:9 The Message)

 

AYITN available at amazon.com and www.jimswilleybooks.com

Photo by Ken Marshall

OCTOBER: A month to dream different dreams . . .

FROM A YEAR IN THE NOW...

As creation makes its demand for diversity, the hills and mountains abandon their

 

usually unvaried uniformity,

 

and come alive with

ornate originality . . .

 

The plummeting temperatures conduct a symphony of color . . .

 

Falling, flaming foliage

 

make the landscape resonate with

 

rust-toned rainbows of

 

glorious golds . . .

  

radiant reds . . .

 

brilliant browns,

 

accented by

 

occasional
ostentatious
oranges . . .

 

Sleep deeply in the clean crispness of the cool and chilly nights,

 

and dream your dreams in living color!

 

. . . behold, I will set your stones in fair colors . . . 

(Isaiah 54:11 AMP)

 

 

 

AYITN available at amazon.com and www.jimswilleybooks.com

Today's AYITN: GOD’S FRIEND!

 

Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Don’t be afraid of missing out.  You’re my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself.

(Luke 12:31, 32
The Message)

1. Today I will live in the now!  I will live in the now because my ministry to God is more important to me than my ministry to anyone else.  As Christ is being formed in me, I am discovering a whole universe of revelation within myself that I didn’t even know existed before now, and all of it is drawing me into a deeper, more mature relationship with my Creator.

2. Today I will enjoy intimate and spontaneous communication with my “Abba" revealed to me through my elder brother, Jesus, by the fellowship of the Helper Who stands by to aid and assist me, and who never testifies of Himself but always promotes Christ and lifts Him up.

3. Today I will pray to learn the secrets of Abraham, who was called the friend of God in his earth-walk.  I will follow his example of unwavering faith for, without faith, it is impossible to please God.

4. Today I will walk with Him in the cool of the day as Adam did, innocently naked before Him, with no presence of fear or sense of shameful unrighteousness.  I have no need to sew together fig leaves of religion, for I have nothing to hide from the One who chose me in Him before the foundation of the world!

5. Today I will not engage in the friendship with the world that is enmity against God.  Our relationship takes priority over culture, tradition, philosophy, self-perception, world-view, theology or attitude.  He is a jealous God Who will have no other Gods before Him, and I am glad that He is jealous over me, because it reinforces to me how important I am to Him.  I am the apple of His eye!

6. Today I will be able to be a better friend to someone because I am a friend to God.  For the same reason, I will even be a better friend to myself because, as God is revealed, I have self-revelation of who I am in Him.

7. Today I will rejoice that nothing—death, life, angels, principalities, powers, present things, future things or any other creature—can separate me from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus.  Because I have undisturbed peace with God, I will be at peace with myself and with the world around me today.  My friendship with the Originator of all things will produce a tangible confidence in my life today, and today I will live in the now!

 

Father, show me how to be a good friend to You today.  In Jesus’ name, amen.


A YEAR IN THE NOW available at amazon.com and at www.jimswilleybooks.com

HAPPY JUNE! From 'A Year In The Now'

JUNE . . . A month to slow down the pace a little.

 

School’s out for the summertime and the livin’ is easy . . .

 

“Consider the lilies, how they do not toil or spin.”

 

 Time to take a vacation from your vocation . . .

 

a rest from your responsibilities . . .

 

a sabbatical from your stress . . .

 

and find that the Kingdom is alive and well on the beach . . .

in the park .

 

down by the creek bank . . .

 

or just in the beauty of your own back yard.

 

The Kingdom is at hand, and Jesus is ready to reveal Himself . . .

 

in the personal peacefulness of a porch swing,

 

or in the corporate communion of a cookout.

 

 Go out and try to count the stars in a summer sky . . .

 

to find, like Abraham, your midsummer’s night dream.

 

Then He spoke to them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees.  When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near.  So also, when you see these things happening, know that the Kingdom of God is near.”  

(Luke 21:29-31)



'A YEAR IN THE NOW' available at amazon.com and at www.jimswilleybooks.com

MAY - A MONTH FOR MANIFESTATION

 

The earth is completely thawed . . .

the green globe has come out of hiding . . .

The trees of the field clap their hands in thunderous applause for the perfectly orchestrated symphony of nature . . .

The warm weather welcomes a winterless world of wonder . . .

As graduates prepare for promotion, they dream their dreams of destiny.

They have their whole lives ahead of them, and opportunity comes knocking.

The atmosphere is charged with possibilities, as the night air begins to be filled with the fascinating

 flickering of fireflies.

 

May.

Time to start seeing some growth . .

Time to begin to make contact . . .

Time to get some answers . . .

Time to ask the question:
May I receive now?

Yes, you may!

 

 

The earth produces [acting] by itself—first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.  But when the grain is ripe and permits, immediately he sends forth [the reapers] and puts in the sickle, because the harvest stands ready. 

(Mark 4:28, 29 AMP)

From 'A YEAR IN TH NOW', available at amazon.com and www.jimswilleybooks.com

Today's AYITN: FREE YOURSELF!

No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. 

(2 Timothy 2:4)

1. Today I will LIVE IN THE NOW!  I will live in the now because I will KEEP THE FAITH, no matter what I see or hear or feel; today I make a quality decision to be moved solely by what I believe!  My walk of faith will liberate me from the trappings of the transitory world and will unite me with the unseen realm.

2. Today I will KEEP IT REAL.  I will not waste my time on pretense and the silly immaturity of playing mind games with those with whom I interact today.  I officially declare my independence from worrying about what people think about me, strip away all masks, and settle in to the freedom of just being me.

3. Today I will KEEP IT SIMPLE.  Even though I am prosperous, I will not be ensnared by the deceitfulness of riches or the serving of mammon, but will “consider the lilies of the field” and be content with what I have.  “And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content” (1 Timothy 6:8).

4. Today I will KEEP HOPE ALIVE.  Regardless of the pressure around me to be discouraged, I will not allow myself to become fatigued to the point of failing to accomplish my goals.  I will remember that anything is possible today and that the atmosphere is full of miracles that are trying to find their way into my life!

5. Today I will KEEP GOING FORWARD.  I can’t look back and I can’t go back, so I will free myself of the illusion that I can change my history.  Here I am today, with no regrets, energized by His resurrection power to endure the cross for the joy that is set before me.

6. Today I will KEEP THE PEACE.  I will let go of stress, worry and anything mentally, emotionally or spiritually that causes me to become anxious and unsettled.  I choose the peace that passes understanding for my life today, fully assured that He is working all things together for my good as I cast all my care upon Him.

7. Today I will KEEP LOOKING UP, because I know that my help comes from the Lord.  As Peter walked on the water by fixing His gaze upon Jesus, I will walk on the circumstances of my life today, looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of my faith.  I will free myself from the limitations of looking at the natural today, and today I will live in the now!

 

 

Father, help me to effectively use the power that You have given me to free myself today.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

TODAY'S AYITN: ABOVE ONLY!




"And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be ABOVE ONLY, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them. "
(Deuteronomy 28:13)

1. Today I will live in the now!  I will live in the now because I am simply above only, so I will get right to the point: BECAUSE I AM THE HEAD AND NOT THE TAIL, I MAKE THIS DEMAND ON MYSELF TODAY: “NO EXCUSES TOLERATED!”  I have the ability to “just do it” in me, so   I will not waste time today in trying to explain why something can’t be done.  With God all things are possible!

2. Today, BECAUSE I AM THE HEAD AND NOT THE TAIL, I MOVE INTO A DIMENSION OF FREEDOM BY DECLARING: “NO APOLOGIES NECESSARY!”  I am the righteousness of God in Christ.  Period.  Today I will behave myself like I am somebody!

3. Today, BECAUSE I AM THE HEAD AND NOT THE TAIL, I MAKE THIS DECISION: “NO FEAR EXALTED!”  I know that it is time to start using the power, love and sound mind that I have been given by God to overcome it all...so I will!

4. Today, BECAUSE I AM THE HEAD AND NOT THE TAIL:  “NO BLAME ALLOWED!”  “Jesus answered, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be made manifest in him’” (John 9:3).  I am not afraid to give an account of my OWN life today!

5. Today, BECAUSE I AM THE HEAD AND NOT THE TAIL:  “NO SHAME ACCEPTED!”  I am forgiven, accepted, righteous, redeemed, justified, graced and wholly holy in Christ!

6. Today, BECAUSE I AM THE HEAD AND NOT THE TAIL:  “NO JUDGMENT PASSED!”  I will walk in love, know people after the spirit instead of the flesh, pray for my enemies, and will live and let live.  My life is too busy to spend it in judgment of others, anyway!

7. Today, BECAUSE I AM THE HEAD AND NOT THE TAIL:  “NO QUESTIONS ASKED!”  I will live like a true, obedient disciple today, and today I will live in the now!

 

Father, help me to live like the head and not the tail today.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Today's AYITN: CELEBRATE LIFE!

...I came that they may have and enjoy LIFE,

and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows). 

(John 10:10 AMP)

 

1. Today I will live in the now!  I will live in the now because I have learned how to appreciate my life - to celebrate all of it - reveling in my victories, learning from my defeats and simply enjoying the journey.  God is good!  Life is good!  It’s all good!  I have cause to celebrate just because it’s today!

2. Today I will be happy and thankful and positive and light—with a good attitude, with hope in my heart and strength in my soul.  I have nothing to fear or dread because Christ in me is the hope of glory and He has won every battle for my life.  He is the champion and I celebrate His conquering life today!  He is my hero in everything that happens.

3. Today I will not waste my time for celebration by regarding regrets.  I do not regret my past; what’s done is done and God and I can deal with it all.  I no longer regret my sins, for they are all under the blood of Jesus.  I do not regret the time that I have wasted, because I live in the now and God restores my lost years to me.  I do not regret my life choices, my mistakes, my abuses or my problems, because in the big picture, all things have worked together for my good!

4. Today I will praise the Lord, Who is great and greatly to be praised.  I will pitch my tent on Mount Zion, in the presence of the Lord of Hosts, and will find fullness of joy there for me and for my house.

5. Today I will live in the moment...I will seize the day...I will rejoice and be glad in the day that the Lord has made for me!  Today I embrace the world around me and love it unconditionally.

6. Today I will enjoy abundance and favor and prosperity and success...every good and perfect gift that comes down from the Father of Lights.  Joy flows out of my heart like a river, bringing life to the desert of depression where so many are dying.

7. Today is a day to thank Jehovah Rapha, the God who heals by making bitter experiences sweet.  He has turned for me my mourning into dancing and has given me the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.  I celebrate His life in me because he has girded me with gladness and caused my cup to run over.  Today He anoints me with the oil of joy above those around me, and today I will live in the now!

In Jesus’ name, I will celebrate my life today!



A YEAR IN THE NOW IS AVAILABLE AT
 amazon.com and www.jimswilleybooks.com
 

MARCH - A month to make room for miracles

From A YEAR IN THE NOW:

Time for a spiritual, mental and emotional “spring-cleaning” . . .

The explosion of color everywhere . . . new life . . . new growth . . .

makes it easy to believe for the impossible . . . to hope again . . . to dream again . . .

Spring-cleaning means opening the windows (of your spirit),

sweeping out the cobwebs (of your mind),

and shaking out the dust (of your memories) . . .

March is the time for those who envision the harvest of the future to begin to plant tiny

seeds of the now . . .
the patience to plow . . .
the selflessness to sow . . .
the grace to grow . . .

In just a few days, you’ll see miracles start to sprout up all over the place . . .

first the blade . . . then the ear . . . then the full grain in the ear . . .

Spring-cleaning and prophetic planting mean making room for more to come.

It’s all about the possibilities of resurrection . . .

Anything can happen in the month of March!

Through the tender mercy of our God with which the Dayspring from on high has visited us. 

 (Luke 1:78)

 

 

 

 A YEAR IN THE NOW is available at www.jimswilleybooks.com and on amazon.com

 

Today's AYITN: OPEN VISION!

...in those days there was no OPEN VISION. (1 Samuel 3:1 KJV)

 

　
1. Today I will live in the now! I will live in the now because I have an open vision—a continuing and increasing revelation of God’s Kingdom and power in the earth. Because of the free flow and flexibility of faith in my heart, I am able to embrace my ACCEPTANCE OF CHANGE, as revelation knowledge stretches my mind and transports me to the next level of glory. Vision-inspired change is good and necessary for my growth and well being, and I welcome it into my life today without any fear.

2. Today I will exercise my ABILITY TO RIGHTLY DIVIDE THE WORD OF GOD. The Holy Spirit—my mentor, tutor and guide—writes the true Word on the tablet of my heart daily as my capacity for vision increases. The Word is not bound and the knowledge of it continually makes me free from falsehoods and fables concerning the real Jesus.

3. Today I will demonstrate my ABANDONMENT OF PREJUDICES. My renewed mind delights in diversity, as vision enables it to proudly wear the coat of many colors today. I am open-minded, enlightened, mature in Christ, and sensitive to God’s voice as I persistently seek the truth that liberates people and promotes the Kingdom of God.

4. Today I will celebrate my ACCESS TO NEW INFORMATION. Mentally and spiritually, God is doing a new thing in me as He makes ways in the wilderness and streams in the desert for my life. I have the Mind of Christ, yet I am eager to learn...to grow...to rethink a problem...to experience a paradigm shift concerning my past.

5. Today I will appreciate the ABSENCE OF RELIGIOUS CONFINEMENT in my life. The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life and I am alive! My mind is free from the limitations of the old wineskins—the old order—the system of rules and regulations that tries to compete with righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. Vision and revelation have brought me into a large place, activating me to become a liberator of legalists, an emancipator of elitists, with a platform that persistently provokes the pious.

6. Today I will use my ACTIVITY IN THE WORLD to bring glory to God. I will get involved with life today, as a player instead of a spectator, and will make a positive difference when and where I can. My ever-increasing vision demands my doing!

7. Today I will show my APPRECIATION OF NOW, because today I will live in the now!

Father, keep my vision open today. In Jesus’ name, amen.

  

February In The Now!

 

FEBRUARY - A month to remember that faith is the evidence of things not seen.

 

The bleakness of winter . . . the barrenness of the trees . . . the bone-chilling temperatures . . .
only serve to remind us of the inevitability of inconstancy and the certainty of change.

 

The trees will bud again
. . . the birds will sing again
. . . the sky will be blue again.

 

A whole living creation still exists under the frozen earth, even though it is invisible.

Build a fire, wear a sweater, shovel the snow . . . but remember that you’ll be warm again.

 

Don’t be moved by what you see . . .

Don’t be moved by what you feel . . .

We walk by faith and not by sight . . .

We look at the unseen things that are eternal . . .

To everything there is a season . . .

Change is coming soon . . . go put on a T-shirt and a pair of shorts!

 

 

The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living.  It’s our handle on what we can’t see.... 
(Hebrews 11:1 The Message)

 

 

 

 

Fron 'A YEAR IN THE NOW',  available at www.jimswilleybooks.com and on amazon.com

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

 

FROM 'A YEAR IN THE NOW'

 

 

JANUARY . . . The month that sets the tone for the entire year.

 

New beginnings . . . a fresh start . . . putting the past behind you . . .

 

A time for discovering destiny through the door of dreams . . . for voicing vision . . . for prophesying possibilities . . . for sowing seeds for success.

 

Write down your goals for the new year, but write them in pencil.

 

Speak your faith:

. . . declare the end from the beginning . . . call those things that are not as though they are . . . prophesy to the wind—

but in all of your endeavors of faith, always leave room for God to do exceeding, abundantly above all that you can ask or think.

 

For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome. 

(Jeremiah 29:11 AMP)

DECEMBER - AYITN

 

 (From A Year In The Now)...

 

 

 

‘Tis the season

for

Celebration of the Incarnation (the Word made flesh)

and

Inspiration for the Imagination (the womb of the spirit) . . .

The babe laid in a manger . . .

Emmanuel - the embodiment and earthly expression of the eternal God—

is now revealed TO you as

Christ IN you, the Hope of Glory,

being revealed THROUGH you as the King of Kings . . .

Joy to the world, the Lord is come, let earth receive her King!

Now the hopes and fears of all the years

can be met in the miracles made possible by your meditation in the Word.

 

 

Why waste the season by just walking in a winter wonderland when you could be giving birth to the impossible?




www.jimswilleybooks.com
 

Today's 'AYITN': BE HAPPY!

June 30

BE HAPPY!

Happy are the people who are in such a state; happy are the people whose God is the Lord. 

 (Psalm 144:15)

1.Today I will live in the now!  I will live in the now because I have a right to be happy and I have been given the power to create happiness!  I will not waste the opportunities presented in this day with continual references to tragedies from the past.  I will not miss the beauty of living in the moment by bemoaning all the hard times in the present.  And I will not let myself become dangerously distracted from prophetically planning my future by predicting calamities ahead!

2.Today I will rejoice that my sins are forgiven, that God knows me and cares about what happens to me today, and that things are getting better for me as I go from glory to glory.  I will make the choice to be unaffected by negative forces or bad news.

3.Today I will laugh at my mistakes and problems, not letting them dominate my mind or make me feel inadequate or overwhelmed.  I will not take things too seriously today, choosing Jesus’ easy burden and light yoke for my life instead of the pressure, stress and oppression that comes from being too hard on myself or too anxious about my current state of affairs.


4.Today I will celebrate the goodness of the Lord, counting my blessings and remembering to be thankful for them all.  I will not forget His benefits...how He forgives all of my iniquities and heals all of my diseases.


5.Today I will sing a song of victory even before the battle is over.  The joy of the Lord will strengthen me to defeat every foe, give me supernatural energy, and cause me to get stronger with every fight!


6.Today I will enjoy the company of happy people, and if I can’t find any, I will try to make some unhappy people feel better about their situations.  And if I can’t make anybody else happy, I will enjoy being happy alone, because I have that much to be happy about!


7.Today I will make it a point to smile...to laugh...to think positive thoughts...to praise the Lord...to cheer up someone...to pray for the happiness of others...to avoid things that depress me...to avoid music or images that darken my mood...to speak words of edification to those that I care for...to be a blessing...to sing...to worship God in spirit and in truth...to do something positive for the Kingdom.  Today will be a day of happiness for me, regardless of the circumstances, and today I will live in the now!

Father, help me do things that make You happy today.  In Jesus’ name, amen.