A Kingdom Word Now: A 30-Day Devotional

By Lu Ann Topovski

“For the word of God is live and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thought and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12 NIV).

The contributing authors in this 30-day devotional have been guided by the Holy Spirit to share a Word with the Kingdom—NOW. The God-inspired chapters are filled with hope, healing, joy, strength, forgiveness, and love while illustrating the power of God’s Word.

God is calling you to a deeper relationship with Jesus and spiritual growth. May you be transformed by a Kingdom Word—NOW.

To give back, 25% of the proceeds from this book will be used to support human trafficking survivors.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 27, 2023
• ISBN: 9798369408100

Lu Ann Topovski

LU ANN TOPOVSKI believes that as we do what God directs us to do, we rise above our old ways and sorrowful patterns. As we allow God to work through us and guide us through trials and temptations, we rise above the natural realm into the Kingdom of God kind of thinking, which breaks patterns and strongholds. This in turn gives us emotional, mental and spiritual strength, as well as a desire, to be who God has created us to be, and do what He has designed us to do. Lu Ann obtained her Master’s in Divinity through Ashland Theological Seminary in 2007, she obtained her MBA in 2010 through Ashland University. Her published books are: Rising Above: Dealing With Our Past, Making Way For Our Future, and Rising Above Modern Day Relationships: When Two Become One. - You can be in the light or the dark, choose the light. - May I never forget on my best day, that I still need God as desperately as I did on my worst.

Book preview

Dedication

This book is dedicated to three of my miracles, Taylor, Spencer, and Sydney.

You are all an answer to my prayer.

Thank You

This entire Devotional has been a labor of love from all the authors herein. There were a few changes and delays along the way and yet everyone was willing to hear from the Lord and make the adjustments.

One morning in June of 2023, the Lord woke me up and said this book was a devotional, and to ask Natalia Litnevski to write the foreword. I explained this to the author’s and they made their chapter adjustments to conform to a devotional format. I also shared with Natalia what the Lord said to me and then asked her if she would write the foreword, which she did.

As we were all led by Holy Spirit, we saw the magnificence of His glory transcend throughout these pages. I want to thank each author for their obedience and contribution of their God inspired chapter(s) in this book. They each heard a Word from God and wrote it down for you, the reader.

A special THANK YOU to our Creative Team…

Ann Marie Thrives

Arlana Scola

Guy Morrell-Stinson

Kelly Williams Hale

Maricar Guarin

Peggy Grimes

Contents

Introduction

Foreword: Blessed Are You!

Natalia Litnevski

Day 1 Who Told You That You Were Naked?

Dr. MB Busch

Day 2 Right Word, Right Move

Natalia Litnevski

Day 3 Return to Me, Your First Love

Sharon Baker

Day 4 The Lavish Love of the Father

Part 1 Maria Mitchell Crane

Day 5 The Lavish Love of the Father

Part 2 Maria Mitchell Crane

Day 6 You Are His Masterpiece

Michael Merlock

Day 7 When I Come, Will I Find Faith?

Peggy A. Grimes

Day 8 Back to the Garden: A Call for a Deeper Intimacy

Maricar Guarin

Day 9 Three Weddings And A Funeral

Mandy Leigh

Day 10 Three Steps Forward, Two Steps Back

Marla Franks Marcum

Day 11 Lost-ness and Found-ness

Part 1 Arlana Scola

Day 12 The Impact of Four-Letter Words

Part 2 Arlana Scola

Day 13 Do Not Be Intimidated

Patricia Y. Oliver

Day 14 Sick and Tired

Summer Dey

Day 15 No Retreat

Christine Zimmerman

Day 16 For Such A Time As This

Ann Marie Thrives

Day 17 Rhoda, Open Up!

Jacqueline Withers

Day 18 Realignment

Denise C. Herndon Harvey

Day 19 Holiness: The Key to the Kingdom

Part 1 Guy Morrell-Stinson

Day 20 Holiness: The Key to the Kingdom

Part 2 Guy Morrell-Stinson

Day 21 Born for Impact

Natasha Rawls

Day 22 Your Story: God’s Glory

Part 1 Kelly Williams Hale

Day 23 Your Story: God’s Glory

Part 2 Kelly Williams Hale

Day 24 Enduring the Call

Misty Dawn Allen

Day 25 Becoming a Believing Believer

Part 1 Cheri Blair

Day 26 Becoming a Believing Believer

Part 2 Cheri Blair

Day 27 The New Wine

Part 1 Libby George

Day 28 The New Wine

Part 2 Libby George

Day 29 Let Them Be One

Part 1 Lu Ann Topovski

Day 30 Let Them Be One

Part 2 Lu Ann Topovski

Day 31 Bonus Chapter

It’s the Little Things

Lu Ann Topovski

A Word From Jesus

Go Into All The World

Introduction

This 30-Day Devotional is God-inspired. When I was called to author this anthology book, the Lord impressed upon my heart to ask two questions to the potential contributing authors.

1)Do you have a Word (from God) for the body of Christ?

2)Do you feel led to be a contributing author in this book?

As I began receiving the chapters from the authors I was inspired and felt Holy Spirit throughout each of His beautiful children as I read their chapters. I pondered the wisdom of each, I laughed, I cried, I was deeply moved by the pain suffered by some and how they overcame.

Some of the contributing authors are pastors, teachers, evangelists, prophets, and most certainly they are all apostolic at some level because they are pioneers leading with their businesses, and stories. You will see the different writing styles to include pastoral, teaching, prophetic - all Holy Spirit inspired.

What I can tell you is as you read each day of this 30-Day Devotional you will be captivated, and transformed into a Kingdom of God mindset. Without prompting any of the authors as to what to write; I did ask them, Do you have a Word for the Body of Christ now? They were asked to pray for a specific Word from the Lord. As the chapters were coming in, I asked the Lord which order He wanted them to appear in this amazing God-inspired devotional for the body of Christ.

Many of us as contributing authors are #1 Best Selling Authors and you will see why! What I can tell you is we all have a PERSONAL relationship with Jesus, and because of our relationships, we wrote what we were led to write to you, the reader.

May God bless you as you read every chapter, every page, and every paragraph as each is filled with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, our Comforter, whom Jesus promised He would leave for us because He is now sitting at the right hand of our Heavenly Father. He loves you dearly, and wants a relationship with you. If you don’t have a relationship with Jesus, and would like one, this devotional will take you by the hand and walk with you straight into His arms. And, for those of you who do have a relationship, this devotional will only make that relationship stronger. It did for me.

Foreword

Natalia Litnevski

Blessed Are You!

Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.

—Revelation 1:11 ESV

Dear reader, the book you are holding in your hands is replete with kingdom words. May it be your personal book of Revelation! These are the seven churches—brimming with mistakes, lessons learned, confessions of sins, struggles, actions and reactions, healing, moments of divine silence, epiphanies, and instances where God seemed absent. As you read, you’ll likely resonate with a particular church. I pray that God touches your heart and spurs you to action, just as Jesus expects from you personally.

My story is not unique. It just mirrors the journey of every believer through the ages—a journey marked by fiery trials and transformative revelations. You have your own trials, winds of doubts and storms of internal conflicts. You may be caught in a prison of life where the circumstances are threats to your comfort zone and peace. You may be found at the crossroads of life where no matter what you chose, it doesn’t change the today nor the tomorrow, but can certainly change the future.

The book of Revelation, beyond a historical account, is a mirror that reflects the intricacies of life—a reflection that spans time and circumstance. Now, one way to look at it is like announcing and advertising a TV show. If Revelation were a movie, I could go with the tagline, In 30 AD, the life-threatening Roman Empire blows up the faith of Christ’s followers until they receive John’s revelation.

The seven churches, each with their own trials and triumphs, are not relics of the past; they are reflections of our own spiritual seasons. Each church can be envisioned as a separate TV season, each message offering correction and encouragement.

At forty-four years old, my relationship with God follows a seven-fold cycle, a continuous dance through fiery trials and moments of revelation. Sometimes I find myself in the blazing trials of Ephesus. Other times, I’m entangled in the mess of Pergamum. Yet, amidst turbulent conditions, Jesus consistently sends me relevant words. However, each TV season is worth watching separately, as exemplified in these scenarios:

•Venturing to ‘Smyrna’ as a threatened, lonely, poor, and jobless twenty-five-year-old woman, she unexpectedly discovers a heavenly currency.

•When a thirty-two-year-old mother, feeling powerless, desperate, and hopeless, unwillingly settles in Philadelphia, she finds herself before a miraculous open door.

•"A forty-year-old man seeking his place in the body of Christ is tempted by the multiple opportunities of Sardis until he realizes that his spirit man is about to fade away.

Each season, a distinct story, a chapter worth watching. The narrative may shift, from mystery to suspense, from drama to action, but we alone determine how many episodes we want to play. Both good and evil celestial viewers place their bets on our faith. And while life is unpredictable, the season finale with the final battle, the last word, and the best move certainly belongs to Jesus.

Much like watching a movie, revelation in real life is not a spoiler alert, but a divine gift. When faced with humiliation, crossroads, weariness, or a lack of devotion to Jesus, we seek specific revelations, kingdom words that motivate, guide, encourage, correct, awaken, and shake us, revealing where we stand in our relationship with Him. It beckons us to rise above self-pity and acknowledge our pain, to offer up fully-consecrated lives.

As we yearn for revelation, Jesus responds with kingdom words, guiding our path and affirming our place in His embrace. We strive to live in harmony with these revelations, responding with boldness or repentance as needed. One time He would say, Wake up! Another time, Rest assured! I got you!

We may do various things to impress Him, but only the actions born out of our first love, the fearless testimony of our faith, and the sacrificial garments of our righteousness will make Him pause and appreciate it. We may need to stop playing more episodes in one season or completely move to another church.

Dear believer, your path may be marked by valleys of despair and peaks of triumph, a testament to the ebb and flow of faith. As you embark on this voyage through the pages of this book, I invite you to embrace the inner dialogue that has shaped the journey of each of these authors. These words are not mere reflections; they are the echoes of their thoughts, the battles of their heart, the very essence of their being. May you find resonance in these pages, just as I found in the book, Kneeling We Triumph! May these inner struggles resonate with your own and may the kingdom words whisper in the stillness of your heart, guiding your way and illuminating your path like stars in the night sky.

The book of Revelation has all genres of movies in it, including romance. It’s one of a kind. My favorite scene, though, is the wedding ceremony of the bride and the Lamb. It is a mesmerizing moment when the bride, in her exquisite white dress, walks down the aisle, fixing her eyes on her soulmate, and the triumphant groom can’t take his eyes off his precious love. This is a scene I constantly replay in my imagination. But this is more than an appreciation, it’s also a call for action. This solemn tribute should be our personal testimony of this great love covenant. Despite the world’s distractions and afflictions, let’s keep our eyes on Jesus. He is the only face we seek, the only voice we yearn to hear, the only heart we desire to move, and the only name we are proud to witness.

Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.

—Revelation 1:3 ESV

Natalia Shares Her Story In This Devotional On Day 2.

Day 1

Dr. MB Busch

Who Told You That You Were Naked?

Then Adam and his wife heard the sound of Yahweh-God passing through the garden in the breeze of the day. So, they hid among the trees concealing themselves from the face of Yahweh-God. Then Yahweh-God called Adam’s name and asked, ‘Where are you?’ Adam answered, ‘I heard your powerful presence moving in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.’ ‘Who told you that you were naked?’ God said.

—Genesis 3:8–11 TPT

The powerful presence of God’s voice moved in every direction. All creation heard it. It was a commanding force that was repeated over and over as He walked back and forth. God doesn’t have feet or a body. His voice came into the Garden as if it were everywhere all at once. This is how God passed through the garden in the breeze (breezy time) of the day. The implication is that God did this daily, in the cool of the day, seeking friendship and intimacy with His newly created couple. Adam and Eve were clothed with the glory of God. Prior to the fall, they knew no shame, no disappointment, no fear, no separation, and no death. They walked in purity with God, close to His glory and His care. God gave Adam authority and dominion over all His creation. Adam had incredible intellectual abilities and was created with great organizational and administrative capacities, enabling him to identify and define the world around him.

They were naked and not ashamed—that is, until they sinned. When their eyes were opened to their sin, they should have immediately gone to God and begged for mercy and forgiveness. Instead, they ran and hid so that God had to come looking for them. Although they had walked with God in the cool of the day and experienced His loving kindness, they fled from Him in shame because of their sin.

This is what millions of people are doing today—hiding from God. The first question God asked Adam was Where are you? This shows that we belong to God. He longs for each of us to examine our life and to come out of hiding and be honest with Him. We need to run to God when we sin, and not run from Him.

Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, Where are you? (Genesis 3:7–9 NKJV)

There was a reason Jesus cursed the fig tree when he walked the Earth. In fact, according to the gospels, the fig tree was the only thing that Jesus cursed on earth. He cursed it because of what it symbolized. It was not worthy, nor did it have the power or the authority to cover sin and shame. It was man’s attempt to cover his nakedness. The works of man are never enough to cover sin. The fig leaves only partially covered them and is a picture of whatever we hide behind to cover our spiritual shame. The robe of righteousness that Jesus clothes us in is perfect. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Beloved, Your Fig Leaves Are Gone

One day the Lord said to me, Daughter, your fig leaves are gone! I thought, Of course they are. He then asked, Why then do you try to hide from Me sometimes? Ouch! I had no idea I ever did that. Wow. That was an arrow that zinged straight into my heart.

Basically, the Lord was telling me that I was allowing the devil to make me feel shame and condemnation over sin in my life. The devil will always bring up the past. This is one of the ways we know it’s him. The Holy Spirit will never remind us of sin that has been repented of. He will never try to bring shame and condemnation. The only way the devil can get an inroad into our lives is when we come into agreement with his lies.

When the twelve tribes were about to enter the Promised Land, two of them chose to make their homes on the eastern side of the Jordan River. Unfortunately, this region was the first to be recaptured and absorbed by the pagan nations surrounding Israel. They chose the lesser place and lost the glory God intended for them to experience and possess. They failed to walk in fullness because they chose not to enter the Promised Land. Like these two tribes, too many Christians are not fulfilling their purpose because they allow lies from the devil and things of this world to cause them to settle for less than God’s best. They forfeit the glory of God.

Beloved, when we have a full revelation of the finished work Jesus did on the cross, we can walk with our heavenly Father in the cool of the day as Adam and Eve did. Jesus proclaimed from the cross, it is finished, and it was done. The veil was torn, and we now have direct access to the Father without having to go through a priest. The instant we became born again, the veil was torn and the fig leaves that covered the shame of our sin were completely removed. Halleluiah!

It is crucial we have a revelation that Jesus already shed blood for every one of our sins—past, present, and future. God sees us as righteous because Jesus is righteous, and He lives on the inside of us. We are the righteousness of Christ. What an amazing blood covenant we have with the Lord! Not only has He cast our sins as far as the east is to the west, but He sent us Holy Spirit to be our comforter, our helper, and our spiritual truth guide. Holy Spirit leads us into all truth, and I love how He opens the Word of God to us. He is the revealer of Jesus, our Lord.

Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, and the lifter of our head (Psalm 3:3), is in charge of bringing us out of sin and shame into fullness and glory. It has always been God’s desire that we walk with Him in glory, every day, moment by moment, just as Adam did in the Garden of Eden. He never stops moving us upward to greater things and higher levels of revelation and power. However, it is up to us to develop our faith to receive all that He has for us.

If you have never felt intimacy with the Lord, He is waiting to pour out His love on you. Stop reading right now and ask Him to shower you with His endless love. Friend, it does not matter how much you have sinned or what kind of sin you’ve been into. Jesus shed His blood to cover all of it. He loves you, and He gave His life for you!

When I look back over my life and where I have been, I realize that I was the notorious, sinful woman in Luke 7. Her simple story has been told around the world. She was forgiven much, and therefore, she loved much:

Simeon, a Jewish religious leader, asked Jesus to his home for dinner. Jesus accepted the invitation. When he went to Simeon’s home, he took his place at the table.

In the neighborhood there was an immoral woman of the streets, known to all to be a prostitute. When she heard that Jesus was at Simeon’s house, she took an exquisite flask made from alabaster, filled it with the most expensive perfume, went right into the home of the Jewish religious leader, and in front of all the guests, she knelt at the feet of Jesus. Broken and weeping, she covered his feet with the tears that fell from her face. She kept crying and drying his feet with her long hair. Over and over, she kissed Jesus’ feet. Then, as an act of worship, she opened her flask and anointed his feet with her costly perfume.

When Simeon saw what was happening, he thought, This man can’t be a true prophet. If he were really a prophet, he would know what kind of sinful woman is touching him.

Jesus said, Simeon, I have a word for you.

Go ahead, Teacher. I want to hear it, he answered.

It’s a story about two men who were deeply in debt. One owed the bank one hundred thousand dollars, and the other only owed ten thousand dollars. When it was obvious that neither of them would be able to repay their debts, the kind banker graciously wrote off the debts and forgave them all that they owed. Tell me, Simeon, which of the two debtors would be more thankful? Which one would love the banker most?

Simeon answered, I suppose it would be the one with the greater debt forgiven.

You’re right, Jesus agreed.

Then he spoke to Simeon about the woman still weeping at his feet.

Do you see this woman kneeling here? She is doing for me what you didn’t bother to do. When I entered your home as your guest, you didn’t think about offering me water to wash the dust off my feet. Yet she came into your home and washed my feet with her many tears and then dried my feet with her hair. You didn’t even welcome me into your home with the customary kiss of greeting, but from the moment I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet. You didn’t take the time to anoint my head with fragrant oil, but she anointed my head and feet with the finest perfume. She has been forgiven of all her many sins. This is why she has shown me such extravagant love. But those who assume they have very little to be forgiven will love me very little.

Then Jesus said to the woman at his feet, All your sins are forgiven.

All the dinner guests said among themselves, Who is the one who can even forgive sins?

Then Jesus said to the woman, Your faith in me has given you life. Now you may leave and walk in the ways of peace. (Luke 7:36–50 TPT)

Religion focuses on the sinfulness of a person, but faith sees the glory of the One who forgives and heals. Simeon thought Jesus should have known the sinfulness of the woman. However, Simeon should have known the love of the One next to him, Jesus, who is always ready to forgive and restore.

Our ultimate destiny as a child of God should become an ongoing, daily experience. Jesus Christ did not die on the cross just to redeem us from sin, but so that we might walk in His glory and reveal Him to the world. God never intended deliverance from hell to be the end point of our Christian experience. Our conversion is only the beginning of a journey into the deep things of God.

However, this doesn’t mean we are not accountable to the cross. Repentance is a gift, and it is supposed to be a lifestyle. When we sin, it is amazing that we can come back into complete intimacy with the Father as soon as we repent. Nothing can separate us from His love! Precious one, He desires to walk with us in the cool of the day!

A New Radiance

In these last days, God is raising up a holy remnant that will steward His revelation and release His glory on the earth. It is my desire that everyone experience the glory described in 2 Corinthians 12:2. It is truly the birthright of every born-again believer.

For years I begged to be taken up into the Throne Room as I worshiped Him in spirit and in truth. One night my husband, Jeff, and I were watching It’s Supernatural with Sid Roth. His guest was talking about when Peter walked on water. I almost jumped out of my chair when suddenly, I had the revelation that I had been asking the wrong thing! Peter just didn’t walk on water. He was able to do so because Jesus commanded Peter to come to Him.

Beginning the next morning in my prayer closet, my request became a demand. I no longer asked if He would bring me up to the Throne Room. I yelled out, Jesus, command me to come to You! Five days was all it took, and on June 13, 2017, I was taken to heaven in the middle of the night.

I found myself in a room without walls that seemed to go on into infinity. I was surrounded by the most intense bluish-white light that would have blinded a person in the natural. The Lord came in and said only two words, Psalm 27. I knew why He spoke it to me and can only describe it by saying that I literally became Psalm 27 because the giver of life breathed it into me. He was acknowledging my insatiable need for Him. The living bread was speaking His Word into me.

Here’s the one thing I crave from Yahweh, the one thing I seek above all else: I want to live with him every moment in his house, beholding the marvelous beauty of Yahweh, being filled with awe, and delighting in his glory and grace. I want to contemplate in his temple. I heard your voice in my heart say, Come, seek my face; my inner being responded, Yahweh, I’m seeking your face with all my heart. (Psalm 27:4, 8 TPT)

Beloved, I had a