Forgiven Part 1: Darkness

Forgiven Part 1: Darkness
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow
 
The next few weeks, we will be posting more frequently in preparing our hearts for the celebration of Resurrection Sunday. We will feature the booklet "Forgiven, Heart Reflections by Roy Lessin" as this book was originally created to be used as a "book-style tract," offering the Gospel in a way that an unbeliever would come to understand what we, as Christians, believe and focusing on the redemptive work of Jesus.

Please feel free to share this content with your friends who may not fully understand the meaning of Easter, or why we celebrate.

We pray that as you read, reflect and pray through the writings presented, your hearts will be turned towards Jesus, and your faith renewed.
Grace and Peace,
Marina for Roy Lessin, and Meeting in the Meadow
.......

'This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. For God, who said, 'Light shall shine out of darkness,' is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.' 'To open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from dominion of Satan to God, in order that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.' 'Because of the tender mercy of our God, with which the Sunrise from on high shall visit us, TO SHINE UPON THOSE WHO SIT IN DARKNESS AND THE SHADOW OF DEATH, to guide our feet into the way of peace' (1 John 1:5, 2 Corinthians 4:6, Acts 26:18, Luke 1:78-79 Emphasis added).
.
Spiritual darkness is the absence of God's truth in our hearts and lives. We can have an education and still be in darkness. We can study philosophy and religion and still be in darkness. We can go to church or do social work in our community and still live in darkness. We can be sincere or be tolerant of others and what they believe and still be in darkness.
 
Darkness is unbelief. Darkness is deception, keeping us from the knowledge of God. Darkness is separation, keeping us from the fellowship of God. Darkness is isolation, keeping us from the presence of God. Darkness is something we should treat as an enemy yet when we are in sin, we treat it as a friend. We like darkness—it hides us from being exposed for who we really are. The sin in us runs deep, and the darkness is our cloak. 
 
Although we may be hiding from Him, He is not hiding from us. Jesus seeks us out in our darkness. He is standing near us, clothed with white garments...covered with glory...reaching out with arms of mercy...inviting us into the marvelous light of His forgiveness and love. 
.
Lord, 
Deliver me from the darkness of my own way. Place Your truth within me so I may know You and Your ways. I want to come out of my hiding and walk with You in Your light. I know that nothing is hidden from You; You know me inside and out. I release every lie and deception that has kept me from You. Thank You that You can take me from the kingdom of darkness and place me into the kingdom of light. I welcome Your light and love into my life. 
Amen

#Easter #Lent #Forgiven #RoyLessin #Meetinginthemeadow #devotional #resurrection

©2025 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by Marina Bromley. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

Timely Tidbits of Truth 59, Renew

Timely Tidbits of Truth 59, Renew
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow
 
When God renews us, He brings about change—new life, new strength, new growth, new fruitfulness. God’s life springs up within us like the sprouting grain in the springtime, making the winter season of the heart productive once again.
 
His renewing lifts us up to new heights, carries us over all barriers, and causes us to behold things we’ve never seen before.
 
But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:31 NLT).

#repurposed #devotional #TimelyTidbitsofTruth #roylessin #meetinginthemeadow

©2025 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

The Seven Colors of Grace, Part 5

The Seven Colors of Grace, Part 5

-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow
 
Hope
 
The heavens declare the glory of God (Psalm 19:1 NKJV).
 
Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17).
 
A heart without faith is a heart without hope.

It is not God’s will for anyone, in any generation, to live in hopelessness. There are those who live without hope, those who live with false hope, and those who live with true hope. It is true hope that fills the heart with “the blessed hope”, which is the second coming of Jesus Christ.
 
Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13 NKJV).
 
Hope looks ahead to what is unseen with confident assurance and expectation that what God has promised will be fulfilled in His time. 
 
For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance (Romans 8:24-25 NKJV).
 
Hope is not something we acquire through wishful thinking or positive attitudes. Hope comes to us from God. He is the God of hope, and hope becomes ours when we believe His promises.

#grace #meetinginthemeadow #devotional #devotion #roylessin

©2025 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by Marina Bromley. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

My Morning Prayer: The Promises of Prayer, 2

My Morning Prayer: The Promises of Prayer, 2
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

One attitude you don’t want to have about prayer is that you’re good at it…it’s not about long prayers, eloquent prayers, repetitious prayers, or “listen to me” prayers.

"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men--extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.' And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 18:10-14 NKJV).

Pray because you are poor…because you are needy and dependent. Pray in faith.

This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing (Psalm 34:6-10 NKJV).

Prayer is not God’s last line of defense in case everything else fails (oh no! things have gotten this bad!).

Prayer is the avenue God uses to bring the wanderer home.
It keeps us from looking for life’s answers somewhere else.
It directs the needy to the place of complete provision.
It quiets the restless heart from running to and fro.

It is the secret place where sons and daughters can speak to their Father privately and in full confidence of acceptance and understanding…where brothers and sisters can help share the load…where the weary heart can cast its burden…where the weeping heart can bring its tears…where the grateful heart can offer its thanksgiving…where the happy heart can bring its praise, and…

It is through the prayer of faith that the promises of God are activated.

My Morning Prayer
-Marina Bromley

Thank you, Lord, for each example and lesson that you teach us in your Word, the Bible, on prayer. Thank you that you give us every opportunity to come to you, in every circumstance and in every mood and emotion. Thank you that you are always listening, always available, always willing. Teach me to come to you with everything I have…weary, weeping, grateful or happy…you are willing to hear them all. I trust you with my heart, and want to hold your hand as you walk with me through every season and circumstance. In Jesus’s name, amen.
 
#encouragementinprayer #mymorningprayer #meetinginthemeadow #roylessin

©2025 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by Marina Bromley. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

Timely Tidbits of Truth 58, Revive

Timely Tidbits of Truth 58, Revive
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow
 
Revive means that God brings to life the things that seem to have died. He quickens what is on its last breath, and He strengthens what is on its last legs. In our brokenness He makes us whole. He takes the barren places in our lives and brings a new harvest; He takes the dry places in our hearts and turns them into flowing rivers; He takes the empty places in our souls and fills them to the full.
 
Revive me according to Your lovingkindness (Psalm 119:88 NKJV).
 
The high and lofty one who lives in eternity, the Holy One, says this: “I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts” (Isaiah 57:15 NLT).
 
Revive me, O LORD, for Your name’s sake! For Your righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble (Psalm 143:11 NKJV).

#revive #repurposed #devotional #TimelyTidbitsofTruth #roylessin #meetinginthemeadow

©2025 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

The Seven Colors of Grace, Part 4

The Seven Colors of Grace, Part 4
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow
 
Faith
 
The heavens declare the glory of God (Psalm 19:1 NKJV).
 
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6 NKJV).
 
In the previous postings the focus has been upon what God has given us in His promises, by His grace, and through His Son. In this posting the focus is upon how we can respond to what God has given.
 
Faith is our response to what God has given.
Faith makes it possible for us to become believers in God’s promises and receivers of the riches of His grace through Jesus Christ.
 
People like Able, Enoch, Abraham, and Noah all had one thing in common that separated them from others. It was their faith.
 
By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith (Hebrews 11:7 NKJV).
 
Faith is a living thing. It cannot thrive or survive on opinions, slogans, or self-help ideas. Faith, in order to be faith, must have a promise from God to trust in. Faith believes, receives, and rests in the promises of God who cannot lie. 
 
In a world where things are always changing, faith puts us on the side of what is changeless. God doesn’t change. Truth doesn’t change. The Holy Spirit doesn’t change. Jesus doesn’t change. 
 
God’s Word and the promises He has spoken are never outdated, misspoken, or uncertain. They are eternal. They are alive and always relevant in the lives of those who believe.
 
Our faith isn’t asked to take educated guesses, calculated risks, or follow hunches. Faith leads to confident obedience to what God has said. Faith is complete trust in God, knowing He cannot fail and will not get it wrong.
 
By faith, you will never be without a rock to stand upon, you will never be without a foundation to build upon, and you will never be without a Savior to call upon.
 
The just shall live by faith (Galatians 3:11 NKJV).

#grace #meetinginthemeadow #devotional #devotion #roylessin

©2025 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by Marina Bromley. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

My Morning Prayer: The Promises of Prayer 1

My Morning Prayer: The Promises of Prayer 1
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

Promises- God is not a man that He should tell or act a lie, neither the son of man, that He should feel repentance or compunction [for what He has promised]. Has He said and shall He not do it? Or has He spoken and shall He not make it good? (Numbers 23:19 AMP).

God has spoken the promises, not people or religious leaders. Only He who made the promise can make it good.

Consider Matthew 6:5-13 (NLT):

“When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
“When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! Pray like this:
Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one…”

My Morning Prayer
-Marina Bromley

Father, thank you so much for the encouragement and example that you have given us in Jesus’s prayer. Thank you for teaching us how to pray, and how not to pray. I confess that often times my prayers are like wish lists of things I want to happen in my life, yet you instruct me to seek your will over all of my wants. Change my heart to come into rhythm with yours—I want to reflect your character in all that I do…even in my prayers. In Jesus’s name, amen.

#encouragementinprayer #mymorningprayer #meetinginthemeadow #roylessin

©2025 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by Marina Bromley. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

Timely Tidbits of Truth 57, Restore

Timely Tidbits of Truth 57, Restore
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow
 
Restore means that God brings back and gives to us again what was once taken from us or lost to us. God assures us that what was lost can be found, what has ended can begin again, and what is no longer seen can be brought back into view. He can restore a broken relationship, lost health, a lost blessing, a broken heart, a former ministry, or a former joy.
 
I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten (Joel 2:25 KJV).
 
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit (Psalm 51:12 NKJV).
 
“For I will restore health to you and heal you of your wound,” says the LORD (Jeremiah 30:17 NKJV).

#restore #repurposed #devotional #TimelyTidbitsofTruth #roylessin #meetinginthemeadow

©2025 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

The Seven Colors of Grace, Part 3

The Seven Colors of Grace, Part 3
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow
 
Jesus
 
The heavens declare the glory of God (Psalm 19:1 NKJV).
 
That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:7 NKJV).
 
How kind God is to us. It is a kindness that gave us the gift of His Son! We who deserve nothing have received everything God’s love could give, and He gives it to us in abundance. 
 
Grace doesn’t come to us out of thin air, it comes to us through a person. That person is Jesus Christ. Jesus is the embodiment of grace and He is the “yes” to every promise God has made. Jesus is the greatest gift love could ever give and in Jesus is found every spiritual blessing and every good and perfect gift. 
 
Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17). 
 
The following acronym helps define the meaning of grace found in Jesus Christ:
 
G-God’s gift of salvation 
R-Richly and freely 
A-Abounds toward us
C-Christ being the only source
E-Extending to us God’s mercy and forgiveness. 
 
The riches that are in Jesus Christ can fill the poorest person on earth with the greatest treasures a human heart could ever possess.
 
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9).
 
Jesus is the fullness of grace. Everything that Jesus is, He is in the fullest sense. Nothing in Jesus is given in small portions. The grace He imparts to us is abundant grace.
 
I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, that you were enriched in everything by Him (1 Corinthians 1:4-5).
 
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you” (2 Corinthians 13:14 NASB).

#grace #meetinginthemeadow #devotional #devotion #roylessin

©2025 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by Marina Bromley. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

My Morning Prayer: Encouragement in Prayer

Encouragement in Prayer
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

And all things, whatever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive (Matthew 21:22).

Draw near, then, seeking soul, with boldness; Draw near with the lowly boldness of a child—with the humble confidence of a son. Dear are you to your Father. Sweet is your voice to Him. Precious is your person, accepted in His Beloved. You cannot come too boldly—you cannot come too frequently—you cannot come with too large requests. You are coming to a King, that King your Father, that Father viewing you in His beloved Son. Oh, hang not back. Stand not afar off. He now holds out the golden scepter, and says, "Come near; what is your request? Come with your temporal want. Come with your spiritual need. Ask what you will, it shall be granted you. I have an open hand, and a large heart.
-Octavius Winslow

Benediction

May you set your sail of faith to capture the trade winds of the Spirit’s moving. May He carry you into the strong currents of God’s grace, to the harbors of Jesus’ comfort, to the ports that abound with blessings, and to the warm waters of the Father’s love.

May the Captain of your Salvation pilot you through troubled seas, quieting your heart when rolling waves beat against you. May you daily be kept from drifting away from the course He has set for you. May He guide you to safe havens, fill your vessel with eternal treasures, and bring you triumphantly to heaven’s distant shore.
In Jesus’s name, amen.

Your road led through the sea, your pathway through the mighty waters—a pathway no one knew was there! (Psalm 77:19 NLT)

#encouragementinprayer #mymorningprayer #meetinginthemeadow #roylessin

©2025 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by Marina Bromley. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

Timely Tidbits of Truth 56, Regeneration

Timely Tidbits of Truth 56, Regeneration
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow
 
Regeneration is not about reforming a life, but transforming it. Regeneration brings to the heart something that was never there before. Through regeneration, God makes all things new—new life, new hope, new hear, new goals, new purpose, new love.

In regeneration, the life of God, through the person of the Holy Spirit, enters within you, bringing about a new birth. The life of the Spirit takes you from where you never could be, and brings you into all God created you to be—turning your darkness into light, your emptiness into completeness, your spiritual death into spiritual life.
 
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration (Titus 3:5 NKJV).

#regeneration #repurposed #devotional #TimelyTidbitsofTruth #roylessin #meetinginthemeadow

©2025 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

The Seven Colors of Grace, Part 2

The Seven Colors of Grace, Part 2
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow
 
Grace
 
The heavens declare the glory of God (Psalm 19:1 NKJV).
 
God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work (2 Corinthians 9:8 NKJV).
 
How do the promises God has made to us become ours? How does salvation, forgiveness, peace, blessing, joy, strength, help, comfort, and hope arrive from God’s heart to ours? God has not chosen academic excellence, religious practices, hard work, good behavior, wealth, fame, or human influence as the way His promises arrive in our hearts and are experienced in our lives.
 
Everything that comes from God comes to us by grace. Every blessing, every gift, every favor is ours because of grace. Grace is given, it is not earned. Grace comes by receiving it, not earning it. Grace is based on mercy, not merit. Grace is a gift, not a reward. Grace makes it possible for us to receive from God what we do not deserve.
 
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9 NKJV).
 
Grace is what God extends to us and imparts to us. It is something real. Grace means God has extended favor and kindness to us. Grace also means God has imparted His blessings in us. 
 
Grace is our sufficiency.
 
Through grace God brings the help we need in our times of need. Through grace God also places His righteous desires within us and strengthens us with the power necessary to fulfill those desires.
 
(See Romans 5:17, 2 Timothy 2:1, Hebrews 13:9, Hebrews 4:17).
 
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men (Titus 2:11 NKJV).
 
God’s eyes do not search throughout the whole earth to find the most talented, highly educated, best looking, or most successful people so He can bless them and make His promises real in their lives. God is looking for hearts that want to be His, that want to know Him, that seek to please Him and that fully put their trust in Him.
 
For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His… (2 Chronicles 16:9 NASB).

#grace #meetinginthemeadow #devotional #devotion #roylessin

©2025 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by Marina Bromley. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

My Morning Prayer: Great Grace

My Morning Prayer: Great Grace
-Roy Lessin and Marina Bromley
 
And great grace was upon them all (Acts 4:33 NKJV).
 
 
What is the reality that God wants you to see today? He has handed you a glass filled to the brim with grace. He says He has given you “all” grace and “all” sufficiency in “all” things. To put it simply, your victory today has nothing to do with the power of positive thinking, but it has everything to do with the power of His grace. God is not saying, “Have a positive attitude about My provision for you even though My provision for you is lacking and not complete.” God is saying, “Put your faith in My sufficiency. I have given you all you need. My grace abounds toward you. I have given you a ‘grace-glass’ that is overflowing!”

My Morning Prayer
-Marina Bromley

Father God, thank You for providing for all of my needs—all grace, all sufficiency in all things. Thank You for thinking of me and my needs before I am aware that they are even needed. You are amazing and dependable and I am astounded at all you do for me every day.

As I face the coming week, I confess I often forget how You are always for me, always providing all grace and sufficiency. Change me to remember that You alone are the source of all I need. As I run into conflict this week, help me to extend Your grace to others from the overflow You pour into me. You are my strength and shield! You are my everything! Work in me and through me. In Jesus's name, amen.

#mymorningprayer #greatgrace #meetinginthemeadow #devotional #roylessin 

©2025 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo and prayer by Marina Bromley. Used with permission, all rights reserved.