Set Flight Blogs
We were not meant to carry burdens
I wonder how these same palms I lift up to the Lord in praise can grip so tightly to a thousand concerns. I scream out to God and put my stake in the ground as the tears fall. Some seasons in life we feel we just might not get through. The truth is the only way we will is if we remember His faithfulness. King Jesus wants those same palms that grasped onto each problem so tightly to be raised, because as we lift them up something happens. The weight begins to melt off and the thousands of concerns don’t feel as heavy.
Knowing that God loves us enough to lift these very burdens off our shoulders that we were never meant to carry. Once we can get past the lies that the enemy feeds our minds of “I’m not enough” “ If I was worthy I wouldn’t feel this way” that’s when healing truly begins. As women, emotions take root in the heart and if we allow it to sprout roots, that’s when we’ve allowed ourselves to think that all the worry is ours. Then we water it and take care of those places we find painful.
Sweet sister, this is the moment we must find comfort in God’s word. In Jeremiah 17:7 it reads “Blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence”
Trust is not easy, but it’s a place we must be willing to offer up to King Jesus, and wiggle free from the restraints that we find ourselves in. The power and strength of God’s character shines through. The protector of our heart.
The heart is the most tender part of the body. It’s guarded, protected and never truly shown with vulnerability. Until we feel the person who is requiring access has proved he is and willing to guard that sacred place with us. We have symbolically put all our emotion on this organ. The heart is a fist sized organ that pumps blood throughout the body. The heart is always placed at the center of each emotion that we as humans see hurt through.
As we invite King Jesus into our heart, this organ that supplies life. He promises to protect. In Proverbs 23:26 says “My son, give me your heart and let your eyes delight in my ways”. He has come to take over the very place we try to hide from the world. King Jesus is the healer of this very organ that we so viciously protect. This is what happens when we decide to take on the burdens that our bodies are not built for. Our valves get clogged and we are so close to a heart attack, we need a doctor. This is why our Abba says in Revelation 3:20 “Here I am! I
stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
The door represents the place we enter, a room, a dwelling place. Our hearts are the door to our emotions, our humanity. He wants to come in and fellowship with us. In 1 Peter 5:7 “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you”.
Sweet friend, don’t forget this truth. You were not created to take every care on yourself, you were created to cast your cares on the One who knew us before we were born. The One who took our cares and died so we might live. The One who rose from the dead and is now alive to help us through this life. You are the apple of God’s eye; He is the corner stone which your house is to be built on with a firm foundation. Your heart is meant to be protected, not just by walls and thorns. It was meant to be protected by King Jesus.
Learning the character of King Jesus
As I put the coffee on. I eyed the coffee machine, pacing back and forth with irritation, brewing right along with it as I watched impatiently as my coffee began to make my favorite sound. It began to brew. I see the coffee drip down into the pot. I needed it to hurry because I was late and forgot to plug it in. So, I paced the floor. As I looked down, I noticed my two-year-old grandson staring at me concerned because he doesn’t understand what’s happening. I tried talking to him, but he was only concerned that I was not listening to him speak. He grabbed my hand and said gan’ma, my heart sank.
We view praying like a coffee machine, we know the importance of spending time with King Jesus, but the sacrifice of our morning at times is rushed. I’m often the worst about this, then wonder why I’m upset or irritable with not only my family, but my co workers as well. God’s looking and waiting for us to notice that our communion with Him is the fuel for who we are. We get caught up with stuff during the day and he’s waiting patiently for us to reach out and whisper “thank you King Jesus for never leaving even when we expect you to just give us what we need in five minutes”. Now, don’t get me wrong. God’s a big God who gives us His love and grace, but this intimate connection takes time and waiting on Him to reveal to us who He is.
Do you have a love language that connects you to who He is? Do you know His character and the way He responds to things. I look at it like this, I know all about my favorite singer, the way she worships, the way she interacts with those who go and listen to her music. Now, have I ever spent time getting to know her likes and dislikes, or the way she talks when no one is listening. I know all about her, but I have no clue who she really is. We tend to find ourselves right here with God. Knowing about Him, but not having a true connection with His character. I believe knowing God through His word and personal connection is the perfect way to know who He is. Knowing God’s character is the perfect way to learn discernment. If we don’t know His character, how can we know what is from God and what comes from our own thoughts or the thoughts that are spoken from the enemy?
Let’s look at two important traits to get us started and we will discuss a couple more in my next blog.
1. Love
God’s love is different, nothing we’ve ever known before. That’s because God is love. 1 john 4:8 says whoever does not love, does not know God because God is love. It’s love unlike the world’s love. One of the Hebrew words for love is hesed, hesed depicts the kindness, goodness, steadfast, faithful love of God. We will go over all these characters in the next couple of blog posts. We see God’s love through His love letters in scripture. God does not love us because we are loveable or worthy but because He is Love. When you believe it and receive it, His love will transform who you are. Love is so built in that He requires us to love. How are we supposed to love if we don’t spend time getting to know the perfect example of true love. The God who died not because we deserved his sacrifice, but because he first loved us.
2. Goodness
God is good, this fact never changes. And He’s good all the time. Being a mother of four girls and one boy, a wife of an amazing man for twenty-two years, a mother-in-law and a grandma of two of the best babies. I’ve witnessed God’s goodness firsthand. Psalm 34:8 says taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him. The thing about God’s goodness is it’s not just sometimes, or when things go my way. His Goodness is all the time. When you are having personal troubles and all of hell is coming in around you and the enemy is at your door, one of the best things you can do is speak out loud, “God is Good, thank you God for your goodness”. These words focus our mind on the trueness of God’s character, and it is always good.
God is still God
What is a peace that surpasses all understanding? Is it a relaxing bath in the middle of all chaos and not knowing where this day will end? Is it a whirlwind of emotions that should overwhelm all circumstances and cause you to break down in tears, but all you know is that no matter what I see, sense, taste or feel it doesn’t stop me from believing that I serve a God of the impossible?
How do we get to the place that we surrender to this peace that makes absolutely no sense? How do we come to a place that we believe that we serve a God that only speaks the truth and if my God is truth than this peace is not past my reach?
There are days when this question has truly haunted my understanding. If my brain was stopping this miracle from being in my realm of belief, where do I open the valve to allow the Holy Spirit to flow through and unblock the one thing that is hindering this beautiful peace that God so freely promises. This is a tuff question, one that not many are willing to ponder. But, I really want to search out this matter with you. In Philippians 4:7 it says in God’s living word this beautiful scripture “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” So if He say’s it, do we dare believe it? Could it possibly be true? Can we have a peace in the midst of all chaos?
Is God still God in the midst of this chaos? Are we double minded? We either believe God is God in the storm as well as He is God in the gardens of our lives or we don’t, and begin to see weeds grow. I believe a peace that passes all understanding is believing that God is who He says He is. Believing that He is alpha and omega the beginning and the end. God is the God of breakthrough and healing. Even when our hearts have been mistreated and we are unsure Of who we are, we have to understand that He’s still God even when we don’t understand. It’s in the waiting that we begin to understand that in these hard places is where the foundation of who we are and what we choose to believe are built.
Isaiah 28:16, NLT Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: “Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem, a firm and tested stone. It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on. Whoever believes need never be shaken.
Our foundation is where we begin understanding this peace. God will never be deterred by outside forces. This peace is much like a stone. It is immovable and we can build our lives on it. In order to have this peace that passes all understanding we must know the character of God and His promises.
God sent His own son King Jesus to die so we might believe in Him (John 3:16) to believe in someone, we have to know who they are. This peace is in the believing this truth with everything you are. The Holy Spirit guides us, as we navigate this understanding. He gives us this beautiful peace inside because we know, no matter what, He is still God and He is who He says He is.
One way to remember this truth is starting a journal and keeping a record of His promises and the things He’s done in your life. If you have a journal, go back through that journal and thank Him for always being there even when it’s hard.
Gift of Identity
Sitting on my dresser was the most expensive tiara. I was so proud of this tiara. I built the most expensive box for it so no one would touch it, but I could still capture its beauty. I spent months admiring it, sometimes for hours. I would just sit on my bed wondering how it would look on my head. Finally I noticed the kids were starting to want to borrow it, because it was the one thing I valued more than anything, a gift that was personal, I said no. Finally, one morning passing it with all its sparkle and real diamonds. I finally took it out of its box and put it on my head. I admired it for hours until my husband came in and told me I could wear it every where I went because it’s all mine. The golden pink complimented my skin tone, I told myself. Yes, I will never take it off.
Sometimes our identity becomes like this beautiful tiara. We know that we are precious to God and all the diamonds that are sparkling with the gift so purposeful put into place. God was so precise that we were made perfect. We know this promise, but we are not confident enough to let others see, the beauty that King Jesus created us to be. We practice who we are in secret, teaching in front of the mirror, or writing in our journals, but the confidence of being vulnerable Is too terrifying that this thought keeps us trapped from fulfilling God’s calling on our life.
As we continue with learning about the characters of King Jesus, I want to focus on the character of hope. In hebrews 6:19, it says the most beautiful encouragement to our hearts, we have hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain.
So often we allow ourselves to be tossed around by our souls. Fears of not being who God has called us to be all the way down to am I a good enough mom. With this anchor of hope like a cable that connects us to king Jesus, this anchor brings us hope. Unlike a cable that can be broken or cut, King Jesus being our anchor of hope can never be broken. This anchor is steadfast, unmovable and faithful.
The blood of King Jesus is firm and stable. It covers all that makes us feel weak, because in His weakness we are made strong. The strength we have in ourselves will make us tired and worn out from continual striving to be better, but picture a strength that you can not explain. A strength that takes you higher in His presence, instead of lower in who we are. It’s so easy to get caught up with things that we feel are the most important, but we have to remember that if it’s not anchored in King Jesus and His hope is not surrounding it. We need to just let it go. It’s not worth our effort. Sweet sister, allow King Jesus to be the anchor that anchors you to His hope today. He’s created you with an amazing purpose and He knew that purpose before you were even born. You were crafted with everything you need to go forth and conquer.
He delights in me
The question loomed over my thoughts. Am I going to be able to pull this off? The weight on my chest got heavy, just the thought alone was too much. As the prayer started flowing from my lips, my heart was exposed. I immediately felt His grace. God’s not leaving me to figure this out on my own. This battle seems like one I fought for years. Knowing that even though this struggle has become a hill my daughters are having to climb, I’m finally realizing that I’m beginning to catch on to what He’s been trying to show me. He’s never giving up on me. King Jesus is waiting to use those scars to stretch me into this new season of life. I couldn’t see how He could use the scars that etched deep into my heart. When looked at by others, I was for sure everyone could see them. I wanted them to fade and disappear, but now I’m realizing that they are proof I made it to the other side.
This testimony that is blooming from each hard season of my life has helped me remember who’s I am. This is where I want you to follow me. Let’s dig into Philippians 2:13, “ you have the power of God working in you to accomplish the things He wants you to do.” God has given us this power. Over the years, I’ve realized my authority and power God has given me over the areas in my life, I knew if not used would destroy me. I spent my life feeling helpless and in a sea of waves. I knew if not changed I would drowned. This battle that stress and lack of truly understanding who God made me to be, left me begging God to make me numb to it all. I’m sad to admit, it’s taken me forty-one years to even touch the subject that this was my identity. I labeled myself as hopeless and allowed the enemy to play on my emotions. As I’m watching friends and my own girls struggle with this in life, I’m determined to yell it loud! Though we can’t see it, we do have the power to take control of it, without eliminating all our emotions and entering into a numb state.
A woman who finds her confidence in King Jesus has a strength and beauty that this world can’t touch, this is truth. In John 1:12 it says, you are a child of God. If He says it, I want to dare each and everyone of us to believe it. In King Jesus, I had to make myself focus on the truth that I’m worthy of love from the Father, I was afraid of asking, is He pleased by me. I knew that I loved Him and I wanted to be His daughter forever, but even though my relationship with King Jesus was solid, something was missing. I believed an idea of His love, but I was not understanding that He would never give up on me. The guilt and shame of giving up on myself weighed on me, the comparison game took root, I was too prideful to admit I needed help and too insecure to reach out for help.
My heart, to to be honest and transparent, in order to help you know that we don’t have to live a life lived in bondage, we have the POWER in King Jesus to be overcomers. Is it painful? Yes it can be. Taking control, and putting on the armor of God, we must move toward this truth, knowing we are not alone. We are moving from glory to glory, seeing ourselves as King Jesus sees us. I want to challenge you, as we are seeing the true character of King Jesus, we begin to truly understand that He is for us. I want you to see and experience this power that King Jesus is, it’s who He is and who He wants us to believe in. Because, we are His children, He’s given us this authority. Let’s start walking
Conversation sewn with the purest of heart
As I sat and listened to the song that so many women have sung to the tune of different notes and melodies, my heart broke at the truth so many of her words held. I could see the hurt and wounds that she held, her eyes screamed for change and I knew this was an area that King Jesus was whispering. I want to heal these wounds. Where His light is, darkness cannot remain.
One thing I’ve come across in my forty-one years of living and having four girls is, trust between women is broken. The hurt that each one shares and the stories they tell are all different, and the scares each one holds are so different, but when narrowed down, it’s all the same. My heart breaks at the thought of all the confusion. I long for a conversation sewn with the purest of heart, one without the thought, at what point do I put my guard up. God’s got so much for the body to accomplish, but with weapons down and love in our hearts for each other.
We live in a time with more conflict than ever before. A time where the noise is so loud, we need to escape to a quiet place just to receive peace. But, what we don’t understand is, this is the moment we need each other the most. In 1 Timothy 2:1-2, we see that Paul’s encouragement to Timothy feels shockingly relevant for this time “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession be made for all people-for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all Godliness and holiness”. As I searched out the conflict within this beautiful circle and as I’ve watched my own little beauties venture into a world of unknown conflict, I’ve discovered that this is a fight worth fighting for.
This peaceful existence between many very different people who have one thing in common, we love Jesus. I’ve been asked the question, “Lois, in all seriousness, do you really think women can come together with love in their hearts for each other and truly accomplish what God has called them to do?” My answer, with no doubt is yes! It is going to be hard! Yes, no doubt this might be the hardest mission for any woman to venture out in, but I believe it’s a command to love one another.
2 Timothy 2:13 “yes, and all who desire to live Godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” So is Paul contradicting himself, asking Timothy to pursue a futile venture? A peaceful quiet life with those who will ultimately bring persecution and suffering? No, I don’t believe that is the case at all. I believe he’s encouraging us to live in peace with each other. This peace thing is so important, that we have to grasp a hold of it with both hands in order for it to pierce our hearts with the realization, we need peace in order to move forward.
The very thing that God requires us to do is love one another. If we are to be like King Jesus and follow after the things that are in His very nature, who He is, is love. 1 John 4:7 says “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.”
Gods thoughts towards us
When my kids were little I viewed everything I did as a visual evaluation of how I was doing. I craved the attention of praise I got from each mother as they told me how wonderful my kids were, but at the same time anything negative would send me to the couch in condemnation if my performance was less then praise worthy. The fear of man is a real enemy to those who seek approval, like I did.
As I began to dig deeper into God’s word on this subject, that seemed to hold tight to every decision I made. I started to understand that God was the only one I was to put that much focus on. In proverbs 29:25 “fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trust in the Lord will be safe.” The Hebrew word here for “snare” refers to traps hunters used to catch animals or birds. Snares are dangerous. If we get caught, we must do whatever it takes to free ourselves.
The fear of desiring others to approve of the things we do, becomes a trap and keeps us from moving forward in freedom. We begin to care more about what people think rather than what God thinks. And the truth is, that God’s thoughts about us started way before we were ever born. Can you Imagine how freeing this is? If we only wrap our minds around how much we mean to God.
In psalm 139:16 “ your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me written in your book before one of them came to be”. Your days were appointed, pre destined before time. That means that God knew you before you were born, and He wrote your name down because you are special, unique, one of a kind. There is no one who can fulfill the calling you have.
This idea seems to good to be true. One we speak proudly with our mouths, but the reality there is too few of us believe it with our hearts. This is why we are devastated when not excepted by others. How do we get this life changing word into our spirit? How do we believe who the Bible says we are? How do we get this word to penetrate deep into our hearts? I believe finding out who God thinks we are is a start. Asking Him to show us who He thinks we are. Do you dare explore the promises of God. In proverbs 25:2 “ It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out the matter is the glory of kings”.
Knowing who we are in King Jesus breaks the strong holds that hold us back from moving forward. It brings freedom in areas in our lives that we thought we would never move past. It brings light to the darkness and makes us conquerers. This battle that has been fought for so long is designed by the enemy to destroy who we are, he replaces it with fear of people. This fear is only conquered through us realizing we are royalty. We have the power to over through every evil word that comes against us.
God has given us the authority and power to trample on snakes and scorpions, and to overcome all powers of the enemy; nothing will harm you”. That’s what the Bible says in Luke 10:19. Are you brave enough to believe it!! So much power written right at our fingertips. Every verse becomes a picture of His love and hope for all who dare to believe it’s true.
Putting God first
I stood there listening as a sweet friend described the mishaps that she has seen when parents of young adults get married. As she described the judgment of the things she would never do. I’ve had to humble myself to this conversation as well, this subject becomes a really touchy one. As we get to that point in our parenting, we would love to speak what we wished our parents would have done. Then we begin to pledge to be different. I’ve been caught in this trap myself. I cringe at some of the critical judgment I’ve given in the name of “I’m just giving advice”.
God has began to redirect my responses. Because, though I wish I had it all figured out. I’m realizing it’s a dance that requires guidance and direction. Learning to follow the voice of the Holy Spirit as He begins to reveal, it’s not my will, but His will. This is hard for the flesh to grasp at times. Allowing the voice of the Holy Spirit to triumph emotion is a skill I’ve not yet conquered. I’m learning though.
As I’ve been in the book of Daniel, there are so many revelations He’s been showing me. In Daniel 3:4-5 we see this verse
“And the herald proclaimed aloud, “You are commanded, O people, nations, and languages, that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every type of music, you are to worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar has set up.” We declare, I would never bow down to political pressure of worshiping statues. I was Serous, and I still am, but I was naïve to see the things I was putting before King Jesus. The thing I’m wanting us to see is the pressure that the world brings to redefine what an idol is. An idol is simply anything we put before God and believe that power is more real.
My heart is to remove obstacles that stand in our way of seeing King Jesus with clear eyes. Having a vision that is not clouded by “things” instead replaced with “who He is”. As we read on, there was no compromise. The Jews already knew the destruction this would cause, the idols in Moses days were a clear picture. This leads us to the famous Bible story most of us have heard in Sunday school. The story of Shadrach, Meshach and a Bendigo.
The thing that makes my mouth drop is, God is the same God today as He was then. He still does miracles. We begin to start seeing those miracles clearer the closer we are and the more time we spend in His life breathing word.
I know that God still moves in power, and if we can just hang on to those promises, we will begin to see others the same way King Jesus does. I never want to put my opinions In front of what King Jesus is saying. Being a parent is hard, being a parent to adult children is hard, having young children is hard. So many voices bombard you and produce stress that is not necessary and is definitely not a fruit of the spirit.
This clear picture of these three brave young men where more focused on what God said than the king. God’s voice and His will for them was never in question. This is why we must go to the Word Of God and find out our true identity in King Jesus. It’s in the knowing that we are Highly Favored, that we begin to see ourselves through a different lens.
God is love
I admired the canvas with no color. It looked just like the beautiful building below as she sketched out every detail. I asked her about the beautiful colors and she replied “yes, there are many beautiful colors”. I began to speak again, so why do you not add them? She stared off for a minute, and then replied “ the world at times seems absent of color and though I try I just can’t seem to catch them”.
At that moment, I knew exactly what she was saying. At times I could be in the most beautiful place. I could describe the atmosphere, and all the people in it, but the colors don’t seem as bright and through my unguided emotions. I allow myself to believe what ever lie the enemy is whispering in my ear. In Isaiah 26:3 we read “ you keep in perfect peace who’s mind is stayed on you, because he trust in you.
This scripture shows us that looking to our emotions does nothing good, because it’s not accurate truth. Feelings are fragile and can change at any moment depending on our circumstances. The scripture above focuses on the strength that God gives His people, so that they can accomplish His Purpose.
We have to focus on what we know to be true and the scriptures, because the enemy only wants to destroy everything the King Jesus has promised you. We are His daughters, we are his chosen ones. We are sacred space that nothing unholy can mess with. These are the true facts! In 1 John 4:18 it says “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” God is perfect love.
How do we begin to truly believe these truths that God is the Lion of Judah? His words in Isaiah 26:3 are the truth.
As we begin to read farther into Isaiah 26:3-4 "You keep him in perfect peace-whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.
Trust in the LORD forever,
for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock." The Hebrew word for the phrase stayed on is סָמַך ְ (sa makh), which means "to brace, uphold, support."
God knew that the topic of our emotions would be a battle, and He did not leave us without Instructions. We are to brace ourselves for these times, when the devil is after our peace and using our fears to speak lies inside of our minds. King Jesus wants us to live in freedom with colors all around us. We are not meant to be a black and white painting unsure of who He created you to be. This doesn’t mean we will have perfect
circumstances or everything will be perfect because this life is full of uncontrollable circumstances. In our humanity we will not always be right. But, we can always be braced and full of His words. Hide the words in your heart so you will be battle ready at all times.
I would encourage you to put scripture on a index card and one of those pretty rings and put It somewhere you can flip through fast. Remembering who you are in King Jesus is how you are going to win. You are an overcomer. You are the head and not the tail, above and not beneath, and you are highly favored of the Lord. This is a promise you need to memorize, and use it to stab the devil with! You have the sword of truth and it’s time we start fighting back.
Allowing King Jesus to lay across our heart and make it still
This concept of God being in control can either encourage you, or make you realize it’s time to let go of control. I’ve never really viewed myself in this light, but the control I swore was not there was only hiding.
The older my kids got the more I wanted to control, and I realized that King Jesus was wanting to deal with those hidden places I refused to acknowledge. As I began to study the story of Esther, I began to notice that Mordecai, had to face this moment as well. He had to Decide if he believed what he had always preached. He knew he had no control over these men taking Esther to the palace. It’s one thing to say I trust you God, it’s quite another thing to walk it out and this man pulls it off with grace. He allowed this moment to make him stronger.
The moment I decided to give my kids over to King Jesus and let Holy Spirit guide them, I found myself needing grace. I wanted to believe that I knew better, even though I also know, I mess it up. The lies that get whispered in my ears end up making me the center. This is when it becomes all about me. I quickly see that I either trust Him or I don’t. I realize that His ways are higher than mine and though I only see the little picture, King Jesus sees the whole picture. He also sees the ending. In verse 11 it reads “everyday he walked back and forth near the courtyard of Haman to find out how Esther was and what was happening to her” ( Esther 2:11) this is encouraging because, even though I know that King Jesus is in control, He also made me their mother. I’m trying to navigate this new part of life. I’m still loved and seen.
King Jesus loves that I care. He created me with this instinct. As mothers we tend to create things to feel we must apologize for. It’s almost like we need guilt to know we care. This does not come from God. He built in us a strong prompt to protect, this is natural, but we confuse the need to protect with the need to control, and that’s where God wants to step in and take over.
We must learn how to fully put our trust in God. I want to say it comes naturally, but at first it doesn’t. We have to cultivate that inside our hearts by allowing ourselves to fall in love with King Jesus. Allowing Him to lay across our heart and make it still. The blanket of His presence and His protection is the only perfect fit for the deep creases carved inside of us.
King Jesus is desperate to show himself faithful. This promise brings healing, and a want to lean into His arms of protection. Then all the sudden we realize we are trusting King Jesus with not only the hard stuff, but the stuff we swore we would never expose. These pieces are so hidden that we have made it a part of who we are, and we believe it as truth.
These gates that we put up become guarded. We forget what it feels like to be free. God begins to melt away the layers if we allow Him too. We begin to see little sparks of light at first, but if we will continue trusting God and moving forward, we will see the sparks ignite into an uncontrollable fire that melts every gate that we have placed there for protection.
God wants to be the only protection and safe place we must run too. My heart is for all woman who find this hard. Do something for me close your eyes, just picture yourself running to the father. This is where He wants us to be. The enemy has plotted to destroy us since we were kids. The devil is so scared of the thought we might get this truth and embrace it. Let’s be that unstoppable force God destined us for.
God’s presence reminds us who we are
Finding King Jesus amid the hard times seems to be challenging for a lot of people. As I’m writing this, we are getting close to thanksgiving, and for some reason the holiday season seems to bring so much stress. There are blogs everywhere helping us get through this stressful season with family. These helping tips are supposed to help us navigate and keep us on track. This is so important, but lately I’ve been paying attention to the direction the Holy Spirit is blowing. Teaching on rest is everywhere, but learning about true rest I’ve realized, is only taught through knowing who we are through the victory over identity. Resting is so much more than just sleep. I talk about identity a lot, and the reason is because it’s the foundation that we need to secure in the relationship we have in Christ. Knowing who we are keeps us from constantly needing validation from others. This is an area that has taken me years to recognize its importance. I would listen to the lies the enemy whispers in your ear, that brokenness is something we must just except. In Ephesians 1:4 it reads, “He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight.” This scripture says God chose us! He sent not only His son to die for us, which all by itself is so powerful, because that’s the end of this discussion. Our worth is the reason King Jesus died for us, to have eternal life with Him. He chose us before creation to be holy and blameless. This leaves no room for the lie that we are broken. In Ephesians 2:10,“ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before hand that we should walk in them.”
When we fall short and think we are not enough, we need to go back to the scriptures in God’s life breathing words and remember what He is saying about our worth.
This is vital for getting through seasons of uncertainty. We need to remember that declaration and words of encouragement are good, but remembering who we are is the true answer we need. Running back to the promises of God should be our first response and continually hide Gods word in our hearts, so no lie can penetrate our ears without us knowing those words don’t come from the Holy Spirit.
This is how we truly get through the hard seasons of life. Knowing who we are is a type of spiritual warfare because the enemy gets wounded every time. Spending time in God’s presence not only encourages our hearts, but It reminds the enemy who’s we are.
The wisdom in knowing your identity is so vital and important. You are God’s child, and you are no longer an orphan. Our father in Heaven claimed us and made us an heir to His throne. As we go back to the scriptures in 1 Peter 2:9 it says, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.” This promise is so powerful that if we catch the importance of it, we will no longer be in confusion of the Love that King Jesus has for us. Where light is, darkness cannot reside. This is because the light interrupts the darkness and lights up those places that the devil tries to hide behind. We must remember that King Jesus has given us all we need. We have the knowledge through Christ Jesus. He has given us access, both day and night.
Grace overshadows the spirit of fear
I love the promises of God and the legacy that He empowers us to fulfill. I’ve been in a family that has followed God and carried an anointing of ministry in their lives from generation to generation. As I look back on this important legacy, I see the grace that was laid out and the grace that has followed.
What is grace really? This question seems to come up a lot ,and the simple definition is, “knowing that God is that big”.
He’s big enough to fulfill every promise spoken throughout His word. This promise speaks into generational blessing. As I’ve gone into the word and research the promise of Moses, something caught my eye as I was reading this morning. God promised the Israelites that Canaan was their inheritance.
This is so important because we miss out on the things of God because we don’t really think He’s big enough to fulfill His promises. Then we allow the spirit of fear to overshadow what He’s said.
Twelve men from Israel were sent out on a strategic fact-finding mission to gather intelligence about the land they were about to conquer. This was the land God promised them and their forefathers for generations. A land flowing with milk and honey. A land full of abundance and blessing for God’s people. And it is extremely crucial to remember, it was a land God Himself was giving them as an everlasting possession.
As a result of their 40-day investigation, they discovered the land was truly all that God had promised. They even returned with a remarkable sample of the fruit, (Numbers 13:27-28) they gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But,….
When these men returned, the group confirmed the land was even more than they imagined and hoped for, with clusters of grapes so big they had to be carried by two people.
However after declaring the good news of the inheritance awaiting them, they followed it with a “but”, which revealed their doubt and what they believed.
Their “but” didn’t change the fact that the promise land was theirs for the taking, but it did keep them from pressing in. This is so important because this is the same position we find ourselves In when God has clearly laid out our inheritance and the path he’s called us.
I’ve been a victim of this crippling fear that leaves me standing there with a big “but”. I’ve come to understand that “but” is a small powerful word. This is the word that we are putting our faith in. It’s taken me years to truly understand that we must go and conquer those years of bondage and press Into those promises God has told us to take. This legacy is going to be passed from generation to generation.
This legacy of faith, knowing who God said we are, believing who King Jesus died for. King Jesus rose again so we might be free. These areas in our life that seem so Impossible, that look like a giant. This place that is surrounding everything we know Is ours. This is the area we must step back and remember, we serve a God of the impossible. He’s proven throughout time that He can do all things, even if it looks like it cannot be done. God promises a sound mind and a spirit of wisdom. Fear has no place where God’s promises reside, because light overtakes the darkness. We only have to believe His words are true.
Holy Spirit is the song that completes our melody to a perfectly written song
My view on the church has been through a distorted lens, the moment I heard Holy Spirit speak this to me, for a time I protested. “Jesus, if I’ve got it wrong I need you to show me”. If you ask King Jesus to reveal the gaps in your understanding, be ready for complete surgery. He doesn’t leave us half complete. His desire is for us to hunger after the things of God. If we hunger than it’s up to us to eat. In the Word of God it says “Matthew 6:26, Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow or reap nor gather into the barns; yet your Heavenly Father feeds them, are you of not more value then they.” This hunger requires action. If we go back one verse to Matthew 5:6, we read, “blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. As we read these scriptures we are given the keys to move past our old belief system and come into an alignment with the spirit of understanding that comes with the knowledge of God’s words.
As we come into harmony with Holy Spirit, He becomes the song that completes our melody to a perfectly written song. As we begin to allow King Jesus to step into our past and close the door to those past beliefs, this harmonizing melody becomes the source of our rest. I love how God’s love is the source of all healing. He loves us so much that He won’t even let the things in our past leave us broken. The need we have to figure things out on our own always leaves us lacking in the most important places.
Growing up a pastor’s daughter I saw the rough hard places. The highs in the spirit, the uncertainty, and the trials that come with the life of the church. This broke me in a lot of places, I promised that I would not deal with this part of Ministry ever again. I figured, being in the mission field would be safer, knowing that each mission only lasted a short time. I didn’t have to build relationships, so I thought. As I traveled with different organizations, teen missions to Brazil, Continentals, and the drama team that both traveled the United States, I realized I can’t hide from people.
People tend to wound even when they don’t intend to. I do it too, a lot and each time I’ve got to come back to the beginning and change my thinking on each situation. Living from this place leaves one very bitter. Now, from the outside looking in most people have sympathy as they relate to the things that one’s been through, nevertheless, this does not bring healing this only brings justification.
As I was reading an advent this morning I was reminded of all five dreams that were given to Joseph and the magi (Matthew 1:18-21, Matthew 2:12, Matthew 2:13, Matthew 2:19-20, Matthew 2:22) and of course there might be more dreams that were not recorded. These dreams gave vital information, understanding and direction. This is why following God’s word is so very important to the direction we begin to walk in. In psalm 23:5 it says, “ you prepare a table in the presence of my enemy; you anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows”.
We have to live in a constant state of believing God is bigger. No matter where you are at right now, the situations you have been in, the people who have wronged you. We must be able to trust God’s power to step into that situation no matter past or present and anoint us with the power of God’s light to invade that area. My cup overflows, the joy that this brings is like a rush of God’s glory bringing us into glory.
The Perfect Christmas
The first Christmas Mike and I spent together was twenty-three years ago, this Christmas was quiet. This would be the only Christmas we would spend with only the two of us. I know what you are thinking, because I’m thinking the same thing, what was it like? Now, my memory is a little foggy, but I do remember the day we bought our first ornament. This perfect ornament had only two frogs with our names and the year. I still have this perfect reminder of the year there were only two. It was an unforgettable Christmas.
This Christmas of two wouldn’t last very long because Christmas number two, we would have three. The memories of this Christmas was one of another heartbeat, this one echoed with mine. It was a magical moment, one that seems not so long ago. I was scared and full of joy all at the same time. Mike and I were still newly weds and so unprepared. I knew Mike was scared, but he wore the excitement with an amazing poker face. He was so proud of his little family.
As I was daydreaming about that Christmas, I began to ponder on how Mary might have felt. She was so young when an Angel visited her with the news of the beginning of a whole new life. One not respected by any. Mary was unsure if Joseph would even except the news and be happy. They didn’t get that first Christmas with just two. There very first Christmas started with three.
The scripture reads it like this in Matthew 1:18,“after his mother marry was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child by the Holy Spirit”.
Joseph took the news as expected, he was unsure of what to do. God had a plan much bigger than he could have ever imagined. My favorite part of this story is the way God chose to let Joseph know that this plan was set in motion by God. Joseph was going to be part of a bigger story. One bigger than he could have ever imagined. God sent an angel in a dream to calm all his fears. We read in Matthew 1:20 “But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him and said “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what was conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit”.
This story is beautiful, The love that Joseph carried in his heart was captured by every decision that he made. God guided them both the whole time. As I got out my Bible and continued this wonderful story of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem, I couldn’t help but admire their bravery and sure hearts. This mission was not going to be easy, but they excepted it anyway. They were destined to be the parents of King Jesus.
They began their travel to Bethlehem, knowing that this Christmas would be different for the two of them. This is the night King Jesus was born, in a stable. He was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. What an important night this was. I’m still in awe every time I read of my saviors birth. He is truly the light of this world.
As Christmas gets closer and craziness continues, let us be intentional and not forget the real reason for this beautiful season. It’s about the birth of our savior King Jesus.
Rest is threaded through faith
Learning to rest in God has been the most difficult thing for me to embrace. Most mornings I wake up with this determination, today is that day I’m going to finally walk in rest. Rest is more than just a word that sounds good. Rest is an act of faith, knowing that God can handle anything thrown our way better than us. I’ve realized, that as I consciously ask God to take each care, problem and accusation thrown my way, It is like a weapon striking the very core of the enemy. Resting is a secret key. The enemy tries so hard to keep us distracted with things that are focused on the importance we see instead of the faith God asks us to walk in. As we stay distracted we forget to look upwards. We are so worried about what to do with our hands, that we don’t focus on just lifting them both towards heaven at the same time.
This is not easy, I know. I have to make this decision daily. I’m learning that I must learn what it means to first quiet my mind. I’m not the best at this. I’m the type of person that has to have my eyes, ears, and hands busy at the same time. To quiet my mind, at first felt like torcher. I first started with 10 minutes and slowly I moved to 15 minutes. I’m realizing that if I can get through the first 20 minutes of quietly focusing on King Jesus and listening for the sweet inner voice of the Holy Spirit, I can quiet my mind and fully pray and meditate on prayer for an hour. This is big for my very active brain.
I want us to look at Hebrew 4:11(AMPC), it says “Let us therefore be zealous and exert ourselves and strive diligently to enter that rest[ of God, to know and experience it for ourselves] that no one may fall or parish by the same kind of unbelief and is obedience[into which those in the wilderness fell].” We are not called to be fearful, anxious and worry. All these things bring our attention on our problems and focus our attention on things that revolve around our own desires. We are to strive to enter rest, this forces our attention on the one who is worthy of it all.
As we learn to live in the power of God’s grace, we begin to realize, grace requires us to change our thinking. This thinking brings, peace, patience, forgiveness and generosity towards others. This rest is taking our focus off our situation and placing it back on King Jesus. This is my desire for this New Year. This Year is not going to look normal, I believe that in order to move in the direction God has called us, we must first learn to walk this way, totally surrendered to this peace that passes all understanding.
This key of rest that God’s Word gives us will allow us to not only move in the direction He’s called us, but it allows us to flow in His presence. In psalm 91:1-2, it says “ whoever dwells in the shelter of the most high, will rest in the shadow of the almighty, I will say to the Lord and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.” God is our safe place, He’s our rest. As I close, I want to leave you with this thought. Can we allow this rest to thread through our life, so we can be connected with Holy Spirit to move where He moves, speak when He speaks, help others when we are moved by His spirit to act? If so, this rest is that important.
Faith is threaded through understanding
What does a battle look like? I think of this often. When I made the decision to homeschool, I knew I was going into it with limited understanding. It’s not that my faith in the idea of this decision was shaken. I just knew how hard it would be. I decided this was going to be impossible before I even started, almost announcing defeat. I didn’t understand that it wasn’t that I couldn’t do it, it was just my understanding was causing limitations on how to move forward. I needed to get past my self doubt and ask God where my understanding was blocked. I needed help.
As Christians, our faith becomes challenged in this way and I’ve realized, that this hinders our rest in who God is. We don’t realize the blindspots that hinder us from moving forward. We feel we lack faith. The Bible tells us that all we need is, faith as big as a mustered seed. Have you seen a mustered seed? A mustered seed sits in the middle of your finger and still your finger is bigger. In Luke 17:6 “ He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.”
So I believe that if this is truth and God’s Word is living, then it’s not our faith that has been attacked, it’s simply our understanding of the situation. A blindspot that the enemy has moved in on to unsettle our rest. This rest that God has promised us if we trust in Him is the peace that we gird our feet with when we put on the armor of God. When I realized this, the first thing I ask was, Lord where are my blindspots? The areas in my understanding that I need His wisdom and knowledge on. This moved me from thinking about myself, and my situation. It then turned my focused and attention on the one who knew I needed His help.
God promises He’s never going to leave or forsake us. This is the Words we have to speak back to ourselves when we are tempted to look at the situation that is hard for us to grasp a hold of. God desires to give us hope in these situations. When we are listening to God and receiving from Him, we start to grasp the good plans that He has for us. We start to understand what He is doing in our lives and hope springs up within us! So Godly understanding leads to hope. In psalm 62:5 it says “My soul, wait in silence for God alone, For my hope is from Him.”
This brought so much revelation when I began to realize that God’s love is unconditional. It is not something that is given and when we are bad, taken away. His love remains forever. We can move away from King Jesus and concentrate on us, but this is not because He left. He is patiently waiting for us to call on His name. We do not earn this love, we cannot do enough works for His love. This love is given because He created us and has always desired this connection with His children. As I close, I want to whisper this encouragement to you. God has given us all the tools we need to move in the direction we are currently moving in. Friend, God is not playing hide and seek with you. He is only waiting for you to search for Him. Proverbs 25:2 “it is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.”
Faith is threaded through understanding
What does a battle look like? I think of this often. When I made the decision to homeschool, I knew I was going into it with limited understanding. It’s not that my faith in the idea of this decision was shaken. I just knew how hard it would be. I decided this was going to be impossible before I even started, almost announcing defeat. I didn’t understand that it wasn’t that I couldn’t do it, it was just my understanding was causing limitations on how to move forward. I needed to get past my self doubt and ask God where my understanding was blocked. I needed help.
As Christians, our faith becomes challenged in this way and I’ve realized, that this hinders our rest in who God is. We don’t realize the blindspots that hinder us from moving forward. We feel we lack faith. The Bible tells us that all we need is, faith as big as a mustered seed. Have you seen a mustered seed? A mustered seed sits in the middle of your finger and still your finger is bigger. In Luke 17:6 “ He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.”
So I believe that if this is truth and God’s Word is living, then it’s not our faith that has been attacked, it’s simply our understanding of the situation. A blindspot that the enemy has moved in on to unsettle our rest. This rest that God has promised us if we trust in Him is the peace that we gird our feet with when we put on the armor of God. When I realized this, the first thing I ask was, Lord where are my blindspots? The areas in my understanding that I need His wisdom and knowledge on. This moved me from thinking about myself, and my situation. It then turned my focused and attention on the one who knew I needed His help.
God promises He’s never going to leave or forsake us. This is the Words we have to speak back to ourselves when we are tempted to look at the situation that is hard for us to grasp a hold of. God desires to give us hope in these situations. When we are listening to God and receiving from Him, we start to grasp the good plans that He has for us. We start to understand what He is doing in our lives and hope springs up within us! So Godly understanding leads to hope. In psalm 62:5 it says “My soul, wait in silence for God alone, For my hope is from Him.”
This brought so much revelation when I began to realize that God’s love is unconditional. It is not something that is given and when we are bad, taken away. His love remains forever. We can move away from King Jesus and concentrate on us, but this is not because He left. He is patiently waiting for us to call on His name. We do not earn this love, we cannot do enough works for His love. This love is given because He created us and has always desired this connection with His children. As I close, I want to whisper this encouragement to you. God has given us all the tools we need to move in the direction we are currently moving in. Friend, God is not playing hide and seek with you. He is only waiting for you to search for Him. Proverbs 25:2 “it is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.”
Understanding is threaded through Wisdom
In my first post in this” threading series” was through rest. Then we threaded through faith and understanding. This week I want to set a foundation as I take you just a little deeper. My goal is to break us free from any strongholds that have stolen our peace. The enemies sole purpose is to attack our minds, so this rest we are longing for seems really far out of reach. I want to begin to thread this concept of understanding through wisdom. Proverbs 3:5 says, “we must choose to trust God and not rely on our own understanding.” Not relying on our own understanding seems a little unnatural, so what we need is more than knowledge. This wisdom is gained by an intimate understanding of who God is. We begin to flow in this wisdom once we know who God is. This is gained by spending time with Him.
As I’ve entered into this new season in life, I’ve had to except that there was so much I did not understand. Once Holy Spirit began to whisper to my heart that these areas needed to be attended to. This was hard to wrap my head around, especially since I’ve got a lot of hard wiring. This wiring is very much a part of who I am. To face this longing for rest and God’s presence, this was going to require a lot of wisdom. This wisdom is given so we can succeed. The morning that pastor Troy prayed for this type of wisdom over me, I still really didn’t understand it. I was over the moon excited that he did. He explained that Godly wisdom doesn’t always make sense, but it always lines up with God’s word. Pastor Troy’s words have rang in my ears since that moment. This specific wisdom is only birthed through a relationship with King Jesus. Spending time getting to know His voice and spending time in His word. God speaks to us in many different ways. Some of these ways, unless we are seeking after Him with all five senses, we could miss. He wants to live life with us.
Once I understood this, I felt like a light Bulb went off. This wisdom not only causes us to see life differently, it nudges us to begin to ask God questions about what He desires for us and what makes Him happy. It draws us to a place of action. As we begin to step out as God directs us. It no longer gives us a place to hide, we only have the option of moving higher. Proverb 16:16 says, “how much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight better then silver.”
As I close this out, I want to pray this prayer for wisdom over all of you. King Jesus, I pray for your wisdom to invade every person reading this blog. King Jesus it is easy for us to live in fear, anxiety, depression and just living lost, this is not your will. I pray You invade this space with Your wisdom. Jesus, thank you for giving us this peace that kicks the devil in the face! I’m so thankful that You never leave, Your desire is for us. Your grace gives us the power to move higher in You. Show each one Your love, In Your wonderful name, King Jesus. Amen
Character charms of God
Every single day we choose to put our trust in something. It could be something as small as trusting our favorite coffee pot to start on time in the morning, when we start the timer, or trusting that our car will get us to our destination, or whatever we choose to put our trust in. I want to challenge you to trust in something bigger. Believing that King Jesus is big enough to fulfill His promises. There was a man named Gideon who had to make this same decision. He was so scared of the Midianites that he hid out in a cave. He chose to beat his wheat in a winepress, this was a small hole in the ground. He didn’t want to take the chance of being seen, he was so afraid (Judges 4:6). As I was reading this passage, I could strangely relate. The enemy looks big and he’s capable of destruction if we don’t know who our Father is and the authority He has granted us as being heirs of His thrown.
As we read further in the passage, we see the Lord asking him if he will trust Him. “Then the Lord turned to him and said, go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites, I am sending you” (judges 6:14) I love this because, Gideon’s reaction was very similar to what mine would have been. He didn’t see himself stepping into this place that the Lord was calling him to, he even questioned his anointing for it. This did not change God’s mind. I love the character charms of our Father. He promised Gideon he would be with him every step of the way. Can you imagine, if God was this loving before He died, rose again and sent Holy Spirit to guide us, how much more He desires to show up for us right now. God’s promises are proven to be true.
“Peace be to you, do not fear; you shall not die, then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it, The Lord is peace. To this day it still stands in Ophrah which belongs to the Abiezrites.” (Judges 6:23-24) Something happens when the Lord shows up. His presence brings strength, even to the weakest of these. It’s almost like those things that make us cringe, are the one thing that draws Him in to hug us just a little tighter. I’m so thankful, because often I feel this in situations God’s calling me into. As I begin to step in, I feel His presence right beside me.
Can you imagine the weakest, scariest place God is asking you to step into? Now imagine Him stepping into that place and anointing you to be the overcomer you never saw yourself being. This is the strength of God. I’m beginning to see this as I begin to step out. There are areas in life that I promised I would never even move in that direction, because of the pain. Then one day I caught myself dreaming of the day I would step into what God has called me to do. This does not come to pass if I allow myself to remain at the winepress, beating my wheat. This is only done by stepping into the spirit of peace and moving in the direction He is leading. This is not easy; I’m still moving in that direction. But my prayer today is that you will decide to get up and begin to move in the direction God is calling you. This requires moving when God moves, so let’s remain in peace as we make the choice to step out.
The comfort of knowing God is in control
I’m a fixer, a problem solver and as a parent this role is comfortable. So when I bring my struggles to the lord, I find myself bringing Him my well thought out solution and only asking Him to bless it. I begin to present my quick fixes and wait for His instant praise.
But the longer I walk with God, I’m realizing this is not the way He works. His ways are not our ways; this took me more years then I would like to admit, to except. I can’t help but wonder what Gideon was thinking in his moments of fear and self doubt. Gideon wanted to hide, this was a good quick fix. Hiding meant, never having to face the enemy.
In judges 6:15 “Gideon replied, how can you save Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family.”
The Lord had a different solution in mind. This is big and I can’t seem to move on from this story. So bare with me as we move forward.
God see’s something in Gideon that he can’t see in himself, God in just one scripture back, calls him a mighty warrior. He speaks not to what Gideon sees, but to who God has made him to be. I don’t know about you, but this gets me right at my heart. When I look in the mirror most mornings, I don’t feel like a mighty warrior, but did you know that that’s how you are seen by God? His feelings for us are not bound by feelings or circumstances. God often sees our weakness and reminds us of our strengths. God calls out our potential even when others don’t see it in us. God knows who we are and who we will become.
For most of us, life is full of unacknowledged steps that God so graciously writes His story in the middle of. As we look back and evaluate each stage in life, you begin to see God’s hand all the way through it. It’s in the small intimate moments we see how God made us strong in so many areas of this life. This is the power of testimonies, even the ones we keep for ourselves as reminders that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).
Gideon was a man who was frightened most of the time, but he obeyed! When the Lord instructed him to tear down the idol of Baal that belonged to his father and build an alter to God in its place, Gideon did it at night, because he was afraid what the men and his father and townspeople would do (judges 6:27). He made a choice to confront the lies that he couldn’t do it and move forward. Today we have a secret weapon that Gideon didn’t have and that is the Holy Spirit to comfort and guide him. This should bring us courage to move forward knowing that God will never leave or forsake us and He is literally right inside us. He’s helping give us the strength to move forward.
God has given each of us a helper to help us preserver in times of trouble. Just like Gideon we might need daily confirmation that His presence is near, but if we spend time in prayer asking Him to guide us and remembering He’s better at it then we are. He will equip us for each new task. God’s amazing and He only wants good things for His children.
The strength of Gods gazes in the storm
I’ve watched as the floodwaters swirled around, daring to take us out. The waves seem so big that at times I fear, I might go under. It’s in these moments, we must decide where our trust lies. These moments define if we are intentionally speaking words of truth.
When it comes down to it, believing that God is the same God He was before the storm, will cause our faith to grow. This storm will stretch us and mold us into who God has called us to be, if we let it. It hurts right now and it seems like time will only stand still, with the possibility of the pain taking you out before the water decides to. But this moment right here, if allowed to, can draw us closer to the one who wants to comfort us with a peace that by all definition, is a peace that passes all understanding.
Isaiah 43:2 says this about a storm that seems it can never be matched “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you.” This is God’s promise. If we choose to hold onto those words, allowing them to become life in the midst of a storm that is raging and instead of feeling alone, we will know beyond all understanding that God is there with us. Even though Israel was faithless, God remained faithful to His people. God’s promises will remain with us along the way.
Do you dare to believe in a God who brings a promise like that? “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” Psalm 34:8. His presence is what reassures us that He is working on our behalf. We must keep our gaze focused on Jesus, He is with us even when we can’t feel Him. Our feelings are deceptive and they are not our true north. God says He will never leave or forsake us(Deuteronomy 31:8) this is a promise, not a feeling. We must walk by faith, this type of faith is not something we can feel or see, it’s a path we need to walk, believing that God is leading us one step at a time.
Sometimes God only reveals what we need to know today so we learn how to trust him one day at a time. We may not think we are capable, king Jesus knows the strength He has given us, and His strength makes up for wherever we lack or feel our weak. Friend, this is the promise of God. We might not understand why some things happen in our lives, but we can trust that we are loved and use every experience to craft our hearts even tighter with His. With each storm there is a promise and this promise is knitted into our hearts. He brings Hope no matter if we don’t understand they reason for the invasion from the enemy.
Storms are hard and it’s not always our first thought to see that king Jesus is at work in each situation, but I challenge you to find Him and keep your focus on Him and His comfort will calm this storm even if it’s a peace that passes all understanding. It’s not a peace that is natural, it’s a peace that only comes when our gaze is set on who He is.
In 2 Timothy 2:13, He can do the impossible. Do you believe this to be true? My heart is to encourage you today in the midst of something that feels so out of control that you can’t see the waves calming. Keep your eyes focused on the one who can calm the storm, don’t turn away. He’s never going to.
Holding onto faith in the midst of doubt
We have all experienced that moment in time, wondering when the next lighting strike will come. Wondering if we get too close, will we get struck down? These storms, no matter what kind, always feel worse than the last. When my arms are weary and my soul is battered, when life has stolen from me and left me breathless with its brutality. When the storms of life sweep in and steal our peace. Where is God in the storm?
It’s here, in the middle of everyday life that we must make the decision, are we going to allow the enemy to steal our peace? Are we going to allow him to be the victor in this story? Will we allow this stormy season to shatter our faith? This is the moment we must decide. We can either let the storms of life refine and shape us, or we can make the decision to define and reshape our identity, leaving us in a constant state of confusion.
My prayer is that you choose the latter. This is the place we come to and watch as God comes in and restores these places of fear, self-doubt, anxiety, and depression that has tried to grip ahold of you. This storm that we felt would never end is the place that He restores the broken places that we felt could never be mended. It’s in this place that we will find healing for the wounded, broken hearted places we were for sure could never be restored.
I’ve had moments when I questioned, how can a good God allow so much heart ache to fill my life and why didn’t He just stop it and turn it around? These are real emotions. I’ve cried until my eyes became swollen and I just couldn’t squeeze another tear out. I’ve asked God why and I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt, that He is right there with you and there is always a reason.
Some of the biggest storms I’ve been through have been platforms for God to show up in a big way and allowed me to show mercy, love and compassion to someone who feels bitter, and war torn just like I did. the testimony that comes from each storm has been the instrument God has used to break the yoke that has bound the victim of the roaring storm. Sometimes we have to go through the storm so that it strips away everything that we are relying on so that we can meet the one who is God in the storm.
In Isaiah 66:9 it says, “I will not cause pain without allowing something new to be born, says the Lord.” This is a promise that God will bring us back to comfort and joy. It reminds us that God is faithful and that He will not only deliver us from our troubles but also bless us abundantly. This verse assures us that God’s plans will prevail, and His promises will always be fulfilled.
We have to know the character of God. He desires to have a relationship with us. This is so important; we can’t neglect this fact. We have to remember that God is faithful, and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts and His ways are higher than our ways. His love is never ending, and He loves His children. He is faithful and if we are unsure about everything, let’s hold onto His promise.
betrayal with a kiss
The relationship between Judas Iscariot and Jesus has fascinated me for a long time. As I was thinking about this betrayal between friends, and questioning why Jesus would allow this friend to be so close. I began to imagine this picture play out. Jesus appointed Judas as his disciple and Jesus made known at the last supper that Judas would betray him. Now this right here is where I want to park for a minute, Matthew 26:50 “Judas at Gethsemane, Jesus said, Friend do what you came to do.” This was the darkest season of Jesus’s life.
Betrayal is a storm that hurts a little differently than other storms. I believe this is because it comes from an unguarded place. A place that we allow our walls to come down. This is the place we felt comfortable enough to be vulnerable. These places in our heart become the deepest wounds in our lives and one, if we let it, can define every other relationship we attempt to have. I believe this is why it’s in the Bible, to breathe life back into this broken place inside us. Jesus was not caught off guard by this situation, He predicted it before it ever happened. Yet, Judas remained close enough to kiss Him.
Now, as we keep reading, we see Peter watching all this take place and his reaction is a posture of war. This touched Peter at his home, the place he felt safe and was not having it. His posture says, if you want a fight, then you’ve got one! Peter cut off the guard’s ear, this guard was not expecting it. Malchus was one of the guards that had come to arrest Jesus. A posture of war is the place I find myself in when I have been betrayed, I’m ready for war. I become focused on the hurt, I have no tolerance for any of these hurtful actions.
Before Jesus had an opportunity to answer, Peter swung into action and did something outrageous and utterly bizarre! He gripped the sword and impulsively swung down, slicing right past the head of the high priest’s servant. Imagine how shocked Jesus must have been to see Peter lop this poor man’s ear right off and then to watch the severed ear fall into the dirt on the ground! John 18:10 tells us that Peter “…smote the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear….”
This is what anger looks like when the seed falls. Bitterness tries to grip us and we lose sight of freedom. There was a plan and a purpose, and this moment was used for Jesus to show His love. This was the moment that Jesus was preparing for. What a beautiful picture of love, even if Peter could not see it at this moment. I do believe King Jesus is the author of healing for these places of betrayal and He guides us with discernment.
King Jesus has guided us through to the heart of betrayal and this is where we must trust that He will show us the perfect direction that we are supposed to move in. We must live in a place of love and forgiveness, but we also must learn to walk away and allow Him to restore our brokenness. We have a choice, to forgive and lay it in His hands or let a callous form on our heart. King Jesus calls us to forgiveness; so that our hearts stay pure. War is not always the answer, we must ask the Holy Spirit to guide and give us direction.
I love that we are not living this life by ourselves. Our steps are ordered by the Lord.
The Words that Restore
What does it mean to be seen? Have you ever really asked yourself this question? “Nobody sees me.” It’s a statement I’ve heard used when someone feels lost, invisible or just plain unnoticed. This is not necessarily a feeling we feel because there is a lack of people around, this is a feeling that is caused by a lack of hope.
Without God, we lack this hope, life feels like there is no purpose, and without hope, life really has no meaning. With God, we begin to see value and significance. We begin to realize that it’s not God who has a vision problem- it’s us. Right now we only see in part, while He is the one who sees the whole picture. I’m not unseen when I’m unable to see God’s hand move within my day-to-day activities, and neither are you.
In Genesis 16:13, we read about Hagar; it says these beautiful words that capture my attention every time I read them. “So, she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, ‘you are the God of seeing,’ for she said, ‘truly I have seen him who looks after me.”
If we step back a bit, we see that because Sari could not have a child, she told Abraham to take her servant and marry her so she could bear him a son. Now, I could have seen the problem a mile away and my heart breaks for both women. They both feel so unseen and lost, but this is not the case for either woman, and though Sari and Abraham tried to conceive Gods promise in their own strength, God was determined to reveal Himself in their weakness. Sari, determined to remind Hagar of her place, only results in Hagar running away.
This is the place she is convinced that she is alone, Hagar found herself in desperate circumstances. Running, on her own, trapped in the grip of pride and fear. Despairing in her loneliness and hopelessness, she had given up. At this low point of her life, the Lord found her, clarified her identity and direction, and spoke words that restored her.
We are only seeing part of the picture. He sees you. He sees your wounds and your worries. He sees your heart and your hopes. And, if you are a child of God, He’s right there with you. King Jesus never turns a blind eye to His people. He is the God who sees us, the God who is always looking for a heart willing to trust in Him.
God did not only see Hagar, but He also found her. To be found is to be pursued, sought after, longed for. The same God who pursued Hagar, is the same God who is pursuing us today. He has pursued us even while we were yet sinners. Sending His one and only Son Jesus to die in our place so we may have access to His presence and comfort, especially in our suffering. This is the amazing love that our Father has for all His children.
As I close this blog, I want you to know that God will never leave or forsake you. He promises to be with us wherever we go. He is with us through the good times and the hard times. God doesn’t leave us, but we can step away from Him and this is when loneliness creeps in. Don’t feel discouraged, all you need to do is call out His name! He’s right there waiting.
All you have to do it ask
One by one I heard truth from the Lord to counter each lie. My heart longed to know what was holding me back. I began to cross the lies off one by one and I realized my identity was in what I was doing for God and not in who my God is. I listened as the parables of the parodical son was read in Luke 15:11-32, I had heard this sermon preached a thousand times, I could have recited it to anyone who asked. This thought circled around, and I realized this is my problem, I need to look at it in a different light. I have been a Christian all my life, grew up as a pastor’s daughter and in my younger years slept many long services on the church pew while my dad held long revivals.
As I got older and got married, I was proud that I raised my kids to know God for themselves and not just through me. This was very important. I had checked off all my boxes. I pondered on this scripture, in verse 25 it says, “Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.” The older brother had done everything right. He just now realizes it was for nothing, this is what he was thinking. He asks the servant what is going on? The servant tells him of the feast and the fattened calf. The brother is angry and refuses to celebrate. His father comes out and asks him why and the older brother begins to tell him about all the years he was there, he respected and did everything he asked. The son did not understand. Now, right here in verse 32 is where I want us to sit “And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.”
As I heard this verse and the Holy Spirit. The phrase “all he would have had to do is ask” this phrase sounded like it was being screamed in my ear. The father said, “What is mine is yours.” If he had just asked, he could have had a fattened calf every day of the week. This got me at my heart. So many times, I find my identity in the things I’m doing for God that I forget His grace and I get upset and wonder, do you not see what I’ve done for you? I catch myself acting like the older brother. I sat there in a place I’ve not been in a long time. My identity was in the things I did, I felt like I was owed, and this is a very dangerous place to be. I stopped and repented, changing my direction.
So many times, in life we can’t see the direction God is taking us and the first thing the enemy does is blind us. The enemy knows the power is in the eyes. As I write out this testimony, I wonder how many of us need this reminder. God’s grace is covering us all. His love does not change. All we must do is ask. Some of the most difficult positions I’ve put myself in, is because I thought if I had enough faith it would happen. Faith is important, but we need to take it to the father and ask him to bear the load. You were not created to take on the burdens.
We tend to make asking God for help the last thing we do when it needs to be the first thing we do. It’s communing with our Father. My prayer today is that you will not carry your burden alone, just give it to the one who calls you, His child.
Flavor of sacrifice
Have you ever noticed when jolted by unexpected circumstances, our fear response tends to unleash a strength and courage we never knew we possessed? This is a response I’ve experienced many times, leaving me with questioning the type of legacy I’m going to leave the generations that are to come. David, in the Bible, made such an impression on God’s heart that several generations after David died, God was still reminding them that the only reason they are still alive is because of the promise He made David. In 2 Samuel 7:16, Your family and your kingdom are permanently secured. I'm keeping my eye on them! And your royal throne will always be there, rock solid."
There was something about the mark that David left on God’s heart that caused Him to react sovereignly in the generations that followed him. In 1 kings 11:12, we see another example of this promise, this was several generations after David passed that God still stayed true to His word “Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son.”
I believe that it is so important to live now for an impact on the next generations that come after us. The legacy that we leave, the prayers we pray, the declarations that we proclaim, these are all promised because of King Jesus and He comes from the linage of David.
As my third daughter prepares to graduate and take on this new season in her life, my prayer is that every move I’ve prayerfully considered was to equip her for such a time as this. Some would think that this time around would be easier, but it still stings a bit. It’s the letting go and presenting it as a flavorful offering and trusting that God is in control.
I want my life and my legacy to be forged from the seeds I’ve sown into the lives of my children, my grandchildren and the lives each one of us touch daily. This has been met with trial and error as I’ve made some good decisions and some, I’ve had to have the grace of God invade because I’ve missed it. It’s ok, if we miss it, we repent with a heart ready to change.
In this life, we are met with situations that can cause us discouragement, but if we stay there, we become bitter. I’ve been bitter and this is the place we become complacent and feel justified, this place is comfortable and slowly it feels good to stay here. I don’t want to feel good; I want to see freedom. My prayer is that the generations that follow will know freedom, and for this to happen, I must first walk in it and show them it can be done. I believe, to overcome bitterness we need strength and to find strength, we must repent for coming into covenant with this spirit and asking God to invade with His Holy Spirit. This is legacy, asking God to invade those areas we have been bound in and showing them with a road map for freedom. I believe this is the promise God left us as we move into the spiritual blessings God has promised.
The Wisdom that is Threaded Must Never be Forgotten
The story of our legacies. What does this very word mean to the next generation? Have you ever just contemplated the very words that are going to be placed on your tombstone when you die? I have, many times. What are the most important words I want to use to describe who I am? This thought has crossed my mind a time or two. This is kinda of an important question. As I contemplated the question, I was brought to the story of Zelophehad's five daughters, pleading to inherit their father's land. Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah, and Tirzah.
This caught my eye at first because my granddaughter’s name is Noah. The story of these 5 women is significant because it didn't just change their situation; it affected the rules of land inheritance for all of Israel. Historically this land would have been passed down to the closest male relative.
Numbers 27:4, “Why should our father’s name disappear from his clan because he had no son? Give us property among our father’s relatives.”
This legacy affected every generation after this one. This is the kind of legacy I strive to leave the generation that follows me. We as women, can not stay quiet any longer while the legacy of our children is taken from them. Let’s be brave and courageous and fight for those places that affect the very comfort that surrounds our children.
As I’ve stepped into this season of life, this topic of legacy has gripped my heart. It’s more than a will of natural wealth. It goes deeper into foundational spiritual wealth and legacy. God has threaded amazing individuals throughout our children’s past that they will never encounter in this life, but these individuals have prayed into the very fabric in which they were raised. These blessings need to be claimed and called into existence, because these are promises that God has given.
Do you know the promise of your family? The sign of maturity, I believe, in God, is preparing the way for the next generation. Paving a way in prayer and following the direction that God is leading. This is something worth fighting for. These women could have claimed defeat and instead made provisions to maybe let this land be taken and merged with a different purpose than theirs. The book of Numbers fascinates me. This book is so full of legacy and promise, it makes my very being get excited. God created us to move in this direction. The enemy is fighting so hard to destroy the areas that have been built for us to remember.
I believe this is why journaling is so important, we need to find some way to remember God’s promises. Writing down the words spoken over us and our children is a good place to start. Paying attention to the numbers that God highlights and dreams that pierce the very core of who we are.
God did not leave us to figure this life out on our own. He places generations of people to help cultivate this life and the wisdom that is threaded, must never be forgotten. This is the legacy of the family. Family is a big deal and my heart longs for this promise as my children get older. Preparing the way for the next generation has become the core of every decision I make.
My favorite part is when Moses took it to the Lord and in Numbers 27:7, “The daughters of Zelophehad are justified and speak correctly. You shall surely give them an inheritance among their father's brethren, and you shall cause their father's inheritance to pass to them.”
The anointing in the posture of praise
There is a moment in praise that captures me in this wind of anointing that awakens every cell in my body. It’s like when heaven touches the earth and I’m caught between my environment and God’s glory. His glory fills the room and I’m lost. I’ve never been much of a singer, but I love to worship. The beauty of worship is that even if I’m off tune, I can decide to enter into His presence and God loves this more than what I may sound or look like.
This idea of worship being a heart posture begins to take pressure off because we don’t have to perform or make it super hard. We only must commune with an audience of one. In this season of so much uncertainty, the one thing we can be certain of is that we are covered in God’s love and our worship can happen anytime. The Holy Spirit has taken over our life, and our bodies have become that sacred space. Oh, how sweet it is to have a love like King Jesus.
We see in Revelation, four living creatures, the elders joined in worship, laying down their golden crowns at the feet of God, falling before Him in abject worship. Through their actions in Revelation 4:11, they physically acknowledged that everything they had belonged to God and that He alone deserved glory and honor. They joined in the song of praise, saying, “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You have created all things, and because of Your will they existed and were created.” And perhaps in their example, is the definition of worship for Christians here on earth—recognizing that all things belong to God and that He alone is truly worthy of praise and honor.
The one thing we do know about these creatures is, they were created to worship God. The lion represents the royal king illustrated in Matthew. The ox symbolizes the servant Jesus exhibited in Mark. The man denotes the Son of Man mentioned throughout Luke. Finally, the eagle signifies the Son of God revealed in John.
I catch myself in seasons of chaos, accumulating burdens that are not meant to be carried. I immediately have to redirect my thoughts. This is not always automatic, but it should be something we purposely strive towards. In God's power we are made perfect in our weakness, so let us praise our God in all His glory and let His power rest on us (2 Corinthians 2:9).
There will be days when your emotions convince you that being sad and depressed is the right direction to go, because it has become our place of familiarity and at some level, it has become comfortable. I challenge you to not walk by your emotions, they are not reliable. One reliable thing is the word of God, and it says, our God is worthy of praise and that in our weakness, we magnify His power. I don’t know about you, but I want to walk in His footsteps, making sure to always praise our God.
The voice of promise not fear
Staring aimlessly at an unknown future can cause fear and a voice to rise that is unfamiliar to everything we profess. We begin to question the promises that God has spoken to us, the decisions we have made, and the intentions of the people we love. This peace that God has called us to use as a weapon against the evil one, has been forgotten and our sense of peace is captured. Because of this gift of peace being replaced with the spirit of fear, we might feel restrained not truly understanding the words good intentional people say like “don’t fear” as the scripture read.
If we allow these words to roll off our tongues as just passing phrases and unintentionally forget the power that was woven through each word that was meant to deeply imprint God’s breath of life upon our hearts, we will miss out on hearing God speak directly into these places we know are too hard for us to face. I want you to hear these words from Isaiah 41:13. As words that are living and breathing, words sent just for your heart, spoken directly from God. “ For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who says to you, Fear not, I am the one who helps you.”
In this verse, God is speaking directly to us, there is no mistaking this. These words are spoken with power and love. Right after God tells us to fear not, God takes ahold of your right hand. When my children need comfort they take my hand so they know we are connected. This verse says His right hand. Today this symbolism does not hold the weight it has in past generations. If we look back, the right hand is a source of strength, of authority, of sovereignty, of blessing and most importantly, in this context, of friendship. God takes our hand because His relationship to us is that close, and this is when He gets close enough to lean in and whisper “do not fear” I will help you. These words seem so simple, but when we hear these words coming from our Heavenly Father, the terror of darkness disappears. We stand just a little taller knowing that He never left, because though our feelings are fleshly, His Words are promise.
In Isaiah 51:16 it reads, “ and I put my words in your mouth and covered you in the shadow of my hands”.
Caught squarely in the jaws of captivity and exile at the hands of the Babylonians, the nation of Israel faced dire circumstances. God called the prophet Isaiah to not only deliver stern messages of judgment due to their disobedience, but also to shine slivers of hope into their darkest seasons.
I don’t want to just shine a sliver of hope. I want to remind you of God’s promise and if the voice that comes is a strange voice speaking things that are lies and fear, I want to remind you that you have the authority to remind the enemy that you are a child of God bought with a price. He reaches out His right hand and He covers you in His shadow. This is powerful truth! We have to make the decision to follow the voice of the breath of life that comes from the word of God and when we can’t hear Him speak, go back to the last thing He told you to do, You will find Him there. His voice speaks promise and even if He is correcting us, He still speaks promise, hope and love.
Defiant Peace
All I wanted to do was eat my breakfast and drink my coffee in peace with no noise and this shortly ended when my phone rang. This situation had stolen my peace and I was confused about how to get this peace that I had carefully longed for all morning back again. I sat down to pray and listen for the whisper I needed to hear. I leaned in and realized that it never left, I only allowed the enemy’s voice to get louder. Sometimes we must have defiant peace, this means boldly resisting the confusion of the enemy meant for harm.
Sometimes we have to be defiant with our emotions and the obstacles that are primed to steal our peace and turn that place into a place of worship. Our emotions serve a purpose and as women, we tend to let them guide us. I believe these emotions are important, but we must always ask ourselves what is the core of this emotion and why am I having it? Be bold and refuse to allow the enemy to clutter up that place God has given to you. This place of peace comes from a sacred space that you cultivate with Holy Spirit. Resting in that place is where God has called us to.
“I will go away but I will give you a gift of peace. It is mine to give and yours to keep. It is not like a gift that this world gives. Do not let yourselves be sad. Do not be afraid.”
John 14:27 (Easy)
The word peace shows up in the Bible 450 times, and in Isaiah 9:6, it describes King Jesus as the prince of peace. I am a true feeler and I feel the emotions of others and atmospheres on a deeper level than say my husband, who is described as more of a knower and logically sees life. This situation always makes me laugh because we have had to learn about each other and God’s ways with opposite methods, but we keep each other grounded and this is important. Feelings are important, but like any gift from God, it’s important to learn to grow and allow God to work through these areas in life. I have to ask myself regularly why am I feeling this way? When I’m in prayer, my heart will break for the lost or I will begin to feel the confusion that is surrounding a room and this is how I am led to pray. This is important because people tend to dismiss this type of person as overly dramatic or overly emotional and they dismiss the complement this is, to say a logical person who only sees life in one way. These two examples are important because at times you will hear them both say, God does not talk to me. After all, the way He speaks is a little different.
I bring this up because, peace is a gift we all need, and if we can clear the clutter and the noise, we can find that God is speaking, just differently. To one, it’s through emotion and to the other it’s through a knowing that God is close.
The enemy has been working overtime to bring panic on others and steal the peace that the Bible talks about. I find myself on repeat, but this is important. Peace is a weapon that God has given us to kick the devil in the face and I refuse to take it without declaring Justice in the face of each attack. I will not be silent in the battle that the enemy refuses to back down from. We have the authority to take this peace back, it’s time we are defiant in the way we respond. Not only for peace, but for hope and joy. We must be bold in refusing to let this go. Depression, hopelessness and fear all come from the enemy, and I refuse to let him win.
Defiant Trust
When I first started going to the church that God has brought us to. I remember asking the Holy Spirit where I fit in. We want this not to matter, but it does. The conversation with the Lord put my mind at ease when He showed me a picture of Moses with Aaron and Hur lifting his hands in battle. The Israelites conquered as long as Moses had his hands lifted in surrender.
This picture is one I’ve cherished because God made this image with such an impression I could not shake it, even now, three years later. God has placed a special call on our leaders and at times seeing the big picture of where God is taking the church in these uncertain times, can make us doubt everything including the words God has shown us. It becomes hard to trust because of hurt and so much conflict in the body of Christ. As I raised these questions in prayer, I heard the firm but sweet whisper, I’ve planted you here to come alongside these people, I only want you to lift them up in this time for battle.
At times we feel like we need to be heard and to voice our opinions, but there is a time when we acknowledge that though this feels so familiar, we know that in this season, the only thing God is asking us to do is support this battle that our leaders and pastors have heard God lay at their feet.
Exodus 17:11-13
“As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. 12 When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. 13 So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.
As I continue to have defiant Peace, this means to boldly resist. My challenge has been to have a defiant trust as well. One of the strongest words that have been spoken over my life has been this truth. I want to speak them over yours as well. “When you feel you don’t know which way to go, do not stay in the middle of the road. Go back to where God last spoke to you”. God isn’t being quiet because he is mad, He is sometimes just waiting for us to line back up with His words.
Being able to trust is not always a word we are familiar with, we have concrete evidence that proves our case in why we have chosen to not trust those who are in charge. But, if we decide to live this truth, we are not permitting the Holy Spirit to move. Giving Him the freedom to replace bitter fruit with fresh fruit. This comes from abiding in who He is. King Jesus paid the price and because of this, we must walk in defiant truth. I love movies where justice is given. I know a lot of us walk this out in our Christian walk and we pledge to not trust anyone in authority. This my friend becomes a heart matter that needs to be peeled away, so God can bring the body together and function as the bride of Christ.
Once we decide to belong to a church, we must then realize that we are all longing for God’s direction, and being connected grounds you and protects you. The enemy fights this because he doesn’t want us to realize this power, he only wants us to focus on all the things that make us want to shrink back. This is a fight worth fighting for.
The sword that separates truth
How did I get here, my thoughts were spiraling as I threw myself on the bed. I reminded myself, I knew better and I believed God’s words. I began to pray that this particular feeling of being afraid to fail would go away. I don’t know about you, but in some situations, I begin to feel paralyzed by these feelings and when I notice it, I stop what I’m doing and force myself to be still. I make myself recognize that these are not the words that King Jesus has called me to agree with.
Slowly, these quiet thoughts come at us, thoughts that we are not good enough and the most common one I’ve heard is, you are just broken and destined for failure. Once we agree with these thoughts, they creep in and slowly become part of our belief system. These lies from the enemy plant a seed that speaks death to our destiny and our identity, building up a stronghold. My prayer for each of us, is that we recognize these lies before they take root.
The enemy is tricky, and it seems harmless when we agree with him. But, brick by brick we accept these lies as truth. These lies become a part of us and that’s when we need the sword of truth to separate and cut the root. This lie is like a red thread that is stuck and we must pull that thread until we truly know where the root is hiding.
Hebrews 4:12
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
The word of truth is what separates the lies of the enemy from God’s promises of Hope and a future. We have to ask God to breathe His breath into these areas of our lives, filling them with His grace. God promises us winds of change, and the enemy keeps us bound and restricted. I've not done this perfectly, but looking back cannot be an option. God calls us to keep our eyes on Him and to do this we have to keep facing Him. He is in our future, not in our past.
I believe God redeems our time and by doing this, He is still moving us forward. This progression and forward movement is His plan. As we look forward, towards Him, relying on His words slowly, our belief system begins to change. Our words begin to change and we begin to act like true sons and daughters of God. Freedom becomes part of our vocabulary again, and though situations can still be hard, we are not bound by them. Bondage no longer can stand up against God's words of life. The sword of truth has now been activated to cut right through these lies so the truth can rise and we find comfort in what is spoken in His words. It’s a fight of faith that must be fought so we can push through into what is truth.
I’m captivated by God’s love for me and I have to decide if I truly believe He is good. This is an important heart reflection. To believe truth, we have to believe He is good to fulfill His words. Take a minute today and close your eyes, and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal His goodness and love. This will help you believe that He is good, and he will perform His promises.