Choose This Day...


 

The Lord dumped this info into my mind recently while I was praying - along with the words "don't live on the bubble" haha  God is so fun!

It's become more and more clear to me that I have a daily choice to make between the world and the Spirit.

I've lived virtually my entire life by the world.  The world is LOUD and demanding and it's so easy to simply get swept up in it's urgency and silly concerns.

By contrast, the invitation to life by the Spirit is much gentler.  Quiet.  Patient.  It's painfully easy to set it aside to deal with the urgent noise and stress of the world.

But I've noticed something important...even when I'm responding to EVERY single need the world puts on me, I'm left lacking.  Empty.  Sad.  Disappointed. Lonely.  It doesn't matter if I "have it all", if the bank account is full, or if I'm surrounded by people.  There's still a longing in me that tugs hard on my heart.  The world would say I should just work harder.  Get up earlier.  Grind and work and strive.

What IS that deep longing?  

It's a HOLY longing.

It's a longing for the deep things of the One who created me.  For His voice.  For His smile.  For His presence. There's nothing like it.

The natural next question is "how do I satisfy that holy longing?"

The answer....NOT "on the bubble"!

Balance is overrated, friends.  WAY overrated.  

Balance is compromise and exchanges and sacrifice. 
Balance is LUKEWARM

In some situations in this fallen world, compromise is good and necessary.  But God doesn't want the compromised "balanced" pieces of us that remain after we work a full day of chasing the dollar and stressing to get the approval of man.

He wants us ALL IN.

And really, there's no other way.  Just as a ball on a seesaw can't roll both ways at the same time...it can't roll a bit to the left and a bit to the right....it must go ALL one way or the other...we, to must "Choose this day who to serve" (Josh 24:15)

Easy to say, more challenging to do 

The choice is made in the battlefield of the mind.  In the tugging of the emotions.  In the shifting ways of the human will.  We are, after all, in the flesh at the moment.  And again, the flesh is LOUD.  And typically very hungry for pleasures of the world.

This is the "dying to self" we're called to - this daily choice of laying down the things of the world/flesh so that we can be all in for the things of the Spirit.  He's given us a spirit of self-control for a reason...I'm pretty sure it's because we need it as His followers ;-)

Please don't hear what I'm not saying.  I'm NOT saying we're called to a life of misery and suffering and poverty (unless you are).  I'm NOT saying that life in the flesh is nothing.  I'm NOT saying that I'm good at this!

I'm still figuring it out.

Life in the flesh has beauty and purpose.

We are called to "taste and see" that the the Lord is good.  Life in this world is meant to be BEAUTIFUL and ABUNDANT.  God is the greatest of Fathers and He gives incredible gifts to His children.  He's the most generous, loving, and patient Father you'll ever know.

What I AM saying is that we can only be in a position to live in the abundance that He offers when we stop trying to cling to all the stuff of the world and surrender... let the ball roll all the way to His side of the seesaw ;-) 

In that surrender...in that letting go...we find ALL that we're looking for.  Even (especially!) the satisfaction of that holy longing.  

So today I choose to live from my place seated with Jesus Himself (Eph 2:6).  I choose to serve the Lord and His purposes.  I choose to worship instead of grind.  I choose to be free and joyful.  I choose to measure everything that comes at me (including/especially my own thoughts) by the Word of God. 

I choose to believe that since Jesus taught us to pray "on Earth as it is in Heaven", it's God's will to do just that. 





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How's Your Soil?


 

I had a real wakeup call yesterday!

To appreciate my experience yesterday, I need to give a smidge of backstory.  I've been hearing "established by the laying on of hands" (see Romans 1:11) in my spirit very clearly and strongly for the last 18 months.  As we've prayed and sought the Lord during this time, my church family has been enjoying AMAZING blessing from the Lord.  I feel like I'm living the book of Acts - healings, deliverance, salvations, and the presence of God within my church family like never before.  It's been incredible.

And yet...I have this deep longing for MORE.  When I pray, the Lord gives me the the same answer about seeking Him with all my heart and being "established by the laying on of hands".

Ok, Lord, I'll do that.  Show me how!

I was led to a "random" (there is no random ;-) ) sermon by a semi-famous revivalist.  AND I learned that he's doing a preaching tour for the specific purpose of impartation by the laying on of hands!  I knew immediately that I'm meant to go see him in person.

I got the Lord's nod.

I got my husband's blessing.

I got my pastor's blessing.

I was *giddy* with excitement!

But I decided to give it a couple days to really just be SURE before spending all that money it would take to fly there, pay the registration fee, rent a car, stay in a hotel, and feed myself for several days away from home.  I was planning on getting everything booked yesterday.

And then a day or so ago... (very random curve ball coming your way)... I got it in my head that it's time to purchase an iPad.  I LOVE new tech.  Like...LOOVVEE new tech.  It's a major weak spot for me haha!

I shopped the different models, decided on the color, and had all the accessories picked out.

My heart raced with excitement at the anticipation!

But as I drove around town trying to find just the model and color I wanted, I became increasingly grumpy and irritable.  Angry even. 

A Choice


I finally realized that it was the money that was bothering me.  iPads are not exactly cheap...do we really have the money for both the trip I wanted to go on AND a new iPad?

UGH.  I really wanted that iPad!

But I decided to go home empty-handed, and I was NOT happy about it!  I basically went home, booked the trip, and then had a pity party for the rest of the evening like some sort of toddler lol

I will seek the Lord, and He will add all else to me.  I know this.  I'll wait for Him to make a way for an iPad if it's useful to my work.

Please don't misunderstand - I say the above with hope and eager expectation...NOT with pride that I chose more of the Lord over a new toy (boy, when written like that it sounds utterly ridiculous!) 

If anything, I feel a bit of shame in how long it took me to choose, and for the resulting pity party that I allowed to ruin my mood all evening.


The Soil of My Heart

Ok...fast forward to today, when I was spending time with the Lord and apologizing to Him for my immaturity and ridiculousness haha

I opened my Bible, and my eyes landed on the parable of the sower and soils in Mark chapter 4.  I encourage you to go read it now and really consider the soil of your own heart...that's what the Lord had me do today.

As I read it, I had the impression that the Lord was telling me that yesterday's experience was one of Him tending to the soil of my heart...a PREPARATION.

Do you know that God Himself prepares your surrendered heart to receive what He has for you?  He is the Potter to the clay...the Gardener to the garden...the Creator to the created.

Note that I said your SURRENDERED heart - He will not force Himself on you.  He will not drag you kicking and screaming.  He asks for my participation - my surrender...and THEN He goes to work.

That's not to say that the work He does is always pleasant.  Shall I say it again?  I REALLY wanted that iPad!

But look what happens if the soil of our hearts is not well prepared:

  • Satan can easily steal from us
  • We receive with joy from the Lord, but we're too weak to weather difficulties
  • We receive from the Lord, but we're easily deceived by riches
  • We receive from the Lord, but desires for other things destroy fruitfulness (hello...other things...how many times have I choses some "other thing" over the Lord?!)

But those who's soil is GOOD enjoy the promise of bearing massive fruit in their lives for the Kingdom of God.  

Oh, Lord, let that be me!



Lord, I surrender my heart to you.  Please continue to work in me to remove the rocks that cause shallow soil, and the weeds that choke out Your Word.  Purify my heart to hear the Word, accept it, and bear fruit thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.

Please bless my upcoming trip so that I learn and experience more of You, and that I am established for the work You have for me.

To Your glory, Jesus...and to the advancement of Your kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven.



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Why Doubt?


 

I've read this story at least 100 times. How God can teach me something new from it yet AGAIN...is just incredible 😂

This story speaks to me today because lately, the Lord hasn't been "behaving as we'd expect" - I've seen and heard SO much pushback and fear and doubt and "concern" about the way church looks these days.

It's sometimes loud
Messy
Some would say irreverent
Some might even say scary

It's not chaotic. It's still orderly and peaceful and joyful, but it's not "normal" either. It's ALIVE like it's never been.

God's been super clear...He's not content to sit around in the tidy little box we so often like to try and squeeze Him into.

Praying in tongues.
Deliverance from demons.
Physical healing.
Emotional worship.

I've seen it ALL in just the last couple months. And, praise God, it's intensifying instead of "calming down" (more, Lord!)

This can make people UNCOMFORTABLE

Let me ask you...who did Jesus make uncomfortable?

Pretty much everyone!

This story is a great example. His best friends SAW HIM with their own eyes as He walked on water.

What was their reaction? Was it "Wow! That's amazing!" or "Jesus, you can do anything!"

Some argue that they didn't recognize who He was, but that's not what the Word says. It says very clearly "the disciples saw Him walking on the sea"

And what was their reaction? "...and they were terrified"

Terrified

Their very human brains jumped right into disbelief and they tried to rationalize it away..."It's a ghost!" they said.

It was easier to believe that a scary ghost was walking their way than it was to believe that the same Jesus who'd just fed thousands with a couple loaves of bread was walking on the water.

Fear and doubt...the terrible rational human condition.

Peter was the first to break through the fear and doubt, and he says "let me join you in this miracle!" I like to imagine Jesus smiling a big joyful smile at Peter as he said "come!"

And then, Peter stepped out. He didn't fret or over-analyze. He didn't pause to consider what might happen. He didn't weigh the pros and cons. He didn't compare the Jesus right in front of Him with Scripture.

He KNEW Jesus, saw the invitation, and he simply stepped out of the boat and

walked.
on.
water.

And THEN Peter realized the situation was a bit scarier than he'd bargained for. He started focusing on his fear. He was probably thinking "is this real?"..."am I crazy?"..."am I safe?"

Of course, we know that what happened next was that Peter began to sink and he called out for help from Jesus.

IMMEDIATELY, Jesus reached out and rescued him. "Why did you doubt?", He asked.

That's the question of the day...why do we doubt? When He's been SO GOOD to prove Himself faithful and capable, why do I doubt?

🔥O𝘩 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥, 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭. 𝘋𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘻𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘺. 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵. 𝘖𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘚𝘌𝘌 𝘠𝘖𝘜 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘣𝘪𝘨 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘫𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘐 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘫𝘰𝘺𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘫𝘰𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘴!

𝘎𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘨𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘴, 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 - 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳, 𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘵 -- 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘣 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘦.

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯'𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥, 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥.

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴...𝘈𝘕𝘋 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴, 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨...𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳! 🥰

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Make Me a Fool!

 Oh, how the Word spoke to my heart this morning!

I was in Mark 14:

3- While He was in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper, and reclining at the table, there came a woman with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure nard; and she broke the vial and poured it over His head.
4- But some were indignantly remarking to one another, "why has this perfume been wasted?
5- "For this perfume might have been sold for over 300 denarii, and the money given to the poor" And they were scolding her.
6 - But Jesus said, "Let her alone; why do you bother her? She has done a good deed to me."

What a beautiful contrast between "religion" and just a pure and simple heart of love for Jesus!

The religious spirit loves to be "indignant".

The religious spirit loves to have it's people "remarking to one another".

The religious spirit loves to make the claim that anything illogical is "wasted".

The religious spirit hides itself behind "good deeds" and tradition and self-righteousness. it loves for it's people to gather and "remark to one another" as they encourage one another in their superiority over the fools.

On the contrary, life in the Spirit has us often doing the foolish, reckless, abandoned to love for Jesus, radically generous thing. He would have us pour out every valuable earthy thing as a sacrifice at the feet of Jesus, and we would do it happily.

Truly, the things of God - the good and pure and true things- they are mere foolishness to the "wise" of the world!

🔥 𝘓𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘦, 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥! 𝘔𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘺! 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱. 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘥. 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘺 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯, 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘈𝘓𝘓 𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯. 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘬. 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘮𝘦, 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘵. 𝘓𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 "𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥" 𝘪𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘓𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘮 💕



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Are You Ready to Believe for What You HAVEN'T Seen?


I have this beautiful sign on our mantle - it’s been a favorite of mine for years.  And now, I love it even more, because God used it to correct me this week. It’s a lesson I’ll never forget.

As I was praying recently, the Lord drew my attention to this sign and He asked me to read it,

“Yes Lord, I know it well.
  It says, ‘walk by faith, not by sight’”

“That’s right, daughter.
  Tell me....What are some of the things you have faith for?”

“Well you know my heart, Lord.
  You want me to actually list them?”

“Yes” (I could sense a patient and mischievous smile on His face)

“Ok, well…this might take a while!
  I have faith for lots of things!  I have faith that I am loved and saved.  I have faith that You are with me.  I have faith that the Holy Spirit is working even today as He did in the time of the Bible.  I have faith that you can and do physically heal people today.  I have faith that you deliver your people from the bondage of the enemy.  I have faith that you are Provider. I have faith that you speak to your people and we can actually hear your voice. You guide us daily. I could go on.  Do you want me to keep going?”

“No, that will do just fine.
  Are you ready for the Truth?  Really ready?”

“Of course, Lord.
  What am I missing?  Please be gentle!”

Here’s the Truth:  you have faith for NONE of those things.”

“But I do!
  I really do!”

“I know you think you do, but you are mistaken.
  You misunderstand faith.  Remember what my Word says about faith?  What is faith?”

A verse flits through my mind, and I go to my Bible to pull it up…

“Ok, this is what it says in Hebrews:
  ‘Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.’”

“Correct, daughter.
  What stands out to you about that verse AND about the Truth on your sign?”

“Ummm…I’m not sure…something about ‘seen’ and ‘sight’?”

“Yes!
  Now do you understand?”

“Well…no.
  Help me out, Lord.”

He blew my mind and stunned me to silence with such simple words:
  “All of the things you said that you have faith for, you’ve literally seen happen with your own eyes.  That’s not faith.  Faith is believing for things you haven’t seen yet.  You have not been walking by faith…you have been walking by sight!”

I sat in silence and waited for the quaking of my world to settle down and re-establish itself on the foundation of His Truth.
  I couldn’t tell if I wanted to weep or laugh!  To be honest, I did a little of both.

All this while, I could sense Him with me.
  I could feel His tenderness and patience. 

And finally, He said,
“Are you ready?  Are you ready to believe what I’ve promised even though you haven’t seen it yet? Are you ready to really walk by faith?”


🔥
Oh Lord, please give me faith for things unseen.  I surrender my “logical” and “reasonable” thinking to You.  Please take my mind and transform it according to Your Truth. Your Word is TRUTH.  Help me to fully embrace and believe it.

My doubts and fears are in contradiction to Your Truth, therefore my doubts are LIES. Deliver me, oh Lord, from the lies of the enemy and of my own small understanding.

Help me to “walk by FAITH, and not by sight!

Amen

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