Our Words

I had the pleasure of going to the grocery store with both of my children today.  They are quite well-behaved but this particular grocery store is ALWAYS busy and the aisles seem extra tight.  My kids like to ride, one on each side, which keeps them conveniently near and gives me one less thing to worry about.  Well today, of course, seemed extra busy and we were doing our best to stay out of the way of others.  We had passed an older gentleman once and he seemed slightly perturbed by the girth of my cart.  Low and behold, we ended up in the next aisle with him.  This time we did have a problem, because there was a supporting beam going down one side of the aisle, and then in my lane a box of halloween candy blocking the path.  These obstacles changed it from a two-lane path to more of a one and a half-lane.  Of course, my kids were preoccupied with each other, chatting across the cart, so it took me an extra second to inform them that they needed to get off to make room for this man to pass.  In the meantime, the man got very upset, shaking his cart and saying "g-dammit" kind of under his breath.  We passed by going in our opposite directions.

Normally, this event would be very upsetting to me.  I was racking my brain of "what I could say" if we happened to pass ways again... However, the Holy Spirit nicely reminded me of some of the things I've been contemplating lately.  The first was a post from Alisa Hope Wagner's blog, called Stop Cursing.  It's a tremendous article (that I highly recommend you stop by to read) but the gist of it was that our words have power to them.  We have the power to bring life and death to people.  The thoughts in her article, were later re-affirmed to me when I read Ascent from Darkness.  Because of both of those readings, I've become acutely aware of the power of our thoughts and words, and I've had no desire to be an unconscious participant in satan's business.

So as I pushed my cart down the aisles I spent time in prayer, "Lord, how would you have me to react to this man?" I was reminded of the Scriptures, which say to bless those who curse you, to pray for your enemies.  So I began to pray for that man.  I don't know what happened in his day, or his life for that manner to make him so angry at that moment. But as I prayed I was filled with compassion for him, and prayed that the untapped value in him would be revealed and that he would know the power and the love of the Lord in his life.  We didn't run into each other for awhile, which I was glad about, since I was still coming into agreement with the Lord about the best way to handle this.  But several aisles later, I saw him.  The Lord just told me to smile at him.  And I did, thinking in my head, the Lord loves you.  Lo and behold, he smiled back...  At that moment, he didn't seem like such a mean, old, cranky man to me anymore.

So I share this with you, not to give myself a pat on the back, but hopefully to make all of us more acutely aware of the power of our thoughts, words and actions.  Even in something so small as an incidence at the grocery store, we have the power to choose.  If we choose life, we can carry the truth of God's love in us and allow it to overflow from our hearts to others.  Like I said above, I personally have no desire to join with the enemy in spreading ugliness and hatred towards others.  Today, let us surrender to the beauty of the Lord's way and spread His love.

In Christ,

A Valuable Lesson

I read Waking the Dead: The Glory of a Heart Fully Alive by John Eldredge 8 years ago.  Reading this book laid a huge memorial stone in my Christian journey and it has had a huge impact on my walk of faith.  It is now 8 years later and I want to share with you one of the valuable lessons that I have taken from this book, applied to my life and seen the truth of it lived out:

The Enemy will always try to get you to do to someone

what he is doing to that person.  Heads up - it's not you, and being aware of it

becomes a very helpful diagnostic. (170)

I would like to take this thought one step further, by adding that the enemy, by getting you to agree with these lies, would like to prevent you from being able to be used as a tool of God for good in this individual's life. This understanding has had a huge influence in my life, especially in my ministry to women. 

If you are willing to admit it, there are some people that just annoy you!  You walk into the room and they are annoying.  Everything they say or do gets under your skin.  The best way to deal with it is to AVOID them, right?  That used to be my solution, but ever since I read this quote the Lord has challenged me to push beyond my initial reactions and learn to love these people through His eyes.  I would like to say that it is easy to do and required a simple prayer, and voila, everything was better.  But in my experience that wasn't always the case.  Often times, it required lots of prayer, denying and fighting against the agreements that my mind and the enemy wanted me to make about those people.

Are you ready for some good news yet?  The good news is that it is worth FIGHTING through the "annoying" attitudes to get to God's perspective on the issues.  I can name at least 4 women (and for all you self-conscious friends of mine out there ~ yes, it was you - just kidding - maybe...:) that used to drive me absolutely crazy, but I applied and fought in this truth - that I cannot settle for what the enemy has to say about them, or over them.  I had to fight for friendship and for Christ's love.  As I look back over the last 8 years, those people whom I fought to love have now become some of my dearest friends and the Lord has bound us together to fight for some very significant areas of freedom.  What I now see, is that the enemy did not want us to become friends because he knew the significant roles we would play for freedom was dependent upon the bond of unity we discovered through God's love.

It is almost humorous to me now when I meet a woman who initially drives me crazy.  I often chuckle to the Lord, "what is it that you have for the three of us together?"  The enemy has also laid off in this area, I believe, because he knows it is not worth his time to try and disrupt this relationship through initial lies and attitudes.

So this post is written to share with you what I believe is one of the most significant, tried and true life lessons that I have faithfully put into practice in my life over the last 8 years.  As you know, I have a passion for the Lord and for people to experience the freedom that only comes through Him.  It is important to put on our spiritual eyes and recognize that not every attitude, emotion and initial response we have to people and situations is correct.  Instead, we need to fight for God's truth and learn to love people the way God loves them, even when it is hard.  Time will prove that it was worth the fight, worth the pain, and worth the denying of yourself to do this.

In Christ,

Your thoughts

I read Proverbs 4:23 the other day and I have been stuck thinking about it ever since.

Proverbs 4:23
Be careful what you think. Your thoughts run your life.

As I have been reflecting on this I've realized that my thoughts are a relatively uncontrolled area in my life. Perhaps it is a female thing but I spend a majority of my thought life in the what ifs. What if this happens, what if that. I have whole scenarios that play out and by the end my mood can be effected, usually negatively. My husband does a good job of bringing me back to reality when I do choose to share my thoughts with him. He will say, "You don't even know what will happen so why are you getting wound about it?" Well, yes I do know what will happen because I played it out in my mind:)

I have learned in female relationships not to go there with my mind because I think that is the number one way the enemy destroys relationships. We play out in our mind exactly what "she meant" by saying that and the next thing we know we will never be talking to her ever again meanwhile she doesn't even remember what she said.

So anyway, the last year has contained many days where I struggle to find the joy that used to be pretty automatic for me. God has opened my eyes this week to my thought life and has shown me that there are many areas there where I am not submitting the lies in my mind to His truth. Instead of taking my thoughts to Him I let them run and run until I end up feeling discouraged.

2 Corinthians 10:4&5
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty IN God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God bringing every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

Our thoughts do run our lives and we can let our thoughts run us our way or God's way. He has given us a better way to live. God cares about our lives and hearts and desires that we live an abundant life. Check to see if your thought life is an area under His control.

Finally, if you also struggle with your thought life check out today's free download at Amazon for more:Calm My Anxious Heart: A Woman's Guide to Finding Contentment

Becoming Untangled from Fear

I recently had the opportunity to watch Disney's newest movie Tangled.  My family and I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and it is currently vying with Cinderella for my favorite Disney movie ever.  One of the reasons it ranks so highly, is because Rapunzel with her green eyes and golden hair reminds me of my own  blond green-eyed princess Mercea.  The other reason it resonates with me is because it opened my eyes to some of the things going on in my own life spiritually right now.  There are two scenes which I would like to share with you.

Background: In case you haven't seen the movie here is a little background.  Tangled is a story about Rapunzel with her long golden hair.  She was born a princess and her hair had magical powers which could bring healing.  As a baby she was kidnapped by an evil woman, Gothel, and placed in a tower so high she could never get free.  Gothel kidnapped Rapunzel because the power of Rapunzel's hair keeps Gothel young forever.  Rapunzel grows up believing that Gothel is her mother.  Gothel tells her that she must never leave the tower because of evil people would mistreat her and use her for her hair. Rapunzel longs to enter the world she sees from her tower but her trust in her "mother" Gothel keeps her locked up in the tower.

Scene 1: There is one scene in the movie when Rapunzel leaves the tower for the first time in her life.  She has felt called to the outside world but is torn because she feels she is rebelling against her mother.  The scene cuts back and forth between the different emotions Rapunzel feels:

She is dancing  and doing cartwheels in a field of flowers.

The next second she is crying because she is afraid.  She remembers all the things her "mother" would tell her about why she must stay locked up in the tower.

The next second she is running and screaming with joy "I'm free!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The next second she is feeling like the worst person in the world for leaving the tower.

This continues on for several rounds but you get the idea.  Perhaps it's a female thing but I could totally relate.  Before my season of rest, fear was beginning to have a strong hold in my life.  I've been dealing with the fear of death, the fear of failure, the fear of loving my family with abandonment and more.  During my time off I've dealt with all the emotions Rapunzel experienced.  I love being free and God would speak to me about being free and my heart would leap for joy.  Later, however, the places of fear would remind me why I want to stay locked up and not care anymore.  It has been a back and forth emotional teeter-totter as God has been wooing me out of fear into trusting Him.

Scene 2:  This scene was the most powerful scene for me because it "revealed the face of fear" to me.  Rapunzel eventually realizes that Gothel is not her true mother and as it dawns on her she tells Gothel:

"All along you have been telling me that you kept me

 here to protect me from others,

while the truth of the matter is that you

were keeping me here for your own selfish gain."

That was extremely eye-opening for me.  Rapunzel had believed everything Gothel had been telling her because she believed Gothel was telling her those things to protect her.  She realizes, however, that Gothel only said those things to protect herself and it has nothing to do Rapunzel's own good. As you know, I believe we are in a spiritual battle with the enemy.  The words from this scene revealed the motives of the enemy.  He absolutely loves it when we choose to let fear reign in our lives because it keeps us holed up and out of his way.  Yes, fear can masquerade for a while as something good and something that protects you but soon you begin to realize that this isn't where you belong.  As I heard this, it helped me to see that living in these places of fear is not for my good or benefit it is actually for the enemy's benefit and he would more than love to keep whispering these lies and keeping me entangled for his gain.

Whenever God reveals to me the lies I've been living under I ask Him to replace that area with His truth.  So here is what the voice of Truth has to say about fear:

2 Timothy 1:7

For God has not given us a spirit of fear,

 but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Romans 8:15

The Spirit you received does not make you slaves,

 so that you live in fear again;

rather, the Spirit

 you received brought about your adoption to sonship.

And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”

John 10:2-3

The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.

The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice.

He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.



In Christ,

Can You be too Holy?

Last night I read Mark Gungor's article Want More Sex? Resist the Devil article. I enjoyed the article and it got me thinking about a strategy of the enemy:

He likes to lay on guilt about not being "holy" enough.

Does God desire for us to live holy lives? Absolutely. Can we misunderstand what holiness is? Absolutely.

Romans 8:1

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus

God has given us things here on earth to enjoy. He has given us money, sex, friends and family. The enemy can only operate by distorting and twisting that which is good. It is good to be holy and walk in holiness but if we don't understand what holiness is and means we can easily become burdened down and carry around a weight of guilt that is not from the Lord but from the enemy. One thing the enemy likes to do to Christians is make them feel guilty for not doing enough for God. You watched TV tonight instead of praying, you spent money on a pleasure item instead of giving it to the poor, you only went to 2 church meetings this week but 4 were offered. You are never doing enough.

Matthew 26:8-13

When the disciples saw this, they were indignant.

"Why this waste?" they asked. "This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor."
Aware of this, Jesus said to them, "Why are you bothering this woman?

She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.

When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.

I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world,

what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."

You can be too holy when you are defining holiness as the number of things you do for God: you did 10 things for God this week, you are holy; you only did 3 things for God this week now you aren't holy. You can get yourself to the point where you are so focused on "doing things for the Lord" and "you saving the world" that you actually lose sight of the good and legitimate pleasures the Lord has created for you here on earth.

He is a good Father. What Father would give you gifts and not want you to be able to enjoy them? The disciples in the story above didn't hear what this woman had heard and didn't see what she had seen because they were too focused on building their kingdom that they missed everything that God had been trying to show them.

My challenge to you is to serve the Lord out of a place of love and not by being motivated by guilt to do the things you do. Learn to hear the voice of God (hint: it does not include condemnation) and let that lead you to do the things you do whether "in ministry" or just enjoying the daily life of just living. You can bring pleasure to the heart of the Father by enjoying life and the gifts that He has given to us.

The Church

What is the church?

• A mystery that has been hidden in God since the beginning of time.
• The method God is using to reveal Himself to the world.
• A place where unity is to take place.
• A place where God's power should be revealed.
• A place where His glory should shine.
• A place where the revelation of God's power should be revealed.
• A place where the depth of His love should be experienced.

These points are derivied from Ephesians 3:9-20.

I don't know if "church" as we call it is God's original mystery of church as it should be. I don't think we should get hung up on what the Sunday event looks like because that is just one day in the picture of the church. As we can see from just this little section of the Bible, church is way bigger than a Sunday morning event.

If you continue reading on to Ephesians 4 we learn that the church is the body and that every single person plays an important role. I guess what I'm trying to get at is that we need to appreciate our Sunday mornings and view them for what they are a day of rest, a day of recharging, a day of direction to step out into being the real church every single day of the week. If we begin to walk out into the world everyday with the perspective that we are carrying "the church" with us at all times I think we would begin to see some of what God truly intended.

So let's just start there and look at what God intended: Ephesians 3:10 His purpose was that through the church all the rulers and powers in the heavenly world will now know God's wisdom. We learn in Ephesians 6 that there are rulers, powers and authorities of the enemy that still have control. How we function and live as a "church" should be revealing God's infinite wisdom to these rulers and powers. That section goes on to say: In Christ we can come before God with freedom and without fear. As a church (thus individulas) we should be able to walk freely and confidently before God. How many of us are doing that on a daily basis?

It all comes back to understanding that God is about FREEDOM. He set us FREE and then He gave us each other to step into this world on a mission ~ to bring His kingdom into this world. We do this through being unified with each other, loving one another and being confident of ourselves in the love of God.

If you haven't realized it yet, please do, that one of the enemies greatest strategies is to turn us against each other. If we are busy fighting amongst each other and not loving one another than God's power cannot be revealed through us. He didn't intend for His power to be dispersed through us individually but to happen through us as a body and until we choose to unite together we will remain ineffective.

Now this is the NCV version but it gave me a whole new perspective on this verse that we hear quoted so many times: With God's power working in us, God can do much, much more than anything we can ask or imagine. I have always viewed this verse in context to God: that He can do more than we could ever ask or imagine. But what does it say, "God's power working in us..." When we re-read this whole section with the revelation of the importance of us it gives us a whole new perspective. The mystery that He has held in Him since the beginning of time was that He was that he was going to move in power through the church. I hope this helps us to get it.

So church let's get it. Get the vision that church is more than just Sunday and let's start in our homes. If we are Christians are homes are an extension or a piece of the body. So what God wants to do through the "church" can be done in and through our homes. Let's work on our homes being a place of unity, freedom and love. When we start getting it there let's move it into our friendships and then move it out from there into the world...

Loving Our Neighbor

Before I start this blog I shall give credit where credit is due. Much of my Christianity in the last 5 years has been positively influenced by John Eldredge. He opened my eyes to the spiritual battle that we live in on a daily basis and has shown me the reality of God wanting to speak into my everyday life. So, many of my blogs are my own applications of what I have learned and seen in my own personal life but many thoughts and ideas probably were planted while reading one of John's books: Waking the Dead, Captivating and/or Walking with God. Today's blog was seeded from Page 199 of Waking the Dead which talks about how the enemy uses us to reaffirm lies that he is speaking over other people's lives.

Satan is the Father of lies and the Bible tells us in Revelation 12:9-11 that Satan is our accuser and that he accuses us before the throne of God day and night. The Bible also tell us that Satan masquerades as "light." This lets us know that we are continually being accused before God and that Satan will be speaking lies about us to not only God, ourselves but also to others.

Do you have a person who whenever they walk in the room they immediately get under your skin? Or if you look at them all you can think and say is, "they will never change." History probably confirms this lie because you have watched them for years and they have never changed. But lets look at the "agreement" you have just made, "they will never change." Who is behind that agreement, God or Satan? Let's see: God is the healer of the brokenhearted, nothing is impossible for Him and he took Saul a murderer of Christians and turned him into Paul. So I think when we look at that person and make the agreement "they will never change" we are agreeing with their accuser Satan and not agreeing with God.

The understanding that Satan will try to influence our perceptions of others has been a huge revelation to me. I will admit there are people that irritate me. Having the understanding of who can be behind these feelings has helped me to fight the desire to make agreements about the individual and to ask God to give me love for them. I also have asked God to see what the enemy is trying to prevent by causing a break in our relationship. I have been at this for a few years now and the results have been astounding to say the least.

I can think of 3 people at least that really used to irritate me whenever they would come into the room. I have had to fight hard and long in order to learn to love them and see them through Christ's eyes. In retrospect I can see why the enemy was trying to keep us apart. All 3 of these people are very influential in my lives and I am influential in theirs. We have had to do great spiritual battle together. They are people who are very dear to my life and I can't imagine not loving them or having them a part of my life. The enemy was trying to keep us apart so that we would not be effective against him. So I've learned to get excited when someone "irritates me" because I begin to wonder why the enemy does not want us to connect.

So here is my challenge to you. Do not accept everything at face value. We are in a spiritual battle and the enemy does try to "secretively influence" us. If we take each other out by not loving our brothers and sisters Satan has less to do because we are doing his dirty work for him. One of the banners over my life is Ephesians 6, "Our battle is not against flesh and blood but against the principalities and powers of this dark world." Relationship trouble to me is an indication that the enemy is trying to cover up his dirty work. Make sure you are fighting the real source of the problem and don't make agreements with enemy about the people that are in your life.

Finally, "try to live at peace with everyone as much as it depends on you (Romans 12:18)." In every relationship there are three sides. You do your part and leave the rest up to them and God. I have realized that if I had given in to my feelings and emotions and not fought for the truth, God would not have been able to use me in these battles. To me this is one of thekeys of holiness. Not to be self-righteous and "perfect" but rather to remain a clean vessel for Him to use because you never know when you will be called to fight for freedom especially for those who used to irritate you!