This last weekend, I had the privilege of leading worship at a dear friend’s church, and when I did I had the clearest vision that led to a prophetic song.  I saw a garden and it had been trampled.  I saw big footprints all over the garden and it seemed as if it was ruined, but then I saw below the surface.  The seeds under the ground remained unharmed.  Then God spoke, “Though the enemy has trampled the garden, he cannot ruin the seed.”

It was a powerful moment.  I began to see some of our lives.  We may feel trampled upon by the enemy.  I know I have many times.  But this revelation of hope came when I heard the Father say, “He cannot ruin the seed.”  I even saw the enemy plucking blooms off of flowers and trying to destroy them, but he couldn’t.  The seed remained whole and unharmed, and in an act of resilience, bloomed again.

Friend, I don’t know what life has looked like for you all these years, but one thing is certain, the enemy cannot take what belongs to the Lord.  The seed inside of you, belongs to the Lord.  The plans of the Lord, that have been placed inside of you since your creation, cannot be taken. They cannot be destroyed.

You may have experienced terrible acts by others, acting under the influence of the enemy, but those things don’t define you.  You don’t have to walk the way of defeat for one more second. Aren’t you tired of feeling defeated?  Aren’t you tired of thinking things will never get better?  That you aren’t capable of getting ahead?

The lies of the enemy are many, but the truth of God is solid.

You were made for more than this.  You were made to live in the abundance of the Father’s heart.  You were made to prosper in your spirit.  You were made to be more than a conqueror.

Today, I ask you to do something that may feel difficult.  I ask you to go to a quiet place and bring before the Lord the greatest sources of pain you’ve had in your life.  The moments you feel have defined you and hold you down.  Take that pain and see yourself handing it to the Father.  I want you to close your eyes, really let that pain stir up, and look inside until you can really see yourself handing it over to God.  Let it go.  It should not define you.  He should.  No person should be defined by pain.  At the cross victory became our definition.  So, if you are not walking out victory, then you need to recalibrate.  Go to the Father and release defeat so you can receive victory.

Victory starts in our hearts.  Victory starts on the inside.

 

The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles.  The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.  A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all; He protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.  Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned.  The Lord redeems His servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in Him.  Psalm 34:17-22

Recently, I had the privilege of worshiping for a friend while she painted.  She didn’t know it, but I had been asking God to give me the opportunity to do this.  It may seem strange to you, but I truly enjoy sharing in a creative process with a person.  The creative process led by Holy Spirit, where I sing prophetically as they paint prophetically.  Each of use walking out the visions God places on our hearts in a beautiful partnership.

While doing this that day, I saw a circle of light come and surround her.  Then God showed me that was His circle of protection.  He showed me that no matter where she went and what she was doing, He had placed a steadfast circle of His protection around her.  Even when battles raged and fear came knocking, He was still there surrounding her.  A sacred circle that could not be broken or penetrated.

This is what He does for us.

I have often prayed for the circle of protection.  I have prayed it around myself and my family.  I know it’s there.  Even though I can’t normally see it with my earthly eyes.  I know it is there.

God has placed a circle of protection that is immovable.  It is not dependent upon my obedience, only His faithfulness.  He is the giver of protection. He is aware of my faults and shortcomings and has the mercy to hold me safe in His hands.  He has the patience to not turn away from me when I fail.  Instead, in those moments, I believe He holds me tighter.  Reminding me of Who He is and who I am.  He is a good Father.

His love is not dependent upon anything I do or do not do.  This is truth.  His love is not dependent upon me.  He is love.  He loves me.  These are facts that cannot be changed.

My actions don’t control where He goes.  He does.  He is God, I am not.  I can invite Him into a place.  I can boldly go before Him knowing He won’t deny me His presence, but I never control it.  He does.

Remember that.  He is God, we are not.

Oh, what a mighty God we serve.  Oh, what a Savior we follow.  When days are long, and nights feel they will never end, You are unchanging.  My unchanging Friend.

The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock in Whom I take refuge.  He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.  I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.  Psalm 18:2-3

But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.                                     2 Thessalonians 3:3

But let all who take refuge in You be glad; let them ever sing for joy.  Spread Your protection over them, that those who love Your name may rejoice in You.  Psalm 5:11

Over the last few months, God has been revealing many different faces of pride to me.  Things that I previously had not linked to pride-fulness, have now been clearly shown to be pride masquerading in my life.  It’s been a humbling time.  None the less, I am so grateful to finally see this truth.  It’s also led me to really search my motives.  I am now asking God in each moment, “Is this yet another form of pride?”

I wonder how often you take a reflective moment and turn the mirror of your heart inward to see what shows up?  No, we shouldn’t be overly focused on ourselves, but how will we ever know our own heart motives if we never grant the Father an opportunity to evaluate us?

I see so many of us just walking out life, completely unaware that our actions and our in-actions affect others.  These also affect how others view the Kingdom of God.  Now that should be a sobering point.  How do you want people to see the Kingdom through you?

We are responsible for ourselves.  I keep stating this because it continues to be true.  We are responsible for managing ourselves.  We were not called to manage the world.  We were not called to judge the world, no, there is One Judge.  We are called to share the gospel in every nation.  That begins right here, right now.  That begins at home.  That begins in your place of work and your local church.  It’s not something to just hold to yourself unless you go on a mission trip.  I have grown so weary of those who only share their walk with God to those in other countries, yet walk around their home town hiding from the responsibility and privilege of being a light there too.

America needs Jesus.  They have seen through the fake Christianity some groups boast.  They have seen through the hypocrisy and they are asking, “What is real?”  We should be the first to show them.  Not in an online rant about how terrible they are, not in a judgmental glance or comment, but by treating people in America with the same grace and compassion that we treat those in third world countries when we head out to serve on the mission field.

This is my passion.  This is my platform.  America needs Jesus.

For far too long we have let the many faces of pride darken our hearts toward the need right in front of us.  We need to muster up the courage and humility to work for the Kingdom right here first.  In the same way that the airline reminds us to place an oxygen mask on ourselves first, we must breathe life into our own country.  We must not forsake it.

I am not in any way speaking against missions.  I am not diminishing the importance of spreading the gospel to those nations.  But I am trying to remind everyone that we also have a country that needs Jesus.  I remember, as a kid, being very confused about why people only shared Jesus with others when they went on mission trips.  I honestly remember being in elementary school and having that thought.

We can do this!  We can share now, today.  We can share here in America.  There will be a great revival.  The only question is, will you be a part of it?

Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.  Matthew 28:19-20

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a “pleaser”.  For many years I was the typical middle child.  My personality was more inward as a child.  I was pretty quiet and felt that my opinions and desires were unimportant.  Under the dominance of other siblings, I felt that it was useless to state my heart because the others wanted their way more.  Then as an adult, when confronted with another dominant person, I would shrink back.  I would assume they would have their way, and in an effort to avoid conflict, I would deny my own heart.  There is a lot of pain in living this way.  A pain that often leads to bitterness if it’s never healed.

Then one day God began to take me to a secret place and pour value over me.  Daily, He would speak value to my starving heart.  I began to see myself through the eyes of the One Who cared for me enough to create me on purpose.  He began to show me places where it was okay for me to state my position and my desires in a healthy way and not worry about how others received it.

When I began to do that, I noticed something, others didn’t respond to me by rejecting me or abandoning me, as I had feared.  Instead, they seemed to honor my requests.  They seemed to begin treating me in much more respectful ways, as I walked in respect of them and myself.  When I realized that it was okay for me to have needs, I began to see needs fulfilled.

If you are, by nature, a pleaser then I encourage you to go to the secret place and ask God to realign your heart.  Before bitterness or tantrums set in, step back and ask God if you are partly responsible for the way others are treating you.  That’s often the case.  I know it was for me.  I allowed others to treat me poorly.  The only thing is, the way to begin to change that is not through shouting or manipulation or pouting, no it’s through walking near God and letting Him move in your heart so you walk in your true identity.  It all comes from the inside.

Our value begins in our hearts, then once it’s established inside, something miraculous happens as others begin to treat you differently without you saying a word.  I know it’s true, because I’ve experienced it.

We should always want to serve others, but never at the expense of losing our own value.  That’s much different than humility.  Actually, that’s false humility, and I don’t know about you, but I want to walk in truth.

God, teach me how to walk out my true value.  Help me to walk into the world gently, but with purpose.  Kneed into my heart, true value.  A value that cannot be shaken and leads to true humility.  I wanna be like Jesus.  Teach me Your heart.  I love You, in Jesus name, Amen.

So, we make it our goal to please Him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.                      2 Corinthians 5:9

I long to please God, not men.

There is no striving in Your love, God.

The opposite of striving is receiving.  There is no striving in the Lord, yet I continually find my heart in the striving position.  I am regularly needing to remind myself to stop striving and simply start receiving.     God can do way more for me and through me when I keep my heart and mind in a position of receiving.

Think of it this way, it’s impossible to hand a person a gift that they can hold, if their hands are clenched in fists.  No, when someone hands us something, part of the gesture we use is to open our hands.  It’s the same with God.  We must keep ourselves in an open-handed position.  Then He can give….and take away as He needs to.

Do you struggle with striving?  Do you struggle to believe that God would want to be good to you?  If so, I pray you receive that revelation today.  Now is the time to have your eyes opened to the loving nature of the Father.  He longs to give good gifts to His children.  If you have asked Jesus into your heart, then you are grafted into His family.  You are a child of God and a co-heir with Christ.  That gives you access.  Access to the Father, as a loving Daddy.  Full access to Jesus.  Unlimited access to Holy Spirit.

Does a child in a healthy parent-child relationship feel they need to strive for every single thing?  No, if the relationship is healthy, then the child will be comfortable approaching their father because there’s been a history of favor.   A history of needs fulfilled.  That’s how we can approach our heavenly Father too.

Right now, as we’ve been waiting and praying, I have been repeatedly bringing into my remembrance, all the times in my life when God has provided blessing and breakthrough.  When I take a moment to call to mind His past faithfulness, then I am more able to cope with the day to day ups and downs.  I can approach disappointment with the knowledge that He has come through in the past and He will continue to come through for me in the future.

That’s the God I know.  That’s my Father.  I can expect His nature to come through in every instance.  His nature is generous, loving, kind and faithful.  He is Who He says He is.

Today, I challenge you to do this physical act as a prophetic declaration of your hearts position:

Kneel down on the ground and place your hands in front of you, palm up and say, “God, I will no longer strive to attain Your love.  Instead, I receive it freely.”  Feel your heart and spirit release the burden of striving.  I bless you in Jesus name, and pray He will continually shine His favor upon you.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, Who does not change like shifting shadows.  He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all He created.  James 1:17-18

Cease striving and know that I am God;  I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.  Psalm 46:10

With all the changes that are happening in our lives, I have talked a lot with my kids about how to enter a new place.  I am constantly saying, “When you enter a room and especially when you meet new people, be a gentle breeze.  Don’t be the type of person who sucks up all the oxygen in the room.”

Have you ever been around a person whose spirit seems to gobble up all the oxygen and attention in the room and demands all focus be upon them?  The type of person who cannot let you participate in a conversation with them in any meaningful way because you can tell they only want to compete with you, not listen? Have you ever met someone who is so loud that all eyes are on them merely because they present themselves as a spectacle?

On the other hand, have you been around a person who acts as an invitation?  The type of person who makes you feel welcome.  The person who really listens and makes you feel valued and important.  The person who you know must have a close walk with Jesus because they are so confident that they need not proclaim their presence to everyone just to feel noticed.  Someone who knows the Father sees them, so they don’t really care if the world does?

I strive to be the latter, although I know at times I fail.  Oh, how I long to be that person.

My question today is, “Are you a gentle breeze?”

Do you strive to let Holy Spirit blow into the room as you enter, allowing yourself to be less, that He will be highlighted?  I think it’s normal to struggle with this sometimes.  When I get nervous, sometimes I get louder.  I don’t know exactly why that is, but it’s like I try to break the feeling of nerves with comedy.  Just being honest.

I’m really trying to highlight something that I don’t ever hear people talk about much….Establishing a calm place in your spirit and heading out to embrace the world, and each day with this peace.  Representing the Kingdom with a peaceful confidence.  Walking into a room and offering the one thing the world can’t offer, peace.  Long lasting eternal true peace.

That’s what I call the gentle breeze.

Not that I’ve attained it, but I work toward it bit by bit every day.  Imagine how the world would see Christ, if they first saw you moving in a peaceful and gentle manner throughout your day?  We have an opportunity.  An opportunity to grow as we allow God to cultivate a peaceful spirit within us.

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You.  Isaiah 26:3

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.  But one thing I do:  Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 3:12-14

He must become greater; I must become less.  John 3:30

One day, about a year ago, I was really struggling with fear and anxiety, and I came across a sermon by someone and during the prayer time she said, “Tell lack to come stand before you and then ask God to come stand next to lack.”  In a split second I saw lack that seemed so large on its own, and as soon as God came next to it, lack was teeny tiny.  I may have mentioned that story before, but when I kept hearing the words, “Lack is lacking”, I knew it was time to revisit it.

God never lacks.  His people never have to lack.  I can be abundant no matter what.  It’s not dependent upon my address or the number in my bank account, true abundance comes from the inside, just like joy.  Like a rain shower in the middle of a long drought let that word pour over your starving heart and spirit.

Abundance, just like joy, comes from the inside.

I am living an abundant life, right here bunked in at my parents house while God works out our details.  I am abundant when I am exhausted because His wellspring never leaves my spirit.  I don’t need anyone or anything else to happen in order for me to be and to live and to act out of abundance.

I feel like these words are piercing some of your armor.  I feel in my spirit that God has just used these words to illuminate places of poverty and lack within your heart.  If that’s you, then just take a moment.  Relax into the discomfort of finally seeing this and if you are willing, invite God to heal whatever part of you was wounded and became a place where lack and poverty reside.  Ask Holy Spirit to fill those places once lack is evicted.  Let the fullness of God fill your entire being.  I see light shooting out of your eyes and hands and toes as He is filling places you’ve never felt full in before.  You are no longer to be a beggar of bread, but to live off the abundance of the Father’s table.  You have been adopted in, grafted in, therefore you have a place at His table.  Let the truth of your position soak into your whole being.

Not only does God prepare a table before you, but He does it right in front of the enemy.  He doesn’t know lack because He has always been Sovereign over all.  He created it all and it’s all His to use as He pleases.  That includes giving to you.  That includes being abundant in your life.  You matter to Him.

I want to ask you to meditate on the following scriptures and let them work to rewire your thought processes.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.  You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows.  Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.  Psalm 23:5-6

How priceless is Your unfailing love!  Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of Your wings.  They feast on the abundance of Your house; You give them drink from Your river of delights.  For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.  Psalm 36:7-9

Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.  Fear the Lord, you His saints, for those who fear Him lack nothing.  The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.  Psalm 34:8-10

Yesterday I encouraged you to become rooted in Him and then go release into the world.  Today, the theme is very similar.  While I was running today, I kept seeing myself breathing in and breathing out.  I kept hearing God say, “Inward and outward”.  I knew He was showing me that the only way to release into the world His song and His words and His movement, is to first breathe in and receive inward and then release outward.

I see Him releasing new things into the earth through us as we begin to develop an ease of breathing with Him.  It’s like this, when I begin to run every morning, the first part of my run is spent establishing my breathing pattern.  Oftentimes, running the first half mile feels more tiresome and challenging, but I’ve learned if I will commit to establishing a steady tempo of running and breathing, then it will begin to become easier and easier.  Every single time, without fail this is the case.  Many times by mid-run I am able to sing parts of worship songs while really connecting to His Spirit.  This is my sacred time.  Always starting with establishing the breath, committing to the run, then moving into the walk of my spirit.

It’s not always easy, but it’s always worth it.  Every single time.

Today, as we’ve done before, let’s establish a tempo.  You may be asking, “Why does she keep circling around this?”  The answer is simple.  It’s because we are so easily knocked off our tempo during the day to day.  We must establish consistency in returning to that inward place to find Him at the center and then stretch outward into the day.

He has something He wants to release to and through you today.  Are you willing?  It can be humbling to realize that God wants to use you as a conduit of His presence, but He does.  Let that soak into your spirit.  When we stop believing we can’t be used, then we find He’s been dying to use us….Wait, He did die to use us.  You are made to be purposeful.  To be useful.

God, here I am in the secret place.  The world has been challenging my value again,  please remind me of Who You are so I can remember who I am because of You.  Lord, pour into my heart so I can release some of You everywhere I go.  I long to be an open conduit of Your Spirit.  There is nowhere that You cannot be released, so help me to not hinder that in any way.  I am Yours completely.  Use me.  In Jesus name, Amen.

Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.  Philippians 4:4-5

But whatever was to my profit, I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.  What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for Whose sake I have lost all things.  I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.  I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.  Philippians 3:7-11

For this reason, I kneel before the Father, from Whom His whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.  I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.  And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.  Now to Him Who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.  Ephesians 3:14-21

During this time of transition for our family, I find it even more important and challenging to find my quiet place and to continue to be rooted in Him.  The above verses are like a mantra for me.  I encourage you to re-read them, and intentionally make yourself slow down and truly absorb every word.  These verses always make me feel rooted in Him.  Re-affirming Who He really is and confirming His deep affection for me.  I cannot return to these thoughts enough.

I keep hearing over and over in my mind, “Being rooted and established in love”.  These words define me.  They define the foundation from which I stretch myself out into the world.  But the only way for me to maintain this is from continually meeting Him in the quiet place.

The quiet place.  I have mentioned it numerous times during this journey, but it is truly the place where we are formed and renewed and given hope and faith.  It is the fountain where I fill my bucket of joy.  It is the place where I matter to Him as He matters to me and I am fulfilled in the beautiful give and take of relationship.  The quiet place is my favorite place.

But one day, God said He wouldn’t fill me more unless I began to release.  At first, at that word, I felt disoriented and didn’t know how to pour out from that sacred place of intimacy.  Then I was afraid that if I began to spend more time outstretched, I would lose some of what He and I shared.  But He doesn’t work that way.  It’s the upside-down kingdom principle.  As I give I become fuller.  As I stretch out, my roots grow deeper.  As I release, I receive more at the same time.

I encourage you today to take some time in the quiet place and then ask the Father to direct your day in such a way that you have opportunities to give what you’ve gained with Him.  We weren’t created to be an island.  Drifting off alone in our own little world, unconcerned with others.  No, we are meant to draw others to the heart of the Father Whom we have fallen so deeply in love with.  He has more than enough love to share with all of us.  Remember the cost of the cross, once again.  Remember that He died for us all.  We don’t hold the right to pick and choose who gets to hear the gospel.  We are called to share with all.  For the sake of all.  To save the world.  And it all begins with one.

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age.”  Matthew 28:18-20

We plan for life and we plan what we will do, but God alone knows what will truly happen and it is only He Who can sustain us.  I know I’ve mentioned it before, but again I am thinking of my labor with Hannah.  Do you remember?  The one that lasted 52 hours at home, only for me to have to go to the hospital and have a c-section.  That moment was so hard for me.  I had never wanted to have a baby at the hospital, much less a c-section.  It was like in a moment a decision was taken from me and placed into a stranger’s hands (the doctor), and I was forced to find joy in the release.  You know, that’s one reason I don’t like hospitals and doctor’s offices much, because I feel like I lose the power of my choice when I enter their doors.  But there are times when God uses such situations to help us learn to trust Him more.  Even though in that moment I had to fully let go, He was still my God.  He was still Sovereign over my life and nobody can EVER take that away.  Ever.

Today I want to talk about how we react when life takes unexpected turns.  What happens when the plan you and God have prayed out and discussed, changes?  What do you do with that?  Did you miss God in the first place?  Is He mad at you?  What the heck happened?

Well, I truly believe He is Sovereign over my life.  I also believe He works with me, not against me.  I also believe He will move circumstances in such a way as to reveal weak points in my thinking and in my walk of trust with Him.  He is all about drawing me nearer and I have found Him relentless to grow me into deeper places with Him.

In one life situation I’ve encountered recently, I know for certain God spoke one answer for me to wait.  Then a few weeks later, I began to see Him open doors for me to begin to move in a direction.  I began to feel so confused and started asking Him, “Did I miss You when I thought I heard the first wait answer, or have You changed Your mind?”  When I really pressed in on this issue I discovered He had answered the way He did the first time to keep me from getting distracted by the next step and to keep me on track with Him.  Now that I had gotten through “phase one” of the transition, I was able to focus on other things, so He was now opening doors to move forward.  In other words, He only gave me what I could handle at the time.  Now that is a loving Father.  He didn’t want me to be needlessly distracted with what was next, but in His grace, He closed off even the consideration of a next step until I was really ready.

I don’t know if any of this makes sense to you, but what I’m trying to convey is, don’t get hung up on a change of plans.  Trust God when He says, “Yes” and trust Him when He says, “No”.  But if you are always leaning into Him and listening and receiving His instruction, then the unexpected will suddenly begin to make more sense.

Don’t forget, you are trusting the One Who has seen all things past, present, and future.  He’s got this.

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face shine upon us, that Your ways may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.  May the peoples praise You, O God; may all the peoples praise You.  May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for You rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth.  May the peoples praise You, O God; may all the peoples praise You.  Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us.  God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear Him.  Psalm 67