As I was driving down a road near our home recently, I noticed how the trees seemed to stretch over the road from each side and how beautiful it was, then I heard God speak to my heart, “See!! Those Trees have life inside!  They are about to bloom.”

With what seemed to be zoom-in vision, I saw those trees, and every bit of life inside every branch.  It looked like our nervous system in a way, so alive.

Things are always moving underneath before they move in our reality.  There are moments when we must blindly trust (have faith) that no matter what we see with earthly eyes, God is always moving behind the scenes.  We are simply waiting for the moment when all things collide in a glorious revelation of all He’s been doing for us.

Friend, I completely know how challenging this can be.  Life can seem so hard and laborious at times, but we have an unending hope!  When we find all our comfort, provision and advice from God, then we will be much more stable people.   The world and its views are not His view.  The finite way we can observe and process things is completely inadequate, apart from God.  We must be tethered to Him.  We must get our “news” from Him.  We must invite Him into every part of our world if we desire to remain optimistic, hopeful and loving to others.  It’s non-negotiable, really.

Prayer Moment: Today’s devotional is short, by design.  My hope is that you will take some time, close your eyes and focus on the One Who moves in the unseen.  Ask God to connect your heart with His behind the scenes movement.  Ask Him for a glimpse of what He’s working on out of sight.  Like a woman who is pregnant, ask Him to speak to you about what He’s knitting together in your life.  He is the Hope Giver.  You can trust Him.  Write down what He shows you and return to it often so you can remember that you are not laboring in vain.  You are partnering with Him purposefully and patiently.  I promise, it’s worth it!

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.  This is what the ancients were commended for.  By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.  Hebrews 11:1-3

(I encourage you to read all of Hebrews 11)

So, we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.  2 Corinthians 4:18

As I was stepping onto the track Monday morning, I heard God speak to my heart, “Clean plate, clean slate.”  Immediately, I saw how every week is an opportunity.  It’s a chance to usher in change, and it’s a chance to walk away from busyness and embrace the tempo of Holy Spirit.  The beginning of every week is an opportunity.

Then I saw a plate.  It started out empty and through the week I saw food being placed upon it, then more food and more.  What started out as an aesthetically pleasing plating, quickly became food piled upon food.  I saw that if you place more on your plate than you can “eat” at any given moment, then inevitably the plate becomes too full.  Also, the juices from each portion begin to flow together and eventually it becomes an inedible mess.  Nobody would like to eat a variety of completely different foods, all heaped and piled upon each other in what ended up looking like slop.

This is how many of us are about spending our time.  I don’t know about you, but I used to feel like I had to volunteer for everything and be a part of every group.  But what I quickly realized is, that leaves me feeling overwhelmed and even angry, wanting to skip out on things that once seemed important.

Life doesn’t have to be this way.  I’m so glad I’ve discovered the art of “the pause”.  “What’s that?” You say.  Well, when I hear people talk about this or that group, I could join, or this or that thing I could volunteer for, I pause before responding.  I feel my spirit take a step back.  Then I ask myself some questions.  Do I really want to do this, or am I feeling pressured or obligated?  What’s my true motivation for wanting to join?  Would I really contribute to this group?  Am I people pleasing?  Do I have a fear of missing out?  Do I feel guilty?

My answers to these questions help me to make a more informed decision.

This can be hard, but what I realized is, if I take every opportunity as stated above it ends up messy for me, but it also takes away from what someone else can/should contribute.  What if by being overly obligated, I’m clipping other people’s wings and preventing them from having the opportunity to grow?  In essence, what could feel like a giving attitude (being over extended) could actually be selfishness and self-centeredness.

Prayer Moment: Take some time today and really be honest with yourself.  Why do you do all that you do?  Do you feel insecure when you consider stopping some activities?  Do you feel obstinate about not doing something?  These types of feelings are strong indicators of an “off heart”.  Wouldn’t it be better to simply admit that your motivation is off and re-assess what you do or don’t get involved in?  Take these thoughts to God and be honest.  Imagine an empty plate (your life), and ask God what foods (activities and groups) are most healthy for you.

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this:  He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.  Psalm 37:5-6

Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.  Proverbs 19:21

In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.  Proverbs 16:9

When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, He makes even his enemies live at peace with him.  Proverbs 16:7

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch on me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.  You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.  Remain in me, and I will remain in you.  No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.  Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.  I am the vine; you are the branches.  If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.  If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.  If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.  This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.  As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.  Now remain in my love.  If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in His love.  I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” John 15:1-11

On this Sunday, I encourage you to meditate upon these verses.  I can read them over and over again and still discover new things.

-We are pruned whether we are a good branch or not.  Pruning is necessary for growth.  So, lean into pruning seasons.

-We cannot bear fruit apart from God.  Stay in Him and you will be fruitful in all seasons.

-If we remain in God, then all we ask will be given to us.

-It’s to God’s glory that we bear much fruit.

-We are loved. We must remain in that love.  If we obey Him, we remain in that love.

-Jesus taught us all of this so we could have joy, completely.

That’s all such good news.

 

Prayer Moment:  Take time to meditate on this scripture and ask God to reveal secrets within them to you.  He is willing to show you His secrets, if you only ask and then listen.

 

 

I know I’ve referenced this on multiple occasions, but since God brought it up yesterday, I will reference it again.

I have endured 102 hours of unmedicated labor in order to bring three of my children into the world.  God reminded me of this and then I saw each labor individually.  Each one lasting longer than the one before, which is not what normally happens.  My final birth lasted longer than the other two combined.

Then He showed me this season we are walking through.  Facing long term unemployment and living on faith.  He reminded me that this is the third time we’ve walked this out and this time has been far longer than either of the other times.  Twice as long, in fact.  Then I heard the promise, “This will never happen again.”

(Yes, I have four children, but as most of you know I adopted my eldest, so I’ve given physical birth three times.)

In that moment with God, I felt so flooded with relief.  I felt a burst of energy and realized that we were about to deliver this “baby”.  This season where we have learned so much and received so much blessing and this time where we have been stripped down to bare bones and have allowed God to fortify us not in shame, but in power, is about to end.  This will never happen again.  We will rise victorious, in fact, we already have over and over again, each day choosing to follow the Faithful One.

God uses the things in our lives to prepare us for whatever we will walk out with Him.  If we lean into Him, then He will fortify us for the days to come.  If we pay attention, then we will always be a step ahead and prepared for life and its ups and downs.

Fortify:  strengthen with defensive works so as to protect it against attack. 

God’s design was for me to walk out medication free labor.  It was His plan to use the length of labor for my good.  To weave into me a steadfast, can do spirit.  It strengthened me.  Even though I would have rather not had labor go the way it did, it was remarkable the way the experiences shaped me for today.

Now, I’m learning again.  Even though I’d rather not have to walk out these uncomfortable and sometimes frightening times, I won’t shy away from them either.  I face each moment head on, whether I like it or not.  God is good, all the time.  All the time, God is good.

Prayer Moment:  Have you allowed God room to fortify you?  Are you willing to face difficulty and trials without running away, so that God can use them for your good?  Take a minute and ask God to remind you of times when He has built you up during difficult seasons.  Ask Him to continue filling you with fortification to endure these days ahead.  God, we thank You for keeping watch over us, day and night.  Thank You for turning my troubles into strength.  Thank You for loving me.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.  For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  So, let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.  James 1:2-4

 

As I considered the devotional from yesterday, I was struck with a thought.  Now that I have been burned out, don’t I now need to be remodeled?  Immediately, I saw myself begin to be painted on the inside with a variety of beautiful and bright colors.  Like the Holy Spirit was now renovating what had been cleaned out.

After we face a season of cleansing, we always want to invite the Holy Spirit to come and fill that space.  The Bible makes this clear in the following scripture.

When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it.  Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.  When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order.  Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.’  Luke 11:24-26

Have you ever wondered how some people seem to get set free only to return, like a dog to its vomit, not too long after?  I believe that often these people forget or weren’t counseled to ask Holy Spirit to fill all that space so nothing could return.  This exact thing happened to me when I first tried to get my life back on track.  I couldn’t figure out why I kept returning to the things that had entangled me.  Not until I was finally taught that the space must be filled with Holy Spirit. This was a life changing revelation.  This is something I now return to whenever God frees me from any and everything.

We must come face to face with our own broken places, turn them over to God and then complete the circle by asking Him for an infilling.  Ask Him to pour His Spirit into all the cracks in your heart and to bring complete release from the sin that had once entangled you.

There are no shortcuts.  These things need to not only happen, but also be taught to those who are being brought into the kingdom.  God isn’t only interested in removing and tearing down wrong thoughts and habits, He’s a master Carpenter Who longs to complete His entire work.  That includes beautifying the final product.

Prayer Moment:  God, I thank You for freeing me from the sin that so easily entangles me.  I ask You to not only free me from the stumbling blocks in my life, but to then fill my empty places with Holy Spirit.  Let Holy Spirit reign free within me.  I surrender myself to You completely.  I praise You for Your healing oil that pours over me and restores my soul.  I thank You for the gift of Holy Spirit on the earth.  Thank You for loving me.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.  And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.  Hebrews 12:1-2a

Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.  Colossians 3:9-10

 

While I was running the other day, I had a very powerful vision.  I was remembering a moment while leading worship the other day, and in that moment, we were singing, “Come and consume, God all we are.  We give You permission, our hearts are Yours we want You.” A powerful presence of God swept through the church that day, and I heard God speak to my heart of how He is a consuming fire.  During my run I began to sing that over myself again and then I saw a fire from Heaven come over me and it was burning off the chaff.  In that instance, God showed me that He has already been burning the chaff off me, but now He was burning me from the inside.  I saw that fire begin to pour out from Heaven and straight into me.  I saw it consuming all the fear and anxiety and forging within me a purpose so set and so strong that nothing and no one can stand against it or remove it from me.  When my eyes opened in the vision, I saw they had flames within them.  I felt the power of God all around in that moment.

Oh God You, are a consuming fire.  I give you permission to burn off anything upon or within me that is not from You.

Our God is, indeed, a consuming fire.  He is full of passion and He desires to set passion free in those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.  Don’t ever be afraid of the passion that God has placed within you.  Don’t allow others to shame you for your passion.  Yes, you are responsible for the way your steward your passion.  It’s a beautiful gift from God and deserves our good stewardship.  It’s not to be used to intimidate others or to refuse them their own walk with God.  It’s not meant to be heavy handed.  No, real passion comes straight from inside.  When a person walks in true passion, it is felt even without them speaking a word.  It’s not from being the loudest or most visible in a crowd.  It originates and is sustained from the inside.  Like a light from the inside that no one can extinguish.

Prayer Moment:  Lord, I invite Your all-consuming fire to pour over, around and through me.  I long for You in the deepest places, and I refuse to let the fear of man hold me back from being consumed by Your Presence.  You are my one desire.  You are the cry of my heart.  Every morning when I wake up, I am already yearning for You.  When I lay my head to rest, I am crying out for more still.  You are the Only One Who can satisfy my longing.  Come and consume all that I am.  I give You permission, my heart is Yours.  I want You.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.  Hebrews 12:28-29

Turmoil: A state of great disturbance, confusion, or uncertainty.

Sometimes, life can feel like such turmoil.  Have you ever felt that?  When you are a “good person”, and you feel like you are doing all the right things, but life just doesn’t seem to be working out it can definitely feel like turmoil.  But I want to ask you to re-direct your thoughts for a moment.

Have you ever put together a large jigsaw puzzle?  Our family loves to work on them together, and I’ve actually learned a lot from this process.  First, I realized that when I get focused on a puzzle, I have a refusal to give up and stay ultra-focused until I see it begin to take shape.  Second, when you first pour a puzzle out on the table, it looks like a whole bunch of nothing.  It looks like a confusing mess.

If your life is feeling like it’s out of whack and seems confusing and/or very uncertain, then maybe it’s because you are still needing to wait for more pieces to be put into place before it begins to take shape.

In other words, don’t throw in the towel when you are standing in what seems like disarray.  What if instead, you began to lean into the Author of your life and ask Him to give you small glimpses of the beauty to come.  Just like when you are able to piece together a small section of a jigsaw puzzle.  Even if you don’t quite know where that section goes in the puzzle, it gives you a sense of hope and satisfaction to see something begin to take shape.

God will do this for you.  I am fully confident that He will give you a glimpse of the glory to come, if you only ask.  Recently during church, I asked God for just such a thing.  As I sat with my eyes closed, I suddenly saw light all around me, and I saw Chris and I standing in the doorway of our house.  We had our arms around each other’s waists as we looked out.  Then I saw a beautiful little brown-haired girl, probably around 6 or 7 years old, running toward us with a smile of delight on her face and her arms stretched out to the sides as if to embrace us.  In a way only God can communicate, I knew she was my granddaughter.  The whole scene had a very peaceful atmosphere and I heard the word “settled” as I watched this scene unfold.  I knew in an instance that God was again, reassuring me that we would not only make it through this season, but that we would thrive!  Isn’t our God a good Father?!  Oh, how I love the way He loves me.

Prayer Moment:  If you are in a season that feels ripe with turmoil, then I encourage you to take a moment right now, close your eyes and ask God to give you a glimpse of where you are heading.  Ask Him to reassure you, once again, that you are on the right path.  Then wait.  Wait until you begin to see something, or hear something, or feel something and then do something very brave…..believe it.  Believe what He shows you.  If you want to take it a step further, go and tell someone what you saw.  Something amazing happens when we begin to share, out loud, the promises God has shown us.  Will you try it?  I sure hope you do.  I know you won’t be disappointed.

Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.  Matthew 6:34

Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never permit the righteous to be moved.  Psalm 55:22

Those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.  Psalm 34:10b

I leaned into the Father recently and asked what He had to say to me.  I heard one word, Tenacity.

Tenacity:  The quality or fact of being able to grip something firmly.  The quality or fact of being very determined.  The quality or fact of continuing to exist; persistence.

I felt His pleasure over me as He spoke to me that I have a lot of tenacity.  He’s proud that I have a “never give up” attitude.  He’s proud that my outlook is that somehow a way will be made.  He’s proud of the way I refuse to let the enemy shut down my dreams.  The way I refuse bitterness.  The way I hold fast to relationships and promises.

The last definition in the list is very interesting to me.  The quality or fact of continuing to exist; persistence.  Absolutely.  When all else and everyone else fades away, I will remain with tenacity of heart holding onto what I know is true.

Today, I challenge and provoke you, to find tenacity inside yourself.  Maybe you immediately saw that word and thought, “Yes! I have that too!”.  Great! Push into it and begin to walk more boldly in it.  But what if you saw that word and felt no stirring, only defeat.  Maybe you thought, “How could I ever be that way?”  Maybe you feel so war weary that you can only imagine losing.  Well friend, today is another day.  Each day presents an innate opportunity to regroup and restart.  In His goodness, God separated the day and night and gave us physical reminders of His grace that renews every day.  As we watch the sun rise and set, we can remember this grace.  We can lean into it.  Was today a fail?  Go to bed, rest well and give tomorrow your best!  There is always tomorrow.  Until we reach our final day, we can believe in the newness of tomorrow.

Just yesterday, I came down with an optical migraine.  I hadn’t had one in almost two years, and this one came literally out of nowhere, and while I was in Wal Mart.  Well, I had a choice, would I continue to get my groceries and then head to school to pick up kids, or would I collapse in a blubbering heap and demand someone rush to my aid.  The survivor in me perked up and I finished my shopping quickly, while on the phone asking for prayer, and headed to school.  On the way, I called my husband who was in Washington, DC with our daughter for a class trip, and even though he was so far away, he knew what these migraines did to me and he immediately gave me suggestions for how to safely get the kids home.  On a side note:  when I get these migraines, I feel very confused and my vision is impaired, so I become much more needy.  It’s hard to drive with blocked vision, and the confusion in my mind makes even the easiest tasks hard.  Long story short, I had someone drive us home in my car and went to lay down for a bit.

When I laid down, my mind was a blur of thought.  I kept feeling embarrassed and that I was too much and people would just feel disappointed and irritated with me.  Then came a moment when I began to rise up in my spirit.  I said, “There should be no shame in this happening.  I have no control over it, but I can control how I respond.”  Right then I began to fight the headache and cry out to God for complete relief.  Not long after that, I was up making dinner for my kids and getting them settled for the night.  Now, I still didn’t feel wonderful, but by golly I was not going to be defeated and felt this inner determination to not be a victim of this.  Then I realized, it was tenacity.  There it was showing up again and leading me to victory.  We all need it.  Tenacity.

Prayer Moment:  Lord, let the trials and troubles of this life draw out the tenacity You have placed within me.  Never let me lose my sense of determination and certainty that You will come through for me.  Never let me bow down to circumstances and forget Who You are.  Release over me a spirit of victory, both today and everyday of my life.  I will see Your goodness in the land of the living, of that I am certain.  Bless me and help me to be a blessing to You and to others.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.  Joshua 1:9

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?  Run in such a way as to get the prize.  1 Corinthians 9:24

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Galatians 6:9

So do not fear for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  Isaiah 41:10

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Ephesians 6:10

 

The other day, my son was telling me about his day and…honestly, I don’t remember how it came up, but he mentioned his eyes and their color, and I told him how pretty they were.  Then he wanted to see mine, so I took off my glasses and we looked at each other eye to eye.  It was then we realized our eyes are the exact same color.  See, all six of us have blue eyes, but as you know, every blue is different, and my identical eye color buddy just so happened to be my adopted son.  Isn’t God neat?!

I think God loves to show up in sweet moments like this.  I could tell it was a big moment.  He knows I love him, but to know that we share something like that was truly special.

It reminded me of the importance of taking time to look the Father straight in the eyes.  One of the greatest things I’ve done, is ask God to look me in the eyes.  And then in a moment of courage, for me to hold His glance and see what I can see in His reflection.

Do you know what I always find in His eyes?  I find endless amounts of love and affection, but also I see bits of my reflection in His eyes.  I find myself in Him, and there I find the security and confidence to walk through each and every day.

Prayer Moment:  Today will be short because I want you to have ample time to do this exercise.  I know we’ve done this in the past, but I cannot express the importance of making this a regular thing.  It doesn’t take long for us to forget the good things we see, that’s why we must take a moment to look at Him on a regular basis.  His eyes tell me all I need to know.  His eyes hold my peace, and in them I see my future.  His eyes hold my value.  He is such a loving Father.

(After you complete this exercise, I would love to hear feedback from you about what you see or experience.  😊)

The hearing eye and the seeing eye, the Lord has made them both.  Proverbs 20:12

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.  The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.  1 John 3:1

The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge, but He overthrows the words of the traitor.             Proverbs 22:12

Keep me as the apple of Your eye; hide me in the shadow of Your wings.  Psalm 17:8

Fortitude: Courage in pain or adversity

Just now as I was sitting and waiting to hear God speak this devotional over me, I heard this word “fortitude”.  I looked up the definition and typed it above. Then I remembered a pivotal moment in my life.

When I was in hard labor with Micah, I had been laboring for many hours already and was in a birthing pool trying to move things along.  Suddenly, without any warning, I felt flung to my hands and knees.  I can only say, I’m positive that God put me in that position.  I was in so much pain that I immediately began to try to move into another position, but my midwife instructed me to stay on my hands and knees.  She said, “That’s good, don’t move”.  So, I relented.  It was incredibly painful, but immediately after that, Micah’s body began to rapidly move through the birth canal, and he made his triumphant entry into this world.

This memory reminds me that this is the phase of birthing our blessing that we are in.  We are in hard labor, and the “baby” is about to be born.  We all feel it.  We all have felt an increase in the tension of waiting.  We can and will see this through.  There have been moments lately, that this tension has felt so intense that I have felt actual physical discomfort.  It’s getting real, friends.  But this just reminds me that we are nearing the end.  There’s going to be an end.  We will have a birth!!

Staying in the middle of intense discomfort is something you do on purpose.  It can feel so wrong or unnatural, but you sometimes need to just push through the pain.

Pain and discomfort is NOT always an indicator of wrong, birth is uncomfortable.  Birth is also the most natural thing on earth.  We were created to give birth, not just physically, but spiritually.

Prayer Moment: God, thank You for always being in the business of birthing new things.  I stand willingly before You now, surrendered to this process.  Your loving hand has guided our every step and we will not turn away or sit down in protest now.  No, we will follow You where and how You lead.  No matter what others say or think, You are the Wise One we seek.  You are faithful.  You are the only One worthy of all our attention.  I will not give up.  In Jesus Name, Amen.

All my longings lie open before You, O Lord; my sighing is not hidden from You.   Psalm 36:9

O Lord, do not forsake me; be not far from me, O my God.  Come quickly to help me, O Lord my Savior.  Psalm 36:21-22

I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned and heard my cry.  He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.  He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.  Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.  Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.  Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders you have done.  The things You planned for us no one can recount to You; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare.  Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but my ears You have pierced; burnt offerings and sin offerings You did not require.  Then I said, “Here I am, I have come- it is written about me in the scroll.  I desire to do Your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart.  I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly; I do not seal my lips, as You know, O Lord.  I do not hide Your righteousness in my heart; I speak of Your faithfulness and salvation.               Psalm 40:1-10