We’ve touched on current affairs a few times, but this morning I was stirred by a couple of larger portions of scripture…so I wanted to share them and hope they would reinforce to you the fact that the same God we read about in the Bible is the same God Who is moving right now, in this moment.

In Revelation we are told that we overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony, so I wanted to allow the testimony of our ancestors to speak the overcoming power of God into our hearts and minds.  Remember, no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has conceived of the things God has prepared for those who love Him…

My hope is that you will read these scriptures and really inspect what they are saying and be infused with courage, faith, and direction.  The victory belongs to the Lord!!

I will wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from Him.  He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken.  So many enemies against one man- all of them trying to kill me.  To them I’m just a broken-down wall or a tottering fence.  They plan to topple me from my high position.  They delight in telling lies about me.  They praise me to my face but curse me in their hearts.  Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him.  He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken.  My victory and honor come from God alone.  He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.  O my people, trust in Him at all times.  Pour out your heart to Him, for God is our refuge.  Common people are as worthless as a puff of wind, and the powerful are not what they appear to be.  If you weigh them on the scales, together they are lighter than a breath of air.  Don’t make your living by extortion or put your hope in stealing.  And if your wealth increases, don’t make it the center of your life.  God has spoken plainly, and I have heard it many times:  Power, O God, belongs to You; unfailing love, O Lord, is Yours.  Surely You repay all people according to what they have done.  Psalm 62:1-12

Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord:  “I will sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted.  The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea.  The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation.  He is my God, and I will praise Him, my father’s God, and I will exalt Him.  The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is His name.  Pharaoh’s chariots and his army He has hurled into the sea.  The best of Pharaoh’s officers are drowned in the Red Sea.  The deep waters have covered them; they sank to the depths like a stone.  Your right hand, O Lord, was majestic in power.  Your right hand, O Lord, shattered the enemy.  In the greatness of Your majesty, You threw down those who opposed You.  You unleashed Your burning anger; it consumed them like stubble.  By the blast of Your nostrils the waters piled up.  The surging waters stood firm like a wall; the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea.  The enemy boasted, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake them.  I will divide the spoils; I will gorge myself on them.  I will draw my sword and my hand will destroy them.’  But You blew with Your breath, and the sea covered them.  They sank like lead in the mighty waters.  Who among the gods is like You, O Lord?  Who is like You- majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?  You stretched out Your right hand and the earth swallowed them.  In Your unfailing love You will lead the people You have redeemed.  In Your strength You will guide them to Your holy dwelling.  The nations will hear and tremble; anguish will grip the people of Philistia.  The chiefs of Edom will be terrified, the leaders of Moab will be seized with trembling, the people of Canaan will melt away; terror and dread will fall upon them.  By the power of Your arm, they will be as still as a stone- until Your people pass by, O Lord, until the people You bought pass by.  You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of Your inheritance- the place, O Lord, You made for Your dwelling, the sanctuary, O Lord, Your hands established.  The Lord will reign for ever and ever.  Exodus 15:1-18

I had another vision while at the movies yesterday. 

As I sat on the vision I described in yesterday’s devotional, I kept seeing and hearing the word, “Dragonflies”.

Anyone who knows me, knows that God has used dragonflies to speak His love, presence, and peace to me for many years now.  When I heard the word dragonflies…I realized that I haven’t seen any in a long time.  The last few years seemed to be full of them.  On my daily walks, I would be inundated with sightings of the beautiful creatures…now, I haven’t seen one in many months. 

Hearing the word, made me ponder why I haven’t been seeing them.  Then it hit me…we are in a season of transition.  When we first moved to Oklahoma, I found dragonflies covering our yard…I saw them as I drove to school, etc.  They seemed to be everywhere.

Now we are in the process of transition…and I immediately knew that dragonflies would lead us.  We will know our next property/home by dragonflies of His Presence. 

It’s like they were a marker of us being exactly where we were supposed to be when we moved back to the south after many years of living in Pennsylvania.  During our stay in PA, I never saw live dragonflies anywhere…but the house we bought had a dragonfly door knocker.  Immediately, when I saw that, I knew it was a sign that God would give us that home.  When we moved here, I wondered if we should move to a smaller and less expensive home, but then our yard was covered in dragonflies and every time I walked out here, they were circling all around me.  Like little manifestations of the goodness of God, they reminded me we were meant to be here.  During our season of leanness, I was reminded of His promise over us, every time I went out for a walk near our property.  Now they’ve disappeared. 

No, we aren’t being punished.  What’s happening is we are seeing in the physical, something that’s occurring in the spirit…we’re to be looking forward to what’s next.  We’re not to be dwelling on what we are leaving…not grieving what never happened here…not sad about moving, but excited! 

And we are just that…we are overjoyed with excitement about what’s coming!!

With every day, our family grows more and more excited.  We see our hope restored, renewed, refreshed, reignited, and greatly expanded.  We are being expanded…to receive something far greater than we ever hoped or imagined.   We are about to move into the things we’ve been praying, hoping, and dreaming for over the last 7 years.  We are ready!!

Dragonflies of His Presence will lead the way.  We are on the lookout, Lord.  We are watching the sky, looking for the dragonflies that will lead us home.  With greatly expectation we follow.

Wherever you are in your faith walk, I pray this story encourages you.  I share these deep, intimate moments with you in hopes that they will spur you on to dive deeper, believe more, and embrace change.  God bless you and keep you.  May His face shine upon you and give you peace.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

“If you are pleased with me, teach me Your ways so I may know You and continue to find favor with You.  Remember that this nation is Your people.”  The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”  Exodus 33:13-14

I will praise You, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonders.  I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.  Psalm 9:1-2

I took my son to a movie today, and in the middle of it and out of nowhere, I had a vision. 

I saw a succession of memories that hold a lot of shame in them.  They are memories from deep in my past and I usually try to avoid them.  I have asked for forgiveness over each instance and have forgiven others involved.  Still, they continue to plague me, even after all this time.  Today when they came, it was so random and out of the blue that I was so startled, and asked God why I was seeing them.  Then I saw a dandelion.  I blew on it and all the seeds flew off and went into the ground…planted and ready to grow.  Then I felt a fresh wind over me and was full of faith as I asked God to make good things out of every one of those terrible memories. 

Wow!! It was a super powerful moment as I felt I finally conquered so much shame in a second, during a random movie.

God’s goodness is so consuming that He can even turn the darkest moments of our lives into something good.  Today, I saw that in a much grander scale than ever before.

I mean, I expect that God will make good out of hard things that happen to me…but to see that He wants to make good from the bad things I have done myself…well, this was a whole new thought for me. 

Maybe this concept is old to you, but I feel like it shifted my world.  The goodness of God is far grander than I ever knew!!

God loves us so much more than we can comprehend.  He is so much better than we could ever believe.  He is wonderful, isn’t He?

So, I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey.  Exodus 3:8a

Lord, remove me from the slavery of bad memories.  Bring me into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey.  Turn all the dark days of my distant past into flowers that adorn the future.  Make them good.  Redeem me fully.  You make all things beautiful in Your time.  I trust in that.  Come and make me beautiful.  I love You.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

But I trust in Your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in Your salvation.  I will sing to the Lord, for He has been good to me.  Psalm 13

I said to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from You I have no good thing.”  Psalm 16:2

I love You, O Lord, my strength.  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 18:1-3

What if we are unknowingly in the greatest movement of God’s justice upon the earth, that we’ve ever seen?  What if all the exposing that’s occurring is leading to God’s hand coming into the earth and sweeping away the wicked?  What if we are just in the middle of a great process?  What if, because God is so eternal, we have no capacity to see far enough into the future to discover this is all part of a Master plan?

In this season it can feel like justice is far removed from all we see.  Nations pervert justice every single day.  Our courtrooms are feebly built upon the justice of man…and apart from God’s wisdom moving in those seated as judges…we are in great peril.  When I was on jury duty years ago, I was astonished at the massive potential for man’s own agenda to influence our system.  That is exactly what we are seeing on many fronts today. 

These days have not changed the Lord.  He is still a God of justice.  He judges.  I know people hate the idea of that right now, but it’s no less true.  We will all stand before Him on our final day and be judged. 

As a believer, I have no fear of that judgment…but woe to the unbeliever who is not covered by the blood of Jesus.  This knowledge should drive us to share the gospel without any fear.  The eternal consequences of a life without Jesus are too terrible to comprehend.  How can we sit aside and simply watch as so many people march proudly off to their eternal demise?  Our hearts cry should be to see the world saved.

For the sake of the world, God sent His only Son.  Jesus gave up His heavenly throne to be born a baby on earth…knowing He would have to die as the ultimate sacrifice.  It’s so much to comprehend, isn’t it?

Thank You for Jesus.  Oh God, Thank You for Jesus.  My heart bubbles up with gratitude and humility as I see my future only through His eyes.  He alone made my way.  He alone carved out a path to eternal life. 

As we watch those who are bent on evil continue to succeed, and continue to pervert God’s heart, we can rest assured that one day we will see justice. 

The godly will rejoice when they see injustice avenged.  They will wash their feet in the blood of the wicked.  Then at last everyone will say, “There truly is a reward for those who live for God; surely there is a God who judges justly here on earth.”  Psalm 58:10-11

Now is the time for the intercessors to rise up!! Rise up and lay siege to the darkness that is trying to encompass the earth! 

Let’s pray.

God, thank You for being Justice.  Increase my understanding of true justice.  Bless our country and restore justice here.  Restore self-control and morality.  Protect our children in this time.  Strengthen families and create harbors of safety for us to raise godly children.  Thank You for being the One we can count on, all the time.  You never fail.  Let freedom and justice ring out through America!  In Jesus’ name, amen.

I trust in the Lord for protection.  So why do you say to me, “Fly like a bird to the mountains for safety!  The wicked are stringing their bows and fitting their arrows on the bowstrings.  They shoot from the shadows at those whose hearts are right.  The foundations of law and order have collapsed.  What can the righteous do?”  But the Lord is in His holy Temple; the Lord still rules from heaven.  He watches everyone closely, examining every person on earth.  The Lord examines both the righteous and the wicked.  He hates those who love violence.  He will rain down blazing coals and burning sulfur on the wicked, punishing them with scorching winds.  For the righteous Lord loves justice.  The virtuous will see His face.  Psalm 11

I see myself in a large field.  I’m bending down and I dig my fingers into the dirt and pull up a handful.  When I lift it up to my nose, I breathe in the smell of it.  It smells fresh, new, and healthy.  It’s good soil.  The color is rich brown, and it has a healthy amount of moisture.  I wonder, is this what God experienced when He scooped up the dirt and made Adam?  I am in a new garden.  A new territory.  Surveying the land and seeing that it is good.  I am at rest.  The sun is bright above me and I feel the winds of change blowing over me.  As I turn my face toward the sky, the sun carries an expectation of good things coming.  Like a guest that I’m expecting to arrive at any moment…come Holy Spirit and fill our land with Your presence. 

As winter seems to drag on and the expectation of spring seems to flirt with us through the constant changing of temperature, I feel the harvest.  I feel the spring and summer.  I am feeling three seasons at once, just as I have prayed.  I mentioned in my devotionals a couple of weeks ago, in a prayer, that I was asking God to release multiple seasons over us at once because they had been delayed so long.  Now as I stand in the vision He’s giving me, I feel them converging.

As I look out upon the land of my vision and dreams, I am aware that much work is coming.  A time of a particular kind of busyness is coming.  One that connects us to the Father and to nature more.  A busyness that carries the breath of God and ushers in a closer walk with Holy Spirit.  A busyness that is home.  Becoming stewards of land.  Learning and growing and transforming into the creations He desires us to become. 

God’s breath is on home right now.  His heart is family.  Can you feel it?  Do you hear it too?

Everywhere I look, I see Him directing those who listen, to reconnect with simple.  To re-establish home.  To restore the family dinner table and a slower tempo of life.  To farm and learn the land that He blessed us with so long ago.  The land Adam and Eve worked. 

Our family has been feeling the call to have a farm for many years.  We’ve dreamed together about this since we first heard the call.  Our collaborative goal has been to buy and work a farm…to have animals and grow food…to have space to hunt, roam, and live.  This dream has sustained us through our various seasons.  That dream feels closer than ever, and we couldn’t be more excited. 

I know our dream isn’t everybody’s dream, and that’s ok.  It still doesn’t change the fact that God is all about families, especially in this season. 

Change is coming.  A return to Center.  I can feel it in my bones.  Our original design is crying out to heaven.  Who we were originally created to be, in the secret place, is beating like a drum from our hearts.  Can you hear it?  Do you perceive it? 

Today, I encourage you to look deep within yourself.  Ask God where He is leading you.  Think outside the box and don’t be afraid…just listen.  It’s almost like God’s speaking at a different frequency now and we must be intentional to tune our ears to His voice.  Are you willing? 

Lord, I can feel You moving today.  Thank You for Your mercy.  I surrender to change.  I surrender to things that are outside my zone of comfort and box of knowing.  I am looking to You the Author of creativity and asking You to download Your heart into mine.  In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.  Genesis 2:7

The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever. Psalm 37:29

This last week I have been filled with so much peace.  This peace has been almost tangible.  I think I might be noticing it so much, because of the long wilderness season we’ve been walking through.  I have spent so much time battling enemy spirits…like fear, anxiety, lack, apprehension, and a myriad of others…that having a lift… a time that feels light, is something I definitely notice.  When I boil it down, I realize that I’ve been feeling unburdened.

Unburdened:  not burdened or encumbered. 

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  John 14:27

This is definitely what I’ve been feeling. 

Chris and I have made further adjustments to our lives, starting March 1^st, at the Lord’s direction, and the effect of it has been immediate.  Praise Jesus! 

Our children are more joyful, and our days feel more connected.  The home has warmth again.  What was once wrapped in stress and burden is now free to breathe the breath of Life.  We are changing and being changed.  We have re-aligned and are moving in new directions. 

I’ve also been leaving behind the chains that bound me in the last season of life.  As I’ve watched those chains fall to the ground, I’ve felt the sound of it reverberate through heaven.  It’s caused other doors to open and released freedom for me/us to walk into what’s next.

If your life has felt like a drudge, I encourage you to sit for a while.  Close your eyes or stare out the window.  Give God time and space to speak to your heart. Take a moment to still and quiet your soul.   Allow Him the space to create new vision inside of your heart.  Then, don’t feel stress to complete it, simply say to Him, “Yes.  Now make it happen Lord.”  It’s up to Him.  We agree and cooperate, and He completes. 

Sometimes, it takes the slightest step to move into a slipstream of God’s presence and forward motion.  This is the reason I’m always encouraging you to stay tuned to His voice.  So you absolutely know, beyond a shadow of doubt, when He speaks and you remain willing to heed that Voice and make necessary changes. 

A willingness to change is paramount to a life that pursues Him for the “more”. 

I am always asking God for more.  When I receive a portion from Him, I thank Him, but then immediately request more.  I’m so desperate for Him that I can never have enough. 

We never arrive.  We will always be changing.  This knowledge also tells us…if we’re not moving toward God, then we’re moving away from Him.  This is why it’s so important to prioritize our walk with Him.

Take time to prioritize Him today. 

Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.  Luke 1:78-79

Today I want to discuss something that I believe is truly important.  The thought for today began with the following scripture…

Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m lying- I don’t know this man you’re talking about!”  And immediately the rooster crowed the second time.  Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind:  “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know Me.”  And he broke down and wept.  Mark 14:71-72

We all know this story very well.  Peter the disciple of Jesus had vigorously sworn he would stand by Jesus no matter what.  When Jesus said Peter would deny him, Peter couldn’t comprehend it.  He thought that would never happen. 

The truth is, none of us can truly know what we will do under pressure…until we are under pressure.

The thing I want to discuss from this event is…the curse.

I find it very interesting that not only does he deny Christ, but he calls a curse upon himself as he lies.  He said, “A curse on me if I’m lying” when he clearly knew he was lying.  But when we observe the rest of Peter’s life, we see him far from cursed.  The rock upon which Christ will build the church…that’s how Jesus referenced him later.

You may be wondering, at this point, what in the world I’m talking about.  I’m so glad you asked.

I believe that some of us feel like we’ve cursed ourselves and have no hope of being blessed in some areas of our lives.  I bring out this part of the story to say, “You are never so cursed that God cannot redeem you.”

This devotional may not be relevant to everyone, but for the few that it helps find release…this is worth it. 

Friend, no matter what vow to God you’ve broken, there is hope.  No matter what curse you have released over yourself, it’s not too late.  Even if someone else has spoken curses over you, they can be voided.  There is hope.

Today, I want to breathe that hope over everyone of you. 

When I was young, I dabbled in some dark things, and for years the Christian crowd I was around, made me feel like those things disqualified me from being in certain positions and receiving certain blessings.  But that’s the opposite of the grace I have found in God.  I have been told that certain “celebrity” Christians have received such a portion from God because they lived holy lives even when they were young, never struggling with the things I struggled with…but that also, couldn’t be further from the truth. 

But for the grace of God, we are all saved.

Sin is sin.  God sees it the same, no matter how bad we want that to be different.  Oh, how pride can wash over us and make us think our sin is so much less than someone else’s…but friend, when we allow our hearts to rest on that, we become a stench to God. 

He shows us in scripture that…

“You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’  But I say anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  Matthew 5:27-28

God’s standard is high. 

So how is this helpful with someone who feels cursed?  Well, it’s all to say, none of us is truly any better than the other.  Pride is just as sinful as lust.  Arrogance is just as sinful as murder.  Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft.  If we all, in the magnitude of our sins, can be found by Jesus and brought into the family line of God…grafted in…then how can we not be released from curses, just as Peter was?

The entirety of life and our inability to save ourselves with so-called good living…is all designed to point us to Jesus.  We all need Jesus.  He is the only way.  The only Truth.  The only Life. 

No one comes to the Father except through Him.  We all lived under the curse…then there was Jesus.  Breathe in that freedom today.  There is forgiveness at the cross.  There is life when we lay ours down.  It is only by dying to our sin nature that we come alive.  Jesus.  Jesus is everything.

To navigate the world around us, believers must be able to hear His voice. 

It’s never, ever been God’s desire that we only “hear” God through a priest or our pastor.  He desires to have a personal relationship with each one of His kids.  He wants us to know Him…and when we do know Him, He wants us to listen.  Truly listen and obey.  Our love for Him should be so firm and unwavering that when we hear Him say anything, we believe the best of Him…we trust that He wants the best for us and will only lead us where He has gone before us.  Jehovah Shammah-God is there. 

But if we’re honest, I think many of us don’t believe that. 

Take a look at the Israelites again…

But as surely as I live, and as surely as the earth is filled with the Lord’s glory, not one of these people will ever enter that land.  They have all seen My glorious presence and the miraculous signs I performed both in Egypt and in the wilderness, but again and again they have tested me by refusing to listen to My voice.  Numbers 14:21-22

This was written right after the time we spoke of yesterday…when the Israelites were full or fear, instead of faith, after sending men to inspect the Promised Land.  I’m struck right now, as God is saying to me, “Lisa, when I give you a glimpse of the future, I’m asking for you to agree with it.  I want your agreement.”  Yes, Lord…help my first response to everything You show me, to always be, “Yes”. 

Anyway, back to the original thought.  The Israelites seemed to continually show their willfulness because what happened next is truly unbelievable…

When Moses reported the Lord’s words to all the Israelites, the people were filled with grief.  Then they got up early the next morning and went to the top of the range of hills.  “Let’s go,” they said.  “We realize that we have sinned, but now we are ready to enter the land the Lord has promised us.”  Numbers 14: 39-40

Seriously, they got scared and didn’t want to go into the Promised Land, so God told them they never would.  Then the next day, they stubbornly tried to go anyway.  They always seem so spoiled and entitled to me…

Then I consider us now…how spoiled and entitled are we still?

Hmmm.  There’s a lot to chew on today.  It can be hard to take an honest look at ourselves, but it is always worthwhile. 

What if, from now on, we decide to believe that God always has our best in mind.  That way, no matter what He tells us to do, we can always say, “Yes”.  This “Yes” can be a constant knee-jerk response because our hearts truly believe He is good.  All the time.

When I made the decision to always say, “Yes” to God…so much in my life changed.  Stress fell away.  Expectations of goodness increased.  Life felt more aligned with Him.  It’s so worth it.

Yes, we must learn to hear His voice, but secondly…and no less important, is the fact that we must also learn how to simply obey Him as well.  Today is a great day to start.

Where your focus lies, is what will determine whether or not you have courage.  The disciples didn’t have courage until Holy Spirit was released into the earth.  Before God within was given, man was unable to find much courage.  You’ll see that those in the Old Testament who operated in courage, were the ones who had been supernaturally infused with Holy Spirit…before Jesus’ death and resurrection, it appears that Holy Spirit would come to rest on man in a limited scope.

Now, we have a unique gift that they only dreamed about.  We have the privilege and honor of our own bodies being the temple of the Holy Spirit.  Wow!!! It’s so humbling when you really think about it.  God in us…Holy Spirit.

This week I read about the time when Moses sent scouts to look at the Promised Land.  The initial report from all but two of the men caused great fear to fall upon the Israelites…and as we all know, prohibited them from receiving the promise themselves.  Only the two who saw from a different perspective would walk into that land…not only walk…but lead into it and fight for it.   

This was their report to Moses:  “We entered the land you sent us to explore, and it is indeed a bountiful country- a land flowing with milk and honey.  Here is the kind of fruit it produces.  But the people living there are powerful, and their towns are large and fortified.  We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak!  The Amalekites live in the Negev, and the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the hill country.  The Canaanites live along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and along the Jordan Valley.  But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses.  “Let’s go at once and take the land,” he said.  “We can certainly conquer it!”  Numbers 13:27-30

It’s so interesting to me that when the others went into the land, they got so distracted by the challenges, that they laid waste to the Promise.  Caleb and Joshua remained faithful to the Faithful One.  They knew God could take the land.  They saw the land in the light of the Promise…not the shadow of doubt.

The church today is so similar.  In this hour, it has been made clear that the church has failed in many ways.  We placed ourselves in the challenges we are in because of our refusal to be involved in things like government and entertainment…we failed by making the flock think that mission work could only look one way…by forfeiting our place in the marketplace. 

I fully believe, without apology, that the church is meant to be front and center in all of culture.  We are called to excel in the arts…Holy Spirit is the epitome of creativity.  We are called to the marketplace…and politics.  Yes, politics.  Why on earth would the church ignore politics and then complain when evil laws are passed, and religious liberty is infringed upon?!  It’s nonsense. 

I have been told by pastors that the church isn’t supposed to get involved with politics and they use a cherry-picked verse to wobble upon.  It’s nonsense.  In my mind it’s no different than the polluted church culture I grew up in that told me I couldn’t operate in the things God has called me to, because I’m a woman.  Then they would use one or two cherry-picked verses as a stick to beat me back with.

I refuse it.  I can’t tell you how long it has taken me to move out from underneath that shadow.  Now I see that God alone gives me interpretation of scriptures that I can trust.

I will never forget when I heard God call me into some very specific places of leadership.  Immediately, I felt guilty and asked, “Am I allowed to do that?”  He said to me something that I will never forget.  He said, “I’ve called you to what I’ve called you to.  If you believe scripture doesn’t support that, then you are the one who’s misunderstanding it.”   From that moment until now, I’ve sought to have a greater understanding of those scriptures. 

Wouldn’t you rather understand, than live bound to misunderstanding and misinterpretation?

God, give me Your wisdom.  Shine Your light on the scriptures and teach me the truth.  I don’t want to read it as a human, I want to read it in the light of Holy Spirit.   I want to see what You see.  Come near and explain to me what I need to know.  I trust You to teach me.  I trust You to lead me.  I trust You with my life.  I belong to You.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

The other day while having an intense moment during quiet time, I saw myself…and my body was covered with a variety of colored flowers.  Every inch of me was covered with full blooming flowers…and I heard, “You are in full bloom”. 

Today, almost a week later, I saw that same vision…but this time, one at a time, flowers were being picked off me by others, and when they plucked one, a new flower would bloom on me immediately to fill the space left behind. 

I love everything about this extended vision.

I have come into a blooming season.  I have been brought out of a season of shadowy winter and being aligned in the wrong places, into an eternal spring.  A time where the Light of life is shining all over me.  I am just now being reminded that months ago, immediately after making some alignment decisions, I saw someone who had been casting a dark shadow over me and that shadow was preventing the Light of God from reaching me.  Their cloudy covering was in the way.  As I prayed and broke those ties, I saw God’s light come back to rest on me without hindrance.  From that moment, until now, I have felt His goodness again. 

I had wondered why things had been so challenging and hazy…in that vision it was all made clear.  Oh, the goodness of God.  He won’t allow us to stay in bondage to others.  He will reveal, remove and reorder…because He loves us.

Do you want to be in full bloom?

I’m sure you do…if so, now is a great time to take a moment and ask if you are aligned under someone who is casting a shadow over you.  A shadow that stands to obstruct your alignment with God.  Every alignment you make in your life, is important. 

As a worship leader, I always tell people, my job when I lead worship is not to be seen and praised by the congregation…no, I’m like a tour guide and I take the room to the Presence of God and then step aside and say, “Look!! There He is!”  I am to direct attention toward God.  Many worship leaders and pastors get stuck in self-love… they love the attention and praise of the congregation…which is very dangerous as we saw clearly with the devil.  He too was leading the worship, until he wanted the glory to be directed to him.

We must guard against wrong alignments like that.  It’s extremely important who we sit under.  Who we allow to lead us…in worship, teaching, even in our work.  God desires to set our lives into alignments that allow His glory to shine over us. 

Yes, at work sometimes we must work under those who aren’t godly, but in those times, we must be on our face asking God to allow His light to shine through the darkness, and seeking His wisdom to keep ourselves separate, even when in the same office…to supercede the shadow cast by an unbeliever and for His light to radiate from within us, therefore transforming the environment.  It can be done.  It’s not easy, but it can be done.  In church, we do have a choice about what leadership we fall under…so it is our responsibility to meet with God and ask where He wants us to plug in and to remain willing to be moved if that leadership becomes unhealthy for us or becomes out of season for our lives.

Ultimately, we are responsible for listening and following God to remain in the full light of His glory and favor.  Even in the darkest place His glory can be found by those who seek Him. 

My heart says of You, “Seek His face!”  Your face, Lord, I will seek.  Psalm 27:8

The godly are directed by honesty; the wicked fall beneath their load of sin.  The godliness of good people rescues them; the ambition of treacherous people traps them.  Proverbs 11:5-6

Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.  Honesty guides good people; dishonesty destroys treacherous people.  Proverbs 11:2-3