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Out of the grave

Depending on where you are and what worship bands you have access to, because there are many, what would you say would be your favorite song to put on repeat right now? Elevation Worship and Maverick City just put out a new collaboration album called “Old Church Basement.” To be honest I have not listened to many of the songs, “Jireh” is a pretty good one. One song though that I have to stop whatever I am doing and just sing when it comes on is “Rattle” (not on this album, but releases by Elevation Worship a year ago).

Pentecostal fire stirring something new
You're not gonna run out of miracles anytime soon
Yeah, resurrection power runs in my veins too
I believe there's another miracle here in this room

This is the sound of dry bones rattling
This is the praise make a dead man walk again
Open the grave, I'm coming out
I'm gonna live, gonna live again
This is the sound of dry bones rattling

I do not know about you, but the greatest battle that I have is in my mind. My mind will tell me that I really am not wanted. That it does not matter when you get up and speak. I ask myself whether the things that I make available to serve, do they really matter, does anyone care? Then I feel guilty and I wear the shame or disappointment on my face. Then I am told that I need to change my face because I am wearing my disappointment. This causes me to want to go into hiding, and God would let me do it. Really? God will let me run and hide. Yes, He will. Remember, you have free will.

1 Corinthians 10:13 (AMP) All things are lawful [that is, morally legitimate, permissible], but not all things are beneficial or advantageous. All things are lawful, but not all things are constructive [to character] and edifying [to spiritual life].

Case in point is to look at Elijah. In 1 Kings 19 Elijah hears word that Jezebel is mad and has sent people to kill him. In the previous chapter we see that he calls does a fire and it burns up and kills all the priests of Baal. Verse 4, “But he himself traveled a day’s journey into the wilderness, and he came and sat down under a juniper tree and asked [God] that he might die. He said, ‘It is enough; now, O Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers.‘” Have you ever had those moments that you curl up and think, would it better if I was not even here? An angel comes and feeds him, there was cake (talk about comfort food). Then he makes his way to a cave. Verses 9-10, “There he came to a cave and spent the night in it; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’  He said, ‘I have been very zealous (impassioned) for the Lord God of hosts (armies) [proclaiming what is rightfully and uniquely His]; for the sons of Israel have abandoned (broken) Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I, only I, am left; and they seek to take away my life.‘”

God then calls Elijah, while he is in the cave, a couple more times asking what he is doing there. Showing His marvelous self outside of the cave each time. My friend, God does not want us to stay in the cave, but He will let us be there if we choose. What Elijah did not have available to him is the Holy Spirit (also referred to as our Comforter). I look at it this way, yes a cave is good for hiding and it does provide shelter, but do you know what else it is used for? A grave! They buried their dead there. This is why I love the song “Rattle” so much right now. I wanted to stay in that cave. I have to make the choice to come out, and no God would never want to keep me there. Do not let that cave become your grave!

Do not let that cave become your grave!

I found a nice cave when I had COVID. It was after the 10 days had passed. I was still feeling exhausted, so I slept a lot. Saturday afternoon I had nausea again and a headache so bad that I needed a cold compress. This was my chance, I could tell my husband that I needed another Sunday to recover (I had already been out the previous Sunday). He would have to be compassionate and let me, I mean I still had the affects of COVID. The articles said this could last months. Yep, there was a nice cave I could hide in. I had to make the decision not to stay there. I was not one hundred percent when I went to service that next day. Since I was still dizzy and my mind was foggy, I did not play the bass with the worship team. In worship I pulled on that corporate anointing and received the healing I needed to not go back into the cave.

If you have been in a cave, please know that God does not want you to stay there, but He will allow you to be there. He loves and cares for you. Let Him show you all of His majesty. I heard from Joyce Meyer one time, “You are graced for the hard stuff.” Here are a few scriptures I use to help me with the hard stuff, I pray they encourage you. Have a blessed day!

Ephesians 3:16-19 (AMP) May He grant you out of the riches of His glory, to be strengthened and spiritually energized with power through His Spirit in your inner self, [indwelling your innermost being and personality], so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through your faith. And may you, having been [deeply] rooted and [securely] grounded in love, be fully capable of comprehending with all the saints (God’s people) the width and length and height and depth of His love [fully experiencing that amazing, endless love]; and [that you may come] to know [practically, through personal experience] the love of Christ which far surpasses [mere] knowledge [without experience], that you may be filled up [throughout your being] to all the fullness of God [so that you may have the richest experience of God’s presence in your lives, completely filled and flooded with God Himself].

Isaiah 4:29 (AMP) He gives strength to the weary, and to him who has no might He increases power

1 John 3:19-20 (AMP) By this we will know [without any doubt] that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart and quiet our conscience before Him whenever our heart convicts us [in guilt]; for God is greater than our heart and He knows all things [nothing is hidden from Him because we are in His hands].

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Coming out of the fog

Ephesians 3:16-19 (TPT) And I pray that he would unveil within you the unlimited riches of his glory and favor until supernatural strength floods your innermost being with his divine might and explosive power. Then, by constantly using your faith, the life of Christ will be released deep inside you, and the resting place of his love will become the very source and root of your life. Then you will be empowered to discover what every holy one experiences—the great magnitude of the astonishing love of Christ in all its dimensions. How deeply intimate and far-reaching is his love! How enduring and inclusive it is! Endless love beyond measurement that transcends our understanding—this extravagant love pours into you until you are filled to overflowing with the fullness of God!

With all of my careful maneuvering around my house I still got COVID! COVID-19 was not that hard on my husband. It hit me like a ton of bricks! It zapped me of all of my energy and on top of that the world was spinning!! I slept for what it seemed for days. I did not move from the spot on my couch and had to call in people to drive my teenage sons to school. Some say that people just need to get COVID to get it over with, I tell them NO!! I do not wish that on anyone. My youngest had it and was fine. My husband had it and was able to function. I had it and everything came to a stop.

This extravagant love pours into you until you are filled to overflowing with the fullness of God!

Ephesians 3:19b (TPT)

After an amazing time ministering Sunday I went and chatted it up with my husband in his domain of the house he was quarantined into. Monday, after grocery shopping, the symptoms started. I went ahead and scheduled my testing for Wednesday. My symptoms were waves of nausea…it was awful! My Tuesday I could not get off the couch. Wednesday my husband was back at work, I could not move. Thursday I felt better because of the steroid shot and meds I got from the doctor on Wednesday. Friday morning though, I had to scoot across the house because the nausea and spinning was so bad!! No husband at home, thankfully we have a couple in the church that live around the corner, they took my boys to school. The boys got woken up through the echo dot. Mommy was stuck!! Sunday I tried to shower. My husband had to pick me up soaking wet off the bathroom floor. He dressed me, combed my hair and put me back in bed. I did make sure to join in live at our service time to worship with my church family. Monday and Tuesday were a blur. I cannot remember if I took my kids to school or not. By Wednesday it was 10 days since symptoms started so I could come out of quarantine. I went to the gym after taking the kids to school. I probably looked so funny because of the fog my brain was in. I was slow, but I was there. Thursday and Friday I just slept. I tried doing devotions with my boys. Talking was hard. Reading felt labored. Saturday, I was determined to get back functioning, but by two that afternoon I was back on the couch sleeping. Then my head was hurting so bad I was in tears! I slept off and on until Sunday morning. I’m getting back to the church house!!!

Do you know how many articles there are about the long term effects of COVID? I do. I read about those who had symptoms like I did and the long term effects that would happen. I read about people having short term memory loss. I read about people not regaining their energy back for months. Then I had to stop reading because that was not what God has in store for me. I cannot claim what He has for you, because that is based on your faith. For me, God gave me the message to “Reset My Position” just in time for this storm. Just like the verse above, “the resting place of his love will become the very source and root of your life.” What we read sometimes likes to be the root in our lives. We can allow the reports to be our reality if we allow that to take root in our lives.

When I was laying on that couch, and the world would spin, I was brought this song by Elevation Worship called “Rattle.” The lyrics: “This is the sound of the dry bones rattling, This is the praise make a dead man walk again, Open the grave, I’m coming out, I’m gonna live, gonna live again, This is the sound of the dry bones rattling” is what I sung over and over again.

This is the first day I have been able to write. I was not able to write last week because of the fog that had taken over my brain. Yesterday, I went to my house of worship, my local church, and worshiped in the corporate atmosphere. My brain had been blank, but as I was worshiping my brain was starting to be restored. It was in that atmosphere that I received my healing. I have come out of the fog. COVID will not have lasting effects on me! It will not take over my body to where all I do is sleep and it robs me of time. I will move! I will be active!! “By constantly using your faith, the life of Christ will be released deep inside of you!” Come out of the fog with me! Rest in His Love!!