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Natural or supernatural?

Galatians 4:31-5:1 (AMP) So then, believers, we [who are born again—reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose] are not children of a slave woman [the natural], but of the free woman [the supernatural]. It was for this freedom that Christ set us free [completely liberating us]; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery [which you once removed].

It is the season to start visiting family for the holidays! Thanksgiving week and most homes in America have been cooking for big gatherings of people. I started earlier in the week. Even though it looks like we may have focused on food, it is the people that matter most. I was praying about how I could honor God this year and this scripture is what He brought to my remembrance. Even if someone brings up my past, I have been set free from it. There is no defense needed.

From talking to other born again Christians, they dread family gatherings. They have even resorted to closing themselves off and only being with those within their homes. Friends, I am here to tell you that is not the answer either. I have learned that meekness takes great strength in Christ. Can you hear things about how others perceived you and not say anything to defend? Can you also not take it to heart? I think Paul gave the greatest example of that.

Galatians 1:13 (AMP) You have heard of my career and former manner of life in Judaism, how I used to hunt down and persecute the church of God extensively and [with fanatical zeal] tried [my best] to destroy it.

He did not deny who he use to be, but he did not live there. Light does not run from darkness. God does not place us in caves to dwell. He never has called us to the cave, but He will let you go there if you so desire. To me the cave is where I am still in control. I control who comes in and who goes out. I can shine the light in places that only I give permission to. That is not freedom. A cave is a natural response to keep ourselves safe. It is not Christ empowered.

How can I honor God in this season? Remember who you are in Christ and walk in it. We are not to be haughty or think we are better than others. The gospel matters more than anything else. Christ has set us free for freedoms sake and no one or nothing can make you go back into that bondage. Here is a little bit that Paul wrote to the church in Philippi. Meditate on it. Do not just read the first part and take on the countenance of a victim, because we are not. Read on and become zealous for the gospel.

Philippians 1:29-30, 2:1-4 For you have been granted [the privilege] for Christ’s sake, not only to believe and confidently trust in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, [and so you are] experiencing the same [kind of] conflict which you saw me endure, and which you hear to be mine now. Therefore if there is any encouragement and comfort in Christ [as there certainly is in abundance], if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship [that we share] in the Spirit, if [there is] any [great depth of] affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, having the same love [toward one another], knit together in spirit, intent on one purpose [and living a life that reflects your faith and spreads the gospel—the good news regarding salvation through faith in Christ]. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit [through factional motives, or strife], but with [an attitude of] humility [being neither arrogant nor self-righteous], regard others as more important than yourselves. Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

I can either choose to live as if still born as the slave and my natural life would be validated. I can also choose to live free, reborn from the free (supernatural), the freedom that Christ set us free.

Father, Abba, Creator, we stand in awe of You. We desire to glorify and honor You during this time. Thank You for Your Son who set us free. Thank You for the gift of the person of the Holy Spirit. We can now live supernatural and no longer bound to our past. We repent for the shame we have allowed to overtake us, and responded with living in a cave instead of the freedom You desire for us. In Your Word You call us a royal priesthood and a special people (1 Peter 2:9). We will proclaim Your wonderful gospel, that Your Son called us out of darkness and into His marvelous Light. We will no longer run from the darkness. We choose forgiveness today. We choose hope today. We choose joy today. We choose love today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Shrinking Feeling

Psalms 34:5 (AMP) They looked to Him and were radiant; their faces will never blush in shame or confusion.

Rooted and grounded in love. I have been having to speak that and renew my mind in that these past couple of days. Something I said was not interpreted how I intended to present it. Presenting a message to a group is a very difficult thing. If something can be misinterpreted in a small group, just think about how much it happens on a larger scale. That was my thought. Did I make a mistake? Is it a mistake for me to even be speaking? I wanted to shrink back and hide again. The voice in my head was saying, “see, this is why you do not need to be up there.” I really don’t want to be up there anyways so that is good enough, right? Nope. My hiding place is not to withdraw, but to sink my very self into Him. He is my hiding place.

Matthew 5:14 (AMP) You are the light of (Christ to) the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.

Hiding in Him does not mean I am hidden from my calling. The Light was never meant to be hidden. Radiance is what you will continue to see. I will continue to work in the ministry of reconciliation. Whatever capacity He wants me to do it.

Did it shrink my confidence? Yes. I have a holy fear of leading others away from His heart. That was my question to myself? Did I draw anyone away from Him? Or did I get them to draw deeper to know Him more? Since it was the later, He calmed me. He put me into His rest. That is what hiding in His Presence will do. I have to continue to be Christ minded, not me minded.

This is a pretty short blog, but I felt like that I needed to share some vulnerable moments. In the moments that you are rocked and feel pushed down, keep your focus on Him. He is your hiding place, so that you can continue to let His Light shine through you.

Father, You are more than we can imagine. You are the creator of the universe. You hold everything in the palm of Your hand. Thank You for sending the Redeemer, Jesus.Thank You for the gift of infilling me with Your Presence with the Holy Spirit. Forgive me for doubting myself like it was all up to me. Forgive me for making it about me and wanting to shrink back. All I want to do is be close to You and bring others closer to You. Continue to knock off the rough edges. Continue to renew my mind and my tongue. I choose Your glory today. I choose to hope in You today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Take off the cape

Ephesians 2:8-9 (MSG) Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving.

We are in a culture today where everyone wants to be famous for something. We may never have our names on the big screen, but what about that hand held screen we spend so many hours a day looking at. We want followers, we want likes, we want views and what if something we post does not get enough attention. It is the same inside of the church. We go live on Sundays and we have a You Tube channel. Do you not think that I do not check the analytics?

I never wanted to get up and speak in my church. I never wanted to lead. Did my husband make me? Did anyone make me? Definitely not. It came from my love for the Father. I remember sitting in a service at a Joyce Meyer’s conference and asking God to take the fear from me that kept me from my full potential. I asked Him to put a desire in me to do what ever it takes to set the captives free. When I put on my headset to speak on Sundays, it is not so others can hear me speak, it is so they can hear the Father speaking through me. I whole-heartedly fear others not seeing the Father for the sake of me.

What happens when we are compelled to be like our hero’s because of the spotlight instead of letting Christ stay there? This reminds me of a movie I watched with my boys when they were little, The Incredibles. The Incredibles is a family of super heroes, with fantastic abilities. Before Mr. Incredible started a family, he was a solo hero and a young boy wanted to be his sidekick. However, this boy did not have super powers, and Mr. Incredible was not a work together type of guy, and rejected this young boy. This youngster grows up to become a villain named Syndrome (which in the English language means a form of disease). A little side issue that comes up is the demise of other super heroes. Could capes be a cause? One such character proved that they were. If you watched the movie, then you will get the meaning, if not…capes can trip you up and capes can get caught in things that will pull you back. Why did they want to wear capes? It symbolized that they were super (titles are capes too).

Have we tried to put on capes? Not literal capes (other than at a cosplay event – if you wore a cape out in the public people might think that you are weird). I am talking about the cape of getting to the next level of “success.” We want to be in the spotlight. You might not have thought of it like that, but when we want to be the one people call on when they have a problem. How about we point them to the Light, Jesus! You do not have to call me. You do not have to tell me everything going on in your life, but if you need me I am here. Just know that I am going to point you back to Jesus.

Matthew 22:37 (MSG) Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.’ This is the most important, the first on any list.“

We are not to be first on our list, He is. I am not to put my husband there, my favorite speaker there, my children there, my parents there, my friends there, a politician there, and the list can go on. What happens when we put ourselves or anyone else in the position of Light (Savior)? They miss the mark. No one can be the maker and the savior, only Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit can. It is time to take off the cape and put the spotlight on Jesus!!

Our Father, You are Holy! You are Mighty. You are more beautiful than the flower of the field. Thank You for Your Son. Thank You for being our maker and making way for a Savior. We repent for trying to play the major role in the lives of others. We are sorry for the times we made it about us and not about You. All we want is You. We are taking off our capes and laying them at the feet of Jesus. Our hearts desire is to proclaim and expand Your Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. We are choosing to forgive ourselves for the times we have put something else in first place. You are the giver of life and nourishment. All we need is You! We are choosing to put You in first place today. You deserve all the glory, all the honor and all the praise. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Lazy Days of Summer are Over

Philippians 3:10 (AMP) And this, so that I may know Him [experientially, becoming more thoroughly acquainted with Him, understanding the remarkable wonders of His Person more completely] and [in that same way experience] the power of His resurrection [which overflows and is active in believers], and [that I may share] the fellowship of His sufferings, by being continually conformed [inwardly into His likeness even] to His death [dying as He did].

Summer break is officially over for us. My youngest started his first year of high school this week and my oldest will start his first year of college next week. I have to overcome the lazy days of summer and get back into a routine. Why? I have become lazy. I have become lazy in my devotions. I have become lazy in my reading. I have become lazy in my writing.

Sunday we began 21 days of prayer with our church. You can follow along with the social media prompt here on our Facebook Page. These 21 days of prayer are focused on our children returning to school. We are sending them out as light into the darkness. We do not pray over them in fear, we pray over them so that they may make an impact. I have never hidden my children from the world as we have been instructed to be light to the world. How can we hide what He has illuminated (Matthew 5:15).

My children are not my own, they are His and I have to trust that He can do better with them than I. Remember Hannah (1 Samuel 1), we have dedicated our children to the Lord for His service. Even though the household that Samuel was sent out to was not perfect, God still spoke in and through him.

With all that being put out there, how do I overcome my laziness? I have also taken these 21 days to give my time back to God. I have become more intentional with my devotion time. I have become more intentional with my reading. I have given Him my days again. Why? Just like the above verse states, so that I may know Him. Desiring for More has always been about drawing deeper into my relationship with God.

Monday I redid the website and social media pages to reflect that. When I began this two years ago the verse I used was Ephesians 3:20, (TPT) “Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination! He will outdo them all, for his miraculous power constantly energizes you.” I firmly believe when we run after the things of God that my wildest imaginations will come to life. However, that is not why I chase after Him and I wanted to convey that in my writings. So the key verse for Desiring for More has been changed to Philippians 3:10.

To get out of the lazy, I need to realign my heart with His. Seek after Him and do the works of the ministry. However, I cannot get so busy doing that I do not spend time with Him. I cannot spend so much time with Him and never get to doing. That is why I gave Him back my time these 21 days of prayer, it is His time now.

How are you doing with your time? Could you use a readjustment like me? Give back to Him what is His. He freely gave it to us. We need to be good stewards with it (Matthew 25:14-30). Spend time in His Word, spend time in prayer and get out and do what He says. Show your Light and His love today.

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Word for this year: “Light”

John 1:9 (AMP) There it was – the true Light (the genuine, perfect, steadfast Light) which, coming into the world, enlightens everyone.

I have never been one to do a “word of the year,” but this year God spoke to me “Light”. My heart’s desire is to seek first His Kingdom. When special occasions come my family will ask if there is anything special I would like to do, go, or want. My answer is nothing at all. There are things that I like and places that I like to go, but those are not the desires of my heart. There are a benefit and I would never turn down a trip to the beach, but I will not pout if my husband does not plan us a trip there every year for our anniversary.

Why “Light?” I have been seeking God about why the Body of Christ have lost their boldness. Their boldness to reach the broken and to see the captives set free. Why are we seeing shallow Christians? He told me that they do not know me as the “Light.” They may have accepted Him as Savior, but that does not mean they have not been free from the shadows of the darkness. They have been tricked into thinking that it is not their time yet, so therefore, He has not released them.

Luke 8:16-18 (AMP) “Now no one lights a lamp and then covers it with a container [to hide it], or puts it under a bed; instead, he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come out into the open. So be careful how you listen; for whoever has [a teachable heart], to him more [understanding] will be given; and whoever does not have [a longing for truth], even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.”

Why would Jesus come to turn on the lights and then expect God to hide it? That does not line up with the character and nature of God. It does not make a bit of sense to tell someone that God has hidden you. What about when the angel told Joseph to hide Jesus when King Harod wanted all the boys killed? Was Jesus baptized in the Holy Spirit yet? Nope! You see when we are born again (into the light) the Holy Spirit now dwells in you. Then if you accept the baptism of the Holy Spirit (as it talks about in Acts), your power source should be so bright that the unenlightened should be seeing you down the street. We are all called to the ministry of reconciliation. Not one born again believer is exempt from that ministry. That means, I am not hidden, I am full of Light! We need to take a lesson from Moses about that glow!!

John 8:12 (AMP) Once more Jesus addressed the crowd. He said, “I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

Matthew 5:14-16 (AMP) “You are the light of [Christ to] the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good deeds and moral excellence, and [recognize and honor and] glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Ephesians 5:8-10 (AMP) For once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of Light [live as those who are native-born to the Light] (for the fruit [the effect, the result] of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn [by experience] what is pleasing to the Lord [and letting your lifestyles be examples of what is most acceptable to Him—your behavior expressing gratitude to God for your salvation]. 

Genesis 1:1-4 (AMP) In the beginning God (Elohim) created [by forming from nothing] the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void or a waste and emptiness, and darkness was upon the face of the deep [primeval ocean that covered the unformed earth]. The Spirit of God was moving (hovering, brooding) over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. God saw that the light was good (pleasing, useful) and He affirmed and sustained it; and God separated the light [distinguishing it] from the darkness. 

I pray that this opens your eyes more to who God is and the desire He has for you. He sent His only Son to restore you back to Light. Live in the Light. Remember whose you are and be bold. You have the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling within you, never to hide your Light again. You are not hidden, but you are a city on a hill, shining for the world to see Jesus!!

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Let it shine!

John 1:9 (AMP)  There it was—the true Light [the genuine, perfect, steadfast Light] which, coming into the world, enlightens everyone.

Here we are two days after Christmas. The time of the year that we celebrate the true Light coming into the world. The way my chronological reading plan worked out is that I started the New Testament yesterday with Luke 1 and John 1. The past few weeks (December 1-24) I took a chapter in Luke per day and read it along with my other readings. Today I wanted to focus in on John’s perspective. He starts off with Christ is the Word and the Light.

John 1:1-8 (AMP) In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself. He was [continually existing] in the beginning [co-eternally] with God. All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him not even one thing was made that has come into being. In Him was life [and the power to bestow life], and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines on in the darkness, and the darkness did not understand it or overpower it or appropriate it or absorb it [and is unreceptive to it]. There came a man commissioned and sent from God, whose name was John. This man came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe [in Christ, the Light] through him. John was not the Light, but came to testify about the Light.

Christ came so that He could restore us to our rightful place with the Father. He came to be Savior to the world, but He is so much more than that. We begin our relationship with Him as our Savior. That moment that changes our life and we let the Light in. The Light is always going to point us to the Word. The Word should bring life to you. Do you dread reading the Word? Does it seem boring to you? Are you one who says that you read and get nothing out of it? The Holy Spirit can help with that.

Whenever a person tells me they want to grow more in their relationship with God, or they are ready to surrender entirely to Him, I ask them if they read their Bible and if they pray in the Spirit. If they have never received the baptism of the Holy Spirit then I encourage them to do so.

I remember my moment that I received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I was nineteen. I had been saved for a little over a year and attending seminary. Their was a missionary ministering at the church and she gave the invitation. I was engaged (to my husband) at the time and we had talked about how important it was for him that before we got married that I was spirit filled. Just a couple of weeks before the missionary had visited our church I had given him a box with his wedding band in it, letting him know that I was ready to take the next step in my relationship with God. We set our wedding date for nearly six months after that moment. Unlike others I know, this was not a manipulation tactic to marriage. This was genuine.

From that moment. The Light was brighter, the Word came alive. The zeal for everything to be reconciled to Christ was greater. Life does happen and if you do not charge your self in the Word and prayer then you will become dim again, but the Light is still somewhere there. So what am I rambling on about? Do not wait until January first to say I want to get in the Word more. Do it today! Why wait? Pray in the Spirit more. If you have never been baptized in the Holy Spirit, message me and I can point you to some scriptures to help with that.

Now that we have our Word and our Light, go as John did and testify of Him. We do not draw people to ourselves, but point them to the Light.

Matthew 15:14-16 (AMP) You are the light of [Christ to] the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good deeds and moral excellence, and [recognize and honor and] glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Let your Light shine!!