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Why is my neck so stiff?

2 Chronicles 30:8 (AMP)  Now do not stiffen your neck [becoming obstinate] like your fathers, but yield to the Lord and come to His sanctuary which He has sanctified and set apart forever, and serve the Lord your God, so that His burning anger will turn away from you.

Stiff necked really got my attention. My body takes the brunt of stress. Some areas I have felt it is in my lower back, but lately it has been the right side of my neck. Which makes it really hard to look for other cars to change lanes. I have to turn my whole upper body. Yesterday I was able to move my neck fluidly with ease and it was wonderful. Then I remembered the position of peace that I have been in lately. That happens when thanksgiving is what you think of more and you count it all as joy.

2 Chronicles 24:19 (AMP) Yet God sent prophets among them to bring them back to the Lord; these prophets testified against them, but they would not listen.

What happens when we start allowing the Word to do the work in and through us? “For the word of God is living and active and full of power [making it operative, energizing, and effective]. It is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as the division of the soul and spirit [the completeness of a person], and of both joints and marrow [the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12)” My mind is the gateway to my soul. My soul is what needs to be renewed daily. My mind will affect my heart, my attitude and eventually my body (3 John 1:2). I have to remain teachable. I have to put myself in a position to be challenged so that I can continue to grow. Part of this cultivating that God is doing takes change within us (1 Corinthians 3:9).

The Israelites were God’s chosen people. What happened to them when they would not listen? They started losing wars. They would have tribes captured. They even fought amongst each other. We are also called God’s chosen people.

Colossians 3:12-14 (AMP) So, as God’s own chosen people, who are holy [set apart, sanctified for His purpose] and well-beloved [by God Himself], put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience [which has the power to endure whatever injustice or unpleasantness comes, with good temper]; bearing graciously with one another, and willingly forgiving each other if one has a cause for complaint against another; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so should you forgive. Beyond all these things put on and wrap yourselves in [unselfish] love, which is the perfect bond of unity [for everything is bound together in agreement when each one seeks the best for others]. 

Colossians 3:12-14 (MSG) So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.

As God’s chosen people we need to be wearing the wardrobe that sets us apart. I talked about wardrobe on Sunday. How we dress reflects how we feel about ourselves, whether you want to admit it or not. We can be defensive and say it does not matter how I dress; God loves me for who I am. That is true, but do you love yourself? One of the biggest signs that we set the standards in our lives and not God is being defensive. Which is another way of nicely saying living in offense. That is what I thought about when I read the “stiff necked people.” I really did an inward look at myself. I do not want to live in a way that I am looking only at what offends me. Worry is the reason for my stiff neck, and it is offensive to God. Which means I need to be putting on another fresh garment of love.

Seeking God as my vital necessity is the quickest way to put on the right set of clothes. What we wear is important to God. He tells us to put on the garment of love. This is not some love power that the enemy has twisted. This is a garment that we never have to worry about outgrowing, actually, we get to grown more into it. It will never be out of style.

What if what I choose to be offended at stops the growth in the lives of the people I love? Or even myself? So, ask yourself, am I wearing the right garment? Yielding to the Lord is not a bad thing, it a place of strength. Going back into the opening verse, come to the sanctuary that He has sanctified and set apart forever. He is talking about His chosen people. We are the temple (together as a body) being built up in unity for His glory. A unified temple cannot stand if it is filled with strife and offense. I have to take those garments off and put on the garment of love. It will work on that stiff neck and move the way God created it to.

Abba, Father, my Adonai, You are so Marvelous and Wonderful. Your Holiness cannot be compared. You set all of creation in motion and we cannot help to speak of Your Goodness and Mercy. Your Loving Kindness is the Banner over us. Thank You for Your Son, to be the Restorer of our Purpose. Thank You for the Holy Spirit to be the Comforter, Teacher and Cultivator. We take Your Word as Truth and we worship You in Spirit and Truth. Let nothing we do be looked at as mere lip service, but You have searched the deep things in our lives. We repent for putting on garments that we were no longer to wear, such as offense, strife and selfishness. We repent for putting on the garments of worry. All of those result in a stiffness and rigidity that keeps Your temple (Your body) from unity and glorifying You. We are choosing to clothe ourselves in Your perfect Love. We are choosing to forgive freely. We are choosing to walk in Your Peace and Joy. We desire You as our vital necessity. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Happy Independence Day!

John 8:36 (AMP) So if the Son makes you free, then you are unquestionably free.

Acts 13:38-39 (AMP) So let it be clearly known by you, brothers, that through Him forgiveness of sins is being proclaimed to you; and through Him everyone who believes [who acknowledges Jesus as Lord and Savior and follows Him] is justified and declared free of guilt from all things, from which you could not be justified and freed of guilt through the Law of Moses.

The United States of America is two hundred and forty six years old today. I do not know about where you are (for those that life here in the states), but celebrations have been going on all weekend. Our city held their fireworks show and Freedom Celebration on Saturday (two days ago). Our neighbors were shooting off fireworks all night last night. Tonight the city next to us has their fireworks and festivities. We have not made plans to attend a single one. We would have done it when the kids were smaller. We would go now if it interested them.

What does it mean to be unquestionably free? My definition of freedom is probably different from yours. My definition is tied to my peace. My peace of mind. Torment is not freedom. Worry is not freedom. Anxiety is not freedom. To me, that puts me back in bondage. When I get that way I have to dig deep and ask myself, what has put me back in bondage.

John 14:27 (AMP) Peace I leave with you; My [perfect] peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. [Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and give you courage and strength for every challenge.]

There are moments that I allow my peace to be taken. I allow myself to worry about certain things and thought of certain people. I allow myself to get upset when I allow another person’s torment to affect me (this usually shows up in annoyance). I am not as nice as I would like to be sometimes. I have allowed that freedom of peace to be taken. Here is the great thing about Jesus. He already paid the price for me to take it back. I do not need to beat myself up about what happened for me to lose it. I do not need to feel guilty or shameful. I (with the help of the Holy Spirit) put my thoughts back in line and focus on what is important to bring me back in line with peace.

Romans 14:17 (AMP) For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking [what one likes], but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Take back your dependence on all the wrong things. Put your focus back on Jesus. He is the one who gives us the real freedom. Peace is part of that freedom package. No matter what the legislature is saying and doing. No matter what your family may be saying and doing. No matter what the news outlets (some depend on social media) are saying and doing. What did Jesus do? He came so that we could establish His Kingdom here on earth. With what? With righteousness (not by dead works), with peace and with joy.

Galatians 5:13 (AMP) For you, my brothers, were called to freedom; only do not let your freedom become an opportunity for the sinful nature (worldliness, selfishness), but through love serve and seek the best for one another.

When I can seek the best for others, I know that love has brought me to the place of perfect peace.

Happy Independence Day!

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Do You Trust Him?

Jeremiah 18:1-6 (AMP) The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will make you hear My words.” Then I went down to the potter’s house, and saw that he was working at the wheel. But the vessel that he was making from clay was spoiled by the potter’s hand; so he made it over, reworking it and making it into another pot that seemed good to him. Then the word of the Lord came to me: “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?” says the Lord. “Look carefully, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel. 

As I was reading my Bible last week, I came across this text. The potter was working with clay that had already been made into something. He decided to make it into another pot, because he saw fit to make it over. God asked Israel, if He could do the same thing with them. This was a passage of hope for me. We can never be too far gone to give it back to Him. I have to keep reminding myself that I am still in the Potter’s Hands. There are two illustrations using this passage that I would like to share. I did not write them, but I thought you would enjoy reading them.

Kintsugi is the Japanese art of putting broken pottery pieces back together with gold — built on the idea that in embracing flaws and imperfections, you can create an even stronger, more beautiful piece of art. Every break is unique and instead of repairing an item like new, the 400-year-old technique actually highlights the “scars” as a part of the design. Using this as a metaphor for healing ourselves teaches us an important lesson: Sometimes in the process of repairing things that have broken, we actually create something more unique, beautiful and resilient. (Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/better/health/how-japanese-art-technique-kintsugi-can-help-you-be-more-ncna866471)

When life is unfolding in hard ways, it can feel impossible to understand why God would allow hurt upon hurt. How could His mercy not fix all of this? How could He possibly use any of this for good? We see more and more unnecessary heartbreak. But God sees the exact pieces and parts that must be added right now to protect us, provide for us and prepare us with more and more of His strength working through us. I learned about these very necessary “pieces and parts” one day with a friend whose mother is a professional potter. I was sharing with her about how, when we place the dust of our shattered places into God’s hands and He mixes it with His living water, the clay that’s formed can then be made into anything. She smiled so big. She’d seen clay being formed into many beautiful things when placed into her mother’s hands. And she shared something with me that made my jaw drop. She told me that wise potters not only know how to form beautiful things from clay, but they also know how important it is to add some of the dust from previously broken pieces of pottery to the new clay. This type of dust is called “grog.” When shattered just right, the grog dust added to the new clay will enable the potter to form the clay into a larger and stronger vessel than ever before. And it can go through fires much hotter as well. Plus, when glazed, these pieces end up having a much more beautiful, artistic look to them than they would have otherwise. (Source: Lysa TerKeurst, It Is Not Supposed to Be This Way)

I love both of these illustrations. There is so much hope in knowing that I can never be so broken that I would no longer have any value. I am preparing my message for Mother’s Day. I have been doing so since God placed the topic in my heart at the first of the year. It is a message of putting our lives back into the Potter’s Hands. When God asks us, “Can I do with you as the potter does?” He is asking us, “Do you trust me?” When calamity and folly comes our way? When we do not get the house we wanted? When we did not get that job? When the bills keep piling up or the car breaks down again? Do you trust Him?

I have been the woman sobbing into my pillow at night because I was worried about where we would live. Or, I was so exhausted from everything that I could not hold it together any longer. I have to remember to be still (rest in His peace). Do you trust Him? When we have done all, stand on the promise of His Word. He will take you the rest of the way through. He will fill in the cracks. He will make it over if He has to. Trust!

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Where does worry lead?

In the times we live in today it is easy to just spill out our opinions for the world to read. Is that not what blogging and social media was created for? It is easy to follow into the flow of judgement and dishonor. I am guilty of it myself. I try my best not to let it out on social platforms, but I can tell you I have to battle this stuff in my mind.

Pastor Steven Furtick posted late last night, “Father, we worship you in the moment. I declare dreams come alive in this moment, hope come alive in this moment. Do what only You can do, God. Resuscitate, revive, restore, move, heal, save, deliver. Spirit of God, have Your way in our lives. Have Your way in our situation. Nobody is greater than You. Amen.” As I read that this morning I had this unction to cast down the thought of disappointment of people and practice honoring them anyways.

Philippians 4:8 tells us, “Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart].” (AMP)

That means that whatever I think, whatever I post, whatever I speak about should line up with this so that I can get that heart change. I do not want to dwell on the other stuff, because I do not want it to effect my heart. I do not need to dwell on when they did not show up, that does not mean I have to stop showing up for them. When I choose to honor, when I choose to see the value and virtue in others, I am glorifying my Father.

Philippians 4:4-7 (AMP) “Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, take pleasure in Him]; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit [your graciousness, unselfishness, mercy, tolerance, and patience] be known to all people. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God. And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours].”

“Let your gently spirit be known to all people.” To be honest, most of the time I can admit that I do not fall into this category. That does not mean that I do not want to. I desire to be gentle. I desire not to worry so much, which I can say is the root of why I do not walk in grace, mercy, unselfishness, mercy, tolerance and patience at all times. There are times that they will flow out of me and I praise God in those moments, because that is reflecting a work in me. It shows that the Lord is near. That is where I desire to be, where the Lord is near. Worry is not there, peace is. Worry does not lead to honor.

Jesus even says in Matthew 6:25, “Therefore I tell you, stop being worried or anxious (perpetually uneasy, distracted) about your life….” Jesus goes on to talk about food and clothing,but how about relationships? Thoughts and rehearsals of conversations you have had? Events that you were not invited to? People who do not show up for you? This is all rooted in worry, which will ultimately distract us. I am done with being distracted! I want to be free of worry. Verse 27 Jesus says, “And who of you by worrying can add one hour to (the length of) his life?” This is what He does tell us to do, verse 33, “But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also.”

Alright God, I hear what you are telling me today. Putting my focus back on you. Laying down the thoughts and worries of yesterday and the days to come. I am going to worship and praise moment by moment today. Worry brings distractions and I am tired of being distracted!

Praying for you all this week!! Be blessed!!!