Affected or Effective?

God places people in our lives to sharpen us, and for us to sharpen them.

When you are too busy worrying about yourself, He is unable to use you for the purpose He placed you together for. Let me explain…

If you are running all over the place, filling everybody’s wish, making everybody happy, worrying about their reaction, doing what you think you should do, holding up your reputation, trying to be enough to everyone, expecting everyone to be enough for you… then when a situation arises, you will react out of fear of trying to control everything so that you don’t drop all that you are trying to hold up (And by the way, God didn’t ask you to hold it up to begin with.) Rather than respond the way He would like you to.

When you are fearful you will shy in the face of confrontation due to the fact that you may get rejected, and if you get rejected it makes you feel worthless or frustrated or it rubs up against your flesh and hurts.  That’s when it’s about you.

When you are faithful you are willing to stand boldly in the face of rejection and still know that you are good. That’s when it’s about Him & accomplishing HIS purpose.

CEASE STRIVING, Focus on Him, not on the circumstance. Be still, & you will hear from Him, It is then that you can be faithful by responding to what He has asked of you.

When you are fearful, you can be affected...

When you are faithful you can be effective.

There are some words in a song I heard today that have so much power

“When fears are stilled and strivings cease.” There is peace there.

When you understand that, it’s easier to let go of your fears, cease striving and realize that God has it under control.

Matthew 6:26 “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet our heavenly father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”

You are always given options, it’s called free will. God will never force you to do something. You can REACT to the circumstances around you and be pulled every which way, OR you can surrender your fears to God, trusting He has it under control, stand in the situation and RESPOND the way He is guiding you to. Both work, but one is more efficient than the other.

In this moment, is it about YOU? Or is it about HIM working through you?

Maserati or a Kia?

Many Christians live feeling defeated the majority of their lives. They love Jesus and want to do His will, yet they don’t know where to start & have zero joy while going about their daily business. If a non-believer looks at them, they don’t desire anything of what the Christian possesses.  Because most of them are worn out, over-whelmed, burnt out, grumpy and just plain pissed off. What’s the deal with that? Shouldn’t we be lights to a dark world? Shouldn’t we radiate the joy of Jesus, so that those who don’t know Him WANT to? So why don’t we?

I feel it’s because most Christians don’t know HOW to walk in His strength… The key?

Surrender…

But what does that even mean? HOW do you surrender? Is it physically? Emotionally? Spiritually? What?

I have learned recently that surrender is as simple as God says it is in the bible.

“Whoever seeks to save their life will lose it. Whoever loses their life, will preserve it” ~ Luke 17:33

At first that seems confusing. But when you read this next verse, it becomes ever so simple.

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must DENY THEMSELVES and take up their cross DAILY” ~ Luke 9:23

Surrender is as simple as DAILY denying ourselves and allowing God His way to work through us. No reservations, no fears, no anxiety, no barriers… We give up our rights and become free and flexible for us to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

That’s a simple…yet scary thing to do.

God wants you to become aware of all the things you value the most & all the things you fear the loss of and surrender them to Him… even if that means you don’t get them back.

Are you willing to do that in order to walk in His power? If you’re not that’s OK, He still loves you, even though you will continue to go about things your way.

That way tends to be a bumpy road; reacting to feelings, allowing people to push your buttons, which makes following Jesus so much more difficult than it needs to be.

The way my friend, Lisa, taught all this to me was:

“It’s like trying to drive a Kia the way you would a Maserati. The Kia doesn’t have the horsepower to do all a Maserati can do and you may blow out an engine trying.”

God will let you drive the Kia, He will help you where you are AND still give you the option of taking the keys of the Maserati in exchange for your most valued possessions. 

The Maserati is smooth, it’s able to do immeasurably more than you could ask or imagine. You still have hills to climb, but the horsepower of the Maserati makes them so much easier.

“The enemy wants to destroy you and your future, but God’s redemptive power is released as you let God handle the burden for you!” ~ Suzie Eller.

When you surrender to Jesus, He is taking the weight of your burden & carrying it for you. Don’t pick it back up later in the day! Leave it with Him…and then go about your business.

Knowing God is in control of your situation, allows you to surrender whatever is getting in the way of Him using you. The fears of rejection, of failure, of making a wrong decision, all these heavy weights that you hold on to, give them to Jesus! He will gladly take them from you and in exchange, give you the keys to the Maserati.

Reflection:

Are you ready to drive the Maserati? If so…

Make a list - of all you value the most.

Weigh the cost - of offering Him your valuables, or holding on to them.

Make a choice - surrender…or continue your way.

10pm lesson from God

I went for my second day of C25K today (Couch to 5K) I don't intend to run a 5K but I needed something to push me a little further and keep me on track. Run 1.30 mins and walk 1.30 mins for 30 mins. It is perfectly challenging for me... Tonight God taught me a few things...I want to share them with you!

Rest your mind ~ When you "rest something" you put it down & take the weight off. Just because you are resting your physical body doesn't mean you are always resting your mind.

Push through the physical pain by focusing on Him ~ If you have followed Jesus for any length of time you know there will be some pain. Physical, emotional, mental...all of it! Push through it by setting your mind on Him! Memorize scripture.

Do what makes you uncomfortable and it will make you comfortable ~ The things God has laid on your heart for you to do that scare the living day lights of out you... do it. In the long run it will make things more comfortable in that area.

When it gets dark, don't run back to where you could see ~ Eventually you will have to run through it anyway, so why prolong it? And don't just stop, you'll stay there longer. Keep running through it.

The harder you push towards the end when you LEAST feel like it, the stronger you finish ~ That time when you think you can't do it anymore... that's when you need to push harder. When you are weak, THEN you are strong!

He will always give you time to "Cool down" after the hard work ~ In life there are seasons. God knows your limits and will push you further than you think, but always gives you a cool down time after the job is done.

He will give you the wisdom and the opportunities ~ It's up to you to walk them out and apply all He has taught you!

Even though there is a storm brewing, don't let that prevent you from stepping out ~ He will hold back the rain until you are finished what you set out to do...THEN He will open the flood gates and refresh your soul. The time is now.

Trust Him even in the promised land.

There was a time in my life where I thought the promised land would be a great place to reside, until tonight when Joyce Meyer brought to light that the promised land has enemies too, in fact, more so than the desert did! That was an eye opener to me but it also freed me.

I have been walking in many different "Promised lands" that I have prayed for in the past 3-4 years of my life. I didn't necessarily realize I was already there because I have had so much opposition and felt like maybe this is not where I am supposed to be or this is not how God does things and even, is this who I'm supposed to date? God wouldn't do it this way, it's too hard. God does do it this way, just because it's hard, doesn't mean it's not from Him. I know you have heard it many times (Because I have and I've only been a Christian 4 years!)

"It's in these times that God makes you more like Him."

It's true, He does. But as Joyce said tonight and as Jesus has said many times
"GET UP AND WALK..."
God wants YOU to take possession of the life He has predestined for you (Ephesians 1:5 "He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will")

He has predestined a life for you that is way more than you could ask for or imagine...but it's up to you to walk it out and take a bold stance to step into what God is walking you through right now.

I prayed, and prayed, and prayed for God to remove a situation from my life. In fact I prayed and asked Him to remove the man I'm dating right now from my life if it was not His will for me. I didn't think God worked this way. You see, I was married 5 years ago to a Marine, that ended terribly and swore I would NEVER (ever!) marry or date anymore who was in the military ever again. (Guess I should be careful what I tell God I will never do) The man I'm dating now is in the military... Air Force. He intends to be in as a career and that means he will have to move where-ever they decide to base him.
So in my eyes, there was no point in dating. If it led to more than just dating, I would have to move and why would God move me after all He has done in my life in the past 5 years here in Charlotte? Why would God place me in the exact same situation that I was in 10 years ago with potentially, in the near future, having to make a decision to leave all that is here, to possibly move with the man I'm dating who I could one day marry?
No, God doesn't work that way... He wouldn't make me feel the same feelings again of panic and despair when things that come up bring up old memories of the same steps I walked out when I was 21 and think that I'm OK with walking them out again, this time with a different person...would He?
Everything in me screams "No, what are you doing?!? It will end up the same way, why would you do it again?" And then I hear a still small voice that says "Trust Me, I have a purpose in this and I have you right where I want you, trust Me."

For the past year I have fought some of the biggest enemies when facing whether or not I should date this man, and always in my heart is the still small voice "Trust Me, I have always been faithful & I have a better plan than you do."
In my mind it's "But this isn't going to work, HOW is this going to work?" and again, that still small voice says "Trust Me, Stand, Wait and See... I have your best interest at heart."

Some of the most heart wrenching times have been during these struggles of working through my present, towards my future, with the astonishing similarities of my past. But I believe God is trying to redeem the past; and heal my heart through the most amazing man that He has given me. A man that I have prayed for over the past few years that loves me unconditionally, is patient with me, communicates better than I've ever experienced in a relationship AND who pushes me towards Christ in a way that I have never had.

But I have to tell you, the promised land doesn't always look the way you think it will. God's plan never looks like yours and even if you may be facing some BIG enemies right now... doesn't mean you are going the wrong way or are in the wrong spot, it could mean you have made it to the promised land & are exactly where God wants you to be. Take possession, step into the life God has for you, be bold & stand strong facing some of the biggest battles you may ever face...because He who promised IS faithful!!!!! (Hebrews 10:23)

Today's SOAP

S.O.A.P

S.
Matthew 6:7-8
"And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like the pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him."

O.
Pray, but pray strong, bold prayers. God already knows what you need He just wants you to ask. Ask precisely.

A.
Pray exactly what Im asking for. Do not drag on saying many things. But to be openhearted and to the point.

P.
Lord, Thank you for a guide line of how you want me to live my life and how I are able to communicate with you. I'm glad you already know what I need before I ask and that even when I don't have words, you still know.

John 10:10

S.O.A.P

S.
John 10:10
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

O.
The enemy will try to ruin everything good that God sets out to do in your life. God came to bring you life to the fullest and it's your job to fight for that and protect it from the enemy.

A. 
Pray, set boundaries, protect with the word of God, don't put yourself in stupid situations, and renew your mind with truth!

P.
Lord, I pray that I would set out EVERYDAY to protect the gifts you have given me. Love, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Joy, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self control. Don't allow me to hand them over to the enemy like I have so easily been doing. Place your work in my heart and remind me of it so that I have tools to fight with and protect my heart, for it affects everything I do.

Romans 8:28
"And know God is at work to make your life exactly what He wants it to be."

S.O.A.P

A friend of mine told me about how she uses SOAP to study scripture...huh? I know, I thought the same thing! 

It's actually an acronym that stands for Scripture, Observation, Application & Prayer! 

I love it! 

It helps me take one chunk of scripture, whether it be a verse or a chapter and break it down to apply to MY life!

I did one today and want to share it, so that you can see how to do it at home! It's a great way to have some quiet time with God and allow His word to soak into your spirit!

S Matthew 11:28-30

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

O If it is weighing me down to the point of not being able to carry it, go to Him! His yoke is easy and He is there to carry the burden. LEARN FROM HIM! Do what He does, lead like He does, live like He does. He is gentle and humble. Not mean, tough worn out and proud. He loves me and is waiting to help. He WANTS to give rest to my soul. When my soul is restless I can go to Him. Sleep is rejuvenation for my body, HE is rejuvenation for my soul. He will comfort me when I surrender whatever is weighing me down to Him.

A When my spirit is restless, PLEASE remember to sit with Him. Be still and allow him to pour into me with His never ending love. Go to Him and drop my burdens at His feet. He will carry it. His yoke is easy. Stop trying to hold it all up by yourself.

LET IT GO - SURRENDER!

SURRENDER

= 

Give up

Fall

Drop

Yield

P Lord,

Please remind me to surrender to you EVERYDAY. To take up my cross and remember it's not about me and I can't do it all. When it's from you, it's easy! I get to rest in it and enjoy it. It still takes work and perseverance but it is not a burden that I can't handle with You. When I feel that weight remind me to surrender it to you and know that you are carrying it for me. 

For His Glory

Genesis 15:1 Some time later, the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him. "Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great." Abram replied, "O, Sovereign Lord, what good are all your blessings when I don't even have a son? Since you've given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my house will inherit all my wealth. You have given me no descendants of my own, so one of my servants will be my heir." Then the Lord said to him, "No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir."

God promised both Abram AND Sarai a son. Sarai didn't believe she would have a son, she even laughed at the idea (Genesis 18:15). She was tired of waiting and took the situation into her own hands by having her servant, Hagar sleep with Abram in order to give them a son. Sarai eventually became jealous of Hagar and the whole thing made a mess and caused Hagar to run away.

Hagar ran away due to Sarai's mistreatment. But the Lord stopped Hagar and asked her a question.
Genesis 16:8 "Where have you come from, and where are you going?"
"I'm running from my mistress, Sarai" Hagar replied.
The angel of the Lord said to her "Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority."

Sometimes God asks us to do things that we don't like, don't seem right or are just plain uncomfortable. He told Sarai to wait and Hagar to submit. Neither of which are easy things to do.

But one thing we have to realize is, it's not about our comfort, it's about His glory. 

Usually in the end His glory leads to being FOR us (Not against us) and He gives us, not necessarily what we want, but what we need to love, trust & glorify Him more. 

I don't know if you are anything like me, but I keep trying to run away from situations God has placed me in. Like Sarai, I doubted Gods promise that He gave me a year ago. I kept thinking I was wrong and would take matters into my own hands thinking I knew best. A year later, I am standing in the same situation with the same promise, scratching my head wondering when, how and... really God?

But God kept His promise to Abram & Sarai and in Genesis 21:1 at the time when it seemed most impossible, God gave them their own child named Issac.

Hebrews 10:23
"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who PROMISED is FAITHFUL."

L,A,W,S.

LAWS

Ask yourself these questions:

LOVE

            ~Where do I get it?

                        Ex. (People, approval, success)

            ~Who do I get it from?

                        Ex. (men/women, friends, parents, kids)

            ~How do I feel loved?

                        Ex. (Affirmation, attention, sex)

ACCEPTANCE

            ~Who do I get it from?

                        Ex. (men/women, parents, people, Pastors, friends, boss)

            ~How do I get it?

                        Ex. (Doing a good job, Saying the right thing, agreeing w/people)

            ~When do I feel accepted?

                        Ex. (When I am included, when I succeed)

WORTH

            ~Who do I get it from?

                        Ex. (Men/women, parents, teachers, boss, job, kids)

            ~How do I measure it?

                        Ex. (Peoples opinion, success, strengths, looks)

            ~When do I feel most worthy?

Ex. (When I succeed, When I am wanted, When I am placed in a position of responsibility)

SECURITY

~Where do I get it from?

            Ex. (Money, job, family, spouse)

Who are you when you are not feeling loved, accepted, worthy or secure?

How you feel when you DON’T receive these from your sources?

What happens to your mood? Your day? Your week or year?

As humans we are created with a need, we are created to crave, and so we seek out whatever it is that we think will fill all of these LAWS (If you haven’t figured it out yet Love, Acceptance, Worth & Security spell out LAWS)

Each thing we look to is a fleeting source. We can’t rely on our spouse, kids, boss, job, performance or money because they are not a firm foundation. They are not a constant flow that will never run out. Our spouse will get tired of trying to make us happy. Our kids definitely don’t think about making us happy. You can have a crappy day at work, a bad hair day, or fail at something and then what? You feel bad, when you feel bad, you act on that emotion. You walk out your day feeling empty & useless.

But what if I told you there is a never-ending cistern that would meet ALL those needs, ALL the time? No matter what your circumstance, your identity is unchangeable.

His name is Jesus. Yes, for all you non-believers, it may sound strange to think someone you can’t see can fill that void in your soul. But believe me, He can.  (Phil 4:19)

God created our souls to crave Him. He has left His word here on earth as a template of how to live our lives, fitting our design perfectly. He tells us how He feels about us, how He sees us, what gifts He has given us & that we are already FULLY EQUIPPED. He sent Jesus to fulfill the LAWS & give us Grace in return.

We can walk in FULLNESS, in freedom (Gal 5:1), joy (Romans 15:13) and complete wholeness because when we accept Him into our lives, He gives us a new identity (2 corinth 5:17), HIS identity. (Col 2:10)

No matter how hard you try to achieve something from Him, it won’t work…because you already are!
You already are COMPLETE & PERFECT (Col 2:10)
You already are RIGHTEOUS (2 Corinth 5:21)
You already are FORGIVEN (Eph 1:7)
You already are FEARFULLY, WONDERFULLY MADE (Psalm 139:14)
You already are WORTHY (Col 3:12)
You already are LOVED (1 Thess 1:4)
You already are ACCEPTED (Romans 15:7)
You already are SECURE (Eph 1:13)
You already are COURAGEOUS (Eph 3:12).

Understand that your spirit is already whole. You don’t need to ASK Him for strength, peace, kindness, joy, love etc…He has already given it to you, receive it & walk in it. Just ask him instead, to show you how.

Now, ask yourself this question:

“How can I receive Love, Acceptance, Worth & Security from God Instead of the places I was getting them before?”

SURRENDER & SCRIPTURE.

Take a moment to surrender your heart to Him & look through scripture to seek out more places where God tells you about your identity in Him.

When you realize where you are getting your LAWS met, you can redirect them towards the person who was designed to fill them.

Start filling your heart with scripture, replacing that empty void with Gods truth. Don’t walk away without your gifts, receive them; He has given you many.

Replacing lies with truth.

God has been allowing some pressure on my spirit lately. Slowly but surely I am learning that when that happens I am to remind myself of His word.

I have a bad habit of grasping for the wrong things in order to satisfy my ache. I want some comfort, so I will go buy a starbucks (oh that may have hit a nerve for some of you coffee drinkers) or I think of a vacation spot far, far away that I could escape to for some peace. But the reality of it is that the only place I can get the comfort & peace I so wish for, is in the presence of Jesus.

I went through a tough time lately where I was allowing the voices in my head (and sometimes other people’s voices) to get me down. I believed that I wasn’t capable, and that I wasn’t good enough, which allowed the fear of being a failure & getting rejected to hold me back from what God has called me to do in life.

I was shrinking back, becoming a shriveled spirit. Not one that stands boldly in the face of battle, but one too tired to even bother.

That is not the life God wants for me, or you. We are to be risk takers, to fearlessly declare the gospel and stand firm while doing so, KNOWING who we are in Christ.

There was a gap for me between knowing in my head, and knowing in my heart. I just couldn’t grasp the fact that I already am. I already AM redeemed, I already AM righteous, and I already AM perfect & complete in His image! So lately I have been memorizing scripture to help remind myself of these truths. It’s amazing how it pops up just at the right time, either when I am in need of some encouragement, or when a friend is in need of some! I get to steal Gods wisdom and use it as my own!

When we live out of a place of fullness, we walk in freedom & confidence.

If we are seeking to be filled, we will grab at whatever is in front of us hoping it will quench our desire… and it never will.

The answer that helps me (helps, not helped…because I still struggle with it!) overcome my dreadful thinking is Scripture. God gave us His word to fight the enemy with.

Ephesians 6:10-20 explains it perfectly.

The Armor of God

10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. 19Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Take in His word; make it a part of you so that when you come up against battle, you have something to fight with. Grab hold of a verse every morning to be your anchor for that day. Then pick a verse to memorize and get into your heart monthly, in fact I'm going to name it your heart verse. Because you don't want to just communicate it to your mind, you want your heart to soak in it.

My verse today is Matthew 11:28

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

My heart verse to soak in is Romans 15:13

"May the God of hope fill you will all joy & peace, as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope, by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Two questions to leave you with:

What are you grabbing for? Scripture...or Starbucks? :)

And what will your heart verse be?

Empty your pockets

I feel like I just stumbled upon a jewel; a piece of secret information that has never been discovered. Although, in reality it has been said to me many of times in different ways by friends, Pastors & I have read it countless times in the bible. But today, it became clear. I am not the smartest of creatures and God has to repeat Himself numerous times in order to awaken my brain.

We need to develop the habit of emptying our pockets, so to speak. Because suddenly the extra weight of the "junk" we are carrying becomes too much & we break under strain. We must spread out our feelings before the Lord, prayerfully sort through, and ask Him to dispose of the trash. In doing so we will discover that we have exchanged our "spirit of despair" for a "garment of praise."

"

It couldn't have been said better.
I do this once in a while & feel free again then get so busy with life until the weight of it all crushes me. I sit in despair wondering where this all came from & what to do with myself.
He offers me His hand and I'm too ashamed to take it, or sometimes just too tired. I think if I take it work orders will be given & I can't bear anymore load.
But that's not what HE wants, He wants to sort through it with me. He wants to take my load so that I am free & weightless to run the race He has set before me.

You can't do that with the weight of your thoughts. Lay them out before Him today & let Him love you where you are, let Him fill you with the weightless love that He so lavishly pours out so that you can overflow on some crushed spirit He puts in your path today.
When you love others out of your own love, you get tired.
When you love others with His love, His wisdom, His words...it's a never ending flow.