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.

Healing in brokenness

Today I went to the TB's meeting at 7am. It's a group of women that meet once a month eager to hear Gods word. Each month we have had the privilege of listening to amazing people like Lysa TerKeurst, Kelly Hubatka, Amy Corbett, Faith Hill. Today we had Lisa Shea. I had no idea what I was in for with Lisa, she talked about Spiritual gifts & I was somewhat guarded but open to listening. I was guarded because I was still on the fence about some of them, she calls them the "uncomfortable spiritual gifts" Things like prophecy, speaking in tongues, healing, & so on. Even though they are mentioned in the bible, you don't hear of them too often in our day. But God still gives these gifts to people. We just hide them because we are too embarrassed of what people will think. Lisa said "When God gives us gifts & we choose not to open them, it grieves Him. He doesn't give them to us FOR US...He gives them to us for others! So that others can see Him through us & have hope."

Well as guarded as I was in the beginning of the meeting, by the end I was balling like a baby, snot running down my nose, tears that I couldn't stop & I felt embarrassed sitting in a room full of women, completely broken without being able to hold it together...AT ALL. To be vulnerable with you for a minute, I have been fighting to get out of a slump. I feel like I have been stuck in a hole for a long time, empty, drained, hardly any energy & just couldn't muster up the strength to get out. I had tried climbing out with all my might & kept falling back in, only digging myself in deeper by pulling all the dirt on top of me. It's a daunting place to be when you feel like you are in a hole & can't get out yourself. 

Isaiah 41:10

"So do not fear, for I am with you, do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

When people around you are saying "Speak it & you'll believe it"  or "go through the motions till you get it back" It just feels more like I'm trying positive self talk to give myself a kick in the rear n get back on track...sometimes that helps, this time it didn't. I had nothing I could say to myself that was helping; no sermon I could preach to myself in the mirror, nothing I could read that was helping; no scripture, no self help book. There was nothing I could DO that was helping, nothing anyone could say to me & no amount of worship music that I sang at the top of my lungs helped. I went to Church every week, I read scripture every morning, I would pray, I would cry...nothing.  I asked my Pastor the other day how he handles it when he isn't feeling it and still has to bring a message to the people every week? He said to me:

"God's truth is still Gods truth, even when you're not feeling it..."

I thought about that for a couple days. It's true, didn't get me out of the hole...but it reminded me that God is faithful, He won't leave me or forsake me, that this is just a season & I will be out of it eventually.

But God :) (My two favorite words) did something amazing this morning... Lisa prayed for people to be released from a crushed spirit...that's where I lost it. I have had such a heavy heart, crushed spirit, stuck soul & not known what to do to get out of it. I have been struggling big time. I had times where I would seek God with everything I had & thought I'd got back on track...and then the heaviness would hit me with a vengeance. It still may...but I feel differently about it this time. I finally felt like this morning broke something in my spirit. There is healing in being completely broken. I am grateful. I'm not sure how God quite heals a spirit... but He does. If someone asked me, I couldn't tell them how. But I just experienced it. His ways are higher than my ways... I will not understand how, when or why He does things...but I'm grateful. 
 I thought that maybe I am going through this at such an extreme measure so that when I hit something tough later down the road I can remember this time & REMEMBER that God IS faithful. I can then pass that hope to others who are struggling. He IS faithful, always has been, always will be. He doesn't change. 

I'm sure there will be ebbs & flows of this season. There is a lot of things God is working out in me where He has only recently scratched the surface. But I will remember that He is faithful & no matter what I'm going through, He will be with me through it, He has purpose in it, & for it...He will not waste it. 

Hebrews 10:23

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess for He who promised is faithful"

Are you living your life as an empty shell?

So as I sit here in frustration with why I can't do what I "should be able to do" & after reading a few blogs this morning, God tugs at my heart in the way that only He can do.

I realize (and have realized MANY times before, but somehow keep coming back to this) that I sometimes put so much expectation on my self and set the bar so high by comparing myself to others, or by looking way out into the future & thinking I need to be "there" now. (Which, in running my organization is a gift of vision. In my personal life it's a curse of perfection) I look at those around me & all they have accomplished & expect myself to be at their caliber of expertise. Then try to live like them, get frustrated & beat myself up when I get overwhelmed, can't do it & fail. That doesn't do anything but make me want to not bother trying at all, EVER! When in actual fact, what I'm doing is trying to live a life far past the work God has done in me. That causes the feeling of "being fake" because I am not truly being who I AM in Christ. I am too busy trying to be like someone else, or too focused on putting on a front of who others think I "should be" as a Christian. In reality, I'm just not there yet. Yes God has done some amazing things in my life, I'm not where I used to be... But I'm also not where I'm going to be either.

Isaiah 43:18

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.  See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland."

There is much work to be done in all of us & we don't help that process by looking back & staying stagnant in our feelings of never being good enough, never living up to certain expectations (that goodness knows WHO sets for us.) 
Its OK to strive to be the best we can be, put our best foot forward & walk in faith that God can overcome our sin & bad habits. But it aint gonna happen overnight. We will always sin to some extent; we are human, not Jesus! Don't allow that to cause you to put on a show and live as someone you are not in an empty shell in order to please whoever you are standing in front of. Put your mess on the table & allow Jesus to work through it, pulling out the good parts that can be restored & getting rid of the things that don't do us any good. Then it's your choice to "get up and walk" forward, or stay & wallow in it. I am sometimes reluctant to be vulnerable & spend those times with Jesus where He wants to work out my junk...because it's not easy; its downright heart wrenching & exhausting. But the end result is worth it. 

Depending on the situation it's not always about cutting something out of your life altogether either; that would be doing it in your own strength. Its learning to live with it and using that struggle to push you towards Christ & allowing him to mold you and shape you so that your responses come directly from a heart restored by Him & eventually your responses will be sincere & those things that you once struggled with, will fall away. Then, you will look back & realize that you are becoming a new creation in Him.

2 Corinthians 5:17 "This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!"

Take the governor off!

The other day I was told to “take the governor off & be excellent” … I didn’t know what that meant because I didn’t know what a governor was (Other than the British term for boss.) It was explained to me that it’s the device that’s placed on a car engine to prevent a car from going too fast. 
As Wikipedia explains it: A governor, or speed-limiter, is a device used to measure and regulate the speed of a machine, such as an engine.

Two words in that definition stood out to me:

1) SPEED-LIMITER: Those are words that I DON’T want describing my character.

2) REGULATE: God didn’t create us to be regulated… He created us to be free & run the race set out for us!

Hebrews 12:1 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”

The things of this world ARE what hold us back. The governors that hinder us from running with perseverance are the materialistic things, emotions towards people & situations, our past disappointments, struggles, addictions, and our inabilities. Pastor Steven Furtick said it best when he said: “What is the thing that holds you back while God is trying to move you forward.” THAT is the governor!

The thing that was eye opening to me was the fact that I had just had a conversation with somebody else the previous day pertaining to this. I told the person that I felt that God had placed this strength inside of me that I don’t necessarily know what to do with, I don’t know how to get it out or even know how to handle it; so I stuff it away & hold it back.

It got me thinking & the question I then asked myself was “so HOW do I take the governor off?”

My answer: Stop following the law & follow me (Jesus) …the law can’t change you. God sent His son, not the law! The law brings feelings of defeat, of never measuring up, and failed perfectionism…God sent Jesus for us to LOVE Him, to be loved BY Him, to keep our focus ON Him. He changes us & breaks the chains. Don’t be held back by trying to reach for perfectionism. Do what YOU can’t do, what scares you, what intimidates you the most. Don’t back away or shyly walk into a situation, RUN BOLDLY, head on towards whatever it is that tries to hold you back or make you want to hide. Ruin the devil’s game of hide & seek! The enemy is counting to 10 while you run around trying to find a place to hide, heart beating, panicking that you can’t do it, won’t make it, aren’t capable, aren’t able, too this, too that…worrying that you won’t find a place to hide before he opens his eyes to come & get you.

God wants you to stand boldly, not hide. He wants you to completely spoil the devil’s game & run boldly towards whatever it is that He puts before you. Don’t allow the enemy to make you cower. God called you to something, trust Him to protect you there. He’s got your back, He has a plan, His outcome is even better than you can possibly dream up yourself. Not saying it will be easy, pretty or even turn out the way you think. My Pastor said today “bad situations that happen to us are not “detours” they are MILE MARKERS”…they are places that we remember Gods faithfulness in our lives, where we get to see Him move, experience His love, comfort, provision, protection & capability. We get to hold on to those moments when we are standing boldly on uncertain ground.

When you stand boldly the enemy will get bored because he has nothing to play. Don’t feed into his schemes…don’t allow him to defeat you, or debilitate you…take the governor off, put into play all God has taught you thus far & watch all that He can accomplish through your unhindered spirit.

SUFFER, SHOW, WAIT, RECEIVE

Today I read through Acts 1-5 & grabbed a few goodies that I'd like to share with you!

SUFFER - SHOW - WAIT - RECEIVE 

Usually the way God works in our lives is through the 4 words written above. He allows us to go through a time of great suffering, which breaks us & shows our need for Him.
At the very pit of our suffering, we see who Jesus is. We are then told to wait for HIS timing...not our own. Two very different things!! We must always pay attention to that. Sometimes we like to jump ahead & think the timing is perfect. This is when we should wait & allow Him to guide us. It is then that we shall receive what He has promised, the power to do as He has called you do to.

Acts 1:3 - "After his SUFFERING...He SHOWED Himself"
Acts 1:4 - "But WAIT for the gift my father promised..."
Acts 1:8 - "You will RECEIVE power when the Holy Spirit comes on you..."

SUFFER-
In Acts 1:9 Was when Jesus had been taken up to heaven & left his disciples. There was some suffering there for the disciples for the loss of their friend. As well as great opposition from those around them who did not "know" Jesus personally, or did not believe Him.
 (Acts 2:13) As followers of Christ we will ALWAYS face opposition. Whenever we are called to step out in faith we will always have people in our lives thinking we are absolute fools for choosing to live our lives for God. Jesus had it, His disciples had it, we will have it! The question is, are you willing to trust that Jesus is who He says He is? That He rose from the grave as Peter explains in
Acts 2:24
"God raised Him from the dead, because it was impossible for death to keep it's hold on Him"

Especially as a leader you will always come up against opposition in whatever it is God is calling you to do or to be.
But one day, those who oppose you, their eyes will be opened. As in Acts 2:23 & 2:37
Peter explained "This man was handed over to you by Gods set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross"
Acts 2:37
"When they heard this, they were cut to the heart & said to Peter 'Brothers, what shall we do?"

There eyes were opened ready to be shown the miracle of Christ in the next chapter.

SHOW-
Acts 3 Peter heals the beggar & people are amazed at the life change when they see the man walking.
People's eyes were open to seeing the miracle performed in Jesus name by a bold disciple!
Acts 3:8-10
"He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him."

This goes to show that you don't have to go out and preach the gospel for people to see Jesus. When you meet Jesus, your life is changed & people around you see that for themselves, our job is to give praise to the one who made us new! Peter & John (& the beggar that was healed) constantly gave praise to God for all He had done! The rulers & elders of the people didn't like that.

WAIT -
Peter & John were arrested for speaking about what Jesus had done in & through them.
Thank goodness we have freedom of speech & don't have to worry about that happening to us!
No matter how bad your circumstances look, don't give up! This is the time to trust & wait.
At the time you think it's over, is usually about the time God shows up!  You can't stop Gods hand...even when His best men were in jail, still 5000 people got saved!
No matter your circumstances, Gods plan is always greater!

God usually picks those of us that are ordinary & asks us to do the extraordinary so that He may show off through it , because others are going to know that it's not us who are able to accomplish these great things! Peter & John were very under-schooled, ordinary men but they were willing to be bold & stand in the face of their opposition & live their lives for God, even in jail. While they waited, they prayed.

Acts 4:29
"Now, Lord, consider their threats & enable your servants to speak your word with great BOLDNESS"

They were willing to press on & do as God has called them to do. Not out of pressure or because they felt they "had to" but out of a response for their love for Jesus & because they couldn't help talk about all God had done in their lives & others. They asked for BOLDNESS & showed that they would be faithful to God; and no matter the circumstance they would continue to speak about Jesus & not back down.
This is when they...

RECEIVED-
Acts 4:31
"After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were filled with the Holy Spirit & spoke the word of God BOLDLY"
They received what they asked for in Acts 4:29

God is faithful in fulfilling His promises, if you wait & trust Him.

Whatever it is that God as called you to do, know that you may feel under-schooled, incapable & not able to carry out the task. Know that God will see you through what He has called you to! He will always give what you ask for in His name according to His will. No matter how bad the circumstances look, how inadequate you feel, He's working His plan the way He wants it. You need only to stand...and give praise!

Acts 5:39

"But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God"