A Friendly Farewell

Hello to all of my faithful followers. I have chosen to retire this blog. I have so many fond memories hidden within these posts, and it does sadden me to think of no longer posting here, but the Lord has brought me to a new season of life, one that I feel needs a fresh start as far as blog themes are concerned. I have so much for vision for this new blog and I hope that you will join me “over there”.

My new blog will still be a wordpress blog, and have the same format to suscribe by email if you would like to do so.

NEW BLOG

thanks for your comments and support these last few years, and I look forward to you being alongside me for this next season of life :)

Much love,
Always,
Heather

The Hardest Part

There are so many things that break my heart. So often I’ve thought that maybe my heart just breaks to easily, or that I care too much. Sometimes maybe I do.

I really wish I could let our more details than I can right now, but of course, I can’t. There are certain plans in the works that I am very, very excited about. SO much good is on the horizon. And there is someone that I want to be a part of these things, but they can’t right now. I know that what’s to come would be so good for them, but there isn’t any way for them to be involved the way that I know their giftings would fit.

 

I had a “falling out” with this person four years ago. It wasn’t horribly ugly, but it certainly wasn’t pretty. It took a long time for me to be able to truly forgive them (and myself). I remember hearing people being worried about them. I was the never told the specifics, I didn’t need to be told them. All I know is that my heart shattered. It killed me knowing that they were hurting, and then I knew the beauty of true and complete forgiveness. I didn’t see this person for what happened between us. I saw them as a broken child of God, in need of grace, love, and guidance.

As I’ve been praying for this person these last few weeks, I realized that even though their circumstance (of which I don’t exactly know what’s going on) breaks my heart, what hurts me more is knowing that they are in the same spot spiritually as when we went our separate ways four years ago. I let God use our falling out to grow me and change me into a better person and friend. I still have a long way to go, but I am different than who I was four years ago. I prayed so hard that this person would use our circumstance to grow and change, and restore the relationships in their life. I still pray that.

It pains me to think of how many circumstances and situations we refuse to let God use to grow us in character and His likeness.

A Season Worth Waiting For

I have entered into yet another season of waiting. I must say that I was (and sometimes still am) not so enthusiastic about this present waiting period. I find myself daily choosing to embrace and enjoy this season of waiting, to get the most out of my time here, as difficult as that may be on occasion.

I know that big things are on the horizon; I can feel it in my soul. I know that this season of waiting is so that I can spend as much time as possible in the presence of God, preparing my heart for what is next. I know that my heart needs some time to seek refuge in His arms and that simply spending time with Him will help prepare me for the tasks that are about to come.

I have been clinging to Psalm 37 as of late. So many promises and it continually reminds me of how good He is.

All I can say about this next approaching season is that it will have been a season worth waiting for.

A Time Of Absence

I have very much enjoyed this season of absence (from the blog world). I have learned many lessons in this precious time, of which I will share when He prompts me to. This season of waiting has me striving to get every lesson I need to learn out of every moment. I want to make sure I write HIS Truth, not solely what I feel.

There have been many times during this season that I have been so overcome by emotion that I could not focus on who He is. It breaks my heart that I sometimes let my feelings drive my thoughts – I want to be Spirit led, not emotion driven.

This has been a season of transition – big things are on the horizon. I am excited for what is to come and I look forward to sharing it with you.

It’s good to be back :)

Hope. Joy. Mercy.

This morning, I rose and found myself enjoying sweet fellowship with the King of Kings before stepping a foot out of my bed. The habit of enjoying Him before my feet even touch the floor has been something I’ve been cultivating and it was so sweet to my heart to realize that I didn’t have to think about doing it this morning – it just happened.

The first week of this new year, I  was very intentional and fervent in prayer. Last year, I sought the Lord and asked Him to give me His theme for me for that year. His theme was healing and restoration – and let me tell ya – we sure did some serious heart work!! This year, as I was seeking His direction, He impressed upon my heart four things:

1. This was to be a year of His favor. I am to come to Him with an expectant heart for He longs to give good things. Now, I must remember to let HIM define what good things are – they could be trials, they could be tangible blessings, or blessings for my heart and soul. By coming to Him with an expectant (not entitled) heart, I have been able to really focus on Him getting His glory, and there is nothing more that my heart desires, but to enter into sweet surrender.
2. Hope – something I have always strived to have. He impressed upon my heart that it is something I will posses much of and need to continue to grow in. I desire to radiate hope to those in need. Also, many times in scripture it references that HE is my hope – HIS WORD is my hope – I will be letting my heart find its’ hope in who He is and His life-giving Word.
3. Joy – I will be filled with His joy – I will be a beacon of light – of joy. I will serve with UNHINDERED joy. I will let HIS joy be my STRENGTH. (this is probably my favorite of the four themes)
4. Mercy – He will teach me much about having HIS heart – giving and understanding what mercy really is. I’m so excited!

My heart is Yours Jesus – forever and always.

The Art of Waiting

The song that is echoing in my heart at the present moment:

Jesus, We wait for you

We wait for you

To walk into the room 

 

The simplest of words, yet such profound meaning. The more I sing them, the more I dwell on their meaning, the more I am able to cultivate the art of waiting.

This season of life has been all about waiting upon Him.

As I sing these words, I get a vision of waiting in a doctors office. You’re already in the examing room, and the nurse has taken care of you and as she closes the door behind her, she tells you that the doctor will be with you in a few minutes.

At first you are rather calm because you know that He won’t just suddenly pop in, as she had told you there would be a wait. But as the moments grow longer, so does your nervousness. You begin to get anxious about when that door will open. You hear the footsteps in the hall and listen intently to hear if they are slowing down as they come near your door.

It’s not as if you have anything to be afraid of, but the anticipation does not subside. You are astonishly relieved when the door finally opens.

Why does my waiting upon the Lord rarely reflect this? Why, as the time grows longer as I wait for things He has promised, does my anticipation not grow in hope and excitement?

You could even use this analogy to refer to the end times – the nurse would represnt Jesus’ first coming, and we wait for the second – yet our anticipation is not as great as it ought.

I have much to learn about waiting upon Him – an art that grows more beautiful and radiant with each lesson learned.

The Winter Woods

Running. Running through the woods is my favorite thing, but tonight I did more walking and stopping than running. In part due to icy hills and the desire to not break my leg, but also because I was overwhelmed by the simplistic beauty.

The winter woods, bare, exposed, and still. The silence is comforting, a safe haven for those who are weary. Amidst the stillness I hear a bird, singing sweetly. His song reverberates throughout the empty woods. He is singing to no one in particular, and doesn’t seem to mind that no one is around to hear his song. His song beckons me to come find him. I walk slowly but surely in the direction of his wooing melody. I hear nothing else but him. I get closer, and closer; my heart is filled with longing and anticipation. His song stops, and I stop, desperately wishing for him to continue. His song ceased, and so did my search.

 

You Have As Much As You Want

The rain is coming down with a vigor and purpose like I haven’t seen in quite some time. It’s rather refreshing, even though I do wish it were *gasp* snow. My contemplative nature has taken over today, and there are many thoughts circling around in my head.

One of them being: You have as much of God as you want.

He has been made 100% accesible through the blood of Jesus Christ.

It’s one of the most convicting statements I’ve heard in a while.

It’s causing me to really reflect, and I pray it does the same for you too.

Turkeys in the Trees

I apologize for my absence. Saying the last two weeks of my life have been a whirlwind would most certainly be an understatement. I can barely keep my head on straight!

The Lord has been working in so many profound ways in my heart – continually showing His faithfulness to create anew, mold my heart, and reveal Himself to me.

I was walking home from the office this afternoon, and as is typical of any day of the week, had to walk past the flock of 30 turkeys that like to occupy our little ‘wood-triangle’ in the front of our house. I still think turkeys are rather unattractive looking birds. (I’m just grateful they taste better than they look!)

I’ve always known that turkeys could fly, but I guess just by looking at them, they don’t seem to me like a bird that can fly very far, or very gracefully. As I walked past them today, many of them ran into the woods for protection (I guess i’m intimidating?), while a few others flew into the trees. I was actually quite baffled at how high they had flown.

The Lord proceeded to reveal to me, that the same way I look at those turkeys is the same way that I look at myself. I have no problem looking at another person and knowing that the Lord will work in unexplainable ways through them, but I can’t seem to think that or believe it about myself. I’ve SEEN Him work through me, and yet I know that I am so unworthy.

I forget the grace that He lavishes. I forget my PURPOSE – to bring Him the glory due Him. I am stealing His glory if I continually think “I can’t do that” – true, maybe not of my own strength- but I have the power of the Holy Spirit!

I am reminded that although I am a soldier in this battle, the war is already won. I will let Him fight for me, and I will march boldly into battle. I will know that He is both before, beside, and behind me – I cannot fail in His eyes. I will have an expectant heart of the ways He has prepared to reveal His glory through me.

Thank you turkeys in my front yard for being a convicting reminder of who I am in HIM.

(also, thank you for your sacrafice so I can enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner).

A Legacy Worth Leaving

Sometimes I’m astonished at where my sub-conscience spaghetti brain will take me. It leaves me in awe of the intricate design of my Lord and His faithfulness to provide divine inspiration. I was trying to come up with something profound to say for this blog and was lacking of any ideas. This leads me to believe that I shouldn’t try to force ideas, as this one seemed to have found me with no problem….at 5:30 this morning. It’s a good thing I’m a morning person!

It all started with a ring; this ring actually. ^ As I’ve been slowly in the process of moving my belongings up here, I stumbled upon a jewelry box that got hidden away on a shelf. Inside was this ring that my grandmother had given me. I’m not one for gold or pearls, but this ring had somehow captured my attention, and I’ve been wearing it ever since; I’ve even grown quite fond of it.

I then proceeded to find two books I forgot I had, titled: O Jerusalem! by Larry Collins and Dominique LaPierre, as well as, A Mother’s Legacy by Barbara Rainey and Ashley Rainey Escue. The latter of the two tells tales of various women, whose mothers feared the Lord, and the memories and lessons learned that have stuck with them through adult-hood. Now, I am not a mother, but this book has been surprisingly fun and profound to read. I am not only learning to examine the relationship with my own mother, both past and present, but I am also learning to cultivate some of these characteristics now. It’s been a huge blessing.

And now to reveal my inner nerd! O Jerusalem- a book (a very thick book) that centers around the great controversy of 1948 concerning Jerusalem and Palestine. The British had just removed their 30 year presence from Israel, and now the United Nations were on the edge of their seats trying to decide how much land to give each. But the most looming question of all: Who would get Jerusalem? (see I’m trying to make it sound interesting!)

Now, you may be wondering how all of these things tie together, but let me assure you, they do.

Let’s venture back to my grandmothers ring. To be honest, it’s not something that I would have boughten if I had seen it in a store a few months ago. At the time, I wasn’t sure why I was bringing it home with me, but I just felt I should. This morning, I understood why. This ring was important to my grandmother. She didn’t wear it anymore, but she had kept it to give to me. I’ve learned to love it, not because it’s gold and has a pearl, but rather because I understand the privilege of tradition; the privilege of inheritance.

A Mother’s Legacy- a collection of daughters telling what they remember, admire, and cherish about their mothers. Each one at the end of her story, stating that she hopes to do the same for her children.

O Jerusalem! – Tradition is rooted out of love, heritage, and culture. Rituals are rooted out of religion and a sense of duty. This book discretely displays the depth of Jewish tradition. Reading, memorizing, copying the Torah. The verbal passing down of Scripture, the feasts, the celebration, the anguish and struggle of always being outside of Jerusalem. A real life display of The Great Shema, found in Deuteronomy 6.

I’m also currently going through Psalm 119, and the theme of all 176 verses is the love of the law of the Lord, and how he can’t get enough of it, he meditates on it constantly, it is displayed in his life, it is always on his lips.

I hope you’ve begun to see the common threads of inheritance, tradition, and legacy. My heart has been overwhelmed by the importance of this lesson to be learned; this characteristic to develop. Not only to think of the future legacy I want to leave for my children (Lord willing I have them), but also the legacy I am leaving in the here and now, as everywhere I go, I leave one.

I want my life to resonate The Great Shema of Deuteronomy 6 – the love of the Lord and His Word being completely intertwined with EVERY part of my life – from my sleeping to my rising, my sitting to standing, from my smile to my words, from the presence I radiate. I want to echo the authors heart of Psalm 119 – where nothing is sweeter to me than the life-giving Word of God.

I may not have children of my own right now, but I do teach an AWANA class. I have been burdened as to the importance of the legacy that I am currently creating for them to remember me by. I want them to remember me as someone who was excited and enthusiastic about the Word of God. Someone who took the time to really listen to what was going on in their hearts. Someone who wasn’t too caught up in following a lesson plan, but rather was more concerned about the soul. I want to inspire them to fall in love with Jesus. I want my love for Jesus and His Word to become contagious for them. I want them to see that reading of the Word, prayer, and living a Gospel centered life is supposed to be tradition, not ritual. I want them to understand the privilege of tradition; the privilege of the inheritance we have through Jesus.

All this to be said: I understand that these are my desires, the burdens of my heart, but the only way that I will have a legacy worth leaving is if I get out of the way and let Jesus shine forth. I will continue to let HIM cultivate a gentle and quiet spirit, a passion for HIS TRUTH, a burden for those in need.

The only tradition, the only legacy worth leaving is Jesus.

Epimenō

Perseverance. Epimenō.

This word defines the last five days of my life. 

Trails were abundant, hope was often burning dim.

I was arising for my 3am shift of walking my friends sick horse when the Lord revealed to me the truth that I was to learn from these past few days, and one that I was to engrave on my heart.

Perseverance is rooted in love.

We persevere because we love. We persevere in the race for the simple love of running. We persevere in the midst of a trial in a relationship because we love the other. We persevere by taking overnight shifts to walk a sick horse for love of the horse and its owner.

Our perseverance and willingness to persevere displays the depth of our love.

As fallible human beings, we can only love so much. But I have once again been awestruck by my God.

The ultimate perseverance was Jesus taking on the cross. He persevered because of His love for us. That is the ultimate model of perseverance; an unmatchable display of love.

Wow. I Have An Amazing Job

Yep. The title says it all.

Over the next few days I get to make phone calls to previous campers who are in the age range for our next retreat. I’ll be contacting roughly 75 families, which is a rather intimidating number. At first I was nervous about this task, as i’ve done “cold calling” before, but my boss reassured me there wasn’t any pressure for “sales” as he knew that was one of my concerns from previous conversations I had had with him.

I then got thinking – how amazing an opportunity the Lord has placed before me. I get to call 75 families. I get to ask them how they are genuinely doing. I get to talk to the camper and ask what they loved about camp. I get to pray for them.

Over the last year the Lord has cultivated a burden for intercession and prayer within me, and now He has placed me in a job where I get to do just that. He knows my heart so well. I am exceedingly humbled to be able to be a part of this ministry!

 

A Servant’s Heart

My attitude over the last few days has been anything but admirable. Sure I can put on a good façade, but the honest condition of my heart has been self absorbed at the very least. I have chosen to focus on my own selfish desires, or more accurately, I took on the attitudes of those around me.

I woke up with the joy of the Lord this morning. I have continued to let His JOY bring me STRENGTH. He has taught me so much in the few hours i’ve been awake about the difference between a “heart to serve” and a “servant’s heart”.

Romans 1:1 “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God…”

What does Paul mean by being a servant of Jesus? The original Greek word is doulos which means bondservant which is defined as devoted to another to the disregard of ones own interests.

The ultimate desire of my heart is to serve HIM wholeheartedly, to live a life or reckless abandon to Him – to love and serve well. If all I have is the desire to serve and not the heart of a servant,  I will never succeed. If I do not forsake my own interests, my own flesh, anything for selfish gain – I will have given fruition to a hypocritical life-ministry. I will have sung His praises with my lips while my heart was running in the other direction.

In James 2:14-26 it states “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe – and shudder! Do you want to be show, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? Was not our Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active alone with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to Him as righteousness” – and he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.”

My works, if not acted out with a pure and sincere heart, will not prove my faith, so to speak. I may fool man, but I cannot fool God. He knows my heart, my motives, my selfish reasons.

As I type this out, I am yet convicted of my selfishness this week. I have the most amazing job in the world – I get to serve so many different people everyday, especially on the weekends. I have an opportunity to be a refreshing face – one that radiates the love of Jesus and creates an aura of peace. I get to invest in the lives of 3rd-6th graders every Wednesday night. I get to continue to cultivate the relationships with my campers from this summer. I even get to teach riding lessons every friday! How can I be so blind to pick my own self centered interests instead of seeing these amazing blessings placed right before me!?

I am exceedingly blessed to be in the ministry that God has placed me. I have much to learn about cultivating a servant’s heart and not merely possessing a desire to serve, but I serve a God who will continue to mold and shape that within me so long as my spirit is willing.

So let me ask you, which one do you have? A heart to serve or a servant’s heart?

Chivalry Is Not Dead

I had one of those days that you don’t ever want to experience again. I was on the verge of tears almost constantly, and for the life of me didn’t know why. I had unrest in my soul to extremes that I hadn’t felt in a very long time. Before dinner tonight I took a walk down to the barn to feed and to try and clear my head. The walk didn’t do what I had intended it to do, but it proved to be a way for God to show His love more intimately than I could  have ever imagined. I was about halfway back to main camp when a vehicle pulled up behind me. The gentleman had his window rolled down and simply asked if I’d like a ride. I pondered for a moment, and gratefully accepted his offer. We made small talk to on the very short remainder of the journey. He asked me where I would like to be dropped off, and instead of saying “where ever is most convenient” or “it doesn’t matter”, I said “the dining hall area would be great”- and he obliged without complaint or any reference to it being out of his way. I stepped out of his jeep, walked in the back door of the dining hall, started my work, and let myself dwell on that simple, but profound, act of kindness. He picked me up and gave me a ride when I needed it most, even though I was capable of walking the rest of the way. I allowed myself to be “carried”. It was almost as if God was physically showing me what He wanted to do with my heart- pick it up and carry it to it’s ultimate destination- the refuge of His arms. I am overwhelmed by His faithfulness to show Himself at exactly the right moment. We serve a good, good God.

So, kind sir, (I realize now that I never did ask your name) wherever you are- thank you.

Sweet Potatoes and Declarations of Love

I know, I know. The title of this post is a little (ok, a lot) out there, but just trust me. They go together like peas in a pod.

I found this amazing recipe for a “stir-fry”, and of course, didn’t follow the recipe at all. I ended up using a medium sweet potato, pablano pepper, red pepper, pearl onions, some leftover mushrooms, sweet peas, and a clove of garlic. For spices, I used some cumin, salt, and lemon-pepper. The flavors mingled so well together, I am thoroughly pleased with how it turned out. But boy, oh boy, let me tell ya, sweet potatoes are ridiculously hard to chop. I swear, it took more mustering and determination to cut the whole potato than anything else I had to do that day.

So, really, the whole “stir-fry” plays an important role in the deep life lesson I learned that night. See, if I hadn’t chose to make it, I wouldn’t have been in the house alone.  I wouldn’t have let my thoughts wander. I wouldn’t have had quality time with Jesus.

Earlier this week, I had several conversations pertaining to the end times. They were all positive conversations with great anticipation and excitement for things to come. Whenever  I think about the throne room, and imagine every tongue, tribe, and nation singing infinite praises to the Lord, I get a peaceful smile upon my face. However, these conversations have caused me to realize how selfish I am. I deeply desire to be a wife, a mother, and to live a quiet but Gospel driven life. There is nothing wrong with desiring these things, but when I begin to wish that God would wait to come, when I hope that I have just a little bit more time to get my “bucket list” done, I am no longer striving to please God. These Godly desires can so quickly become idols, of which I am painfully finding out.

We all have a desire to have that one person in our lives that we can look in their eyes and declare in wholehearted truth, “I love you”.  To have that person who knows you intimately, and you know them intimately, but yet you still have a deep and great love for each other. This desire has grown and grown within me, but I find myself at a crossroads. I may never get the chance to have that opportunity while here on earth. Will I be ok with that? Only Jesus can satisfy me, but will I choose to let Him? This truth the Lord revealed to me: I may not be able to declare my love to another human while on earth, but I can declare with my lips, with my life, my love for Him. So there I was, chopping a sweet potato, declaring my love for the only one who will ever satisfy my soul. It was one of the sweetest moments I’ve experienced. I gave my love to the one who knows me fully, and the one that I will someday fully know.

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing we will be content with that. 1 Timothy 6:6&7

The Song On My Lips

On Repeat…over and over and over again. I have not ceased to sing this song for the past week. All praise is due Him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fv48ENB2XXU

Overwhelmed

The Lord has overwhelmed me with Himself. He has reminded me of His sovereignty. He has reminded me to go about my work with  unhindered JOY; with unhindered devotion. I have wept so much today- He has caught me off guard with His wooing. He has surprised me. I have let my desire for God’s predictability to cease. I have let Him overwhelm my heart with the knowledge of His intimate love. I have not rejected His pursuit. I know that He is worth the risk. He is worthy to have my heart. If all I had to do was sit in His presence I would do so. I will let Him woo me. I will embrace the pursuit of my beloved- I will not forsake His love, His passion. I will let Him love me.

Brand New Eyes

 

I woke up Friday morning with the intent of spending a good hour or so soaking up the presence of God and intently listening to an IHOP sermon. But, my intentions meant nothing unless they were acted upon. Wait, I take that back, my intentions were acted upon- just not the way that I wanted for them to go. We act on our intentions by choosing or not choosing to do what we want/plan. Golly, God’s teaching me more and more lessons, just by writing all of this out! Anyways, what I intended my morning to look like did not come to fruition. I chose to hit the snooze, more times that I’d care to admit. I then proceeded to go do chores and find out that the cattle have escaped. I spent the good part of my morning chasing cows, calves, two rather intimidating steers, and a bull back where they belong and mending fence. So much for my quiet morning.

Two things the Lord revealed to me through that morning. One being that things don’t always go as planned. I need to be reminded that what I perceive as inconveniencies are both teachable moments and ways that I can grow in character and in the knowledge of Him! Secondly, I was greatly reminded of just how much I chose to gratify my fleshly desires, such as sleeping in, day-dreaming, worry, pride, etc.

The funny thing is, I was able to have my quiet time and both the sermon I listened to and my ‘devo’ fit perfectly with what my morning had consisted of. An example: Trust ME in the midst of your messy day… Seek MY face and I will share MY mind with you, opening your eyes to see things from my perspective…

I am deeply burdened by my inability to consistently see with my spiritual eyes. Lately it seems as though all I am doing is seeking with my physical eyes, all the while in my heart knowing that God IS sovereign. It’s been such a struggle, but my reflections from this IHOP sermon spoke so much truth into my struggle and have helped me so much this past week! It’s something I will be continually working on. My inability to see with my spiritual eyes is a clear reflection of how my time with God has been. I haven’t sought after Him as fervently as I have in the past weeks, and it shows. My fleshly desires are claiming their victories because I am not cultivating my relationship with the Spirit, nor preparing my heart and mind for battle. The following are my notes from the sermon I listened to. They spoke to me in ways that exceeded my expectations and I pray that the Lord will use them to minister to you as well!

Walking In The Spirit: Feeding Our Spirit On God’s Word:

(Galatians 5:16-26)

If you walk in the Spirit, you won’t fulfill the desires of the flesh- the violent nature of the war inside of us- the flesh it lusts (wars) against the spirit. The Spirit wars back against the flesh- ENGAGE WITH HIM in the process. The spirit’s agenda is to give us LIBERTY from the war inside- liberated: from the power and dominion of the flesh- physical, emotional (pride, bitterness, anger). Now the LORD is the Spirit- the Spirit is God. Liberty is the fruit of when the Spirit is received.

Who will deliver me? – Through an ongoing encounter (present tense) through encountering the presence of Jesus through an active relationship with the Spirit.

We can have victory and dominion in the war, but it will never go away- we will ONLY have victory and dominion if we are ACTIVELY FELLOWSHIPPING with the Spirit- vital relationship with the Spirit It’s like an airplane. We have defied the law of gravity by being able to fly from one place to the other. That does not mean that gravity is non-existent during our time of flight, but rather we are able to not feel it’s affects. Now, if we decide that we are cruising right along just fine and decide that we don’t need the engine anymore, we immediately begin our tumble to the earth. Gravity has regained its’ power. Your flesh is like gravity, the Spirit is our airplane- how is your engine running? The fuel for your engine- God’s Word, Prayer, seeking wise counsel, resting in HIS presence.

Many people put their attention on denying the flesh- they try harder- others try to put their attention on the recovery after crisis- the planes going down, I need to find all the bible verses that tell me that God still loves me when I fail, They spend most of their energy managing the crash- others make quality decisions to stay out of things that excite the desires of their flesh- most effective: cultivate the Spirit’s relationship- you will have dominion instead of management.

We can ONLY find liberty from sinful desires by maintaining a relationship with the Spirit

1) Walk by the Spirit: Walk (the choices, behavior choices) in the Spirit’s values. Say no to the things that grieve the Spirit, say yes to those that the Spirit approves

2) Be Led by the Spirit: Follow the Spirit’s leadership; being watchful to the Holy Spirit’s promptings in our lives- we decide that we want to be more aware- especially in our Spiritual life- beyond religious. Don’t trivialize the Spirits leadership. Be attentive to how He guides- is it more warnings or more ‘do this’. We honor the spirits leadership instead of ignore it in the small decisions of our inner life. When a big decision comes, you’re less equipped to follow the leadership if you are not in tune for the small decisions. How much time do we give to feed our Spirit?

3) Live in the Spirit: Is to be empowered by the Spirit’s life as we are fed by the Spirit’s food, which is the word of God. A collision is inevitable if we are not living in the Spirit. It matters how much time we give in our schedules to feed the Spirit. How much time is enough?- varies per person. (myself- a minimum of 30 min in AM, 1.5hrs @ night. A 3hr solo 1x/week) One that has an undernourished Spirit will walk in lust/flesh.

As we pursue the 3 above, we are renewed in the Spirit of our mind (the whole condition on the inside- not isolated to thinking). When we feed out Spirit on the light, the darkness cannot overcome it. Put more energy into having light entered than trying to get darkness to flee- when light enters darkness flees. Many people are so used to living with a quenched Spirit that they think it’s normal. The voice of the Word is stronger than the voice of our flesh, but we need to strengthen and feed it. Our inheritance is to have a fully alive heart. (I’m going to put my laws into your heart). Psalm 119. Our victory will occur when we are fervently pursing and acting on #3- God has provided the higher law (gravity analogy) but it will not act on its own. If you want to see fruition- be active.

God, give my new eyes, ones that see the world from Your perspective. Give me a passion to feed my Spirit in Your Truth. Give me the discipline to cultivate the relationship I have with the Spirit, tune my heart to His promptings. I desire to have victory and dominion over my flesh Lord, these physical eyes and fleshly desires are so meaningless and destructive to my relationship with You. I will seek you above all else!

Blessed are those whose way is blameless,

Who walk in the law of the LORD!

Blessed are those who keep His testimonies,

Who seek Him with their whole heart,

Who also do no wrong,

But walk in His ways!

You have commanded your precepts

To be kept diligently.

Oh that my ways may be steadfast

In keeping Your statutes!

Then I shall not be put to shame,

Having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.

I will praise you with an upright heart,

When I learn your righteous rules.

I will keep your statutes;

Do not utterly forsake me!

How can a young man keep his way pure?

By guarding it according to Your word.

With my whole heart I seek you;

Let me not wander from your commandments!

I have stored up Your word in my heart,

That I might not sin against you.

Blessed are you, O LORD;

Teach me Your statutes!

With my lips I declare

All the rules of Your mouth.

In the way of your testimonies I delight

As much as in all riches.

I will meditate on your precepts

And fix my eyes on Your ways.

I will delight in your statutes;

I will not forget Your word.

 

 

 

An Anthem Of Praise

Praise the Lord!

I praise you not near enough as you deserve and I desire.

Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty heavens!

I will shout aloud to you, O Lord, for great is your splendor and majesty. You are my refuge, my stronghold, my fortress. You uphold the world by the word of your power, how can I not tell of all that you are?

Praise Him for His mighty deeds; praise Him according to His excellent greatness!

Wonderful are your works, Lord, this I know full well. I will speak in awe of all that you have done, I will shout aloud of your glory and power and honor that are due you. You are great, You are good, You are faithful.

Praise Him with trumpet sound; praise Him with lute and harp! Praise Him with tambourine and dance; praise Him with strings and pipe! Praise Him with sounding cymbals; praise Him with loud clashing cymbals!

Lord, I will sing your praise with all my might. I will not cease to sing to you day or night. My voice, my thoughts, my actions will sing your praise. I will make unto you a joyful noise. I will declare your glory in the sweetest melody.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!

As long as there is breath in me, I will off praise to you my King. Your praise will forever linger on my lips.

Praise the Lord!

 

(Psalm 150)

Summarizing A Summer

How does one even begin to summarize the last 3 months of my life?

Firstly, being away from technology has been a wonderful blessing. I can honestly say that I didn’t miss it that much, but that might be the old-fashioned letter writer inside of me shining through. I was able to focus solely on my campers this summer and not worry about what was going on in the “Facebook world” or be distracted by the voice mails and text messages on my phone. The one thing I did miss very much was being able to write this blog and the ability to express my thoughts and what God has done. But He has been faithful to show me how to articulate those feelings and thoughts verbally to those around me, for which I am exceedingly grateful.

Now here I sit, taking a break from writing follow-up letters to the campers who accepted Christ this summer, and all I can think about is how exceedingly and underservingly blessed I am. I am so humbled by God’s goodness, faithfulness, and the grace lavishes so generously.

This summer I found myself at the end of me every moment of every day. I had to continually rely on Him 24/7. I could not do it on my own. He was faithful to show up, in His perfect time, exactly when I needed Him the most. He truly showed me His sovereignty this summer, in mighty and miraculous ways.

To sum up the summer in a bible verse: Exodus 14:14. “The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

I have learned to surrender the fight. The battle belongs to Him, I am merely a soldier. I now fight living in the knowledge that my God has already won, that I cannot fail, and that He will supply me with every tool I need. This battle is not based on performance, and that truth is something that is finally beginning to sink in.

I long to tell tales of all that has happened this summer, but I will keep those memories in my heart. All I care to share, is that when you follow where He leads, He is faithful to show up; exactly when He means to.