For the past couple weeks, since being back in TN, I've attended Grace Center in Grasslands. Both times I've known that I was exactly where I was supposed to be and God made sure that the messages have been precisely what I needed - not to say that they weren't for every other person in attendance, too!
I've been praying and reading and pondering and searching and wrestling and asking about all kinds of things. Two specific things keep coming up - and have been for over two years - are holiness & love.
As I've been reading through Romans, chapters 13 & 14 have talked about both. At Grace Center this week, pastor Jeff touched on holiness and re-connecting with several friends who have been wounded by - what I call "religious love" - has only made me further my pursuit of revelation on both subjects.
Yes, volumes have been written on each topic individually and I don't in any way claim to have a full grasp of one or both, but felt compelled to share what I feel the Holy Spirit showed me this morning.
How can anyone tell that I'm a Christian by just looking at me? Do my words, actions, clothes, habits, hobbies, & priorities paint a clear picture of who I am? Am I more influenced by the world around me or by God inside me? Does my outside match my inside?
In my notes from Sunday's message I wrote, "Lord, remove me from the influence of the world. Help me not to dull my heart with what I watch, think, say and listen to." It is my desire to be holy - not "holier than thou". "Holy" is defined as "devoted entirely to the deity or the work of the deity"...so to be holy my life needs to be devoted entirely to God and His work.
We can't be holy if we don't know love. (Check out 1 Corinthians 13 for an in-depth look at love.) Webster defines love as, "a : unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another: as (1) : the fatherly concern of God for humankind (2) : brotherly concern for others b : a person's adoration of God"
Romans 14:13 reads, "Then let us no more criticize and blame and pass judgment on one another, but rather decide and endeavor never to put a stumbling block or an obstacle or a hindrance in the way of a brother." This passage is clearly talking about someone who is a Christian - a "brother."
Romans 13:9(b) & 10 read, all the commandments "are summed up in the single command, You shall love your neighbor as [you do] yourself. Love does no wrong to one's neighbor [it never hurts anybody]. Therefore love meets all the requirements and is the fulfilling of the Law." This passage is speaking of neighbors. Neighbors can be anyone - not necessarily a Christian.
So where do we start? If we walk in love toward everyone (our neighbors) and stop criticizing, blaming and judging our brothers (fellow Christians) we will be well on our way.
Love leads to holiness & holiness compels us to love.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
The Fast that God Chooses
Recently, I've encountered several people who are "fasting" or "on a fast". Having grown up in the church, it doesn't surprise me that this is an act often practiced by those who call themselves Christians. I, myself, have partaken in the act of fasting many times over the years.
This morning, as I sat down to spend some time reading the Word and in prayer, I felt compelled to simply open my Bible at "random" and not read from the specific passages I had planned for today.
I opened to Isaiah 58 and found that chapter quite interesting as it is about - you guessed it - fasting. Though I've read this chapter several times, it seems I read with prejudice or pride or pious presumptions, previously. This morning, I read with concern and conviction and crystal clarity - thanks to revelation of Holy Spirit within me.
Often, I had fasted to "get God's attention" - and I don't think that's wrong. I've done "crash diets" to lose weight and called it "fasting". I've deprived myself of food or media or other things in attempts to manipulate God into doing what I wanted - all the while using the religiously accepted label of "fasting" to allow myself to feel justified in my self-righteous pursuits. "Look at me, Lord. I'm fasting for ten days so You'll listen to me and do what I want. Look how humble I am. Look how hungry I am. Look how sacrificial I am in this sackcloth. I know You'll reward me with what I want." All that happened in those fasts was I was hungry and frustrated and a little angry at God for not rewarding me for my religiousness. Sounds silly, doesn't it?
Verses 4 & 5 in Isaiah 58 (Amplified) reads, "The facts are that you fast only for strife and debate and to smite with the fist of wickedness. Fasting as you do today will not cause your voice to be heard on high. Is such a fast as yours what I have chosen, a day for a man to humble himself with sorrow in his soul? Is true fasting merely mechanical? Is it only to bow down his head like a bulrush and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him to indicate a condition of heart that he does not have? Will you call this a fast and an acceptable day to the Lord?"
I've also partaken in fasts that were completely out of desperation to hear God - and He's answered me. I've fasted and spent extra time in prayer and intercession as the Spirit led - and seen amazing, miraculous things occur. So what's the difference? Motivation.
Look at verses 6 & 7: "Rather is not this the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every enslaving yoke? Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house - when you see the naked, that you cover him, and that you hide not yourself from the needs of your own flesh and blood?"
On my way home the other night, I stopped to get an Arby's Jr, value sized curly fries and a Dr. Pepper. I pulled into a parking space to eat it and a lady approached my car. She asked for help. She said she needed $35 for a room and only had $15. I asked her if she needed a ride. She accepted and got in. I asked her if she was hungry. She was. I gave her my little value meal. I drove her to the place she wanted to go and gave her $20. Now, I don't know if she used that money to get high or drunk or if she used that money to have a roof over her head and a bed for the night. I was simply being obedient to what I felt I needed to do in that situation. I think that's a true fast.
I don't share that to puff myself up, pat myself on the back or make myself feel good. I share that because I think God was trying to get me to see the difference between a fast that I choose and a fast that He chooses. I hope it helps anyone reading this to see the difference, too.
If we continue to read Isaiah 58, look what happens when we allow ourselves to be participants in a fast that God chooses.
"Then shall your light break forth like the morning, and your healing (your restoration and the power of a new life) shall spring forth speedily; your righteousness (your rightness, your justice, and your right relationship with God) shall go before you conducting you to peace and prosperity, and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, 'Here I am'. If you take away from your midst yokes of oppression wherever you find them, the finger pointed in scorn toward the oppressed or the godly, and every form of false, harsh, unjust, and wicked speaking, and if you pour out that with which you sustain your own life for the hungry and satisfy the need of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in darkness, and your obscurity and gloom become like the noonday. And the Lord shall guide you continually and satisfy you in drought and in dry places and make strong your bones. And you shall be like a watered garden and like a spring of water whose waters fail not."(Verses 8-11)
Those verses are full of precious promises available to those who will surrender their own agendas and fast according to God's plans and for God's purposes. The fast that I choose, from now on, is the fast that God chooses.
This morning, as I sat down to spend some time reading the Word and in prayer, I felt compelled to simply open my Bible at "random" and not read from the specific passages I had planned for today.
I opened to Isaiah 58 and found that chapter quite interesting as it is about - you guessed it - fasting. Though I've read this chapter several times, it seems I read with prejudice or pride or pious presumptions, previously. This morning, I read with concern and conviction and crystal clarity - thanks to revelation of Holy Spirit within me.
Often, I had fasted to "get God's attention" - and I don't think that's wrong. I've done "crash diets" to lose weight and called it "fasting". I've deprived myself of food or media or other things in attempts to manipulate God into doing what I wanted - all the while using the religiously accepted label of "fasting" to allow myself to feel justified in my self-righteous pursuits. "Look at me, Lord. I'm fasting for ten days so You'll listen to me and do what I want. Look how humble I am. Look how hungry I am. Look how sacrificial I am in this sackcloth. I know You'll reward me with what I want." All that happened in those fasts was I was hungry and frustrated and a little angry at God for not rewarding me for my religiousness. Sounds silly, doesn't it?
Verses 4 & 5 in Isaiah 58 (Amplified) reads, "The facts are that you fast only for strife and debate and to smite with the fist of wickedness. Fasting as you do today will not cause your voice to be heard on high. Is such a fast as yours what I have chosen, a day for a man to humble himself with sorrow in his soul? Is true fasting merely mechanical? Is it only to bow down his head like a bulrush and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him to indicate a condition of heart that he does not have? Will you call this a fast and an acceptable day to the Lord?"
I've also partaken in fasts that were completely out of desperation to hear God - and He's answered me. I've fasted and spent extra time in prayer and intercession as the Spirit led - and seen amazing, miraculous things occur. So what's the difference? Motivation.
Look at verses 6 & 7: "Rather is not this the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every enslaving yoke? Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house - when you see the naked, that you cover him, and that you hide not yourself from the needs of your own flesh and blood?"
On my way home the other night, I stopped to get an Arby's Jr, value sized curly fries and a Dr. Pepper. I pulled into a parking space to eat it and a lady approached my car. She asked for help. She said she needed $35 for a room and only had $15. I asked her if she needed a ride. She accepted and got in. I asked her if she was hungry. She was. I gave her my little value meal. I drove her to the place she wanted to go and gave her $20. Now, I don't know if she used that money to get high or drunk or if she used that money to have a roof over her head and a bed for the night. I was simply being obedient to what I felt I needed to do in that situation. I think that's a true fast.
I don't share that to puff myself up, pat myself on the back or make myself feel good. I share that because I think God was trying to get me to see the difference between a fast that I choose and a fast that He chooses. I hope it helps anyone reading this to see the difference, too.
If we continue to read Isaiah 58, look what happens when we allow ourselves to be participants in a fast that God chooses.
"Then shall your light break forth like the morning, and your healing (your restoration and the power of a new life) shall spring forth speedily; your righteousness (your rightness, your justice, and your right relationship with God) shall go before you conducting you to peace and prosperity, and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, 'Here I am'. If you take away from your midst yokes of oppression wherever you find them, the finger pointed in scorn toward the oppressed or the godly, and every form of false, harsh, unjust, and wicked speaking, and if you pour out that with which you sustain your own life for the hungry and satisfy the need of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in darkness, and your obscurity and gloom become like the noonday. And the Lord shall guide you continually and satisfy you in drought and in dry places and make strong your bones. And you shall be like a watered garden and like a spring of water whose waters fail not."(Verses 8-11)
Those verses are full of precious promises available to those who will surrender their own agendas and fast according to God's plans and for God's purposes. The fast that I choose, from now on, is the fast that God chooses.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Swing High, Let Go & Fly
On my way home from taking Magellan for a walk at the park this evening, I saw two kids playing on a tree swing in their yard. One was pushing the other so high - I could hear the squeals of glee from the other. Sailing through the air without a thought or care except sheer exhilaration from the freedom you feel - we should all find a swing and swing high on it everyday.
As far back as I can recall, swinging on the swings has always been my favorite thing to do on the playground. Not to take anything away from the curly slide, merry-go-round or monkey bars, but they really can't compare to the thrill of the swing. Pumping your legs and climbing higher and higher nearly touching the sky...they just can't compete.
When I was four, my dad was pushing me super high on a swing & I was delighted. The higher the better - I wanted to soar. Releasing my tight grip from the swing's chains & flinging my arms forward, I thrust myself from the swing fully expecting to fly into the sky and kiss the clouds. I did remain airborne - momentarily, but gravity being as it is, I crashed to the ground knocking the wind from my lungs & groggily looking up at my dad - who had tried to catch me but being caught off guard by my aeronautical attempt was unable to react quickly enough. After assessing me for injuries & finding none, Dad asked if I was ready to call it a day. Regaining my breath, without hesitation, I eagerly asked if he would push me on the swing one more time before heading home. I remember a huge smile crossing is face followed by a trace of strain (possibly due to the likelihood that I'd jump out again) - but he lifted me right back up in the swing and pushed me just as high as before. Though I briefly considered letting go of the swing chains, I held on tight & savored every moment of flight time.
This recollection made me ponder my bravery in current battles & struggles... Do I jump right back up? Do run home & hide? Do I give up completely? Do I push through the pain for the prize?
I'm determined to swing high, let go and fly. Regardless of whether I fall hard or kiss the clouds, I know my Father will smile & either pick me up, dust me off & put me back on the swing or watch me soar - relishing my joy.
As far back as I can recall, swinging on the swings has always been my favorite thing to do on the playground. Not to take anything away from the curly slide, merry-go-round or monkey bars, but they really can't compare to the thrill of the swing. Pumping your legs and climbing higher and higher nearly touching the sky...they just can't compete.
When I was four, my dad was pushing me super high on a swing & I was delighted. The higher the better - I wanted to soar. Releasing my tight grip from the swing's chains & flinging my arms forward, I thrust myself from the swing fully expecting to fly into the sky and kiss the clouds. I did remain airborne - momentarily, but gravity being as it is, I crashed to the ground knocking the wind from my lungs & groggily looking up at my dad - who had tried to catch me but being caught off guard by my aeronautical attempt was unable to react quickly enough. After assessing me for injuries & finding none, Dad asked if I was ready to call it a day. Regaining my breath, without hesitation, I eagerly asked if he would push me on the swing one more time before heading home. I remember a huge smile crossing is face followed by a trace of strain (possibly due to the likelihood that I'd jump out again) - but he lifted me right back up in the swing and pushed me just as high as before. Though I briefly considered letting go of the swing chains, I held on tight & savored every moment of flight time.
This recollection made me ponder my bravery in current battles & struggles... Do I jump right back up? Do run home & hide? Do I give up completely? Do I push through the pain for the prize?
I'm determined to swing high, let go and fly. Regardless of whether I fall hard or kiss the clouds, I know my Father will smile & either pick me up, dust me off & put me back on the swing or watch me soar - relishing my joy.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
By Love, I Will
I will love completely and live to the fullest. I will laugh till I cry and sing till the glass breaks. I will create beyond my ability and believe beyond what I can see. I will fulfill my destiny, by Love, I will.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Becoming Me
Life-altering losses. Multiple moves. Disillusioning disappointments. Mountaintop moments. Beautiful beaches. All in the past eighteen months. My life has been a whirlwind of change. I’ve been homeless – but never without a place to lay my head. I’ve been jobless – but miraculously able to pay my bills. I’ve felt lost, alone, abandoned, betrayed, broken and confused. I’ve seen gorgeous sunrises and sunsets in multiple states. I’ve hiked the Rockies and strolled both the east and west coasts. I’ve made amazing new friends and missed old ones. I’ve questioned virtually everything – from my salvation to my sanity. But this had no resemblance of all the great things I had envisioned for my life – especially by my mid-thirties. I was supposed to have an adoring husband, maybe a couple of kids, several records, a worldwide ministry and a beautifully restored theatre for all the wonderful productions we’d do for free. What I DO have is a precious Golden Retriever, a great Macbook and an awesome Jeep. I also have close friends and family – but have felt distance (some from my own doing, some theirs). In the past couple of months, I’ve reconnected with family – and have been shockingly surprised by the realization that though I love them dearly, I can’t “go back”. Though kind and well-meaning, I can sense the pity they feel for me. It’s not the way things should be. I need my own family, my own home, my own life. And as much as I love my dog, Macbook and Jeep…something’s missing. I’ve struggled with others opinions about me, and the choices I’ve made. I’ve felt shame about not meeting the expectations of those who had such high hopes for me. I’ve retraced my steps – looking for where I got off track, straining to understand why I’m here, why things that seem so normal for everyone else are inexplicably beyond my grasp. I was raised in a Christian home. My parents did their absolute best. I asked Jesus into my heart at three. I was baptized with water at seven, and the Holy Spirit at nine. I lived with and cared for my ailing grandfather, putting my life on hold for nearly four years. I gained a degree from a Christian university and a certificate in Pastoral Care and Biblical Counseling from a three-year internship through my church. I’ve helped feed the homeless, mentored young women, tutored struggling students, befriended the friendless, volunteered for various ministries, etc., etc., etc. I’ve prayed, fasted, read the Bible through multiple times…never realizing that all these things were subconscious attempts to gain approval - God’s approval, my family’s approval, my leader’s approval, my friend’s approval - a performance. Not that I was trying to put on an act, I was simply trying to be the best follower of Jesus I could be, sincerely. I’ve had to un-learn a lot of what I thought I knew about God, myself and life in general. I’m learning how much God loves me – regardless of what I do or don’t do. I’m learning how to love and be loved by Love Himself – and it’s changing everything – every thought, every action, every decision. This is only the beginning. I know God is good all the time and that He has never forsaken me – that’s something I didn’t have to un-learn. But the actuality of those facts becoming a reality in my moment-by-moment life is transformational – and get this, I didn’t do anything to deserve it! So, that’s where I am. Living loved and accepted by Love and loving Love back. I’m learning how to hear Him without any preconceived ideas and genuinely becoming who He intended me to be all along…I’ll keep you posted.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
It's been quite some time since I've been inspired to post a new blog but this morning as I was reading Psalm 71, I was suddenly ablaze with inspiration! Though I read it early today, I've been looking back over it, re-reading, speaking it out loud and prophetically declaring & claiming it as mine.
Take a look and read verses 5-8, 12, 16, 18 & 23 out loud and slowly with me:
"You are my hope; O Lord God, You are my trust from my youth and the source of my confidence. Upon You have I leaned and relied from birth, You are He Who took me from my mother's womb and have been my benefactor from that day. My praise is continually of You. I am as a wonder and surprise to many, but You are my strong refuge. My mouth shall be filled with Your praise and with Your honor all the day. O God, be not far from me! O my God, make haste to help me! I will come in the strength and with the mighty acts of the Lord God; I will mention and praise Your righteousness, even Yours alone. ...keep me alive until I have declared Your mighty strength to this generation, and Your might and power to all that are to come. My lips shall shout for joy when I sing praises to You, and my inner being, which You have redeemed."
WOW! Does that do anything for anyone else? I mean - WOAH! (Flashback to Joey from Blossom)
*God is my hope.
*God is my trust.
*God is the source of my confidence.
*God is my benefactor.
*God has made me a wonder.
*God has made me a surprise.
*God is my strong refuge.
*God is not far from me.
*God makes haste to help me.
*God keeps me alive.
*God has redeemed me.
SO
*I lean on God.
*I rely on God.
*My praise is continually of God.
*My mouth is filled with praise to God.
*My mouth is filled with honor to God.
* I will come in the strength of God.
*I will come with the mighty acts of God.
*I will mention the righteousness of God.
*I will praise the righteousness of God.
*I will declare to this generation the mighty strength of God.
*I will declare to all who are to come the might and power of God.
*My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to God.
*My inner being will shout for joy because I have been redeemed by God.
Yup! I'm owning this one and putting it into action! Every bit of it! Let me know whether or not the Holy Spirit is prompting you to do the same.
I'd love to hear your thoughts, comments, etc. regarding these verses and the promises within them.
Take a look and read verses 5-8, 12, 16, 18 & 23 out loud and slowly with me:
"You are my hope; O Lord God, You are my trust from my youth and the source of my confidence. Upon You have I leaned and relied from birth, You are He Who took me from my mother's womb and have been my benefactor from that day. My praise is continually of You. I am as a wonder and surprise to many, but You are my strong refuge. My mouth shall be filled with Your praise and with Your honor all the day. O God, be not far from me! O my God, make haste to help me! I will come in the strength and with the mighty acts of the Lord God; I will mention and praise Your righteousness, even Yours alone. ...keep me alive until I have declared Your mighty strength to this generation, and Your might and power to all that are to come. My lips shall shout for joy when I sing praises to You, and my inner being, which You have redeemed."
WOW! Does that do anything for anyone else? I mean - WOAH! (Flashback to Joey from Blossom)
*God is my hope.
*God is my trust.
*God is the source of my confidence.
*God is my benefactor.
*God has made me a wonder.
*God has made me a surprise.
*God is my strong refuge.
*God is not far from me.
*God makes haste to help me.
*God keeps me alive.
*God has redeemed me.
SO
*I lean on God.
*I rely on God.
*My praise is continually of God.
*My mouth is filled with praise to God.
*My mouth is filled with honor to God.
* I will come in the strength of God.
*I will come with the mighty acts of God.
*I will mention the righteousness of God.
*I will praise the righteousness of God.
*I will declare to this generation the mighty strength of God.
*I will declare to all who are to come the might and power of God.
*My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to God.
*My inner being will shout for joy because I have been redeemed by God.
Yup! I'm owning this one and putting it into action! Every bit of it! Let me know whether or not the Holy Spirit is prompting you to do the same.
I'd love to hear your thoughts, comments, etc. regarding these verses and the promises within them.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Identity
About 15 years ago, someone gave me a prophetic word that said, "You don't need a location for your identification. Your identification is in Me." That has really stood out to me over the past month or so.
I've also realized that my identity is not in my job, my significant other, my family, where I worship, my friends and associates, my amazing Jeep, the house I live in, the things I have acquired or even my precious Golden Retriever. My identity is not in my physical appearance, my talents, my personality or my connections.
All I am and all I ever need/want/desire/aspire to be is wrapped up in Jesus. He is my identity...and I'm continuing to be transformed into His likeness. What a process! I'm so thankful He has that kind of patience!! :)
Where do you find your identity? Is your worth the sum total of all your earthly belongings? Do you see yourself as a construction worker, doctor, secretary, accountant, teacher, mom, dad, sibling? Do you long for acceptance and approval from those in your workplace, school, church?
Let me encourage you to ask Jesus to show you your true worth in Him. He has all the acceptance, approval and identity you could ever need!
I've also realized that my identity is not in my job, my significant other, my family, where I worship, my friends and associates, my amazing Jeep, the house I live in, the things I have acquired or even my precious Golden Retriever. My identity is not in my physical appearance, my talents, my personality or my connections.
All I am and all I ever need/want/desire/aspire to be is wrapped up in Jesus. He is my identity...and I'm continuing to be transformed into His likeness. What a process! I'm so thankful He has that kind of patience!! :)
Where do you find your identity? Is your worth the sum total of all your earthly belongings? Do you see yourself as a construction worker, doctor, secretary, accountant, teacher, mom, dad, sibling? Do you long for acceptance and approval from those in your workplace, school, church?
Let me encourage you to ask Jesus to show you your true worth in Him. He has all the acceptance, approval and identity you could ever need!
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