True Identity

The Bible says in Ephesians 2:4-6, “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

As I sit and ponder and stretch my holy imagination to grasp hold of the truth of where I am truly seated, I realize the mind of Christ begins to sweep away all doubt, and Holy Spirit begins to dance upon the hope of my discovery and breathe the existence of that truth into my spirit.  I begin to think of myself literally before the throne, where the twenty-four elders eternally cry, “Holy!, Holy!, Holy!”  I am aware of other earthly believers there as well.  Those who have the understanding that they can access heaven while still on earth.  I boldly make a choice, by faith,  to join them.  Jesus paid a great price and made a way through His blood, and I have the honor of entrance into His presence, NOW!  I take hold of the certainty that I’m His child and I have that privilege.  Refusing to be encumbered by my own skepticism, but being propelled by His joy, pushing me through all the earthly boundaries and bringing me into my heavenly place, I come, just as I am .  As I worship in this extravagant place of favor, I sense the Lord calling me closer.  Past the ones already worshiping at His feet; past yet another restraint I had concocted in fear, and closer still.  Face to face with the Lover of my soul. 

He said, “Will you come to the place where I will give you My heart?  It is a place of great sorrow and lonliness, but the only place to truly experience the fullness of My love and joy.” 

Those around His beautiful feet urged me on with looks of sober encouragement.  I could hear their thoughts charging me;

“It will cost you everything!  It’s wonderful and painful all at the same time. “

I wondered how deeply it would pierce my weak little heart to truly take on the pain that God feels for broken people.  His heart is the place of indescribable, intoxicating love and inexpressible, extravagant joy.  It is also the place that knows immense sorrow, fathomless pain, and lonliness for those who have rejected His cords of  kindness, or have yet to hear of His great love for them.   I behold this bitter blend of suffering and joy inside the heart of God.  I cautiously contemplate the cost, but do  not yield to hesitation. 

I  wholeheartedly cry, “Yes Lord! I want Your heart inside of  me!  Whatever the cost; whatever the pain; I must have Your heart or I will die!  What is my life here on earth anyway?  It’s just a breath.  I desire that every breath be praise to You!” 

He brings me close and gently says, “Look into My eyes.”

His relentless gaze embraces every part of my being.  I feel His kindly acceptance; His gracious, indulgent favor; His unconditional, jealous love.  His unwavering search pierces right through me.  As I timidly peer into His fiery eyes, I feel warmly received, unconditionally accepted; yet so vulnerable and exposed at the same time.  As I look deep into the loving, penetrating eyes of Jesus, I can see myself.  I’m able to survey every heartless thing I have ever done; every rebellious choice that I have ever made.  It was as if my entire life flashed before me.  Not a single commendable memory could be found.  Just a continual video of  memory after painful memory, of every wrong choice, every sin, every unclean, detestable thing I had ever done.  I try, but I can not spot one respectable, praiseworthy deed that would earn me the right to be standing before the King of Glory, with His scepter of favor extended towards me.  I was baffled at the reality that He could obviously witness the scrutinizing inspection I was making of my own life.  I was bewildered, because He never winced at my revelation of wickedness in my own heart.  He never flinched. He patiently allowed the process of full disclosure to bring me deeper still to the foot of the cross.  I know He sees what I am looking at, but yet He never changes His expression of love towards me.  I bravely keep my eyes fixed on His because He repeatedly charged me saying,

“Look into My eyes.”

I was startled that I didn’t feel the rush of shame that should have accompanied the reality of my condition.  I didn’t feel clean either.  Even though I knew in my mind, I had been cleansed, in the presence of such holy purity, it was significantly difficult to grasp the reality of my inheritance.  Then I realized something mysteriously wonderful.  I knew that although He witnessed what I scrutinized in my own heart, He focused on something altogether different.  I locked in to His gaze of me, and from His viewpoint, I stood tall and upright, possessing full confidence in who I am as His bride, adorned in a spotless, white wedding gown…totally pure…completely radiant.

Ephesians 1:4-5: “ Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.”

Revelation 3:5 “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.”

“Oh wow, Lord.  I see now.  From the time that I chose to repent and follow you, Your perspective of me has changed.  Now, I am clean!”

The Lord replied, “No, precious one.  This is how I’ve always envisioned you.  Even before you repented, I found you.”

I marveled at the reality of His perspective.  His choice of vision.  He had always embraced the pearl of great price; treasured the reward of His suffering.  He sees the end result!  I have been washed by His blood before the foundation of the world.  I am complete in Him, now.  Just as I am.  Before I even embraced repentance, He hand picked me!

Romans 5:8-9 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.”

Ephesians 5:26-27 “That He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.”

My confidence comes as I choose to look upon what He sees.  His eyes reveal my destiny.  This is the place of true authority and healing.  It doesn’t really matter how unclean I was or even how I got that way.  Whether someone sinned against me and I suffered the wounding, or I elected to sin which caused my woundedness – self inflicted, or violated – it doesn’t matter.  His glory love like a spiritual fiery water hose cleanses me.  His eyes of fire baptize me in His love.  We are all lumped into one single category.  We were once lost sinners, but Christ found us and brought us near by His blood!

Ephesians 2:13-14 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation.”

The choice is up to you.  Will you see what He sees?  His completed work in you, or the lies we embrace as truth.  We will become what we behold.  Look deep into the eyes of your Redeemer and let His love transform your true identity!  Until we fully possess the vision He has of us, we can not hope to convince other broken ones of this marvelous discovery.

Health Tips & Recipes

Here are a couple of recipes I’ve come up with while attempting to add some much needed nutrition & added flavor to already popular breakfast foods.  Try it yourself….these are kid tested and approved.

**What’s good for the body is good for the soul….what’s good for the soul is good for the spirit.  Be good to yourself today.  Spend some quality time in the secret place with Jesus today.  Healthy bodies + restored souls = vibrant spirits living abundantly full lives in the kingdom!

If you like pancakes but want to add a nutritional punch try this:

With regular complete pancake mix that you just add water to:

for approx. 10 – 4″ pancakes use:

 1/2 c. pancake mix

1/2 c. oat flour (adds fiber, potassium, protein, calcium, thiamin & iron)

1/4 c. wheat germ (adds potassium, fiber, protein, iron, vit. E, folic acid, magnesium, thiamin, phosphorus, & zinc)

1 scoop soy protein powder – I use Whole Foods brand (adds great flavor & more nutrients than there is room to list)

3 tsp. baking powder.

add water to desired consistency (about 1-1/2 cups-give or take a little)

Play around with the ingredients until you get the flavor and consistency that you like. 

GREAT HEALTH TIP – If you are not accustomed to the taste of molasses or think you don’t like it…you will want to re-train your tongue to adjust to the strong taste after you hear the health benefits compared to regular syrup.  Feed your body…not your tongue.

Regular butter lite syrup has this to offer per 1/4 c.

100 calories

1g fiber

25g sugars

210mg sodium

high fructose corn syrup, cellulose gum, salt, natural & artificial flavors, artificial colors, & preservatives

compared to 1 Tbsp. organic molasses

60 calories

730 mg potassium

115 mg calcium

10g sugars

15% RDA of Iron

8% RDA of Magnesium

10% RDA of Vitamin B6

No artificial ANYTHING…a sweetener that’s good for you!!

**Please don’t use artificial sweeteners!! – do some research – it will save your brain…for real.  Stevia is great & natural, and so is Agave Nectar (both come from natural plant sources). Like I said…just re-train your tongue to like what’s good for you…it really works and your body & mind will thank you.

 

Recipe #2 – To add even more flavor & nutrition to oatmeal

To regular quick oats, add these ingredients after you cook: I never measure…I just add a pinch here & there until it tastes good.

Sea salt

Wheat germ – adds nutrients & a wholesome nutty flavor

Cinnamon

Oat milk (so much better than regular milk when used in oatmeal-so creamy!)

Agave nectar and/or stevia

If you’ve never tried oatmeal cold – don’t say “eewww” until you try this next one.  I didn’t believe it either, but my precious friend Ginger introduced me to this. It’s great in the summer! I promise!!  Thank you Ginger!

Regular uncooked quick oats

raisins and/or sliced bananas

sliced almonds

chilled oat milk….or regular milk if you prefer

Have fun trying new ways to eat to your health!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friendship With God

In learning how to cultivate a lifestyle of listening prayer, try asking Jesus a question.  You might be surprised that what you hear in your thoughts ~ is truely a God encounter. 

Question for the day: “Is anything hindering our friendship, Lord?”

As I ask this question, I see the Lord with a smile on His face, and a twinkle in His eye. With inviting arms outstretched, His movements and overwhelming joy draw me to join in the playful dance.  I see myself over to the side with a serious look of self inspection, praying “Lord, please wash me…cleanse me that I may come into Your presence.” As I say this, it looks as if I’m trying to wash myself with dirty water.  Then I see the Lord pick up a huge bucket of water, which He dumps all over me, with a big grin on His face.  I hear Him say:

“Why do you try so hard to clean yourself up before entering into my presence?  Don’t you know that it’s in the midst of our relationship that the true washing takes place?  You are already cleansed by My blood and washed by My word.”

At that, I respond to His invitation and we begin to spin around in a circle until pure water from some hidden source begins splashing over us and we’re both soaked even more.  As the dance ceases and we begin to walk hand in hand, I get a glimpse of my heart.  Like a flower opening up to the warmth of trusted sun after a long, cold night of darkness, so my heart rests in knowing….this is a safe place of vulnerability.  I no longer have a tight fisted grip on the hidden areas of my heart…lies perceived as truth.  Now, in response to the security I feel in this friendship with Jesus, He can gently remove those intruders that I have unknowingly welcomed into my secret place.  He asks me this question:

“Why do you feel secure in your relationships with your closest friends?”

My response:

“Well….because they love me for who I am, and accept me for what I am. They really like me, and they make me want to be a better person.  They make me feel special, are fun to be with, and cheer me on in my journey.  I can trust them with the deep things of my heart.”

The Lord then says:

“Would you choose to be friends with a judge?  Someone who constantly judges you, criticizes you, and tries to change you? Someone who is constantly frustrated with your performance, and points out all your faults?”

My response: 

“Well, no, of course not, Lord.”

I then begin to realize some things that have hindered my friendship with the Lover of my soul.  I have some truly amazing friends.  They encourage me, affirm me, love me, pray for me, support me, cry with me, take the blinders off of me, and the list goes on and on.  I know, as awesome as they are, they are still just a shadow of what His friendship has to offer!  How much more does He love me, encourage me, affirm me, pray for me, support me….etc., etc!?  Have I thought that He is less of a trusted friend than those I surround myself with?

“Lord, have I misjudged Your true character?  Have I thought that if I entrust my heart to You, that You will begin to point the finger of accusation?  You are the One who took my blame in the first place.  Have I thought that You would try to fix all my imperfections with a look of frustration and disgust on Your face, when You know that it’s only in the hope of Your cross that I am made perfect?  Have I thought that if I get too close that Your primary motive would be to focus on my lack instead of Your provision? 

Wow!  I realize the motive of God’s heart really is love, friendship and relationship.  Change is a given.  He does the transformation in me as we walk together.  He doesn’t want to get close to me just to point out all the areas that need fixing!

I also realize that I am my own worst judge.  Religious training is good at twisting true cleansing.  How often do we try to perfect ourselves apart from our relationship with Jesus?  How often do we judge ourselves apart from His blood’s washing.  Where is our focus?  On our lack; our failure; our imperfections?  We’ll never measure up when our eyes are fixed on ourselves. 

Those areas in my heart that are still awaiting experiential redemption through my choice of surrender, are the very blinders that block my vision of His finished work in me. 

He sees me through the cross.  His vision of me is through His blood.  I am made completely whole in Him.  Whether I release those areas in my heart to Him today, tomorrow or next year; He sees my surrendered heart now through His completed work and He rejoices over me!  My choice to hang on to baggage does not hinder His view – BUT IT DOES HINDER MINE! I’m not talking about compromise here.  Sin is sin and making excuses for our sin only postpones the fullness of joy that He intended for us to walk in.  Let the obvious sin go. Sin is not a luxury ~ it’s a prison.  That’s just dumb to hang on to what He’s nailed to the cross.  I’m talking to those who are doing all they know to do to walk in right standing with God and yet, get tripped up along the way.  Doing all you know to do, but never feeling like you quite measure up.  Fix your eyes on His vision.  He sees you through eyes of pure love.  He wants to be our friend!  Can you imagine?!  He really likes us!  Can you receive such a gift of friendship?  Too good to be true?  Then it MUST be God!  He is your wildest dream come true.

Why pray?

Why does God choose to use prayer to move things?  Several reasons…It takes humility and dependence on God to pray. Humility dispels pride and dependence displaces control.  We are acknowledging that we are but clay in the hands of the Master Craftsman.  We are like extension cords apart from a power outlet.  There is no power until we plug in!

But on an intimate level…for those who want more of Him…for those who just want to seek His face….for those who love Him with total abandonment.  Prayer is communion with the Lover of your soul.  When true love is connected, it gives birth to life. 

Prayer brings to life the desires in God’s heart, when our goal is full surrender.  When God’s desires are fulfilled in our lives, our pure appetites are completely satisfied. When we sign our name to the bottom of the blank page and hand the pen over to God, He will write the most amazing adventure with our lives.  A love story that only God’s holy imagination could possibly create.

Prayer is not only words spoken to God.  Prayer is partnership.  Simply being in His presence and connecting to His heart is prayer.  Faith in His ability, His goodness, His wisdom and His desire to accomplish the unbelievable is prayer.  Simply believing in your heart without words is a declaration to God!  He knows our hearts. He knows what we have need of before we even ask.  When love connects – life springs forth!

My prayer today….Lord, my heart is bursting forth with gratitude to my Father who loves me as His precious baby girl.  You are my great  Redeemer!  You will redeem all things…even my bad choices are no match to Your redeeming power of love.  You are my Healer! My Strength! My Lover! My Overcomer! My Helper! My Bridegroom King! My Peace! My Security! My Standby!  My Rock!  My Provider!  My Salvation!  My Victory!  My Joy!  My very Food and Drink! My Satisfy-er!  My Sight! My Light!  You provide my faith, compassion, and hunger for more of You and then You fill all!  You are the sum total of everything good and satisfying, holy and pure.  You ARE – I AM! And Lord, I love you with all that I am, all that I have, all that I’ve ever been and all I ever hope to be.  You are my very breath.  Take me and ravish me in Your love today!  Enlarge my capacity for more of You!  I’m so hungry for more knowledge of You, more anointing from You, more wisdom from You, more of Your presence.  Help me to contain and release all that You are.  Enlarge my borders! Help me to take it all in – bite by bite! You are more than I can contain Lord, but fill me up again and again and again.  By Your grace, I will house Your glory!  Lord, place my heart on my lips that I appropriately express the fullness of my gratitude and love for You.  Turn me inside out and upside down! Lord, Your glory is so far beyond human expression.  Let my life reflect Your glory that those around would see and put their hearts in Your safe keeping.  Give words to my hope!

Vision – Knowing the times & seasons

In Acts 1:7-8 Jesus is telling His disciples that it is not for them to know the times (chronos) and seasons which the Father has put in His own authority, but “you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you…”

How much wasted energy and frustration have come by wanting to know the ‘WHEN?’  We pray for people and we don’t see change in our time frame, so we get discouraged and think God isn’t responding.  We cry out for change; for revival, etc… and instead of trusting God for the increase (which is His part), we lose heart.  We need to know OUR PART in the adventure of life with God. 

In I Corinthians 3:6, Paul says “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.” 

II Corinthians 4:16a, “Therefore we do not lose heart…” v.18…”while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.”

We need to do OUR PART in partnering with God without doing God’s part.  That just brings on stress and striving to produce the results we want to see.  We are the vine, He is the branch.  We can’t produce fruit; only He can, as we ABIDE in Him. 

Have we allowed our western world mindset of vision/goal/purpose driven plans to define what God’s vision is?  Have we carried corporate and business world strategies into the church and into our personal lives?  We have a yearly vision/resolution, etc… and a great plan to carry it out to completion.  If we don’t see the results we think we are expected to see according to the standards set up around us, we start over, change the structure, have 10 new strategic points, etc.  If we can accomplish the vision with our own strategic and well thought out plans and power points, who needs  God or faith?  If we have a vision from God I guarantee it will LOOK IMPOSSIBLE.  If it looks reachable, it’s probably not God. 

I know there is balance in all of this; don’t get me wrong.  I have goals and plans that are my own that involve daily “stuff” like eating healthy, exercise, organizing my home, taking care of “the list”, but I’m talking bigger.  I’m talking God vision.

 Habakkuk 2:2-3 says, “Write the vision and make it plain on tablets that he may run who reads it.  For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.  Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”

God’s part is to bring the vision ~ that He gives ~ to fruition.

What is our part then?  What is our stance in receiving the vision AND in receiving the fulfillment of the vision? 

                 In receiving vision, we are instructed to:

* “I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart, and watch to see what He will say to me, and I will answer when I am corrected.” Hab.2:1

* “And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, which, He said, you have heard from Me.” Acts 1:4

When we seek God, we find God, and God imparts vision.  In other words; wait, watch, pray and obey.

After receiving vision, this part is SO important.  What now? How do we wait? What is our stance? The nitty gritty….because we are “doers” right?  We have a need to stay busy don’t we?  We sometimes think we have to help God out by doing “stuff.”  Well, here it is…this is what we do:

* “Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation.  The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills.” Hab. 3:17-19

NOTE: The word joy here means ‘dance for joy, or leaping for joy; to spin around with intense motion’.

What?! I’m waiting for fulfillment….I don’t see any tangible fruit of it ever coming to pass…..and I’m suppose to be like….happy about that?!

 Nope, – not just a little positive confession kinda happy - YOU ARE TO REJOICE WITH INTENSE MOTION…

SPIN AROUND AND DANCE LIKE NOBODY’S WATCHING….

REJOICE IN YOUR GOD LIKE THE FRUIT IS ALREADY BEING MADE INTO WINE…. THAT YOU ARE DRINKIN’ ….KINDA HAPPY! 

Be encouraged today.  Stop looking at what you can see in the natural, and begin to dance yourself happy.  Your father dances over you with joy….why not join in with Him in bringing heaven down.  Your faith will grow, your discouragement will leave, and you’ll find yourself living in the promise that you were so worried would never come to pass.

Prophesy over your life!

  In the beginning God SAID, Let there be light, and there WAS light.  Everything that God SAID, was created from absolutely nothing.  With the exception of man.  He took from the earth that had been created by the word of His mouth, and fashioned and formed His most spectacular and favored of all creatures.  He then breathed His very breath of life into Adam and he became a living soul.  In order to create Eve, he put Adam to sleep, took a rib, and sculpted a breathtaking masterpiece.  Adam needed to asleep awhile, so Father God could spend some quality time with His precious new daughter.  He then presented them to one another to walk side by side.  After everything was finished that God had fashioned, He took a step back, observed His creation, and “saw that it was good”.

What does this have to do with prophesying over your life?  When the Holy Spirit of God lives inside of you, you have His very breath in your lungs.  The bible tells us that life and death are in the power of the tongue.  We all know how words have edified, encouraged, and cheered us on in our journey, as well as words that have discouraged, crushed, and defeated us. 

When you step back and observe your life, your family, your health, your….whatever….can you “see that it is good?”  Words are powerful.  The tongue is compared to a small rudder on a huge ship in the book of James.  That is encouraging if you are given to “see the glass 1/2 full”.  What needs to be turned around in your life??  The Lord says, “Open wide your mouth and I will fill it”.  In Psalm 32:7 we read “You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.”  When you open your mouth and let Him fill it, the songs that deliver you from trouble will be from your own mouth!

Murmuring, complaining and negativity are the weeds that you plant in your own garden with seed from your heart and lips.  Begin to speak life over your circumstances; over your health, over your finances; over your family, over our nation!  Stop looking at what you can see, and begin to see as God sees.  All things are possible for those who believe.  The things you believe will be made manifest by the words that you speak.  Prophesy LIFE over your life, and the lives of the ones you have influence over!  Be a life giver with the fruit of your lips.

May God bless you and keep you and make His face to shine upon you and give you peace!!

The Wedding Boutique

Silence

Silence was created, not for silence sake alone ~ It is not the wonder to behold, but is merely an epicenter.  The sanctuary above the deep where the search begins.  Where pondering truth turns into revelatory life; where apparent hopeless reality turns into fadeless hope once again.  Silence is the empty canvas where given permission to paint upon – our hearts – the Artist brushes tones of liquid love – the beauty of His imagination.  A whisper of blue revelation blows upon the amber flicker of yesterday’s fading hope, until a joyful whirlwind of red and green, orange and yellow, blue, indigo and violet give way to groans and cries too deep for utterance.  Color transformed into sound causing a symphony of shifting and stirring – deep crying unto deep – below the surface of understanding; yet somehow…Spirit to spirit… my lame feet begin to dance a mysterious knowing – until color and wind; groan and stir, erupt into untamed, raw praise!

               ~Thus fulfilling true purpose to silence ~

“To You belongs silence (the submissive wonder of reverence which bursts forth into praise) and praise is due and fitting to You, O God, in Zion; and to You shall the vow be performed” Psalm 65:1