Life with the Lion is full of adventure

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Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees, Say to those who have an anxious heart, Be Strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance with the recompense of God, He will come and save you.   Isaiah 35:3-4

There are so many things in this world that can spin us out of control.  The enemies job is becoming increasingly easier as we are distracted and weakened by the issues arising in this broken world.  Our focus is so easily taken away from the eternal view and dialed in to the temporal moments in our life. It is from this perspective that our peace and joy are ripped right out of our lives!  We are so caught up in the whirlwind of the present moments that we are unable to even grasp the hope that is even greater and surrounding us.  Gods plan for us cannot be stopped, however the journey along the way can be more stressful and less joyful than intended.  The enemies  only strategy is distraction from truth.

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free  John 8:32

What is this truth that will set you free? Jesus is truth and life.  To know the truth is to know Him.  It is more than memorizing scripture or having head knowledge of His existence; the desire is for an intimate personal relationship with  the Lion of Judah who is roaring with power and fighting your battles!!   Truly “knowing” Jesus is “knowing” the truth that will set you free from the bondage of anxiety and fear and propel you into a joy filled life regardless of your circumstances!  How can that be possible?  I know it sounds unrealistic, but I can testify that it is possible.  I am a work in progress and still find anxiety creeping into my life, however, the closer I become to the person who is truth,Jesus Christ, the less time I spend in that realm.  I am renewing my thought process to focus on the truth, the eternal perspective and not allow this temporal condition to dictate my joy.

The truth sets us free and His love sustains and guides us! The truth is the key for release from our prisons and love is our protector!

He who dwells  in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust  Psalm 91:1

A life with the Lion is full of adventure!  It is not problem free but an adventure none the less.    You have the power and the greatest place of rest available. You can take on life’s challenges with confidence knowing that the greatest love imaginable is covering you with every step.

In the battle of good vs evil the victory has already been won!  The worst possible fate death, has even been conquered!  Death has now become the door that leads us to our eternal reward!  But we do not have to wait to die to have a taste of eternity, the kingdom of God is at hand in our present time; we only need to open our spiritual eyes and allow our focus to be on our Lion who loves us fiercely!

One of the definitions of recompense is “make amends to or reward someone for loss, harm or effort”   This is what God, the Lion of Judah, has promised us over and over again.  He will make amends for the pain and loss we have experienced with a reward that far exceeds them all!

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us   Romans 8:18

When life gets tough remember who is tougher.  When you feel defeated or out numbered remember who has your back.  There is nothing this life can throw at us that can compare to the eternal glory we will one day experience!  In our temporal minds it feels like a mountain but from the eternal view it is nothing more than an ant hill, annoying but powerless and easily stomped out of existence.

Whatever you are facing today my friend, it is powerless!  Take a moment and silence the distractions of this world and listen very closely for the roar of the Lion who daily fights your battles!

In all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us  Romans 8:37

A Life with the Lion is full of adventure

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Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees, Say to those who have an anxious heart, Be Strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance with the recompense of God, He will come and save you.   Isaiah 35:3-4

There are so many things in this world that can spin us out of control.  The enemies job is becoming increasingly easier as we are distracted and weakened by the issues arising in this broken world.  Our focus is so easily taken away from the eternal view and dialed in to the temporal moments in our life. It is from this perspective that our peace and joy are ripped right out of our lives!  We are so caught up in the whirlwind of the present moments that we are unable to even grasp the hope that is even greater and surrounding us.  Gods plan for us cannot be stopped, however the journey along the way can be more stressful and less joyful than intended.  The enemies  only strategy is distraction from truth.

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free  John 8:32

What is this truth that will set you free? Jesus is truth and life.  To know the truth is to know Him.  It is more than memorizing scripture or having head knowledge of His existence; the desire is for an intimate personal relationship with  the Lion of Judah who is roaring with power and fighting your battles!!   Truly “knowing” Jesus is “knowing” the truth that will set you free from the bondage of anxiety and fear and propel you into a joy filled life regardless of your circumstances!  How can that be possible?  I know it sounds unrealistic, but I can testify that it is possible.  I am a work in progress and still find anxiety creeping into my life, however, the closer I become to the person who is truth,Jesus Christ, the less time I spend in that realm.  I am renewing my thought process to focus on the truth, the eternal perspective and not allow this temporal condition to dictate my joy.

The truth sets us free and His love sustains and guides us! The truth is the key for release from our prisons and love is our protector!

He who dwells  in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust  Psalm 91:1

A life with the Lion is full of adventure!  It is not problem free but an adventure none the less.    You have the power and the greatest place of rest available. You can take on life’s challenges with confidence knowing that the greatest love imaginable is covering you with every step.

In the battle of good vs evil the victory has already been won!  The worst possible fate death, has even been conquered!  Death has now become the door that leads us to our eternal reward!  But we do not have to wait to die to have a taste of eternity, the kingdom of God is at hand in our present time; we only need to open our spiritual eyes and allow our focus to be on our Lion who loves us fiercely!

One of the definitions of recompense is “make amends to or reward someone for loss, harm or effort”   This is what God, the Lion of Judah, has promised us over and over again.  He will make amends for the pain and loss we have experienced with a reward that far exceeds them all!

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us   Romans 8:18

When life gets tough remember who is tougher.  When you feel defeated or out numbered remember who has your back.  There is nothing this life can throw at us that can compare to the eternal glory we will one day experience!  In our temporal minds it feels like a mountain but from the eternal view it is nothing more than an ant hill, annoying but powerless and easily stomped out of existence.

Whatever you are facing today my friend, it is powerless!  Take a moment and silence the distractions of this world and listen very closely for the roar of the Lion who daily fights your battles!

In all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us  Romans 8:37

 

There is blessing in the waiting

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“In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength, but you are unwilling.  Isaiah 30:15

There are so many times in my life that I have been frustrated with the way my life is or is not playing out.  I hear and see others who appear to be receiving the favor and blessings I could only hope for.  Often, I try to analyze whether or not I am doing enough or being enough so God will bless me too.  I envy those around me and make my next decision based on that comparison or my pride; being self reliant yet in desperate need of approval and validation.  It is a crazy train with the conductor being my emotions and the destination uncertain.  We do not and should not be living our lives this way.

In Isaiah God tells us that returning and resting in him is how we are saved. In quietness and in trust shall be our strength!  BUT we are unwilling.

Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you.  For the Lord is a God of Justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.  Isaiah 30:18

There is redemption opportunities for our moments of unwillingness.  Thankfully the Lord is full of grace and patience!  That is why he stated earlier in returning and rest you shall be saved.  We at any point and time in this journey can stop dead in our tracks and return to the one who has the directions for our life and when we do we will find rest for our weary minds.  Blessings come from waiting on the perfect timing of the Lord.  I don’t know about you, but I am a very impatient person!  When I get a vision or agenda that I want to see played out by golly I want it fulfilled yesterday!!  God waits to be gracious to us.  Let that sink in for a moment.  If God was as impatient as me, we would have been destroyed a long time ago.  If God was as impatient as me, he never would have endured the journey to the cross.  I am so grateful for this character trait of God!  Perfect timing for our best is what He has in mind as he beckons us to wait on Him. It is not to frustrate us or cause stress and anxiety; it is the opposite He wants us to have abundant life!  When we push through and learn patience and believe that God is working everything out for our good and His glory; then and only then do we get to experience the blessing we could not have imaged for ourselves.

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us  Ephesians 3:20

The things  you are asking and hoping for and not receiving could be God waiting to be gracious to you.  He has something much greater in store. His ways are higher than ours and His vision far expands ours.  We are in it for the immediate gratification, God is in it for eternal impact and Kingdom glory.  Whatever it is you have been waiting on God to release in your life, be patient and those days when you are feeling defeated and hopeless stand firm on this truth “Blessed are all those who wait for him”

 

The benefits of exposure to the “Son”

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“I will quietly look from my dwelling  like clear heat in sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest”.   Isaiah 18:4

I have always been a lover of sunshine; I am not sure if it comes from being a native of Florida the sunshine state or the way I am wired.  My mood is easily swayed in a negative direction if too many days go by with no sunshine on my skin!  Sun plays an intricate role in my mental health.  I can be overwhelmed, mental exhausted or even feeling a little down but within a few moments of the sun beating down on me it is like everything is right with the world again.  Since moving to the mountains I have an even greater appreciation of the sun.  Unlike the sunshine state there can be days of cold sunless weather so when my friend the sun reappears I am elated and appreciative of the benefits of its presence.

When I read this scripture in Isaiah it jumped off the page for me!  I can totally relate to the clear heat in sunshine!  As I pondered what God was trying to relay to me these things began to be illuminated for me.

Just like the Sun’s presence brings me so much energy and comfort the presence of the son in my life brings that and so much more.

On a cold day the sun can bring so much warmth to your day.  The temperature outside does not change but the presence of the sun makes it more bearable than a cold, cloudy day.   The same is true in our lives.  Our circumstances may not change, things may seem cloudy or dark but if the Son is present they are much more bearable; there is hope and guidance.  The weight of our reality becomes less overwhelming in the rays of his love and grace.

I love the analogy of him quietly looking down from his heavenly dwelling and through his eyes of love warming my heart and letting me feel the physical presence of his spirit, comforting me and reminding me I am never alone!

God never meant for us to walk through this life feeling cold, alone, defeated but  his desire is for us, just like the flowers, to soak up the nourishment of the rain and turn our faces to the “son”  where we will find life giving rays of truth and life that will bring us into full bloom!

My days out in the sunshine have taken on an all new meaning to me.  As I feel the warmth of the sun on my skin, my mind reflects on this scripture and it reminds me that God is quietly looking from heaven like clear heat in sunshine.  He is nourishing me and growing me into the woman he designed me to be.

Your future is redefined through God’s grace

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“Woe is me! for I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of host!”  Isaiah 6: 5

Just as Isaiah saw the Glory of God seated on the Thorne and through this encounter acknowledge his true sin condition which then allowed the hot coal to be placed on his lips and atonement made; we too have the atonement of our sins through the blood of Jesus that was prophesied through Isaiah. We also get to go one step further than Isaiah in that he saw for a moment the glory of the Lord we have the spirit of the Lord residing in us!!!! Sit back and let that sink in for a moment!  This Glorious God that Isaiah experiences is the same God that dwells within our very being! Giving us the accessibility to see through the eyes of Jesus, hear with the ears of Jesus, feel with the gracious spirit of Jesus!! We have to like Isaiah understand the true deprivation of our human condition and allow the atonement of the blood to purify us giving full access to the power that lives in us and is able to flow through us if we will allow! Such confidence and boldness will arise when we truly allow ourselves to experience the presence of the glory of God IN us.

“ whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then I said Here I am! Send me!”  Isaiah6:8

Once we have encountered the overwhelming grace of God we too should be declaring the same “ here I am send me!”

Sharing and declaring all that we have experienced through the power of the blood!

We should be ecstatic that we are living on the other side of Isaiah’s prophecy! We should be continuing the message of a redeeming savior that came, died and rose again; preparing everyone for His imminent return and eternal reward!

This is not some feel good, wishful thinking philosophy. It is a promised truth spoken by a flawless savior who is the Alpha and Omega;the beginning and the end. The creator of all that is in existence who is renewing all things back to their original design! To All who accept and believe an eternal award is given! How can we be silent?

“Holy, holy,holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory”

 

 

The prison door is open… have you accepted the pardon

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Barabbas means “son of the father”

We are Barabbas ! Just as the crowds shouted give us Barabbas and crucify Jesus all of heaven cried out your name with a love so intense it required the resounding cry “crucify Him”

As Barabbas was walking away a free man he looked back and made eye contact with Jesus. The genuine compassion that flowed through that second in time was earth shattering! It is the same for us. We can put ourselves in Barabbas place and see the compassion Jesus has for us in spite of our sinful nature.

Barabbas quickly looked away because the gravity of the truth of this exchange and the compassion that encompassed it was more than he could muster the strength to acknowledge.

Do we truly comprehend and embrace the incredible sacrifice made for our freedom or do we continue to allow the shackles of sin past and present to keep us locked up in silence and lifelessness? 


Our ability to truly comprehend our sinfulness and Jesus compassion sets the path to our destiny!  We can acknowledge our sin and accept the gift of grace or we can embrace our pride and turn and walk away determined that we can best control our own destiny. The choice is ours. one leads to temporary pleasure with looming destruction and one leads to eternal salvation and abundant life.

All of heaven chose you over Jesus knowing that the only way to a intimate relationship with you was through the sacrifice of the perfect lamb.  What a spit in the face it must once again be when we do not accept the gift that is given and continued to make our way to the cross when the price has already been paid!

Why are you remaining on death row when you have been pardoned?

Breakfast on Cowee Mountain

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It always amazes me when I am able to experience God in a unique and personal way, right in the middle of my chaotic life.  This past week I had one of those experiences that I would like to share.

The theme for this summer has been “what could possibly happen next” so my mind has been kidnapped by the craziness of the events that are transpiring around me.  I find my focus being on everything that is not right.  Even my morning quiet time of coffee and Jesus was disrupted by the rapid fire of thoughts and worries that were running  through my mind.  So this sets the tone for this encounter with Jesus on the top of Cowee Mountain.

I had some lab work to do so I was going into work late as I had to stop by my doctors office first thing On Wednesday morning.  I had the expectation that I would be no more than 30 minutes late due to past experience; this time however an unexpected delay would come into play.  I was running right on schedule, cruising up the mountain on the way to Sylva with my worship music blaring only to reach the top and find traffic at a complete stop!  For those of you reading this who are not familiar with mountain life there is one way up and over the mountain to the other side.  I felt the gravitational pull to the negative aspects of this bump in my happy.   With a slight release of frustration I put my car into park and text my coworker that 8:30 was no longer a reality.  My stomach was beginning to growl, as I had to fast for my morning labs, so I decided to take my breakfast out of my lunch bag and use this time to have something to eat.  The moment I opened the lid to my bowl of overnight oats it was as if I felt God saying “that’s my girl, lets have some breakfast on this mountaintop”   I began to giggle as I realized that this moment that I found so frustrating was orchestrated by a God who loves me so deeply and personally that he ensured I had time for breakfast!  I savored every bite of that breakfast and soaked in the few moments of rest and the catching of my breath.  I began to ponder how if this moment in time had not happened this breakfast never would have happened.  One of two things would have taken place.  One, I would have inhaled it in the Parking lot before I went into the office  or two, I would have skipped it as there is no way I would have made time to eat once my feet hit the floor of my office.  This scenario was exactly what I needed!  I spend way more time striving than abiding!  As I took the last bite of oatmeal the traffic began to move.  A tear of joy ran down my face as this confirmed the purpose of my delay and the amazing love of my Heavenly Father.  I could have missed out on this intimate moment and stayed incarcerated in my frustration.  I am so grateful that God took the time to pursue me even if it took a traffic jam on the mountain to do it!

Could God be trying to reach you in the midst of your chaos?  Could there be hidden nuggets of encouragement and love hidden there?  What mountain top experience does God want to share with you today?

Would love to hear your stories.  If you find your nugget from God this week please share in the comments.  If we all share a little light collectively we will ultimately illuminate the dark!

 

God is in the details

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There are long days of tedious background work that has to be done during a remodel.  It is during these times that your perspective of progress is misguided because you do not physically see the things being accomplished so that your remodel is functional and complete.  Bryan has spent hours in the attic running electrical lines,cutting in recessed lighting and installing the plumbing.   All very critical components to the functionality of our remodel; however at the end of a long day when you stand in the room there is no drastic change that visually allows your minds to be content with progress being made.  Bryan does know all that has been accomplished as the one doing the background work and he has the sore back and knees to prove he has been crawling around in an attic all day.  It was the piece of the remodel puzzle that he dreaded having to complete and with a sigh of relief is glad He persisted through and got it accomplished.

It is the same way when God is “remodeling” us.  There will be times that it feels like He is nowhere to be found because we do not feel or see any progressive change in our current condition.  The truth is God is doing the tedious detail work  in the background.  He is making the changes in the wiring of our thinking and preparing the connections we need to have in our lives so that we can be truly and completely changed from the inside out.  God wants a change that is permanent and brings beauty and blessing to our lives.  Never doubt God’s presence.  He is always there.  Know that there is not always an immediate, tangible vision of the work He is doing; but you can bank on the fact that He is working all things for your good and HIs glory.  Some of the most important things are being done in the still and quite work of the Spirit in the background!  It is in those subtle moments as you are struggling to hold on to hope that suddenly it will all start coming together and you will be able to see your remodel taking shape!

I cannot wait for our remodel to be complete.  When I am standing at that vanity and turning on the lights and the water is coming out of the faucet I will remember the detail work that had to be done so that when the actual remodel was complete, it was functional and that will make me smile.

I want to allow God to do the detail work that needs to be done in my heart and soul so that one day I will see a renewed child of God!  One that is able to accomplish all she was purposed to do because the detailed background work season existed.

For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.   Philippians 2:13

Being confident of this very thing,that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.  Philippians 1:6

 

 

A New Year a New View

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This first week of 2019 has propelled me into a new way of thinking! My word for this year is RENEW. God is wasting no time in my renewal by personally showing me how changing my focus can change everything! Let me give you a couple of examples.

First of all was our trip to Florida for the holidays. We had one of our best trips yet. We were able to spend an entire week visiting friends and family stress free. Everything was falling into place perfectly! Then came the 3 a.m. wake up to a very sick stomach which resulted in my throwing up dinner from the night before and spending the next day with a very sour stomach. I chose to take some medication to soothe my tummy and continue on as planned. Things were back on track and the final day came for us to start our journey back home. Less than 30 minutes into our trip my husband decided to follow my lead and we spent the next 4 hours in a stop and go mode as we pulled over for him to get sick.

The reason I am sharing this craziness is this; We could choose to focus on the end of our trip when things turned bad and a “monkey wrench” was thrown into our “perfect”. Or we could choose to focus on the amazing time we had, that far outweighed the bad ending. In shifting my focus to the best parts of our trip, the bad seemed so insignificant and not worth even mentioning. (Except for this blog to explain my point…lol!) I also have a very difficult time with night driving and since moving to the mountains, traffic anxiety when returning to Florida! Due to Bryan being so sick. I had to get behind the wheel, after dark, on the interstate!! I could have focused on my fear and anxiety and made a difficult situation even more difficult, but I chose to use the weapon of prayer to defeat my anxiety.

The second way my thinking is being renewed is in my work environment. I realized that my tendency has been to focus on the negative things that happened at work each day; store them up then come home and download them all over my hubby. This was not only having a negative impact on my evenings but causing undue stress and frustration in my work days. This first week of the year I have chosen to not talk about work when i get home. We are discovering that there are so many more interesting and uplifting conversations that we can have and our nights are much more relaxed. I have to admit that I am battling to overcome my frustration level while at work but I have the armor to overcome it and know that I will find victory.

Making the decision to refocus can be challenging. But it amazes me how making those decisions can so drastically change the environment you live in. The enemy’s greatest tool is our mind and our focus! His ultimate goal from the time our feet hit the floor each morning is to cause as much havoc as he can and keep our focus on it. The smallest things can grow into the greatest obstacles all by the power of the minds focus.

We have the weapons we need to fight off the fiery darts that are shot into our minds!

“Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one”. Ephesians 6:16

“God’s word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare”. Ephesians 6:17-18 (The message)

We should not be surprised by this warfare. Jesus himself walked it, lived it out and gave His life to conquer it! He then gave us the tools we need to walk this same journey out until He calls us home. The struggle is that we do not pour the word into our minds as much as we pour the world into our minds!!  This year I am going to intentionally choose to pour in more of the word and focus on the blessings.   How about you?

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the RENEWING of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:2

Relentless pursuit of “me”

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2018 is coming to a close and I am reflecting on what I learned from my word for the year “RELENTLESS “. When I first received this word I did not understand the direction it was going to take me. The pull to relentlessly pursue my true self took me on a journey of discovery that was unexpected. You see I thought the only way to true happiness and self fulfillment was somehow buried inside me, in a place that I had not tapped into or understood about what my true identity was. This could not be further from the truth.

So my pursuit began as I began to follow the hints God gave me as to where my focus should be.

For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed,
but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,
    and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,”
    says the Lord, who has compassion on you. (Isaiah 54:10)

The Lord your God is in your midst,
    a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
    he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing. (Zephaniah 3:17)

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him. (Psalm 103:11)    

There is no God like you in the skies above or on the earth below who … relentlessly loves (1 Kings 8:23 MSG)

The ongoing theme was the love God has for me. His love is RELENTLESS! His pursuit of us is RELENTLESS! The very thing I was looking for to validate my true identity was not going to be found by my RELENTLESS pursuit of anything, but from me grasping the understanding of the RELENTLESS love the Father has for me!

It is from the place of accepting this love that I can freely walk out the purpose God predestined for me from my inception.

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5

It is not by any power I possess that I can find who I truly am but by walking in the knowledge of God’s unfailing and RELENTLESS love. His love has the healing power to loosen the chains and allow me to live an abundant life full of hope and purpose. Walking my personal pathway and keeping my eyes focused on my father is the only way I will find true happiness and success. I am uniquely designed for a specific purpose that only I can fill. I cannot compare myself to those around me because there unique calling is not mine. Success is measured by my understanding of His love that leads to obedience to the voice of the one who sings over me.

With the ringing in of 2019 I have my word for this year. RENEW! This new year is rolling in with a lot of structural renewal in the works around me, but I believe the RENEWAL that is going to make the most impact on me this year is the RENEWAL of my mind to this new found concept of abiding in the Love of Christ. I will have a RENEWED perspective, A RENEWED frame of mind and a RENEWED definition of a successful life. I cannot wait to see where this years journey takes me!