A word....

I should be sleeping, but through another tear filled prayer time with God He has said type. It's almost midnight. I asked Him to let this wait until tomorrow(my flesh was ready for bed), but my heart knew the computer had to be turned on again. This new season has brought about a time of obedience. God knew I was hungry, desperate for Him when this season was about to bloom. He knew what was on the inside, what the enemy was fighting to keep from focus, and the anointing that He had sown so very long ago. God knew.....my part was to walk it out and be faithful. I've learned not to question, I've learned not to ask Him twice. God covers where He calls, our part is just to step in obedience. I wrote this word below in my prayer journal. I was ready to call it a night, because there was not a specific person attached to this word...but I can't help thinking/feeling it is for more than one person or God would have given a name with it.

"There is a hurt turning into a mountain. God says either climb over it or ask Him to move it, but regardless quit staring at it."

Father, I pray that even now Your Spirit is revealing truth and peeling back layers. Chains are starting to shake, blinders are coming off, and cups are being turned over ready to be filled by you. In Jesus Name...

Tuesday Truths vol. 8

Tuesday Truths this week are from 2 Corinthians. I've been here for a week in my quiet time. Here are some of His revelations. 

2 Corinthians 10:4-6

 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 6 And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.

Read verse 4 and let it sink in Child of God. You have the power within you to fight and demolish strongholds. Get that demolish, in other words they are no more! 

v. 5: Chain the thoughts up, don't let them chain you up.: You do not have to think everything that comes into your mind. You have the power to hit the delete button and then let God empty the recycle bin. You have the power to line up your thoughts with truth and to let the truth be louder than the thoughts the enemy is throwing at you. Use it! 

v. 6: What is God asking you to do that will unlock what you have asked Him to do? : What have you prayed about, asked God for, and are still waiting on an answer? What is God waiting on you to do so that He can do what you have asked Him to do? He will do His part, but we also have to be willing and obedient to our part. He has opened the door, but you'll never realize it if you don't take a step and walk through it. 

More of Him

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13) 

More of Him, Less of Me, Desperate, Hungry, Seeking....those are all words that could be used to describe a heart seeking for more. Maybe a couple of them are something you may even identify with. God is looking for a people, for His children who want more of Him. Those that are tired of the traditional and ready for the presence. Those that are tired of the busy and ready for the battle. Those that are tired of the words and ready for the actions. Those that are tired of the empty and ready for the full. God is looking to and is already, pouring out more of Himself to those with open hearts, open hands, and open minds. Those willing to say God it's not about me, it's all about you. Those that are willing to say just take it God and truly surrender your everything (even the way you feel about yourself!)


10 years ago, I remember telling a friend I wanted what she had. I had seen what more of God looked like, what the abundant life looked like up close. I saw what it was like to praise Him through a fire, not just on the other side, but during. Hear my heart, God and I had been on a journey together well since I was born, but we had been learning what this relationship thing was all about since I was 9. Tradition can satisfy for awhile, but just like physically eating, you can't keep eating the same thing over and over. Eventually your tastes change, your hunger changes, and what satisfies you changes. The desire for more is planted within us when we enter into this covenant relationship with God. He patiently waits as the seeds take root and the flower begins to bloom. He waits as we try to take care of the flower on our own, but eventually He knows the ground will become dry and nothing we can do on our own will water it. He knows that we will eventually become so desperate that we pray for rain. Rain that doesn't just sprinkle, but a gully washer as we call it in the south, that permeates to the very core of the root. A rain that doesn't just wet for a time being, but a rain that fills the ground and satisfies. A rain that leads to a new season, a season of bloom. 

It was a journey of 10 years seeking for more, but God was faithful. He honors the desires of our heart, and when our hearts are seeking for more of Him...it makes Him smile. God puts pieces in place to bring about our hearts desires. Sometimes those pieces can make us uncomfortable, but the pieces always fit in the Maker's puzzle. Sometimes we have to get so uncomfortable that we become desperate, desperate enough to say God...do what you need to do. Sometimes we have to get so desperate that when says Are you ready yet..we scream back YES! For me that time finally came earlier this year. The journey had finally got to a point where I needed God to do something period. I just knew I couldn't keep doing the mountain the same way. I needed up and over, through it, or it needed to move. Going around the same mountain was getting old and (dizzy). God brings about things in our life to pushes us to where He wants us to be. God wants all of you. He knows when you are going through the motions, when the cares of the life have become a burden for you instead of something you give to Him. He knows when you have that face plastered on at church and are just doing what you know is right, all the time praying..for God to move it or move you. God knows and more than that He knows you. He knows how long you can keep going through the motions before you become so desperate that you finally listen to what He is whispering. He knows when you are finally ready to burn the tradition box and let Him break those chains of the past hurts. He knows when you are ready to dig up the roots of bitterness, resentment, and anxiety. Yes child..He knows and He doesn't push you He knows you are strong enough and ready. 

I'm thankful He saw that I was ready. I'm thankful when He said "Are you Ready Now?" I screamed out yes. I'm thankful that He was patient as I took Him back to all of the places of past hurts, past bitterness, anxiety, insecurity, and fears. I'm thankful He took those roots and broke those chains of the past so I could run forward. I'm thankful that He took me to a mountain in the summer and started the waters stirring. I'm thankful that He kept the waters stirring even when I glued my feet to the floor, and kept talking through a sleepless night and a migraine to break the final chain of tradition off. I'm thankful that He spoke through the migraine on a drive home from Nashville, "Are you a Baptist or are You Mine?" (Goodbye tradition chain...). I'm thankful for a word from a Pastor friend this summer on "One word from God changes everything.." that started something inside of me I haven't gotten over yet. I'm thankful for an altar place of prayer that I have met God in for a month now and seen Him move in ways only He could. I'm thankful for an anointing that the enemy tried to convince me I didn't have, but God said it's been mine all along. I'm thankful for finally realizing and believing that for myself, so I could grab a hold of that anointing and start walking in the power God said was mine. I'm thankful for a God who has stood so close to my backside on this journey that every time I have wanted to turn around and run back to the comfortable, the familiar, the past...the wall I keep feeling like I have hit has been Him. I'm thankful for His promises and what He started He will finish. I'm thankful for a walk of obedience, a fire that I can't keep shut up in my bones, and an obedience walk that doesn't always make sense to me....but it's not mine to understand. I'm thankful to be covered by Him and to know that even when I feel like the day may be a mess...He's got a message to bring forth. 

God I pray right now for the ones reading this that may be going, well that's good for her....but I can't see how that could work for me. I pray that you speak life to their hearts right now. God move in their hearts, draw them to more of you...and whisper it to them until they hear it. God if they feel like they are on autopilot, going through the motions....show up and and show out for them this weekend. Throw some wood on the flames, stir the embers, and relit the fire the enemy has thrown cold water on in their hearts. The authority, the power, and the anointing is theirs for the taking...God give them the strength the reach out, believe it,and grab it for themselves. Break chains this weekend...in Jesus name

You Lose Devil

Pardon me..while I preach to myself for a few minutes on this blog....(If it's for you too, go ahead and shout, claim it, whatever you need to do...). This means war!

The enemy pulled out all of the stops today....from busyness, to physical pain, to discouragement thoughts, thoughts of isolation, overwhelming thoughts...you name it, he tried it today. Oh if he would only realize he loses. He lost the day I realized who I was in Christ. He lost the day I learned how to fight. See the enemy may have taken his best shot, and if I'm honest...he probably thought he had me down today. The thing that is different now, is I know how to go to battle. I know who I'm fighting and how to throw the seeds he would rather take root at the One who knows just where those need to be planted. The enemy wants you to feel like it's a battle you are fighting alone, oh but once you remember who is fighting for you and with you...boom! The enemy quickly gets put back under your feet so you can walk on and over him.

So you lose devil...God is bigger than the insecurity you tried to throw at me today. He's bigger than the sciatic pain, He's bigger than the overwhelming feelings that ended my day, and He's bigger than the I can't do this anymore thoughts you wanted me to keep thinking today. You lose pure and simple, actually you have already lost...you just need me to keep reminding you of that apparently. My God says I have the power to tread over serpents and scorpions (and that means you). My God says He finishes what He starts and He's brought me too far, for you to tempt me with going backwards. He's greater than anything you want to throw my way and He's got my back. So go back where you belong...and when we meet again cause we will, I'll remind you then again that My God has already defeated you and taken care of this battle you keep wanting to fight.


Oh sweet reader, I don't know what kind of week you have had, but God does. If the enemy has thrown things in your path, in your face, at your back, or all around you....remind him who is in charge. You are a joint heir with Christ, which means what He has, you have....You have the power inside of you to tell the enemy where to shove it. So start taking authority and putting the liar in his place. The enemy can't touch the blood, so start covering and start claiming. You sweet child are Precious in the sight of the Most High God and He thinks the world of you. Don't let the enemy or anyone else tell you what to think of yourself, that's God's job. Authority is yours....walk in it and shake loose of what the enemy is trying to bind you up with in Jesus name.

Thankful....(thoughts from this week)

I've seen God move mountains with just three words this week. I've seen Him pour out to the point that the bucket was overflowing. I've seen Him take the faith of several children and start a fire in the hearts of many. I've told God I knew I was working, but just couldn't feel Him at that moment, and not long after I not only felt Him moving..but felt Him shifting something in the atmosphere. I've felt God lining things up and putting pieces into view. I've seen God use three words to take a Child of His and spin her back around. I've heard Him speak words of confirmation(and a gentle reminder of something He had already told me). I've seen truth in His word, felt the anointing in my war spot, and prayed in faith and stood on it with the tears flowing and the language that God understood. God's pouring it out...Are you standing with arms open or hands full? Have you laid down the things that once seemed to entangle you, kept you tied up, and picked up God's instead? There is a strength and a power that comes from running the race. There is a strength and a power that comes from realizing and knowing that this anointing isn't just for the person next to you or the one on stage, but it's for you. Aaron preached tonight on "Taking Hold of It". For a minute with tears streaming down my face, God took me back to a time when He said "Are you going to take it yet?". See for a long time I knew that there was an anointing, but I had believed it for everyone but myself. I had known it was something others could have, I had looked at mine, maybe even walked by it, but I had never grabbed a hold of what He said was mine and believed it for myself. That is until He said to this time....and something finally clicked (and I haven't been the same since). There is a power that is unlocked when you grab a hold of what He's given you. It's like a present that you get on your birthday and never take it out of the box. It may be pretty to look at for a time, but how functional is it. What good is it doing you if you can't put it to use? There have been moments lately when I have known the enemy was pushing, I've done what I could to push back...but it was more than what I could do on my own. Three words shifted something in the spiritual realm, and God was on it. Sometimes all we have to say is "Jesus help me". It doesn't have to be some long drawn out prayer....honestly in the middle of a pressing/pushing moment...there is no time for that. He knows our hearts though, and a cry from a Child of His dispatches angels and God's full force. Oh why don't we tap into that power more instead of trying to push/press through things on our own.

It's been almost a month now since prayer became the theme for multiple messages that I would hear, all before War Room came out. Then I went and saw War Room (twice now) and let's just say God had the message loud and clear. I don't have a room that I can clear out right now for a War Room, but I have a War Spot. I have a spot where I have met with God over the last couple of weeks around the same time. I've seen God speak life during those moments, speak healing, speak truth. The tears have streamed more than once and the power that has been felt has been hard to describe. God's pouring it out on those seeking for more of Him God's honoring this Child's request made almost ten years ago for more of Him. His word says He honors the desires of our heart and that those that seek Him find Him. I'm thankful God doesn't give up. I'm thankful that even when I let life get in the way, He kept pursing and pressing. I'm thankful for a God that pushed through the normal and routine and brought in the extreme and anointed. I'm thankful for prayers that are no longer just words, but are moments of power spoken in faith and believing God's already gone before and started working it out. How many prayers would we see answered if our prayers were full of power and not just words? How many mountains would we see moved, if we truly believed in faith that God said we could tell them to move? Too often we listen to what the world says, and forget about what God says. If God said it, He meant it...take that truth and belt it around your waist. Let it be what holds you up when the enemy whispers the next time..you can't do this, they will think you are crazy. Hear me now....he wouldn't be whispering those lies, if what you could do through Christ didn't scare him. Walk with boldness forward...

I've seen Him move this week. I'm thankful for that. I'm thankful for seeing Him move daily, for feeling His presence daily, and I'm thankful for knowing that He is working even if doesn't look like it. These are all truths I don't take for granted because I know what it's like to not have them. I know what it's like to be running around being Martha so much that being Mary only happens every now and then. I know what it's like to believe things in prayer for everyone else, but forgetting to believe them for yourself. I know what it's like to have the anxiety be the cloud above your head that you just wish God would take away. I know what it's like to go through the motions of the saved life, all the while never taking a hold of the abundant life. Hear my heart for a minute...life can get in the way in many forms, some even good. Eventually life gets in the way so much that you look up one day and there is a gap there that you didn't even realize. There is a path that you seem to be walking that looks like you took a turn somewhere. Being a Child of God is more than just making it to Heaven. It's about living the life while on Earth that He planned for you to have. It's about tapping into the power He gave you as His child and using it. We are joint heirs with Him, that means everything He has is ours. Oh let that sink in.....

The fire can grow cold and you still be a Christian. I know, I've been there. I know what it's like to put that face on at church and everything be "fine" all the while your heart is in two and you are just need Jesus to send you someone with skin on to listen. (I prayed that many nights....many times because I only had a few I could get real with and they didn't live close by). God's not calling us to be perfect with each other, He's calling us to be real. He's calling us to take off the masks we have become comfortable with and show others who we are. Showing who we are, the weak spots and all, opens the door to showing the glory spots that God does when He shines through what you called your weak spots. It's in getting real, in letting God pull back the pages/layers of your heart that healing begins. Healing of everything the enemy has thrown at you, on you, and around you. God longs to light your fire again if you are feeling cold. He has a flame on the inside of you that He is longing to see burn again.....will you let Him?

This is a different kind of blog, I know....but it's what God laid on my heart. I'm still working on trying to fully put this journey into words. I don't have it all figured out, I have just finally surrendered the parts of me I had held on to for so long, to the One who does have it all figured out. I've typed most of the journey out and will share it soon when He says its time. Be blessed this week readers and step into what He created you for!

You are His....

I read this quote this morning and had myself a good shout. The whole page was full of truth and power. God knew I needed to read it this morning. So many times we look at the battle or circumstances and call it by name. When we name it, we focus on it and it becomes our priority. So instead of naming our circumstance or battle, let's name the power, the authority that He's already said is ours and let that be our focus and our priority. God didn't say the storm would cease on the outside, but He did say He heard us and we can rest on the inside.

This has been a week of pressing and pushing. Taking the road of comfortable and "easy", was a thought at a moment, but that thought was quickly dismissed. God reminded me of the Israelites and their "we want to be back in Egypt" mentality. They were headed to the promise land, led by a cloud of God's presence during the day and a fire at night, but still they thought it was easier back in the chains. Oh my let that sink in...that is a lie from the enemy. It may have felt easier in the chains, but it wasn't peaceful, it wasn't freedom. How many times do we let the enemy taunt us with that same thought? There is a cloud of protection and presence during the day and a fire that can't be put into words at night, that's what it looks like when the chains are gone and you are headed to the promised land. When the enemy reminds you of how easy it felt in the chains, remind him of your promise and that fact that it's something he can't have.

The enemy is looking to unplug Christians from their power source. If he can keep you busy, you will eventually feel drained. If he can get you focused on what isn't going well, you will eventually feel discouraged. If he can get you speaking words of fear, you will eventually start believing them. Life will take it's toll some days, but God gets that. The choice then comes, try to do it all on your own, or plug into the power source. Burdens that are meant for Him will always be too heavy for you to carry. Burdens that are meant for you (Intercession, encouragement etc.) are made for His strength to help you carry. Know the difference in the two and only pick up what He hands you...not what the enemy does.

If I could open up speak to you in person today, I'd remind you that YOU are His. You are not the insecurity that plagued you this week. You are not the words that someone else spoke about you or to you this week. You are not the feelings that seem to weigh you down this week. You are not the list that didn't get completed or even the moment that didn't go right. You are His. He made you in His image and nothing about you surprises Him. He understands the way you feel, the way you love, the way you heal, and the way you move...all because He made you that way. Quit apologizing, feeling guilty for, and letting the enemy condemn you for being you. Your journey was planned out before you were even born, and He has every step in view. The puzzle pieces make sense to Him, so just let Him put them into place. You may look into the mirror and see weaknesses, but look closely. Do you see it? The One who created you is standing behind you covering you, where you see holes and weaknesses He has filled them in with Him. He doesn't see you as imperfect, but perfect and beautiful in Him. Are you catching on yet? You are His....despite what the enemy has thrown your way, said in your ear, or even tried to make you think...as a Child of the Most High, YOU are His and there is a power and authority on the inside of you....tap into it, stir up the anointing and breathe child..He has you in His hands.

God thank you for loving us like you do. God thank you for speaking truth and reminding us that even on days when we may not feel like it, You are working on our behalf. Thank you for being You and for always hearing our hearts. Speak life into those that need it today and remind them that how much you love them. Still the storms in their hearts and renew their strength so they can keep pressing forward. In Jesus name....

Push back...

I've over the enemy. I'm tired of his mess, I'm tired of his lies, and I'm tired of his tricks. I'm tired of the way he throws the darts and pushes the buttons that he knows bother me. In short, I'm tired of him and I'm pushing back. The last couple of days, if he could throw it at me he has. Overwhelming thoughts, frustration, insecurity, doubt, discouragement, anxiety, moments of panic and isolation, the blahs, and exhaustion just to name a few have all been thrown my way this week. He can throw it all he wants, but he is defeated in the name of Jesus. He's done his best this week through unexpected sources with some of the darts, but he is defeated in the name of Jesus. God's already won the battle against him, he's just trying to ignore the scoreboard.

God started writing this blog last night and throughout the day today. A pastor friend in July shared in her sermon about pushing back when we resist the enemy. So many times we take what the enemy throws our way until it's a heavier than we can honestly carry without sitting down. The enemy doesn't want us to fight back, he doesn't want us to know that we can. I was an adult before I knew that I could push back at the enemy, before I could fight and put the enemy under my feet. I had always  heard and read the verse about Satan being under our feet, but didn't know how to fight back. Fighting back, knowing how to walk in spiritual warfare and how to stay focused is a must in this world. The enemy is on the prowl looking for your joy, your happiness, your encouragement, your purpose, and your word. There is a word on the inside of you that makes him nervous, thus if he can take it away from you he will. Better yet, if he can distract you from that purpose, that word he will. So what do you do as a Child of God when the enemy starts pushing, you push back. For me last night, during my prayer time I started rebuking and kicking the enemy out of and away anything I could think of, some of it I didn't even realize he had tried to creep in. See that's what he does, he slips in through ways we don't recognize, because he distracts us.

So what do you do to push back, you praise, pray, and read His word. You get specific and tell the enemy where to go. You don't let him just in with a discouragement thought, a feeling of isolation, or those insecure thoughts. You push back and tell the enemy who is in charge of your life and who you are in Christ. The enemy wants to keep you focused on who he says you are, but God says you are His and that means you have what is His. You have His power, His strength, His provision, and His protection...walk in that and if it's tiring, stand in that. You have what God says you can have, not the enemy.

Hear my heart tonight, push back if the enemy's pushing you. God has so much more planned for your life, don't waste it being distracted by the enemy. The enemy wants you down, but God said get up in Jesus name. Tell that fear, that insecurity, that anxiety, that doubt, that discouragement, that spirit of oppression and frustration, where they have to go in Jesus name. Get the oil out, stir up the anointing that God has placed inside of you, and fight. God's leading the charge and He's already won the battle!

Tuesday Truths vol. 7

This week's truth is from Deuteronomy 30:6
The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.

I'm going to be honest. I've read this verse many times before, but this week when I started my new Bible Study book and it was at the end of one of the chapters, it hit me like a ton of bricks. For the last year or so, I know I have had said many times, even typed it a few, that I felt like God was peeling back the pages of my heart and revealing things one right after the other. Things I needed to deal with, things I needed to confess, things I need to do etc., some of these things were easy to swallow and some took days to process and confront. When I read this verse the tears started to fall, because I thought about all of those times when I wanted to fight the heart exposure and it brought me to this season. God has to pull back the layers and expose some of the pages of our heart, so we are ready to move when He says move. God has to pull back the pages, the layers so He can take out all of the mess you have stuffed in and make room for more of Him. 

This new season is incredible and I can look back now on all of those peeling back moments and say Thank You Jesus for knowing what was best for me, even if I had no clue. 

Be Blessed today readers! 

The bloom...

This was one of the mornings when I wish I could have gone and written the blog as soon as God started writing it. My drive to work is only about 12 minutes, but the power He poured out this morning was not short at all.

God knows our heart and He knows our thoughts. Thoughts we never thought we said, He knows. At one point over the last couple of days, I asked Him about the journey and mentioned how fast paced it had gone. I truly have felt like I was in boot camp almost at the start of this journey. (Side note: I have to laugh for a moment when I asked Him about the timing..He's been waiting on me to quit circling the mountain for years). He replied with He knew the season. God must have read my face at that moment, because He went a little further. God knew that I had some things within me that had taken root. Mind you it wasn't anything bad, but it wasn't productive or healthy either. God knew it was almost time for the seeds that had been sown, been planted in me over ten years ago to start to bloom. God's timing is always perfect. He knew what was going to bloom and what He needed to bloom. So He had to get the roots out and in His hands, hence boot camp style healing. I asked Him how did He know I could handle it, and He replied with The gardener knows the bloom. He knew what had been planted and He knew what the roots needed to support the bloom needed to be. God knew what I could handle (even though during the process I wasn't so sure). I look back now and I wouldn't trade the moments for anything.


I don't know where you are right now, but God does. You may feel like you are in a fire or the middle of boot camp as I called mine, but He has a plan. He didn't start the process just to leave you midway. He knows the seeds that are inside of you, the dream that is still to come to fruition, the ministry that has yet to come, and the word inside of you that has to be shared. He also knows the roots that may have entered into your life. Trees need roots that provide stability and a foundation. He longs to pull the roots that life has gotten in and replace them with His roots. He seeks to bring joy where there is pain, faith where there is fear, peace where there is anxiety, and healing where there is sickness. God's call is with a promise and He always starts what He finishes. Quit circling the mountain and letting an 11 day journey take you years. It may be close to your season to bloom.

God I pray right now for everyone reading this. I pray that you would whisper to them right where they are right now in whatever season they are traveling through. Thank you Lord for your peace that you are giving right now to those that have been full of anxious thoughts and feelings of insecurity. God thank you always finish what you start. Thank you that you are moving and shifting things even now because blooming season is coming for some. In Jesus Name Amen......

My heart for a moment...

This was a blog I knew I had to write, but I didn't want to write anytime soon. Well in the middle of service this morning, God was pretty clear and said it's time. It's time to tell more of where I've brought you from so that others will know. The only thing that keeps me typing this other than He said to, is the hope that someone else will see a part of it and see themselves. God is pouring out even now on His children.

The mountain is real, the mountain is large, and the mountain is huge. God doesn't always move the mountain. Sometimes He lets you circle it around, around, and around again until you at some point get desperate enough to go God help. So many times we pray and ask God to move, but we don't take a minute to sit and listen. We get so busy doing things for God that we forget to sit down and spend some time with Him. We are so focused on what others are telling us to do and who others have told us to be, that we neglect who He has called us to be. We have allowed well meaning people to put the locks on chains that the enemy handed us or to put a box around us. I'm done with that. I'm done with the chains that kept me trying to play a role that someone else dictated. We are too quick in the church to put labels on people before we get to know their hearts. We are took quick to say oh you are such and such you can do this, or you are such and such you can do that. God came to set us free, but before you can realize freedom is in your reach you have to get rid of the chains that are still holding you back. So many times we think of chains as addictions, as past mistakes, and "sins" as we so lovingly like to call them. Oh my...that's why so many are still in chains. Anything that the enemy can use to keep you from being who God has called you to be is a chain, Stay with me for a minute....so many times we don't pay attention to some of the chains from past hurts that led to bitterness or fear. Those are the chains that keep us from walking forward into our God given destiny. At some point we can only go so far, before we feel those chains. You can still be a Christian living for Him and have chains around your ankles. (See my earlier post on the saved life vs. the abundant life).

For too long we have plucked the blooms of bitterness, resentment, hurt, fear, anxiety etc. and laid them at His feet. That works for a time, but blooms grow back. Freedom comes when we get to the root of that hurt, tell God how we felt during the moment (He already knows anyway), and then we give that hurt to Him. When the hurt is in His hands, the enemy can't use it against you. As long as you are still proudly wearing it as a scar of what something or someone did to you the enemy has control on it. Oh but listen, a hurt, a disappointment put in the hands of the Master can unlock a chain that NO ONE can lock back. So if you have walked forward and all of a sudden feel stuck, ask God to reveal if you have any chains holding you back. I know I personally thought I had dealt with everything, but what I had done was pick the blooms and I still needed to dig up the roots. You can't stuff down feelings and emotions and not expect a root of something to grow. God understands how you feel, let Him handle what blooms from it.

For me I knew there was an anointing, a calling on my life for at least the last five years. The bus wreck taught me that, although it took me five years to see it. It took me five years after that day to finally be able to grab a hold of the anointing and calling that I knew He had for me. Why did it take so long? I had to deal with some other stuff first. I had to deal with the anxiety, the fear, and the borderline depression at times that I had stuffed down over the years. One too many pity parties and comparing yourself with someone else can lead to some roots that you don't want in your life. I had to finally come to terms with who He had made me to be and know that was the only person I had to live up to. I also had a chain of tradition that had to be broken off. I had been raised to where women didn't do much but plan fellowships and take care of the kids. Single women really didn't do a whole lot because most of the ministries were for couples. God has equipped every child of His with a work to do. The season you are in is not a surprise to Him, your obedience though will determine how well you enjoy that season. God didn't make you to fit in a box, quit letting other people put you in it. When we let God work in our everyday life and not just in certain portions, there is a freedom unlocked that creates the peace that passes all understanding. God didn't give you the gift of a prayer language for you to only use it around certain people. (That's a blog for another day). I was walking in the abundant life with one area of my life and dragging the chains around the other. I had listened to the voice of tradition way too long. Thank you Jesus for healing and chains broken.... Now when the people pleasing voice of the enemy starts telling me what I can and cannot do, I remind him who has already won and that he is defeated in the name of Jesus.

Healing happens when we let God take off the band-aid and apply His medicine. When you get to the point in your walk with Him, where you are desperate enough, hungry enough you find Him or He finds you. You may feel like your feet are glued to the floor, and they probably are in your mind, but God is working from the soles of your feet to to the top of your head. God is moving and turning things around, if you will just simply let go. He never meant for the chains of the past, the fear and anxiety to keep you in bondage, He died for you to have an abundant life. Shake loose and walk in it today! Hear my heart when I say, there is freedom in the release. There is a fire that He will pour into you that you can't help but share it with other people. I've felt like Jeremiah the last two months, it's a fire shut up in my bones if I don't tell it. (Thankful for the blog to be able to tell it). Different kind of blog today, but I pray you heard my heart...

Smack there's a wall.......

What do you do when the tank is empty, the give is give out, and the sponge is dry? What do you do when you stop and feel an ouch....yep, there's a wall right there. What do you do? Do you just sit and stay put in the pity party? Do you fight the feeling of blah and bleh? Do you worry and fret about what you can't change? Do you remember where the real battle lies and who the real enemy is? The battle isn't going to end just because you feel overwhelmed or because you keep fighting. The times we live in are an indicator that the battle is here to stay. So what do you do when you hit the wall? It's going to happen to all of us at some point. For me, my wall came this afternoon. My give out is gave out, my sponge is drier than dry, and my tank was on empty by 9:00 this morning. I've noticed that when hit the wall, it's almost a given that the discouragement, self-pity, and doubt start to set in. The enemy knows how to wear a saint out, God told us that in His word. So again the question is What do you do? 

Well meaning friends will tell you the traditional things to say, "don't let this bother you", "God's got this", "He said you can do it", "it will all be okay, etc. " I've found myself saying these to other people at times myself, Lord forgive me for that. We run to them sometimes, because know we need to speak positive and because let's be honest....we've grown up this way. We say God's got it, but have we asked Him? Stay with me for a minute....

I believe Jesus may have felt overwhelmed at times. The needs of the people, the wants of the masses, at times they had to take a toll on Him. He needed rest and times by Himself. He needed time to just get away, to talk to His Father. He needed time to let the One who knew Him the best fill Him back up. Jesus knew that He had to be about His Father's business. In other words, He needed to stay focused on the mission God had called Him to do. He couldn't taken on anything else or deal with anything else but doing what God had called Him to do at that time. His human side wanted to do it all, but His God side knew He had a purpose. His human side felt, but His God side knew. 

So smack there's a wall....what do you do? That would be the question I asked Him this afternoon. I knew the wall was there, I knew there was a choice to be made. I also knew that my give out was tired, and I was feeling drained. (Oh that lying enemy loves that moment). On the other side of the wall was the next part of the journey with God, but I had to get over the wall first. I thought about coming home and going to my "war spot", but it just didn't feel right yet. I thought about coming home and just going to sleep, but that wasn't it either. With every God truth that started being spoke in my Spirit, I knew God was fighting the battle. I had to get still which meant I had to get quiet. I have learned over the last couple of months, for every battle there is a word. The enemy fights when he is scared of the word, deed, love that is about to come out of you. The enemy fights when you know your purpose and what God has called you to do. 

With the stillness came the word ask, God knew I was at the wall, it wasn't a surprise to Him. He also knew that I had a choice to make. He wasn't going to just move this particular wall or give me the boost over without the word. So many times we find ourselves at the wall, but instead of Him for help over, we sit and dig in and pray for God to move the wall. God's waiting to give us the boost we need to go up and over the wall, but He wants us to ask Him. Quit staring at the wall and start asking Him for help over it. The wall isn't a surprise to God and probably not to you(I know I could see mine coming). God has been pouring out more than I could imagine over the last couple of weeks. (That blog is coming soon..) The battle has been raging and the wall is all a part of the plan. The enemy wants to let it distract you, but with God's help you can scale that wall. (Psalms 18:29). Don't decorate the wall and and make it personal, God wants you up and over He has more for you to do. 

God I speak life over the readers right now. For those that have found themselves smack against a wall today, I pray they see your hand outstretched. You are longing to not only give them a hand, but a boost over the wall and onto the next part of the journey. God nudge them, whisper to them, let them know what you have prepared on the other side. What the enemy meant for evil, You are working for their good. God I pray that You fill them with your peace and truth right now, give rest to the weary and reveal the good. In the Name of Jesus...Amen 

The Waters are stirring...

The man lay by the pool of Bethesda waiting on the waters to stir. The man was waiting on his healing, he was waiting on the waters to stir so he could be restored. He could have laid there forever waiting on someone to help him get to the pool, that is until Jesus passed by. He made excuses as to why he would couldn't move to get there. Let that sink in...He made excuses to Jesus as to why he couldn't move. Oh my how many times do we make excuses because we can't (or won't) move when He asks us to. The man was content to just sit there and wait on someone. Are you content to just sit there and wait on someone else to get you to the water? How close are you to your water, but you just can't seem to get to the water in time? Do you think the man was staring at the water to see when it started stirring or was he waiting on someone else to tell him when to jump in? 

The waters are stirring right now. We are living in a Joel 2:28 season where God is pouring out His Spirit in abundance to those that are seeking and are hungering after Him. He's pouring it out already. It's not a time that's coming, it's here. Are you sitting by the pool waiting on a pastor or leader to lead you to the water for your healing or miracle? Are you making excuses to Jesus when He asks why you are still sitting there? The waters are stirring....don't just wade in, jump in. He longs to not just fill you up, but to have you overflowing and ready to pour out to others. He longs for a people who will not just wait on someone to lead them to the water, but will take a step and move on their own. Get moving....the power is yours for the taking. Are you going to grab it or wait for someone to hand it to you? Tradition won't get you to the waters, Religion won't get you to the waters, but a desperate, a longing for more of Him will get you there. He longs to restore to you what the enemy has taken from you. He longs to heal your heart and to bring you back to Him. He longs for you to love Him as much as you love the other things you seek after. He longs for you.

The waters are stirring, boldness, obedience, and a fire that cannot be quenched is yours for the grabbing. Ask Him for it today....and then when He says jump in...do it. 

The war has already started, God's leading the charge. Armor up, solider. 

Tuesday Truths volume 6

Tuesday truths this week are taken from Exodus 33. This passage of scripture has become one of my favorites. I actually read it for the first time after the bus wreck five years ago. Verse 22 became a picture for me of that day. God had us in the cleft of His rock that day and covered by His hand for sure. Verse 17 has become a life verse and one that I have stood on when the enemy comes in with his lies. Now understand sometimes I have to deal with the question of Are you pleased with me Lord? (So thankful for a friend who spoke that word a few weeks ago), but once we know that it leads to the first part. The last part is something that never changes on God's part. How many times though do we call ourselves by something other than what He calls us? Verse 16 asks a question that we all need to ask ourselves. The only thing that will make us stand out(and remember we are called to be separate from this world) is His presence going with us. 

12 Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ 13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”

14 The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

15 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. 16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”

17 And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”

18 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”

19 And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”

21 Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. 22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”

The saved life vs. the abundant life

I've been sitting on this blog for weeks. Not because I didn't want to write it, but because God wasn't finished writing it. This has been my journey over the last couple of months in a nutshell. I've spent years of my life in the saved life portion. I've had moments of the abundant life throughout the saved life, but could never get that part to stay put. Stay with me for a minute....the saved life happens when a person accepts God's gift of salvation. The abundant life happens when you finally get it. You understand the power that is within you and you tap into it. Too many know that they have a power on the inside, but busyness gets in the way. They know the power exists, but they don't tap into it for fear of what someone else will think. Sadly there is also a group of Christians that know the power exists, but have no idea how to tap into it. It's not always taught in churches or preached from pulpits. That's why there are many Christians today still struggling with the same thing they have given to God over and over and over again. They know how to leave it at the altar on Sunday, but have no idea how to resist or rebuke the enemy when he throws it back at them on Monday. Saved life vs. Abundant Life.....

One tells you that you are going to heaven and the other helps you live with peace on this side of heaven. The enemy is on the prowl....he's perfectly content with a saved Christian, but it's when that Christian finds their way to a prayer closet, to the word on a daily basis, and when they grasp a hold of their purpose and anointing...he gets scared. I'm okay with that....(and God about shouted I'm sure and said Finally). See a couple of weeks ago...three days into my altar time with Him. Three days into having my place where I met with Him(not just in the car etc.), but a regular place....God whispered are you ready? Well let's get real for a minute. That could be a scary whisper...but fear didn't answer that night faith did with a yes. That was the night I grabbed a hold of the anointing for myself. I knew it was there, but I had to believe it for myself. More on that in another blog....I was raised that the anointing was for a few. I was raised where we didn't really use the word anointing for fear it might scare someone. I know several who are still scared to speak that word now, but I've come too far for you to tell me it's not real. I've come too far for you to tell me it's for a certain group of people or even a certain gender. The anointing is what breaks chains, changes lives, and keeps you from running backwards when the fire feels too hot.

The saved life is the start to the journey, but oh my hear my heart when I say don't let that be the end of the journey. The abundant life is how you survive the walk. It's how you push through those moments when your world seems to be crashing, but you know God's still holding it all together. It's how you can walk forward and be who He has called you to be, even though it may not make sense to anyone around you.

My tired is tired

25And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time  (Daniel 7:25, KJV)

This week has worn me out physically. I could sleep all weekend and I'm not sure I would "feel" caught up. It has been a long week, and I am thankful for a long weekend. These kinds of feelings before would have made me think of having a pity party blog, but God keeps whispering things in the natural reflect things in the spiritual. So I was like God how so? To me I don't "feel" tired spiritually...actually the opposite. The fire I have right now is what keeps me going most days. There is some how a peace knowing He's taking are of things even when it may not "feel" like it.

I started this on Thursday and had to go plug my laptop in to charge before I could finish. God woke me up and said it's time to finish it this morning. I'm still tired, but my focus has changed.  I'm tired of the enemy taking my energy. I'm tired of the enemy attempting to take my joy, my peace, and my confidence. I'm tired of the distractions from the enemy being so loud. At some point, that liar will realize that I know how to fight. Things that used to bother me, lead me to praying more. Things that used to make me hesitant, now make me run to His throne. My prayer time has increased and the line for battle has been drawn. I was preparing for war before seeing the movie War Room, but after the movie...lets just say the war cry is loud and clear.

It's time to go to battle for those that we love, those that we like, and even those we haven't even met. It's time for those that have heard the call to answer it and to walk out that calling. I am notorious for leaving my cell phone on silent. I have way too many things that ding or "notify" me of updates or messages that I typically just leave it on silent. I've also learned to ignore the light, but I digress. God started using my phone as a visual this week. Unless I'm looking straight at the phone, I may miss a call if it's on silent. Is your God phone on silent? Are you looking at it expecting, anticipating an answer to the prayer, the request you have made? or Are you just going about your business and if you miss it you miss it, you can always "call" back later? Oh reader don't miss the call. Turn the volume up if you need to, but be expecting when you ask Him in prayer. Be waiting when you ask Him believing He is going to do it. Ask, Believe, Expect.....the answer is coming.

The distractions have been plentiful this week. It would take multiple blogs to go through them all in detail, but let's just say the enemy has been on the move. Prayer is the only way church that we can stay steps ahead of his schemes. Spiritual warfare is real and the enemy knows who believes that and who doesn't. Find a prayer closet/spot and use it...it's not about these quick little prayers of blessing the food right now that are going to hit the enemy where it hurts. It's the prayers of God to move that mountain that is in someone's way, the prayer of pleading the blood over a house hold, the prayer of asking the angels to surround a place,...it's those prayers that are leading the army into battle. The distractions will always be there, but my time with God tells me that those distractions are a compliment. The enemy is pulling out the darts to keep you from that word God is bringing forth. If the enemy can keep you distracted with whatever else is going on in your world, then you may miss the call for that answer you are waiting to hear. Distractions have been everywhere and from places I must admit I didn't see coming. God did though....discernment has been priceless this week in knowing what was a distraction and what was not.

Tired is possible in every sense, physically, mentally, emotionally, and even spiritually. Things in the natural really do reflect things in the spiritual. Tired is something He can use if you let Him. He provides rest for the weary, strength for the journey, joy despite the tears, and a renewed calling each day. Check your feelings when you do become tired. Don't let the enemy get a foot hold in, but instead claim that strength and promise that says you can soar on wings like eagles, the promise that says you may be struck down, but not destroyed, and the promise that reminds you the One who called you is faithful and He will do it.

Tuesday Truths vol. 5

Truths this week are from 1 Corinthians 2

3I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.

God equips the called, He doesn't call the equip. I've heard that saying for years and God brought it to mind again while reading this passage. So many times that "thing" we feel we just couldn't do is the very thing God had planned for us to do all along. I've learned the hard way, don't ever tell God you aren't going to do something and definitely do not pray for it ;-) 

14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. 15 The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments,

I had to read this passage twice. The second time around I was like Thank you Lord for revelation...I dated this verse. For the last couple of months, I have had a difficult explaining what God had been doing in this journey with Him. I actually wrote out..."That's why it's hard to explain it to someone else!". I've often wondered if someone thought I was crazy when I tried to describe what God was doing in my life. I'm so thankful for friends who have walked the same journey, were there in the moment, and know I'm not crazy, just Spirit filled. So many times the things God reveals to us, the places He takes us, the time spent in His presence....unless that other person was there with us or has experienced it before...words do not always convey the moment. Discernment is a precious priceless gift for children of the Most High. Use it wisely, carry it with care, and know that He gave it to you for a reason.