There are a couple of blogs on the inside of me right now, so I will try to stay focused ;-)
How much do you want it? You know what your it is, you have probably even asked God for it a time or two. Now think about it....are you willing to pay the cost, the price of what it takes for that "it"? So many times we ask God for something, yet we aren't willing to do our part to make it happen. I remember several years ago telling a friend I wanted what she had. I wanted that deeper walk I saw in her. I wanted that next level. Well....fast forward ten years and hind sight really is 20/20. As Christians we start on that relationship journey with God when we ask Him in our lives, but where do we go from there. Choice comes in at that point....are you going to stand still for awhile and enjoy the milk or are you going to start walking forward knowing that despite the mountains ahead, you are only going to get stronger? Oh if I could somehow convey with you how much the journey is worth it despite wanting to give up more than once.
Healing is not always an instant process. Sometimes God wants to take us through the process in order to grow us to be more like Him. Chains of the past cannot come off until you admit that they are there. So many times we walk forward for so long, but eventually the chain runs out. We ask God to take the chains off, we even sing about breaking them, but how much do want them off? Chains off aren't always comfortable. Chains off mean you are not simply out of the boat, but you are taking a step or two on the water towards Him. I remember telling a friend just a few months ago that I was ready to have the healing they had with a situation. Healing from a past situation means giving God the feelings you have about that time and knowing He will do with them what's best. We want to hold on to so many of our feelings and thoughts about a particular time when what we don't see is that it's keeping us chained. Just as the word says our thoughts are not His thoughts, neither are our feelings His feelings. If you want healing over a time, you have to trade your feelings for His feelings.
In a way this is the follow up to the blog before about tapping into the power. How much do you want it? God promised abundant life and joy. He never said it would be easy, never even promised that we may not have pain or tears, but He did promise to be faithful. God knows your heart and where He wants to take you on this journey called life. Are you focused on how you feel about it or what He says about it? Trust me....the freedom that comes with finally letting it all go(and by all I mean all...feelings, thoughts, pain etc.) is priceless. There is a peace and a power that is hard to explain (blog for another day).
More to come soon, He's writing a few more even now ;-)
Monday, June 29, 2015
Friday, June 26, 2015
Tap into the Power
I've been at a dry spot for the last couple of months. I have an idea of how I got there, but that's between me and God. It may be a blog later, but for now it's still between me and Him. I've been on a journey towards freedom and been leaving everything He has revealed at His feet. Exhausted from going back to past hurts, past disappointments, and past failures is not an easy task. He knew it would be tough, but He also knew how amazing the other side would be. He's been revealing things intensely over the last couple of weeks. I thought I had taken care of everything, until He revealed yet another last night. Oh the discussion He and I had on that one. The ending result.....He gets it. He has control and in the end the glory is His alone. In the end, I am responsible for what He has told me, called me to do, and made me to be. That is a deep truth if you let it sink in.....on to a new post ;-)
There is a power inside each and every child of God. Don't believe me, check the scriptures. We have the same power that raised Lazarus from the dead, that same power lives within us...yet some will never tap into it. Could it be fear? Could it be complacency? I don't know, that's up for each individual to answer. Could it be that we have spent so much of our lives listening to what others told us to do, who to be, that we forgot to look at what God said and who God told us to be? It's time for the royal priesthood to take a stand. As a child of the Most High, we are all called. Called to minister to others, called to speak His truths, called to tell others about Him, and called to stand up for His truths. It's time we walk that calling out. It's time we quit relying on someone else to do it for us and we start doing what's right period. Fear has kept the church silent for too long. Fear has kept Christians relying on the paid staff members to do all of the ministry work. We all have a calling, listen and let Him tell you where yours is and then live it out. It may be a calling of hospitality and service, a calling for children's ministry, a calling of prayer and encouragement....whatever He tells you and leads you , He will sustain you. Sustaining means keeping...He will keep you when others want to discourage you, He will encourage. He will remind you with whispers of peace, when the enemy tries to sow fear. Your steps will be His steps, your thoughts His thoughts.....it's a sweet place(but hear me when I say...it makes the enemy MAD!). When you find your sweet spot, be prepared for the enemy to come at you with your weaknesses (Discouragement, fear, doubt....). Just remember who is stronger than your weaknesses and who has already won the battle! You are stronger than your weaknesses, not because of who you are, but because of who He is inside of you! He has already won the battle for you, the end of the story has already been written, Keep that in mind sweet child when it feels like the storm is getting the better of you.
#Truth
I've tried to write multiple blogs over the past couple of weeks and nothing seems to flow out right. There are so many words in my heart, but it must not be time to share just yet. The layers are still being pulled back. Roots I thought I had dug up, I still have to dig up. Doors I have wanted open, I have to walk away from. Things I thought I had surrendered, I had stuffed. How many times do we sing "I surrender All" as an invitation song without thinking about what we are singing? How many times do we ask Him to show us if there is anything? and then listen when He shows and take action on it. We keep asking for Him to open doors, but He keeps waiting on us to do what He's asked us to do. He has bigger things still to come, but He is waiting on us to be faithful with a few things first. Consistency, Discipline, and Focus....all are part of the journey to the promised land. The journey to the destiny and the calling that God has for each of us. Sometimes He waits for us to get to the point that we are so desperate for answers and for that season, that we obey without question. How much quicker could we get to the new season if we would just stay focused in the current season? Obedience steps are between you and Him....but when He shows them to you...the choice then is in your hands, follow to freedom, or continue to do it your way. One leads to stress, one leads to freedom. Freedom is looking in the mirror and finally seeing the confidence He gave you in the beginning. Freedom is looking in the mirror and finally seeing yourself how He looks at you. (I truly think we make Him sad when we stand in front of the mirror and fault find His creation). Does He want us to be healthy? Yes, but He doesn't want us to always look down on ourselves as we condemn ourselves for every pound. (Remember there is NO condemnation from Him)
God's been sowing words, verses that I needed to keep taking the next step. He's moving....choice is yours if you are going to be faithful where He has you or stay focused on the door you keep longing to be opened? Sometimes God's waiting on us to give up our I wish you would's for His today's. He's waiting on us to say whatever and wherever, and then follow with steps as He directs. We can stay still and keep debating what to do and how we want to get there or we can keep moving forward. There is no way I could put into words just yet every thing He is showing, but for now it must be just for me. There is a calling, there is a destiny out there that is mine for the taking. Faithful with where I am at right now will unlock faithful in the next season.
God is still on the throne, still in the miracle working business, and still speaking into lives each and every day. We limit the power we have as children of the Most High when we put God in a box. Be assured, His plans and purposes will always prevail. If you are not willing to do what He is asking you to do, He will find someone that will. Oh sweet reader if you only realized the power that is within you as a child of the Most High...a prince or a princess. Freedom to tap into that power is yours...the enemy wants you afraid of it, what others will think, do etc. Don't listen to that and move into what He is asking you to do. God's moving, choice is yours get in the flow or stand on the shore.
God's been sowing words, verses that I needed to keep taking the next step. He's moving....choice is yours if you are going to be faithful where He has you or stay focused on the door you keep longing to be opened? Sometimes God's waiting on us to give up our I wish you would's for His today's. He's waiting on us to say whatever and wherever, and then follow with steps as He directs. We can stay still and keep debating what to do and how we want to get there or we can keep moving forward. There is no way I could put into words just yet every thing He is showing, but for now it must be just for me. There is a calling, there is a destiny out there that is mine for the taking. Faithful with where I am at right now will unlock faithful in the next season.
God is still on the throne, still in the miracle working business, and still speaking into lives each and every day. We limit the power we have as children of the Most High when we put God in a box. Be assured, His plans and purposes will always prevail. If you are not willing to do what He is asking you to do, He will find someone that will. Oh sweet reader if you only realized the power that is within you as a child of the Most High...a prince or a princess. Freedom to tap into that power is yours...the enemy wants you afraid of it, what others will think, do etc. Don't listen to that and move into what He is asking you to do. God's moving, choice is yours get in the flow or stand on the shore.
Sunday, June 7, 2015
Dig it up...
Oh my He's been writing the last couple of weeks, but it has not gone without some stubbornness on my part. At a stand still would be an understatement, but nevertheless I press on....
This time of the year is always good for reflection and re-energizing....thinking about things that need to be changed, reworked, or just being grateful for what did go right. (Yes contrary to popular belief, most teachers spend a lot of their summers in planning mode....). There comes a point in our journey where we have to stop and take a breathe. We start out running, when we probably should have been walking....after awhile it starts to hurt. At this point we can do one of two things, keep pressing on despite the pain...or stop. Things happen and growth takes place either way, but one is at a faster pace than the other. So for the last few weeks I've been at that stop point....I now know I should have kept running despite the pain that made me want to stop, but feelings and flesh won out. Oh how many times when God is moving, does the enemy throw a distraction in our path that does just that distracts us. Distractions can be a lot of things....things we create, things we allow, things we feel, things we don't feel, ourselves. Ouch...that last one hurt when He spoke that one to me....let it sink in for a minute as well. We can become our worst distraction when we allow our feelings, our thoughts, our wants to cause us to lose sight of what He has planned(the ultimate goal). Let's get real for a moment...we will never feel "good enough", "pretty enough", "skinny enough", "smart enough", "strong enough", (Get the picture....). As Children of the Most High...we don't have to worry about being enough....because He is more than enough! (Again...let that sink in for a moment...)
So on to the title of this post...dig it up...
God's been speaking about freedom to my Spirit, my soul, to me for the last two months. He knows I'm visual, so during this stubborn at a stand still moment, He spoke in a pictures to my heart. Freedom comes when we truly let it all go. Sometimes we have to go back and deal with some of things of the past that we have drug into the present. Sometimes we have to deal with thoughts of the future that are keeping us distracted in the present....whatever it is, it's between you and Him. God told me you've been laying blooms at my feet long enough...So many times we pull it up thinking we got it all, lay it at His feet, and proceed to walk on in our journey. The freedom lasts for a season, but then when the next season comes there is a bloom again. See what was pulled up, didn't get the root. Until we dig up those things that we have let take root, we will never be free. Tiny seeds that we didn't immediately give to Him, can take root and grow. We usually don't realize it has taken root until it starts to bloom...and we feel/see the effect. The roots are different for everyone, but some examples could be (insecurity, doubt, fear, self-worth, bitterness, worry etc.) Spend some quality time with Him and let Him show you not only what roots you need to dig up, but where/how the seed took root.
Personally I've laid a lot at His feet and in His hands over the last couple of days. I've asked more questions than I could count, gave Him feelings I had forgotten about, and asked for forgiveness more times than I care to admit. The journey isn't easy, He didn't say it would be. Grace however makes each moment worth looking towards. Knowing that we don't have to see the next season to enjoy the one now is priceless. Knowing that sometimes being content to bloom where we are at is what He has asked us to do. Oh how focused we sometimes get on the next door, that we forget to enjoy the beauty of the hallway. As a child digging up flowers on the playground to lovingly give to the teacher(roots and all), God wants us to dig it up and give it to Him.
God answers when we least expect it. Sometimes I think He wants us to just trust that He will answer and be patient. Sometimes the answer isn't one your head can make sense of or even your heart...because it was a conversation that took place between your soul and the One who wrote your story.
Until next time,
~Melissa
This time of the year is always good for reflection and re-energizing....thinking about things that need to be changed, reworked, or just being grateful for what did go right. (Yes contrary to popular belief, most teachers spend a lot of their summers in planning mode....). There comes a point in our journey where we have to stop and take a breathe. We start out running, when we probably should have been walking....after awhile it starts to hurt. At this point we can do one of two things, keep pressing on despite the pain...or stop. Things happen and growth takes place either way, but one is at a faster pace than the other. So for the last few weeks I've been at that stop point....I now know I should have kept running despite the pain that made me want to stop, but feelings and flesh won out. Oh how many times when God is moving, does the enemy throw a distraction in our path that does just that distracts us. Distractions can be a lot of things....things we create, things we allow, things we feel, things we don't feel, ourselves. Ouch...that last one hurt when He spoke that one to me....let it sink in for a minute as well. We can become our worst distraction when we allow our feelings, our thoughts, our wants to cause us to lose sight of what He has planned(the ultimate goal). Let's get real for a moment...we will never feel "good enough", "pretty enough", "skinny enough", "smart enough", "strong enough", (Get the picture....). As Children of the Most High...we don't have to worry about being enough....because He is more than enough! (Again...let that sink in for a moment...)
So on to the title of this post...dig it up...
God's been speaking about freedom to my Spirit, my soul, to me for the last two months. He knows I'm visual, so during this stubborn at a stand still moment, He spoke in a pictures to my heart. Freedom comes when we truly let it all go. Sometimes we have to go back and deal with some of things of the past that we have drug into the present. Sometimes we have to deal with thoughts of the future that are keeping us distracted in the present....whatever it is, it's between you and Him. God told me you've been laying blooms at my feet long enough...So many times we pull it up thinking we got it all, lay it at His feet, and proceed to walk on in our journey. The freedom lasts for a season, but then when the next season comes there is a bloom again. See what was pulled up, didn't get the root. Until we dig up those things that we have let take root, we will never be free. Tiny seeds that we didn't immediately give to Him, can take root and grow. We usually don't realize it has taken root until it starts to bloom...and we feel/see the effect. The roots are different for everyone, but some examples could be (insecurity, doubt, fear, self-worth, bitterness, worry etc.) Spend some quality time with Him and let Him show you not only what roots you need to dig up, but where/how the seed took root.
Personally I've laid a lot at His feet and in His hands over the last couple of days. I've asked more questions than I could count, gave Him feelings I had forgotten about, and asked for forgiveness more times than I care to admit. The journey isn't easy, He didn't say it would be. Grace however makes each moment worth looking towards. Knowing that we don't have to see the next season to enjoy the one now is priceless. Knowing that sometimes being content to bloom where we are at is what He has asked us to do. Oh how focused we sometimes get on the next door, that we forget to enjoy the beauty of the hallway. As a child digging up flowers on the playground to lovingly give to the teacher(roots and all), God wants us to dig it up and give it to Him.
God answers when we least expect it. Sometimes I think He wants us to just trust that He will answer and be patient. Sometimes the answer isn't one your head can make sense of or even your heart...because it was a conversation that took place between your soul and the One who wrote your story.
Until next time,
~Melissa
Friday, May 29, 2015
Boxes
Frustrated, Stressed about something? Take inventory of whose plans you are following....
Boxes and Busyness are two of the enemy's best tactics. The enemy doesn't want you fruitful, so he does what he can to keep you busy. The enemy also doesn't want you to discover the calling God has on your life and the destiny that awaits you...hence the boxes. If he can keep you in a box, you will never know freedom and walking forward.
I'm determined to not just walk, but to run to that destiny. What's it gonna take? Well...that is the harder part....See the more I seem to think I've broken free of a few things, the more the enemy says...but oh have you really. It is so easy to get caught up in doing for others that it borders people pleasing. Take an inventory of why you do what you do...(God already has, so you may as well ask Him to show you). Are you so caught up in helping others walk out their calling that you are forgetting to walk out your own? Let that sink in......(It took awhile for me).
So many times we get so caught up in what others are doing that we lose sight of what He has called us to do. We measure ourselves against the standards of others, the opinions of others, and that shouldn't be. God says I've called you by name and I know you! Hello....He doesn't call you by what you can do, He has called you by name. If He had wanted you to operate in a box, He wouldn't have put the gifts He did inside of you. He loves you just the way you are because He designed you! Those things that make you tick, He planned for a purpose. That mouth that seems to get you in trouble at times, He gave you for a purpose. The heart you keep apologizing for being too big....oh child that's one of His favorites. The mirror He uses to see you is covered in grace.
At some point leave your plans in His hands and take a hold of the ones He made for you before you were born. The beauty of His is that they always work out for your good.
You know what God's called you to do. You know what He has told you. Don't assume that others do(because chances are He hasn't told them about you). Walk in His footsteps and you will lose sight of trying to walk in someone else's.
Mask off, Heart exposed moment: I'm tired of boxes. I'm tired of allowing well meaning people to put me in them because well just because. God was pretty plain this week that I'm the only one that can step out of it. Others only know their journey, not yours....don't fault them for that. On the other hand, don't allow them to dictate yours either. It's time to enjoy the journey, it's time to step out of the box and walk into the calling, the destiny God planned for you. This is a year I've told God I need some answers. I have asked for a neon sign (or two). This week I ask Him to make sure it was on as well. So many times we ask for the neon sign and don't realize we have turned it off and only we hold the cord.
Boxes and Busyness are two of the enemy's best tactics. The enemy doesn't want you fruitful, so he does what he can to keep you busy. The enemy also doesn't want you to discover the calling God has on your life and the destiny that awaits you...hence the boxes. If he can keep you in a box, you will never know freedom and walking forward.
I'm determined to not just walk, but to run to that destiny. What's it gonna take? Well...that is the harder part....See the more I seem to think I've broken free of a few things, the more the enemy says...but oh have you really. It is so easy to get caught up in doing for others that it borders people pleasing. Take an inventory of why you do what you do...(God already has, so you may as well ask Him to show you). Are you so caught up in helping others walk out their calling that you are forgetting to walk out your own? Let that sink in......(It took awhile for me).
So many times we get so caught up in what others are doing that we lose sight of what He has called us to do. We measure ourselves against the standards of others, the opinions of others, and that shouldn't be. God says I've called you by name and I know you! Hello....He doesn't call you by what you can do, He has called you by name. If He had wanted you to operate in a box, He wouldn't have put the gifts He did inside of you. He loves you just the way you are because He designed you! Those things that make you tick, He planned for a purpose. That mouth that seems to get you in trouble at times, He gave you for a purpose. The heart you keep apologizing for being too big....oh child that's one of His favorites. The mirror He uses to see you is covered in grace.
At some point leave your plans in His hands and take a hold of the ones He made for you before you were born. The beauty of His is that they always work out for your good.
You know what God's called you to do. You know what He has told you. Don't assume that others do(because chances are He hasn't told them about you). Walk in His footsteps and you will lose sight of trying to walk in someone else's.
Mask off, Heart exposed moment: I'm tired of boxes. I'm tired of allowing well meaning people to put me in them because well just because. God was pretty plain this week that I'm the only one that can step out of it. Others only know their journey, not yours....don't fault them for that. On the other hand, don't allow them to dictate yours either. It's time to enjoy the journey, it's time to step out of the box and walk into the calling, the destiny God planned for you. This is a year I've told God I need some answers. I have asked for a neon sign (or two). This week I ask Him to make sure it was on as well. So many times we ask for the neon sign and don't realize we have turned it off and only we hold the cord.
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
He gets me, mask off for a minute....
Alright let's face it....we all have strengths and weaknesses. We all have things we do well and things God does through us well. Someone once said a quote that if we didn't have cracks in our pots, the light couldn't shine through.
This journey has been a bumpy one the last couple of weeks. It seems the more we determine in our hearts to stay the course, the more the enemy tries to throw us off. Being busy this time of the year is unfortunately how things typically roll, it's hard not to be "busy". At the same time though that we find ourselves busy, we need to ask ourselves are we being fruitful at the same times? Are we planting seeds that will be reaped long after we have moved on from that season or are only taking care of what impacts the season now? Think about it....Personally it is still a struggle, but one I have at His feet.
Mask off for a minute....I'll be the first to admit this journey has been tough(then again freedom always has a cost). I'm getting closer to my sweet spot...the place where calling meets destiny. He's burning off, chipping away things that don't resemble Him. I've struggled with this people pleasing thing. I've tried to break free of it on my own, but let's face it, God is the only one that can truly break that chain. At some point when we finally reach the place where we have peace with ourselves, we can have peace with knowing everyone will never always be happy. The enemy will make sure that someone will always be in your path that will mess with that peace. The more I've walked with God, the more I have come to realize...the closer I get to Him, the more than enemy trembles. That though dear readers is a blog in itself. Worrying about what other people think and spending all of your time trying to make them happy, will only leave you stressed, discouraged, and disappointed (and the angels sang AMEN!). I'm horrible at this....and I asked God about it one day. He became clear with His answer, but it has taken me a long time to truly understand what He meant. I've struggled with insecurity my entire life. I've always weighed more than I should, never felt like I looked pretty enough, and was always second place to someone else's dream(hello too many days of being the last kid picked for the kickball team....). I now realize (and when I say now...I mean neon sign last 72 hours....), that insecurity that took root at a young age bloomed into the people pleasing adult. The insecurity from trying to be what other people needed(which we know will never be enough) is not where God wants us to reside. Security in Him, in who He made us to be is where we find true peace. As women I think we struggle with this more than men, but for some it takes more time to let it go and to truly leave it at His feet. Only when we find out where the root started, can we truly pull the weed up and leave it at His feet. So many times we leave the blooms at His feet without dealing with the root only to find it blooms again later.
Mask off minute two: anxiety.....I get stressed very quickly. I let things bother me that shouldn't and I let the stress build up to where it affects me physically. This lead to a migraine last week because I didn't listen to my body, thanks to that lovely timehop app I discovered I had a migraine same time last year. Nothing more than stress...different situations, but the root was still the same. I wanted to be in control. So many times we let the enemy hang the need for control close to our reach and as we keep reaching to try and get a hold of it, we end up falling flat on our face...or exhausting ourselves. Our lives our not our own, they haven't been since we were born. God gave them to us as a gift, and He expects the gift to be used (and not overused or abused...again another blog). Control of that gift is His...yes we get to choose, but He knows exactly the perfect match and fit(if we'll ask). He knows how the day is going to go, so let Him lead. Again...I've laid this bloom down at His feet so many times, but never dealt with the root. When did I feel like I needed to start grasping for control, well pretty sure the root started with a knock on the door December 20th 16 years ago. It didn't get any better with the bus wreck, but that was because I hadn't dealt with the root. God knows what our tomorrows hold. It may not fit our plans, it may make us "feel" stressed, but He already knew that would be our reaction as well. So trust that He knows you and leave Him to your feelings. God knows I over-react. He knows I worry at times, become anxious, and frustrated at myself more than I should. Sometimes I think those things that I keep apologizing for bring Him smiles. If we keep trying to patch up our weak spots, make excuses for them, and try to hide them...how is His light going to shine through? Quit fighting His plan and just leave it in His hands.
I would love to tell you I've found the freedom God promised me on this journey, but I'm still in the process of locating roots and pulling them up. It's coming though....and this Baptist girl is gonna have her a shout.
I don't know where you are on your journey, but He does. Have you dealt with the roots of the weeds or do you keep leaving the blooms at His feet? Walking forward to the place where your calling meets your destiny requires leaving the roots of the weeds(anxiety, insecurity, discouragement, doubt, and fear), requires leaving your past at His feet and running the race He has called you to run. You can't run with endurance when until you cast off the weight, so leave it at His feet today.
Be Blessed Readers,
~Melissa
This journey has been a bumpy one the last couple of weeks. It seems the more we determine in our hearts to stay the course, the more the enemy tries to throw us off. Being busy this time of the year is unfortunately how things typically roll, it's hard not to be "busy". At the same time though that we find ourselves busy, we need to ask ourselves are we being fruitful at the same times? Are we planting seeds that will be reaped long after we have moved on from that season or are only taking care of what impacts the season now? Think about it....Personally it is still a struggle, but one I have at His feet.
Mask off for a minute....I'll be the first to admit this journey has been tough(then again freedom always has a cost). I'm getting closer to my sweet spot...the place where calling meets destiny. He's burning off, chipping away things that don't resemble Him. I've struggled with this people pleasing thing. I've tried to break free of it on my own, but let's face it, God is the only one that can truly break that chain. At some point when we finally reach the place where we have peace with ourselves, we can have peace with knowing everyone will never always be happy. The enemy will make sure that someone will always be in your path that will mess with that peace. The more I've walked with God, the more I have come to realize...the closer I get to Him, the more than enemy trembles. That though dear readers is a blog in itself. Worrying about what other people think and spending all of your time trying to make them happy, will only leave you stressed, discouraged, and disappointed (and the angels sang AMEN!). I'm horrible at this....and I asked God about it one day. He became clear with His answer, but it has taken me a long time to truly understand what He meant. I've struggled with insecurity my entire life. I've always weighed more than I should, never felt like I looked pretty enough, and was always second place to someone else's dream(hello too many days of being the last kid picked for the kickball team....). I now realize (and when I say now...I mean neon sign last 72 hours....), that insecurity that took root at a young age bloomed into the people pleasing adult. The insecurity from trying to be what other people needed(which we know will never be enough) is not where God wants us to reside. Security in Him, in who He made us to be is where we find true peace. As women I think we struggle with this more than men, but for some it takes more time to let it go and to truly leave it at His feet. Only when we find out where the root started, can we truly pull the weed up and leave it at His feet. So many times we leave the blooms at His feet without dealing with the root only to find it blooms again later.
Mask off minute two: anxiety.....I get stressed very quickly. I let things bother me that shouldn't and I let the stress build up to where it affects me physically. This lead to a migraine last week because I didn't listen to my body, thanks to that lovely timehop app I discovered I had a migraine same time last year. Nothing more than stress...different situations, but the root was still the same. I wanted to be in control. So many times we let the enemy hang the need for control close to our reach and as we keep reaching to try and get a hold of it, we end up falling flat on our face...or exhausting ourselves. Our lives our not our own, they haven't been since we were born. God gave them to us as a gift, and He expects the gift to be used (and not overused or abused...again another blog). Control of that gift is His...yes we get to choose, but He knows exactly the perfect match and fit(if we'll ask). He knows how the day is going to go, so let Him lead. Again...I've laid this bloom down at His feet so many times, but never dealt with the root. When did I feel like I needed to start grasping for control, well pretty sure the root started with a knock on the door December 20th 16 years ago. It didn't get any better with the bus wreck, but that was because I hadn't dealt with the root. God knows what our tomorrows hold. It may not fit our plans, it may make us "feel" stressed, but He already knew that would be our reaction as well. So trust that He knows you and leave Him to your feelings. God knows I over-react. He knows I worry at times, become anxious, and frustrated at myself more than I should. Sometimes I think those things that I keep apologizing for bring Him smiles. If we keep trying to patch up our weak spots, make excuses for them, and try to hide them...how is His light going to shine through? Quit fighting His plan and just leave it in His hands.
I would love to tell you I've found the freedom God promised me on this journey, but I'm still in the process of locating roots and pulling them up. It's coming though....and this Baptist girl is gonna have her a shout.
I don't know where you are on your journey, but He does. Have you dealt with the roots of the weeds or do you keep leaving the blooms at His feet? Walking forward to the place where your calling meets your destiny requires leaving the roots of the weeds(anxiety, insecurity, discouragement, doubt, and fear), requires leaving your past at His feet and running the race He has called you to run. You can't run with endurance when until you cast off the weight, so leave it at His feet today.
Be Blessed Readers,
~Melissa
Sunday, May 3, 2015
April's messes bring May's message
I left a lot of mess in April. That mess is turning into the message of May. See I was reminded from a friend last night how much the enemy is after our destiny, how much the enemy wants nothing more than for us to not walk in the calling that God has for our lives. There is a shift in the atmosphere, a season change coming....
April was a time of learning what bridges need to be burned, and which ones were meant to be crossed. (Yep love that song...). April was the time where the choice was circle the mountain again or realize the strength to get up and over was mine for the taking. Done with circling the mountain, oh how I never expected the TimeHop app to bring conviction, but it did. Looking at posts from over the years and finding the same things for April for the last four years...time for change. This circling the mountain was only wearing me out and wearing me down(which was what the enemy wanted).
The enemy wants you to focus on the mess, but God wants you to see the message He is writing. I have seen God write a Romans 8:28 story just for me. It's a story I continue to reap from today because it brought into my life precious, precious friends who are like my family now. Friends that had they not come into my life, my life would have certainly not been the same. When God brings people into your life, some are for a reason, some for a season. I'm so thankful these friends are for life and for a reason! How is it a Romans 8:28 story? Well you see these friends came into my life because of one of the darkest days, losing my sister. God took something that I couldn't see how good was going to come of it, but He knew even then. I am forever thankful and grateful for my Romans 8:28 story and my friends that sow into my life daily. God gets the glory for turning messes into messages when we let Him. It's our choice if we keep the message to ourselves, or if we choose to share it as much as we can. Our mess becomes our message when we let God use it for His glory instead of stuffing it inside and letting the enemy win. Chains are broken when we let God change the mess into a message. The focus turns to what God is doing(or has done) instead of what the enemy is doing.
April was a season of refinement, a season of bring things up to the surface that I had stuffed or put a band-aid on. I'm not perfect and most days I tend to wear the less perfect me, the pitiful one for others to see instead of the powerful one that some get to see. Sometimes it is easier to let others see the stress and worry than the victory when it comes....that shouldn't be. We need to let others see the victory more or at least as much as the other side. In teaching, we call it productive struggle. God's been letting me struggle for some months now, because He knew it was productive. He knew that the end result would be broken chains and a mess left in the hands of the Maker. The process was needed in order to make me into more of who He made me to be. Thank you Lord for knowing what was best, even though I know I repeatedly asked for the mess to be removed. God doesn't always change the circumstances as much as He changes us. We may see it as a prayer unanswered, when all the while God is giving us the desires of our heart and answering prayers we didn't even know we needed to pray.
I'll write a detailed blog soon. God's been breaking chains, chains that until just a few weeks ago I thought they were already broken. When in fact, I had excused the chains...made a case for why they were there instead of trusting the One who could not only break them, but could take them away. As children of God, the chains are ours for the breaking. We are the ones that allow them to stay on by not realizing the power He has given us as sons and daughters of the Most High.
Ask Him for revelation today. Trust that He knows your heart, but more than that He knows the destiny He has planned for your life. He knows what you don't and sees what you cannot. Trust is sometimes a moment by moment choice. There will be moments when you let feelings take over, that's where grace steps in. Realize it, deal with it, and move forward. Feelings will always be an issue if you don't let truth speak first.
The moments where you stumble and fall are also the moments where you get to experience the hand outstretched of grace helping you back to your feet to keep moving forward on this journey we call life. He planned for you to live it abundantly and that means free! Deal with the chains of the past, the stumbles of the present, so you can walk confidently into the destiny He planned even before you took your first breath. That's how much He loves you!
Have a great week!
April was a time of learning what bridges need to be burned, and which ones were meant to be crossed. (Yep love that song...). April was the time where the choice was circle the mountain again or realize the strength to get up and over was mine for the taking. Done with circling the mountain, oh how I never expected the TimeHop app to bring conviction, but it did. Looking at posts from over the years and finding the same things for April for the last four years...time for change. This circling the mountain was only wearing me out and wearing me down(which was what the enemy wanted).
The enemy wants you to focus on the mess, but God wants you to see the message He is writing. I have seen God write a Romans 8:28 story just for me. It's a story I continue to reap from today because it brought into my life precious, precious friends who are like my family now. Friends that had they not come into my life, my life would have certainly not been the same. When God brings people into your life, some are for a reason, some for a season. I'm so thankful these friends are for life and for a reason! How is it a Romans 8:28 story? Well you see these friends came into my life because of one of the darkest days, losing my sister. God took something that I couldn't see how good was going to come of it, but He knew even then. I am forever thankful and grateful for my Romans 8:28 story and my friends that sow into my life daily. God gets the glory for turning messes into messages when we let Him. It's our choice if we keep the message to ourselves, or if we choose to share it as much as we can. Our mess becomes our message when we let God use it for His glory instead of stuffing it inside and letting the enemy win. Chains are broken when we let God change the mess into a message. The focus turns to what God is doing(or has done) instead of what the enemy is doing.
April was a season of refinement, a season of bring things up to the surface that I had stuffed or put a band-aid on. I'm not perfect and most days I tend to wear the less perfect me, the pitiful one for others to see instead of the powerful one that some get to see. Sometimes it is easier to let others see the stress and worry than the victory when it comes....that shouldn't be. We need to let others see the victory more or at least as much as the other side. In teaching, we call it productive struggle. God's been letting me struggle for some months now, because He knew it was productive. He knew that the end result would be broken chains and a mess left in the hands of the Maker. The process was needed in order to make me into more of who He made me to be. Thank you Lord for knowing what was best, even though I know I repeatedly asked for the mess to be removed. God doesn't always change the circumstances as much as He changes us. We may see it as a prayer unanswered, when all the while God is giving us the desires of our heart and answering prayers we didn't even know we needed to pray.
I'll write a detailed blog soon. God's been breaking chains, chains that until just a few weeks ago I thought they were already broken. When in fact, I had excused the chains...made a case for why they were there instead of trusting the One who could not only break them, but could take them away. As children of God, the chains are ours for the breaking. We are the ones that allow them to stay on by not realizing the power He has given us as sons and daughters of the Most High.
Ask Him for revelation today. Trust that He knows your heart, but more than that He knows the destiny He has planned for your life. He knows what you don't and sees what you cannot. Trust is sometimes a moment by moment choice. There will be moments when you let feelings take over, that's where grace steps in. Realize it, deal with it, and move forward. Feelings will always be an issue if you don't let truth speak first.
The moments where you stumble and fall are also the moments where you get to experience the hand outstretched of grace helping you back to your feet to keep moving forward on this journey we call life. He planned for you to live it abundantly and that means free! Deal with the chains of the past, the stumbles of the present, so you can walk confidently into the destiny He planned even before you took your first breath. That's how much He loves you!
Have a great week!
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