Let's talk about those weapons that won't prosper

This may be a blog just for me, but on the sheer chance, it's not...I'll post it in case someone else needs to hear it too. Hear my heart when I tell you I'm preaching to myself in this blog. I got a vision early on in this journey of a mix of Isaiah 54:17 and Psalm 91. When we are under His dwelling place...the weapons may come at us, but they can't get to us. Hear me for a second....weapons are going to be formed. So many times we look at this verse and miss the end of the sentence. No weapons formed will prevail, prosper...whatever your version may call it. It also doesn't mean we may not feel the heat from some of the weapons at certain times. "Even when I don't see it, your working". Hang on to that....even if we may not see Him working to move things out of our way or block them, He is working. As long as we can keep that in focus....the water keeps rushing and we aren't in a stagnant place. It's when we lose sight that God still has this.....that we get still and stop moving. When those feels are louder than His feels, keep the music going. Dig into those promises He's spoken already and build on those. 

I've been reminded yet again over the last week that the enemy knows exactly what buttons to push. Yes those buttons are covered by the blood, but it doesn't mean I don't feel the push. Stay focused even when the pushing happens sweet readers knowing that this push will only bring about more oil and the force from this wind will propel you forward in His time. The pushes are distractions (hence the weapons formed against you that won't prosper). You feel them if you focus on them, but keep reminding yourself (and the one pushing) that those places are covered by the blood....so he may as well move on in Jesus name. 

Like I said I may have just preached this to myself, but on the chance someone else may can benefit from it too, I'll post it.

Press in....

Let this verse sink in....It's from the message, but so many times we read the verse a few above and miss the meat in this one. "When you come looking" in other words God's not hiding, but there is some effort on our part. Your focus shifts when you go on a hunt for something. "When you get serious about finding me" This is more than the daily quiet time routine that we often time let become all that we do. It's about taking time to press into His presence.  When the woman with an issue of blood went looking for Jesus, she had to press her way through a crowd to get to Him. Pressing isn't easy, it's not fun.....but from it comes not only spiritual strength but an oil. That's a blog in itself one day. There is so much I've learned from God over the last season about oil. "I'll make sure you won't be disappointed". Ya'll time with Him is never wasted. More than that it's a filling that can only come from time with Him. During this quarantine time....maybe you've turned your focus to more time with God if so you have an idea what I'm talking about. If not, I urge you ...press in before busy takes over again and truly listen for what He's speaking. He's pouring out so much in this season. 

This latest season didn't give me the punch ( I really wish I knew what I was going to finish that statement with when I started this blog a few weeks ago..lol) 

I had a few moments between the start of this blog and the ending of it now where, yes God and I spent time together...but I wasn't saturating myself with pressing into His presence like I had been earlier on in the month. How many times do we get like that though? We press into His presence, we get an answer....and then we slow down. Grace sweet readers if you are reading this and going yes I can see that!! Get back up and again and keep pressing in as close as you can to hear His heartbeat......I promise you, He has a purpose and a plan. He's still got words to speak to us, so He can prepare moments to speak through us. Only when we have been in that intimate place with Him, will we get the download of what He wants to do through us. 

I don't know where you are at tonight or what you are facing...but He does. Seek Him, I mean go after His presence like you would if you lost your phone or your debit card. I promise you, you will not be disappointed.....This latest season could have dealt me more punches, and let's face it...it dealt me enough, but the punches made me press into His presence even more.....and it's where I found myself in Him. We don't fight a battle we can see....once we get that truth deep down into us, we will be able to war as He has purposed for us to fight. 

I've seen YOU move....

I've loved this song for a while and it was on my playlist even before the latest journey. I remember one of the first things I thought after the diagnosis was spoken by the health officials, I was like God do you not have enough for a book yet. Looking back now I can see how He has turned it around and that book outline is moving it's way up my list of projects to work on. When He does something in you, He has a plan to do something through you. 

I don't know where you are at tonight or what mountain you may see in your way, but hear my heart on this....God didn't move what He did before to let this mountain ahead of you defeat you. Strength is gained in the climb and more than that an intimate time with Him that prepares you for the next. God knows what He placed on the inside of you sweet reader.....trust Him to bring it out of You in His timing and more than that when the season is right. 

Keep praising Him as you move forward, and know that the God who you have seen do all that He has before, has, even more, to come for you! 

More blogs to come later 

The veil is torn....

This song will forever be on my playlist and one that I call a Spiritual Marker. The first time I heard it was when I visited Restoring Hope the Sunday after diagnosis. Little did I realize as we sang it in the natural, God was moving it in the spiritual. If you were there you know more of what I'm talking about. That may be a blog post in itself one day. 

40 days after I first heard this song, I saw in a vision the bridge "The veil is torn, the doors fling wide, I see glory as I run inside". That was the day when God dropped down so real and so tangible, I couldn't move. Thankfully I had a couple of hours before my class Google Meet, so I kept the worship music on and I just listened. When we truly stop and listen, He has so much to pour into us. The veil was torn when Jesus died on the cross. We have full access to Him, but some days we act like we are hanging out in the Holy of Holies section instead of remembering that the Holiest of Holies is ours to enter into. Let that truly sink in....when we grasp the power that is ours as a Child of the Most High, it is life-changing. This blog would be longer than most of you would read if I went into every detail, but hear my heart when I say, I knew His power before this last season......but during this current season, I experienced His power on a regular basis. There is a difference......I had seen God's power in action many times before this past season, but experiencing it like I did this time......it's one thing to experience it on a mountain (aka powerful service), but where are you when you get home.  

Don't wait to be in a season to press into His presence, and don't let this season of slower living pass by without pressing closer to Him. There is power in His presence. There is peace in His presence. It's in His presence He pulls off anything covering and lets you see through His eyes. I encourage you, spend some time pressing into that sweet, intimate place with Him.....and stay there as long as you can. It's in His presence we learn how to fight battles beyond what we can see. 

More coming....I've realized even if these aren't for anyone else, they are for me. Some days it just helps to go back and remember what God has done to know that if He did it then, there is no limits on what He is still doing! David had to encourage himself and stir up his faith some days......yeah that's probably a blog all it's own one day. 

It's not what He does, It's Who HE IS

This song has probably been the one I've listened to the most during this season. I've even got a few shirts (and a pillow now) with it on there. It's one that God would bring to mind at just right the times. I even think we may have even sung it during the First Wednesday service in March (but that seems like so long ago). 

"Even when I don't see it you're working".....I remember sitting at Terah's the Saturday after and was like I know God's working but I'm going to need Him to hurry His timetable up because the doctors are moving faster than He is. So much information was thrown at me the first few days I truly felt like I was in a daze. I knew He was still there, that I no doubt about.....but I was needing to see some action some. When you come through the other seasons that I've experienced you know God can do way more than you could ever ask or imagine.....I'd had a front-row seat to witness that in the Bowling bus wreck. Saturday rolled into Sunday and God showed up in the tangible. He kept showing up every moment after that as well. There are several aspects of this season that can only be described as God moments. From the right radiologist who agreed with me to cancellations that led to appointments with the right team to the surgeon's office advocating for surgery to move up before it was canceled. God was in the details from the beginning, but more on that in another blog. 

So many times we know God's the healer, but as I heard a friend say something the other day...do we know it in our heart or in our head? When the storm hits, can you press into His presence and move into the secret place to move that mountain that needs to be moved? or Are you waiting on others to move it for you even though in your head you know God can do what He says He can do? Fighting when the storm is upon you...involves fighting on another level. When you grasp that truth, the head shuts up and the heart takes over.....and you and God start to have the conversation that moves mountains. God doesn't just heal, He is the healer. God doesn't just give, He is the giver. God doesn't just move mountains, He is the mountain mover. God doesn't just love, He is love. Are you starting to see just how much He loves you and longs for you to just seek Him? When you seek Him with everything and get into that secret place, you find the peace that passes all understanding.....you know that you know that He has you. Maybe you are in that storm and can't see Him working just yet, hang on. I remember that moment too......get around those that are going to speak life and truth into you and then remind yourself whose you are and get up and fight. Start lining your words up with His truth and watch as Who He is becomes what He does because you are  His child. I think sometimes we forget that we are joint-heirs with Jesus and what He has we have, but that's probably a blog in itself too. 

When the Word becomes real.....

Blog time....and I'll be honest I have felt led to type this one for a while, and have hesitated. I tried to do another one of the other songs or verses tonight and God said now it's this one. This verse was given to me during the second week of my most recent season. It was two days after a prayer time that shifted the course of events I truly believe. When God aligns His people up in prayer......and then when you step into that alignment things happen!! Hear my heart....when you are going through a season, people covering you in prayer is vital. We need those people in our life...but in some seasons you can every one praying for you, but you have to step into agreement with that word. So many times we want other people to pray the storm away, and I've been there....more times than I can count. I'm so thankful though for friends that taught me and encouraged me to learn to intercede for myself. That's a blog to come later all by itself...

This verse has been one that I've read multiple times, but until this last season, I'm not sure I truly understood it. God and I had a heart to heart conversation when I was up in Nashville the first weekend after diagnosis and I was pretty blunt with Him, I mean He knows it anyway right...I was like God if this whole mountain isn't going away, then you can take away certain parts of it. I knew God well enough to know He heals and can do more than I ever asked or imagine. I knew He could take it all away, but I also knew He heals through storms as well. So I stood on it....and as a friend spoke in that weekend, no room for doubt. Trust me doubt came up multiple times during this, with those mountains that I was believing to go into the sea. I went back to my promise notebook and was like no God you said and I spoke the word back. There was a strength rising up during this time.....one that I knew was not of me. I was fighting this on a level that I couldn't see and believing for what I could see. Some may have even thought I was bossy at the time, but I reminded them that God said to come boldly before His throne. He knew what my heart was, so with confidence that's what I went after in prayer. When you are in a storm, make sure your words line up with His. Your words have more power than you may realize, line them up with truth and nothing else. 

The parts of the journey I had peace about ended up being the parts of the journey I was to walk. The parts that peace never came, those mountains went into the sea. God did what I asked Him to do and as I pressed into His presence.....wow (That's a blog coming later from Luke 8). I don't know what mountain you are needing to go into the sea right now, but I bet one can come to mind. Spend some time talking to God about it, you'll know when it lines up with His will for your life. Once you know that, stand on what He's promised and believe that He can do exceedingly more than you could ever ask or imagine....more than that, the power inside of you as a Child of His and a joint heir with Him is the same power that He has....Let that sink in. Believe that God wants the very best for you and press into that. 

Maybe you read that and are saying yeah but I prayed and believed and still this and this happened. I get it I really do. If you've followed my blog or know me well, you will know I've dealt with enough of the moments that made me want to go, God, what are you doing. Get alone with Him, press into His presence, and lay it all out before Him. We act sometimes like He doesn't understand us and somehow forget He wired us the way He did for a purpose. Find some people around you to agree with you in prayer and to hold you up as you fight your storm. It's how you win battles you can't see I promise. It's how you see mountains that you can see by name go into the sea. 

God still longs to answer His children's prayers. Press into Him sweet child of His and take Him at His word. Leave no room for doubt and speak life over yourself! 

More to come later ;-)

Hemmed in ...

This was the first verse on this latest journey that God spoke in my spirit. Little did I realize that day in my prayer closet before my results appointment just what it would mean. I'm not a seamstress by any means, truth be told...I'm not sure I could even sew on a button if I had to. Stay with me...the purpose of a hem though in something is to keep the fabric from unraveling. The truths in the first part of this promise hit me stronger today than the truth in the last part of the verse. You see we all look at the last part and go okay God's got His hand on me let's move on. To me it made me take a breath and at least know okay whatever was about to happen, God knew it and was there. That first part though, looking back on it now with hindsight....ya'll a hem keeps the fabric from unraveling and during this journey that was God's presence. You'll see more as I share bits and pieces over the coming weeks. 

I don't know what you are facing today, but God does. I promise you this ....if you will press into Him, He will meet you right where you are. I've seen it more times than I can count. He provides just what we need when we need it. When the load feels like it's too heavy for you to carry, it's because it was never yours to carry this long by yourself. Press into His presence......and you will find Him. That's a promise throughout scripture.