I’m a Masterpiece

I was just sitting here thinking I could write about how my brain has taken me on an off beaten road trip that gets me lost and confused at times.  I feel like a real screw up sometimes and think, “GoodNESS, when will I ever get over myself!”  But just as I considered pouring my unsightly guts out on my blog page, these words came to mind:  ”I’m a Masterpiece.”

Now that wasn’t me cuz I wasn’t thinking that way.  I was thinking, “I am so screwed up.”  So I know the Lord is speaking to me.

He wants me to replace my thoughts (which are NOT from God) with that one thought:

I am a masterpiece.

I have experienced things in life as many of us have, both from the past and even more recently that have shaken my trust more than I realized. Now this mistrust that I have learned is becoming more apparent in my life and it is in the way of me moving forward.

So as I am seeing these areas of my life that need a touch from the Lord, areas where I need to repent, forgive and be healed and then to surrender, it all seems so ugly.   I thought I was doing so well, getting healed, delivered, growing deeper in the Lord, and then this!  Well, it just seems a little . . . oh yeah . . . humbling, that’s what that is.

I don’t like making mistakes.

If you read my previous post about having an orphan mindset, you’ll see that those who live with an orphan mindset don’t handle mistakes well.   Praise God, I have been delivered from the orphan mindset, but now is the time to walk it out and let my mind be renewed to be in alignment with the deliverance I received.

So now what do I do with my mistakes?   I guess I’ll cry out, “Papa!”

And what does He say to me?

“Don’t sweat it, Daughter.  You’re not a screw up.  You are my masterpiece and I am adding some of the finer details that will add to your beauty.  I have been looking forward to this time to add these details and I can’t wait for you to experience the difference these details will make.  Stand firm, you’re doing better than you think.  Don’t listen to those lies anymore.  Just listen to Me.  I’ve got you covered.  You’re mine.  You are my beautiful masterpiece and I am the Master Creator and the Author and Finisher of your Faith.   I love you with unfailing everlasting love.”

Thank You, Papa.   Now each time I wake up, and every time I look in the mirror, I will say to myself,  ” I am a masterpiece!”

Papa

I was spending some time under my prayer veil, soaking in God’s Presence.  The Holy Spirit began touching something deep inside and I felt this groaning rise up – I wanted to cry out “Papa!  Papa!”  I wondered what was happening.

I was reminded  of the movie “The Little Princess.”  This would be the most recent version.  I remembered the ending where Sarah had finally found her father after thinking he was killed in the war.   But he still had amnesia and didn’t remember her.  She had escaped from the boarding school from the horrid Ms. Minchin, who after hearing of the father’s presumed death, stripped Sarah of everything and treated her as an unwanted servant to pay for her room and board at the school.  Now Sarah was being accused of being a thief and Ms. Minchin and the police had caught her after a daring escape.   But Sarah had found her father as he was recovering and being cared for in the house next door to the school.  There he stood as she was being taken away by the police.

She screamed out to her beloved father, “Papa! Papa!” in utter desperation.   In a split second the amnesia was cured and with just as much desperation and passion, her father cried out her name, “Sarah!”

With that, everything that threatened to tear the two apart forever was broken away and Sarah was completely restored.

As I sat under my veil crying out “Papa” I considered this story.    God showed me how we can live our lives like the Little Princess, as slaves believing the lie of the enemy that says we are orphans.  But our Papa cries out our names and breaks the chains that keep us from Him.

Our Papa wants to heal our hearts so we can receive His love and no longer live as orphans, dependent only on ourselves.  He wants to take away all the shame that comes from taking the weight of every mistake and carrying it on ourselves because we haven’t trusted Him to cover us.   Good Dad’s have a way lifting off the burden of making a mistake and encouraging their children to “not sweat it” and “keep trying.”  They remind their little ones that they are still OK, even when they make a mistake.  Orphans don’t have that same security.

Our Papa also wants us to be completely certain, absolutely convinced and firmly grounded in the truth of who we are.  We are His children, and that’s no small thing.  Hello!  We need a greater revelation of who He is and a divine realization of who we are!

Sarah believed she and every little girl was a princess because that is what her Papa told her.  Ms. Minchin tried to strip that away and turn her into nothing.  She tried to make Sarah forget that she ever believed she was a Princess.  That’s what our enemy does to us.  He most definitely wants us to forget who we are because when we know who we are, we are restored in many ways.  We walk in the authority of a child of the King.  We are not just handsome princes and pretty princesses – we are sons and daughters of the King – with that comes authority and privilege.  We are blessed.  We are well provided for.  We have access to every thing we need for life and godliness in the heavenly realm.    We are more than conquerors.

Unless we meditate on these things and ask God for revelation, we can’t grasp the depth and influence of these truths.

It is time to lay aside the orphan mindset and trust God in ways we never have before.  We will not remember the shame of our youth anymore for God is our Papa and He has hemmed us in behind and before.  He loves us with an everlasting love and is always for us and never against us.  Soak in these truths my friends.  Soak them in until they are part of your being and then walk it out.

Divine Financial Strategy

   As I consider the business of Home Team Careers, I keep getting revelation of how it is a blessing and a financial strategy to become a resource for Kingdom work.

Before I explain that a little more, I would like to introduce you to John and Amy Burton.  This is an amazing couple who has recently moved to Detroit from Manitou Springs, Colorado.  In Manitou Springs, they planted a church that is successfully growing in a place where no other church has survived.  John has ministered around the country and has felt the call to move to Detroit to plant a church and bring real Revival.  He has written 5 books including Revelation Driven Prayer and 20 Elements of Revival. 

If you live in or near Detroit, or even if you don’t, perhaps you feel the stirring in the atmosphere.  God is preparing and equipping His people for the work to be done in this city to take it back for Christ.  I believe this will be like an enormous flame that will be fanned and spread across the nation. 

Home Team Careers is a business team that John and Amy have started in order to introduce others to an opportunity of growing financially for the purpose of pouring into Kingdom work.  This opportunity has the potential of becoming a main source of income and beyond, excellent for getting out of debt and/or being freed up to minister on a full-time basis.   

I recently joined Home Team Careers and as I pray and consider this, I am receiving insight into how this opportunity will be a blessing to me and my family as well as John and Amy and the Kingdom.

This has God’s handprint all over it as it is so crazy simple but totally lines up with the idea of heaven’s economy.

Since I enrolled under John and Amy Burton in Home Team Careers, I will begin buying my typical daily products such as cleaning supplies, bathroom stuff, laundry stuff, even vitamins and such, beauty products etc . .   through this company instead of where I normally shop. 

So that part is simple . . . and if you are like me, upon hearing that you may think . . . “Yeah, ok, whatever.  I’ve heard of that kind of thing before.” 

But check this out . . . 

As I shop . . .

- I am sowing into the lives and ministry of John and Amy Burton

- I am sowing into the Kingdom work in Detroit – Revival – God’s plan and purpose for Detroit

- As I sow into the Kingdom, I will reap blessing – that’s a Biblical principle – better yet, it’s a promise from God.

AT THIS POINT, MANY MINISTERS AND GODLY MEN AND WOMEN HAVE JOINED HOME TEAM CAREERS.   THIS TEAM/FAMILY OF BELIEVERS IS SOWING INTO ONE ANOTHER AND THE WORK GOD IS DOING THROUGH THEM.

Just by changing the place where they shop . . . and by the way . . . the products are high quality and environmentally safe!

As I enroll others to join, we are all sowing into one another and the work God is doing through us.   We are indeed being used to fuel Kingdom Work and to generate Kingdom financial resource. 

I can’t help thinking about the disciples and how they lived, sharing all their possessions and income.  This seems to be like a modern type method of that kind of lifestyle. 

One thing I also consider is this . . . when I shop for all my products at the store down the road, where is my money going?  What is it supporting?  What is it being sown into?  

 We are in a time of critical economical shifting.  Now is the time to be sure our dollars are being used for righteousness. 

“Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.  In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” – 1 Timothy 6:18-19

“The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to.  The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.”  – Deuteronomy 28:8

If you are interested in learning more about Home Team Careers, check out my website and fill out an information form.

www.hometeamcareers.com/asmith

Burgundy Hair Follow Up

As a follow up to my article “Burgundy Hair,”  I just wanted to say that “YES,”  I did it.  Except I added PURPLE and RED highlights instead of burgundy.  I love it and I can’t wait to add more : )

Burgundy Hair

I recently had my medium brown hair dyed slightly red with blond chunky highlights.  I love it!  Now I want to add burgundy chunky highlights.  I just have this desire to be audacious.  I want to cross a line, break a mold, rebel against the box I have lived in for safety and comfort.  

 For a long time I have lived in a safe zone and learned how to be cautious and quiet.  I used to think I had to make sure I was not in anybody’s way.  One day, the Lord finally said to me, “You are a person like anyone else and you take up space.  Quit apologizing and take your space.”  Wow, that made me feel pretty special to realize that I had a right to take up space without feeling like I was doing something wrong.   Yikes, I was more messed up than thought! 

I have to admit, I am still a bit timid.  I have learned to recognize the promptings of the Lord and I feel this prompting from Him.   He has been drawing me out my box for quite some time.  Based on the thoughts I have been battling, the enemy is trying to keep the lid closed.  But one day this box is going to blow completely  apart.  That day is coming soon.  It is indeed a process and I am so glad my gracious Heavenly Father,  my patient Jesus, and my dear friend Holy Spirit know just how to lead me out of my box. 

Changing or altering my hair color is not going to “change” me, of course, but there is significance to this.  God enjoys visual aids and often uses natural things or activities to demonstrate a spiritual truth.  Just look at the Tabernacle and all the different articles that represented the steps of entering into His Presence.  

My desire and what I look forward to is even greater freedom to be the person He has made me to be – not timid but bold to obey Him, not cautious but wise and courageous, not quiet but filled with His love to speak the truth.  No more box to keep out danger, pain, rejection, embarrassment, shame.  I don’t need that anymore because He is my shield and my rampart.  No more walls that will prevent His love, His Word, His reflection, His blessings, from flowing through me.

 I asked my husband what he thought about the burgundy/ maybe more purplish highlights and he jokingly said, “mid-life crisis?”  A friend more accurately said, “more like mid-life freedom.”   I agree.  I am ready to be even more free!

It’s funny, God gives me words that I have heard before but am not completely sure what they mean.  Audacious was one of them.  So I looked it up.  I am loving the definition:

   1. extremely bold or daring; recklessly brave; fearless: an audacious explorer.    2. extremely original; without restriction to prior ideas; highly inventive: an audacious vision of the city’s bright future.   3.   recklessly bold in defiance of convention, propriety, law, or the like.   4.  lively; unrestrained; uninhibited: an audacious interpretation of her role.

Brilliant!  This word is spot on with what God has been speaking to me lately!  Isn’t God cool!

Kingdom Focus

Curled up on my couch, worship music playing quietly in the background, I am drifting in and out of sleep - is it sleep or is it deeper rest?  I am beginning to think it is not so much sleep as it is a deeper place of rest.  The Holy Spirit envelopes me and draws me into a heavenly realm and shows me things.   It’s like having mini dreams.    Just the other day, as I was coming out of a mini dream,  I caught myself smiling at a little girl who was smiling at me.  It was so real.  Maybe I will meet her one day. 

Just last night, angels filled our room before we went to sleep.  We were led to pray and got the words “greater measure” and “increase”.  I sensed that there was something like an electrical current flowing through my hands but I did not feel anything.   Then this morning God gave me another mini dream that was very encouraging for my husband and me.

God has given my family much to look forward to.  I don’t know what it is yet, but He has made it clear that something good is coming.   He keeps confirming this over and over.  I have heard a couple of people share that they feel like they are at the top of a roller coaster and getting ready for the exhilarating ride down the highest hill.  I can relate with that.   

Wow, I am enjoying the revelation that God is bringing this day.   But for the past week or so,  things were a bit grey and misty in my mind.  It seems I had my feet stuck on planet earth and forgot I wasn’t a resident here.   I had fallen into discouragement.   I had to ask myself, “Why are you despairing!?! You  know, that you know, that you know that God has good things in store!  All this other stuff is meaningless distraction!”    

Remember last week when I was crabby?   Yes, I was crabby, but, I had also allowed circumstances and worries to get to me and I became discouraged.  Seeing  me in my state of weakness, the enemy saw his opportunity and employed oppression to hang over me like a heavy blanket.   Though I tried to rest, I struggled.  The problem was that I was not really resting in Him.   I was still mulling over everything and asking why and how.   I was not submitting my thoughts to Him as I needed to.    

During worship on Sunday night, the Holy Spirit surrounded me and drew me close.  I could reach up and touch the face of Jesus as I felt His hand on my face.  Even though I was still caught in the turmoil of my mind, allowing the enemy to romp around in my thoughts, Jesus was loving on me, drawing me to Himself.   

Monday morning when I went back into my resting place I finally heard Him gently and sincerely asking, “What is more important to you, Beloved?  Which do you desire more, an answer or solution or do you desire Me?”  Oh my Jesus,  how could anything be more desirable than You!?  You are my answer!  You are the solution to any struggle that I face!   He is so good!  I am undone by His desire to be with me.  It makes no sense that He wants to be with me so much.  Upon my return, I sensed His laughter and His joy over me.   His love is a puzzler but I must receive it, live in it, bask in it, be filled up by it and pour it out. 

I repented and renounced my desire to see things made right.  I let go of fear and once again clung completely to my King.  It took discipline as I had to train my mind to stop thinking about stuff that was bugging me and just enjoy being with my Jesus.   

It wasn’t over yet.  There was still that stubborn oppression that wanted to weigh even heavier and drive me back to discouragement.  It wasn’t easy but I had stand against it.     The battle raged a little more as thoughts of doubt were thrown into the mix and I felt intimidated. (You can’t overcome this.  It’s in your house.  It’s too hard. It will just come back.  It will never go away.)   I got my husbands ipod, put on the praise and worship music and pressed forward.  The heaviness broke.   Just as Graham Cooke said, you go into your refuge and come out of your fortress. 

Now the Lord has my full attention again and He is pouring out blessings!  He always is, I just wasn’t paying attention before – now I can hear Him clearly again and receive all that He is pouring out.  As a matter of fact, I can hear Him even more clearly than before and I am more aware of the enemy’s devices. 

I thought I was going to share other aspects of the Kingdom in this little M&M “series” but here I am again talking  about mindset.   There is much to learn and it takes consistent practice and application.    With this experience I learned that our focus must remain steadfast on Jesus.  (That sounds like a “Duh” statement.)   I was thinking a lot about things I do for Him because I love Him and His people so much.   For a moment I lost sight of who He is and who I am in Him. 

I picture myself holding His hand and looking all around pointing and saying, “Jesus, what about this and what about that!  Oh, look there!  What are we going to do about that?”   Finally, He touches my chin and gently draws my face to look at Him.   His smiling eyes, filled with love and infinite knowing, look into mine.  “Trust me.  I’ve got you covered.”   Of course He is smiling at me.  He has this way of laughing at me without actually laughing at me.  Does that make sense?  He is wonderful and patient and kind and good.  I love Him so much.

What am I getting at with this devotional?  Every moment we must remember who we are to Him and in Him.  And in order to do that me must keep our eyes fixed on Him.  It doesn’t matter what is going on.  He knows,  He will handle it.  When our eyes are on Him, and His peace is in our hearts, He will show us how to pray.  He will flow through us and we will find ourselves doing things we never thought possible.  

When we remember who we are to our God and where we stand with Him, then we will not be shaken.   Our feet will stay in the Kingdom Dweller’s realm and we will walk in love, obedience, confidence in our God and in the power of His wonderful Holy Spirit.   

The more intimate our relationship with Him, the deeper we go into the kingdom mindset, the farther we meander into the heavenly realm, the more we become true Kingdom Dwellers.    The heavenly realm is eternal and immeasurable.   Yet greater still is our loving Creator, our Daddy God, Our Savior and Friend, our Comforter and Counselor.  

Let’s get lost in Him and find heaven on earth . . .

and then share it with others.

Colossians 3:1-4   Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.  For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

(Let’s consider the truth that we DIED and our life is hidden with Christ in God.  Christ is our life.  So He will take care of all those things in our life that we let ourselves be concerned with.  He is our life – He is a good steward.  He takes care of things.  He will take care of every aspect of our life.  Do we trust Him?)

Philippians 4:8   Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right,  whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.

(Since we trust Him with our life, we can busy our minds with things that are in alignment with Phil 4:8.  What a wonderful gift and freedom God has given us.  He has freed our minds to be filled with promises, hope and life!)

Kingdom Refuge

OK, I’ll be honest.  My brain is mush this week.  The couch is my friend and the rest of my house is more like an enemy as the clutter piles grow in height and taunt me with every glance. 

I had this great article written and was going to post it but I just couldn’t.  It lacked my personal touch and was mostly insightful information.   At the moment, my personal touch might come more like a growl or groan from deep under the covers of  the quilt where I am hiding.

Am I defeated?  No way!  I’m just crabby.  Yeah, it happens.  My flesh seems to be a little more stubborn this week than usual.  Am I going to let it rule – no!  Well, maybe it got away with it for a little while.  But I’ll be honest, as I sit here typing out this confession, it seems to be helping my mood and resolve to not stay in this place.  

Here’s what I am going to do.  I am going to shake off this guilt and I am going to make sure I spend time in my refuge.  Graham Cooke once said that we go into our refuge and come out of our fortress.  So we go in weary or maybe feeling beaten or frustrated or overwhelmed – whatever, but when we come out we are strengthened, equipped, energized and ready for battle.  

The other article I almost posted was about living as a Kingdom Dweller and referred once again to Colossians 3:1-15 that tells us to keep our minds and hearts set on things above.  Today, I feel very earthbound.  So I figured I might as well post the real deal.   We all have these days,  what must we do with them. 

We cannot fall into guilt and condemnation.  Instead, we must go to our refuge so we can come out of our fortress.  I don’t want to stay like this because I will be an easy target for my enemy.  The cool thing is, I don’t have to fight harder, I just need to rest.  

In my refuge there is this cool waterfall.  I can go and stand under the waterfall of God’s goodness and love.  It will wash away all my crabbiness and restore my strength. 

There, now that was kingdom thinking from a flesh bound vessel.  I need to go to my refuge so I can maintain my Kingdom mindset and remember that I am a Kingdom Dweller, an alien and stranger to this world.   My reality is in heaven, hallelujah, where nothing is impossible, or lacking, or difficult, or hopeless.  In the Kingdom, I have access to every fruit of the Spirit and I have everything I need for life and godliness. 

Well, I am keeping it real and simple this week.  Here are some verses about our refuge.   Enjoy His love and peace this week!  And look for the waterfall – it’s so wonderful!

Psalm 46:4
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.
Revelation 22:1
[ The River of Life ] Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb
Psalm 18:2
The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Psalm 46:1
 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Psalm 62:7
My salvation and my honor depend on God ; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
Psalm 62:8
Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. Selah
Psalm 91:4
He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

Kingdom Speaking

Remember last week when I asked which would be easier – filling out a page with all our complaints and worries or a page full of God’s promises?  Well, let’s take another look at that.  I went to a conference over the weekend where Graham Cooke was one of the speakers.  He said that for every struggle or battle we face, there is a promise from God.  When we find ourselves struggling, we can “flip it” around and turn it into a promise.  He challenged us to make two lists.  On one list we should write down all the things we struggle with.  On the second list, we should write a promise of God that turns each struggle into a victory.   Once every struggle has been turned into a promise – burn the list of struggles.  Now each time you find yourself facing one of the struggles, flip it and declare the promise.

My friend has been telling me over and over again about the power of decreeing God’s promises over our lives.  I must admit I was a little lazy about applying this.   But after this weekend, during which God spoke many things over me and my husband and our family, I realized that it is time for me to take an aggressive approach and begin speaking in agreement with God over my life. 

This ties in wonderfully with our Kingdom e-votionals.  We have looked at how we can apply Kingdom Truth to our lives in the way we think and respond to situations.  Now we can apply Kingdom speaking to our lives.  That is, speaking in agreement with God over and into our lives.

Let’s look at Romans 10 :9-10  ”if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. ”

This verse shows the vital role that the confession of our mouth has in our salvation!  It makes sense that this role would continue on as we “work out our salvation” and grow in the Lord.   We must speak God’s promises and Truth over and into our lives.  (Notice the importance of believing as well as confessing.)

Proverbs 18:21 says that “the tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” 

What kind of fruit am I eating because of my words – good fruit or bad?  When difficult situations arise do we speak curses out of frustrations or do we flip it around and speak blessings.  At the moment, I am declaring that I am getting ready for an upgrade.  I know this because my washing machine has overflowed twice and my van sounds kind of funny.  So praise God!  An upgrade is coming my way because my God supplies all my needs!  Faith pleases God.  Faith also motivates God to move on our behalf.  If I would choose to grumble and complain about my washer and van, I am tearing down my own opportunities for blessing and giving the enemy room to wreak havoc. 

I LOVE what God did with Jeremiah.  Check this out:

Jeremiah 1:9-10   “Then the Lord reached out His hand and touched my mouth and said to me, ‘Now I have put My words in your mouth.  See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.’”

My dear friends, do you see the potential our words have when we speak in agreement with God?  Was God telling Jeremiah that he would physically uproot, tear down, destroy and overthrow, build and plant?  No, it was with words – God’s words - that he would do this work.   God has given us His Word to speak over our lives.  When we speak His Word we are in agreement with Him.  Just as Jeremiah spoke the things God wanted to accomplish and they were accomplished, so can we.     

Are you beginning to see the potential we have in turning situations around by the words we speak?  In Isaiah 61:4, we see that God has appointed us to REBUILD, RESTORE, and RENEW.  We can influence the lives of people around us by speaking God’s promises over them.  

Remember Colossians 3:1,2 – “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”  Jesus said in Luke 6:45 ” out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.”  Let us continue to set our hearts and minds on the Kingdom of God so that we may speak in agreement with God’s Truth and purpose for us.  Remember that our reality does not abide in this world, rather it is in the Kingdom of God.  We are otherwordly.  So when the world is speaking one way, our words will seem foreign but they will be words of life, hope and love and they will reap eternal fruit. 

Try making those lists and declaring God’s promises over you each morning.  It’s a way of getting spiritually dressed and remembering who you are.  Let me know how it goes!

Here are some  more scriptures about the power of our words.  Enjoy! 

 Luke 6:45
The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.
Romans 10:8
But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming:Matthew 4:4
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ “
Proverbs 10:20
The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value.
Proverbs 10:31
The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but a perverse tongue will be cut out.
Proverbs 12:18
Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Proverbs 12:19
Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.
Proverbs 12:18-20 (in Context) Proverbs 12 (Whole Chapter)

Proverbs 15:2
The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.
Proverbs 15:1-3 (in Context) Proverbs 15 (Whole Chapter)

Proverbs 15:4
The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.
Proverbs 21:23
He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity.
Isaiah 50:4
The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.
James 3:6
The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
1 Peter 3:10
For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.

Kingdom Truth

My mother-in-law and I went to visit a woman from church who was in the hospital after having a stroke.   We were told that the stroke effected her right hand and her speech.   

When we got to her room, we found that she was not there.   We learned that she was in the reception lounge visiting with family.  When we found her, we did not find a woman shaken by the experience of having a stroke and losing control of her hand and speech.  Instead, a contagious childlike joy seemed to radiate from her.   Just as I know her at church as one who is full of encouraging words  and truth,  this is how she was in the hospital, yet with even more sweetness and humility. 

Though she struggled with certain sounds and she spoke with a painstaking determination, one of the first things she did was name as many names of Jesus as she could.  Jesus, Messiah, Yeshua, El Elohim, Jehovah . . .  She was so filled with sweet joy, it made me want to laugh!

I was truly amazed and inspired by her.  Yes, she had a stroke but it never touched her beyond the physical realm.    There was no sign of worry, despair, sadness or self pity in her disposition.  It seemed that her intention was to consider these “limitations” as temporary and she would plow through them until there was complete restoration.   To me, it looked like she began her own therapy and the doctors couldn’t keep up with her recovery.   In fact, she has already left the hospital and is staying with her daughter. 

My friends, this mighty and sweet woman of God gives a wonderful example of a Kingdom Mindset and life according to Kingdom Truth, which is the Word of God.   She has shown how one can be stricken in the physical but remain untouched in the Spirit because her mind is set on things above, not on her circumstances  (Colossians 3:2).  

When we have a kingdom mindset and we are thinking and walking according to Kingdom Truth (the Word of God), physical limitations or circumstantial difficulties cannot rattle or shake us.     No matter what is happening in the physical realm, we are able to stand strong because our minds are set on things above.  Our minds are set on what is in the Spirit.    When something does happen and we find ourselves feeling shaken, then we know that there is something in our mindset that needs to be realigned with God’s Word. 

There are many things in this world that we can be concerned about and can cause us to allow fear and doubt to flood in all day long.  Every day we will find excuses to worry or fear about something.  Consider this, which would be easier: filling a paper with all the things that you could worry about in your life at this moment or with as many promises from the Word of God you can think of?

Let’s saturate ourselves with the promises of God so that they become our reality even more than the worries or circumstances.  Let’s train our brain to have the Kingdom mindset and to be filled with Kingdom Truth.  I want the things of the Spirit to be more real to me than the physical things that I can see and touch.   So that when something happens, my mind does not look at the circumstance but it looks right to the truth and my response is to walk out God’s promises. 

Colossians 1:9-14

. . . we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.  And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.  For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

We can walk in spiritual wisdom and understanding – this means we will think differently than how the world thinks.  It is in walking according to spiritual wisdom and understanding that we will be living a life worthy of the Lord and pleasing Him.  This is living by faith and faith pleases God. 

We will bear fruit (with eternal value) and grow in the knowledge of God – we will know Him MORE!  We will be strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that when things do happen in the physical, we will have great endurance and patience AND be joyfully thankful! 

God has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints – we lack nothing. 

We have been rescued from the dominion of darkness – so even when the enemy strikes against us, he can’t win because we have already been rescued! 

Here we are, friends . . . we are in the kingdom of the Son he loves.  We are members of the Kindom of God – daughters of the King.  We have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.  Nothing can be held against us.  

What does it mean to be a daughter of the King?  Well, I leave you with this . . .  Seek God this next week and ask Him.  He desires to speak to you.  He wants to show you.  Take that time in His presence.  Be still, listen.  See what He says about you as His precious daughter - a daughter of the King of Kings. 

As for the story that I included in the first e-votional,  I have not forgotten.  It is coming along.  I thought it would unfold with each evotional but that is not the case. 

Have a great week!  Love you all and praying for you to experience a deeper revelation of who God is for you!

Sweet Counsel

I sat on the couch, knees pulled up to my chest, holding my head  in my hands.   Pain was throbbing in my shoulder enticing my neck and head to join in.  Strength had fled from my mind as well as my body.  Heaviness hung in the air like a lead blanket.   

It was only midday.  How was I going to make it through the day and the evening?   How did I get here?  What must I do to get out?  Forget it, I don’t even have the strength to try. 

I kept thinking about calling my mentor and dear friend.    But fear, embarrassment and shame were  swirling around in my mind like a grey mist. 

I am a warrior.  What happened?  I know I should be fighting but the will to do so has fled or been buried.  Ugh.  I’m stuck.

Then the phone rang.   It was my mentor and dear friend.   “I’ve been praying for you all week.”  “We are in a battle.”  “Whatever the enemy says, we’ve got to believe the opposite.”  More words of truth and encouragement and the heaviness lifted, the grey mist began to clear.  

Praise God, I have returned from the land of despair and am no longer lost.  Deception wanted me to believe it was another bout of  ”PMS”  and I just had to wait it out.  But once the heaviness was gone, it was obvious how much of the struggle was spiritual and how little was physiological. 

As I consider my path and where I had made my detour, I must acknowledge that I  accepted and coddled some negative thoughts after experiencing some hurt feelings. 

“Don’t hold on to the hurt,”  I warned myself. 

I should have gone straight to the Word and declared it until healing came.  Instead, I allowed the company of negative thinking to come like a dark companion bringing counterfeit comfort.  Into the mire I sank.

Now consider the timely words of truth from a dear friend, spoken in love and gentle persistence.   Upon accepting and agreeing with my dear friend’s wisdom, the power of  darkness was vaporized and the enemy fled. 

 I love how the warrior comes dressed in everything gentle and good but to the enemy it is an armor that is fiercely impenetrable . 

Now I soak in the goodness of God.  I allow His love and gentleness to wash over me – a cleansing flow of forgiveness and restoration.   I will wait for deeper revelation into His heart and mine.  Deeper healing, deeper intimacy.  Then it will be time to rise to battle. 

I am anticipating the opportunity to become the dear friend to someone and offer words of life and deliverance. 

Proverbs 27:9    Oil and perfume make the heart glad, so a man’s counsel is sweet to his friend.  

Concerning the accepting and coddling of negative thoughts after being hurt, it is best to forgive and heal quickly.

2Corinthians 2:10,11     But one whom you forgive anything, I forgive also; for indeed what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes in the presence of Christ, so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.