Several months ago I woke up from a dream that I could not get out of my head.  Have you ever had this happen to you and you spent a good part of your day recalling the dream and trying to remember more of it?  Or sometimes I even like to play “finish your own dream” and create different scenarios in my head to finish my dream that I was awakened from before I finished dreaming it.  Now that’s fun!  But back to the dream that I couldn’t get out of my head.  I was at some sort of conference.  I’m not sure what the conference was for, where I was at or even who I was with.  The strange thing was it was outside and the “classes” were in camping tents.  Let’s just pause right here.  Anyone that knows me knows that I consider staying at the Motel 6 camping so the idea of me going to a conference in an outdoor camping tent (with bugs, spiders, dirt and no AC!) is just …  just …  well, it’s just ridiculous!  But back to the dream.  So in my dream we were to go to classes in the tent and I walked up and a lady said to me “Do you struggle with needing approval or feeling loved?” She pointed to the tents and said “That one’s Approval and that one’s Feeling Loved.”  I looked at her and without hesitation said “Oh, I’ll definitely go to the approval tent.  I don’t have any issues with feeling loved.”

CHIRP!  CHIRP!  CHIRP!  CHIRP!  CHIRP!  CHIRP!  And so went the sound of my alarm clock and the end of my dream.  I got up out of bed ready to start my day but the “tent dream” was still in my head.  I knew immediately there was more to this dream then just another random confirmation of my love for all things indoor.  I knew in my spirit God wanted to finish this dream.  So, I asked the Lord, “Lord, what do you want to tell me about this dream?  What does this mean?”  Silence.  So as any woman (poised with a daily quota of a mouth full of words) would do when the response is silence I continued on.  “Lord, I know I have always struggled with the need for approval. I know I wear my Scarlet Letter A (standing for Approval that is). I don’t want to be this way.  I know you are the only one I need approval from.  Help me to remember this every day.  Is that what you wanted to show me Lord?” I asked.  Silence.  So I went on with my day with a sense that there was more to this dream than what I was able to see.

Days went by and each day I would think about this dream and ponder the word approval.  I could not get this silly dream out of my head for weeks and each time I would think about it the word approval kept flashing in my head in neon lights (well, bright pink actually … it’s my favorite).  During this time I was also praying about what God would have me write for my next post on Destiny in Bloom (yes, that would be the one you are reading now ).  Again, the silly dream and the word approval kept coming back.  Immediately, I told the Lord He must have something better for me to write about.  After all, why would I want to tell a bunch of people that I struggle with the need for approval?!? Isn’t that like sending a diabetic to work in a candy shop!  Can’t I write about something a little less personal, like someone else’s problems?  I think you’ve probably figured out by this point who won the little argument about what I’d write about.  But, even having a topic for my blog post wasn’t the point of my dream.

The Lord had something bigger to show me about my dream (I’m just blessed to get to share it with you).  After weeks of praying, pondering, purposing (yeah, I don’t really know what purposing means I just wanted to go with the letter P theme) He spoke!  The Lord, that is, not my husband.  Although he does speak.  Ahem.  The Lord spoke to me and said, “Do you think it is a coincidence that the other tent is for those that have a hard time feeling loved?  You know, the one that you ‘don’t have any issues with’?”  I thought about it and I didn’t really think there was any correlation at first.  Then came the revelation.  While it may be true that I have struggled with needing approval from others that is not the root issue.  There was a correlation between the two tents.  One was the root problem and the other was just a symptom of the root problem.

Struggling with the need for approval from others is just a symptom of not being able to fully receive the love that our Father so freely gives.  Does this mean I’m not a Christian?  Or maybe that you aren’t a Christian if you struggle with the same thing?  With a loud shout, “No!”  It means I’m a sinner saved by grace working out my salvation and all that it fully means.  You see we are imperfect people filled with all sorts of misconceptions, hurts, “baggage”, etc.  before we come to accept Christ as our Savior.  After we accept Him as our Savior, guess what … we are still imperfect people!  Our Father is so loving and gracious to change us and show us areas where we are living “below the poverty line” so to speak.  Here is what He showed me.  My opinion of myself reflects my opinion of the one who created me.  To me this translated that if I do not receive the fullness of the Love of my sweet Savior how can I ever expect to love myself and in turn not seek that love from other people?  That Scarlet Letter A that I had been wearing for so many years is no longer necessary.  My Savior poured out his blood all over that Scarlet Letter A when he died on the cross for me and He took it and gave me a Crimson Letter A.  But, this Letter A stands for Approved.  His act of love on the cross is the cure for my “love” problem and all of its symptoms.  I had all of this “knowledge” in my head I just needed it to be supernaturally shifted to my heart.  And THAT is exactly what happened.
“God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.  And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect.” 1 John 4:16-17

As I was thinking about this I thought back to when I was 15 years old and was in an accident.  Because I don’t need your approval anymore I am not embarrassed to say that I was 15 years old and in a BICYCLE accident! My sister and I were babysitting for a little girl and every day we would take bike rides.  We were riding on a narrow sidewalk and somehow my sister’s wheel on her bike got caught on my wheel and caused me to fall off.  When I fell I landed on the wheel of one of the bikes and the screw gashed my leg open.  Like any normal 15 & 16 year olds would do in a bicycle emergency we called 911!  I got to take a nice little ambulance ride to go get 13 stitches in my leg.  My parents were at work at the time so they met us at the hospital.  As the ambulance backed up to the hospital I could see my Dad standing there waiting for the ambulance doors to open.  He had only gotten a call that I was being brought by ambulance to the hospital so he had no idea what was wrong with me.  He stood there with tears in his eyes as the doors to the ambulance opened.  And there I sat on the stretcher grinning from ear to ear as I had just taken a ride with what I thought was a “hot” paramedic.  I looked at my Dad and he was so relieved that it was just a cut on my leg.  I can’t explain to you the look in his eyes that communicated his deep love for me.  When thinking back on this the Lord reminded me that although my earthly Father’s love for me was SO SO great it doesn’t even begin to compare to the way He feels about me.  I got my stitches and went on about my 15 year old ways with a great story to tell. When my stitches came out I had a nice scar in the middle of my leg in the shape of a backwards “L”.  But when I look in the mirror now I see it the correct way.  I see it as an “L” and just another reminder that I have been stamped (permanently) with His Love!

If you do struggle with a particular problem, be it the need for approval (Psalm 139:13), self-image (Genesis 1:27), fear (1 John 4:18), eating disorders (Jeremiah 31:3) or whatever, I challenge you to look deeper.  Consider the possibility that your “problem” could just be a symptom.  Ask the Lord to show you.  I have no doubt that He will.  And be ready for how He shows you … He is fun, creative and has a great sense of humor!

I usually write more to the young, married, moms; the women in the same stage of life that I’m in right now. But this is for all our unmarried readers- God put you on my heart this week- He sees you! I was reminded of a conversation I had with a friend of mine not long ago. She was a young unmarried woman and in a relationship with a young man from her church. We were talking about all sorts of things; but as is to be expected when two women start talking the subject turned to her relationship.  Specifically … SEX. Yeah. That’s right. I’m about to go there.

Ok, so my friend was young, but not a teenager; she was a Christian, but new to the faith; she had committed herself to purity going forward, but was not a virgin. Her relationship was getting serious and the question was beginning to gain in urgency … How far is too far?

She was getting frustrated because she felt the Bible was silent regarding her question. It’s easy to get caught up trying to make boundaries like, ‘kissing is okay but no tongue.’ or ‘It’s ok to lie down on the couch together, but not after midnight.’ or ‘Just nothing below the waist.’ But you have to realize that God really ‘gets’ us. He really knows our ins and outs and how, in the face of serious hormones and raging lust, we can figure out ways to stay within our ‘boundaries’ and yet get ourselves completely mired in impurity. Believe me I know. Been there, done that, had to repent. (No t-shirt though, that might get awkward)

But guess what?!! The boundaries are totally there, down to a tee, you just have to know where to look. (NOTE: Sadly, I can’t claim that I am the Queen of all Spirituality and Purity and found this on my own, I learned about it from Dean Sherman when I was in Youth With A Mission. He has a great book called ‘Love, Sex, and Relationships’ that is fan-TA-bulous and will blow your mind- buy it, read it, love it.)

Ok so where are these oh-so-very-clear boundaries? They are buried in a couple of really long words that most people read and then ignore because they have NO idea what they mean. But for the sake of this particular question here is the main one- Lasciviousness.

“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness.” Galatians 5:19

“And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.” 2 Corinthians 12:21

Uh-huh … so, what the heck does that mean? Well, we know that adultery and fornication are really big bad no-no’s and anything you need to repent from is probably a bad thing so we can draw the conclusion that lasciviousness is sin. The bible uses some really strong language when talking about it, even talking about it barring some from entering the Kingdom of Heaven, so this is not something we want to mess around with, am I right?! But again- what the heck does it mean? In order to find out the real depth of the word you have to get all scholarly and get into the Greek word; Dean Sherman does that beautifully, if you want to go all hardcore get his book, you won’t regret it. The super-un-technical-Melissa-definition is: ‘Lasciviousness is anything you intentionally do to build up any desire in another person or yourself that can’t be fulfilled and satisfied within God’s plan.’ Whoa. So think on that for a second. God is so freaking awesome. That’s relevant for any day and age, any culture, and any age person. There just isn’t any getting around that because God is looking to our motives and intentions.

So, a woman that does a scandalously sexy dance for her husband and prances around their room half-nekkid is totally fine because the desire she is igniting in her husband can be totally satisfied within the confines of God’s Plan. But the teen girl who is walking to her class with a little extra sway and a sexy smile for that boy watching her could be just as much in sin as the boy watching porn on the computer when no one is home. It all depends on the motive in her heart.

It’s also good news because for way too long young women have been forced to carry the burden of responsibility for what goes on in the minds of the young men around them. Too many times in the church, well meaning people place the burden of sexual purity solely on the young women they lead. Should women be conscious of how they dress and conduct themselves? Should we be modest? Of course! But if a girl is in submission to the authority in her life (such as her parents and the dress code at her school) and has no intention or motive in her heart to look ‘sexy’ and get boys to notice how ‘hot’ she is, then if a boy does look at her and think inappropriate thoughts and lust after her, she is blameless. It’s all about your motives.

It goes both ways. I’ll use myself as an example. My mother used to be SO frustrated when I was a teenager because she could never figure out how I could be wearing the same things she saw other girls wearing but somehow on me it just looked … inappropriate. I could be completely covered up, it didn’t matter how long my hem was or loose my shirts were. I always seemed indecent. It was because I had a spirit of lasciviousness on me. I wanted boys to notice me and maybe think I was sexy. I didn’t understand exactly what went on in guy’s heads, but I wanted attention and I was out to find it.

So back to the all-important question we all ask as teenagers or young adults- How far is too far? Anything you intentionally do that causes a desire in your boyfriend or fiancée that can’t be righteously satisfied is too far. Anything your boyfriend or fiancée does to stir up desires in you that can’t be fulfilled within God’s plan is too far. It might be different for you than it is for your friend, but chances are it doesn’t allow for much making out … Sorry, just the fact. The whole point of making out is to turn each other on physically, sounds like that falls into the category of too far, huh?

Our God is way too loving and wonderful to give us boundaries that don’t fully protect us, because that’s what it does. It protects you, his beloved daughter, who is priceless beyond all else.

If you are over the age of 25, you can probably remember life without cell phones and email. Those of us a little older and wiser than 20 somethings can even remember talking on telephones that were plugged into a wall and had a cord that connected the receiver to the base. (My parents were smart and installed an extra, extra long cord on our kitchen phone, which facilitated my sisters and I being able to hand wash dishes—no automatic dishwasher back then–and talk on the phone at the same time.) Way back in those days of corded phones when people actually answered their home phone and couldn’t screen their calls, a salesperson would call and ask, “Can I speak to the mother of the house?”

The telemarketer knew that the mother of the house makes many of the decisions about what products to buy and how the money is spent. They didn’t want to waste time talking to a non-decision maker. The mother of the house had and still has tremendous influence on her family.

In this post I want to borrow that phrase from the telemarketers and slightly modify it to say, “Can I speak to the lady of the house?” Can I speak to you about your influence? If you are not a mother or wife, I believe the principles still apply. If you are not a female, I hope I at least give you some food for thought. I don’t want to sell you anything. I simply want to remind you of the power of your influence.

Every single person on the planet has influence. Most of us desire to exert positive influence, but negative influence also happens. Even the most isolated person makes an impact on others because we are not born in a vacuum. What we do, how we act, and who we are affect the people around us in both good and bad ways. So whether you feel important or not, you do have influence. Whether you see the fruit of your influence or not, you are making ripples in other people’s ponds.

Not only do you have influence, but your influence is as unique as you are. No two thumbprints look exactly the same, and no two DNA’s match up identically, and no two people touch the same lives in exactly the same way. I can’t influence the same people as you, first of all because I don’t know everyone you know, and secondly because our personalities, beliefs, habits, interests, strengths and weaknesses are not all the same. Our lives find purpose in part in knowing that I am the only me that is me, and you are the only you that is you. I can’t help but marvel at the intelligence and greatness of our Creator to imagine and create the roughly 6 billion unique people alive today, much less all those who have lived before us. (See Psalm 139.)

Not only do you have influence, not only is your influence unique, but you can choose how you will spend your influence. Adolf Hitler cultivated influence then used it to annihilate a generation. Mother Teresa gained more influence every time she gave her life to those who couldn’t give back. Your sixth grade teacher chose to extend her influence by investing in young lives. You and I probably land with the teacher, somewhere between Hitler and Teresa, in how we impact others. But you never know where your choices will take you–Mother Teresa started out as a teacher!

Can I speak to the lady of the house?

You have influence.

Your influence is unique.

How will you spend your influence?

She turned the corner he saw her and his breathing stopped.  Her form was a silhouette against the stained glass behind her, when she moved forward his heart beat faster.  She was beautiful and she was giving herself to him today.  She glided down the aisle and the light illuminated her dress.  He could hardly wait for her to come to his side.  In a few moments he would lift the veil, and kiss the woman he loved.

The veil separated them, though it was only a sheer fabric.  It was enough to obscure his view.  They stood face to face, and still could not see each other the way that they would soon.  For a moment she felt fear; what would he feel when he sees her?  Then she rested in the fact that she spent the whole day, in some ways her whole life preparing for this moment.  As the veil lifted, He saw her face.  And she saw him. Looking in his eyes she saw herself, not as in a mirror, but in the look in his eyes.

The veil separates and obscures the view.  It hangs between the bride and the groom, waiting for the moment of unveiling.  The veil of the lovers’ ceremony is a visible picture of the veil we read about in Jesus’ own love story.  We read throughout the scriptures of this veil that obscures our view of reality.  And we think often of the day when the veil will be lifted, and we will see Him face to face.  But do we ever think of how He made it possible for the veil to be lifted?  Specifically, Jesus crossed over to our side of the veil first.

Jesus’ journey from heaven to earth spanned more than geography.  He moved from the realm of ultimate beauty into the things you most dislike about yourself.  The things we hope no one ever knows about us, He knew and, purposefully, lovingly stepped right into them.  The thing you are most ashamed of and most try to hide, even the thing that is most hidden to your eyes. He lifted the veil and entered in.

The thing that allows us to lift the veil and approach Him with confidence is the assurance that He already knows what is underneath.  And He finds us lovely.

Paul tells the Corinthian church that there is a veil over our heart when “Moses is read” and it is only removed when we turn to the Lord.  Does this mean we should avoid the Old Testament?  Certainly not.  Paul is referring to the Law.  In our world we must understand the law as a reference to our focus on external, human standards.  The Law is anything that provokes self-reliance and self-sufficiency.  It also provokes comparison.

Under the law we begin to measure ourselves and one another by external, temporary standards, we are blinded and this veil remains.  How do I look?  Am I performing well?  These kinds of questions provoke hiding.  Hiding our true condition and hiding our hearts.  We fear that someone may look past the surface, see the truth and reject us.  The veil provides a false sense of safety.  If others see dimly I may not be rejected.  When we read the law, measure by man’s standards of comparison we hide.

Now comes Jesus.  In case you did not know, it is worse behind your veil than you think.  Part of the effect of the veil is that it blinds even the one who wears it.  Behind your veil was more than a mess, it stinks.  The smell of death was there. Behind your veil are all the things you fear and more.

Without hesitation He plunged in.  Fully aware and with healing in His wings, He climbed behind the veil of His bride.  Not to point out flaws but to prepare her.  The bride fears that anyone might see behind the veil.  This was not just anyone, this was God, and He did not just see, he knew.  And He began to work.

Now look with me.

She turns the corner and His breathing stops.  As the two draw close, His heart beats faster.  He knows she is beautiful though she is wearing a veil He has seen her face before.  Finally, the two are face to face.  He reaches for the veil.  Her heart beats now.  She fears that when He sees her face, He will turn away.  She knows He is radiant and glorious.

But He spent His life preparing for this moment.  It is He who has been at work behind her veil, and she has no idea of all that has been accomplished.  She looks from behind the veil, afraid of the look in His eyes when He finally sees her face.  She feels a momentary wash of shame, and then He sees her unveiled.  She looks at Him and sees herself in His eyes.  Not as in a mirror, but she sees His response to her.  She is loved and cherished.  She rests in the fact that He sees her and looks pleased.

Bob Hamp is a our Recurring Special Guest and his full bio can be read on our About page.

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I have vivid memories of going to church camp.  Every summer my church would pack a bus load of youth for an 8 hour drive to a camp in Oklahoma. Some of my fondest memories of being a teenager come from these week long get-a-ways from reality as I knew it.  Though the design of these camps was for spiritual awakening, anyone who knows me won’t be surprised to know that I loved going for the fun. In particular, I loved the afternoon competitions that would happen between youth groups. You name it … volleyball, softball, relay races and my personal favorite, tug of war. This game, tug of war, always had an ending of one team, the losing team, being slathered in mud as the losing team members couldn’t pull hard enough or hold tight enough to their rope not to be pulled past the point of no return.  If you’ve ever played on the winning side you may remember the feeling of that final “heave-ho” your team gives that pulls the losing team into their final destination of a mud bath. The competitive nature in me always made sure I came out of this game clean and mud-free … (well, at least, that’s how I choose to remember it).

Recently I found myself playing a one-woman game of tug a war. As you can imagine, there was no way for me to come out of this without getting a little dirty! It wasn’t until I reached that point of no return, the part where I was loosening my grasp and loosing my footing that I became aware of this internal struggle going on inside of me. You see, this tug of war wasn’t between right and wrong, and it wasn’t even between good and evil. It was about my identity, purpose and calling versus my fears.

I can’t recall how many times in this tug of war I’ve had conversations with myself that would rival any court room. On one side  I have sufficient evidence that pursuing personal passions and interests has to be on hold as I tend to my most precious calling, that of wife and mother. As a rebuttal, I have a great argument that says God didn’t forget about his calling on my life when He chose me to take that great mantle of wife and mom to my amazing husband and children. Nevertheless, this debate continues as I point out to myself the great selfishness I must have in me to dare pursue dreams buried deep in my heart at the assumed cost of my children’s security, attention, and destiny. I felt there was no right answer and every time this argument began, it ended with a “hung jury”. This was until I realized that the opponent on the other side of my tug of war was fear … fear of the unknown, fear of failure and fear of man.

God spoke truth to my heart when he told me that His perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18) and that it would be the revelation of His deep love for me that would bring me peace. Fear is debilitating. It causes us to not move, to be stagnant. Let’s face it, when it comes to fearing the unknown … it’s true, we don’t usually get the luxury of being told everything in our future.

But don’t fear, because we know who holds the future and His plan for us is great (Jeremiah 29:11). It’s true that many roads to success have some failures along the way, but we’re told that each suffering or hardship we encounter produces perseverance (James 5:3). And the people pleaser in me knows all too well how the fear of man can feel like I’m in chains and destroys my joyful soul, but His word says that trusting in Him will keep me safe (Proverbs 29:25). He truly loves me with an indescribable love.

I believe the enemy wants to make us think that we all have “cookie cutter” destinies. He tries to convince us that if we are really hearing from God, we would be doing what other strong believers are doing, making the same choices about our jobs, children, life groups, schools, etc. Let that thought never take root in your heart! God is a very creative God. There is no end to His thoughtfulness of you as an individual. Yes it’s true, we are all made for one single purpose … to be worshippers and lovers of Him and with that comes the same heavenly destiny … eternity! But the method God uses to accomplish His purpose in us on this earth is completely different from one another. Never take lightly when His word tells us “before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart” (Jeremiah 1:10). His divine plan for you goes beyond laundry, grocery shopping, or long hours at the office. I love that nothing is wasted with God. So be encouraged that you’re not sitting around waiting for your destiny to happen as you muddle through changing countless dirty diapers, reviewing endless lists of spelling words, or waking up at insane hours for your job’s early shift. It’s all part of the big picture with God and nothing is wasted. It may not feel like destiny is taking place, but it is. You won’t miss one plan or blessing He has for you when you walk with Him and rely on His Spirit to guide you. Nothing is wasted, nothing! As I think back on my personal tug of war, I am grateful for hope. I love in Psalm 119:116 where David writes, “uphold me according to thy word that I may live and let me not be ashamed of my hope.” I have hope in God and I am not ashamed of it! He’s my one and only hope! This hope will destroy my fears, fill me with courage, and will remind me that though I am flawed, I am loved.

I am a work in progress. This journey isn’t wrapped up in a nice little package with a bow on top that says my struggle is over. My tug of war match has not completely ended, but my grasp is tighter, my footing is deeper and I see the look of surrender in the eye of my opponent, fear. I’m ready to give the final “heave-ho” and I believe I see a mud bath in its future.

Blynda believes that inside every woman is unbelievable potential and gifting. She loves being a part of God-moments when women discover the greatness each one has inside of them. She is energetic, fun and has never met a stranger. A favorite day for her is one filled with great friends and family, great food (preferrably prepared by someone other than herself) and great laughs! Blynda appears on “The Blessed Life” television show and is seen weekly on Gateway TV. She has been married to the love of her life, Todd, for 14 years, who is an Associate Senior Pastor at Gateway Church. She and Todd have three wonderful children, Olivia (9), Harrison (6) and Evelyn (3)…all of whom find her “fly through the air” acrobats on their trampoline very entertaining!

I’ll admit it! I’m sporadic in my love for journaling. I have a sacred place where I store a plethora of half filled personal journals I’ve collected over time. Every year I get a new one (I usually search till I find just the right one that expresses me) in high hopes that “this’ll be the year” that I become more consistent. So when I say the Lord lead me back to an old journal entry, know this mother of four didn’t have to dig through too much to find the dangerously powerful prayer that served as a catalyst to the greatest adventure of freedom and friendship I’ve ever known.

When I look back over the entry below I see truth, but nestled right in the midst of truth through new eyes … I see a lie. My heart was for God and for change but I was still striving in my own strength. Look back with me and see if you can see the lie too.

7/22/05   Written to God

Do I intend to be a good Mom or am I?

When I take inventory of my heart I’m full of good intentions. I intend to be a better wife, mother, friend, and spiritual person. It’s my heart to be this person but Lord it’s not always the person that manifests.

My question is: How do I get past good intentions and being/doing that which my heart desires?

I can say the power of the Holy Spirit. But I know it’s my choice, my responsibility to make changes, to challenge myself … with the empowerment of the Holy Spirit (His voice/His direction.)

He doesn’t just miraculously change me without the work. I have to surrender to the process.

Lord,

I surrender to the process … expose the yuckies in my heart that keep me a prisoner from my destiny … revisit all the dreams in my heart that have been buried because confidence has succumbed to pain. Let all my good intentions be the reality I desire … for Your glory … for the destiny of Caleb, Colsen, Hudson, and my marriage. Reveal ME to me beyond my deception and denial. Thank you Holy Spirit that it is only by your Spirit at work in my heart that I desire to be more set free and alive in you. I give all of me to you, the good and the not so good, to be transformed for your glory.

I love you Daddy! ~Your Ris

I love when I look back at this rendering of my heart to the Lord that it shows He  honors the sincere cries of our hearts regardless if our doctrines off.

The lie: “He doesn’t just miraculously change me without the work.” I kind of set myself up for loads of condemnation right there. I knew the following scripture but my heart didn’t know it to be true.

“And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is—free and undeserved.” Romans 11:6 (NLT)

The Truths: Yes I need the Holy Spirit and His empowerment. Yes I need to surrender to “the process”, which is truly the school of the Holy Spirit because it’s the Holy Spirit that makes me holy, not me.

“I am a special messenger from Christ Jesus to you Gentiles. I bring you the Good News so that I might present you as an acceptable offering to God, made holy by the Holy Spirit.” Rom. 15:16 (NLT)

It’s NOT what I can DO … it’s what HE has DONE that makes change possible and there is grace for all the folly on the way to the change we desire called grace. And grace comes by and through the Holy Spirit’s deep heart revelation of what Christ did at the cross.

When this was written in 2005 I was a mom of three young boys all about 18 months apart (3yrs., 2yrs., and 3mo.). We planned it on purpose and knew what television was, despite popular belief .  Becoming a Mom was a dream come true to me. With my dream I also had a lot of ideas of how I was going to do things differently then how I grew up. How my kids would be so well behaved because I would follow all the biblical principles to a tee. You see where this is going fast, don’t you? It didn’t take long after my first son was born that I saw that little gleam in his eyes with a mischievous grin as he threw his toy off his highchair after I said no. I swatted his little hands and went on to swat more little hands as we added each year a new addition to our family. My life had been full of years of pregnancy, breast feeding, sleepless nights, potty training, child training, disciplining and all this with little heart knowledge of grace. I would hear about grace and think that sounds fabulous, give me some of that, but didn’t know how to receive it. I knew all the rules and thought I was a failure as a Mom if I couldn’t keep them. I was convinced my children would turn out a wreck if I couldn’t get them to keep them.  Needless to say, I had little grace for myself, my husband, and my children because I hadn’t received grace, I couldn’t give it.

And then …

In 2006 I went to a ladies life group through my church and my leader began teaching on the Holy Spirit. I was holding back tears as something was jumping up and down on the inside saying, “This is it! This is the answer to all my questions!” I listened like my life depended on it and looking back it really did. The life in God full of power to do right, to be all that was in my heart was being unwrapped like a present before me. It was a free gift and an invitation to walk in intimate friendship with God.

I had received the Holy Spirit at the same time I received Jesus as my savior alone in my Uncle and Aunt’s bathroom. After confessing my sin and receiving his forgiveness I felt something on the inside, I had prior knowledge and I knew it was the gift of speaking in tongues. I prayed to the Lord to make me not afraid of it and in faith I began speaking in tongues. So I knew about the Holy Spirit and had amazing testimonies of His power and leading in my life at Bible College and during mission trips. I started having children and started relying on my head knowledge instead of being led by the Spirit. Somewhere along the way I tucked Him away in that same sacred place full of half filled journals. Because by all means I had been trained for this, I had memorized all the parenting scriptures, attended every parenting workshop and life group, and even positioned myself around great parents from whom I could glean parental wisdom. None of that in itself was bad, it’s just that I made law of it in my heart and I couldn’t keep it. The enemy was having a hay day condemning me that I couldn’t be innately who I wanted to be without the “trying” so hard.  I loved God and to the best of my ability was living for Him but at the same time I was drowning and losing a little piece of me in every struggle to be a “good wife,” and a “good mom”.

I was beat down by lies that day at life group when the leader began sharing about the Holy Spirit. How the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Grace and by grace and fellowship with the Holy Spirit we walk in grace. I remember leaving group that day and while driving away in my car saying to the Holy Spirit, “I’ve missed you, please come back in my life and with power. I love you and I need you. I can’t do this anymore without You and I don’t want to.”

Shortly after I started going to a Spirit led prayer group and began praying in the Spirit at home making a place for God in my life instead of trying to follow all His rules without Him. I would pray in tongues in the car on the way to Walmart, yes with my kids listening. I would tell them Mommy doesn’t know what to pray but the Spirit of God knows what to pray and He prays the best prayers for all of us (Rom. 8:27-29).  It’s never freaked them out and they have never thought twice about it.

I began hearing the Holy Spirit speak to me daily during our prayer times. These are some of the things He would say to me as grace took hold of my heart:

• You don’t have to strive, because you never arrive, you always become and are becoming who I’ve called you to be.
• You don’t have to be perfect … that’s my job … aren’t you relieved.
• I count your shame as my treasure, don’t be afraid to give it to me … I died for it.
• I will make every ugly place beautiful in it’s time
• So you fell, get up and shake it off and follow me.
• Your destiny will always be greater than the opinions of those around you. Stop listening to them … listen to me.
• Give yourself permission to be who you want to be in Me … I have.

That’s just a few. The Holy Spirit has been so incredibly gracious to me to love me in spite of me. That love overflows in tangible grace to others. My husband will tell you I’m a different person because CHANGE started happening on the inside of me and I couldn’t contain it. As I saw to the Holy Spirit, making place for Him in my life, listening to His voice and obeying, He began to see to everything that concerned me. He gave me great favor with my husband and children. I’ll never be perfect, my house may never be perfectly clean, I’ll blow it, my kids will blow it (maybe even in front of you ), but I’m ok with that because His grace covers me and teaches me to be more like Him everyday. I don’t have to arrive … I just have to become.

So maybe your like me who felt like Little Red Riding hood on her way to Grandma’s house with a basket full of good intentions and when the wolf came to deceive you, your good intentions only went so far and you were left feeling condemned.

It’s time to fill our baskets with His power and overcome the enemy’s deception. His power reveals truth and exposes lies, like the lie I believed and wrote in my journal years ago. What lies have snuck their way into your heart and kept you from the fullness of life God has for you? Ask God to reveal them. Do you feel like your drowning in a whirlpool of condemnation? Let the heart revelation of His grace rescue you.

The Holy Spirit comes to offer His friendship where daily He exposes lies as you open your heart before Him. He replaces lies with the truth that brings freedom.  Change that seemed so hard begins to become a natural byproduct that flows from this friendship, the kind of change you couldn’t produce if you tried.  I know. I’ve lived it.

Does this kind of life sound too good to be true … It’s NOT! It’s as simple as asking for it.

Holy Spirit,

I invite you into my heart. Get all up in my heart Holy Spirit and make yourself comfortable … make it your home. Let the width of your arms hug and cover any pain or lack and fill it with yourself. Do what your good at … expose lies and set free every lame way in me with your truth. I have believed that You are good and now I choose to believe You are good to me! Lead me to all truth and everything you have for me. Fill every empty place with a heart revelation of your love for me that I may know the tangibility of your grace and may grace anchor me to see your faithfulness in every area of my life.

With ALL my heart and in JESUS name … AMEN!!!

If you know the Holy Spirit like this already, share Him with others. This kind of Spirit led life and freedom is contagious. There is nothing like good intentions being swallowed up by grace.

I think a red carpet just got laid out and a new you gets to walk down it! Here’s to kicking good intentions to the curb and Holy Spirit life makeovers!

Written with you in mind and GREAT love,

This blog is dedicated to my best friend the Holy Spirit, my son Colsen who always extends me great grace, and to my friend H who recently received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, who’s faith to step out from what she has known gave me the courage to write this piece.

If you’ve never been taught about the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Holy Spirit you can use the link below to learn more.

RESOURCES:

A free study guide on The Holy Spirit by Jack Hayford

If I could read your resume, what would I find?

The resume I’m referring to is not the typical job-searching tool where the shining moments of your years of schooling, employment successes and extra-curricular experiences are documented for a random person to decide whether or not you fit the bill for the position they’re offering.  I’m asking about your ‘life resume’ … the diary of your life story?

Would I read about a childhood filled with laughter and love or one tainted with abuse, neglect, abandonment or divorce?

Would I discover a teenager whose life was brimming with friends, Friday night football games and yearbook memories or a lonely soul who found it difficult to connect with those around you; one who spent too many nights dreaming of what it would be like to ‘just fit in’?

If I turned the page and scrolled down to your young adult years, would your words tell the story of a twenty-something enjoying the new found freedom of adulthood and a barely tamed enthusiasm for the years about to unfold? Or would a season unravel before my eyes of aimless wandering, of searching for purpose, or worse … a tragic event you never saw coming that pushed you onto a path that would change the course of your life for too many years?

Under the section marked ‘Dreams’, would I scan through a list of check-marked hopes fulfilled or be caught off guard by dried tearstains on a blank page?

Would there be decisions you wish you could have a second chance to make? Would there be moments where choice was removed and someone else’s will was forced upon you? Would your life be littered with ‘if only’s’, or would you be one of those lucky few who made it through, barely scathed by life’s hurdles?

Almost a year ago, my best friend and I were having a conversation that took an unexpected turn; a turn that caused us to consider the impact life has had on the people we know. What was unveiled in that discussion was a question that wrote itself on my heart: If I could read your resume what would I find, and what would it tell me about who you are and why you are who you are today?

You see, as adults, I believe most of us have a tendency to look at the people around us—the ones whose resumes we haven’t been given access to—and assume that the life they’ve lived is what we like to imagine.  A life that hasn’t been scarred by brokenness or tragedy but instead filled with sweet memories, visions of sugar plums and a family life that played out like the Cleavers instead of one of our current reality TV families.

But, what I’ve discovered, more often than not, is that most people have lived through at least one soul-scarring event, if not multiple events; and these situations, whether an occurrence of choice or force, inherently change people, shape their perspectives and alter their ability to cope or adapt.

Consider this:

When you’re getting to know a new girlfriend, do you instantly discern the heartache of miscarriage or barrenness in her eyes as you announce your latest pregnancy or introduce her to your newborn baby? Or do you translate her lack of enthusiasm as disinterest or, even worse, rudeness?

Is it second nature for you to see past the standoffish body language of the man or woman who’s uncomfortable with a hug for a greeting, or even a touch from you on the shoulder, into their dreaded nights of sexual abuse at the hand of a parent or trusted family member? Or do you instead secretly judge them as incapable of “normal” affection or, worse yet, take their cue as a personal affront to your kindness?

Do you see the scars left from months of cutting on a young girl’s arm, or the frail frame of one with an eating disorder, and automatically categorize them as people who just can’t cope with life like the rest of us? Or do your thoughts wonder about the damage that’s taken place to the soul of this child that forces an outward manifestation?

When your spouse reacts in anger to something you said that wouldn’t ruffle you in the slightest, do you instantly push back thinking, “How dare you respond to me that way?” Or do you see through the anger into the crushed heart of a young boy whose father daily beat him to a pulp with his words, and now he merely reacts to a defensive trigger that was placed there long ago?

Or maybe even the issue that God revealed to my heart in the midst of this conversation with my friend:

My husband and I have both been previously married. Our past relationships ended under very different circumstances but left both sets of kids as products of divorce. My ex-husband abandoned our family, and I ended up with full custody of our kids. He has never been a part of their lives since he left, and I have never had to live the “normal” custody situation of a “typical” divorce.  My husband, on the other hand, got the “typical” custody arrangement of most fathers where mothers are intact and healthy … every other weekend and one weeknight visit per week.

We had been married just over two years last summer when God showed me an area in our marriage for which I had little compassion.  I was viewing my husband’s situation through the filter of my custody arrangement and not the most current addition to his life resume.

Did you notice that I tagged the custody and divorce situations as both normal and typical? Did that strike you as odd? Until that fateful conversation last year, those words were commonplace to me.  My epiphany came through the revealed knowledge that there is nothing normal or typical about divorce and/or child custody arrangements. As much as our society has accepted divorce, and kids as products of divorce, as customary and even expected, the emotional toll that is exacted on the spouses, and to an even greater degree on their children, is severe. I’ve never met a divorced person who stepped into their marriage with the hope or expectation that it would someday end. And no matter what anyone says, no divorce is amicable. It is heartache at its greatest because it’s the breaking of a covenant that’s supposed to be life-long.

On the flip side of that coin, I’ve also never met a parent who wished that they would one day face life with a “normal” wait time of twelve days before the kids they formerly spent every day with would finally be able to spend the night at their “second” home.  Yet, here’s a thought many people have on this: “Well, they chose to end their marriage. Isn’t that the price you pay when making a decision like that?” Let’s remember, while many marriages may fall into that category, not all do—mine didn’t.  And regardless if it does, I don’t believe Jesus looks at the non-custodial parent’s heart and says, “Oh well. You get what you deserve.” I believe He grieves even more because He knows the heartache that is now, what is yet to come and what may never become “normal”.

God, in His mercy, pierced my heart with a compassion I had never known or tried to understand. How could I not hurt for the heart of my husband who had stepped into the full-time role of Dad to Teighlor and Alec as naturally and whole-heartedly as he did with his biological children; yet is reminded daily of the girls we only have a couple hours one night per week and, overnight, two out of every fourteen days? Did I ever stop to think how I would feel if that was as often, or little, as I saw my own biological children? No. And I never had to because I was never placed in that situation myself.

On the contrary, I expected him to just adapt to his custody arrangement. I expected him not to miss his girls, not to yearn for them, because … well, isn’t that what’s supposed to eventually take place?  My heart had adapted to abandonment and divorce.  His heart had adapted to divorce, also.  Wouldn’t he eventually adapt to daily life without his girls?  I hadn’t even considered the fact that I had never lived his heartache. My heart was reminded of the fact that I am blessed beyond measure to be a full-time, home school mom.  How could I not empathize with him when I could admit that my heart ached for Teighlor and Alec when they were gone four, whole days at summer camp. What a blind hypocrite I was. But God, in His mercy, removed the veil from my eyes and showed me His heart, and Anthony’s heart, for what I ignorantly viewed as “normal” and “typical”.

I went home and, in tears, apologized to my husband for never putting myself in his shoes, for viewing his custody agreement as “normal” and for placing an expectation on his heart that never belonged there. We prayed together, and I asked God to remove my blinders; to change me so that compassion would naturally flow to my husband even though I would never fully understand a heartache I had never lived through myself.

Everyone has a life story, and most people will have at least one section of that resume that was heartbreaking or maybe even tragic enough to dramatically change who they were originally designed to be by our Father in Heaven.

Next time you engage someone in conversation and there’s an awkwardness to it; or you go to give someone a hug who shies away out of discomfort; or hear the anger in your spouse’s voice that you don’t understand; or see a woman emotionally distance herself from your pregnancy news; or catch a glimpse of the girl’s scarred arm; or see the clothes hang on another girl’s frame … pause and ask God for an outpouring of compassion for what you may not understand because you have never walked a mile in their shoes.

Each and every one of us has a life resume. Jesus came to free us from the bondage that yokes us to our past. I believe in freedom because I’ve lived through it myself. But, I also know that there are still pieces of me that are tied to past scars and locked to triggers I have yet to define.  Freedom is a process.  Until we all can say that we are free indeed, I want to always be aware of the life resumes that I don’t have access to, so that compassion, not judgment, will be evident to the heart of the one whose resume is still being rewritten by the love of Jesus Christ.

In Matthew 10:1-8, Jesus called His disciples together and gave them these instructions, “Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of God is near. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received.”

Before you click away because you are thinking this is another lofty teaching about healing, give God’s word another chance to transform your mind. For some reason we have no problem quoting and believing the part of this same passage where Jesus says, “Look I am sending you out as sheep among wolves.” Now that is something we can all relate to. We’ve been the lone Christian in the work place, the only one “not doing it” in our public high school, or maybe even the missionary smuggling Bibles into a closed country. But we have a hard time believing we can heal the sick! “Besides”, you might argue, “isn’t that scripture talking to the twelve disciples who are already dead?”

If you read Luke 10, the same story written by another person, you will discover that Jesus gave these instructions to 72 disciples, not just the 12 who were closest to Him.  My point is this: we have been missing out on so many good gifts that the Father wants to give us simply because we refuse to receive His word with completely open hearts.

“Give as freely as you have received”. We have prayed for the sick to be healed, but then we add the disclaimer, “if it is your will”. We would rather explain away things like healing and deliverance or just skip over it in the word rather than be so bold as to receive it in our heart as truth.

I spent the first thirty some years of my life living like a spiritual orphan. I believed I was going to heaven because I received Jesus, but all that other stuff was for the truly godly ones, you know, the people behind the pulpits traveling around the world and writing books. I told myself that I was prideful if I ever dared to ask God for anything more. And yet my desire is to give my own children all that I have and more. I love baking them cookies because they think I’m the greatest baker. When they are sick there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to see them get better. I love to tell them how proud I am of them, even to just watch them grow and learn is my greatest delight.  And I am not so unlike my heavenly Father in this way.

Something changed in me when I began to really pursue God whole-heartedly.  I had a new revelation of His love untainted by religion. I pressed through my fear and religious beliefs one day after reading in 1 Corinthians 14:1, “Let love be your highest goal! But you should also desire the special abilities the Spirit gives-especially the ability to prophesy.”  There it was in black and white; the word of God telling me that I should desire these things and especially to prophesy because it strengthens and encourages and comforts others. That doesn’t sound prideful or selfish. So, awkwardly I muttered out a simple prayer asking God to give me the ability to prophesy because that’s what the Bible told me I should do. And, yes I received His word and gift freely, and therefore I have been able to freely give.

Have you found yourself skipping over passages in the Bible that seem too good to be true? What gift has your Father offered to you that you have rejected?  Maybe it’s love or forgiveness of sin.  Or maybe you are like I was and you just can’t believe that God would choose to move in a powerful way through you to minister to someone else. I assure you that He wants to equip you with everything you need to demonstrate His love and compassion to the lost and hurting just like Jesus and the disciples. Sometimes that may be an encouraging word, other times it may be to extend God’s healing touch to the sick. Whatever the need calls for, He has the answer. All we have to do is freely receive His word, His promises and trust Him in it.  “These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages.  They will be able to handle snakes with safety and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.” Mark 16:17-18.  This was the last thing Jesus said to the disciples before He was taken up to heaven and just after He gave the great commission. None of us will argue that we are to “go into all the world and preach the gospel, but we skip over the “frosting”.

I pray that today you would set aside all that you have been taught, all of your fears, inadequacies, and insecurities. Get alone with just you and your compassionate Father and ask Him to reveal the truth to you as you read what He has to say as if you were the only one in the world He wrote it for. Let it change your mind. Be transformed. Just receive.

It’s amazing what you forget about elementary English grammar until you try to teach a child how to spell, and then you come across an exception and tell them the rule only to be asked, “why”. That happened to me only last week as we were studying for the 3^rd grade spelling bee. Some of the words I couldn’t even pronounce, so I skipped those and went to the “easy” ones since we had about 500 words to study.  We got to the section that had receipt, deceit, conceived, etc. So with a matter-of-fact voice I said to my 9-year old daughter, “These are all easy if you remember that “i” is always before “e” except after “c” and there is something about an “n” or an “s””.  Blink.  Blink, blink, blink.  Don’t ask, I thought, “Please don’t ask.”  But of course, being mine, she said,  “Why mom?  What does all that mean?  And who said so?”  Uuggghhhhhh!  The dreaded questions that every mom should know the answers to but I sure didn’t.  So much for my theory about it’s all in how you sell it. She wasn’t buying it.

After a brief conversation with myself that included a lot of mumbling, I dismissed my daughter and told her we would pick it up later.  I needed to think. I tried to go back to my usual task of being me and doing what I do, but I was stumped.  Gripped really, by the presence of the Holy Spirit and His voice saying to me, “This is no different than every other concept you are trying to teach your kids about holiness and godliness and relationship, except for your answer.”  My answer. My answer.  What was my answer?  Oh yeah, I didn’t really have one for her.  Anything had to be better than that big mom- mess-up for an answer I gave.  And that’s where we left it because I was trying to remember the rule about the “n” and the “s”, and trying to figure out, who makes this crazy stuff up anyway?

Later that evening, I asked my husband if I could take a “pass” on our family dinnertime (gasp), I know, to go for a run.  Running is a lot of things to a lot of people, but for me it’s open forum question and answer time with the Lord.  Knowing this, my wonderful husband said, “have a great time”, and off I went with all the gusto I could muster after the day of unanswered questions I had lived.  It wasn’t even a mile before I heard the Lord speak to me: “grace”. Now we have had this conversation before, almost daily since I came into the Kingdom actually, but I immediately knew that grace was the answer to the question I couldn’t answer earlier.  It was the answer to everything I was trying to teach my kids and evidenced by everything I have lived myself.  You see there are rules, commandments, denominations, traditions and even opinions that will tell you how and why things need to be done in a certain manner. There are books on every topic from understanding any rule, law or bill to praying effectively, fasting correctly, and parenting to achieve the next Nobel-prize winner.  But then, there is the amazing gift that can only be taught in the heart by the Master Himself, grace.

As I ran, I began to picture in my mind how grace is the answer. Actually, grace is not the answer but the exception to any and every rule, and the most powerful exception I could ever teach to my kids.  But unlike the “i” before “e” rule, I could explain why, what it means, and Who said so.  Grace is the forgiveness that came when the Bible says God hates divorce and I ended up divorced.  Grace is the delay that mysteriously happened when I wanted to blurt out to my friend that the choices she was making were not God’s best for her, but instead I smiled politely and began to pray for His sovereignty. Grace is the love I was able to show when I came face to face with an old friend that had caused me some serious hurt in the past and instead of ugly being my option, I was suddenly able to hold a conversation with her and realize it wasn’t a fake response.  Grace is the piece of chocolate cake that every friend celebrating her birthday in January eats without guilt during a church-wide fast. Grace is the exception to the world’s rule when dealing with my enemies.  Grace is the exception when sin and bad decisions had me cornered in a place of despair and suddenly God gave me a second chance for a family, a marriage and a child.  Grace is the noun that operates like a verb.  Grace is only from God, can be understood only with faith and is the reason my life is not a disastrous mess!

What a great answer to every question pertaining to life and godliness; grace.  I ran home with tears mixed with sweat on my face feeling relieved, loved and redeemed. I felt stronger now with this recent revelation of this very relevant interpretation of grace, and I felt equipped to take on motherhood again.  Admittedly, sometimes being a mother and walking with that responsibility daily overshadows my higher call to serve as an ambassador for Christ.  Instead of mumbling and grunting under my breath I have to remember that every thing has an exception and I am not going to know every one or the source from which it comes.  Except for Jesus. I fully understand the life His blood bought and the grace in which I walk.

I recognize that it would be easier to walk with my kids and teach them the Bible in black and white, the rules that can’t be broken, the colleges they can choose to attend and the characteristics and talents they must have to win the highest prize in the land.  But I think I’d much rather show them those things along with a measure and understanding of grace.  I want them to live the life that can be created and the faith that results in choosing the path of grace over the path of a life with only man-made exceptions. At least that decision I can understand and explain with great passion.  Now as for the “i” before “e” thing, that’s a whole other story …

2 Corinthians 1:12 (New Century Version)

This is what we are proud of, and I can say it with a clear conscience: In everything we have done in the world, and especially with you, we have had an honest and sincere heart from God. We did this by God’s grace, not by the kind of wisdom the world has.

Self-disciplined begins with the mastery of your thoughts. If you don’t control what you think, you can’t control what you do. Simply, self-discipline enables you to think first and act afterward.

~Napolean Hill

My friend and I were talking the other day about our thought life. We were discussing the effect our thoughts and our thinking have on how we live our lives. It really got me thinking. How many times have we said things like, “This is just too hard” or “There is no way I can do all of this” or “I just don’t think I can do one more thing”. What do you suppose would happen if every time we had a negative thought, we ran to Gods Word to see what He thinks about it? For example: “I just can’t do this”. Ok, God’s Word says ‘I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength (Phil. 4:13)’. Ok, what about this one: “I just don’t think I can go on” Psalms 28:7 says ‘the Lord is my strength and my shield.’ Or we read in 2 Cor.12:10 ‘When I am weak He is strong.’

Proverbs 4:23 states, “ Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” The “heart” includes the mind and all that proceeds from it. Do you ever catch yourself saying things like “my house is always a mess.” “I am always late.” “I never have enough time.” I will never loose this weight.” “My husband will never change.” While these are seemingly innocent comments, they actually begin to take root in our lives. “As a man thinks in his heart so is he” (Prov.23:7).

I have to tell you, I have always considered myself to be an extremely positive, optimistic person. I’ll be the first person to encourage someone to never give up and fight the good fight. But recently God has been showing me some of my own inner self-talk. Little stuff that just creeps in my head like, “no, that won’t work.” Or “I’ll never find time to do what I really want to do”. How about this one: “I already know I’m going to be so tired this week”. Hello! I didn’t even realize that I was programming my mind for failure before I ever gave God a chance to work in my life! Can I get a witness?!

How radical do you think our lives would change if we decided to line up our thoughts and our words with Gods Word? 2 Corinthians 10:5 says, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” I love that. Demolish arguments. Demolish means to destroy; to destruct. That means to destroy and destruct those arguments in our minds. Take captive means to catch and forcefully hold. We are called to ‘catch’ and ‘forcefully hold’ EVERY thought and make it obedient to Christ (His Word).

I encourage you to keep a notebook; I am personally a huge fan of journaling. Every time you catch yourself thinking or mumbling or saying something negative, go straight to Gods word. Demolish that thought, catch it and forcefully destroy it in your mind. Write in your notebook the negative that was in your head and then write what Gods Word says about it. And meditate on Gods Word. Meditate means to plan in the mind. You must be intentional regarding Gods Word. Plan it (mediate on it).

Have you ever met someone who could walk into a room and make the whole room light up? They seem to be filled with joy bubbling over. I mean just think about it. What if you walked around saying (meditating) on these scriptures- I am the head and not the tail. I am above and not underneath (Duet 28:13), I am blessed going in and blessed coming out (Duet. 28:6). I have the favor of God on my life (Ps.90:17), The Lord has anointed me for such a time as this (Is.61:1), The joy of the Lord is my strength (Neh. 8:10b), I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength (Phil. 4:13). I have a feeling you would be bubbling over too!

This week ask the Lord to show you thoughts that are not from Him. Write them down. Challenge those thoughts with Gods Word. You need to know whose thoughts those are that you’re listening to. 1st Peter 5:8-9 says “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” Girlfriends, he will not have the opportunity to devour your life if you meditate on Gods Word instead of believing the lies of the enemy. All I have to say is “satan watch out”, because Gods girls + Gods Word = Gods Power in your life! His Word is truth. His Word is powerful and His Word in your spirit will bring transformation in your life!

Paul in Philippians 4:8 gives a guideline of what we are to do with our thoughts, and how we are to apply them to our lives, causing results–positive results–that the Lord can and will use. “Finally, brothers (sisters ), 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.” Take captive every thought and you will be free to serve God with all your heart and all your mind. Amen!