Not At This Address!

When we moved to our new house, we still received various envelopes that were addressed to previous residents. My husband told me to simply strike out the address and write, "NOT AT THIS ADDRESS" and put it back in the mail box.

While writing this routinely on an envelope this week, I felt the Holy Spirit nudge me that this is what we must do when the enemy sends us messages to discourage us. It is easy to receive this spiritual strategy when you are in a season of jubilee and celebration, but if you are really going through it, it takes a greater humility to act on this.

Most all Christians are familiar with James 4:7, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

I remember hearing this passage years ago, but for a long time, had no idea exactly how to do this. When I hear the Word of God, I want to know how it can benefit in my life in Christ practically. I actually recently took an in-depth personality test administered by my sister Marnie who is a Certified Myers Briggs Practitioner. The test revealed that how I take in information was dead center on practical (pragmatic/results-oriented) vs. conceptual (scholarly, idea-oriented). This is probably the reason I tend to ask a lot of questions!

When we submit ourselves to God, our heart cries out from the very depths for our tremendous need for Him.  Deep guttural groans are prayers, too! This is part of humility when we empty ourselves and let God fill us up with His love, His righteousness, and His order.

I love to raise up the Word as the sword of the Spirit and speak scriptures out loud in prophetic victory. I do declarations often and these words help to frame my thoughts and my day. After faithfully doing this, though, I still felt uneasy. I thought...hmmm? What could I possibly be missing? The Holy Spirit spoke to my heart, Isaiah 40:31. I looked it up:

"but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."

Oh...yes! Holy Spirit put the finger on the problem and the solution at the same time by the Spirit of Knowledge. I love to run with the Word but He gently reminds me that it is His strength and power that keeps me, not my own. I simply wait for the manifestation of His Word to come to pass. I praise Jehovah Sabaoth, The Lord of Hosts...the God of the Angel Armies who works on my behalf to rescue me from my afflictions as He heeds my cry. I know His word is true and my heart can be instilled with confidence by the truth found in Psalm 138:2:

"I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth; for thy hast magnified thy word above thy name."

When we submit to God, we fear the Lord above the idols we made in our hearts (this takes great humility...you cannot do this in your own strength and must ask God for more grace!). We acknowledge that God is the one true Living God. Worry cannot save us. Fear cannot save us. Our own strength cannot save us. Our triumphant achievements cannot save us. Jesus is the one who saves, delivers, heals, restores, and prospers. It is only by His unfailing love, His unfailing righteousness, and His unfailing strength. He is Faithful and True! Remember it is His New Covenant and He is our Mediator!! PRAISE GOD!

Once we acknowledge these truths, we can be armed to resist the devil. Let him know that you have changed addresses. Our house is owned by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The joy of the LORD is our strength! The devil always starts with a thought...It could be a thought of doubt, a thought of condemnation or accusation, a thought of fear or worry, a thought of feeling unloved, a thought based in the spirit of performance or comparison to others...whatever the thought is RESIST!!

Remember these thoughts, if allowed to grow, develop into strongholds that will carry you into captivity! We are told in 2 Corinthians 10:5:

"We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,"

Desire to seek His face afresh and let the simplicity of the Gospel renew a right spirit within you. Ask God to let His Word be the sledgehammer that annihilates any man-made thought structures that war against the truth and power of the Gospel and your growth in Him.  Ask God to uproot any doctrinal error that you have embraced that is keeping you from life more abundantly. You will be surprised at the volumes of vain imaginations and worldly wisdom we daily entertain that impedes our growth in Jesus Christ!

The devil operates through veils of deception and seeks whom he may devour. Start re-routing His messages. You are not in relationship with the devil; you belong to Jesus Christ! Start praising God! Jesus is LORD and the devil is a defeated foe. Let the redeemed of the LORD SAY SO! Worship God knowing that HE is the Author and Perfecter of your faith.

When you resist the devil, don't forget to wait on the Lord to renew your strength. Just as you place a letter in the mailbox to return to sender, you must wait on the postal service to pick it up. Once you have obeyed God's voice, rest in the full assurance that He is your loving Heavenly Father and is faithful to perform His word in your life. Enjoy your current residence!

Psalm 84:10, "For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness."

Meeting Jesus at Stein Mart

Yesterday I wore the shoes of the disciple Peter. Not the Peter who courageously stepped onto liquid walkways by solid faith (I wonder if he did have on shoes then?). I was the disciple who never thought I would deny Him and yet was truly shocked to the core when I actually did.

Somehow we as humans have this uncanny ability to separate what we say we believe from practical reality (Google hypocrisy). Satan deceives us by making us believe that the thousands of split-second decisions we make throughout the day are up to us. I realize now that Jesus often knocks on the door of our hearts through the people He places in front of us.

My mom and I had a delightful morning shopping the sales at Stein Mart (P.S. The sale lasts through Sunday, May 14). While thumbing through the racks, a young woman approached me and said she had a question to ask me (my mind was prepared to offer a quick thumbs up or thumbs down on an outfit contender). To my surprise, she said that she was parked outside and needed money for gas. She said, “I am not a crazy person or anything, I just need gas money.”

You know that moment when your mind has the capacity to hold three different coherent thoughts all at the same time? These were mine:

1) This sounds like a classic textbook scam.

2) But she seems like she really is a nice person.

3) I do not have any cash on me.

Needless to say, I would not be featured on an episode of The Kindness Diaries. Although I did not have any cash on me, obviously I had my credit card with me, as my cart was filled with “fabulous finds.” Just in case thought #1 was true, I still had a few walls up. I felt like I had nothing to offer her, and yet still wanted to offer her something. She did appear genuine.

I told her my name, reached over and hugged her as I quietly offered, “God bless you.” I asked her if she would be around the store, she said she would…I continued to shop but could not shake her from my mind or heart.

As I was in check-out line, she found me and came over and said, “Thank you for being nice to me…something will work out.” All I could think to do in that moment was to hug her and speak blessings over her again. She walked out to the parking lot.

I am naturally a very reflective person, so I started to ponder the multi-faceted nature of the situation. I felt the question arise in me, “What if she really is a scammer…would you withhold your blessing or be kind anyway?”

My thoughts reached deep inside my heart and dug up the last eight words of Luke 6:35, “...He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.”

With new resolve, I discussed the situation with my mom. She had a little cash on her so we decided to give her some money anyway if we could find her…not much…a $5 bill….we prayed that Jesus would help us locate her if that is what we were meant to do. We asked Jesus to speak to us and give us clarity. We weaved through the parking lot, but could not find her.

Sprouts was just across the road and we both thought we spotted her walk in…my mom stayed in the parking lot and I darted in with a folded $5 bill tucked in my purse. I was on a mission. My mom waved her arms frantically for me to come back. “The lady that walked into Sprouts had a dress on,” she noted, “I think I remember the lady in Stein Mart had shorts on. Go in anyway just in case…”

As I headed back into Sprouts, I look over my shoulder and my mom was close behind…She piped up, “What if this lady is part of a scam circle or something worse…what am I doing sending my daughter in alone?” (My mom loves me…LOL!)

As I walked in, I saw the lady up closer and confirmed that it was definitely not her. This lady had curly hair, and the woman in Stein Mart had longer straight hair.

Droopy-shouldered, I left with regret. Condemnation began to creep into the corners of my heart. I should have done something when I had the chance…I felt like, what good was I? She had a material need and I did not meet it…more verses popped into my mind, but this time they were rooted in accusation…

James 2:16, “If one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?”

Matthew 25:42, “For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,”

I felt like I had somehow failed a supernatural test. And then, I was instantly reminded of how Jesus still loved me anyway.

When I boast three times that I will never deny him….He still loves me anyway.

When the cock crows through the clouds of confusion…He still loves me anyway.

When the Light of the Omniscient shines through my dark deficiencies…He still loves me anyway.

Jesus somehow still trusted Peter and me and broken members of His body across the globe with the keys to His kingdom and He still loves us anyway.

As the day was wrapping up, my mom mentioned that she was cleaning and found a poem that Marnie (my sister) wrote back in college. I asked to read it. As she was about to hand it to me, she gasped as the significance of the title grabbed her heart, “It is called I’m Hungry.”

Marnie wrote the poem as a part of a classroom assignment back in 1996. It was a narrative poem that described a real-life encounter she and a group of friends had with a disheveled man in faded blue jeans. All he said was, “I’m hungry.” It was a parallel account of exactly what happened to us just hours earlier. Same story just different characters. She expressed the swirl of emotions and thoughts that tangle through your innermost being when a stranger approaches you out of the blue. She fed him anyway. She was convinced that compassion must always weigh more than fear.

This was the theme. This was the message. This was the answer that arrived in the form of a poem after my mom and I joined hands to pray for clarity that day.

To be a carrier of the Gospel we must never forget the truth that we are all hungry. To truly see God, we must have a pure heart and see people through His eyes. Jesus saw Israel when he was still Jacob. Jacob, perhaps the biggest scam artist of history, whose name means supplanter or deceiver. Jacob stole the blessing, but the blessing could not be revoked.

When we extend our forearms to our Heavenly Father, we are painfully aware of the guilt, the shame, and the trickery. We see the skins of deception still attached to us when we hold out our arms, yet crave the blessing anyway. We forget that we are blessed because the sacrifice of Jesus covers us and it is more than enough. When Jesus stands between us and the Father, He blesses us not because of us but because the sacrifice of His Son is attached to us.

Power cannot flow through a diluted Gospel. The power must flow through the unpolluted purity of grace. Grace with no strings attached. Grace without the shadowy face of a Pharisee creeping into our thought life. Goodness not deserved. It is what saved us and it is what saves others.

Romans 2:4, “Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?”

The Right, The Left, and The Narrow Road

Isaiah 30:21, “And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.

I have found the following statement to be an abrasive-fall-on-my-already-scraped-knees raw truth in every area of my life: Even when I am right, I am wrong. I am convinced that the sooner we accept this in every facet of our lives, both individually, in marriages, in family, and as a nation, the more freedom we will experience.

God has designed it this way so that the Gospel message is not garbled. We are either prideful or we are humble. There is no in between. The right is full of pride and the left is full or pride. Even though one line of thought may hold more substance than the other, at the end of the day, it is still wrong if it is contaminated with a self-righteous stench.

There seems to be no room for opinions, agendas, or egos at the cross. It is the narrow way. It is the only way to life and life more abundantly. Now PLEASE don’t get me wrong. I am a staunch believer of knowing what you believe and why you believe it with absolute ZERO compromise. As an INFP idealist personality---there is no meaning in life if your external fruit does not reflect your internal roots. I am not suggesting a watered-down middle road which is no road at all.

What I am suggesting is a third road which first requires a death to self. A death to the spirit of pride. A death to the spirit of offense. A death to self-righteousness. If you are a self-proclaimed Christian, you must first and foremost remember your own death. You have died! Galatians 2:20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Are we responding to others we disagree with by faith in Jesus or faith in our flesh? How long will we trample one another with the metal stilts of our lilting opinions when we should be leaning in with a listening ear? If the wound behind the wrong is not healed, then the wrong will never fully be revealed.  What would our marriages look like if we listened with whole-hearted compassion and empathy and only opened our mouths to heal and edify? A true demonstration of care must precede any kind of real communication.  

Kingdoms will clash. The kingdom of this world is at enmity with the kingdom of God. Do not let the clashing kingdoms turn you into a clanging cymbal. Love is the only leader.

Any time we open our mouths to judge, hidden pride oozes from our festered hearts, and we have opened ourselves up to judgment. If we spent more time in self-examination, there would be far less cross-examination and much more appreciation for our heavenly pardon. May we be keenly aware of our daily desperate need for grace and lavish the grace we have so freely received on others.  May we walk the freshly sodded, rarely trodden narrow road, the only road which leads to life.

Far and Away

One of my favorite movies is "Far and Away," a 1992 romantic adventure starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. Cruise plays the role of Joseph Donnelly, who seeks revenge after his family's home in Ireland is burned down by his landlord's men due to unpaid rent. Joseph sets out to kill the landlord Christie, but instead, fails miserably, and his gun backfires. The next day, he is challenged to a pistol duel with Stephen, the fiancé of Shannon (Nicole Kidman).

The passive, yet jovial father (landlord Christie) walks alongside Joseph. He tells him he didn't know about the eviction, that he is sorry for the pain caused to his family, and he doesn't blame Joseph for wanting to kill him.

During a life and death situation, Landlord Christie makes cordial small talk: "You had a good breakfast this morning, did you?" Joseph responds, "It was grand sir." He continues to express his sentiments in the heavy morning fog as he paces with him all the way up to the dual line before disappearing.

It occurred to me...isn't the personality of Landlord Christie the same voice of religion devoid of power?

Religion will give you small talk. In the midst of a battle, it will speak to you in your ear about anything and everything. It will speak to you about your past, about your problems, your situation, and your mountain. Religion is completely devoid of any relevant power, or life-changing application. It pollutes the air with vain repetition.

Religion will pity you, but not empower you. If there was a holiday set aside in honor of pity parties, religion would be the smiling hostess at the door. Ah...Are you angry? Bitter? Scorned? I don't blame you a bit...Come on in, lay down in your misery until bedsores form. I will make it so comfortable for you. Many times people mistaken pity for compassion. However, Jesus did not pity anyone. His compassion is what healed the afflicted.

Religion will disappear when the battle begins. When the pistols start firing, religion will reveal its true cowardly nature. 2 Timothy 3:5 warns of those "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

The enemy will masquerade as your landlord...one that will try to make you "pay" for your shortcomings, your mistakes, and your sin. If you believe he rules over you, he will evict you and burn your house. You may think you are on a revenge mission to recover what he has taken from you. He will challenge you to battle him, and make an appointment with you for a pistol dual. If you do not let God avenge your enemies in any area of your life, you will entertain the voice of powerless religion...and become easily angered and offended and think you are entitled to feel that way. Religion will lead you to believe that your performance or lack thereof will be the determination of the outcome. But when you are ARMED with the full armor of God, you will see that there is no ground level warfare...no eye for an eye...Only grace...where you freely receive and freely give what is not earned or deserved so you can walk uprightly. Only grace, where you are seated in heavenly places far above principalities, and the enemy is not "soldier toe to solider toe", but rather a defeated foe under your feet.

Romans 12:19, "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says the Lord."

Interestingly enough, in the movie, Joseph learns from landlord Christie's free-spirited daughter Shannon, that is plenty of land in America. All they had to do is claim it!

Shannon: They got so much of it (land), they give it away for free.
Joseph: (skeptical) No land is given away...in any part of the world.
Shannon: In America it is...and I'm going there.

Don't believe the lie that you have to fight an enemy to secure something that is already rightfully yours. All you have to do is claim it!

10:10, 11:11, 12:12

Lately, I have noticed when I look up to glance at the time, the clock almost always shows double digits. I felt the Spirit of the Lord prompt my heart that He was speaking to me through the ordinary to highlight the extraordinary truths of His Word. Much like a street sign that gives a traveler direction for the journey, God utilizes even the seemingly mundane to point us to JESUS throughout the day. Now, let me be clear, I do not put my trust in numbers or in any type of sign, for this would be a gross error. I do believe God speaks to us uniquely in many ways, to draw us into His word and ultimately closer to Him. If God can open the mouth of a donkey to declare His word, God can use a number to point to His divine order.

"10:10"
As the clock turned 10:10, I immediately thought of the verse John 10:10, "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." I believe that this verse lays out a spiritual warfare strategy. When the enemy comes in to test you (10 represents testing), God has given everything you need to conquer the enemy (10 also represents divine order and completeness). So the first half of the verse deals with the seeming "reality" of a circumstance. The enemy comes to steal. To steal what? Anything that is good...your peace, your joy, your health, your prosperity, your vision. His very purpose is "to steal, kill, and to destroy." BUT GOD....His purpose is the very opposite--to give you life, and not just life, but life more abundantly. A life that is better than the life we have now. The Greek word for abundant is "perrissos," which means "all-around, more than, better than anticipated, exceeding expectation, going past the expected limit." So IMMEDIATELY when the enemy comes, we should respond with speaking LIFE. Instead of automatically thinking, "this is going to be worse than I expected," think and SAY, "this is going to be even better than I expected." To press into the abundant life of Jesus Christ. Our response should be as automatic as the second hand on a clock. When the enemy comes, respond by worshipping God in Spirit and in truth. Remember that the enemy is not an equal power, but a defeated foe through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.  When you look at the face of a clock at 10:10, the hands are similar to the formation of the letter "V" which stands for VICTORY!! Know that God has already ordained your victory. Your part is to stand firm and believe! AMEN!

"11:11"
As the clock turned 11:11, I remembered back when I was a child and used to say, "It is 11:11...make a WISH!" I believe that God wants to give us the desires of our heart, but more than that, He wants our heart to beat in tandem with His heart. He wants us to surrender our plans for His plans. The enemy will want you to think that by doing this, you will "miss out" on something wonderful...this is a lie! There is no life outside of the life of JESUS CHRIST!! The numbers 11:11 remind me of two sets of legs walking together in unity. Amos 3:3 reminds us, "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" Once we speak life to our situation, we must then align our hearts, our thoughts, and our words to the Word of God so that His power can manifest in our situation. Why do we pray for something, and then immediately speak against it? We need to start speaking forth God's wishes over us! 3 John 1:2 says, "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." Start declaring and decreeing God's word over yourself, your family, your community, and your nation. Pray Psalm 139:23, "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts." Ask God to illuminate anything in you that is operating in rebellion or unbelief so that you can conquer those self-destructive areas in your life through His love and divine order.  May whatever is in disorder be brought back to God's divine order in Jesus name!

"12:12"
The number 12 represents divine government. It symbolizes God's power and authority. God called twelve men as His disciples to bear witness of Him and to spread the good news throughout the entire world. Once we walk in unity with God, we start to discover the power of Christ in us! The same power that resurrected Jesus from the dead lives in us...Selah! Pause...let that marinate in your spirit...Ephesians 1:19-20 says, "And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power, Which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in heavenly places." And you know what? Because we belong to Him, we sit with Jesus in heavenly places!! HALLELUJAH!! Ephesians 2:6 says, "And hath raised us up together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." Because He rules and reigns, we can rule and reign in this life through HIM! We must embrace the poignant truth that to rule and reign with Him means we must suffer with Him. To suffer persecutions from this present world that is at enmity with God. 2 Timothy 2:12 says, "If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him, if we deny Him, He will also deny us." Let us be called a fool in this world for standing up for what we believe or rather WHO we believe. Call me a fool for believing that Christ has forgiven me of all my sin. Call me a fool for believing in total supernatural healing and laying hands on the sick. Call me a fool when I give mercy and grace instead of judgment and criticism...(How can a dead man hold a grudge?) Call me a fool for believing when it looks impossible..Let us be dead to the offense of the world...for we who believe are crucified with Christ. For His resurrection power to be visible, He must increase and I must decrease (see John 3:30). If I want to rule and reign with Christ Jesus, I must not trust in the anarchy of my flesh, but rather be led by the Spirit. I must let Him guide me, mold me, and hold me in His hand, actively surrendering to His plans and purposes for my life. I love the verse Isaiah 62:3, "Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God." To come to a place of divine government in our prayers, we have to allow God to teach us how to pray. Too often, our prayers fluff our flesh, market our ways, and reveal our unsanctified desires. When I think of the number 12, I think of divine order. I have to remember to not let my emotions or insecurities lead me, but rather to let the Spirit lead me. Only then can I truly experience His government in my life.

The Faith Cube

So many of my prayers have been repetitive petitions for God to change a circumstance that is close to my heart. I don't know about you, but when I pray, I like to see results. I will pray, press in, praise, claim the verses, commission the angels, and recruit intercessors. When the circumstance has not changed in the way that I had envisioned or the time clock set in my mind has expired, I think, did I have enough faith?

I would have my repentant Mark 9:24 moments (I believe; help my unbelief!). Other times, I KNOW I was in faith, taking authority, and in peace and yet still I would ask a little disheartened, Where is the manifestation? Maybe it is a unity thing,--I check in with my husband--we are on the same page, standing in faith together. Under the blood...in the new covenant. Ok. Sigh...What IS it, God?

The other night as I was drifting off to sleep, I saw a vision of a Rubik's cube. God showed me that I approach circumstances and situations like puzzles...trying to line up each color, determining to make sense of it all. When the colors are not arranged in the clockwise order that I had anticipated, I would grow confused and frustrated. In my human capacity, I can only see one dimension.

God, in His infinite majesty and sovereignty will allow the internal pivot mechanism to turn at different times in my life, rearranging that which I did not want rearranged. In His perfect omniscience and customized love for my life, He operates in dimensions I know not of. He will introduce another color, incrementally, just when He sees fit.

It is during the times that do not make sense from the outside that God is prophetically aligning our unique calling and destiny. The problem is, we try to figure it out. The natural mind constantly seeks to elevate itself above the mind of God. We worship the false idols of HOW and WHEN. But HOW fails us once and WHEN fails us twice, and we find ourselves on our knees a third time.

It is not that God does not want us to ask questions. Our inquisition can lead to seeking. Seeking is a good thing. Jeremiah 29:13 promises, "And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye search for Me with all your heart." Our questions only become an issue when our walk is affected...when we take on the shape of a question mark"?"---the lie that we are merely hunched-back beggars, lacking something. God wants us to lift up our heads and our hearts to Him, and simply thank Him.

In our thanking, in our worship, and in our praise, the questions will start to fade (or maybe they will still be there?--just choose not to look at them). Be okay with not knowing. Be still and know that He is God. If He will be exalted among the nations, surely He will be exalted in your circumstances. He is the God of "suddenlies"...one day it will all line up.