Tag: inspirational

Two Become One

“Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. And Adam said: ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.’ Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:22-24 NKJV)

“Then the man said, ‘The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate,’ And the Lord God said to the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’ The woman said, ‘The serpent deceived me, and I ate.'” (Genesis 3:12-13 NKJV)

In the beginning of all creation, God created us in His image. Man and woman He created each of them – family was always part of His plan. The enemy’s plan is to destroy all that God has created and he often centers his attacks at families. When I was very young, my parents divorced. By the time I was five years old, my birth father was no longer a part of my life. There is something that happens to families when the person designed to be the head of a household is absent. We visibily see it all around the world. Some of the greatest damage is done to the children caught in the midst of the destruction broken families leave behind. For girls, it results in them struggling with their identity. The one who is supposed to love and teach them that they are priceless and worthy, has abandoned them. This leads girls and young women to doubt that they are worthy of love. For boys, it impacts their undstanding of leadership. Without that foundation of a male role model, young men often don’t understand what integrity looks like. Oftentimes, this broken family unit results in the next generation repeating the mistakes of the adults they have watched during their lives. It happened in my family. My grandparents were divorced, and then my parents, many of my aunts and uncles, and then my siblings and myself.

Generational curses stop, when we recognize our identity in Christ Jesus and understand God’s plan for our families. The weapon of every husband and wife will be the sword of the Spirit (or the word of God) as we are told in Ephesians 6:17. We must have Christ as our foundation, recognizing that He called us worthy when He gave His life as an atoning sacrifice on the cross. We are called chosen, a royal priesthood and a God’s own possession (1 Peter 2:9). We have the best Father looking out for our best interests and we can depend upon Him. When we each understand the love of God, then we are able to love our spouse as we should and the family operates as God designed. I can’t change my past or my divorce, but God takes our ashes – the things the enemy uses to destroy us – and creates something even more beautiful. I have been happily married for almost seven years, to a man who honors God and understands the design God has for families.

We need to become aware of the battle that the enemy has waged against our families. We need to cast down every stronghold that comes against us. We have the weaponry at hand, we just need to pick it up and dust it off. Opening the Bible and reading God’s word is the most important equipment we will ever need for every season in our lives. Armed with His word, we will know how to stand and how to command seas to still or make mountains move. Jesus himself said that we will face trials and difficulties, but that we will not be overcome, because He overcame!

Father, I come to you now and thank you for the precious gift of your word, inspired by your Holy Spirit. I thank you for the way you designed the family. I declare that your people, sons and daughters, will walk in their identity. They will recognize they are worthy, because You call them worthy. It cost you everything to redeem what was lost in the garden, but you gave it willingly. I declare that the family will be strong and the enemy’s plans to attack the family unit is defeated! Jesus you have overcome and you ensured that we have victory in every battle. We will walk in the knowledge that in seeking after you, and loving you, we are equipped to love and serve one another. You are love and we will embody that love in our families and break any strongholds the enemy tries to establish. From generation to generation we will have families function as you, Lord designed – and the two shall become one flesh. Amen.

From Mourning to Dancing

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4 NASB95

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners; to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn,” Isaiah 61:1-2 NASB95

Thinking about Mother’s Day as it approaches, it is with mixed emotions. I am so very thankful and blessed to celebrate my Mom. She is generous and kind. She loves her family and has always put their many needs above her own. I am also blessed to have many other women in my life who have shown me great love, provided guidance and held me up when I needed strength greater than my own. These women deserve to be honored on Mother’s Day. However, it is a day that I also, like many others, grieve. On this day, there is a sadness that I usually keep boxed up. Things I don’t speak about often and keep wrapped tightly. I know I am not alone and that many other women feel as bittersweet about this day. The loss of a mother, the loss of child, a miscarriage, the woman who prayed and believed for a child that never came. These things speak of lost time, chances and opportunities to make precious memories. In my spirit I recognize that these things were not God’s design. Loss was never meant to be a part of our lives. God created us (Genesis 1-3) and placed us in a perfect garden. We were placed in charge of everything created, but we wanted more. We wanted equality with God. Our choice ushered in the knowledge of good and bad, joy and sorrow. Since then God has been working to restore us to His original plan. He is working to restore us to eternity with Him.

I believe God is who He says and is more than able to do all He has promised. I choose to look past my “knowledge” and trust in the Creator of all things. In Revelation, chapter 21, verse 4, states: “God Himself will be among them and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning or crying or pain; for the first things have passed away.”

There are times in life when I have to trust in God and not my own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6). There will always be things in this life that will be a mystery until I am standing face to face with my God and King (Deuteronomy 29:29). But I know that He has provided protection when I needed it, strength when I was weak and a peace when I had none. He has taken times of sorrow and replaced them with joy. The pain of loss will never fully dissipate, but the intensity of it lessens with time. Not because we forget, but because God is faithful to pour out His supernatural grace and peace when it is needed most.

Lord, I pray for my sisters in Christ. They are grandmothers, mothers, aunts, daughters, sisters, nieces and cousins. They have an incredible impact on the lives around them. I speak Your strength upon them. I declare that they recognize Your Spirit in them and allow You to work in mighty ways through them. Comfort them when they feel the sting of loss and pour out your peace that embraces them through it all. Help us to see one another in all the aspects of life’s journey and to encourage one another building each up in Your most perfect love. May they recall Your outpouring of grace and mercy over their lives and allow it to build their faith in Your everlasting goodness. May they feel the power of Your love upon them this day and all throughout the year. Fill their Mother’s Day with rejoicing and dancing. For they are above all Your daughters and You love them more than they can even imagine! Amen!

What’s Growing in Your Garden?

I was working in my garden today, after neglecting it way too long this spring. I felt like the Holy Spirit was speaking some wisdom to me that I wanted to share. First, as I was pulling out the weeds that had grown in among my flowers, I felt the spirit of God whisper, this is what can happen when you neglect spending time with me. Things that you don’t want in your life can begin to take root. In the bed up by my mailbox, clover had grown rapidly, but it was difficult to pull out. The roots had embedded deep into the soil and I had to work hard and pulling them out. Most of us who love God are not looking to sin, but it is often like a weed, slowly taking root and destroying the the garden it enters. Secondly, I noticed that often the weeds grew close to or even within the base of a healthy plant, making it even harder to tear out. Weeds are not desirable in a garden, because they steal the nutrients from the soil needed for healthy plants to grow. Sin is like this and steals our joy, our peace, our loving kindness and replaces it with fear, shame, anger and bitterness. This is why we have to be so careful with what we are feeding our spirits. Proverbs 4:23 tells us to, “Guard your heart above all else for it determines the course of your life.” In Hebrews 12:15 we are instructed, “Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.” I see the hand of God at work in our hearts the same way a gardener creates a garden: tilling, fertilizing, watering, weeding and pruning. It is through His loving hand that we can grow to fullness and bear the fruit which He promised is ours when we stay connected to Him. Our part is to understand that the garden of our spirit requires our care and preseveration. So I ask you again, “What is growing in your garden?” Are you planting the word of God or the cares of this world? One will grow into a faith-filled life of purpose and the other will drain you of all life. Just as a garden requires us to tend it, so our spirit requires us to continually ensure that we are feeding it with the Word of God which promises to help us stay filled so that we may overflow.

Thank you Father, that you allow me to see You through all of creation. You amaze me in the beauty and majesty that is around me in every season. Help me to be aware of what I allow into my heart, mind and spirit. Reveal to me things that will steal from the purpose and calling You placed on my life and allow me to be pruned that I may yield fruit that will bless those You called me to interact with in all areas of life. May I become more like Your son, Jesus Christ, that I may be pleasing in Your sight. I love you, Lord. Amen.

At The Table

You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. (Psalm 23:5 NKJV)

To prepare means – to plan, to purposefully think about something before it happens. So the Lord purposefully decided to hold a banquet in your honor. He decided how the table would be set and which decorations would be used. He decided to pick the foods that would delight you the most. He chose to show that He was honoring you before all the world, even those people who were enemies. During this feast, you will be anointed wiith oil. This anointing symbolizes that you are set apart. In the Old Testament, the king would be anointed with oil to show he was chosen by God to lead the people of Israel. You arre being anointed as kings and queens. As part of the family of the Most High King, you belong to the royal line. For the King of kings is in you!!

I love how often Jesus linked things in the Old Testament to his ministry. During a meal with the disciples He tells them, “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:2-3) Jesus purposefully is planning about bringing us home to live with Him for all eternity. Our eternal lives will be filled with peace, joy, and we will get to sit at the table with our God and enjoy worshipping in His presence.

Our God not only desires to show us honor now, but we will be given the honor of celebrating with Him one day in Heaven. But here, right now, He wants our cup – our inner spirit to overflow with the gifts that He imparts through His Holy Spirit. He invites us to come fellowship with Him now so that we will be filled again with His presence, His power and His anointing. Go and sit at the table your Father has prepared for you today and be filled. Amen.

Act of Worship

Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance. But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, “That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.” (John 12:3-4 NLT)

Nard was an essential oil created from a Himalayan plant, Nardostachys jatamansi, which is from the Honeysuckle plant family.  It has been utilized for medicinal purposes as well as in oils and perfumes for thousands of years. It would have been imported into the region surrounding Judea and Israel making it expensive. Because of her love for Jesus, and to honor him as the Messiah, she poured this perfume on his feet and then wiped his feet with her hair.  What an amazing act of worship. Jewish women did not often uncover their hair in public. She did not consider the opinion of others but took it upon herself to act as a humble servant. She clearly desired to show her Lord that she loved him and wanted to honor him. It would have and did shock some of the other members that were gathered at that residence for this celebratory meal.

Do we stop and consider all that the Lord has done for us? Are we willing to abandon our sense of dignity and pride all to give him the glory and honor that he deserves? In the book of Second Samuel, David dances and leaps before the Lord as he celebrates bringing the Ark of the Lord to the City of David. When his own wife Michal chastises him for looking foolish, David declares, “It was before the Lord, who chose me instead of your father and all his house, tor appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel. Therefore, I will play music before the Lord. And I will be even more undignified that this and will be humble in my own sight.” (Chapter 6, vs. 21-22)

When we spend time in worship whether privately or publicly, our eyes should always be fixed firmly on our God who has done good things for us. He is the one who has given everything to us and provides for all our needs. He is worthy of every act of praise. We should abandon any sense of pride and remember the outpouring of Jesus’ love poured out in blood upon the cross at Calvary. He is worthy of all our praise. Are we willing to look undignified for the Lord?

Change Has Purpose 

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. At time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up. (Ecclesiastes 3:1 – 3 NLT) 

Year after year, we have spring, summer, fall and winter. There is a cycle of birth, growth and eventually death. We see it all around us, but when changes happen in our lives we can suddenly feel out of control. This illusion we create within our minds is because we do not grasp that God is not hindered by time. He existed before time began. He is and always was. He was not created. He is eternal. Our construct of time is limited because we have a natural body and our understanding happens in the reality of what we can see. 

I recognize that I am not the same person I was just five years ago.  My body has changed. I have to focus some of my time on maintaining my health.  I did not have to do these things when I was younger.  Those things were just a natural by-product of life at that time. What came easily for me then may no longer be as easy now, but I find ways to adapt to my current situation.  

Many people believe their value is based upon what they can physically do.  They focus solely on their abilities and when those abilities begin to change, they are lost.  They no longer have an idea of their value or worth.  It can be the same for people who have created their identity and lives based upon their careers. When they retire, they can lose their sense of purpose and worth. In Isaiah 43, verse 1, God speaks to Jacob and to all of Israel.  The people of Israel often identified themselves by their circumstances. They often felt lost and abandoned. They failed to see that their own stubbornness and hardness of the heart created a barrier between themselves and the Lord. Hear what God has to say to Israel, “O Israel, the one who formed you says, ‘Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you, I have called you by name; you are mind.’” 

When we recognize that our true value is in being a child of the Most High God, change will not cause us to lose our way. We recognize that God’s design allows for change and usually growth as a by-product. Without these two things, we become unproductive, fruitless and are not useful in the kingdom of God. We need to stop looking at the physical, the seen things and look at the supernatural.  The things in the realm of God are so vastly different from what this world values. This world will pass away.  We will live in a newly created heaven and earth. We will have new bodies, because this one is designed to perish. Right now, we need to embrace the changes that occur and recognize that God planned it this way so that we may continue to adapt, to grow, and to bloom in whatever season God plants us in. Everything has a season. Seasons have purpose. Don’t allow the changes in life to hinder you, but trust in God. Jeremiah 29:11 states, “’For I know the plan I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’” God did not say that His plans for our future stop after we reach a certain age. No matter what our age, we all have a purpose in the kingdom of God. We are all called to serve Him in some capacity. Until He calls us home, we need to recognize that we are essential to His Church. Let us all fix our eyes on the God who calls us by name. He has ordained every day of our lives before we were born. Ask Him to reveal the next steps in His plan for your life. God loves it when we come to Him and ask for wisdom, trusting in His ways and not our own definitions of purpose.