4 Things You Can Do Right Now to Position Yourself to Be The Agent of Change That Your World Needs Now

I am proud to be an American!

And a Christian! Praises to God that we live in a country that was founded on freedom and Biblical principles!

Sadly, Biblical principles and the truth of the freedoms that steeped deep within our country's forefathers and founders isn't readily understood by the majority of our culture...

But we have each been strategically positioned to influence the people and the culture around us.

Yes! YOU! Even you!

But how you might ask?

As this graphic post today states:

Sow righteousness for yourselves,

reap the fruit of unfailing love,

and break up your unplowed ground;

for it is time to seek the Lord,

until he comes

and showers his righteousness on you.

The NIV puts the emphasis on looking to your own heart first, and that is what you can do today...

1. Sow to righteousness (righteousness is right standing before God - seeking Him, growing in Godliness, putting away the things He tells you to and walking by faith are all ways we can 'sow to righteousness for ourselves')

2. Reap the fruit of unfailing love (the love that comes through dependence on Jesus and the Holy Spirit to produce).

3. Break up your fallow ground - this is a farming reference. Before a seed can be planted and expected to grow, the ground has to be broken up, softened and prepared, sometime amendments to fuel the growth of the seed is added. Fallow ground in particular is ground that may have been prepared at one time, but now is overgrown with weeds and thorns. It needs to be turned again to be good for seed growing. Soil is turned upside down and broken apart when the plow blade furrows through it. You may have been living through difficult circumstances, where you feel everything in your life is being broken apart. This is plowing. Where might you have strayed from the Lord? This is where your heart, your 'land', is fallow.

4. The final instruction is to seek the Lord until He comes. This means to seek Him and keep on seeking Him until you have the evidence of being in step with Him once again...the evidence is the "rain of His righteousness"...you might think of this as a fresh outpouring of His Spirit.

When you experience the fresh outpouring of His Spirit...that is when you know you are equipped to be an agent of change for the your world and your culture!

Spend time with Jesus. Let the Spirit of Truth flow through your heart and mind today, allowing yourself to be open to what He reveals...

(And comment below to share it with all of us - we can encourage one another!)

Making Sure God is Bearing the Burden - Sabbath Thoughts

"We strongly need to see the manifest hand of God in what we are and what we do. 

We need to be sure He is pulling the load, bearing the burden—

which we are all too ready to assume is up to us alone. 

We must understand that He is in charge of the outcome of our efforts, 

and that the outcome will be good, right. 

And all of this is encompassed in one biblical term, “Sabbath.” 

The Sabbath, Jesus said, was made for humankind (Mark 2: 27). 

That is, it serves human life in essential ways. Without it, life cannot be what it should be.”

Dallas Willard, The Great Omission

20 Types of Thoughts That Indicate a Need for Inner Healing

Are any of these thoughts showing up in your mind lately?

1. Why am I still experiencing panic attacks and anxiety? I have committed myself to God...

2. Why is it that the promises of Scripture don’t seem to apply to me?

3. Why does my life hurt, and why can’t I seem to hear God in the midst of it?

4. Why does it feel like my prayers are just hitting the ceiling?

5. Do I not have enough faith because I have a mental health diagnosis?

6. Is God is disappointed in me, even though He loves me?

7. Why don’t I feel the peace God promises when I love Him so passionately?

8. How come I still seem to have trouble in my relationships even though I have put my difficult past behind me?

9. My abuse was so severe, and I am told to “forgive and forget”.  How can I do that?  And, if the truth be told, I don’t want to do that!

10. What does it really mean, to forgive?

11. I am angry, does that mean I haven’t forgiven?

12. What does it mean to be created in God’s image?

13. If God is the source of unconditional love, why can I not read the Bible with anything but judgment and condemnation?

14. I can't get rid of these "Negative" feelings! (anger, sadness, feeling rejected, low self-worth, depression, anxiety, worry, suicidal thinking, etc.)

15.  Where are these strange intrusive thoughts coming from?

16.  God must be mad at me; no matter how much I pray or get prayed for, I still cannot _______.   (you fill in the blank)

17. Why do I have the same recurring dreams/nightmares?

18.  Prayer just doesn't work for me; I never feel like anything changes.

19.  Is my depression really just a lack of faith?

20.  If I'm not perfect, or my family isn't perfect, people (and God) will be disappointed in me.

Some people call these types of thoughts dysfunctional, some call them the lies we believe, some call them, somewhat hopelessly, 'This is just the way I am'.  No matter what you call them, know that you are NOT alone!  Everyone has had these thoughts - if you know they are causing you inner turmoil, this is the time to do some probing into where they are coming from...


These thoughts are common among God's people, whether they are still struggling within the church, or have given up seeking answers within the context of a spiritual community.  Perhaps there is trauma or abuse in their past.  Perhaps they grew up in a family that was in the throes of addiction.  Perhaps they simple had a sensitive heart, a child's perception of life, and no one noticed a heart receding and cloaking itself to avoid emotional pain.  


These thoughts reflect places in the soul that don't fully comprehend the truth of God, His all encompassing, unconditional love, His embracing of us in the midst of flaws as well as so called strengths.  There is nothing hidden before His eyes, and He desires to lead us into a complete understanding of His ways.  

These thoughts can be changed!  The foundational premise of all inner healing is that "God desires truth in the inward parts:

 Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being,
 And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.

                 Psalm 51:6

What a beautiful promise!  He will make me know His wisdom in my hidden parts - those parts/thoughts that don't know His ways yet, where these thoughts flow from!  He is already at work, but He waits for us to join Him in order that we can learn and apply the wisdom He is imparting...

And learning how to join with Him, to discern His wisdom and truth as well as the faulty beliefs driving those troubling thoughts, is what this blog is all about. 

And if you want to check out some "next steps" you can find some helpful prompts at my "Paths of Healing" tab in the navigation bar!  Or just click here...

Words to Help Our Teens Make Good Choices on the Internet...

We once had a pastor who taught on the story of Abraham offering Isaac to God on the altar (you can read the Biblical account here) - our pastor had teenagers at the time, and commented that since Isaac was a "youth" and in Jewish stages of development that meant he was either a teenager or young adult, that perhaps it wasn't as hard as we imagined for Abraham to offer that boy!  Of course it was a joke, but the memory always made me smile when facing our own teens' challenges!

Abraham didn't have to deal with the internet, either.

We have done all the things recommended: monitored online activity, implemented stay safe rules, and routinely check the social media accounts.  But just recently, a good friend of Sweet Teen's shared someone else's inappropriate post online...

Now what?

First of all, there was prayer!  And then conversation - a lot of it! 

Our teens are getting older and there are a lot of things they are being exposed to that we, in reality, cannot control.  In addition, teens may not "see the whole picture".  In our case, the inappropriateness was totally missed by the teen in question, as the contents of the article were deemed important and valid (and for the most part, were important) and the image meeting my mom's eye wasn't even considered (!).  So, it was one of those "normal teenage mistakes" that really gave us as parents the opportunity to give them some additional guidance.

We eventually will have to let them stretch their wings and fly away from our carefully guarded nest and into a world full of inappropriate things.  We need to give them the guidelines in how to navigate those arenas, whether they use them or not.  And sometimes in the teenage world/mind, those guidelines we have already taught don't seem to apply (I do not know why this is true, except perhaps it has to do with having a strong-willed child?) I am betting that you, dear reader, have had or are having similar experiences!  

During prayer, God gave me these four scriptures and in this order:

"I have the right to do anything," you say--
but not everything is beneficial. 

"I have the right to do anything"--
but not everything is constructive.

1 Corinthians 10:23 NIV

So then we pursue the things which make for peace and 

the building up of one another.

Romans 14:19 NASB

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, 

but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 

Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--

his good, pleasing and perfect will

Romans 12:2 NIV

  

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, 

whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, 

if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

Philippians 4:8 NASB

The other mom brought 1 Timothy 4:12 into the mix.

Let no one look down on your youthfulness, 

but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, 

show yourself an example of those who believe.

Finally, as the conversation with Miss Sweet Teen and myself went in all sorts of fascinating directions, she asked what was my objection to the post in question, as there wasn't any specific curse words and the Holy Spirit gave this verse:

Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth,  

but only such [a word] as is good for edification according to the need [of the moment], 

so that it will give grace to those who hear.

Ephesians 4:29 (NASB)

As parents, we are asking the girls to choose one of these scriptures to memorize and hold in their hearts, (see Psalm 119:9) but it would certainly be possible to memorize all of them!  Consider it as part of a summer memorization program!  There are six verses and six weeks of summer left!

My word for the year - "Finish"

Hearing my word for 2014 really happened during the regular time frame...during the month of January...it is just now that I seem to have time to write about it...

Picture source

The word whispered around the back portions of my mind - I wasn't sure if it was just my need to accomplish cleaning off my desk in my office/art studio, or gaining some sort of organization after 6 months of seeming chaotic life...(my desk is still piled, but project after project is moving off...FINISHED!)

"FINISH"!

It is a triumphant call - He calls me to "finish" because He declared "It is finished"...Everything is settled...

He will perfect that which concerns me -

He has given us everything I need for life and Godliness -

His gift and calling is irrevocable -

I looked at places where the word shows up in Scripture, and found three that leaped out to me:

Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  James 1:4 NIV

Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means.  2 Corinthians 8:11 NIV

However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace.   Acts 20:24 NIV

Picture source

 The very day I decided that the word dancing around my mind had the emphasis of the Spirit with it, this article was delivered to my inbox:

There is an "It is Finished" sound in the kingdom. Are we releasing it? 

This excerpt captures the tone of what I was hearing:  

The governmental power of 'NOW Sound" is that we know He is King, it is finished, and Father is governing through the release of the sound of His sons and we are releasing what He is revealing, right here, right NOW! 

When I read about worship, I automatically include the act of creating any art, honoring Him by releasing the creativity He has placed within us, in the context of worship...


He is saying:

Finish the race I have set before you...
I have released you into the fullness of your passions and calling!

Finish the creative explosions released within you...
Release the creativity I have placed within you to the sphere of your influence!

Finish through perseverance...
Maturity and completeness come only through the daily practice of reaching towards Me, seeking to reflect Me to the world...in all you do, keep going, experimenting, exploring, wondering, making, moving, ministering, revealing...

I hear Him cheering me on...
What will He accomplish in this coming year?  I cannot wait as I consider all the ideas, half formed, some almost complete...finished!

How is {my ministry} defined?

{sigh} We love the Advent/Lenten wreath we ordered from Caleb Voskamp!

I still remember the day I read Luke 1:6
with eyes illumined by the instruction of the Holy Spirit:

They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments 

and requirements of the Lord…

One verse. 20 words. The summation of a long life lived for the Lord.  This was the pronouncement of the Holy Spirit; the “well done, good and faithful servants”, spoken of two people who had gone unnoticed for years, but who had nontheless served their God faithfully,

in the shelter of secret places – 

of heart and home, 

of minds and souls.  

I remember thinking to myself, “I would be thrilled for that one sentence to be said of me!” 

Read the rest of the post here...


Joining with the Community at "Walk With Him Wednesdays"


and 
Painting Prose 

By Sadee Schilling of apicturebooklife

Today's Reading from "God Calling"

Shower Love

I always hear your cry. No sound escapes Me.

Many, many in the world cry to Me, but oh! how few wait to hear Me speak to them and yet to the soul, My speaking to it matters so much.

My words are Life. Think then, to hear Me speak is to find Life, and healing and strength. Trust Me in all things. Love showered on all brings truly a quick return.

Just carry out My wishes and leave Me to carry out yours. Treat Me as Savior and King, but also with the tender intimacy of One much beloved.

Keep to the rules I have laid down for you, persistently, perseveringly, lovingly, patiently, hopefully, and in faith, and every mountain of difficulty shall be laid low, the rough places of poverty shall be made smooth, and all who know you shall know that I, your Lord, am the Lord.

Click here to read the rest of this post...