Tag: community

Faithful

Good morning, friends. I hope you are enjoying your Saturday morning so far. I am sitting here this morning, Bible in hand (well, Bible open on the couch and pen and coffee in hand at this very moment), reflecting on my year. I am headed off to Savannah for an annual work conference this week that happened right around this time last year. What a difference a year has made.

I saw a friend’s Instagram post after the Great American Solar Eclipse. Her simple comment referencing the picture was so profound. She viewed the eclipse from Florida; and as anyone else that did the same from south Georgia or Florida knows, the picture was a bunch of clouds. Some grey, some white, but all just clouds. Her comment said something along the lines of [paraphrasing] “We didn’t see the Eclipse, but I know God was performing a miracle right behind the clouds.”

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.” Isaiah 55:8

We serve an amazing God who knows, sees and has authority over all things. Just take the miracle of the eclipse for example; still amazing and significant even when unseen. He orchestrates things in our life outside of our power and understanding, even when we can’t see it happening.

Back to my reflection on this time last year..

I was in a tough place. Still wrapped up in a previous relationship that I should have allowed myself release from. Please don’t misunderstand, I thank God for that relationship because it taught me things about myself and Jesus that I treasure today. But the time for me to let go had come, and as usual *eyeroll*, I was refusing; exposing myself to new pain each day that I clung. I was directionless at the time, with no idea what was to come next in my life as far as purpose. I felt captive to my anxiety and fear. I remember laying in that hotel room bed, feeling lost and unsure of what to do to change my situation.

Through this year, as I have shared in previous posts, God has worked miracles in my life. Ones that probably seem small to a onlooker, but have moved mountains for me.

Today, I write while my precious significant other sits on the other end of the couch playing a video game (the manly kind of course *wink). I actually sat down to reflect and write because of his influence. This man is a God-send. If I could have pieced together a heart to compliment mine, it would be his. But to tell you the truth, we got together under tough circumstances. Really tough. The beautiful thing is, God took a broken situation and covered it in grace. So today, I sit here with this man overwhelmed with gratitude for God’s eclipse behind the clouds.

What else? I have direction. I may be unsure of my day to day steps right now, but I have vision of a career purpose and how to get there. I can honestly say if I had not walked through mental hell this year, I would not have come to this place of clarity concerning who I am and what I want. Thank you Jesus!

Anxiety and fear- the demon twins. To be honest, I am still in a back and forth with these two. I am in a valley season right now and its really hard. But, I have peace in knowing God is fighting for me. When I have exhausted all my efforts, He still stands strong. I will eventually defeat it for good; I am speaking and believing that this morning. In the meantime, I praise God for the victories in the daily battles and pray for peace in the losses.

“But I have trusted in Your unfailing love; My heart rejoices in Your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me.” Pslam 13:5-6

God works, even when we don’t see it friends. He always loves and always calls to us. I am praying for a mental victory today and thankful for the clarity and joy I have in Him. I  am praying for your need to be met, whatever that is.

Thank you Jesus for your faithfulness and thank you friends for reading today.

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:23

Walk

Good morning friends and Happy Independence Week! Yes, I have extended the holiday because I am still in vacation mode from my short stay-cation last week. It is almost the weekend again, what do you have planned? It is supposed to be a sunny weekend here in Jacksonville, so I am hoping to get in another beach day. Wishing all of you a sunny weekend as well!

Today, I am going to be referencing the story in John 5:1-15. This is when Jesus heals the disabled man by the pool of Bethesda. We are going to call this man Rob to avoid repeating “the man” over and over. *Note: this is a fictitious name that I made up; I did not get it from this passage.

“Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.” John 5:8-9

“Pick up your mat and walk.” I love how Jesus commanded such powerful things in so few words. The authority packed in what He said is what gave the words their power; He didn’t need to command in descriptive paragraphs.

Notice when Jesus healed Rob: Jesus performed the miracle but instructed Rob to do the rest of the work. Sometimes, I can be guilty of expecting and experiencing a miracle..then expecting God to maintain it. God can maintain it, but in what I have read of the Word, He calls us to be people of action. We are his Royal Priesthood, Ambassadors, Overcomers and Followers (1 Peter 2:9, 2 Corinthians 5:20, Romans 8:31-39, Ephesians 5:1). These are titles that require both authority and action. Trust, love, teach, share, clothe, heal, feed- these words are what we are called to do. They each require action.

I believe what Jesus was doing was instructing Rob to accept the healing, and live by the standard. He did not want him to leave his mat in that place, because it was time for him to move on. Maybe if Rob would have left his mat in this place of sickness and oppression, he would have migrated back seeking what was comfortable (what he knew to be his normal). It would have probably been easier at times. Change is tough. Thirty-eight years of one life, as difficult as it was, still creates a comfort zone. Jesus knew the temptation of becoming complacent and not moving forward could arise in Rob if he still took ownership of that position among the oppressed. So, He commanded that he pick that mat up and take action! Rob still held the mat, reminding him of where he had been, but he moved ahead with that knowledge. He is the one that took those steps commanded by Jesus. It was Rob’s choice.

Sometimes I think we get so comfortable expecting Jesus for things, we forget that we hold power and favor with the Father as well. Jesus does deserve all of our praise and faith, but we also need to recognize that we are responsible for maintaining the miracle. 

I’ve shared before with you that I have struggled on and off with depression for most of my life. Well, about a year ago, I experienced what I refer to as an “episode” where I get very low and hopeless. It feels like a pit with walls impossible to climb. I did not have the strength to get out of that pit, only He did. However, once I initially experienced that miracle of truth, He empowered me to move forward. He gave me the strength, but I had to pick up my mat and walk. Today, it is my responsibility to maintain that miracle. Yes, God can; but where does my faith walk come in if I just sit back and wait for Him to do it all. Walking with Christ requires discipline, and that discipline bares fruit of purpose, healing and victory. I am called to life! It is my responsibility to trust Him and take action steps of faith- reading His Word, filling myself with life giving words, songs and books, seeking Godly counselling and medical attention that I may need. If I would have just experienced that miracle of truth in that moment and went about my life as I had been (gotten back on my figurative mat), what would my life look like today? I know myself and I know what I have done in the past; so, yes, if I sat back down on the mat I would have been assuming my position among the oppressed. But friends, that is not who I am because I belong to Christ! My inheritance is not only heavenly treasure, but also victory over the oppressors of this life on earth.  Jesus overcame, and I am His, so I better assume my responsibility and live in that! You are His too, so lets walk this out together.

Thank you Jesus for your healing and guidance. Thank you for your empowering Word that gives us strength to pick up our mats and walk! My prayer for you and me today is that we continue trusting and relying on our heavenly Father and take on the responsibility of maintaining our miracles.

 

Refocused

Good morning! How are you?! Enjoying your summer so far I hope. I have missed this.

Distraction. What does it take to become distracted? Is it always something wrong? I suppose if it takes your attention from the Lord, it is an idol in a way. What about discouragement; does discouragement distract you?

It’s distracted me. I’m not going through a process of identity confusion or backsliding. I know truth and I love our faithful Jesus. I’m just discouraged. I’ve let whispers of negativity tie my hands; then allowed busyness to distract me from fighting it. I just lost focus.

I was approached recently by a friend, and she asked me about my writing. She asked if I had written anything recently because she wasn’t getting her email notifications. That was so encouraging, knowing that she eagerly joins me in this journey. [It was also confirming what the Holy Spirit had been stirring in me. I knew I had not written, and I knew I was neglecting this ministry.] But, the part that really stood out to me was that she said she felt like she was experiencing the things that I was writing about and found it encouraging that someone else was too. I found just as much encouragement and comfort in knowing I was not alone in this stuff as she did. It was that same warm, fuzzy feeling I get when you leave comments on the posts, or share encouraging texts and conversations with me. God is good.

So for her- and for the rest of you in this online community God wove together, and for myself- I’m moving forward. Refocusing.

It is difficult. I have to tell you I’ve sat down several times determined to reach out and just couldn’t come up with the words. However, I realized last night I was searching myself for them and not seeking God’s. This makes me feel super vulnerable to admit, but I promised myself I would be authentic through this. So, here I am. Asking for your mercy as well as the Lord’s before I go any further. Hoping that even if you haven’t experienced this before, you can understand what I am describing.

Father, forgive me for being selfish with your gift. Thank you those that push me along in love. Forgive me for neglecting this time together.

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12-14

Now let’s kick that dust off our heels and get to walking together and explore God’s word. I love you and I thank you. Talk to you soon!

Together

Good morning and happy Monday! I hope you had a fun filled, relaxing weekend. I traveled this weekend so I am still trying to get things in gear this morning, as I imagine most of us are on a Monday.

I want to start by saying thank you to all of you for taking this journey with me. I have been absolutely overwhelmed with the love and support I have received from so many people! I know God is faithful, and I know I should not be surprised when he follows through, but I admittedly am floored at the way he has blessed me through this blog.

That being said, I do apologize that it has been over a week since I last wrote. To be honest, the enemy has hit me hard this week. As exciting as this platform is for me, it also scares me. This post is going to sound a little more like a journal entry, but I feel prompted to share this so I am going to be obedient. I know this is a ministry platform, and I know that I am an unlikely person to have one of those.  After all, the biblical character that I most relate to when it comes to my relationship with the Father is Gomer (you can find her story in Hosea). However, our God loves using unlikely people. So, I hope the unlikeliness of me doing this is another piece of evidence of God’s faithfulness and limitless power.

When I sat down Wednesday night, determined to write, nothing came. I read and prayed, and nothing came. I believe it was the distraction of fear circling in my mind as it had been since last weekend. I gave up, came home (from my little spot in the coffee shop I usually write from), and began packing for my trip. Then, it hit me. An anxiety attack. I do not want to give the enemy foothold by explaining the details of what that involves, because that is not the climax of this story. But know, this one was more than just a mental challenge, it was spiritual warfare.

I tried calming down. I prayed and tried talking myself out of it. I couldn’t get ahold of myself. So, I finally decided to call my mother. I didn’t really want to because I knew she would worry and I was embarrassed that I was experiencing this after coming so far in my walk with Christ recently. However, I thought maybe just talking with her could distract me in order for me to come out of this arrest. She picked up and heard my voice shaking on the other end of the line. Then, she began to pray.

Y’all.. I am so thankful for a praying mama. I do not say that to boast, because I understand that it is a rare gift from the Lord that not everyone gets to experience, but I am so thankful that God has given her to me.

As she began to pray, the Holy Spirit communicated directly to me through her. Everything she said were things I was thinking and holding in the depth of my heart that I had not shared with anyone. But as she prayed, I felt the Holy Spirit fighting back in this battle over my mind. As she kept praying, I laid on the floor and the symptoms began to alleviate. A sweet peace rested on me and I experienced moments of what imagine it will feel like in heaven when we have no worry or pain. Thank you, Jesus.

Friends, we need each other. Genesis 2:18 says, “The Lord God said, “It is not good for man to be alone.” I want you to know that God has used you to confirm that I am walking down the right path in this. He used my mother as a vessel for the Holy Spirit to speak in the way that commanded my attention. We are created for relationship. First for relationship with the Father, then with each other. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these” Mark 12:30-31. We are not meant to walk through life alone. God wants us to lean on and learn from each other.

Please don’t misunderstand that I am encouraging you to seek counsel with man first. Always take things to the Father, first. But, allow God to bless you with other people to do life with. Community is so important.

“For where two or three gather in My name, there I am with them.” Matthew 18:20

My prayer for you today is that you have multiple relationships in your life that encourage spiritual health. If you are struggling thinking of one, pray that God brings someone into your life. I will stand in agreement with you, and in the meantime, please do not hesitate to reach out to me. I love all of you and I am thankful for each of you.