Ratmunks

Why do we think chipmunks are acceptable but rats are disgusting? I was just sitting outside on my porch and this chipmunk was meandering just a few feet from me. All I could think was, "How adorable! He is so cute!" It reminded me of a time my husband and I were up in the Sierra Mountains sitting by a lake having lunch. These chipmunks were surrounding us and playing in our lunch boxes and we thought it was the cutest thing. But just a few feet from us was a sign that read, "Do not get near the chipmunks...they carry disease." We disregarded the warning because the event was bringing us so much pleasure.  We knew we were doing something wrong yet we continued because it was what we wanted . Deep down I knew the chipmunks were just cute rats but I chose to play with them anyway!

How often do we choose our own will over God's? We basically tell God that we know better than Him what is best for us! God wants to protect us but we turn our backs to Him and choose what we want instead. We squeeze God into our agenda because that gives us more freedom to do what pleases us. If we are truly honest with ourselves, we are no different than possums who think if they can't see something then it isn't there! It's much more civilized to avoid God than to tell Him outwardly to leave us alone.

The Lord gave me this vision one time and He showed me that He desires to be in front of me, facing me, looking into my eyes as He encourages me on to be in His will. I had choices though, of whether I would allow His Holy Spirit to fill me and move me in the direction Christ was leading or to look away and go my own way. Many times I knew where He wanted me to go but I chose to play with the ratmunks instead and there were consequences that resulted. Christ, my loving Savior, tried to coax me with His love to go "the better way", but I would not release my grasp on the way I wanted to go. I thought I knew better than Him and thus my sin led me onto roads that caused me pain and undo-hardship.

How many times do we cry out to God about our circumstances and demand an answer to our "whys"? If we would just sit quietly and trace our steps backward, asking Him for wisdom, He would show us exactly where we made the wrong turn that led us to our pain. But many times we don't take the time to ask Him for that insight, so He uses our painful circumstance to teach us what He wanted to show us in the first place. I'm not saying that all loss and pain are a result of our disobedience but much of it is. There are times where in God's sovereignty that He allows desperate circumstances to happen so that He can be glorified in it. He is God and He can do that. That's when we must humble ourselves to His will knowing that He has a bigger plan. We must adopt the scriptures that call us to share in His sufferings and keep our eyes focused on eternal things.

Yesterday was a monumental day for me. God spoke directly to me through my Pastor. When I told him what God had said through him, he told me that he didn't know why God was telling him to say it, but he claimed obedience and spoke it out in faith. He spoke a prophesy and said, "I don't know who this is for but God is telling me to tell you, "Let go! Release your grip and let go!". It was God right there before me, looking into my eyes and encouraging me to follow Him into freedom!

For many years I have used my pain to define me. My physical pain from Fibro Myalgia and Multiple Sclerosis, and the emotional pain from nasty events that have happened in my life. Also, the pain that was self-inflicted by all my choices to play with the ratmunks. It wasn't the infirmities or the events that held me in bondage as much as it was the emotions that were attached to them. Those emotions of anger, regret, resentment, bitterness, envy...were firmly in my grip and I was not letting go! Basically what I chose to do was glorify my pain over God. Not only in my own heart but that is what I proclaimed to the world too! My choice to play with the ratmunks in my mind took precedence over playing with God. Christ wanted to see me free and He wanted to be the object of my heart and attention but I chose to focus on my pain and all its dangerous associates.

The dangerous emotions that are attached to our pain are the ratmunks of the spiritual world. They may seem quite harmless as we coddle them and use them in our quest for martyrdom and self-definition, but their little voices tell us lies! They are like a cheering squad telling us we deserve to feel all those ugly feelings because we're victims! They tell us to demand from others the attention and audience we need to display our crosses. They scream, "Who would you be if not for us! We "are" you! The loudest ratmunk voice though, is the one that tells you that if you surrender your current identity to Christ, then He will call you to be joyful and then no one will know how much you hurt!

Our pain is to be shared, not only to receive comfort but to comfort others. What our pain is not meant to be is displayed. We are called to give Christ the highest glory by displaying Him above all other things! Our pain should never trump our God. Our pain should be held in a position of surrender to the Almighty for Him to use to His glory! Pain is a gift whether we like it or not. It makes us run to our Savior's feet for help and comfort. It makes us empathetic and kind. It softens our opinions and demeanor. It brings us to deeper understanding and knowledge. It strengthens us and produces perseverance and endurance and patience. It produces the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. It puts grace and mercy in our eyes. It draws people together. It brings about repentance and salvation! Pain is a blessing but the ratmunks that try to attach themselves to it are not! We must LET GO of our affection for them and the negative attention we seek through them!

My experience at church Sunday was profound and personal. God challenged me to tell my unhealthy companions to get lost. He asked me to trust Him that He has something better for me. He assured me that His love would be better than my cries for love. He asked me to let go and let Him prove His love to me! As I sat there He also showed me all the doors in the periphery of my life that I bang on, seeking and demanding love at. One was my spouse, another a friend, some were family and some were strangers, but all of them were unable to give me what I truly needed! God spoke and told me that ALL I need is at His door. None other could satisfy or fill me. He asked me to stop going to those other doors and to just seek Him. He is the Way, the Truth and the Light.

He asked one more thing of me though, and it was a tough one. He asked me to begin being joyful instead of discouraged. Sounds ridiculous that that would be a hard request but discouragement was my long-time companion and I wasn't sure who I would be without it. But, I jumped out in faith and watched a scenario play out in my mind of me opening my hand and letting go of all my ratmunks. I then went down the corridors and closed all the doors where I sought love. Then, I looked up and met the eyes of the Lover of my Soul, Jesus, and said, "Show me who you want me to be."

Upon completion of this blog-post I asked the Lord, "Where exactly did I go astray? "What made me not choose you Lord? What enticed me to follow the ratmunks? His reply, "When you took your eyes off mine." I chose for years to worship and live my life at the alter of self-pity! Only God knows how much of life I missed out on, how many people I shared my grief with rather than the gospel and how much glory I denied The Worthy One! How much joy, health, abundance, laughter, and blessings were passed by because I was looking in all the wrong places for what was right in front of me! Yes, right in front of me, Jesus! With His arms reached out to me, telling me about His endless love toward me and encouraging me to draw closer to Him so I could receive ALL He has for me! Let's start encouring ourselves to stop knocking on those doors of false love and to just simply look into the eyes of our Lover, Jesus. Children of God, let go and stop playing with ratmunks.

"Where sin increased, grace increased all the more." Romans 5:20

Blanket Marks

This morning I did not want to get up and go anywhere! As I layed in bed still exhausted from not sleeping well I asked God to rise me to the occasion because I was not able to do it on my own. I knew that if I just took the first action step toward being obedient to God that He would encourage me on with each step and He did. At one point I looked into my make-up mirror and I had blanket marks pressed into my left cheek and I knew no amount of cover-up would resolve it. I wanted to go back to bed so bad but my heart knew that if I pressed on and drew near to Him that He would have blessings for me. I kept putting one foot in front of the other and made it to church, where the blessings were waiting.

How many blessings do we miss because we fail in our obedience? I truly believe that when we get to heaven, Jesus will take us to a room where all the unclaimed blessings will be on display. We will gaze upon them and the sheer power of His love will overwhelm us. We will see that He was always there through our lives just waiting to speak to us. I held a silent retreat at my house a few years ago and several woman showed up to spend an afternoon in silence before the Lord. Each woman found a cozy spot and just read her bible and let the Lord speak to her. The stories afterward were amazing! Ever since that retreat I find myself contemplating the thought of how much I have missed that God has wanted to say to me. In my busyness or neglect I choose as Martha did to "get things done" rather than have a Mary heart where my priority would have been to "get to Him".

There is nothing "outside of us" that can satisfy and fill us like the Savior who is "inside of us". This world we live in is hectic and overwhelming to say the least but the times I have chose to turn away from a task and turn to Him instead...I was NEVER SORRY! We have to stop being afraid of stillness, for it is in the stillness that He meets us in the most special ways.

*Seek first the kingdom of God and all the other things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33

*I set before you...a blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God. Deuteronomy 11:26,27

*If you keep My commandments, you shall abide in My love. John 15:10

*The Holy Spirit...given to them that obey God. Acts 5:32

*You have purified your souls by obeying the truth. 1 Peter 1:22

This morning God wiped the sleep from my eyes and rubbed the blanket marks from my cheeks so that I could go and receive His blessings. What a wonderful Father.

Clearly Defined

What defines you? Your past? Your children? Your pain? Your success? A degrading experience? A failure?......I often do a systems check on myself because my environment or condition can make my core definition fluctuate. There are times when my pain triggers my past emotions and I find my inner dialog speaking from a place of sadness or fear. These thoughts take on a life of their own and before I know it my core definition is skewed!

Above all things I am a child of God who is loved, adored and pursued by The Lover of my Soul, Jesus. Any definition that tries to trump that is an invader of that truth! I am not unworthy, 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, "Christ became sin on my behalf that I might become the righteousness of God in Him! I am not condemned, Romans 8:1 says, "Because I am in Christ, there is no condemnation." I am not alone, Matthew 28:20 and Hebrews 13:5 say, "He is with me always, He will never leave me or forsake me." I am not a failure, Romans 8:37 clearly states, "I am a conqueror in all things through Christ Jesus!" These scriptures clearly define who I am in Christ.

Scripture so precisely demonstrates God's lavish love for us and we must weld ourselves to  those truths! The circumstances of life are like waves that can toss us about and rock our identity. James 1:6 speaks to that, "But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind." Ephesians 4:14 also says, "Then we will no longer be little children, tossed like waves and blown about by every wind of doctrine..." Children of God, I encourage you to plant yourself in God's Word and grow there! Be defined by the One who loves you! Fight the lies that surface from false definitions!

When the enemy whispers to you in your pain that you must have done something pretty bad to have God pour such a bitter cup over your life, you must yell back at that lie! Claim your scriptures and chop those lies up! Refuse to entertain them or support them! Take your scriptures and saturate your mind with them. Let them be a healing and protective balm. Learn bible verses, bible stories, bible context. Psalm 119:105 says, "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." Even in our darkness, He is our light! Lies cannot exist in the presence of God's light. The light of His truth burns them up!

I have found that a clearly defined Personal Life Statement written down and memorized is very helpful. At the bottom write some scripture verses that support it. When we are clearly defined, we not only live in a posture of security but those around us know exactly where they stand with us. Co-workers, spouses, children, friends....will all know who we are and what we expect from ourselves and them. If we are not clearly defined then we are victims of the storms of life and not living to our full potential. Doing a T-list is also a great confirmation. On one side write down what your feelings tell you that you are and on the other side write down what God tells you you are. Obviously one side will reflect vacillating emotions and the other cemented truth! Another exercise I like is to make it a habit that every time you take a sip of water throughout the day, tell yourself one wonderful truth about how much God loves you! Example: I love the scripture in Zephaniah 3:17, "The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save you. He takes great delight in you; with His love He will calm your fears. He will rejoice over you with singing." Wow! Look how many affirmations of His love for me I can get just from that one scripture! After one sip I will say, "God sings over me!" Later, after another sip I'll say, "God delights in me!" You'll be surprised at how fast your inner dialog will change!

Scripture suggestions:

Ephesians 6:10-18 The Armor of God

Urgent Care

So often when we are wounded in our mind, spirit or emotions it doesn't get the attention that a physical wound would receive. We feel alone and misunderstood because the damage is unseen. Others cannot see our pain because of many reasons such as an inability to empathize or denial to acknowledge that a loved one is hurting. Feeling alone and abandoned with a trauma compounds the injury because of the suffering of the mind and emotions.

When our physical body takes a hit such as a puncture wound lets say, we go to the urgent care and the doctors first action is to clean the wound and then treat it for infection. The doctor administers an anti-biotic so that our physical body can fight any foreign bacteria. The same applies to an emotional wound but we so often neglect treatment. We let it fester because we think there is no approach available for such an impact. But there is.

When life throws us a jab, we can go to The Great Physician, Jesus, and He will clean our wound and treat it with an anti-demonic! Emotional wounds are compound wounds. We are not only hit by the rejection and loss but we are barraged by the collateral damage of our mind which tells us that we are not worthy or that we are failures. That invasive overtaking of our being causes an emotional infection that must be treated! And the only treatment is an anti-demonic.

Ephesians tells us of the armor of God and that the sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. That is our treatment and it will save us from the infection of lies and torment. The sword of God's Word is like the physicians scalpel and it cuts away the infection of lies. We have not been promised a smooth pathway in life, but we have been promised a journey that will be accompanied by The Great Physician and Lover of our Soul. We can choose whether we will allow a physical wound to become worse by not having it treated just as we can ignore the treatment of an emotional injury. By choosing to ignore the presence of demonic infection we render ourselves weak, ineffective victims who are not only diseased with lies but we then carry all that on our journey through life and impact others with our sickness.

Brothers and sisters in Christ...why do we go about with sick and diseased souls? Why do we allow lies to live in our minds and infect our emotions? We are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus! Who can be against us if Christ is for us! (Romans 8;31-39). Go to The Great Physician and let Him clean your wounds. Let Him treat you with anti-demonics so that your mind and emotions can be healthy and clear. Stop letting the infection of lies spread throughout you. Our suffering is but for a short time and the hope of our eternal home is set before us. Our load does not have to be so heavy if we would just let the Word of God wash out the lies of the enemy! Whether you are wracked with physical pain, stuck in a wheelchair, or struggle with mental illness, you do not have to have the load of lies heaped upon that! I have lived a life filled with unseen pain and I have come to believe that it was not the physical suffering that suffocated me but the heaping loads of mental lies that caused the unbearable emotional suffering. We can endure anything if we truly believe that God loves us unconditionally!

Dicipline and practice the art of using the name of Jesus Christ as your sword and scalpel! When the enemy comes with his barrage of lies, cut them down before they can take seed! You are precious in the sight of God, worthy of God's love because of Jesus. You are His child and the apple of His eye! His thoughts toward you each day are more than the grains of sand! He interceeds and prays for you constantly because He is for you, not against you! When thoughts of doubt, fear, temptation or unworthiness come to your mind, cut them down with The Truth! Read your bible, write down verses that will become your sword for battle! Stop laying down for the enemy like a defeated victim! Stand with the Sword of God's Word and fight! Your victory is guaranteed already! Why do you fear or doubt? Your chant should not be, "Poor me" but "Power in me! In Jesus Name!".

Begin praying for God's Holy Spirit to start showing you where the disease of lies has taken hold in you. Pray for discernment, wisdom and most of all the awareness of God's love for you! Ask God for a warrior Spirit within you that will not tolerate the presence of lies! Start living in the truth of His love and power! We do not have to be sick in our emotions because it is a choice. There is only room for one inhabitant in the seat of our mind and we choose who sits there, Christ's truth or demonic lies. Every micro-second of each day we are called to choose who will reign in our thoughts. Choose the truth.

1 John 4:4 NKJV, "You are of God, little children, and have overcome them (demonic forces and lies), because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world!"

Isaiah 54:17, "No weapon formed against you shall prosper..."

2 Corinthians 10:5, "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;"

Dirty Little Lies

I don't know who reads these posts but I do know that whomever does...God will speak to them about His great love. I consider it an act of humility and surrender to Him to allow His love to be exposed through my weakness.

This is a story of such a weakness...

My body and mind were crying out for respite and I finally surrendered to it. This peaceful Sunday afternoon had offered me a soft place to lay, so I abandoned all my worries and duties to another day and offered myself to it. The stillness and grey of dusk crept into my room as I slumbered and upon awakening I felt a heavy presence looming. Oh, I knew who it was because he had visited me many times before. He goes by many names such as Liar, Destroyer, Robber, Discourager. He is a minion of the devil himself who gets sent to try and take down those of God's children who are growing in their faith!

I know this can sound scary to many young Christians but fear not for God only allows these trivial beings to annoy us because it is like basic training for us. Sure, at first it seems like these entities use us for target practice but the whole goal of our Great God is for us to come to the realization that they are really there for OUR target practice! For years I let these insignificant spiritual jerks push me around, never realizing the power I had IN JESUS NAME! But, today the battle turned in my favor because I finally claimed my position as Daughter of the King and put that inconsequential minion in his rightful place as a loser and liar!

As I awoke, the looming presence began whispering in my ear some sensitive issues in my life. My mind began to grab hold of them and before I knew it I was helping the liar twist and turn the truth into mis-truths! I began compiling evidence to support his case that I was not worthy of love and that I had no value or purpose! Then, in an instant, I recognized what was happening and all my basic training took over! All the years of God telling me to go back around and do it again made sense to me! I turned to the liar and in a stance of power and truth I told him in no uncertain terms that those taunts are all lies! The truth is that God died on the cross for me and that's all the display of love I need to know that I'm worthy and precious!

Child of God, don't tarry in the muck of lies! That is where the enemy wants you because it's there that you question God's love. Reach your hand out to Jesus, just as Peter did when he sank in the waves of doubt. Jesus will grasp your hand and pluck you from the lake of lies and set you upon a rock of truth! If you ever doubt His love, you are listening to a lie! God so loved you that He gave His only Begotten Son Jesus so that if you believe in Him you will not perish but you will have eternal life! That, my brothers and sisters is THE TRUTH!

Oh, believing lies is how we get into trouble. The enemy is tricky and wiley and will come at you from many different perspectives and directions to catch your foot! We will get tripped up, deceived and knocked over but if you can begin never doubting His love then you will always know what you tripped over, see the light in the darkness and you will always feel His mighty hand reach for yours to pull you up! Each training session will take us to higher levels of servant ship where God can use us to His glory! I sorrow over the lost years where doubt and lies kept me prisoner but I will not be covered with shame any longer for I know that it is God's grace and mercy that are my covering! It's His righteousness that I walk in, not my weakness. His love covers all my sins.

So, when minions come, will I hand them the stick of my iniquities to beat me with or will I take up the staff of God's truth and beat them senseless for even considering approaching a Daughter of the King with such nonsense! If we only believed how deep and wide and high His love is for us...we would never know defeat again! When you question God's love for you, the answer should never come from your seat of emotions but from His Holy Word! Stop fighting with The One that fought for you! It should not be our quest in life to try and convince ourselves that He couldn't possibly love us! He loves you and there is no amount of doubt or disbelief that can change that!

If you don't know the truth then how can you use it in your defense? Read your bible.

References: Isaiah 43:2, Romans 8:31-39, 2 Corinthians 4:7-16

Sweet Stillness

God desires two things from us before all other things. For all other things flow from these...To sit before Him being still and desiring only His will.

Song of Songs 4:15 reads, "Awake north wind, and come, south wind! Blow on my garden so its fragrance may spread abroad." Just as sitting in a garden saturates us with the essence of the vines and blossoms, so sitting in His presence infuses us with His character.  We see in our marketplaces, oils, candles, soaps... all infused with scents and it's those aromas that draw us near, desiring it! Once we get this first act of obedience correct, it's then that we can call upon the Holy Spirit to blow upon the garden of our souls and spread God's love to others.

How often do you find yourself weary and void of the spices of life? How can we give when we ourselves are empty and bland. Jesus says, "Come unto Me, all of you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest." Go, child of God, and lean hard against Him, draw His nectar like a bee and spread that sweet message of love! We were not created to be drained, but filled, and filled to overflowing!

Our desire should be to have those around us ask, "What is that fragrance that your character is wearing?" And our reply would simply be, "Jesus".