The Great Exchange

The Great Exchange

Last weekend was a beautiful celebration of Jesus’ life, death, burial and resurrection as believers around the world came together for Easter. We are so blessed in America to be able to profess and worship without any restraints or fear of punishment from a government entity. I hope we never forget it.

I don’t know how many of you watched Mel Gibson’s The Passion when it came out several years ago. I admit it is extremely difficult for me to watch Jesus’ scourging and torture.  I want to think I would have been a disciple and not in the mob calling out for his death, but I don’t know.

Scripture tells us there is nothing pleasing in his natural body. He’s so compelling, I think we want him to have been  beautiful, or his eyes to have been mesmerizing. It can be hard for people to grasp it was simply his nature.

Consider this… His body was beaten, scourged, whipped until skin hung off in chunks baring bones beneath. Scripture tells us he was barely recognizable. This is what SIN looked like on the body of our Savior. It’s our sins and transgressions he was carrying two thousand years ago. The SIN of the world…. forever.

When he died, he spent the next three days in the depths (hell), having carried and left all of our sin there. He arose, pure, whole, and free. So DID WE!

He EXCHANGED our old sinful nature with the nature of God. This is the Good News! We are pure, whole and free because of Jesus finished work on the cross. We still sin and will as long as we are in our natural bodies. The beautiful thing is now we are not creatures of sin as the Holy Spirit purges our sinful nature out. So we can come to Jesus with our sin and thank him for the Spirit which convicts us and the opportunity to be delivered from it. No Guilt. No Condemnation. No Punishment. Jesus took it all with him! Hallelujah.

Read Isiah 53. The whole chapter speaks to this matter. Notice what other things were promised as Jesus rose again.

Start today. Take the first step in believing right. You are redeemed (every shameful, hurtful, prideful thing) is buried at the cross.

What Holds You Captive?

What Holds You Captive?

We all struggle. It’s a byproduct of living in a broken world. Sometimes the ball and chains seem to last for years. For some of us the ball and chains change over time, we lose one and pick up another one. Most of our ball and chains come through lies we have believed due to events or traumas.

I was sexually abused from the early age of 9-12 by a neighborhood boy who was five years older than me. He told me if I told anyone it would be his word against mine and no one would believe me. I bought the lie.

I bounced from boy to boy most of High School. One girl even wrote in my annual, “to the girl who changes boyfriends more than socks.” I married at twenty one bringing all the guilt, shame and judgement with me. In my twenties I was a slave to sexual sin. It had me bound up and tied into knots. It led to divorce and a string of  illicit relationships.

Maybe you can relate. Yours might be anger, food, unforgiveness, pornography, gaming, abuse, lieing, addictions, the list is endless.  Sin is sin is sin. The good news is there isn’t anything that can separate you from God except your own mind.

So where do you start to get freedom? It is with right believing. Papa God is NOT Angry with you . He is NOT planning your demise. He LOVES YOU!! You have the stamp of Jesus Christ on you and when God looks at you that’s all he sees. You are the redeemed of heaven. You are already forgiven. You must believe you’re right with God.

When you believe right you then can break those chains with the help of the Holy Spirit. We often are holding the keys to our own freedom, but we don’t know it. He is faithful beyond anything we can imagine. If you truly desire freedom from those things that ensnare you, go before the throne of God and ask him to remove them. Then you must forgive yourself. This trips us up more than anything. The enemy continues to remind us of our sin. Tell him to scat!

We cannot seem to grasp the GRACE Jesus died to give us! 

Your name is already written in the Book of Life. You are seated in the heavenly places in Jesus. The whole realm of heaven is in you through the Holy Spirit. chew on that. The whole realm of Heaven resides in you through the Holy Spirit. You have been given everything you need to live a righteous holy life.

Prayer: Holy Father, I break any agreements with (name of sin) and claim the power to overcome it in Jesus name. It will no longer bind me in captivity. I am not who I was because of Jesus’ great sacrifice on my behalf. I am free. Help me where I have unbelief so that I can see myself as you do. In Jesus name, amen.

What’s stopping up your Drain?

What’s stopping up your drain? Is it a trust issue? Unbelief? Is it a doubt in a good God? Is it fear?

I confess I spend a lot of time here. I pray and pray for the abundance of heaven to be visible in my life but when it starts coming I get scared and back goes in the plunger to stop up the flow. I want to think I’m a conduit for all the good things God has planned for me, but I like to know the game plan well in advance and when you’re walking in the Spirit you don’t always get a pre-game plan. In fact, the Lord has quite a sense of humor when it comes to our plans.

Walking in the Spirit means disruptions and interference. It can feel a little scary allowing God to work that out in your life. Ultimately we must find a way to believe he loves us and only has our best interest at heart. I’ll share one experience that I’m sure God had a hearty laugh over.  I spent fifteen years in outside sales. I was flying home from a trade show and spotted an account who would never work with me, no matter how I tried to woo her. My prayer was , “Oh Lord, please don’t let her be on my flight.”  Not only was she on my flight, but sat right beside me! I was mortified at first and then I just had to laugh. Following Jesus is NOT about us being comfortable.

One of the strongest pulls on me is believing God is my provision. I think sometimes as believers we’ve unknowingly taken a pledge of poverty. It’s okay if you think God has called you to those circumstances, Mother Teresa did. I however haven’t believed that’s my purpose in life. From a young age, I knew I had been put here to accomplish great things. I am a visionary. I want to be the catalyst for ridding the world of poverty by breaking generational patterns and giving people hope and skills for being fully participating people. I have allowed the enemy to cloud my view of God by thinking it would be impossible to accomplish what God gave me in a vision at age 14. I am still learning to speak that abundance over my life and rebuking the enemy. Somewhere there is an unbelief that God would gift me with the monetary means it would take. The enemy has also told me I would abuse the power that came with it. I rebuke that thought in Jesus name. My nature is not of the world but of the divine nature of my Heavenly Father through Christ.

Maybe your plug is in the goodness of God. This is such a powerful ploy for the enemy. I have to say I battled with this for a long time. I would read the old Testament and only be able to focus on the wrath of God. I had a hard time reconciling those images to the grace covenant that Jesus established on the cross. I grew up under the Law Covenant and am only learning to fully dance in grace. The Holy Spirit had to come comfort all those broken, sore places. God is good- all the time. He sees the BIG picture while we only see three feet in front of us. Embrace the thought of God being good and believe it. You will see a bounty of good things you’ve missed before, all planned for you. To love on you a little. When things go your way or just seem to work in your favor, this is not coincidence, this is the Lord loving on you! 

I realize this is a long post. There are so many things I could talk about but I’ll just ask, Are things flowing in your life, unhindered? If not, I encourage you to ask the Lord where you’re plugging up the flow of his goodness and ask him to send His Spirit to change your heart into a believing heart. The world is broken and we can become wounded from the battle. Seek his face and thank him for all the good things he has planned for you! You are worth it, Jesus gave his life for you!

The Battle for your Mind

I had an interesting conversation with a coworker a few weeks back. This young man has a tremendous ability to forgive. I’m not going into his family history but his willingness to forgive some blatant mistreatment from close relatives has blown me away. He grew up Catholic but in the last few years has really begun seeking a personal relationship with Christ. One day he said to me, “I’m so glad I have the Holy Spirit as my navigator and guide. He lets me know every time I mess up or make mistakes. I then can go and ask for his forgiveness and sets me back on the right path.”

Smiling at him, I said, ” I’m so glad you are listening for his voice, however, this is not from Jesus.”

He looked at me quizzically and said, “Who is it then?”

I replied. ” Jesus only comes at us from our destiny, not out past. Their is NO condemnation, judgement or fault finding in Jesus- there just isn’t. When you get messages from your past, it’s the enemy of your soul. Jesus would not tell you you are a goof off, or remind you of any past sin. It is all been forgotten. There is a battle going on for your mind. If the enemy can keep you focused on your sin, you are putting yourself back under law and not the grace covenant Jesus died and was resurrected for. When you start hearing the fault finding and condemnation you tell it to scat, it has no place in your life.”

A few days later he gave me a big hug when I saw him and said, “That was a complete game changer for me. I am learning to differentiate and rebuke the enemy in Jesus name. I’m having amazing dreams of who HE is and who I am in him.”

My prayer for him and for you, is that your discernment for the voice of the shepherd of your life will increase and you will rebuke and destroy the work of the enemy in your mind.

Joyce Meir has devoted a whole book to this topic, Battle Field of the Mind. Our thoughts are often under attack because the enemy wants to make you doubt  the life affirming love of Jesus. We buy into the lies a million little different ways. We place ourselves back under the struggle to meet the requirements of the Law Covenant. We let our minds strive instead of resting in the provision and goodness of God. We believe lies of self-righteousness, performance based religion which totally negates the work of Jesus on the cross.

Take action! Do not sit idly by and believe the lies of darkness. You are a child of light! Believe it! Live it! Walk in it!

Glimpses of Grace

I am only beginning to see the glimpses of grace God implanted in the Old Testament. Thanks to Tony Woodall, minister and small group leader, who opens scripture up and gives me new perspectives.  In a recent small group meeting Tony told us Mephibosheth had been on his mind. Mephibosheth, who?

David is now king and all of Saul’s family has been killed in battle, including his boyhood friend Jonathan, Saul’s son. David asks if there’s anyone who is still alive in Saul’s family. It was customary at the time for the new king to put to death all family members of the former king. David’s question was followed with “anyone whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” Really? Jonathan was forced to betray his friendship in favor of his father. David and Jonathan at one time had made a covenant between them as brothers.

Mephibosheth was Jonathan’s only son who had not been killed. He was crippled in both feet from a nurse dropping him as a child, fearing for their lives. He had grown up and been cared for from her people.  David sent for him.

When Mephibosheth came to David, he said, “I am your servant.”

In a paraphrase, David said, “Ridiculous. I am giving back all the land that was taken from your grandfather , Saul. And you will eat at the king’s table!”

Mephibosheth replied, “Who is your servant, that you should show such kindness to a dead dog like me?”

From his words, I gather Mephibosheth had felt like a failure for a long time. What good was he being crippled. David asked Ziba who had been a servant of Saul’s to farm the land for Mephibosheth to produce food for him and his household.

The most beautiful part of the story is that Mephibosheth ate regularly at the king’s table.

Do you see it? We are Mephibosheth, broken, unworthy and God says, “Come, eat and drink at my table.”  You can find the full story in II Samuel 9.  It’s a beautiful glimpse of the grace we are offered from the loving hand of a good daddy. There is always an abundance at the King’s table. It overflows with milk and honey.

Crazy Makers or Merry Makers

  CRAZY MAKERS OR MERRY MAKERS How would your friends label you- Crazy Maker or Merry Maker? ‘d like to think my relationships with friends have been mutually beneficial- a reciprocal experience in which we both feel safe, treasured and …

The Toolbox Factor and the Noodle Network

Okay, girlfriends, it’s time for us to come clean with the male sex. How many male coworkers, friends or family members have you encountered with the look that says “what planet did she come from?”  We confound them, annoy them and generally baffle them. They shake their heads at us or shrug their shoulders because they have no idea how we process information that flagrantly  loses them. So here’s the truth male readers…. a woman’s brain is crackling with the energy from all her networks. Scores of information course through her mind, interconnecting and forging new roads simultaneously. For us, everything is connected- somewhere, just like a bowl of spaghetti.

My husband often asks me what I’m thinking, most often in the car. My response is often, “not much”, to which he replies, “that’s impossible, I can see your wheels spinning.”   I have no doubt he can but it’s nearly impossible for me to fill him in on the twenty things that crossed my mind in five seconds, which were all related and drove me down roads to people and places in my past or future.

In defense of the guys, they are wired diabolically opposite us. The framework of their minds look a lot like the organized bins on a tool box, things get filed away by categories. We often complain  they don’t listen to us, or get frustrated when we have to repeat things three times. They can’t help it, it’s their natural wiring. We often get our feelings hurt when they are short or don’t want to tag along to dinner with people they don’t know.

Men label their categories with the things that are important in their lives like “Friends”, “Hobbies”, “Family” and “Work” with subtitles under each one which helps them keep it all uncluttered, neat and separate.  One special box labeled “Nothing” really does exist in their toolbox and they can access it at any time. Just as baffled as they are by our constant downloads, I am just as envious of this “Nothing” box.

Several years ago at a Couples Retreat my husband and I were thrown into fits of laughter watching a christian comedian explain the differences in the way men and women communicate. I believe it’s all a beautiful plan of God, to challenge us and keep things interesting between mates, it takes a good dose of work and grace too.  For weeks after this episode I would ask my husband to take out his “Amie” box when I really needed his full attention. Several years later, I still engage in that practice.

I hope as you encounter the opposite sex you’ll stop and think about the way to best communicate with them, extend some grace. As women, we are all about community and men are more content being kings of their own toolbox. It can be a  beautiful exchange of ideas and knowledge tempered with some understanding.

I highly recommend the book, Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus by Gary Smalley to further expound on this topic. We are all so delightfully wired, I hope you’ll celebrate the marvelous way God designed males and females.

Juggling Time

In adult life we all become master Jugglers; there are kids to get dressed in the morning, meals to plan, errands to run and keeping up the family finances. Our tasks can sometimes seem overwhelming. I know I often wish for a clone where I could delegate some duties.

We all share the same amount of minutes per day although some of my friends seem to be more productive on a daily basis than I am. My mother at 70 is still a whirlwind of energy. Therapy to her, is ironing sheets at 6:00 in the morning, while I am still hitting snooze.

I understand we are all wired differently and some of your natural energy comes from that wiring. However, I believe it’s essential to carve time of rest, for the purpose of renewal, into our daily habits for everyone. For me, ten minutes in the morning with my cup of coffee is my charging up for the day. It’s a time of reflection and prayer. I am learning to turn over all the juggling to the Creator of Time, himself.

I have experienced peace and greater grace on the days I remember to ask the Lord to go before me and prepare my day. They are not always easy, it’s not a gravy train but when I can stop long enough to let go of the reigns and remember whose power I am walking in, it gives me a different perspective.

This is a daily choice I must make. I am trusting him to handle the juggling and give me rest. I hope as you start your day, you’ll start trusting the Creator of Time to do your juggling for you and rest in his goodness and grace.

Golden Nuggets

  I absolutely love to find golden nuggets hidden among scriptures or books I’m reading, those things which immediately hit me as Truth. Often times they will give me knowledge of something new to pursue or something I’ve been missing. This morning it was an epiphany of the character of God. In my morning devo, Jesus is Calling by Sarah Young; the reading made me realize I approach God many times with the same request. I must think he’ll forget. I assume he’s limited like I am limited. He is NOT. He is Creator of the universe.

Once we have spoken something in request to God, he begins moving to answer our requests. Our response to his outpouring love is to thank him for things he is already putting into motion on our behalf. This is to live in abundance, to live in gratitude, to trust him to work good for those who are called by his name.

This was a game changer for me this morning. God is so GOOD , I think it’s hard for us to grasp that unadulterated goodness. It’s like the phrase we’ve heard since childhood, something is too good to believe. Not when it comes clothed in the grace and goodness of God, everything is believable through Jesus Christ.

No doubt my prayer life has changed since this morning. The requests for healing for my brother-in-laws pancreatic cancer, the wholeness and health I’ve spoken over myself and my husband, the protection I’ve requested and the hundred other things I’ve lain before him, I now say, thank you Lord, for the continued work you do on my behalf. I trust you to complete what you have already begun and say thank you!

I hope this has been a golden nugget for you as well. I hope you’ll learn to live in abundance of gratitude in response to his goodness.

Glass Castles

What have you done with your heart wounds? We all have them. Sometimes they occur in childhood, sometimes as young adults or even mature women and men.  Often, they are REAL but sometimes not. You ask- How can they not …