by Morgan Krueger | Apr 22, 2019 | Featured, Life Advice |
This Easter season has been packed with an abundance of spiritual truths from pastors, friends, and from countless individuals on social media using their platform for powerful one-liners regarding the significance of the cross.
However, for me, the most profound truth I have received this Easter came from a spunky 3-year-old name Ryder.
Ryder is a curious little guy who will ask a million questions while trail blazing through the room, not always stopping long enough to hear the answer.
Well, this year, Ryder got a pack of the always popular, loved by all children, Resurrection Eggs.
This 12-piece set of eggs are meant to connect children to the story of Jesus, the true meaning of Easter. The eggs include a miniature cross in one, a piece of fabric in another, and on and on it goes leading children all the way through the Easter story. The last egg, however, is an empty one, displaying the beauty of the empty tomb from 2,000 years ago.
As his parents read him the Easter story, Ryder couldn’t wait to open each and every egg with all the fun toys inside. At the end of the story, Ryder was confused to find nothing in the last egg. This led to his parents sharing with him (in three-year-old talk) that Jesus wasn’t there because HE WAS RISEN.
Let’s be honest, understanding resurrection is a crazy concept for most of us to wrap our minds around, much less for a tiny tot to understand. They did the best they could to put this miracle in simple terms and let him continue to play and enjoy all the items held in the other 11 eggs.
Fast forward a couple days, Ryder was having a ball at one of his friends Easter egg hunts. In Ryder’s mind, these eggs were the best eggs of all because they had not only something inside, but some you can EAT!
As Ryder ran around the field to collect the eggs and the yummy chocolate inside, he picked up an egg that one of the parents had overlooked and forgot to fill, leaving it empty.
In the middle of the hunt, in the presence of at least 30 other children and roughly 50 parents, Ryder lifts the egg up in the air (straight lion king style) and yells out, “Mommy, JESUS IS GONE!”
As all the parents laughed, his mom, Page, couldn’t help but smile knowing the previous conversation that had taken place concerning the Resurrection eggs.
The truth is, Ryder at the ripe age of three probably doesn’t comprehend the reality of what he was saying. Non the less, Ryder’s proclamation is one that we should all lend an ear toward during this season.
Because the truth is, Jesus IS gone. Not only is he missing from that tiny egg, he is also gone from the tomb.
And if Jesus is actually gone, it is for a purpose and for a mission that concerns us all.
So where did he go? He came directly to YOU, friend.
“Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” Matthew 28:1-10 (ESV)
And guess where Jesus went after showing up to these women? He went straight to Galilee, just like he said he would.
The direct result of the resurrection means you and I get to experience the living Jesus, just like those women and the disciples 2,000 years ago.
And when Jesus shows up, what does he want to say to you?
He says that he conquered sin and death for you.
He says that he will right every one of your wrongs.
He shows you his love for you by his nail scarred hands.
He tells you that his power will go with you wherever you go.
He says that he can be the one to finally give you rest for your soul.
Finally, he says that you do not have to fear, for ALL authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him for you.
Let Jesus swap out all your fears with His freedom. If Jesus conquered the grave, there’s nothing he can’t conquer in your life.
That’s what I like to call a LIVING HOPE.
Hope for Ryder, hope for me, and hope for you.
The truth is, besides Easter, TODAY is actually one of the most significant days of the year.
Today is the first full day that we get to take our Savior with us everywhere we go. Trusting in him, knowing that he was who he says he was.
Will you stake your life on the resurrected Jesus today and let him show up for you?
You may be asking yourself, “What is that first step?”
Look at the cross, friend! All the work has already been done! Now it’s just time to surrender and let Him love you.
So take your first step today and just praise His name for this breathtaking act of love toward us. God loves to hear your voice.
Here’s a song to get started 🙂
Living Hope
by Courtney Leatherwood | Apr 19, 2019 | Featured, Life Advice |
Good Friday, Great Friday.
Today is a good day. This day is the day that Jesus died on the cross over 2000 years ago.
Do you agree? Do you feel like today is just another good day or is it a “Good” Friday? Your views about this Friday might depend on how you see yourself today. How do you feel about “you” today?
I only ask this question because I think many of us can feel the guilt, the shame, and the heaviness of what happened 2000 years ago. Some of us take the crucifixion of Jesus very seriously and this day weighs us down.
Others, perhaps you, might not feel the weight of the death of Jesus, but you feel the guilt, with some shame sprinkled in, for things that have happened in your life. For making poor decisions. For living recklessly. For not using words kindly. For being angry. For a million other things.
But, friends, today is a “good” day for all of us because this is the day where all those things that drive us to shame and guilt have been laid before our Lord and He says it is as if they never happened. (Hebrews 8:12) Whoa! That is so good, it is GREAT!
On this day, a little over 2000 years ago, grace invaded our lives.
Let’s take a minute to consider exactly what happened because of that day…
There is nothing too great.
There is nothing too messy.
There is nothing too awful.
There is nothing too stressful.
There is nothing too tragic.
There is nothing too dark.
There is nothing too heart-breaking that HIS greatness cannot help you overcome.
Friends, this day reminds us that it is okay—no, not just okay, it was designed for this purpose—to lay it all down at the cross. That means all the things I mentioned above–the dark, messy stuff—can be brought before our Lord and laid down at the cross. You won’t physically have a cross to walk up to, but that cross is always there for you.
Think about this. Because of this day, you are able to see your true, redeemed, deeply-loved self, reflected in the cross of Jesus. This day makes it possible for you to see yourself as God sees you. When Jesus went to the cross, He went for you so you do not have to stay bound to the mistakes you’ve made. Jesus’ death allows you to be free from the burden of your own sin.
l John 1: 5-7 tells us that God is light and there is no darkness found in Him. When we walk with Him, we, too, walk in the light. His light purifies us and makes us clean and new.
Watch what He will do.
Think back to that Friday 2000 years ago. Imagine close friends and family members watching Jesus as He hung on the cross. Thinking. Waiting. Praying. Watching what He would do. How their hearts must have been breaking. This was someone dear to them. Someone they walked and talked with. Someone they loved. They couldn’t know His next steps, although He had tried to tell them. They didn’t fully understand.
Now, think about this Friday. Today. There are many who are thinking, waiting, praying for Jesus. We know more. We’ve read the bible. But, we still don’t know it all. We’re still watching for what Jesus will do—for that day when He will return to take everyone home with Him. And, we watch and wait for all the things He will do with our lives.
Watch what He will do.
It’s hard to fathom the depth of the physical pain Jesus endured. How can the word “joy” be associated with any of that day, yet it was. Hebrews 12:2 (NIV) records, “for the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” The joy set before Him was us. He did what He did for us—you and me. And, His knowing that He was suffering for our benefit brought Him joy.
Imagine yourself at the foot of the cross today. Go ahead, look up, as if looking up at the cross. Fix your eyes on Jesus. Think of His greatness and His love for you. Forget about earthly things. Instead, think only on God and what He did for you. Then take a step forward. Yes, really take a step. And in that step, let His greatness wash over you. Feel the greatness He has called on your life. Jesus’ death on the cross called all the powers of God down on your life. When you step toward Him, He opens His hands and pours His goodness on you. For that day forward, God can and will direct your steps. Oh, He doesn’t call you to walk this way or that around the block. It’s much better than that. When you include Him in your decisions for life, He will point you in the right direction, guide you through the good and bad, and teach you more about yourself with each step.
Watch what He will do.
I love how Colossians 2:2 is worded in the Passion Bible. It says, “I am contending for you that your hearts will be wrapped in the comfort of heaven and woven together into love’s fabric. This will give you access to all the riches of God as you experience the revelation of God’s great mystery—Christ.”
Jesus’ death on the cross ensures that you have access to everything good God has planned for you. Are you ready for what happens next? Where is God going to take you? How is your life going to change? I don’t have all the answers; I just know I want to be a part of it—whatever it is. How about you?
This is Good Friday. Most of the world celebrates this day, recognizing its significance in history. But, I say, anytime I can lay my burdens down; anytime I can anticipate the future with joy; anytime I can celebrate a risen King means it’s a GREAT DAY!
So today let’s call it “Great Friday” and spread the good news that Jesus is coming again!
Prayer: I open my heart to you today, Father. Will you receive everything that I lay down at your feet? Thank you for restoring the goodness of who we are and will be at the surrendered sacrifice. Father, you are so good — you are so great. I believe there is nothing greater.
by Amanda Cook | Apr 12, 2019 | Featured, Testimonies |
It has been said that humans are made of the same stuff as the stars. I remember being 16 and staring into that nightly infinite expanse, willing them to come closer, to teach me something about the meaning of life, about who we are and why we’re here. As it was, sixteen-year-old me was preoccupied with trying on selves, jokes, clothes, thoughts, emotions, places, experiences, always looking for a steady and sure version of herself to show up in one of the many episodic reinventions. She was sure that through some process of elimination she would maybe know who she wasn’t, in order to get closer to who she—maybe—was.
16 returned often to her sarcasm, her guard up to protect how open and innocent she really felt. The gloomy sarcasm felt like a protective circle around her optimism and excitement. Perhaps she kept it shielded because of how porous, how affected she truly was. Both moved and unshaken, vaporous and frozen. Melancholy, head in the clouds, face to the sun, the romance of being rained-on embraced, try it all on, there she was. Judgements, questions, methods, markers. Tastes, trends, groups, beliefs. She needed to find out for herself, with only as much experimentation as her religion would allow. Uncomfortable in her own body, wondering when the day would come that she would finally feel present in it. Hoping that she could enjoy being alive inside of herself before death delivered her spirit to the wild.
I wish to gather her up in my arms now with unflinching eye contact in a calming welcome home vibe, absent of shame. I want to offer her absolution, to see her absorb and marvel at her state of being. She is a creature of light, she just doesn’t know it yet. A beauty all her own, like the sun beaming through broken windows of an abandoned industrial building. She will one day find out that she is, in fact, made of warmth and goodness. She will eventually recognize her intrinsic luminescence, but for now, the uncertain searching look in her eye as we make eye contact is enough. She has things to teach me, just as much as I have the compassion to give her.
She wonders if a life without regret is possible, an odd thing for a 16-year-old to think about, and I wonder if I can bottle the bright innocence she exudes and burn it like incense. She wonders if she looks okay, tugs at her shirt a bit, and I do the same. We are one and the same, staring at mirror images of ourselves. The difference between her body and mine is that mine has more stories to tell. More weight to it. I can feel these journeys stored up; the emotions that are still in play. She has her shoulders back, looking life square in the face. I have to remind myself to straighten up and lift my head. The truth of the matter is that we both wonder if we’re enough. Enough of what, I don’t know. I look at her—body, soul, spirit—and wonder how her mind could have ever thought such a thing. She is perfect. New. Alive. An awkward lively human with a pixie haircut.
We stare into space for a bit. Two soul sisters, myself and I, kindred spirits, strengthening each other with solidarity. Our resolve feels ageless and timeless. I can almost feel a grandmother version of ourselves is hovering over both of us. We will find our essence. We will. She will. I will.
We all wonder what it feels like to be original. Perhaps part of it looks like seeing into the past and sitting with the many ages of my own self in order to love each one and celebrate each of them as they grow. Today it’s 16 and I. Maybe my practice is to embrace the many test phases of Amanda Lindsey Cook and really listen to what all of those experiences have to say to me, to heal me.
Part of me is sad it took me over 30 years to begin to fall in love with the very person who needed to try those personas on, but that’s just the regret talking—whatever regret is. Part of me is sad that I was thinking about such things and wondering if I was enough at the perfect age of 16. Part of me is wondering if it’s just all par for the course and that, in the end, what we face begins to heal us and what we fear actually begins to free us. What if all of it matters and what if being an original has less to do with trying to “be” and more with letting ourselves become? Perhaps all of the attempts and tries are part of the reinvention that is necessary to embrace our truest self– all ages, all personas, all quests of the soul and body included. So here we all are—all of the “me’s” and all of the “you’s” perfectly original right where we are – whether we see our stars yet or not.
I propose this. That we become more gentle with our many years of discovery and personality development, especially while attempting to meet the demands of our immediate surroundings. That we spend more time looking at the stars and less at Instagram presentations. That we fall deeply and blissfully more in love with being alive, with whatever age we are and all the ages that led us to this one. That we dance more, through our kitchens, on the street on the way to work, and especially whenever we feel thoughts and questions making cases and calculating worthiness and regrets in our rational minds. Shake off those dusty thoughts and shine.
You are ever so so so so bright.
Amanda Cook is a songwriter and worship leader at Bethel Church and with Bethel Music. Originally from Winnipeg, Canada, Amanda has a dynamic history as a worship leader and songwriter that began at a young age. She has been a part of the Bethel Music family since 2010 and currently ministers throughout the United States and internationally. Amanda’s worship wraps words and pictures around what it is like to live honestly and passionately connected to God, discovering greater fullness and wonder in every season with Him.
by Mack Brock | Apr 10, 2019 | Featured, Life Advice |
If you could be just a little bit better, a little smarter, more attractive, funnier or more successful…. a little bit more of anything. Anything but what you currently are… THEN, maybe, just maybe they’ll love you. And when you finally get their love, don’t mess it up. Don’t do anything wrong, because there’s a good chance you’ll lose their love if you do.
Have you ever found yourself trapped in this thinking? Doing mental and emotional gymnastics to feel loved? Then, when you finally change yourself just enough, the love you’ve found feels so fragile and fickle that it will likely blow away at the first glance of your real, flawed self.
Being loved is the longing of every human heart. It’s one of the few things we all have in common. But how do we get this love we long for?
Some of us are lucky enough to grow up in a home where we are told we are loved. We feel loved most days, but still there’s always a voice deep down that tells us we aren’t enough. Others of us who weren’t told we were loved by our family wouldn’t know love if it introduced itself by name.
Every one of us has our own unique “love story.” And I’m not talking about the story of when you fell head over heels for a significant other. Some of us have that story too, but ALL of us have a story about whether we believe we are unconditionally loved or not. When you get that story right in your heart, it will change every story in your life.
Unconditional love is a hard concept to understand. It’s hard to wrap our minds around. Most of the love we experience here on earth feels conditional or earned. And to complicate matters even further, our experience with love here on earth will likely distort our perception of God’s love for us as well.
When I was younger, I would read in the Bible that God’s love for me was unconditional, that it was endless and without borders – but if I’m honest, I didn’t truly believe it. I felt like God was constantly looking over my shoulder… disappointed in the mistakes I made, frustrated with my shortcomings, and annoyed that I just couldn’t get it right.
I envisioned God as this looming figure that was waiting to punish me for my faults. A God that would find any excuse NOT to love me.
I wanted desperately to please God. I would read my bible, go to church, play in the worship band… anything I could to check off my list of “How to earn God’s love.” I remember vividly the markers I’d set for myself that I thought would please God. And I remember vividly how ashamed and guilty I’d feel when I didn’t hit those markers.
But here’s the thing I learned through that process – It didn’t matter if I was doing everything “right” or everything “wrong” – I still felt the same. Empty. Alone. I was at a place where even my relationship with God was a to-do list item that wasn’t built on relationship. It was built on condition.
Even when I’d be disciplined in my quiet time or attend church multiple times a week, I still felt unworthy. And the times that I slipped up and did something wrong, I felt embarrassed and discouraged.
The problem lies in this: When we focus on everything that we’re doing – whether right or wrong – we are missing the point of the gospel and missing the precious gift that God gives to us freely. His love for us isn’t built on anything that we can do on our own. It isn’t merited in our accomplishments or status. It’s a FREE gift that we simply have to receive. Open handed, open-hearted.
Two events in my life really helped me understand God’s love in a profound way. The first was when I met my wife Meredith, and she told me her story. She didn’t have it all together, she didn’t grow up hearing “I love you” on a regular basis, and she didn’t know about Jesus. But when she was 17 years old and attended a Young Life event, she heard about and received the love of Jesus for the first time in her life. She didn’t have any preconceived notions of how to accept God’s love. She didn’t have a list of to-do items that would qualify her for God’s love. She could just accept it. No strings attached. And it changed her life.
It helped me understand that growing up hearing about grace and hearing about love made it harder for me to not take it for granted. At some point, they became words without meaning. And I had to re-evaluate what they actually meant to me in my own life. It opened the door for God to reveal to me the things I knew in my head but had disconnected from my heart.
The second event was when I became a father myself. When my son Harvey was born, it changed me in a way of understanding what it means to love someone – simply because I do.
It’s not to receive anything from him in return (he didn’t have much to offer as a baby), I just loved him. And my love for him couldn’t be swayed or manipulated.
God’s love for us is vast, infinite, and without condition. It’s hard for us to grasp because we’ve never experienced anything like it here on earth.
So how do we know we are unconditionally loved? How do we stop the lies we are believing?
We go to the truth found in the Word. Here’s what the Truth says…
Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
1 John 4:9-10 “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
This entire blog post could be filled with reminders in scripture of God’s love for us. Yet somehow we still forget. And He keeps loving us.
If you are struggling to know you are loved, do this for me. Pause, right now, take a deep breath, and tell yourself the Truth. You ARE loved. No strings attached, no hoops to jump through, no list to check off.
Just as you are, right now, He welcomes you. And He loves you unconditionally.
Mack Brock’s greatest passion is to lead people into a heightened awareness of the presence of God and to see individuals experience the breakthrough God has for them through worship. Having spent the last 15 years paving the landscape of modern worship, Mack has co-written some of the biggest songs in today’s church including “O Come To The Altar,” “Resurrecting,” “Here As In Heaven,” and “Do It Again,” all landing in the Top 100 on CCLI.
After serving as the music producer and a key worship leader with Elevation Worship for a decade, Mack felt called to leave to the ministry last year, documenting the step of faith in his first-ever solo-project, Greater Things, which has garnered over 9 Million streams globally and over 10 thousand in album consumption and over 15 thousand in track consumption since it released digitally last fall. The project will release physically this Friday, Apr. 9th and will also include songs from Mack’s latest critically acclaimed, Covered.
by Sadie Robertson Huff | Apr 8, 2019 | Featured, Sisterhood, Testimonies |
We’ve had the most incredible responses from last week’s episode of the “WHOA That’s Good” podcast with Elisabeth Hasselbeck! The wisdom shared in this conversation is one that deserves pen to paper!
We are bringing ALL the gold for you on the blog today.
For those of you who don’t know Elisabeth, she is a former cohost on The View, a contestant on the TV show Survivor, and author of her brand, new book, Point of View.
Sadie referred to her as “Tinkerbell in human form.” She simply carries so much joy.
Elisabeth is asked the question Sadie asks all of her guests, “What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?”
Elisabeth shared about the relationship she had with her dad. At a young age, she was self-diagnosed with FOLPD, aka “Fear of Letting People Down.” Her father knew this about Elisabeth and often encouraged her with this truth: “I see you. I know you. Go show them.”
This gave her a baseline understanding of how God saw her. It also served as a reminder that she is to show God’s love reflecting off of her.
God tells us, “I see you. I know you. Go show them.”
WHOA That’s Good!
Another strong woman, Maria Goff, was mentioned in the episode. One of Elisabeth’s favorite pieces of advice came from her: “Sometimes when you’re looking for an answer to a prayer you’ve prayed, God sends a friend.”
There’s a beautiful connection.
Elisabeth looked back and saw God’s provision and protection over her through the people He has sent into her life. What a sweet picture of God’s love through community!
Elisabeth encouraged Sadie to be a mentor in her own life. She profoundly said, “Don’t always look up. You can look over and to the generations around you.”
WHOA That’s Good!
In her new book, Point of View, Elisabeth shares about her experience on the TV show, Survivor.
Elisabeth described it as being life changing, but goes on to say it was heart changing as well.
She knew she needed the word of God in her life, but something surprising on the TV show let her know how much she needed it. Roger Bingham, one of her fellow Survivor players, ended up being a good friend who taught Elisabeth how to fish and build a fire. But, the most important thing he taught her was it would be her faith that would see her though the tough days of Survivor.
While Elisabeth brought a headdress as her survival item, Roger brought his bible. She says, “His survival item, in a time where we had no shelter, gave him a shelter.”
In her book, Elisabeth says, “Our alliance with one another was built on our alliance on God.” Elisabeth knows God sent Rodger to show her the importance of getting into God’s word and using it to shelter her and protect her.
WHOA That’s Good!
The show was one of the first times that Elisabeth really depended on the words of God to get her through the day. This began a hunger for the Word in a new way.
This continued to carry her through her seasons on The View. It was a completely different scenario, but the survival guide was the same.
The Word is the best kind of survival guide. It always delivers the best point of view. Reading God’s word in the morning is a crucial survival step.
“Read the good news before the hard news,” said Elisabeth.
During another season on Fox and Friends, Elisabeth would wake up at 2:30 in the morning so she could read her bible before her day would begin. She knew she needed to be grounded in God’s truth before the news of the day flooded her mind.
In a world that is flooding us with really tough news, we need to be grounded in what God says about us and what He says about this world. Elisabeth did an amazing job pointing us to this truth.
WHOA That’s Good!
Sadie and Elisabeth talked about a “joyful busy” and how to keep an attitude of optimism in the Lord’s work knowing that His promises are true.
Isaiah 40:31 says, “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Paul also says in Galatians 6:9, “Don’t grow weary in doing good.”
We can keep a joyfully busy spirit when we understand that “obedience sometimes looks like waiting.” God can always see what we cannot see and what we think is “waiting,” God is calling character building. When we trust that God follows through, we can persevere in the waiting.
Elisabeth went on to talk about relationships. She explained what it looked like to love her co-host, Whoopie Goldberg, while hosting The View. Elisabeth explains that, “We don’t think the same, but we love the same.”
What a challenging thought.
“How did you live that out and look past the differences?” Sadie asked.
Elisabeth said the answer is “looking at others through the lens of love.” When it comes to relationships, she says it this way in her book, “…we decided that being right with each other would require being a little more wrong. Wrong enough to give someone the right of way.”
God delights in the way we love, not in the way we are right. Trying to always be right is exhausting and never a good way to develop meaningful relationships.
We don’t want to be so “right” in our relationships, that we are “wrong” (in our behavior) with the people we love.
WHOA, That’s Good!
What we stand for as believers is important, but not more important than the God we stand under together. This is God’s “ask” of us. This is what we’re fighting for. To simply surrender to God’s will.
Truth is, we are never going to always get this right. Elisabeth relates surrender and forgiveness in this process of love in relationships.
For a long time, “Forgiveness math” for Elisabeth looked like this:
Forgiveness from me= you saying you’re sorry.
The problem with the “equation” is that this is a long way from the example we have in God. God did not, does not, wait for us to say “I’m sorry” before he forgave/forgives our sins. Instead, He poured/pours out grace on us while we were still in our sin.
He forgave first.
He loved first.
Therefore, to live like Christ, our forgiveness cannot wait on an apology. We have to offer forgiveness immediately and leave the rest up to Him.
God delights in unity, and His math is SO much better.
WHOA That’s Good!
One more thought from Elisabeth or you today: “Paint the Pineapple.”
Elisabeth tells the story of painting a pineapple. One day she was in her garage with her children when she challenged herself to do something she hadn’t done in a long time and that was painting and her subject would be a pineapple. Eight hours later, a very large pink pineapple was done. It served to remind her to not get stuck in one version of herself. There was more to her and for her to do.
We so often deny the version of ourselves that we were created to be. You might be confused about who you are, wondering which version of you is really you. Be like Elisabeth and challenge yourself. Branch out and try something new. Or perhaps go back and do something you did years ago, but you haven’t done it in a while.
Start again. Walk back in to who God made you to be. What is your pineapple moment?
And don’t worry if no one loves your pineapple. Do it for you! If it’s you doing what you love to do, God will delight in that.
God always delights in YOU.
I hope you hear that today, friends.
We have been so blessed by this podcast, and we hope you are too!
If you want to listen to Sadie and Elisabeth’s conversation from the podcast, click here to listen!
by Lauren Tomlin | Apr 5, 2019 | Featured, Testimonies
“I just wish life could just be easier….and more comfortable.”
This was the first thought that came to my mind when I found myself stirring early one morning. You know how sometimes there are those thoughts that greet you just as you are waking? They are the subconscious thoughts that immediately hit you before you have time to self edit, or push them away with your phone or the busyness of life.
This just wasn’t any morning. This morning came on the heels of the night before where things didn’t go according to the plan–or really to OUR plan.
Rewind a bit. My husband and I had felt called to really step out in risk and to trust God in a way that was really bold for us–far beyond ourselves and our own capabilities. Months were spent planning with a team of people crafting how this vision would take flight. It was risky and was putting us into new realms of faith and trust like never before. After months of investing so much of ourselves into this idea, we were ready to take the big leap ONLY to find that there were challenges.
(But of course!! What call of God isn’t met with opposition and challenges?)
This much I know! I know we have an enemy with a host of minions that have only one job to do—and that is to undermine the beauty and glory of Jesus’ life unfolding on this earth through the lives of those who love Him. They don’t have laundry to fold or errands to run. One mission—death and destruction.
John 10:10
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
Even with me knowing this scripture in my head, the waves of uncertainty, fear, and doubt started to wash over my heart.
Did we miss it? Did we not hear correctly? Was this a mistake?
There was only one solution. Food. What misery can’t be solved with a good cup of coffee and burying my face in a plate of hash browns?
Chris and I went to grab breakfast and as we were re-hashing the events, our conversation took a neat twist: The book of Hebrews.
I asked Chris to remind me why the book of Hebrews is called the faith chapter. He recounted how Hebrews Chapter 11 is called the Faith Hall of Fame. This specific chapter has a run down of rock stars from the Old Testament—remarkable men and women whose stories exhibit outstanding accounts of faith.
By faith, Enoch…..
By faith, Noah…..
By faith, Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.
He obeyed and went even though he did not know where he was going.
Tears filled my eyes and my heart swelled. THIS WAS the woman I wanted to be.
I want to be a woman filled with faith, who steps out boldly, and STILL TRUSTS even in the face of uncertainty and opposition. This was my truest self, rising to the occasion over the pack of lies I had given myself over to the night before.
Oh, those all-consuming lies! They just feel so TRUE in the moment when things aren’t going according to the “plan”. It’s so incredibly easy to give way to those accusations and lies based on how our circumstances feel in the moment. Have you ever heard these before?
You can’t trust God.
God won’t come through for you.
You are alone.
You aren’t enough.
The list goes on and on.
These lies take us all to one place: unbelief. And unbelief suffocates a faith-filled life. It just cuts you off at the knees making you incapable of taking another step. And, that’s by design. That’s exactly how the enemy robs God of His glory on display in and through our lives! He certainly can’t go after God because he already lost that battle, so he goes after what is most precious to Him:
His beloved. You and me. His image bearers.
And He’s looking for you to do one thing: AGREE with his lies.
“Ah, that’s right. I’m not safe. I’m not enough. God can’t be trusted. I’m not worthy of God coming through for me.” And, on and on the lies go.
Get this–the lies from the enemy, in and of themselves, are ineffective, but once we buy into the lie and make an agreement with them—GAME ON.
Once we make an agreement, the lie takes hold and that sends us down our old familiar trails of fear, resignation, anxiety, depression, isolation, and self-hatred. The ball is in his court now. We miss out on living true to who God made us to be. And even more costly, we miss out on simply enjoying Jesus—loving him and living with eyes of wonder and a heart full of trust.
So back to the Hebrews convo we had over hash browns. Jesus saved me from myself by reminding me of who I wanted to be. He also kindly showed me there was a litany of agreements I had made giving those lies the power the enemy wants them to have. Those lies needed to be renounced in order for me to find freedom. After doing so, I was able to see clearly again. I was able to journal His words of assurance–how He saw me, and what His interpretation was on our reality. It was so freeing!
It is in renouncing the lies and breaking the agreements that the enemy loses his hold. We are then freed to receive the healing word or truth Jesus wants to bring: His perspective and His truth on our reality!
James 4:7
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
So that’s my story, what about your story? What is the risk that God is calling you to these days? How is He asking you to step out and follow Him?
His whispers could be beckoning you to step and follow your God-given dreams and desires with your calling.
He could be asking you to trust Him with a specific relationship where He is prompting you to own your voice and share some honest words with a good friend, husband, or boyfriend.
He could be asking you to step out in faith and define boundaries in your physical relationship with your boyfriend.
Perhaps, after failure or disappointment, to dream and believe again feels too painful, and yet Jesus is calling you to give Him another chance.
If none of those feel true to your story, then what faith-filled risk is He inviting you to?
This could be an opportunity to pray now and invite Him to speak to your heart about what He DOES have for you. And, in addition, ask Him to expose any agreements standing in the way of you stepping out with Him.
You could pray something along these lines :
Jesus, will you give me a new vision to see my life through your eyes? Will you speak to me and bring your perspective on my reality? I trust you Holy Spirit to guide me in this time of prayer.
1) Risk: Father, what is a risk that you want me to take?
(Pause, and let Him speak to you, and impress upon your heart what He has for you).
2) Agreements: With this step of faith you are calling me to, are there any lies I am believing? Can you show me any agreements I have made?
(Agreements about ourselves tend to be an “I statement” as they attack our identity. I am not enough. I am not loved.)
And, what have I been believing about your heart, Father, that is keeping me from stepping out and taking risks?
(I can’t trust God. God’s heart isn’t good. I’m not worthy of God’s love. Etc.)
To find freedom, renounce the lies in Jesus name. With Jesus’ authority we have His power to command the lies away.
Pray quietly out loud over the lies He revealed.
“In the name of Jesus I reject the lie _____, and I send it to Jesus for judgement.”
3) Truth: Now for the fun part. Ask Him to bring His healing word or truth to your heart. His healing words always bring affirmation and illumination for our path. He might want to impress upon your heart a scripture verse, a vision, a word, a memory. Whatever He does bring, ask Him for the significance. He knows more than anyone what you most need to hear. He is the Good Shepherd and we are His sheep who listen and respond to the Shepherds voice (John 10:3-4).
Jesus, will you speak to me of your love for me by giving me a word or an impression? Would you speak to me about the journey ahead?
(I often find journaling really helps me capture what He impresses on my heart.)
After you have taken His truth to heart, put pen to paper and write your very own name into an “In faith sentence….” as if it were to appear the Faith Hall of Fame. May this be a reminder that you too have the opportunity to carry on the legacy of faith in action!
Lauren Tomlin loves to share with women the freedom she has found in her own life through prayer. She enjoys meeting with women and praying for their restoration and inner healing. She and her husband, Chris live in Franklin,Tennesee with their two little girls who are often seen in the creek wearing full fledged princess attire. For more information on agreements, or any fantastic resources on prayer visit www.ransomedheart.com.
