Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Freedom



Just sit back and let this song soak in. Begin to meditate and let your spirit engage with the words as they're being sung.


"There is power in the name of Jesus

To break every chain

All sufficient sacrifice
So freely given
Such a price
Bought our redemption
Heaven's gates swing wide

There's an army rising up"

What are you bound by? What chains are holding you back?  Ask the Holy Spirit to search you and reveal addictions, distractions, anything that is holding you back in your relationship with God the Father.

Do you believe that God wants you free? I'll show you that He does:

31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”
 34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave[b] to sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. 38 I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.” John 8:31-38


16 But when one[a] turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord[b] is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord,[c] are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:16-18

 1 For freedom Christ has set us freestand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1

Christ has set us free from the law and free from sin.  It is time to abolish it in our lives so we can begin to set others free.  Are you living in a spiritual prison?  You know God and have accepted Jesus yet are submitting yourself over and over again to a yoke of slavery of some form?
I was.
I was in the bonds of alcoholism for six years.  Now that Christ has broken that chain I want to see others' chains broken.

You can't untie someone else if you're all tied up.

I encourage you to pray about any chains that may be in your life and then begin to declare freedom in those areas. Christ delivers us out of all of our afflictions, go into your prayer time believing that He wants you free so that you can give Him glory.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all. Psalm 34:19

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds5casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ... 2 Corinthians 10:3-5


Recommended reading:  Breaking Free by Beth Moore

Monday, January 16, 2012

Monday Awakening



These past two weeks have been difficult. I've been participating in the Daniel fast with my church and have been sitting in a lukewarm bath of apathy toward life and God. I began telling my husband that I shouldn't even be fasting, I couldn't pray because I just didn't care, and I didin't feel like reading the Bible (though I did anyway.) I skipped our Wednesday night prayer meeting and felt myself begin to go numb. I thought I was keeping my flesh down and keeping dominion over it by fasting but in all reality it still had control over my emotions and Satan found an open ear to whisper lies to.

Today, I awoke. I was laying in bed, in no hurry to get out, when I thought, I should probably be praying. Instead of me starting the conversation, I asked God what was on His heart and to share it with me. That was all it took.

God was excited to have the floor! He started to give me a pep talk, like Coach Taylor, He told me that He believed in me and now it was time for me to start believing in me. (He had told me over two years ago to write down my testimony, my story. I have been working on it but haven't truly believed in it. I am almost finished with it but have been far from excited about releasing it. He reassured me that when its His idea and I'm obedient to follow His voice, I cannot fail.) He told me to rise up and to begin doing the impossible. He began downloading ideas into my head of how to promote my book, how to share my story and how to rise to the position He has called me to. I felt like I had been baptized again, a fresh fire ran through my bones and I jumped out of bed to begin writing all of His ideas down.

Something broke off of me in the Spirit. I am no longer bound by doubt or apathy or complacency. I am filled with boldness and confidence. My life is going to be significant! My faith joined with God's power is going to plunder hell this year! We are going to take back ground the enemy has stolen! I don't want a repeat of 2011, I need to move forward!

I encourage you to ask God what is on His heart for you and I pray you will believe Him!! If it seems too big for you, then it's God! Trash your small thinking and begin to rise up and take your position doing what God has called you to do. We are part of a bigger picture, if we're not in position we may be holding someone else back from taking their position.

And Jesus said, [You say to Me], If You can do anything? [Why,] all things can be (are possible) to him who believes! Mark 9:23

Jesus glanced around at them and said, With men [it is] impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God. Mark 10:27

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

This Is The Power of God!


One of my friends posted this on facebook and I just loved it!
We have the name above every name!
Our workplaces are better because we are there and we walk in a power and authority that is foreign to the perishing.

But no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shall show to be in the wrong. This [peace, righteousness, security, triumph over opposition] is the heritage of the servants of the Lord [those in whom the ideal Servant of the Lord is reproduced]; this is the righteousness or the vindication which they obtain from Me [this is that which I impart to them as their justification], says the Lord. Isaiah 54:16

And [so that you can know and understand] what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength,

20Which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His [own] right hand in the heavenly [places],

21Far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named [above every title that can be conferred], not only in this age and in this world, but also in the age and the world which are to come. Ephesians 1:19-21

There is power in the name of Jesus!

Stand up for what the Lord has given you! This lady wasn't about to hand over what God had blessed her with in business and finances to the thief! No way, she knew whose she was so she planted her feet and took her authority!

The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows). John 10:9-11

Monday, January 9, 2012

Jesus Culture - Awaken Me



Arise [from the depression and prostration in which circumstances have kept you- rise to a new life]! Shine (be radiant with the glory of the Lord), for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you!
For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and dense darkness [all] peoples, but the Lord shall arise upon you [O Jerusalem], and His glory shall be seen on you. Isaiah 60:1-2

Blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) are those servants whom the master finds awake and alert and watching when he comes. Truly I say to you, he will gird himself and have them recline at table and will come and serve them! Luke 12:37

Accordingly then, let us not sleep, as the rest do, but let us keep wide awake (alert, watchful, cautious, and on our guard) and let us be sober (calm, collected, and circumspect). 1 Thessalonians 5:6

Therefore He says, Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall shine (make day dawn) upon you and give you light. Ephesians 5:4

Behold, I am going to come like a thief! Blessed (happy, to be envied) is he who stays awake(alert) and who guards his clothes, so that he may not be naked and [have the shame of being] seen exposed! Revelation 16:15

2012! God has been telling me that this is the year of arising and awakening for the church. Those two words have been consistently in my spirit. Jesus' return is closer than it has ever been, we must be advancing His kingdom on earth, it is what he has told us to do, to go and preach and disciple, but we cannot do this if we're wrapped up in bed sheets.

We have been partaking in too much of what the world has offered us. We have feasted on the world's delicacies and now we are sluggish and sleepy. We must put our flesh back in check and keep our minds sober.


This is the year for the church to shine! To be set apart, to be passionate about living out the gospel, the greatest news there is!  Why are we so matter-of-fact about our faith? I believe its because most Christians aren't experiencing God the way He has offered himself to be experienced.  
We aren't hearing from Him because we are not taking the time to listen, 
we are not prophesying because we do not recognize His voice, 
we are not living healed and healing others because we have such little faith, 
we are not bold because we aren't letting the Holy Spirit do his work. 

We live as though we've been abandoned and its all up to us.  That is not true.  Jesus is the only one who has died for the whole world's sins and He is the only one who is alive and He is living in us!  Buddha, Muhammed, Krishna, John Smith, L. Ron Hubbard, they were probably great guys but they didn't die for anyone and they aren't alive today! We have real power in our faith! We have a living God!
I am excited to see the church rise this year.  I'm excited to see religion die this year.  My generation and those following me don't want religion, we don't need more people to shout "Jesus loves you" at us.  We need examples of God's love and power.  We need to see a substantial difference between the lives of a Christian and the lives of others.  The church needs to arise to the position to which she's been called, then the world will be banging down our doors desperate to receive this life that we have through Christ.