Walking in Faith

My husband and I are finding ourselves at an unexpected crossroads. It's all a blessing but it's a surprise and I found myself remembering days when I was just learning to walk this walk, many years ago.  And as I was thinking about it, I realized, "It's not about 'faith', it's about our purpose."

Let me explain. Sometimes I think, in the back of our mind, that we think God is cruel when he stretches our faith. We think how unimaginable it was that He would lead the children of Israel to the Red Sea and what?! just expect that they would know He would part the water?! That He would cause water to pour out of a rock and manna to appear on the ground?! That He would cause the wall of Jericho to fall?!

And we think the same thing today. In the back of our mind, we are thinking, "There's no way this is going to work. Unless, God does a miracle, it's not going to work." And the truth is, God is always showing us that there is no obstacle too big for Him! "No mountain He won't climb up, wall He won't kick down, coming after me." (Jeremy Riddle) There is nothing that can stand in our way when He is working on our behalf. We think He operates out of our faith but I think he just needs us to have faith so that we'll keep going. Because it's not all about us.

Here's a simple example: Imagine you're God and you have a child who is just learning to walk. He's holding on to furniture and making his way around but he's scared to let go and he's just learning to balance. You, being God, knows that he can never accomplish all the things you have for him in life if he never learns to walk.  So you get down on the floor and reach for him and encourage him to 'stretch his faith' and take a step. Your goal is not to grow his faith. Your goal is for him to walk. Your goal is for him to walk so he can run so he can fly. It's not about his faith. That's a means-to-an-end. It's not about you blessing him, although your blessings are going to pursue him all his life. It's about his purpose here on this earth.

God is just trying to get you to take another step. And just like we do with a child, He encourages us to take a bigger step each time.
Walk a little further.
Jump across this obstacle.
Climb this mountain or tear it down with declaration.
Keep your focus.
Don't get discouraged.
You're doing fine.
God's got everything in control and He's setting things up.
Just keep going.
Look at the big picture.
Don't sweat the small stuff.
Let today's worries be sufficient for today.
Find out where He wants you to go and then follow His direction.
Take a leap when He asks you.
Trust Him that He won't let you fall.  And if you do miss the direction and fall, He'll pick you up, brush you off and correct your course.
He's not disappointed.
He has a goal in mind and His mercies are new every day.
Stay the course.
Count it all joy.
Expect miracles.
Expect blessings.
He's got your back.
Think long term.
Just keep walking. In faith.

Read the end of the book.

love and blessings,

"For I know the plans I have for you, plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

Elijah List - Rise Up, Josephine! Spear of Destiny

Good morning, beautiful friends!

I confess~ I may be in overload! But I am so thankful and joyous over the things the Lord has been showing me that I'm about to bust! And just when I thought it couldn't get any better, I saw this on Elijah List last night.  Elijah List  

If you don't follow this, I would encourage you to do so! It has been such a wonderful confirmation to me so many times of what I hear the Lord saying!
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Rise up Josephine, Spear of Destiny!”
by Anne Janssens

Jehovah is about to pour out an INCREASE of GRACE upon the Josephines!

In a vision I saw a powerful woman warrior with a long SPEAR in hand. She stood with one foot firmly planted on top of a mountain and her other foot lifted up in the air as if she was ready to strike something with it. She kicked out at an ancient-looking wooden door that opened with much force. It swung wide open and crashed against the wall with a loud thud. I then heard a voice declare, "JOSEPHINE IS SPEAR-HEADING THE WAY!"

The definition of spearhead is: (1) sharp pointed head of a spear (2) an individual or group chosen to lead an attack or movement.

I once read that combat troops which are sent to the forefront of battles are very often referred to as the “tip of the spear”, and that their role is to be at the leading edge of the fighting, ahead of everyone else.

In Genesis 37-47 we read the story of Joseph. The call on his life was very evident at a very young age, being favored over his brothers by his father, and having dreams about his greatness (see Genesis 37). God prepared him to become a spearhead, being sent to the forefront many years before famine came upon the land. He went from being a dreamer-interpreter-shepherd to being the most powerful and wise leader during a time of great economic crisis in Egypt—in charge of all of the nation's storehouses and wealth.

The Spears of Destiny

In this vision, I heard the Lord calling the Josephines: “The Spears of Destiny”. I heard Him say, “Josephine, a strong and powerful woman FORGED in the fire of the changes of life—she's the Spear of Destiny and she's arising in this season.”

Josephine is the prophetic entrepreneur that is marching forth into her destiny, unafraid of the threats of male and female counterparts that feel somewhat threatened by her strength and immovable faith. She has grace and abilities beyond her human capabilities which often surprise her more than it does others.

Josephine is a gifted market entrepreneur by nature, but she's also prophetic by her calling. Her mantle, her coat of many colors, represents the diversity of gifts upon her life and her unique ability to multi-task. I saw a convergence of her gifts, abilities and anointing to manage, direct and handle valuable resources entrusted to her.

I saw other Josephines as they stood TOGETHER, side by side, shoulder to shoulder. This COMPANY of WOMEN OF WISDOM with prophetic and management skills are being brought together by divine intervention because of their unique ability to effectively gather, manage and distribute Kingdom resources.

I also saw established Josephines who are stepping out to MENTOR and EQUIP younger and less experienced Josephines who are just beginning to come into their destiny and call. Some resources are going towards this noble cause of raising up ANOINTED WOMEN OF DESTINY in this coming season.

The Lord is stirring up hearts, to SHAKE and AWAKEN Josephines for such a time as this. Many Josephines are not even aware of who they really are. Some of them are about to experience an “aha” moment when they realize what exactly they've been gestating for so long.

Those of you that know you're a Josephine, this will be a confirmation for you. For others, it will be a fresh revelation and one that's going to change how you think and do things. Suddenly, things will all make sense!

Labor Room Of Grace

Whether you know it already or this message is confirming something for you, Abba is drawing you into the LABOR ROOM of His grace for the birthing of His call upon your life.

In 1 Kings 18, Elijah knew that God was about to end the drought and he declared it to Ahab. He did not go about his way until he saw the first SIGNS of the coming rain. Now is not the time to sit and do nothing, but rather it's time to posture yourself and start to PUSH! It's time to position yourself in prayer to birth your destiny, for you carry within you the seed of promise in your spiritual womb.

Some of you may find yourselves on your knees for an extend period of time while you wait for your gift to mature. You may have to bury your heads between your knees like Elijah did and wait for the first glimpse of the promise. Don't give up! KEEP PUSHING until it's BIRTHED!

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I can't tell you how many way this ministered to me and how many things in my life this matched up with! I can't remember if I said in my YouTube video (search Lynda Brandly to find my channel) that I saw a beautiful robe of jewel colors and gold coming down on women right now so when I saw the robe of many colors in this prophecy, I was stunned!

Yesterday, a woman from Michigan won the Boston Marathon. Our son lives in Boston. We live in Michigan. This is the first time in 33 years a woman has won. 

Our daughter is expecting a baby and her due date is today!  Our beautiful circle of women have felt that this beautiful baby is an expression of what God is doing right now.

I spoke to a friend recently who expressed that in a major circumstance a few years that I was 'the tip of the spear!' For a long time, I have felt I was 'an arrow' and a beautiful artist friend drew me an arrow last summer and said, "you're close to hitting your mark!"

It's a new season, Women! If you've been in a long season of growth (pain), get ready! The Lord spoke to me the word "fortify" and said, "I have fortified you in this past season." I looked it up and it means to be strong and courageous in the face of pain and adversity!

I speak 'FORTIFICATION!!!' to you, dear women! Be fortified in Christ!

love and blessings~

          

The Apostolic Church

I believe that there is something wonderful happening in the Church right now; something that many of us have foreseen and prayed for. Many churches across our nation and world are already operating in this new wineskin, but many are still stuck in the old wineskin and having trouble understanding what’s happening.
Many have left the organized church, knowing that there is something wrong, and many have stayed in fear, afraid to come out from under this ‘covering. ‘
In a past blog, I shared a vision the Lord gave me about a year and a half ago. In this vision, we walked into a church that is in our community. I recognized the church. In my vision, the foyer was filled with joyful people, talking and fellowshipping. As we turned toward the sanctuary, we saw the door to the sanctuary was closed and there was a sign posted on the door that read, “Prayer and worship – Enter with reverence.”
As I walked into the sanctuary in this vision, I saw that all the people were sitting in a circle facing each other. There was a small group of musicians in the back corner, but everyone else sat in this layered circle. The room did not have a ‘front’ or a platform. There was a low murmur of prayer and worship going on. No one person was leading.
As I watched, someone got a Word from the Lord and gave a direction, and then everyone acted on it. There was prayer for a sick person and this person was healed. Then someone began to sing a song of worship and everyone followed. The musicians began to play and back up everyone singing. This continued the entire time as I watched.  The people flowed in and out of worship, in and out of prayer, each one sharing a Word and a revelation.
1 Corinthians 14:26  says, “…What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification…” 
I was very encouraged in the Lord after seeing this vision and felt the Lord was leading our family to attend this church. We had attended this church a couple of years earlier and when we returned, found out that the church was without a pastor. I was very interested, in view of what I had heard from the Lord, to see what was happening.
Almost a decade ago, I went through a very profound season with the Lord where He taught me that I was hearing Him. I always knew I heard the Lord, but in this season, He seemed to want to make sure that I really knew this, as He was preparing to tell me some things that would undo a lot of what I’d been taught in the church.
One of the things the Lord spoke to me in this season was that the Church had misunderstood the role of the gift of pastor.
Please hear my heart when I say this in no way makes small this wonderful and much needed gift in the Body, but as the Lord began to show me, we are not understanding the role this gift was intended to fill in the Church.
The word ‘pastor’ appears only one time in scripture in Ephesians 4:11 and is the fourth gift listed in the ‘five-fold ministry gifts.’  Some have taught that the gifts are listed in order of authority – apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher.
How then have we put so much weight on this one gift?
In 1 Corinthians 12:28 it says, “And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues.” It goes on to talk about how each gift and part of the body is necessary to fulfill God’s purposes in the church.
When we look at the New Testament church, it seems that it was completely different than the church we see today. People met in their homes and as I understand it, would occasionally make arrangements for large groups to meet. It would have been much as I saw in this vision – people sitting in a room, letting the Holy Spirit lead, no one person leading.
As the Lord continued to speak to me in this season about a decade ago, He led me to read the book, “Pagan Christianity.” This is an eye-opening book about how we got from the ‘church of Acts’ to the church today. The shocking thing is that many of the influences that led to these changes were pagan. Including the role of pastor. It follows the pagan role of the priest.
The term ‘laity’ and ‘leadership’ is nowhere in the Bible in the way that we use it today. This again, has come from a pagan influence. The order of service, the platform or altar, the praise and worship leaders, the priestly garments, all come from pagan influence.
The rulers at the time were trying to make Christianity more appealing to the pagans and mixed in these things to make them more comfortable. This is how the birth of Christ got added on to the pagan holiday ‘Winter Solstice’ and resulted in Christmas. The Christmas tree, door wreaths, etc. are all from pagan religion.
Another wonderful book that has encouraged me in this last season and given me greater understanding is, “The Apostolic Church Arising.” by Chuck Pierce and Robert Heidler. I love this book because it has greatly confirmed what I felt the Lord putting in my heart.
Please hear what I’m saying. I’m saying the Lord gave me a vision and has been speaking to my heart and has confirmed the things He has told me through others. This follows the scriptural format of a prophet’s word being confirmed by two or three others. I’ve also shared what I felt with other prophets, who have also confirmed that they are hearing this from the Lord.
I understand that what I’m saying strongly contradicts a teaching in the current church.  This doctrinal teaching states that the Pastor is the ‘one’ to get the vision for the church and anyone who feels differently is in rebellion to authority. My heart is never to dishonor another. My heart is to pray for unity in the Body but to obey the Holy Spirit without fear of man.
The Body of Christ needs every member. The role of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher is to equip each member for ministry. Each gift is needed and has a function to accomplish what God is doing on the earth. In the pastor led church, this doesn’t happen.
In the apostolic church, the apostle has a strong administrative gift to coordinate the gift of others. The prophets, as well as others, receive direction from the Lord for the people. The prophet sees the ‘wilderness’ and speaks into it through prophecy and prayer, digging up the hard ground. The evangelist, as well as everyone, brings in new believers. Signs and wonders follow us as we operate in evangelism. The pastors (plural) shepherd the people and visit and pray for the sick and hurting. They counsel and disciple. The teachers, as well as others, share the truth of God’s Word.   Everyone is becoming equipped and moves in the gifts.
Everyone can also operate in these gifts -organizing, praying, prophesying, leading others to Christ, laying hands on the sick and healing them – everyone.
There is no platform. There are no worship leaders. As the Lord leads, we begin to get a hymn and a song. Everyone is free to hear from the Lord and learns how to. Everyone recognizes their importance to the Body and carries a responsibility to be obedient to the move of the Holy Spirit.
Under this old wineskin, the pastor has carried a heavy burden and we have seen the results of this time and time again. Pastors have become ‘burned out’ because they are carrying a load that they were never meant to carry. They neglect their families as they counsel others. They are spending an unreasonable amount of hours trying to meet the needs of the church. It leaves very little time for them to have a healthy relationship with the Lord. They become performance oriented. It's not easy being a one-man band.
Matthew 23:8 says, "But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is Christ." How then have we come to call these leaders "Pastor" and have been made to feel we are disrespectful if we don't address them in this way?
Some have thought this role of pastor is a ‘Moses’ anointing but let’s look at scripture. In Jeremiah, 31:31, the Lord talks about the new covenant that is coming.
"Behold, days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them," declares the Lord.  "But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the Lord, "I will put My law within them and on their hearts I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.  "They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the Lord, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."
Acts 2:17 quotes the prophet Joel, saying,
"'And it shall be in the last days,' God says,
'That I will pour forth of My Spirit on all mankind;
And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
And your young men shall see visions,
And your old men shall dream dreams;
 Even on my bondslaves, both men and women,
I will in those days pour forth of My Spirit
And they shall prophesy."
These scripture that talk about what God is doing says that multiple people, men and women, will see visions and dream dreams. The everyone will hear the voice of the Lord.  It makes it clear that God values each member of the Body and they have a part to fill.
The church was never intended to be a place where you wore your best clothes and sat quietly week after week, being told what to think.  I am not saying that pastors don’t hear from God – they absolutely do – just as everyone in the Body hears.  But we need everyone to hear. We need the balance and perspective and wisdom of the Body.
The Lord gave me another vision more than a decade ago. I saw a pile of rubble; a building made of stone that had fallen to the ground.  The Lord spoke to me and said He was tearing down man’s church and in its place, He would build His Church. I believe that God is doing that right now.
It’s a hard transition for many and the enemy is taking this teaching of always being submitted to a pastor and using it to create fear. The Lord has compassion on these sheep but He is also strongly convicting them to break this old wineskin to obey the Holy Spirit.  There has been a shaking, a sifting and a sorting.
When the sorting is over, I want to be found obeying the Lord and operating in this 'new' wineskin. (It's really an old wineskin.)  I want to be gently bold, sharing what I hear the Holy Spirit saying, as He desires to break religious mindsets and set us free to operate in all that God has for us.
I have had several wonderful pastors over the years. They are gifted men of God, committed to serving God and people. I am not expressing any disapproval of these wonderful people of God. They were obeying the Holy Spirit in the way they felt God was leading. They have blessed my life in more ways than I can count and I thank God for their loving service.
But I believe with all my heart that the Lord in this season is bringing new revelation of His Word and His purposes. He is setting us free from deceptions and restrictions that have stopped the flow of the Holy Spirit. In the New Testament, when the Church was operating in this order, thousands were coming to Christ daily. And that is His purpose – that the Holy Spirit would move through each one of us with love, and power, and the gifts of the Spirit, winning this world for Christ.

love and blessings~

PS- I haven't blogged in soooo long and have lots of catching up to do!

Be-YOU-tiful in 2017

As the new year approaches, I find that God is giving me a new goal.

It's a simple goal really, and something I've worked on my whole life, but I feel like in this season God is telling me, and you, that it's very important that we get this one right this time.

The goal is to be myself.

I think for every one of us living in this media-saturated world, it's very hard not to compare ourselves to others. And so much of advertising and media is exactly that. The magazines and television ads want you to compare yourself with the person in the ad and feel like you don't measure up. So we set out to be that false person. A person that truly does not exist.

Or we see someone who has had success in an area and decide to do it their way. We become a poor imitation of them and lose our individuality. Or even worse, we look around and see a version of the same person everywhere we go. Sheep leading sheep.

Or we listen to an amazing woman or man of God and start to become fascinated with them instead of God. We start to get all our knowledge of God 'second-hand' instead of going right to the source. We regurgitate food that was already chewed before we ever ate it. We need fresh manna which only comes from God.

God has made each one of us so uniquely different. We are the very expression of God. He is so infinitely vast in all His personality, character and attributes and we are - each and every one of us - an expression of some part of Him. Without 'you' being 'you', the Body is incomplete. You and your uniqueness is very needed and such a wonderful asset to the Body. When we each become 'ourselves,' we fit so well with everyone else!

I know that if I spent as much time with God discovering who I am as I do admiring others or trying to copy them, I would be much further along in this thing. I know that if I finally valued God's opinion more than anyone else's, I would step into a zone that I have never encountered before.

The other morning I sat down to spend some time with God. I have wonderful friends that read a lot of books and listen to a lot of video teaching and I do, too. So, I started to look up something that a friend had suggested we listen to, and I felt God pull on me so hard and insist that I just listen to Him. Spend time with Him. Quit counting on anyone but Him to teach me. Find out what His heart was for me and what He wanted to tell me.

And I realized all over again that God wants to form me in His Image. That 'me' in His Image is needed by 'you.' And vice versa. I need you to be 'you!'

Moses was not called to gather grain for a famine and Joseph was not created to part the Red Sea. Mary was called to give birth to the Messiah and she wasn't very good at building a boat. If each one of these people had modeled themselves after someone else and not sought God and become 'who they were in Him', things would be very different right now.

We're entering a new season right now and I sometimes I feel like my skin can't contain my spirit. I feel like I'm going to burst with expectation. I sense 'change' coming both in me and all around me. I am filled with fresh hope and so encouraged by God. I feel like some pieces have fallen into place and the shift is happening. I hope you're feeling it too!

My prayer group and I are going to be doing some fasting and praying - both individually and corporately. My expectations are high. I am praying for transformation - that God purify my heart and change me into His Image. That He corrects my wrong-thinking. That He gives me fresh revelation of Who He is and who I am in Him. I am praying for salvation for loved ones and that they have a life-changing encounter with the living God. That they step into who they are in Christ.

Because that's the key to everything - knowing who we are in Christ. Because He is everything and everywhere in our lives that we have valued anything outside of Him is anti-Christ.

So this year I want to encourage you. Turn off the TV. Put down the book. Find a quiet place and get alone with God. Saturate yourself with His Word. Ask Him who you are. Ask Him what He wants you to do. Learn to lose yourself in worship.

Find out who you are.

Love and blessings for God-filled 2017

"But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, 'With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.'" Matthew 19:26

Beating the Holiday Blues

The holidays can be a lot of fun or they can be very stressful and painful. If you're missing loved ones, like we are, it seems to be even worse at Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years.

I want to tell you, first of all, that you are not alone. God knows our hearts and our thoughts even better than we know ourselves and He's aware of our pain and our sadness. Give it to Him.

I hope knowing that helps, but I wanted to share some things that we all can do this time of year when we're hit with sadness or even just the blues.

1. Get your praise on! You can literally war against those bad feelings by praising God. We praise Him not for what He's done, but for Who He is and He is a good, good Father. Open up your Bible and find a Psalm that expresses your heart and ends in praise. Turn on some praise music and sing at the top of your lungs. Yell. Stomp. Get it out in a positive way.

2. Be thankful. We all have something to be thankful for. Gratitude draws God and the heavenly host to us. When we begin to verbally express our thanks to God, the angels literally gather around us and begin to minister to us.

3. Spend time with the loved one you're missing. My dad died two years ago right before Thanksgiving. He loved to cook and I remember many huge meals that he prepared with joy at the holidays. When I'm missing him, I sit down and talk to him. I tell him how I'm feeling. I tell him the sweet things I remember about him. I celebrate his life. If I cry, that's okay too. It helps to look my grief right in the face and express it.

4. Watch what you're eating and drinking. What you eat affects your body and your moods greatly. Too much sugar, pastries and alcohol throw your body off balance, and cause you to feel bad physically and emotionally. Gluten causes inflammation and inflammation can cause depression. Take a few days and eat clean. Juice. Drink lots of water. Bless your body.

5. Get some exercise. It's 5 degrees here in Michigan today and we have a foot of snow. I'm not leaving the house - lol. But if you can, get outside, shovel some snow, sled down the hill with your kids, take a walk and breathe some fresh air. If you can't get outside, bounce on your mini-tramp, turn on an exercise video and dance  - do something to get your heart rate up. You'll feel better.

6. Give yourself some grace. If you're exhausting yourself trying reproduce that perfect holiday you see in the media~News Flash! It doesn't exist. If you don't have a perfectly decorated house, tons of presents under the tree and a gourmet meal planned, you don't have to!

One year our family had had a bad year. hmmm - we'd had a couple of bad years. I had bought all the food to prepare a large meal and after the presents were opened, I just didn't have it in me. I fixed a large brunch of French toast and bacon. We all ate like it was amazing just because it was unexpected, and then we went to the movies. One of the LOTR's was out so it was a long movie and my kids were thrilled. It was such a fun day even though we broke all our traditions. There are no rules about what to do on Christmas. Spend your day in your pajamas if you want to. And remind yourself that others might be doing the same thing.

7. If you're so down that you can't make yourself do any of these things and nothing is helping, call a friend and ask them to help you and pray for you. If you don't have a friend, email me and I will pray for you. lyndabrandly@gmail.com

I hope these things help. We all have times that we need to really focus on what's bothering us and then stop thinking about it and focus on our blessings. You are greatly loved by Our Heavenly Father.

love and blessings for a Merry Christmas~

"You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book." Psalm 56:8

"The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." Psalm 34:18

If At First You Don't Succeed...

Many, many years ago, I stepped out to do something that God had called me to do. The result was not perfect and it was criticized. I went away believing I had failed - failed God, failed myself, let everybody down, etc.

Years later I heard someone say, "Well, it doesn't have to be perfect the first time you do something. You learn and you get better." And I had this moment of clarity and realized that the critical words that I had heard years before had bound me up. I had believed them. And they were not necessarily the heart of God.

When our children learn to walk, or learn to do anything new, we never expect that they will do it perfectly the first time. And neither does our God.

We learn by trying. We learn by obeying. And God knows we will not always get it right. But as we humble ourselves and try again, we get closer to the goal.

It takes courage to step out and try something new. It takes faith and courage. And God sees that and cheers us on! And we may stumble. But it takes faith and courage to get up and try again.

And I think sometimes God appreciates that we tried more than we can imagine.

Think of Moses when God told him to go and talk to Pharaoh. Moses was afraid and asked for Aaron to go with him and speak for him. And Moses didn't succeed the first time he told Pharaoh to "let my people go." What if Moses had walked away thinking that he hadn't done it right? Where would we be now? ;)

Moses was not 'the expert' in freeing the Children of Israel from bondage. He just obeyed. And don't you know he learned a lot along the way. And now he's our hero.

Wait on God. Make sure you don't get out ahead of Him. Be patient. Let Him prepare you. But when He gives you the go ahead - try! Just try! If you mess it up, come home and give it all to Him. Let Him refresh and direct you. If you get wounded, let Him heal you. Forgive.

And then try again.

And realize that we're all doing exactly what you're doing. We're learning how to walk with God - how to do the things He's called us to do. Because none of us have ever done them before. We all have to start somewhere. And as soon as we get comfortable with what God has called us to do, He moves us forward and asks us to do something new.

That's life.

Don't worry that you've fallen behind. Just do the first thing you know to do to catch up. I don't know if God has a Plan B (or C or D?) but I know He knows us better than we know ourselves and so nothing surprises him. Not even our hesitancy.

Start today. It won't be perfect. Maybe it never will be. But start today.

love and blessings~

PS - I wrote this to myself.

Increasing Your Faith (Part Two)

If you have not read, "Increasing Your Faith - Part One" yet, please read yesterday's post.  

As I shared yesterday, to know God, we first need to know His Word.  He and His Word are One. His Word establishes a 'boundary' in our hearts and minds as to the character and nature of God.  




As we spend time in His Word, we begin to recognize God's voice. (John 10:27) His Word begins to rise up on the inside of us and lives. His living Word begins to easily expose the lies in our mind and thought-life that disagree with His Word and then we tear them down with the truth of God's Word.

And as we begin to get a picture of Who God is, the natural outcome is love and praise.  Praise and thanksgiving begins to rise up on the inside of us. We begin to praise Him for Who He is and thank Him for what He's done..

Praise is declaring Who God is!  The Seven Hebrew Words for Praise. Praise comes out of our mouth and is expressed with our bodies. Praise causes us to sing, to raise our hands, to dance, and to shout. Praise is not praise until it comes out of our mouth. Our hearts may be filled with all kinds of good thoughts toward God but that's not praise.  Again, praise is not praise until it comes out of our mouth.

I love the words to Matt Redman's song, "Dancing Generation."

"Your mercy taught us how to dance

To celebrate with all we have

And we'll dance to thank You for mercy

Your glory taught us how to shout

To lift Your name in all the earth

And we'll shout to the praise of Your glory

It's the overflow of a forgiven soul

And now we've seen You, God

And our hearts cannot stay silent!!

And we'll be a dancing generation

Dancing because of Your great mercy, Lord

Your great mercy, Lord"

It's the overflow of a forgiven soul and now we've seen you God...and OUR HEARTS CANNOT STAY SILENT!!  That's praise!

Praise is the guy at the football game with no shirt on, his chest painted and a cheese on his head. Praise is the woman who answers the door and finds out she won a million dollars and can't quit rejoicing.  Praise is being so overwhelmed by the goodness of God that you can't contain it. Praise is finding out that even though you deserve to spend eternity separated from God that He paid the price and you get to spend eternity with Him!

Hebrews 4:16 tells us to 'come boldly into the throne room.'  That word 'boldly' means 'with confidence.'  Confidence born of faith. Confidence that comes from knowing we're forgiven and washed clean by the blood of the Lamb. Confidence that comes from knowing that Our Father loves us and gave up His life for us so that we might have perfect fellowship with Him.  

He wants us to come into the throne room!  He wants us to spend time with Him. We were created to praise Him and fellowship with Him! If anything is stopping you from doing this, go back and destroy that lie with the Word! If there's habitual sin in your life, give it to Him - put it under the blood and destroy the guilt with the truth of His forgiveness.  Get washed clean with the Word.

God wants us to KNOW Him. This word does not mean that we know everything about God.  He is infinite.  It means 'to know' someone like a bride knows her husband. It means 'to be intimately acquainted with.'  This word means 'to intercourse' with God.

The Bible says that marriage is a mystery that is an illustration of the Bride of Christ and Jesus, the Head of the Church.  Ephesians 5:32  

We are to be the intimate Bride of Christ. When we come before God with praise, His Presence is drawn to us. James 4:8 says that when we draw near to God, He draws near to us. As we begin to get lost in His Presence, we enter into worship.  In this place of worship, Spirit touches spirit, and we are satisfied and made whole.  We cannot be made whole without this intimacy with God.

It's in this Holy of Holies that we are transformed into His likeness. We are changed from glory unto glory unto glory as we behold Him. (2 Cor 3:18)  It's in this place that He fills our hearts with His Love and His Nature and we become Christ-like. It's in this place that He speaks to us and makes His heart known to us.

When I get up in the morning, I don't have a 'quiet-time.'  I don't DO devotions. I come before God with praise. I enter into the Presence of God through praise and I worship Him. That's not to say that I'm never quiet before God.  I'm often quiet before God - after I get into His Presence.

I typically get my Bible, (a cup of coffee), my journal and pen.  I turn on praise and worship music. And I go to God with praise.

Sometimes when I enter into worship, God will speak something to me that I need to write down. Other times He will show me something in His Word. Sometimes He will 'download' revelation and understanding into my heart.  He will show me visions and pictures of people.  He shows me how to pray.

Sometimes, God will direct me to 'declare' the things He's telling me. At times, I will become overwhelmed with the victory that God is showing me and I have to dance and shout and wave a banner. (This is spiritual warfare - following God's direction and speaking His Voice into the earth... praising God with dance and banners that summon the angels to do God's warfare. I'll try to share some teachings with you on this in the future and the language of color.) 

It's in this place with God that I get healed and restored and washed. God convicts me of sin and I ask His forgiveness and He empowers me to change, to repent. I can't change myself just because I decide to - that's humanism. And it doesn't work.  I need God to change me on the inside. I need God to judge me and correct me and to empower me.  I need God.  I need God, the person!  

I need on-going, life-changing encounters and intercourse with the One Who created me.  It's through these encounters that I begin to understand who He created me to be and I begin to walk in it. 

And that's faith! 

I have gone through seasons and times in my thirty-some years with the Lord when I have not been faithful to do this. And I get weaker. I stop growing.  I become stagnant.  But when I set my heart to seek Him and do what I  know to do, He is always faithful!  He always receives me and restores me and sets me free. He has restored the years the locust have eaten.  He has set me on a rock and I cannot be shaken. He has taken me out of the pit and put me in a wide-open place.  

If I need healing, I often receive it, just by being in His Presence.  Spending time with God will cause all the gifts of the Spirit to rise up in you.  You will become sensitive to His leading all day long. You will hear His voice and His direction.  God will drop things down into my Spirit during the day as I'm doing the laundry. Sometimes the things He will give me during the day are so huge that I will have to drop to my knees next to the washing machine and thank Him and praise Him again.

This is abiding in Him.  This is seeing the world through His eyes and knowing with confidence that He has heard me and is answering my prayers.

This is walking by faith and not by sight.

love and blessings~

Increasing Your Faith (Part One)

If we're following Christ, most of us want to increase our faith. Faith is active. Faith does action. Faith does works. Faith lays hands on the sick and sees them healed.  Faith shares with others and sees them born again.  Faith transforms lives.

Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Faith is the substance that God created the universe from.  Faith is a substance that goes out from us and changes the world. Our faith, based in God's truth, changes our environment for righteousness.

So, how do we increase our faith?  The Word says that 'Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.'  Romans 10:17




The first step is to renew your mind in the Word of God.  This takes an act of your will.

When I rededicated my life to Christ in my 20's and was filled with the Holy Spirit, I spent every available minute in the Word of God.  I worked full-time and commuted on the bus a half hour into Denver. I would read my Bible on the way to work and on the way home every day. I carried my Bible everywhere I went. I spent my evenings reading the Word and praying.

I spent my lunch hours reading if I didn't have other plans.  I formed a Bible study with a small group at work so that we could talk about God.  I was in love with Jesus. And when you're in love with someone, you want to spend every minute getting to know 'your love.'  God/Jesus/Holy Spirit is a being and I wanted to KNOW Him!

I ended every day with 'Prayers That Avail Much', meditating and speaking scripture over myself.  I began to think like God.  I began to get an image of God and to establish a 'boundary' of Who He is. I began to see myself in the light of His Word.

I attacked every doubt and worry, every thought that I had that was contrary to the truth of God's Word, with His Word - the Sword of His Word.  Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart."  This means that the Word of God will show us clearly the difference between our perfect spirit of God that lives in us and our soul/thought life, which is imperfect.  We want our soul (our mind, will, and emotions) to line up with our spirit (the Holy Spirit which lives in us).

2 Corinthians 10 says that we are to take captive every thought to the obedience of Christ.  We examine every thought against the plumb line of God's Word and destroy every thought that is in opposition with the Word of God.  You have to work at it.  You have to set your will to think like God. And you can't think like God if you don't know His Word.  He and His Word are one.

When outside ideas and philosophies come to you, you begin to recognize that they disagree with God and you reject them. You give them no place. Again, this is an act of your will. You set your heart to think like God.

There is a principle in God's Kingdom that says 'to get something into your heart, first you have to speak it.'  In other words, to get faith on the inside, you need to meditate on the Word of God by speaking it out loud.  When I read the Word, I will often pause and turn it around to first person and speak it over myself.

For example, 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, "He made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."  I speak out loud, "Thank You, God, that you made Jesus, who knew no sin, to become sin for me, so that I might become the righteousness of God!"  Then I spend a while saying, "I am the righteousness of God, through Christ Jesus!"  A mind-boggling thought!  But that's what the Word says.  And as you do this, you begin to see yourself differently.

And the Word gets down inside of you, to your inner-man, and faith is born!

You can't fake faith. True faith quiets your soul. It gives you confidence. It can't be shaken. Once faith is born, it takes no effort to believe God for something. As you begin to know the character of God, it's easy to believe that He wants to bless you and strengthen you and heal you.

When lies from the world and the enemy come to you, they never touch you. Your shield of faith causes them to bounce off.  They are never even considered.

I believe it slanders the Name of God to say that He would ever want someone to be sick or hurting. It's not His character.  He is good, all the time!

If you had good parents, you trusted them to always love you, always receive you, always help you, always want the best for you.  As you get to know the character of God, you know that He always wants you to have 'LIFE and LIFE more abundant!'  Your faith rests in that knowledge.

God wants us to know Him intimately.  He does not want us to have faith that He is real.  He wants us to be established and fixed in Him and His Word and to use our faith to change the things around us for His glory.

Next post - Increasing Your Faith (Part Two)

love and blessings~