Archive for October, 2015
Siesta Scripture Memory Team 2015: Verse 20!
Hey Siestas!!! I barely have words to express how much of an honor it is for me to share with y’all. I absolutely adore Mama Beth and the community that she has cultivated here on the interwebs!
My name is Karina Allen. I am 35 and from New Orleans, LA but have lived in Baton Rouge since 1998. Much of my time here is spent at the gym, babysitting or at my local church, Healing Place. I am involved in a myriad of ministries and outreaches. I am on the worship team, a leader for High School girls, active in our women’s ministry, nursery registration team volunteer, a part of young adult ministry, and a teacher for our kids’ dance ministry. I also help with our inner city outreaches and to bring awareness to human trafficking through Trafficking Hope Inc. I taught preschool for about 10 years but I knew that that wasn’t the call of God on my life. I am a freelance writer and editor. I’m a contributor for Incourage as well as a few other sites. I am working on my certification to be a Life Coach. I long to speak, hope, truth, life, encouragement and purpose into the souls of women. My dream is for each woman to fully walk out their identity in Christ in the specific calling that He has for each of their lives.
“…and provide for those who grieve in Zionâto bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor.” Isaiah 61:3 NIV
Really, the whole of Isaiah 61 is incredible! It is all about the Spirit of the Sovereign Lord and what His anointing empowers us to have and to be. I don’t know about you, but most days I don’t feel empowered. I feel a bit defeated by life, others and even myself. But that is not God’s will for my life or for yours. His desire is for His Spirit to come alive in us, to overflow and impact those around us.
Recently, I was at my friend Elizabeth’s house working on some writing projects. She has this gorgeous black and white photo hanging of an oak tree from New Orleans’ City Park. And verse 3 of Isaiah 61 was beautifully written underneath it. My gaze repeatedly returned to that photo and that verse much of the night. It’s as though the Lord was trying to get my attention. I knew that this needed to be a verse that I committed to memory and needed to become embedded within my very marrow.
1.) God wants to trade the pain we acquire from this world with His good and perfect gifts. Before sin entered the world, mourning and despair were never even a concern. The world has been bombarded with evil and suffering. People cause harm and bad things happen. But God wants us to know that even in the midst of tragedy, we can experience His peace, comfort and even joy.
2.) Through the trading process, God’s dream is for us to become oaks of righteousness. Now, this may not seem like something we would want to be described as, but it should be. Oak trees are remarkable! They are strong, tough and extremely resilient. They have roots that reach down deep into the earth. When we exchange our hurt with the Lord’s goodness, this is the outcome. We dig deep into His Word and discover His promises for us. We stand firm on that foundation and the storms of life are unable to shake us. We allow Him to be the lifter of our heads and fill us with His hope. We become confident that He will work all things together for good to those of us that love Him and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)
3.) As we grow to be oaks of righteousness, we turn into a display of the Lord’s splendor. On display for all to see…that is an intimidating thought. Don’t let it be. People watch us. They watch how we live and what we say if we profess Christ. They watch how we respond in both good and bad seasons. That’s okay. As we are conformed to the image of Christ, others take notice and eventually desire to know why our lives are different. That is often how the Father draws hearts to Himself.
My Sister…
Beauty, joy and praise await you.
Deep roots are calling out to you.
His splendor is ready to be displayed through you.
For His Name and His Renown,
Karina Allen
Scripture-Prayers for Overcoming Food-Related Strongholds
Hey, Everybody! I promised you this blog post after asking for testimonies late last week about freedom in Christ from areas of bondage. I was teaching on the subject in a television taping the next day and wanted fresh stories to build up the faith of people who feared they’d never be free. As I compiled the list of strongholds, I shook my head over the goodness of God and the immeasurable reach of His grace. People testified to freedom from heroin, meth, alcohol and pornography addictions and being released from strongholds of anger, rage, bitterness, unforgiveness, hatred and insecurity. The list went on and on. The common denominator? Every person testifying believed beyond a doubt that Jesus alone had set them free. Some had been set free instantly. Others took longer journeys to freedom. Some were in support groups, others were not. Some went to counseling, others didn’t. The routes to freedom varied but the end result was the same: they’d all been set free by Jesus and those who described the process of their liberty almost without exception named the crucial role of Scripture. As I jotted down all the strongholds mentioned, I tweeted how everything under the sun had been mentioned.
THEN, I sat and stared at the list for a moment and thought, “Wait a minute. I don’t see any food-related strongholds!” I followed up with another tweet saying no one had mentioned it and asked if anybody had a testimony. Several stories of freedom came though but my feed was swamped by responses of people struggling with bondage to and unhealthy relationships with food, whether they manifested in overeating or under-eating.
I am no expert but I stick by a philosophy of serving based on the words of Peter to the lame man begging for alms in Acts 3:6. “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give you.” I don’t have impressive training and expertise with food-related strongholds – those voices are out there and please seek them out – but, in the meantime, anything I have is yours. I’ve studied freedom in Christ for 20 years, holding it close to my heart as part of my life-message because Jesus saved my sanity through rewiring my mind with Scripture. I am convinced to my bones, if He could rescue me and set me free, He can do it for anyone.
When I need a breakthrough in a really tough area, I find no approach more power-packed and effective than combining prayer with Scripture. That’s what the book Praying God’s Word is all about. With my publisher’s permission, you’ll find 31 Scripture-prayers from various chapters of the book below. I am so grateful to my beloved coworkers, Kimberly McMahon (K-Mac) and Nancy Mattingly, for gathering a cross-section of them and typing them up meticulously for you here.
You’ll notice quickly that the prayers are not only about moderation and care of the physical body. There’s a good reason for that. Food-related strongholds aren’t just about appetites. They are often about real-live needs and wants that have gone unmet and unanswered. They can be about loneliness and emptiness. Those are the kinds of issues to talk to godly counselors about but I want to make sure you know this here and now: whether or not you are free from a stronghold has absolutely no bearing on how loved, accepted and chosen you are by God. This is about your liberty. Not about your worth. Your value is not wrapped up in this. In fact, accepting your inestimable value to God in advance of a whit of victory will be the single biggest leap toward freedom you will ever take. Beating yourself over the head with your Bible will never set you free. It will only bruise you. The Word of God bringing life and truth into the heart and mind of a follower of Jesus sets you free. These are the mindsets for demolishing strongholds based on the charge in 2 Corinthians 10:5 (“to destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ”): Choosing to believe and confess that God is well able, that you are well loved, that you can do anything He calls you to do through His power at work within you and that no sin or stronghold has the right to master you. That’s why the prayers below are a cross-section of professions rather than a compilation strictly about eating.
Use the prayers below anyway you want but say them aloud as often as you can. It will build up your faith which will build up your strength. After you get the general idea, go dive into your Bible where you will find no end to the verses that you can turn into prayers to profess the power and greatness of God, His love for you and His promises extended through the Lord Jesus Christ. In Romans 8 alone you’ll find such a wealth of promises that simply reading the words out loud as professions of your faith will start snapping chains and quaking concrete floors where you feel imprisoned.
We love you. We share your battles. Now, let’s share some victories. Jesus, do what You do.
1. My Father, great are Your works! They are pondered by all who delight in them. Glorious and majestic are Your deeds, and Your righteousness endures forever. You have caused Your wonders to be remembered; You, Lord, are gracious and compassionate. (Psalm 111:2â4) The works of Your hands are faithful and just; all Your precepts are trustworthy. They are steadfast for ever and ever, done in faithfulness and uprightness. (Psalm 111:7â8)
2. Father, so often I feel like the boyâs father who first exclaimed, âI do believe!â then in a flood of sincerity cried out, âHelp me overcome my unbelief!â (Mark 9:24) Please help me to overcome my own unbelief, Lord, so I can start taking You at Your Word.
3. Father, I donât want to be like the ancient Israelites who were not able to enter the Promised Land ârestâ because of their unbelief. (Hebrews 3:19) Help me to believe You and follow You to the place of Your promised land in my own life.
4. Father, Your Word says that if Your disciples believe, they will receive whatever they ask for in prayer. (Matthew 21:22) Lord, as you mature my faith, also teach me how to pray and what to ask of You in prayer. I have so much to learn. Keep teaching me, Father.
5. Christ Jesus, You said to Thomas, âPut your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.â (John 20:27) Lord, I cannot see Your visible hands, but if Iâm willing to really look, I can see the visible evidences of Your invisible hands. Help me to stop doubting and believe!
6. Lord God, You donât want me to be persuaded just by the wise and persuasive words of men. You want me to be persuaded by the demonstration of the Spiritâs power, so that my faith will not rest on menâs wisdom, but on Godâs power. (1 Corinthians 2:4â5)
7. Lord God, You have said that Your righteous one will live by faith and if he shrinks back You will not be pleased with him. (Hebrews 10:38) Lord, I want to live a life that is pleasing to You. The life that pleases you is also a life that You so readily bless. (Hebrews 11:6) I donât want to miss the great adventures You mapped out for me by shrinking back from a walk of faith.
8. Father, I desire to fix my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)
9. Father, according to Your Word, in his pride the wicked does not seek You; in all his thoughts there is no room for You. (Psalm 10:4) Please help me to always make room in my thoughts for You, God. Donât allow me to continue on in pride that stops me from seeking You.
10. Father, You have promised that if Your people, who are called by Your name, will humble themselves and pray and seek Your face and turn from their wicked ways, then will You hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14) Please help me to understand that corporate revival begins with personal, individual revival. Help me to humble myself and pray and seek Your face and turn from my own wicked ways. Thank You for hearing me from heaven and forgiving my sin and bringing healing to my heart.
11. Sovereign Lord, Your hand has made heaven and earth, and through You they came into being. Your Word says, âThis is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.â (Isaiah 66:2) Father, I can hardly imagine being someone You esteem, but I sincerely want to be! Make me that kind of person through the power of Your Holy Spirit, Lord.
12. Show me Your ways, O Lord, teach me Your paths; guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long. (Psalm 25:4â5)
13. My all-powerful God, enable me to stand firm, with the belt of truth buckled around my waist and with the breastplate of righteousness in place. (Ephesians 6:14) Help me to understand that without the girding of truth, I am defenseless against the devil. Truth is my main defense against the father of lies.
14. Lord, without You I would be foolish, disobedient, deceived, and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. I would live in malice and envy, being hated and hating others. (Titus 3:3) I donât want that kind of life, God! I want to live life in the power and fullness of Your Spirit.
15. Father God, You command me for my own good not to merely listen to the Word but to do what it says. If I only listen and do not obey, I will undoubtedly deceive myself. Help me to comprehend that the Word of God is my perfect law of liberty! (James 1:22, 25 kjv)
16. My Jesus, according to Your Word, whoever has Your commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves You. He who loves You will be loved by Your Father, and You too will love him and show Yourself to him. (John 14:21) O, God, please help me to live obediently and have the joy of seeing You revealed in all sorts of marvelous ways.
17. Lord, according to Your Word, what a man desires or craves deeply is unfailing love. (Proverbs 19:22) Every other use of the words unfailing love in Scripture is attributed to You alone. You are the only one capable of perpetually unfailing love. Help me to understand that my deep cravings for someone to love me with that kind of love were meant to be satisfied in You alone. Thank You, Lord.
18. I praise You, Lord, with all my soul, and I desire never to forget all Your benefitsâYou, Lord, are the one who forgives all my sins and heals my diseases, who redeems my life from the pit and crowns me with love and compassion, who satisfies my desires with good things so that my youth is renewed like the eagleâs. You, Lord, work righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. (Psalm 103:2â6)
19. Lord Jesus, You asked Your Father to give me a Counselor that would be with me foreverâthe Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept the Holy Spirit, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But I know Him, for He lives with me and is in me. You have not left me as an orphan. You came to me. Even though the world does not see You any more, I can see You through the work of Your Holy Spirit. Because You live, I also live. Help me to realize that You, Jesus, are in Your Father, and I am in You, and You are in me. (John 14:15â20)
20. Father, Your Word says that a person who lacks self-control is like a city whose walls are broken down. (Proverbs 25:28) Sometimes I feel like there is so much rubble, I canât rebuild the wall. (Nehemiah 4:10) Your Word claims that You are the Repairer of Broken Walls, and the Restorer of Streets with Dwellings. (Isaiah 58:12) Please introduce Yourself to me by these wonderful names and rebuild the rubble in my life.
21. For I know that my old self was crucified with You, Christ, so that this body of sin might be done away with, that I should no longer be a slave to sinâbecause anyone who has died has been freed from sin. (Romans 6:6â7)
22. âEverything is permissible for meââbut not everything is beneficial. âEverything is permissible for meââbut I desire not to be mastered by anything. (1 Corinthians 6:12) Lord God, help me to recognize and discern what is not beneficial for me. Help me to see that authentic liberty is being free to do certain things and free not to do others.
23. Lord God, I acknowledge that it is for freedom that Christ has set me free. Your desire is for me to stand firm, then, and not let myself be burdened again by the yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1) Help me, Lord. Empower me.
24. In view of Your mercy, Lord, I offer my body as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to You, God. This is my spiritual act of worship. I desire not to be conformed any longer to the pattern of this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of my mind. Then I will be able to test and approve what Your will isâYour good, pleasing, and perfect will. (Romans 12:1â2)
25. Lord, though I live in the world, I do not wage war as the world does. The weapons I fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. Your power can demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of You, God, and take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:3â5) Enable me, Lord! Help me not just to read it and say it, but to believe it and do it!
26. Lord, I have too long given the devil a foothold. (Ephesians 4:27) Please help me to stop offering him so many opportunities to bring defeat into my life. Your plan for me is victory.
27. God, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which You have called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13â14) Help me to forget all past failures or even achievements and to focus on pressing forward with You now.
28. Lord Jesus, I can do everything through You because You give me strength. (Philippians 4:13)
29. Lord, I can find great encouragement in knowing that many believers, weak in their natural selves, have walked faithfully and victoriously with You. (Hebrews 11) Therefore, since I am surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, help me throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and help me run with perseverance the race marked out for me. Help me fix my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of Your throne, O God. (Hebrews 12:1â2)
30. Lord God, Your divine power has given me everything I need for life and godliness through my knowledge of You who called me by Your own glory and goodness. (2 Peter 1:3)
31. Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me. (Psalm 142:6) Lord, an important part of my victory will be admitting that without Your complete intervention, my oppressor is too strong for me. I am unable to be victorious without You. Come and rescue me with Your mighty hand.
A Mighty Good Word from a Mighty Good Friend
Hey, everybody!
Recently Sabrina Moore*, my beloved coworker and our ministry director here at Living Proof, let me read something God stirred up in her heart and prompted her to write down. (*Of no relation except in Jesus and we’re really, really related there.)  I was so blessed I had to text her and say, “Girl, that thing is a BLOG POST.” She prayed about it and gave me a thumbs-up to post it here. I have told you a number of times how much you would love the women who serve at Living Proof so it pleases me to no end when I get to scoot out of the way and let them minister straight to you and you, in turn, minister straight to them.  They are staunch women of the Scriptures and they love Jesus outrageously. I am incredibly graced to serve side-by-side with them. For those of you who have done the Esther series, this is the friend I call GP and she me. It stands for God’s Property, based on a Kirk Franklin song we’ve sung together about a jillion times. (GP, are you with me? Oh, yeah, we having church, we ain’t going nowhere.) My GP is serious about Jesus. She and I have gone face-down on the floors of this ministry countless times in prayer, asking Jesus to do within and through our walls things only He can do. Things that draw bold attention to Him, demonstrate His Holy Spirit and testify of His love, grace and truth. I pray He’ll use Sabrina today to provoke something wonderful in you. All of us here at LPM love and highly esteem you.
You sister and servant,
Beth
OK, GP! I’ll leave the rest to you! Thank you for serving our community today!
Title: We live by what we believe â not what we see
We walk by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7
For so much of my life Iâve made decisions based on the available options. Learning the options, weighing the options, talking about the options, all of which derived a final decision based on the available options: Option A or Option B, and on some occasions there would be an Option C, D… We can live one moment to the next with endless options and, truth be told, we are conditioned to it. We like it. In fact, we like our options so much that we are sometimes disappointed when there are too few of them. Simple case in point, the âfrig optionâ. We need something to eat. We are starving, well kind of, but for what? Â Then we take that notorious, well-paved trek. We start making our way to the refrigerator, open the door and stand, staring. Hmmm. Then, like a judge with gavel in hand, we let loose of the door with a final analysis there is nothing – not one thing – in there to eat. When, really, the whispering truth is, there is something, but we do not want that something. We don’t like the options, therefore, we conclude there is nothing.
The same could be true for the insanity that takes place during every typical âwhat to wearâ drama. Oh, my soul! How many times has this one caused us to miss half the worship portion of the service on a Sunday morning? Just last week I walked into church a little late, so thankful my oldest had me a seat saved next to her. I scooted in, leaned over and said, âGood morning darling, is this the last song?â Have mercy and forgive me, God. The irony is that the time I risk missing really is my favorite part of Sunday morning church! Fortunately, I came in during the first song. Anyone know what I’m talking about? Be honest, how many times have you stood, staring at the clothes in your closet, âhmmm…â, and said, even out loud, âI have absolutely nothing to wearâ? AKA: I donât like any of these options.
Options can be okay. I am not aiming for a boring stringent-living mandate. More times than not, my family is a swirl of option-pitching: restaurant options, movie options, time frame options and countless others, all with a sincere kindness and effort to do whatever fits for everyone.  Much of life is lived by options especially in American where we have an endless surplus. The culture once dictated that a person purchased items based on the options his or her budget would allow. Then the credit era seduced Americans into the scheme of âhave it nowâ and nonstop options popped wide open. But the endless options came with lies like,
You can have anything you want. Have your choice. Have it all.
Not all choices are visible. There are times to ditch all our seen-options and cut new ground based on what is unseen.  True, that new road building is not nearly as easy. It can be – and usually is – the very intense âgive it all youâve got and then someâ kind of work. The kind that may even come with heart-hurts that send shocks of pain to every nerve-ending in your body. The truth is, it can be really lonely to go a new, uncharted way, but, if it’s of God, the reality of it is bigger and better than every concrete, sure-fired option we could ever choose.
I was right there, living my life by what was available, all that was logistical, logical, my attainable reality.
My options. My choices.
Until, on one normal morning, on a normal day, doing my normal routine and activities I felt the press of God and it came with a sense of doing something that had no logistical steps. It didn’t seem at all logical. The press of God was so undeniably real and powerful that I remember it today like it happened this morning.
My thoughts were a mix of perplexed and pondering.  Perplexed in a way that almost seemed to communicate to my human rationale, “That isnât trueâ not as an argument so much as a means to clarify, understand and assimilate. At the same time, the spiritual and practical side of my understanding began pondering how I could obey. There was no attainable reality to form an action plan. It was so vast it could be compared to snowing skiing in Galveston, Texas. So not a reality!
I had recently fallen seriously in love with Jesus, having spent so much of my life knowing Him as my Savior, believing He died for me and believing He loved me. And, yet I had just awakened to His living and active Word (Hebrews 4:12), with freshly opened eyes to who He really was, how He loves me and how His captivating presence compares to nothing else in this journey of life.  I wanted to say âyesâ to Him, even if I didnât agree, understand or know what, when, or how.
So I did. I said yes â âLord, if You want it, You do itâ.
Sometimes Godâs plans are so far beyond our everyday thinking we donât even entertain His truth as our reality. Without exception, His plans are always our reality. He is so much bigger than the âGenieâ we ask for, so much more compassionate than just waving a magic wand and dropping the great and wonderful plan into our lap. He gives us the free will and the choice to participate. Priscilla Shirer puts the reality in this perfect wording: âGod doesnât drop __________ in your hands, God puts it in your reachâ.
When our second daughter was born, my husband and I intentionally decided to change our lifestyle and live on less income (like to the penny) so I could stay home with both girls. It was a challenge, but it was our chosen challenge and so worth it. When our youngest went to preschool at a church near our home, I began to volunteer at LPM. A couple of years later my life went from the âchosen challengeâ to an intensely hard season that made it very obvious I needed to get a job.  Well, LPM was growing and there were possible opportunities not too far off, but nothing presently available. I freshened up my resume and started the hunt.
Checked back with LPM. Made a few calls toward other jobs. Checked back with LPM. I went on a few interviews at other places of employment. Checked back with LPM. Received an offer from somewhere else. Checked back with LPM. Nothing available yet so I accepted the other offer. With tears I resigned from my volunteer work at LPM.
I just couldn’t understand it. I was sure I was suppose to work at LPM but I was more sure I was suppose to work. And work I did. I went to work for a great company back in the corporate world. I loved it. I love it on the hard days. I loved it on the busy days. I loved the challenges. I loved new learning. I loved getting a few quiet opportunities to point people to Jesus. I loved all of it. At the same time I never stopped loving the ministry of LPM. I stayed in touch with my LPM friends; they were my partners in prayer, in faith and of heart.
Though it was faint, my heart still held hope that I would understand the pull that laid deep inside of me and the desire to return, a desire I prayed hard to keep down. About a year later, the day came. I was offered the âname your priceâ corporate position. My heart was still so connected to the ministry of LPM, I stalled in giving any answer. And yes, I checked in with LPM but things were still âholdingâ. So I replied to the corporate offer with an unheard-of price. They accepted it! What?! Why? This definitely qualified as one of those huge life options that leave us with no other options than to a âget on your faceâ and seek God!
I was grateful for the offer, it looked like a good thing, but I flat had no peace. It made no sense. I wanted to be excited but I couldnât get there. My heart was âfineâ but not at peace and my joy was flat-lined. Even with my next steps going against every logical point on my checklist, I declined the promotion and not because I had a better option. I had nowhere to go. So, Sabrina, decline a better opportunity to stay at the same place in my current position? Yes, that is exactly what I did. So odd, right? The best way I can describe it is like someone giving me an all-paid dream beach vacation but I’d have to leave my family at home. Even if that were my only option, it would not be the one I’d want to choose. It felt to me like an Exodus 33 moment…
Then the Lord said to Moses, âLeave this place, you and the people you brought up out of Egypt, and go up to the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying, âI will give it to your descendants.â 2Â I will send an angel before you and drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 3Â Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you…â
God tells Moses, I will give you everything you need and flowing blessings but I am not going.
Blah! No thanks.
About a week later, LPM called me and offered me a position. It wasnât the âpriceâ I had given corporate. Actually it was less than my current price but it was the fullness of my God. The pay wasnât the prize; LPM wasnât the prize nor was any other achievement. Jesus is the prize! Nothing is sweeter to me than believing He took me out of LPM, He gave me a job I would love with good pay and then called me to release it and to follow Him. He set me in a place to make the intentional choice and a defining mark in my âyesâ to Him. His options include the show stopping. There we encounter relationship with Him, participation with Him. This is the stuff we remember all the days of our lives. He makes the call, He gives the call, He defines each detail specially and individually for each of us. He creates the timing of bringing the call to life and He gives us the option: the option to believe Him beyond all visible options and, yes, even when there are no options. The option to say âYes, Lord. You want it, You do itâ.
I have been at LPM for 15 years and I dare say â it is rare for me to go any length of time without saying afresh and full of heart, “Yes, Lord, You want it. You do it.” I said it 5 days ago. I said it this morning!
The warning in this time is vitally important. We travel a new road and, in blind faith we encounter
the better than life,
the all in all,
that consumes every part of our heart, soul and mind, surrendering with a trumpet sounding âyes.â Track the journey with Him and His mind-blowing ways. We are all in and boom! He rocks our world. And when we catch our breath, we stop for a moment, reliving the wonders. Be very aware, it is not time to set up house and decorate it. It is the starting line, not the finish line. Donât default to thinking all is good and the mountaintop was the ride of my life and now it’s time to settle and live off the âremember whenâ.
No maâam. He isnât done and neither are you. This may look like an option but it’s not His way. We walk by faith not by sight. Get up! Drag yourself, crawl, increase your B12, whatever it takes. Fight yourself for yourself, fight the good fight, but keep moving,
keep learning,
keep dealing with the hurt, the challenges, the hard days and the harder days,
believing for the better days,
choosing joy, waiting for the season of change and believing God.
Some options are okay, sure. And, then again, there are times where option-living is anything but okay.
Make the choice, cross the finish line. There are no better options.
With love to all of you in the name of Jesus,
Sabrina
