Meaning and Purpose

        Life’s challenges often cause us to forget who are and what we’re created for. Before long we are traveling paths that weren’t created for us, going with the flow and becoming carnally minded. We find ourselves frustrated and depressed thinking, “I thought God had a plan for me?” we ask ourselves, “What’s the point, I can’t seem to remember?” We’ve all found ourselves in this place and if you haven’t you will one day.

      The problem is we begin trying to find our meaning and purpose outside of God’s presence. Nothing makes sense outside of Him. The solution is easy, His presence. When is the last time you truly worshipped God? I mean truly had a breakthrough in worship and prayer? It’s His manifested presence that changes us and brings clarity. It happens almost instantly when He touches us.

       When is the last time you told God how amazing and powerful He was until his manifest presence filled the space you were in? That’s what brings clarity. That’s what chases confusion away. That’s what makes clear your path. That is when you know who you are.

        The longer we stay out of His manifested presence the farther we drift and the more confusing our life seems. People can encourage us all day long. People can tell us what they think they know, but when we get into His presence there is an assurance, there is a confidence, there is a, “I know I was born for this!” You can face any mountain, wall or road block. It can be you against a thousand critics but you will not be swayed because God has given you His, “Yes!”

       His presence casts out all shadows, all darkness, and all lies. It’s easy to slowly replace His presence with earthly wisdom, people’s approval, our own striving and busyness, but there will come a time – hopefully sooner than later- when we hit a wall mentally, emotionally or spiritually and we realize it’s His presence we need more than anything.

        When we are at our best spiritually it’s hard to imagine a day when we’d need to be reminded to get into His presence. I never thought I’d have a season like that. But life has a way; it always has a way of slowly beckoning us, slowly seducing us and one step at a time we fade away. If it was an obvious step away we’d all recognize it, but it’s tricky, it’s camouflaged as many things. Thankfully returning is only one step away. 

      Thankfully we don’t have to recover all our side steps and backward steps. God is always one step away. His presence is always there waiting for us. Returning is as simple as turning around. We don’t have to backtrack alone. He walks with us. He always meets us where we are, even if He’s traveled that road with us a million times before. There is no shame, no payment or resentment. His presence is free, but it’s our choice.

      Nothing will bring more clarity to our lives than His presence.

Soak me in your glory

    This song is giving me life right now! I love the raw sounds. I always find these types of songs extremely powerful during my prayer and worship time. The intimacy level is off the charts.
      Aj Warren has been leading worship and writing his own songs for many years - as long as I've known him. I wish he had a CD or his music on iTunes. There is no way this man is not meant to do this full time. He is gifted and seasoned. Sorry for the quality of the video. Someone from his church recorded it and posted it on FB.

Posted by Tiffany Coate Screws on Sunday, September 27, 2015

The clarity of the window

"A young couple moves into a new neighborhood. The next morning while they are eating breakfast, the young woman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside. 

"That laundry is not very clean; she doesn't know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap." 

Her husband looks on, remaining silent. Every time her neighbor hangs her wash to dry, the young woman makes the same comments. A month later, the woman is surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and says to her husband: 

"Look, she's finally learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this? " 

The husband replies, "I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows." 

And so it is with life... What we see when watching others depends on the clarity of the window through which we look." 

Author unknown 

BeYOUtiful

          Learning to love ourselves is one of the hardest things some of us will ever do. One of the reasons for this is because we know ourselves. We know all our thoughts, mistakes, flaws etc. This is what inspired, "Greater Than Our Hearts",  a chapter in my book, Living As Children of Light & Oaks of Righteousness. Sometimes our own heart holds us back. 

        Other times, however the opinions of other people hold us back. This is a little more challenging because we can't control other people. We can't make them grow, open their eyes, expand their minds. We have no say in what someone else does. So if someone else chooses to live their life putting others down, discriminating and acting like a bully there is nothing we can do. We can only change how we handle the situation. 

        Some easy ways I've learned to conquer negative outside voices is A) make sure they stay outside voice. Clean out your circle of friends even family. If someone does not see how amazing you are make sure they remain an outsider. You don't need purposely hurtful people in your inner circle. B) Know your own worth. Make a list, keep reminders of all your positive attributes and accomplishments. Other people may never see you in a positive light, but how you see yourself can make all the difference. C) Remember who created you. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. God does not make mistakes. You and God are a majority. You may desperately crave people's approval, but remember you are already approved of by God.

       In a world full of circumstances out of our control it's important we know how to care for our own mental and emotional health. Just as David learned to encourage himself, we too must learn to minister to our own hearts and minds. There may not always be someone else there to do it. 

        Know your worth, BeYOUtiful.

My life is a witness

     "My life is a witness to vulgar grace -- a grace that amazes as it offends. A grace that pays the eager beaver who works all day long the same wage as the grinning drunk who shows up at ten till five. A grace that hikes up the robe and runs breakneck toward the prodigal reeking of sin and wraps him up and decides to throw a party, no ifs, ands, or buts. A grace that raises bloodshot eyes to a dying thief's request -- "Please, remember me" -- and assures him, "You bet!"...This vulgar grace is indiscriminate compassion. It works without asking anything of us. It's not cheap. It's free, and as such will always be a banana peel for the orthodox foot and a fairy tale for the grown-up sensibility. Grace is sufficient even though we huff and puff with all our might to try and find something or someone that it cannot cover. Grace is enough... 

      “Sin and forgiveness and falling and getting back up and losing the pearl of great price in the couch cushions but then finding it again, and again, and again? Those are the stumbling steps to becoming Real, the only script that's really worth following in this world or the one that's coming. Some may be offended by this ragamuffin memoir, a tale told by quite possibly the repeat of all repeat prodigals. Some might even go so far as to call it ugly. But you see that doesn't matter, because once you are Real you can't be ugly except to people who don't understand...that yes, all is grace. It is enough. And it's beautiful.”

- Brennan Manning -

No longer slaves to fear

You and me

Penance

 “Do not judge and criticize and condemn others, so that you may not be judged and criticized and condemned yourselves. For just as you judge and criticize and condemn others, you will be judged and criticized and condemned, and in accordance with the measure you [use to] deal out to others, it will be dealt out again to you.” – Matthew 7:1-2 amp

         As new covenant believers we know Jesus has taken all punishment and wrath. We receive grace upon grace in all areas of our lives, even when we fail big time.  God does not look at our failures and make us pay penance. He sees from all angles. He sees us from the inside out. He knows exactly why we tripped up and what events led us down each and every road we travel. He understands. We on the other hand, often see people’s mistakes as personal attacks against us - we make it all about us. This hurts our pride and egos making us feel justified sentencing people, “They must pay!”

         When we punish others and make them pay penance we are standing on dangerous ground. We are sitting in the seat of judgment, holding ourselves up as gods. The Bible says not to do this, “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.” (Matthew 7:1-2) The Greek word there is "krino," (Strong's #2929) and means "to distinguish, i.e. decide (mentally or judicially); by implication, to try, condemn, punish.” We have no rightfully ground to punish anyone unless we want to be punished, implicated, tried and condemned. The measure we dish out, will be the measure we reap.

      There is a type of judgment we are told to use throughout the Bible, but it is not to punish or condemn. For example, 1 Corinthians 2:12 says, “The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things…” this word judgment has more to do with discernment. The Greek word is "anakrino," (Strong's #350) of which "krino" is a root. It means "to scrutinize, i.e. (by implication) investigate, interrogate, determine, examine, and take into account."

      Some personality types and temperaments may believe if the offender doesn’t know their being punished there’s no harm no foul. This is not true. Passive aggressive behavior is a symptom of deeper issues and a lack of revelation of a very present all-knowing God. The person you are hurting may not know or be able to prove you are punishing them, but God sees our hearts. Plus, any underhanded behavior will always eat away at our relationships whether it’s instantly noticeable or not. We are destroying the foundation the relationship sits on.

      The Bible says it’s appointed to all men to die once and after is the judgment (Hebrews 9:27). The word judgment refers to sentencing (Strong’s #2920). Do we want God judging/sentencing/punishing us for all our wrong doing, which is certainly abundant? No. Then we must live a life of grace toward those who have hurt us, realizing we are not perfect. It is our pride and self-righteousness that demand, “They must pay!” both of which are signs of an immature spiritual life.

        Coincidentally, one of my favorite podcasts posted a podcast about “The Dangers of Schadenfreude.” Schadenfreude is German for taking pleasure in another person’s suffering. Antonia Dodge goes on to say how many people justify taking pleasure in another person’s pain by calling it Karma or justice. And how we can no longer retain the moral high ground while wishing ill upon someone else. This is often true in religious circles. Religious people are prone to wanting payment of sins, especially if one has a Catholic background. This attitude, however, is opposite of what the Bible directs.

      The Bible says, “ all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:23) The Bible reminds us that righteousness is not earned by works or by sufferings. It’s based on one thing, and one thing only, and that’s the expansive, inclusive, love, of a perfect, all-knowing God who works with us in the process of transformation. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) Who are we to make people pay penance when God doesn’t even require it? Are we greater than God to require payment? 
       Jesus says about retaliation,"You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also." (Matthew 5:39) The Messages translation says, "No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously."

      When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, he changes our heart. So if we are punishing someone, making them pay penance, the root may be our relationship or lack thereof with Jesus. Someone filled with the Holy Spirit is also filled with His grace, filled with his kindness, filled with his patience toward others.  When God dwells in our hearts we no longer want revenge and payment of hurts. Instead, we pray like Jesus, “Forgive them for they know not what they do.”  

1 Corinthians 7:17 MSG

"And don’t be wishing you were someplace else or with someone else. Where you are right now is God’s place for you. Live and obey and love and believe right there."

We have been sold a bill of goods...

"We have been sold a bill of goods. We allowed man to set the standards for what it means to be called, sent, to be pleasing to God. Man's standards leave most of us striving after the wind, boxing the air, shouting words in the desperate struggle to find our worth. Damn those words that bind us, that keep us focused on man's definition of success instead of God's." -Don Nori

Hope City - Under Pressure

Message starts at 41min

Devotional Collection :-)

Call on the name - Vertical Church Band

Call On The Name
Worship Leader: Seth McConkey
(Jason Ingram, Andi Rozier, Reuben Morgan)

My light when I'm lost
My rest when I'm weary
My peace in the raging storm
You will never falter, You will never fail

My song in the night
My shield in the battle
My help when I need it most
You will never falter, You will never fail

I will call on the name
I will call on the name of the Lord
My God is greater
Find my strength in the name
Find my strength in the name of the Lord
Jesus, my Savior

My sin on the cross
My promise of Heaven
My hope is in You alone
You will never falter, You will never fail

You will not falter, You will not fail
For You are strong to save
You will deliver, You will prevail
Yes, You will make a way

Anxiety and Christians

  "I know the end of the story, I come out from the wilderness leaning on my beloved." -Jon Thurlow

       Spending many years enveloped in the Christian system I knew the pressure to avoid all signs of anxiety. Yet, I sincerely struggled with anxiety since childhood. In many Christian circles such things are considered demonic and you are looked down on. I spent years bouncing from counselor to counselor trying to be “healed”. I went to countless prayer meetings, revivals, classes, fasted for days, read books etc. I believe I exhausted every outlet I could. Despite struggling with anxiety, God met me where I was and answered other prayers I had, but never addressed this anxiety.

       The pressure to hide my anxiety made it worse. The most freeing thing I’ve ever done was stop caring what other Christians think. Admitting when my anxiety flares up, admitting something is bothering me, admitting the struggles I face at times has brought more healing than any prayer meeting. I say this as respectfully as possible, knowing full well the power of prayer. It no longer fazes me when I hear crazy religious comments about anxiety because the people making those comments have never truly experienced an anxiety disorder. I see the comments for what they are, and from whom they come. These individuals have merely felt the anxiety that is common to most people – not a true, full blown, chemical imbalance. Those same people would gladly welcome a cast for a broken bone, pain medication for a headache, a prescription for high blood pressure, even surgery to remove an organ etc. Yet, anxiety must be cured spiritually. It’s hurtful for those struggling when in fact some anxiety disorders stem from the brain and can be picked up in brain scans as clearly as a bone fracture and the chemical imbalances often connected with anxiety show up as clearly as one’s insulin levels.

         At one point in my life I was prescribed medication for my anxiety and depression. The medication helped me tremendously and I was making great gains in my life. The prescription truly took the edge off and I was able to function normally. The down side was the significant weight gain and overwhelming sleepiness. For these reasons, I eventually stopped the medication thinking I was fixed, but slowly fell back down to where I was. I could not sustain the gains I made without the medication. Every time I fell back down I’d feel ashamed and broken, like, “what’s wrong with me?”

        Another season of my life led me to natural hormones, which again helped for several years until my body got used to them and they stopped working. I was told it could take 2-3 years before my body would respond to them again. I didn’t want to take synthetic hormones since I had read many bad long term side effects, and I didn’t have health insurance at the time. This led to another dark season of my life struggling with my health. When our body is out of balance everything messes up, not just anxiety, but everything! Our entire body functions with hormones. 

         Through prayer, I believe God led me to a Christian Chiropractor in 2009, where I learned about so many things, like “The power that created the body heals the body”, but not in a spiritual sense, but a physical sense, like, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” (Hippocrates). I learned that our body was created to heal itself if given the right things. I changed my vitamins, I no longer drank milk, barely touch eggs, and hubby and I juice several times a week now. I’m always learning something new. For example, I always did cardio workouts, but I learned cardio can mess up my fragile chemical balance because my body thinks I’m under stress. Resistance training, weight lifting, and walking are better choices for my situation. I also learned about the power of natural Iodine and how many people are deficient in it.

         One of the most important things I’ve learned is how to follow peace (You can read my thoughts about my “peace zone vs comfort zone” in my book Remain and Oaks of Righteousness). Growing up in a Christian system where many people considered anxiety a major sin I picked up a bad habit of trying to fight anxiety every chance I got. Instead of following peace, I felt I had to confront my anxiety and push through; this is draining and continually sucked the life out of me. I’ve found so much life, love and joy simply following peace and avoiding anxiety. Sometimes the best solution is to walk away from something that is causing you anxiety, not try to conquer it. I would even argue that, that is what God wants from you anyway. Jesus is the prince of PEACE, we are following Him, therefore, follow PEACE. This revelation has truly brought new levels of freedom in my life. I no longer fight unnecessary battles, but I am winning the war in my life.  

         Since making these changes in my life my hormones have balanced out tremendously, but I still do struggle with anxiety and that’s okay. I’ve picked up many copping tools, like art therapy, gardening etc., that have brought me more freedom than any of the other religious things I’ve encountered. I’ve learned how gentle and kind God is to me. He walks with me. He cares. He knows me better than I could even imagine and He proves it over and over again in the most intimate ways.  

          There is no shame in our weakness because in our weaknesses He is strong and mighty. There is no shame leaning on Him, that’s the point, He wants us to lean on Him. He wants us to depend on Him. He wants us to be open and honest. He wants intimacy (into-me-see). We don’t have to have it all figured out and put together. He takes our broken pieces and makes something beautiful.

Called Me Higher - All Sons and Daughters

The gospel is this

“The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.”

 -Tim Keller 

Your vibe attracts your tribe

       Your vibe attracts your tribe. True or false? I think it leans more toward true. I've been thinking about this a lot lately. Some people seem to find their tribe easily while others of us keep searching with no luck. This quote made me think, maybe some of us can't find our tribe because we're giving off the wrong vibe. There are many reasons we may give off the wrong vibe but I think one of the reasons, which ties into another blog I posted about communication, may be we aren't accurately expressing who we are on the inside. For some reason who we are on the inside and how we appear on the outside can get skewed.    

      This also ties into my post about shedding. We have to shed the old things, the things we've out grown. One thing we may need to shed is old communication styles. It's not vain to work on the outside. Some may feel focusing on the outside is shallow but the reality is non-verbal communication whether outward appearances, tone of voice, gestures, mannerisms and more play a huge role in what we're communicating and putting into the universe for others to read, which ties into my true colors blog post.   If it's true that our vibe attracts our tribe, then maybe those of us who keep attracting the wrong people and/or having issues finding our tribe are simply not sending out vibes that match our authentic inner selves. 

         What vibes are we sending out if we don't know and understand ourselves?  Some of us know ourselves well but we don't have words, expressions, and tools to express that on the outside. It's a mistake to think if we're not trying to give off a vibe that no vibe is being sent. People are reading and feeling us out no matter what. So if we aren't proactive about the message we're sending we are probably sending the wrong one. I see this more clearly in my own life now that I'm lookin back. 

       Every form of outward expression is sending out a message about who we are. If we aren't being direct the message will come out wrong. I think the key for those of us having issues finding our tribe is to tune in to who we are and then figure out how that would translate on the outside. When our outside message matches our inside then we attract the right people. 

      Where is our communication failing? Is it cosmetic? Sadly we all judge a book by it's cover - some more than others. Make a point to share parts of yourself though material expression like jewelry, makeup, hair etc. Show who you are in diffrent ways. The more information you share the more likely your tribe will recognize you and vice versa. Maybe our communication is failing in the area of body language. It's crazy how much people assume they know about us based on what our body does. Again, take some time to think about who you are and what you want to communicate with your body language. There is no such thing as opting out. If you choose not to be intentional then you run the risk of your outsides not matching your insides and that's when miscommunication happens. If people have to assume they will most likely assume wrong. I know this from years of experience. I'm still learning how to accurately communicate in this way. I've been learning all of this the hard way. I never gave much thought to my non-verbal communication growing up. It's only recently that I've consider that I've been communicating all the wrong things.

       So what's your vibe?  Summed up - those who find their tribe not only know who they are on the inside but know how to accurately express themselves on the outside. When the inside and outside match our vibe draws in the right people. When they don't match we send out the wrong message attracting people we don't deeply vibe with and are unrecognizable to our true tribe. 

Touch the Sky - Hillsong United

Shedding

      When we feel stuck it's often because we fear shedding our old skin. We can't take everything with us in every season of our journey. Don't be afraid to let go, to detox, to change, to shed.  Can you imagine if a snake refused to shed it's old skin? When a snake grows it's skin does not grow along with it. Our skin stretches and grows along with us throughout our lives, but snakes out grow their skin. They also never stop physically growing, so this shedding processes takes place for the snake's entire life.

     We are always growing as well. We will not continually grow physically like snakes, but we should be growing mentally, emotionally and spiritually. We need to remember that shedding is a natural process that gives way to growth. If we refuse to let go of the things we've outgrown we will never reach our full potential. If we insist on clinging to old traditions, places, people, ideas etc then we will miss opportunities to walk on the best paths for our lives.

     Sometimes snakes have trouble shedding their skin and need assistance.  The snakes that don't receive assistance for whatever reason - maybe because they are in the wild - will experience severe complications even death. One of the more common issues is blindness. Snakes don't have eye lids, but scales over their eyes, also know as "eye caps". If a snake retains multiple layers of eye caps because of a failure to shed it will go blind. The same is true for us, sometimes we need assistance. We can't see clearly when we aren't shedding.It will hinder and even kill our future.

      After a snake has successfully shed, it's colors are usually more vibrant. If we find our light is dim and our colors are fading it may be a sign we aren't allowing the shedding process to take place in our lives. Being courageous enough to walk away from things that no longer fit will prove to be one of the healthiest changes we make.

For King and Country - Shoulders