Help me to live in such a way...

Destiny Hope

       I've seen all these bloggers write letters to Miley. All well meaning, but still sometimes sarcastic and cutting. I thought I'd write my own little letter to Miley and share what I sense in my spirit for her.

Dear Miley,

     God can give you a new name, restore the name He prophetically put in your parents hearts and mouth, Destiny Hope. You are a child of purpose. You have been placed on this earth for a reason, for now, for this season. As I began praying for you and thinking upon your life and all the wonderful plans God has set aside just for you, this song began to bubble up in my spirit for YOU.

     God can replace all the shame and sadness and replace it with true joy. He can give you real freedom. Freedom from your critics, freedom from users and abusers, freedom from yourself. A freedom that allows you to BE, to soar and to rest. He will bring restoration to your soul.

To worship you, I live

Your Love Is Extravagant

For signs and for seasons

"And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons,and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day." Genesis 1:14-19 ESV

        I love looking at the sky. I love the stars, the clouds and sun sets. I've heard about people who've seen the life of Jesus written in the stars, those that have seen angels in the clouds, and felt the warmth of God's presence in the sun. Through out the ages the sky has been a mysterious and beautiful thing for all cultures and religions. This shouldn't be a surprises since even God says He created the lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, for signs and for seasons and days and for years. He created them with messages to us, with a rhythm for us to catch onto for seasons, days, nights, weather, signs etc. But as with anything sometimes a message gets skewed, taken advantage of and exploited by those with an alternative agenda. 

        One example of a deceptive message coming from the sky would be horoscopes (a diagram of the heavens, showing the relative position of planets and the signs of the zodiac, for use in calculating births, foretelling events in a person's life, etc.)  Horoscopes are false prediction of your future. One given by a false or corrupted source. Since I  have a heart for discipleship it really puts a fire in me when I see Christians posting their horoscopes. Horoscopes are witchcraft. I used to love them as kid, when I didn't know any better. We all have a desire to know what's next. It gives us hope and a sense of expectancy. Plus, they look innocent and fun in those fashion magazines. They don't look dark or demonic at all. When I learned the dark source of the predictions while in my teens I repented and never looked at another horoscope again. Horoscopes and Astrology are not only a sin but deception that will eventually lead you away from God's good, perfect and pleasing plans for your life. Same goes with fortune tellers and psychic hot lines.

          It is built in us to want revelation about our future. God put that in us. But that desire is to be filled with His presence and divine revelation that comes from a relationship with Him. He can give you divine words, dreams, signs and direction but it comes by being connected and loyal to Him, not demonic copy cats. 

        There is a difference between Astrology and Astronomy. Astrology is  the belief that, "the position of the Moon and Sun within these twelve divisions influence what happens on Earth, from the personalities of people born under a certain sign to the likelihood of certain kinds of undertakings to be successful." Astronomy is the, "scientific interpretation of matter in space" and has nothing to do with the future and shaping of individuals and their lives.

         So next time you are admiring the beautiful art work in the sky, do just that, admire God's handiwork and delight in it and know He has woven mysteries within. Even the wise men followed a star to Jesus and they are not the only ones. Throughout history people have used the stars as maps and guiding lights for their explorations, escapes to freedom and the telling of weather patterns. But when it comes to your future, it is in God's hands, not the stars and the interpretation of an individual who is under demonic influence. If you want the map to your life then go to the source, the creator, God almighty and His personal book to you, The Bible.

 (Definitions from the farmersalmanac.com)

Good, Perfect and Pleasing

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” – Romans 12:2 NLT