Why I don't do Yoga

     Many years ago, in my early 20s, I dreamed I was looking over a canyon with a ski lift cable stretching across as far as my eyes could see. But instead of benches, chairs or dangling cabins there was a huge Buddha head. As the Buddha head approached from a great distance away I realized how big it was and that it was coming from overseas.

 
      I took the dream as a warning of what was coming into the church and in many cases, what has already infiltrated many areas of Christianity in America. After my dream I began to see eastern religious practices everywhere.  I started hearing about Christian women’s groups having yoga sessions etc.

       I know some may roll their eyes and continue to participate and embrace eastern religious practices and ideas, but as for me and my house (temple) I will not bow into any position that honors or worships another god. That's exactly what each Yoga position does!

      The dream is not only a warning about yoga but theologies and philosophies sneaking their way into Christian teachings.

     I remember another dream I had recently (one or two years ago). All these people were lifelessly laying on the ground. After seeing the image in my dream, I woke up to the Holy Spirit saying, there is a “great falling away.” The fear of God went through me and I immediately started repenting of anything and everything that could be drawing me away from a pure and holy relationship with my God. 

      Remember it's a slow fade.

    I said, “Lord, let that not be me!” I will not fall away and now that I’m aware that there is this pull happening in the body of Christ, I will stand against it in my own life.  I pray anyone reading this does the same. There is a "great falling away" that is happening.

    May the fear and conviction of God lead us to repentance.

    It’s because of His great love for us that He warns us and corrects us.

    He's a good Father.

We cheat oursleves

       We cheat ourselves by judging ourselves harshly. We often miss out on the good gifts God wants to give us and use through us because we feel ashamed and rejected. We feel unworthy. And maybe the world has made you feel that way through past experiences, people, places etc. But God does not see us or treat us as the world often treats us.
        People can be harsh, finicky, cold one day and hot the next. We use people, we climb them like ladders and we spit them out, all while masking these behaviors as something acceptable and justifying our actions with self-righteousness. This can play with our emotions and create strong holds in our mind. But people’s hurtful ways should not be mistaken for God’s ways. God is careful with us. He sees us clearly and pays attention to the details of our lives.
       We cheat ourselves out of many blessings by seeing ourselves as less than God sees us. Fear, shame and rejection will keep us from God’s best for our lives. Instead of lining up to receive what God has in store, we hang back, we hide, we isolate ourselves. We believe the lies this world has ingrained in our minds through our experiences.
        We need to take our cue from Taylor Swift and shake it off, shake it off! Seriously, shake that junk off! It’s not going to remove itself. The enemy would like nothing more than to cripple us our entire lives. But God wants us to see ourselves the way He sees us. Walk in faith. Let your mind be lifted to a higher wave of thinking and feeling.
      You are the righteousness of God through Christ Jesus. You’ve been bought with a price. You were known and your steps planned before you ever lived a single day. Let’s be determined to never miss another blessing because of self-doubt and self-hatred. You are who God says you are

Accept it
Believe it
Walk in it
Lift up your head!
Look the world in the eye!

You're an investment

      Why do we fret and lose sleep as if God has never moved mightily in our behalf before? So quickly we forget that forever God is faithful. And if He’s been faithful once it means He will be faithful again.
       Remember your last answered prayer? Ask yourself, “Why would God move in my behalf just to forsake me now?” He wouldn’t, help is on the way! God does not start a work without finishing it. We toss things out all the time. A story we are writing doesn’t pan out, we toss it; we lose inspiration in an art project, we toss it. We get bored of a person or place, we move on.
      We are finicky. No wonder we fear God may treat us the same way - forgetting about us and replacing us with something bigger, better and newer. But God’s ways are not our ways. He treats us with respect and loyalty. He’s invested in what He started!
      Why do people buy investment properties? They see potential and they know with the right changes, updates and repairs this property will bring forth a harvest. They see what hasn’t manifested yet.
       Do you purposely invest in dead end projects? Do you purposely waste time answering junk e-mail? No. And neither does God.  God hears us when we call and he answers our prayers because He is invested in us. Our prayers are not junk mail. We are not a dead end projects. God‘s ways are true and honest. If God has moved in your life before let hope arise in your heart. He wouldn’t start a work in you without plans of completion.

            He always finishes what He starts in and through us!

Baptism of the Holy Spirit

      The way the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues is administered may intimidate & scare some people. I know because I used to be one of those people.  I'm quiet, I don't like attention or performing in front of others. I'm happy in the background. But the baptism of the Holy Spirit is usually administered in groups and some people have louder displays of manifestation than others. So you may be left wondering if you measure up. Why wasn't my experience as intense? While at the same time dreading and secretly hoping your experience isn't as crazy or as public.
     I can honestly say the Holy Spirit is always extremely gentle with me. It's people, groups and ministers who can be rough. I was blessed to be part of a church in my teens and early 20s that was encouraging and shared many unique testimonies about the Holy Spirit that made me feel safe. For example, they shared a testimony about a famous preacher who only received one word, one single sound when baptized in the Holy Spirit. He spoke that one word over and over until the Holy Spirit gave him more.
        This testimony blessed me tremendously because I had a similar experience. I received  one word while women next to me started speaking sentences and paragraphs in the Holy Spirit. They were loud , shaking excitedly and bold. Whereas I was shy, uncomfortable and intimidated by the entire setting and experience. I felt almost embarrassed and ashamed that I didn't get a full language at first, or so it seemed. But the testimony about this prominent preacher only getting one word was exactly what I needed to hear. And maybe it's what you need to read?
        After that anytime I was driving my car or in my bedroom I'd turn off my worship music and sing my own songs to God and then say the word I had received while also praising God interchangeably. I'd do this over and over until I got two words, then three word, until I had a complete language that flowed.
        Sometimes we don't receive the evidence of speaking in tongues because we stop perusing it after an event. You may only want it while a minister is inviting you to participate but when you leave you forget about it. It's important that you want it. The Holy Spirit is not going to force you or possess you. We must desire it!
         I remember that I never let it go. I was holding on until it was completely mine. I never lost focus or forgot what I wanted. I remember getting a Joyce Meyer's tape on the baptism of the Holy Spirit which I played over and over again, too. I also listened to Lisa Comes minster about the Holy Spirit many times, which always blessed me tremendously. I remember going up for prayer several times after receiving my prayer language because I wanted more. I'm so thankful I pushed through the awkwardness  because being completely filled with the Holy Spirit, with the evidence of speaking in tongues, for the last 14ish yrs has been worth it!
      I've also heard testimonies of people being baptized in the Holy Spirit alone in their bed rooms. God knows your personality and what you need. Find a place you're at peace. Or find a friend you trust who is able and willing to lead and minister to you in this area.
         I share this because I deeply love the body of Christ and I know there are many like me. If that's you, I want you to feel peace, I want you to feel loved, I want you to feel safe and encouraged. Not every spirit-filled tongue-talking, vision-seeing, dream-writing, casting-out demons Christian is a loud extrovert. Some of us have anxiety and wrestle depression and dislike crowds and being center stage. We come in all shapes, sizes, personalities and comfort zones. I know how often only one type of charismatic Christian is highlighted, which leaves the more reserved Christians feeling like something is wrong.
     I read a book that gave statistics on how many Introverted spirit-filled Christians leave charismatic churches and settle for a more traditional church setting because they can't handle the overwhelming amount of extroverts and extroverted directed activities that take place at many Spirit-filled churches. It really makes you wonder. Somehow and someway being extroverted has become the most Godly and celebrated personality trait in some places. It's simply not true. There is an entire group of Spirit Filled Christians many churches are chasing away and neglecting. Sadly, they have found their home elsewhere, usually in churches that don't recognize or benefit from their spiritual gifts they carry. I believe that's a disservice to the entire body of Christ. I would love to see more reserved and introverted people participating and enjoying fellowship in places that flowed in the Spirit.
       My husband and I are fairly reserved for some places and a bit more expressive than other places. I know my hubby will start jumping in worship when the Holy Spirit moves him. I know my hands will shake and feel hot and I'll often cry while praising God and being moved by His presence. Everyone is different. And everyone's peace zone is different. Maybe God will stretch you slowly or maybe He won't. But who you are in this moment is enough. There is no judgment. There is no shame. The Holy Spirit is our comforter and friend. He is for us and not against us.
      Maybe I'll begin sharing more of my insecure awkward moments and how I survived them in hopes it encourages someone. I know those types of testimonies always strengthen me.

The only direction is forward

           The past is comfortable. Comfortable is safe. I’m not referring to a literal time and place in our past but our mental, emotional and spiritual places.  The past is easy to return to because we know the roads. We know the monsters. We know the hideouts. We know what to expect. We knew who we were. It’s tempting to park ourselves where we know things. Knowing is comfortable. And comfortable is easy.
        Every time we are promoted spiritually we enter new territory. We become newbies again.  It’s the first day of Junior High, High School, College all over again. We are a small fry surrounded by the big dogs.  We have to learn a new campus, identify the new bullies along with old ones that have followed us, we have to find our friends, our classrooms, and organize our schedule. When do we go to our locker and exchange our books for the next classes, when and where is lunch and who will we sit with? The list of new experiences and reorganizing is endless. There may be a little bit of anxiety and shaking that takes place.
        It would be easier for some of us to hang out in our elementary school forever. It’s familiar! We knew the campus. We knew the teachers. We knew where we fit. And we knew all the answers! We had our safe bubble memorized. But imagine how ridiculous it would be to see an adult sitting in a 3rd grade classroom! Growing physically but never mentally or emotionally! Not to mention creepy! Thankfully society would never let this happen. Society has a way of pushing us to keep going and hitting important goals. Red flags are waved when we begin to fall behind. For the most part society has a good way of escorting us into the next phases of our lives, social pressure can be motivating.
         Unfortunately, our spiritual graduations and transitions are not readily on display and it’s easier to hang back and chill out where we feel safe and comfortable. We don’t really have to graduate. I mean, who is paying that much attention to us? We can fake it. We can mimic more mature people and remain in elementary school or junior high forever. Who is really going to know? But, rest assured staying behind looks just as strange and creepy in the spiritual realm as it does in the natural. How long can you remain in spiritual 3rd grade? Year after year you remain the same. You may even find that you can convince others to hang back with you for a while. You become a stumbling block.
        Other times, however, we are anxious about the new territory we are entering into, but we obediently move forward all while looking back longing for the old days. The days when things were known. The days we knew our part, and place. This is normal. It’s tempting. Though we may not purposely try to hang back like some, we may be tempted to taste the past one more time, or we may slowly drift back without realizing it. If we successfully back track, we will be hit with a rude awakening. We no longer fit! We’ve out grown those places, we’ve graduated. We’ve passed the tests and there is no longer a place for us back there. It’s not the same as we romanticized in our minds.
         I’d like to encourage you the way I encourage myself. Be brave and courageous. The only direction for a child of God is forward. We have to snap ourselves out of the unhealthy head spaces and ignore the voices beckoning us backwards. Those voices and feelings are lies trying to keep us stuck. If you’ve truly leveled up, you will be disappointed returning to the past. It won’t satisfy. It will be empty and you will feel out of place. So why spend time glorifying it as something it’s not and will never be again? The only direction is forward.
         Let’s enter the new seasons of our lives and fill the places God has created for us. No matter the insecurity, anxiety and unknowns surrounding you, trust that this new territory will soon become familiar. It will become your new home. A new place of comfort and success. You will soon thrive in this new season. We can’t let the adjustment period psych us out. Just as we have to break in a new pair of shoes or jeans, we have to break in new spaces and territories. No one goes into the next grade level knowing everything. We all start as beginners over and over again.

Our well of treasures

         Depending on the season we’re in it may be easy to forget all we’ve been through and the wisdom gained from those experiences. Especially, if we haven’t drawn from our well of treasures in a while. It’s important to remind ourselves of the work God has done in us and the roads we’ve traveled.
        I have to remember the well I have living inside of me often. A well filled with living water, wisdom, gifts, talents and more, all waiting to be given away. We all have a well to draw from. But we won’t be quick to share these treasures if we forget we have them, if we forget our identity in Christ, or minimize the work God has accomplished in us.
      Our past experiences were not in vain. The roads we’ve traveled and the jewels we’ve collected along the way are not for hoarding. We are skillful at playing head games and psyching ourselves out. Therefore, we must stay alert and stir up our gifts often. Our God is good! Our God has been faithful! We have something to offer. We have something to bring to the table.
       Many times people don’t come to the table and join their brothers and sisters in Christ because they fear not having anything to bring. But, the truth is we all have something to bring. We have to stop minimizing our parts. What we have is enough because it’s what God’s entrusted to us.
       We each have a special story that shouldn’t be compared to someone else’s story. Comparison leads us to minimize our well of treasures. What we minimize we no longer value. If we no longer see our unique set of gifts and talents as valuable, we won’t feel energized to pull them up.
       Who we are is enough! Our journey has been planned and well thought out by our Creator. We have the tools, the insight, the wisdom and the ability to bless those around us. The treasures in our well are expensive jewels, all unique to satisfy God’s plans for our lives, that we have the honor of giving away. Remember their value. Remember to pass them out. Remember you can make a difference. Draw from the well filled with treasures living inside of you.  Remember who you are and whose you are.

We have treasures to give away!

Effortless Seasons

 

My tree in my backyard. Fresh lime green leaves.

As I sit here looking out my bedroom window admiring our once bare trees now covered in fresh green leaves I wonder how do they know the timing of their lives? I’m always amazed by the unison of nature and the changing of seasons. How do all the plants know when to release their leaves? How do they know when to sprout new leaves or bloom a stunning array of flowers? They smoothly transition from season to season without a hiccup or glitch.

What if our lives where meant to be that way as well, but we are too controlling to fully experience the effortless changes each season brings. What if we were to truly let go and let God? What if we relaxed and let our lives unfold? Would our lives transition smoothly as they are created to transition? Every plant is birthed with a divine timetable. They allow seasons to come and go and change them as they will. We fight. We take control. We worry. We want to know what’s next. We don’t know how to BE. We don’t know how to rest.

What if all of mankind was supposed to change with the seasons, all in unison just like the trees? What if we were all to let go and release the old at the same time? And then bloom all together? It seems powerful to think of us all flowing in peace and harmony together- everyone on the same page.

Mmm this is good!

               Today I didn’t feel like reading my Bible. It sat in front of me as I stared blankly into space trying to find the discipline, the inspiration, the motivation to open and read.  As I was sitting there in a state of blah I whispered, “Holy Spirit help me because I don’t have the energy to do this”. My flesh had the upper hand and I knew it. Today of all days I needed the word to come alive and feed me. When we stop reading our Bible it becomes easier to neglect it. One day turns into four days which turns into two weeks and on it goes. Our flesh gains power and our spirit man becomes weak.

                As I asked for the Holy Spirit to step in and help me with my state of blah, He almost instantly flashes a picture of my dogs eating pattern and I know exactly what He’s communicating. You see, my little dogs never eat on their own. They simply stare at their food in a state of blah just like me. I have to spoon feed them, get some food on their tongue to awaken their hunger and stir up their appetite.  After they get a little taste they quickly devour their food on their own. The Holy Spirit flashed this picture to encourage me to taste the word and see what happens.  

                Simply open the Bible and read. Read with your bad attitude, read while huffing and puffing, read while rolling your eyes and wishing you were doing something else. Just read it! As you read your spirit will gain strength and your appetite will awaken. Miraculously, within minutes you are already changing and you find yourself saying, “Mmm this is good!” As you continue to read you find yourself wanting more until you spirit man is satisfied.

What's your home town?

      When we allow other people’s interactions with us to determine how we feel about God’s purposes for our lives we will become discouraged.

      Jesus could do no miracles in his home town (Mark 6:1-6 NIV). They didn’t respect him or the role God had given him. Sometimes the very people you’ve grown up with are the very people who miss God’s plans in you. One reason this happens is because they don’t allow themselves to see you in a new light. You will always be the same person in their eyes.

     Jesus’ hometown couldn’t see He was anointed by God and they missed the blessings He carried. How much more will people over look your achievements, your changed life, your gifts and talents?

      Have you ever been to a family event where everyone treated you with little to no respect? Or your parent’s see you as a child even though you have children of your own? They can’t see you as anything other than what you were. This can be discouraging especially when God is doing new and unusual things in your life.  

      Maybe people at your job or church show you respect and honor who God has shaped you to be, but over the holidays with family you realize you are still the same old person in your family’s eyes.  This is common for many people, especially those who have experienced drastic transformations. Not everyone is willing or able to shift their view.  If a town couldn’t see the hand of God of Jesus, how much more will our transformations pale in comparison?

    We’d like to think when God is using us that everyone will cheer and make note, but that is not the case.  We will learn early on that God is our pat on the back; God holds our identity, not man. It’s easy to be rattled by someone's opinion of us, but we all have to learn to hold our God given place no matter how people act. Everyone will not see what God is doing in you.

     Your “home town”, whatever that may be for you, may never grow past their first impression of you from decades ago, but that doesn’t take away from God’s transformation in you. He will use you somewhere else, just like He used Jesus.

          If only we could learn to see people for who they are today - in this moment. If only we could learn to see God’s hand on people and let go of our first impressions that are often wrong and full of prejudices -  exposing our own hearts and not the hearts of others. If only Jesus’ home town took another look, if only they let go of what they knew and saw Jesus for whom he was in the moment. How many blessings are missing out on? How many people do we over look? We all do it and we’ve all had it done to us.

     You are who God says you are whether anyone ever knows it. You are who God says you are whether anyone recognizes it or honors it. You are God’s workmanship created with a purpose and bought with a price. Don’t be rattled by the attitudes and judgments of man.

     And let us learn from our own rejections to not miss God’s hand on people because we too refuse to take another look.

Drifter, the anchor holds!

      It’s so easy to drift in the ocean or veer off the road when ones not paying attention. It can happen suddenly, which snaps us back into focus. But more often than not, it happens slowly. We slowly fade. We slowly drift off point and find ourselves miles down the beach, if we slowly drift to sleep while driving we may find ourselves in a ditch. Most people think they are fine, they are in control, but reality hits. We realize we underestimated the ocean’s current and our fragile condition. Maybe we should have spent the night in a hotel. Thankfully, some roads have rumble strips also knows as sleeper lines to alert drivers when they drift from their lane.

     I wish all areas of life had these lines. Imagine it! You start veering into a different gifting or calling and you hear the rumblings. You start becoming friends with the wrong person – rumblings. You approach a restaurant that’s wrong for your diet – rumblings. It would take the guess work and ambiguity from God’s direction at times. Unfortunately, outside of beach markers and highway rumble strips life doesn’t often provide obvious bumpers and signs when we begin to drift. This is why we need the Holy Spirit. He is our rumble strip, he is our bumper. He holds us in place and keeps us in our lane.  

       Without our anchor nothing stays the same, everything moves and drifts a bit. We may try to stay put while standing in the ocean enjoying the waves, but inch by inch we are pushed until we’ve drifted farther than we anticipated. Unless we are grounded, rooted and stabilized we drift.  Are we falling asleep? Are we being pushed by the current?

    When we look at our lives and see our Christian values fading, losing sight of our faith and holy lifestyle there is usually one thing that has happen, we’ve lifted our anchor and lost our hope. Just like a bottle of water we sip on all day long we are emptied and need a refill.

     We are perfectly capable of refilling ourselves. I get filled daily! We live best when we live in an overflow state. When we allow ourselves to be drained and emptied we begin to drift. Thankfully the Holy Spirit begins to alert us that we are low and need to refill - rumblings.

    Our anchor is faithful! Our anchor holds! As long as we stay connected to The Anchor we will not drift off our marks. He holds, He’s steadfast and faithful.

       Drifter, the anchor holds!