Are you in need of a breakthrough? I'd love to share with you what God shared with me! The lighting isn't great but, hey, it works. Nothing fancy, just real. https://vimeo.com/124857809
A Word of Encouragement
Are you struggling in stepping out and following the Lord in what He's called you to do? I get it. Let's chat about it for a few minutes! I think you'll find encouragement from the Bible in a fresh way. https://vimeo.com/124551903
Indeed, God has saved you, called you, equipped you, and commissioned you!
Take the Glory with Thee
Behold, I have brought you out of a dark and solitary land. I have given you a drink from My own hand. We have held sweet counsel together; for I have not called you servant, but I have called you friend. Yes, and I delight in your companionship. For I have seen your devotion, and I have observed with pleasure your thoughtfulness to those less fortunate who have crossed your path.
When you have encouraged the weary; prayed with the sick; lent help to the needy, comfort to the sorrowing, and understanding to the distressed, I count it as though you did it for Me, for I know that except for your deep love for Me, you would not make this kind of sacrifice.
Gifts may be given, prompted by many a selfish motive; but when you give yourself, often in the face of insults, returning good for evil, and yet receive further censure, this I know you have done because and only because you love Me first, and loving Me you find no place to hate any. For if a man loves God, truly he will also love his brother. And he will yet go beyond this, for he will show kindness and feel concern for the needs of even his enemies and be moved with compassion to minister aid.
Frances J. Roberts, Come Away My Beloved
Hey Strong Woman, It’s Okay to Be Weak Some Days
I want to introduce you to my friend, Margaret Feinberg. She’s written a car-trunk full of books and Bible studies including Scouting the Divine and Wonderstruck.
Sadly, Margaret’s had a tough couple of years fighting cancer. Yet, she’s chosen to fight back with one of the most unusual weapons—joy. Bet you can see why I love her already. I asked her to share a few thoughts with us today. May you be as blessed as I am.
I can’t help but admire your strength.
When other people say “impossible”, you hear a personal challenge.
When others dare use the word, “can’t”, you manage to find a way.
When others are ready to give up, you’ve just begun.
You turn a mountain into a molehill and the overwhelming into manageable.
It’s one of the many things I adore about you.
Now let’s be clear. I know you’re not perfect. You’re the first to admit that. But even after all your self-deprecation, many of us still suspect you have super human strength running through your veins.
Yet even for you, the strong woman, the leader, life is hard sometimes. This world is mixed up and messed up.
In the middle of it all, you’re still holding on, holding strong.
Brave. Brilliant. Beautiful. You.
But sometimes, when everyone is out of earshot, you let the tears flow, the words fall, and you wonder if you’re really doing okay, if it’s all going to be okay.
I wonder these things, too. I suspect most of us strong women do.
But there comes a time when we need to let our hair down and get honest and vulnerable about the struggles.
The fears we don’t say aloud lest they be true.
The anxieties that wake us up in the night.
The loneliness that attacks when we least suspect it.
That’s one of the reasons I wrote Fight Back With Joy book and Bible study—the most heart-wrenching, vulnerable project I’ve ever done. In it, I share my battle with cancer and the lessons that I’ve learned along the way as I’ve walked in the dark with God.
Here’s a sneak peek of the video: http://mar.cta.gs/0be
Because us strong women need to connect, and create a space to wrestle through the deepest issues of our heart and our faith. After all, the robustness of God is best displayed in frailty.
This book makes me feel so vulnerable. So raw. So real.
I’m taking that risk for you.
Because you’re worth it.
And us strong women need to stick together—especially if we’re going to change the world—and be a people who fight back with joy.
Raising a Rally Cry for Your Children!
The thought of writing this blog post has fired up a blaze of righteous anger in my soul over the last few days. I have no idea if anyone will take me up on the offer, but that doesn't matter. I cannot hold back the fire of concern that's blazing in my soul for our kids. I want to pray for your family and children, regardless of their age.
I don't know about you, but I'm sick of seeing the enemy seemingly getting away with emotionally tormenting our kids. So many of us parents are suffering in silence, and I'm sickened, and saddened, and maddened for every single one of us who are taking the hits. You would not believe the stories I'm hearing! And, for that matter, how awful the battle is nowadays. And I'm ready to fire back! Through prayer! With the power of the Holy Spirit and the righteousness of Christ who gives me and you every right.
It has fallen fresh on me lately concerning how much of an arsenal we have in the power and Person of the Holy Spirit. As we open our mouths, He who lives in us really will fill us, fuel us and as we pray He will unleash an unparalleled power of His accompanying presence to accomplish the miraculous through our prayers! The Word of God tells us in James, Chapter five, verse 16b: " The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much." I'm ready for MUCH. Aren't you?
To be honest, I wouldn't even begin to call myself righteous because my sins are ever before me. BUT righteous is what the Lord has chosen to call every single one of His children. And who are we to question Him?
Listen, it's time we believe for ourselves that anyone (even us) who has accepted Jesus Christ as personal Savior really does stand before the Father as righteous in Christ. It's our blood-bought right as the children of God, and we have ALL biblical authority to claim it! And, not only to claim it, but to do so with Holy Spirit emboldened confidence! We have got to stop believing biblical truth's like these are for others, but we keep resisting it for ourselves. Honestly, if I can be so bold to say so, it's nothing more than a spiritual refusal fueled by a heart of pride and false humility before the Lord. And, sadly, it keeps us unstable in all of our living and praying.
Now I know I'm hammering away at this. But the reason I cannot help but to regard this as important enough to hammer away at is because our stance in prayer directly connects to how we see ourselves before God. Truth is far too many parents feel beaten down and like they've been run over by a Mac Truck from the hurt and pure evilness of what has happened or what is happening to their children. We've got scores of parents who did the best they could. I know because I've talked to them. Shoot, I am one! Parents are too full of regrets to stand to their feet, to sound a warrior's cry, and to reroute the armies of heaven on our children's behalf. Sadly, many of us have allowed ourselves to dwell in a mental vacuum of replaying all of the would of's, should of's, and could of's. We've been far too full of self-blame to lift up our heads in prayer. Too downtrodden to throw these mountains before us down into the depths of the sea. And too broken to kick this evil darkness in the teeth, smashing every single one of the enemy's schemes.
What if today we said, "NO MORE?" What if today we stepped up and out and received what is ours? What if we stormed the gates of hell and stopped letting this evil prevail?
I want you to hear this from 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 for some added encouragement:
3 We do live in the world, but we do not fight in the same way the world fights. 4 We fight with weapons that are different from those the world uses. Our weapons have power from God that can destroy the enemy’s strong places. We destroy people’s arguments 5 and every proud thing that raises itself against the knowledge of God. We capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ.
With this in mind, here's what I'd like to do. I'd like to pray for you and yours. Please know, you don't have to share any details of what's going on, God alone knows your situation. All I ask is that you'd give me the name of your family and your home state in the comment section. That's all. Nothing more.
For instance, it should look like this: The Head family, Texas
What I'd like to do is to print your names out and commit a portion of my prayer time to pray as the Spirit leads for your family, and to believe Him to work wonders of deliverance in your family. I'm a firm believer in praying for others what we most need for ourselves. And, I wholeheartedly believe God wants to MOVE on our behalf. He's just looking for us to arise from the oppressive state we've given ourselves to and to call upon His Name! By golly, I'm in. If you'd like to join me, I'd be devil-stomping blessed.
You're welcome to share this blog with whomever, or however you feel prompted to do so. It would fire me up to the moon and back to raise a mighty rally cry. Our families are worth that much and more. And God loves all of us more than we can imagine.