Tag Archives: strength

CONNECTIONS


Lately, I have been thinking a lot about the need for connection in our lives and the effects of isolation. In the beginning of mankind, God had created a wonderous garden where He placed Adam and Eve; those He created in His own image, to be in connection with them. Sin crept in and caused a separation from what God had intended. In response to the sin, Adam and Eve went into isolation from God in two ways; they attempted to cover up their vulnerability and regret with fig leaves and then when they realized God’s presence in the garden, they attempted to hid from Him out of fear.


“7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
Genesis 3:7-11 (NIV)

So many years later, we are still isolating ourselves from God and others because of the enemy-imposed guilt and shame that we carry. God has given us the antidote to this first generation issue; Love Him and love others. The only way to do this is through connection. We need connection to God through His Holy Spirit and connection to others powered by Holy Spirit. Can I get an ‘Amen!’

Seemingly random questions: What do you talk to your friends about? What would you really like to talk to them about?

“6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7 NIV)

Who do you have on speed dial and actually call when you are hurting or when things get rough?

Hiding seems to lead to isolation which leads to more isolation and being vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy. Unsafe!
Connection to God seems to lead to more connection with Him and a humble vulnerability to His heart and purposes. Safe!
Connection to others; although pain may come, will lead to a growing vulnerability to the love God has intended for His children through the connecting with others in relationship. God’s Love on earth known and felt!

May your connection with God and His people grow stronger and the isolation trick of the enemy become an ugly thing of the past!

#loveandconnection

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WHEREVER YOU GO

“After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister,  “Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land which I am giving to them, to the people of Israel.  Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, as I promised to Moses.  From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphra′tes, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory.  No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.  Be strong and of good courage; for you shall cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.  Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law which Moses my servant commanded you; turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.  This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; be not frightened, neither be dismayed; for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:1-9 RSV)

Earlier this summer, I had the privilege of meeting and talking with a sweet lady that felt led to give me a canvas that had; until that moment, been on her kitchen wall. The canvas reads, “be strong & courageous DO NOT BE AFRAID OR DISCOURAGED FOR THE LORD YOUR GOD IS WITH YOU wherever you go Joshua 1:9.

Since this conversation and sweet gift, I have been given message after message from God of His presence. No matter where we go, no matter what we are doing, no matter who we are with; once we have accepted His free gift of Salvation, He is with us and He will not forsake us.

It’s been during my times of reflecting on God’s presence that I have been reminded of how little we can truly soak up His wonderful Holy Presence when we are rushing from here to there; from this event to that event. Where is there space to breathe Him in?

He is with us wherever we go.

Stop. Breathe in God’s sweet presence. Linger in this moment. Be strong in His embrace. Rest in this space. Take up Bold Courage that can only come from God’s Presence. Be Blessed in His Presence.

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GET UP!

A few days ago I was reading John chapter 5 as part of my daily reading for a Discipleship Group that I am a part of. As I was reading, some of the red lettered words of Jesus just seem to jump off the page at me and they have continued to repeatedly come alive in my thoughts ever since that day. Each time I read and consider Jesus’ Words that He spoke so long ago, I am given a fuller picture of just how I can learn from and view His instructions for my life today. Then during some PRAYER time today I sensed Holy Spirit pushing me to blog about these thoughts; this is usually a prompting that means that someone else can benefit as well from this revelation. The verses are; as I mentioned, from John chapter 5 where John tells us about a man that had been lame for 38 years and was waiting by a healing pool for a chance to be healed but others had kept going before him.

6″ When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?” 7 “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.” 8 Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” 9 Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking! But this miracle happened on the Sabbath, 10 so the Jewish leaders objected. They said to the man who was cured, “You can’t work on the Sabbath! The law doesn’t allow you to carry that sleeping mat!” 11 But he replied, “The man who healed me told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’” 12 “Who said such a thing as that?” they demanded. 13 The man didn’t know, for Jesus had disappeared into the crowd. 14 But afterward Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, “Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.” 15 Then the man went and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had healed him.”

“Would you like to get well?” This question may seem odd but not if you truly consider it. We have been walking around for years or decades carrying the same baggage, pain, ‘chip on our shoulder;’ you name it, and wonder why we aren’t getting any better physically, emotionally or spiritually. Do we REALLY want to get well or do we want someone else to magically take away those things from our lives that helped us be the way we are today; or do we just want to hold on to those things so we have an excuse for why we are the way we are?

“Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” This verse has stimulated the most thought for me. To me, there are three distinctive parts to the statement by Jesus. Stand up. This takes thought, a direct and motivated action of the will. We can’t sit by and expect anyone else to do what God has created each of us to do. We have to purposefully choose to take action. Pick up your mat. Whatever is our baggage, pain, chip; whatever it is, we have to take control of it instead of it controlling us. We don’t need to have Jesus supernaturally take all our hurts, pains and baggage from us; God allowed us to walk through those things so that we can help others who are walking that journey right now and can use some support and encouragement. We can choose to pick up the ‘stuff’ and use it to bring glory to God and help to those who desperately need it or we can let it continue to be the thing that stops us from the life that Jesus died on the Cross to make us free from. Walk. Choosing to ‘stand up’ and taking hold of the ‘stuff’ from our lives will result in nothing if we don’t MOVE FORWARD with it. I am still seeking God for what this looks like for me; however, I know that because I am willing to stand up and grab those things that have; for years brought me to paralysis, and hand them all over to my Saviour, He will guide me how to use it all for His glory and my good.

” Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.” Contemplating this verse during a Prayer time, led me to Isaiah 40:31 ” But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” Trusting in and relying on God will give us the strength and all that we need to get well and stay well. I know that sometimes our complete healing does not happen and totally understand that sometimes it seems that no matter how hard we PRAY God is not ‘coming through as we think He will’; however, I do know that God is faithful and sometimes healing looks differently than we imagine so that God’s glory is revealed. Our charge is to just be obedient and trust that the God of the universe; that created all things, can handle what we have going on in our lives. If we choose to trust God and love on Him, He will strengthen us so that we can soar as the eagles; if we choose to go back to or continue in our sin even after we know the Truth of Jesus, we will suffer greater pains and not life our lives with the strength and assurance that is possible through the power of Holy Spirit in our lives.

I love how God’s Word can come so alive when we focus on Him. I PRAY that you are motivated today by the love and redemptive power of our Lord Jesus and feel the showers of Blessings that I am PRAYING over you.

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