Christianity – Page 2 – A Woman Standing

My Heart Is Broken

I am very particular of the people I listen to, the books I read and where I send my tithe. I believe this stems from growing up and being very involved in a church as a child, a church my parents (through discernment) fortunately made the decision to leave prior to learning the pastor was living a lie. This lie ultimately hurt thousands and caused many to turn from the Lord.

That experience as a young girl taught me to be very discerning when it comes to those who preach the gospel. The majority of pastors I listen to, or read books they author, have long since gone home to Heaven and I wouldn’t even need a full hand to count the number of today’s pastors I would say I “follow”.

Yesterday, my sister forwarded me an email from the church I have called home for over a decade. This church has pushed my faith deeper, has forced me into the Word to find answers and to rely on the Lord for everything. The Pastor’s wisdom and insight has, over the many years of listening to him, inspired me to know the Lord more intimately and to stand on the Word regardless of what I see or feel. Although I no longer live in the state where this church resides, I still tithe there and listen to the services as often as I can. Whenever I travel back to the state, I make sure to book a returning ticket late enough to assure my attendance on Sunday morning service.

So, when I opened my messages and saw the below email, to say I was shocked, disheartened, confused or troubled, would be an understatement…I was, and still am, totally and completely heartbroken.

Our Promised Land Moment

I believe we are stepping into a new season with the Lord. Things we used to get away with will no longer be acceptable. Flippant words we speak without thinking will not be tolerated and saying you follow the Lord will no longer mean you actually know who He is and what He stands for.

I think we have been in a “safe zone” with God. By this I mean He tolerated so much simply because we, His children, didn’t know better. He tolerated our laziness, our unwillingness to submit to His authority. He tolerated our acceptance of “being a Christian” one day a week, of walking with Him a few hours a month and turning from Him far more than turning towards. He allowed us to make mistakes because we were in an innocent dwelling with Him, a place of learning and growing and finding Him in a world that has abandoned Him.

But, I no longer believe we are in the safe zone anymore. Like the Israelites at the outskirts of their land of milk and honey, we have approached new territory and now is the deciding moment where we either walk into the promised land or continue to wander.

My Prayer For You

I pray that today is a good day, that you feel the Lord’s presence press in upon you like never before

I pray you know who you are within the Lord, that you are strong, mighty, brave, bold, relentless, persistent, accomplished and prepared because you were hand created by the Creator of the world

I pray you hand your life over to Him, fully and completely, that you let go of the reigns and let Him steer you through life, let Him lead you to the mountaintop

PASTORS RISE UP!

Politicians will not save us.

The famous and the proud cannot lead us.

It is time for the pastors to arise, to stand on the platform the Lord is giving them an opportunity to take and to speak the words He places in their mouths.

For, we are here, in this place of quarantine, fear and uncertainty, not because of the words spoken by the media, the masses and the representatives, but rather because of the words NOT spoken by the men and women placed in positions of authority in God’s House.

Heavy Humbling

I believe it takes a very specific individual who can handle promotion and elevation. I, personally, am looking for neither and don’t desire either one. Why? Because I have watched far too many people fall from grace due to selfish needs, greed, and intoxication that often accompanies power and authority.

I’ve cheered as people I liked have been elevated and promoted. I’ve hugged those I deemed capable of the advancements and smiled as others stepped into positions of authority. But, time after time, my spirit fell as I watched those I believed to be well-intentioned stumble and transform into someone I didn’t know.

Yesterday morning, while in prayer, I realized it’s the few and far between who can handle the fame, the power, the authority, who can wear the crown without allowing it to change the way they think. For, there seems to be something that happens to the mind once the crown is placed upon the head. Thoughts, actions, desires, motivations all begin to change the moment it touches them and begins to transform them into someone they never thought they would be, someone their old selves would be embarrassed of.

There Is Freedom

This time of quarantine has been difficult. I don’t believe there is a person in the world unimpacted by what is happening around the globe right now. Although it seems as if our world has been flipped upside down and our norms are now abnormal, I believe the greatest difficulty many are struggling with is the heaviness that accompanies depression.

The spirit of despair is wreaking havoc on our population. Men, women and children all around the globe are struggling with thoughts of uncertainty, pointlessness, sadness and, worst of all, suicide.

This spirit is a heavy and aggressive one. It creeps into your mind like a silent predator and over time becomes bigger and bigger, often getting to a point where the spirit is greater than the circumstance. Things that once seemed small become monsters in our minds. Issues that were manageable become uncontrollable and daily matters that accompany life are suddenly too heavy to carry.

Peace Be Still

Those are the words ringing in my ears.

As the waves crash around us, our Lord says Be Still

As the wind howls against us, our Lord says Be Still

As the rain beats upon us, our Lord says Be Still

God’s Got Us

Over the past several days I’ve been battling the things the devil is so clearly trying to attack humanity with.

Every time I coughed, he’d whisper, “uh oh, are you getting sick?”

If I sneezed, he’d say, “this is the beginning of the symptoms.”

If I was cold, he’d laugh, “maybe you should stay away from everyone.”

Although I am not fearful of this virus, I’ve been continually declaring healing verses over myself and constantly rebuking the enemy. Frankly, it’s been pretty exhausting.

Yesterday afternoon, I read Psalm 91. Although the entire Psalm is powerful, 9-10 heavily hit my spirit;

“because though hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; there shall no evil befall you, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.”

Who Do You Belong To?

I belong to the King of kings and the Lord of lords

I belong to the Creator of life

I belong to the Maker of the universe

I belong to the One who spoke worlds into existence

I belong to the Designer who formed light by simply saying let it be

I belong to the Master of the masterpiece I live in

My God

There are times in life when it seems as if the world is standing still and I’m no longer moving forward, as if everyone around me is living and I’m just existing, when every desire seems to remain unfulfilled and my prayers are going unheard.

In those moment, I must remind myself who my God is.

My God is the creator of the universe. He spoke the world into existence. He taught the sun how to shine, the wind how to sing and the trees how to dance.

My God formed man out of His own image because He believed man was worthy of being like Him, looking like Him, talking like Him, walking as He does and interacting as only His image could.

My God sees all things; therefore, He is never worried about the outcome because He knows how to get me to victory.

Victorious

I pray for God to place me on a path that cannot be stopped, slowed or hindered in any way by the enemy. I pray I am one with Him, that when He speaks, I react, without hesitation or thought.

I pray I am so in love with the Lord that to live a single moment without Him is simply unfathomable, to wake up and not speak to Him is unheard of and to not dwell in His presence every single day is unacceptable.

He Alone

I love you, Lord, that much I know so clearly. I love you with a love that overflows and is drenched in desire to please you, to live for you and you alone. I love you from the very deepest depth of my heart.

You and you alone make me sing with joy, every day I shall raise this voice to sing unto you.

Forever And Always, Amen

You are my strength and my song. My ever-present help in time of need. You are the only consistent in an inconsistent world.

You are a Father to this daughter, a master to your humble servant, a light in the midst of darkness, a blanket in the cold, peace in the storm, rain in the dry land and sun shining through the clouds.

You are hope to the hopeless, joy to the joyless, faith to the faithless and love to the loveless.

Righteous Unveiling

I don’t typically post words God gives me. Primarily because I desire to keep them just between God and I and anyone He specifically may mention, but also because I can sometimes go back and forth thinking, “is this me, or is this God?” which I believe is often a typical thought when receiving a declaration from the Lord.

I’m posting the below Word I received yesterday because it goes perfectly with what we are watching with the recent development of division within the Christian community. There is a shifting taking place, but a necessary one. It is time for the Remnant to be divided from the masses.

We are living in interesting times. I’m so thankful we serve the one and only King!

Your Weapons Of Warfare

It’s been weeks since I’ve felt a desire to write, anything. For someone like me, who is constantly writing in many different forms, that’s saying a lot. But, this morning while praying for a friends grandmother, the Lord placed something heavily on my heart that I want to share.

Many Christians are unable to fight the battles the devil forces them into because they are unaware of the weapons they possess to defeat the attacks of the enemy. The Word is full of wonderful and beautiful stories, but it is also bursting with tactics on how to destroy the adversary.

Regardless of what you are up against, you possess, right now, the ability to win the fight. The Lord gave us promises to stand upon in every situation of our lives, but unfortunately so many Christians are unaware of those promises, resulting in heartbreak, loss and great difficulty.

What do I mean?