Tag Archives: women of steel

Don’t Settle for a Sippy Cup

13 Feb

I love the way God uses Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and whatever other app that’s out there to encourage His daughters.  The hashtag I am personally using right now is #CHOOSE.  The phrase I am using to spur my heart to gratefulness is “if you will not count your blessings Marilyn you will never be one.”  So I’m all about the quick drink of Living Water throughout my days but what I am wondering is . . .

  • If I am not careful will I find myself trying to survive on them?
  • Will I begin to believe that a pick-me-up sip of Jesus can take the place of immersing myself in Him?

I don’t think having a sweet little meme give us a nod-our-heads-click-the-share-button moment is enough to satisfy our thirst, revive our tired souls and bring life to our bones.  No, you and I will never know full refreshment apart from absolutely diving into the Living Logos, splashing around in the Holy Scriptures and drenching our hearts with the power of His Word.  Those hashtags and witty sayings are wonderful as reminders, but apart from the active muscle of the word of God they cannot strengthen, sharpen or sustain us.  They will fall short.

And what I know for certain is that the enemy loves a dry and desperate soul. He will prowl through that parched land seeking to devour and deceive us if we refuse to go to the Well that never runs dry.  The adversary of our blessed Messiah will hiss against the Will of God, the Word of God and the Worship of God in our hearts and minds every opportunity He gets.  

Our souls need the Living Water of both fresh and familiar truth flowing through them to keep the desert winds at bay.  The truth about who God is, what He does, who He makes us, and what He desires for us.  I repeat some semblance of that at every conference and I follow up with the little phrase, “you gotta know what you know.”  That little phrase has no power.  But the truth, the truth has the power to set us free . . .  from every misperception, every stronghold of unbelief and every lie we are laboring under.

“If you continue in My word, you are truly My disciples.  Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”  John 8:31-32

No hashtag, no meme, no photo saturates our souls the way He does.  Girlfriend, enjoy all those fun things, share them on your timeline, retweet them, forward every single one to someone who needs encouragement—but don’t substitute them for the word of God.  Don’t try to quench your heart thirst with a sippy cup half-full of your heavenly reality. You find the verses to back up whatever truth that tweet or post brings to mind and at the risk of sounding indelicate, you guzzle whatever portion of the Living Water you are blessed to receive.  Be greedy for the territory God has given you on the bank of the River of Life.  Claim your inheritance of a refreshed soul and satisfied heart.  Kneel down, drink deep and trust Him to make your cup overflow.

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Lord,  Praise You for Your unfailing Truth. Allow my soul to be refreshed in you today.  May my cup overflow with an abundance of YOU. In Jesus Name Amen.

 

Let’s Change the World

9 Jan

four hands sisters 2cor1613

Beloved of God,

May I be so bold as to encourage your heart to encourage a heart today?  May I challenge you to come alongside a sister and whisper strength to her soul?  Is there any greater blessing than the Sisterhood of Faith when we live it well?

Blessed by the unity of the Spirit.  Connected by the love of Christ.  Daughters of our Father in heaven. How beautiful we are when comparison and competition are left behind and we choose to applaud one another at every turn.

Oh, Sweet Woman of God, how might it change our world if we encouraged one another to be alert not only to the tactics of the enemy and the temptations in our midst but even more so to the unlimited, holy possibilities all around us?  To step out in faith and obedience toward what could only be described as the impossible?

What might it be like if we didn’t wait to be invited to hold one another up but simply began to pray for the victories of our sisters?  Her conquering of unbelief?  Her standing strong on the foundation of Jesus?

How would life look if ours were the loudest voices in the crowd spurring our sisters on toward courage and strength?  Toward bravery in the battle?  Determination when life is difficult?

What if we committed to be one another’s loudest, most fervent cheerleaders?  How might it be if we choose to love one another well?

It is time to stand arm-in-arm and shoulder-to-shoulder as the family we are called to be Sister.  Time to be the voices of encouragement, edification, and strength for one another.  Time to stand firm together, celebrating every victory with unabashed joy.  Time to be strong in our love for one another and quick in our grace.  Time to live by the notion that no amount of authentic applause is enough, no genuine accolade can be shouted too loudly, and there can be no excess when it comes to celebrating our Sisterhood.  Rejoicing in one another simply cannot be overdone.  We are bravest, we are strongest, we are our best when we’re together.

What if . . . ?

3 Jan

What if victory is found not in the declaration of achievement at the end of the battle but rather in the choices we make to fight well? The choice to listen closely to the Voice of the Good Shepherd when our own flesh, the world and the enemy tries to scream louder in our souls. The choice to intentionally walk in the footsteps of Jesus when a myriad of other paths tempt us to go our own way. The choice to have wild expectations of God’s beautiful intervention—expectations of hope, goodness and action, despite our circumstance. The choice to believe the More of God in the midst of it all…more love, more affection, more attention…specifically for us. What if these are the things that bring the beauty of Romans 8:37 to life?

Lord, may I #choose this day to live, fight and move through the battle well. May I face each crossroad with determination to choose you.  In Jesus Name Amenchoose 74532_pinecones_in_snow

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