The Roaring Lion

I think we have all had an encounter with what we believed was a roaring lion that was about to destroy us, I know I have. I Peter 5:8 says
 Be sober, be vigilant; because  your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

The key word here is like, you see the devil is not a lion at all, he just makes a lot of noise. He walks around you and your family roaring so loudly that if you don't have the word of God in your heart, you won't be able to hear anything but his roar. Satan's roar isn't that of a lion though, it's thoughts of you aren't good enough to be used by God, you will never measure up to so and so, you will never get out of this mountain of debt, you're never going to recover from this illness, your family is sick, the list goes on and on of the lies he tells you. Sometimes his roar is just a whisper to get you in that place of fear. Job said in chapter 3, the thing that I feared the most has come upon me, that which I was afraid of has come unto me. Fear brought everything to Job, the enemy got him in fear, he was consumed with it.

In biblical days, when one nation went to war with another nation,  the nation that won the war came back home with the spoils. I have heard this my whole life, but when I finally got revelation on it, it changed everything. The spoils of war were all the possessions of that nation, including it's people, animals, money, jewlery, food, everything. The winning nation would have a massive celebration in which the King and his men would parade through the city on their horses and show off the spoils of war. Following the King and his men, would be the leaders of the army, then would come the prisoners that they had taken to make into slaves, followed by the leaders of the defeated nation, wrapped in chains, humiliated, powerless, shamed. Then they were followed by all the animals, and gold, silver, jewlery, and other possessions.  The victorious nation made a show of them! Here's where it gets good...

Colossians 2: 15 says And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

When Jesus died, and went to hell for three days, he didn't come back empty handed. NO, he came back the the keys to death, hell, and the grave. He came back with the principalities and powers (those are demons) and it says having spoiled them, he made a shew of them openly....oooohhhhh, this is so good!

Jesus had a parade in the heavenlies, where the King of Kings was followed by the spoiled principalities and powers, where they were humiliated, shamed, powerless, defeated!!!!!  This is what we have to shout about, we are victorious. The enemy only seems powerful and scary. Fear is what gives him power and we have nothing to fear!

So when the enemy starts roaring at you and your family, you remind him that he is a defeated foe. He is powerless, he is under your feet, and then...

1 Peter 5: 9
 Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset--rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined],
James 4: 7 Resist the devil [stand firm against him], and he will flee from you  the Message translation says it like this...Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper.

I love it... I hope you show the enemy who you are this week, yell a loud no at him and watch him scamper...

Choices...

Some of you may know that I am a Realtor, and the real estate market... well stinks, to put it nicely. I have been praying for direction, both for my business and for our family. I have been praying specifically for wisdom, I want to make wise choices, not what I want but what God wants for us. I know He wants the best for us, 
Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

I want God's plans for me, I want to prosper in every area of my life, I want to go from just enough to overflowing. I have been hearing the still small voice of the Lord, gently guiding, nudging, cracking doors, and giving me glimpses of that future that I hope for. The Lord is a gentleman, He isn't going to make me take the path the has wants me to take, He will let me take my own path; good, bad, or indifferent. I am His creation, but He gave me free will, so I get to choose. But in Isaiah 55, He also says...

““For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

So do I choose to follow my own plans, expecting God to change His plans? OR do I submit my will to the master and allow him to give me every good thing that He has planned along the way to accomplishing His will for me? It seems so clear when it is in black and white, there are no questions, but in the day to day, hustle of life, it is so easy to get distracted and lose focus of what we are really here for.

The economy is uncertain, gas prices rising higher daily, jobs being lost left and right, BUT are we in fear? The answer is a resounding NO! We are part of the Kingdom Economy, where the King owns the cattle on a thousand hills, where there is land flowing with milk and honey, where manna is given daily, where shoes never wear out, where every need is met. We are joint heirs with Christ. Have you ever heard of a poor heir? No! Heirs are protected, provided for, and live a life that is peacable, But you have to know that you are an heir, and what it means for you to be heir.  I believe the Lord is speaking clearly to us, giving us direction on how to be hugely successful in a depressed economy. I believe it is time for the latter rain, where the finances of the wicked will be overturned to the righteous, and the church will have control. I encourage you to seek the Lord on where your place is, and go after it with all of your might. But, be prepared to fight the good fight of faith, and stand for what you believe in... just because the enemy walks around roaring AS a roaring lion, doesn't mean he is. He was defeated, so despite his roar, he is a toothless kitten with no power or authority, as long as you don't give it to him!

Thankful Thursday

Today is Thursday, and as I sit here and type listening to the rain dripping off my front porch, I choose to be Thankful. 

 This is the day that the Lord has made, and I will rejoice and be glad in it.  Psalm 118:24

I am thankful, for a quiet morning at home, alone. Time to gather my thoughts, listen to worship music, and just soak in his presence. I don't have a lot of time to do that, and when I get it, I treasure it. Sure the house needs to be swept, things put away, and laundry needs to be done, but my heart needs a sweeping of the Holy Spirit, my mind needs to have things, aka cares, put away into the masters hands, the one who does the caring for me. My spirit needs a gentle cleansing from the one who loves me more than I will ever know and He craves time with me. How wonderful is that... the Creator of the universe, craves time with me?  His love is overwhelming me as I write. I am so thankful that my savior desires an intimate relationship with me, and the more I seek Him, the more I want to seek Him. It is like when you meet a new friend, and you spend countless hours talking and getting to know each other, and you can't wait to talk to them again. That is how Jesus loves us, He already knows us, but He wants us to know Him like that. What an incredible friend!

This morning Matt and I were determined to pray, to earnestly pray together... and oh how the devil didn't want that to happen. Abbie and Brady both ended up in bed with us, but we made it happen. It was an amazing time of prayer and seeking the Lord for His will for us. There is an intimacy that develops between a husband and a wife when we pray together, especially when we pray together in the spirit. We are already one, but when you pray together and you each bring your supply and your spirits hook up! WOW! Things happen in the spirit, you come into agreement, and you shake the heavens and all of hell trembles. We had to set some things straight, and let the devil know that we are victorious and we are the head, always above, and never beneath. I am pretty sure he got the point!  So for that time of prayer, I am thankful. I have so many things to be thankful for that I take for granted every day, we all do. I hope you take time today to be cautious of the negativity that comes out of your mouth, God hears it and it grieves him.

His word says in Philippians 4: 4-7: Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

So today, choose to be thankful and seek the Lord, His mercies are new every day. I pray for a fresh revelation, a rhema word from God for you today, everyday.

Testing My Blogging Skills

As I was praying today and just soaking up the Lord's presence I felt a strong nudge in my spirit to write. I didn't really know where to begin, so I just began. I know that some of my strongest giftings are discipleship and encouraging others. So really what better way to encourage others than through teaching them about the love of Christ.

 And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,  may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,  and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.  Ephesians 3:18-19 NIV

So I hope that you will join me in my journey to share that love that has transformed me and my family into true followers of Christ. I have always been an open book, and that won't change any now!