Eve M. Harrell's Blog: My Week in Writing, page 12

A Divine Interruption

Where is your heart today?It’s raining here in the ATL. Drops fall in a torrent one moment to be followed up with a light drizzle the next. In my childhood we used to recite the poem, “April showers bring May flowers.” Today my heart is falling with the droplets as it waits for the flowers to bloom.There are moments when the showers seem to be drowning any opportunity for beauty to be found.Do you find yourself drowning too?I received a cliff-hanger yesterday via text. Never a good way to begin a rainy morning. My stomach in knots, tears threatening my composure, I desperately attempted to hold it together.I’ve shared in previous posts my tendency toward fear. The enemy loves to tie me up in knots with fear and worry over uncertain situations. And he has been working overtime on my behalf of late.But God . . .A friend texted me encouragement with a prayer “Fear not! God is with you.”A verse hanging above my desk encourages, “Though a host encamp against me, my heart will not fear; though war arise against me, in spite of this I shall be confident. (Psalm 27:3)I shall be confident- it’s hard to feel confident when you’re drowning. MUST – LOOK – UP. (I encourage myself)After receiving the finality of my cliff-hanger, my heart sank in the ocean of my tears while the concrete boots of fear dragged me into the abyss.But God . . .As I open my social media, I read a beautiful post from my friend Erin Perry, you can read it here.Thank you, Erin for sharing your spiritual battle and reminding me that I am God’s and He has already won!Christine Caine, never one to disappoint, reminds, “We can expect our mourning to turn to gladness. We can expect our sorrow to be turned to joy.”We can EXPECT. Not we can HOPE or even PRAY. We can EXPECT. This encouragement is taken from the verse Psalm 30:11- “You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy.” Just prior to this scripture, David is asking: “Hear, Lord, and be merciful to me; Lord, be my help.” David is dedicating the temple to the Lord and in this Psalm he is remembering God’s faithfulness in a time that he called for help.Shereadstruth shared “They realized that this task has been accomplished by our God.” Nehemiah 6:16.First5app shared, “God is who He says He is, and He does what He says He will do, even when we can’t see it.As I woke this morning, I was spent. Do you know that feeling? When your muscles feel like they just don’t want to move? The tears have dried up but your cheeks feel tight and dry themselves.But God . . .My friend shared this with me this morning from Proverbs31: “When life doesn’t go our way – which it rarely does – we don’t always know how to recover our wonder in trusting God. That’s when our faith is critical, because all the disappointment in the world will never change the promises of God, the reality of Jesus or His destiny for our lives. None of our broken dreams, personal heartaches or shattered plans will stop His desire for us to fulfill our purpose. Making God’s promises bigger – getting into His Word and letting it get into us – is what revives our hearts.”Then, my heart soared when my several of my beautiful girls prayed for and over me.When you see "But God" in the Bible, you know that a divine interruption is in the works. Today, I am receiving these beautiful interruptions as a dose of Vitamin D. The flowers are on their way.If you are drowning, I pray that you too will feel the refreshment of His grace through His divine interruptions.Thank you to those committed to being obedient to God’s voice. God blesses us with one another to help in the moments when we are drowning. He is ALWAYS with us, and beautifully in those that He has placed in our path.He calls us to look to the Son and sometimes we just need someone to put their arms around us and direct our vision.Thank You, Father, for reminding me to trust You, that You are making all things work for my good.Oh lookie, there’s that ray of sunshine.Father, I pray for those who are drowning today. Please God grant them comfort in the knowledge that you are with them, in every moment of every day. Remind them of your unfailing love so they can entrust you with their life and the lives of those in their path. Thank You God for Your faithfulness. In Jesus’ Name AMEN

The Goodness of God

Life is a compilation of moments. Good, bad, beautiful, tragic and memorable. And then there are those we would rather forget.It’s easy for me to live life wishing away the moments that are challenging, but as I grow, I recognize these moments are so important.May is serving to be a busy month for us. We are so thankful for the graduations, weddings and birthdays that we have the honor to celebrate with our loved ones!This weekend, we had the honor to celebrate two of our students who God is uniting in marriage. Andrew and Madison were both students that we served in High School. Two beautiful hearts brought together as one with God at the center. We were honored to serve them then and honored to celebrate them now.We decided since we were going to be on the south side of town that we would go and see our son in the same weekend. Lee is about 4 hours south of Atlanta near Savannah, so the trek is great. It made sense.A little transparency, I’m not big on coincidence. I believe every moment serves a purpose. A purpose to bring joy, touch your heart, teach a lesson, and sometimes to remind that you serve a good God.We prepared well for the beginning of the weekend. We each took a ½ day off from work and packed the night before. I picked out the perfect dress for the outdoor wedding and Tony asked “do I have to wear pants?” for the thousandth time. (An inside joke.) We got on the road and enjoyed the drive down. Tony loves to make me laugh telling little jokes along the way. It serves to ease the tension from a hard day at work.When we got to Newnan, we dropped by my Aunt’s house to chill for an hour or so before we had to leave for the wedding. It was in this moment that I knew something was wrong. I had forgotten something, but what?Then I realized, I left my dress at home. And we had an hour and a half before the wedding.No worries, my husband said. We can go to Kohl’s and get you another dress.Breathing a sigh of relief, we hurried to Kohl’s and walked in to the store. The hubs, in squirrel mode tried to get me to look at this and that, but I was on mission with 10 minutes to spare so I bee-lined for the women’s department. Thankfully, it is spring and being the week after Mother’s Day, there were quite a few dresses in stock. I found it, a perfect dress that I believe God had waiting for me. It fit perfectly. We walked to customer service and they graciously allowed us to pay so I could change into the dress. Then we made our way out of the store.I set off the alarm. Let me tell you, there are not many things worse than setting off an alarm. My anxiety through the roof, we went back to customer service to have the offending tag scanned.Perfect timing, 30 minutes to spare before we had to be at the wedding.We hit a little traffic, but not too badly. I just knew we would make it just on time.Until we didn’t.I love my truck, I’ve had it for 15 years and even though we’ve had a couple of expensive repairs, it’s been my favorite vehicle. At 165k, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s about time to replace my girl. We’ve had some minor repairs recently that seem to be increasing in frequency. I have a real problem with getting stranded on the side of the road. As we were sitting in traffic, the air went out. Then all of the gauges went blank. Uh-oh. The anxiety crept in and my stomach started to hurt. I said a prayer, “Father, you know how much we want to go to this wedding and see Lee, please God let this be minor.”As we neared the venue, she started to chug. Oh no, please. We are going uphill, in a country town far away from home. De ja vu set in as I remembered our trip to NIH when we lost the fuel filter. My poor Ava.Chug-Chug-Chug, I think I can, I think I can. We never should have made it up that hill. I believe we were truly being pushed by the power of God. You may call it luck, I call it blessed grace! (And perhaps an angel or two.)We passed the venue as the engine stopped and coasted into someone’s driveway.Oh and did I say that it was Go time? The enemy at that moment consumed me with so many emotions. Anger- We drove all the way down here only to have my car to break down?Fear- We’ll never make it to the wedding!Worry- How much will this cost?Guilt- Being late, we are going to ruin the bride’s entrance.Despair- What if I can’t see Lee?Beautiful, please hear my heart in this moment. THIS IS THE ENEMY’S MO! Remember those life moments? The enemy wants nothing more than to destroy every moment of your life. If he can distract you with anger, fear, worry, guilt and despair then you will miss the beauty in the moment- yes even in the challenging ones.So where was the beauty in this moment? Stuck in the middle of nowhere, late for a very important date and uncertain what the next couple of hours would look like? Can God show up in this moment when the enemy seems to have the upper hand?Yes, He can and yes He did.In my journey, God is teaching me how to react in these moments. I have a choice to either allow the emotions to consume me or 2- find God. He is always there and often times we only have to look up. So, what did I do? I looked up.The sky was blue, there was a beautiful creek before us and birds singing their song all around me. In these moments, God uses specific things to get my attention. He knows how much I love a blue sky and a sweet songbird. He knows that the sound of a brook is soothing to my anxious heart. These things take my mind off of the emotion and remind me of His goodness.After I looked up, it was time to take action. What to do? Our truck was stuck in a stranger’s driveway. So, we went to the door and knocked. No answer, okey dokey a note on the windshield will have to do. Time to walk to the wedding.Yes, we were late, but we had the honor to watch the bride as she floated in among her guests. As we snuck in the back, we were serenaded by beautiful Megan singing “Reckless Love.” I couldn’t have chosen a more perfect song for that very moment.I don’t think anyone really noticed our tardiness. We were able to arrange a tow truck to carry my faithful steed 78 miles to her home base. And one of my wonderful former students offered to carry me home. It was a beautiful wedding that we could’ve missed if I would have allowed the enemy his way.Oh and guess what? We rented a car and are now on the way to see Lee!Beautiful, remember that: God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 Yes, even the challenges.You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. Genesis 50:20For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. Isaiah 55:8Thank You Father for teaching me to live in the moment. Thank You for Your goodness! Reckless Love

My Prayer for the Body of Christ

With a deep sense of yearning, this has become my prayer. Today, I seek to share with you the grief in my soul. Thirty-four years ago, the Lord sought to make me His own, but I only acquiesced out of fear. Twenty-three years ago, He took the broken pieces of my heart and promised to mold them into a great masterpiece. Eleven years ago, He drew me to Himself creating with me a deep desire to know Him more.He surrounded the fresh soil of my heart with others who planted seeds that served to teach me how to seek Him, to trust Him, and to love Him.It was then that I was ready – to serve Him.For nine years, I have had the honor of serving Almighty God. I have been given a great gift in the opportunities to watch God move. And an even greater gift in the peace and joy that I have found in Christ. And while He has guided and directed my path, I had to say yes. Some believe that when you say yes to Jesus you lose all of yourself. But for me, it was only when I said yes to Jesus that I found myself.When you become a follower of Jesus, you do so with the intent to be more like Him. To love like Him. To pray like Him. To die like Him.The majority of us will not carry an old rugged cross up Calvary’s hill. We will not agonize as we are demoralized in front of a crowd of those we came to serve. And we will not become blurry-eyed from the pain that we are dealt as we hang for hours. We have been given that grace, because our price was paid by the One who took our death as His own, so that we could take His life, as our own.But we still must die.We must die to self. We must let go of the things of this earth that threaten to destroy us. We must let go of bitterness, hate, selfishness, un-forgiveness, fear and worry. And when we do, when we turn toward Jesus, we have the honor to receive His love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control.Only then, can we find ourselves.Turning toward Jesus is not a religion, but a relationship with the One who knitted you in your mother’s womb. With the One who holds your heart in His hand.It is a choice.So with that preface, I share with you my heart for the body of Christ. This is the yearning of my soul. I yearn to see an awakening within the hearts and souls of man and woman alike. I yearn to see hearts healed, families mended and Joy within the Body. I yearn to see the homeless surrounded with love, the helpless find hope and the lost be found.Will you join me?Father God,You are el Shaddai, Almighty God, Maker of Heaven and Earth. You stand outside of space and time and You call us Yours. You sent Your Son to earth to teach us to love and to live and to give us the divine opportunity to dwell with You forever. Jesus took the death that should have been ours as He wrote our name on the palm of His Hand and nailed our sin to His Cross. On Peter’s faith, Jesus built His church and today more than 2000 years later we are still struggling with what that means. Abba, people are homeless, they are helpless, they are lost. And while my life is only a drop in Your story, I feel the weight of the pain that Jesus felt when He looked over Your dear Jerusalem and wept. How He yearned to share with them what would bring them peace, but how it was hidden from them.Oh Father, today our eyes are still blinded to the only true peace that we can ever have. And that is through Jesus.Lord, this is what the enemy of our soul desires. To shield us from the One who brings us peace. To break the bonds that were created at the beginning of time. To remove our peace and leave chaos in the wake. But, You GOD sent Jesus to return our birthright. Lord, You sent Your Son to give us eternal life. You essentially gave us Your Heart on that fateful day, so that we would be forever connected to You. The enemy has no power over us, only that which we give him.So Lord, TODAY, I let go of the binds of the enemy. I ask that You break the chains that are keeping us from knowing Your peace. I ask that You remove the veil that keeps us blinded from Your love. And I ask Lord for an awakening. I ask that You send the enemy away, he is not welcome here! I ask that You would awaken the body of Christ from her slumber. Please God do not let us be the church that has a reputation of being alive, but are truly dead. Please do not let us be the church that tolerates those who mislead them into immorality. Please do not let us be the church who pretends to be something we are not. Please God, do not let us be lukewarm.Father God, give us ears to hear what the Spirit says. Help us to hold on to what You have given until You come. We yearn to be victorious, dressed in white, our name acknowledged before You and Your angels by our Kinsman Redeemer, Jesus. Help us Lord to shine Your light, to share Your heart and to show Your love to a world that is hurting. Help us to encourage and build one another up. Help us Lord to Love God, our neighbor and our enemy as You have called us. It is with Your love, God that this world will be made whole.Thank You Father, thank You for drawing us to YOU. “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, forever and ever!”AMEN

To Give You Hope and a Future

God has called us into His great story. A beautiful story in which He is intimately involved.Yesterday, I had the honor to hear His calling over my small group. He has blessed each one with desires and plans that are far greater than anything they could imagine on their own. And in each one, He has placed a purpose."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. Jeremiah 29:11To give you hope and a future. ~ When God created the Heavens and the earth, He saw all that He had made, and it was very good. And when He looks at you, He sees a life that is very good. Yes, He is interested in your life too! The little and the large. He is interested in every unique detail, every precious moment. And He has a beautiful plan to help you in every step of your life.So, what has He called you to?Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4Yes, the desires of your heart! Not only is He interested in every unique detail of your life, but He is intricately involved as well! And He wants to give you the full life He has designed. The first step is to delight IN HIM! Oh Beautiful, the gifts He gives when you turn to Him! Those desires that You have inspiring you inside? The ones bubbling up that you cannot contain? Those are from ALMIGHTY GOD!"But I don't know what God has called me to!" It's okay if you don't know, start small:But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33Seek Him first, His Kingdom. He will open the doors that need to be opened and close those that need to shut. Then:Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6Trust Him, the same God who placed every star in the sky and called it by name is intricately involved in every breath you breathe. Yes, you CAN trust HIM!Finally GO. Place one foot in front of the other and go. Learn all you can learn. Breathe in all of His creation that you can breathe. And LISTEN for His call.His Hope is Your Future,I am praying for you Beautiful!Eve

Suffering Into Joy

“How much more God?” My question in a season of pain.It began after Thanksgiving last year. Life Groups had winded down, the project of my life was complete and I was left with- ? The pain had started in Spring of last year, but was sporadic. A gas bubble here and there. Perhaps I ate too much? Maybe I’m becoming lactose intolerant? But noooo, I had four different ailments and my Digestive system was shutting me down. Taking me out - AGAIN. Really? Nope, not this girl!My husband asked the question, “Could this be an attack of the enemy?” Maybe.Others asked, “Could God just be slowing you down?” Perhaps.And in my weakest moments even I asked, “God is this the end for me?”“No Daughter, I have too much for you to do yet.”“So I have to suffer?”“For a time, but remember that I am with you. When you are weak, I am strong.”“Yes, Lord.”Trudging through a winter season is no fun. Add pain to the mix and you feel like your trudging through a snow storm with no coat.So what did I do? I praised Him, I worshipped Him and I prayed.“Father, I am Your servant, let your will be done.”If I could be transparent, this is my most difficult prayer. While it’s easy to say I trust You God, the actual trusting part is a tad bit harder.Complete dependence is never easy, is it? I mean we are surrounded with slogans like “Just Do It” and “Be You”, so giving everything to the Lord and truly giving Him all of your trust can be a challenge.But can I share, there is so much freedom in this action! For example:Worship and Praise releases all of your burdens to the One who can handle them. In a moment of fear, I am saying: I’m giving this to You God. You have been faithful in the past and I trust You to be faithful in the future. I give You praise for all that You are and all that You will do.Praying and trusting the Lord allows you to let go of the burden. No longer does the fear and worry crumple you up like a discarded piece of paper. Every challenge is like a hill to climb. Going up is hard, but when you reach the top you experience the exhileration from the beauty of the climb. Then on the other side, your faith jar fills as You realize the story of His provision. (PS- Write down these stories, they will sustain you in the future.)So today, I am on the other side. Jehovah Rapha has healed me once again. And while I have a long road ahead of me without any promise of longevity, I have this promise from our Almighty God:So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.Isaiah 41:10And so He will.Father, thank You for Your promises! I know I am not promised forever, but I am promised Your Presence, Your strength and Your healing. And while I am not promised tomorrow, I am promised today. So today is where I stand and I stand firm in Your righteous right Hand. I choose Joy as I worship You, the One who is forever faithful. Thank You for the healing that will get me through today Father! I give myself to You, the Perfecter of My Faith.Your DaughterIn Jesus’ NameAMEN

Listen - A Word for 2018

It was a beautiful morning in Uluru, Australia. A group of us congregated on the plain to watch the palette in God's Hand light up the morning sky.It was a moment I will never forget.Cluttering the atmosphere with my voice seemed a waste of space. So the posture of my heart leaned in to LISTEN. Listen to the birds in song, listen to the lizards make their way among the rock. Listen for the gentle whisper of my Father.I wish I could say that this was the norm for me, to listen that is. My forte is conversation, not listening. And if I can be completely transparent, chaos quite often drowns out His gentle whisper.The art of LISTEN has been a struggle for me since I was a little girl. My mom recounts how teachers used to call her in desperation asking how they could get me to be quiet in class.I have always had something to say. I have always had a yearning to be heard.But what if in the quiet, there is something greater? What if God has so much more for us in the quiet?Last year, my word of the year was peace. And through this word God has given me a brand new perspective on being heard. Sitting in the peace of His Presence, I recognize that the God of the universe is always listening to my heart. But, for me to know this, I too must LISTEN.In 2018, He has called me to the mountain and is challenging me to listen for Him. Just as in the story of Elijah and the mountain, He is calling me to rise above the chaos and seek Him.What does this mean? Frances Fenelon says, “Be silent, and listen to God. Let your heart be in such a state of preparation that His Spirit may impress upon you such virtues as will please Him. This silence of all outward and earthly affection and of human thoughts with us, is essential if we are to hear His voice.”Did you catch it? This silence is ESSENTIAL if we are to hear His voice.God is always speaking, but if we want to hear His voice; it becomes important to increase our listening.I realize there are several steps of preparation I need to pursue if I am to boldly listen to what God has for me.First, there are three things that I need to surrender.I need to surrender my need to be heard.I need to surrender my need to interject.I need to surrender my racing thoughts that want to provide the solution to everyone’s problem.Second, there are three things that I need to do.I have to be intentional daily about being still. I have to seek Him first in all things.I have to be willing to stop and listen to the heart of those who are speaking. This means quieting my mind from preparing my next response.Today I surrender these things to my Father. And I am asking the Holy Spirit to grant me the strength and desire to intentionally seek my Father’s voice.I pray that whatever is going on in your life; that you too will listen for the gentle whisper of our Father.The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 1 Kings 19:11-12Father, thank You for bringing me to a sacred place where I was forced to listen to the quiet. Lord, I pray that in the coming year, you will open our hearts and help us to hear your whisper above the chaos of our lives. Help us to Be Still and know that You are God.In Jesus' NameAMEN

Hello Beautiful - See Yourself Through the Father's Eyes

Hello Beautiful!I remember the first time I heard these words as my dear friend, Keller Kuhn, greeted me.There is something about hearing another call you “beautiful” that makes you feel special.After a conversation with a friend one day, I wrestled with this gentle press on my spirit:“You are beautiful, Eve.” “Really?”“Do you know how I see you?” “Well, I guess I don’t, Lord.”“Allow me to take you on a journey, daughter, to see your reflection in My eyes.”Does confidence come naturally?I believe that we are each born with unique characteristics and personality; full of energy, courage, and confidence. These are gifts breathed into us by our Creator. But then life happens, and we are challenged with barriers of persecution and failure- resulting in fear, worry, anxiety, and insecurity. Our confidence breaks down as we lose sight of our identity and purpose.The enemy loves these moments in life, and he will do anything he can to tempt us into believing the lies generated through these barriers. So he distracts us from the love of our Father, and he allows us to hear words that penetrate deep into our soul. We begin to think that words such as: stupid, ugly, fat, skinny, anxious, worried, and afraid define who we truly are.Have you heard these words, Beautiful?It’s time to debunk each one. None of these words are true, and not a single one defines you.What is true? Well, let’s begin with your Creator. The One who created the heavens and the earth breathed life into you from the very beginning. He knew you in your mother’s womb and created you with a purpose and plan. He knows every hair on your head. He knows your strengths and your weaknesses. And He knows every day of your life and the impact you will have on this earth. Yes you, Beautiful.What else is true? The One who created you, gave His Word to guide you. The beautiful Love story in the Bible was written to lead you to Him as He draws near to you. Why? Because your Father loves you so much, and He desires to walk with you. He desires to give you the life to the full that He designed.And guess what? In His Word, He gives you the answers to all of the insecure questions on your heart. Am I beautiful?Does anyone love me?Who defines me?What is my purpose?How do I face my fear?Can I escape self-hate?Where can I find balance?Can I change the world?Yes, dear sister, He has answers to all of these and more. Today, Beautiful, I would like to share with you my journey for answers. Today, I would like to help you see yourself through The Father’s Eyes.Will you go on this journey with me? Check out my new book, “Hello Beautiful” in the Amazon Store!Father, thank You for drawing us near to You! We are in awe of who You are and how much you love us. Abba, I pray that each woman who reads Your inspired Word will begin to unravel the lies of insecurity and see themselves through Your eyes. Reveal to us Your great love as we step toward You. Thank You, God, that You hold each of us in Your righteous right hand. In Jesus’ Name AMEN

Standing in The Gap - The Tree of Grace

“Ms. Eve, I wish I had learned the truth about spiritual warfare a long time ago.”These were the words of my friend, Kayla, as we enjoyed the beauty of God’s creation in a local park. Welcome to the fifth and final chapter of Standing in The Gap. If you would like to catch up, feel free to check out part four here.As I agreed with my friend, the nagging voice that liked to tempt my insecurity crept into my mind and said, “See, you didn’t teach her all she needed to know.” “NOT TODAY, Satan!” I was not going to allow the enemy to take away the joy of this day!She is right; however. We don’t say enough about the spiritual battle that is going on around us and how the enemy would like nothing more than to steal our joy and make us feel powerless. We don’t speak to the power that Christ gave us at the Cross to rebuke and speak truth to our enemy. And we don’t talk about the tools that God gave us to combat the enemy’s weasel ways!It’s time for that to change. As my friend and I enjoyed the beauty of that day, she shared a great deal about her past. It was time to lay it all out on the table- the good, bad and the ugly. I could hear the pain of her little girl heart. I could see the broken pieces that the family worked so hard to put back together while sharing their happy face with the world. To hear another’s struggle is gut-wrenching, isn’t it? You never truly know another person until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes. As she talked, we watched a butterfly flutter around us. Geese floated by, interested in what was in our hands. Fish, hoping for the opportunity of a buffet, swam underneath the dock where we were sitting. Time marched on as her vulnerable heart laid bare. All of the pain, guilt, and shame was on display. When you are going through a battle, you don’t always see the battle for what it is. Chaos surrounds in the form of pain, fear, and worry. Distraction, a close cousin, likes to wrap you up in shame and guilt. The enemy loves to call in this tag-team duo to keep you from experiencing any relief.So why didn’t we ever learn about spiritual warfare in church? Well, we did, once. I remember a whole teaching series on Ephesians 6. But did we get it? Were we ready for the truth? Did the enemy distract us so much that we missed the importance of the armor? Or did we merely forget we had the armor to use?I think before we could use the armor, there was a gift we had to unwrap. In listening to her story, I saw something that perhaps she didn’t see. I saw fingerprints of grace. Grace – Dictionary.com describes grace as, “The freely given, unmerited favor and love of God. Words used include mercy; clemency; pardon; favor to describe gifts given in the face of grace.” The Bible describes grace in Romans 5:1-2 as such, "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God."Grace is a free gift that delivers salvation for eternity and peace for all of our days. A gift that we cannot buy or earn, but one that is freely given from the One who knows every hair on our head and holds every tear from our eye.There were so many fingerprints in Kayla's life. A mom who prayed persistently. The favor of a loving God who drew her to Him in her darkest moments. The mercy found in moments of anxiety and deep stress. The friends placed around her to pray in her time of need. While she questioned the presence of God in her life; I saw Him holding her hand. I recognized a colorful thread in each story, brighter than the one before. I saw faithfulness shine bright in the life of this young one.When you stand in the gap for another, it’s important to help them see the faithfulness of God.So, we sat under the tree of grace and shared His faithfulness. She made a list of the blessings God had gifted. We peeled apart specific moments in her life and dissected the enemy’s lie of how they defined her vs. the truth of who she was in Christ. The key to getting out from under the law tree and moving under the grace tree is to receive the truth of who God is, His gift of grace on your behalf and who you are in Him.What truths did Kayla have to receive? She is fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of Almighty God. She is redeemed and restored to her Father by grace through the sacrifice of His Son. She is God’s temple with God’s Spirit dwelling inside of her. She is His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works. She is a new creation. She is loved. She is blessed with a purpose and a plan to give her hope and a future. She can do all things through Christ who strengthens her.These truths are given to us in His Word. And there is nothing that we can do or say to redefine His truth or repeal the grace that is already ours. Kayla had to accept and apply these truths in her life; even when she didn’t believe them to be true. If it sounds like a tall order, it was.There is something about the "Do tree" that draws us back; even when the light of grace surrounds us. Kayla found herself under the "Do tree" every time the enemy placed a lie of insecurity in her heart. In exchange for the lie, she looked for ways to work her way toward God. Through guilt and shame, she begged for forgiveness vs. receiving the forgiveness that was already hers. Through fear and anxiety, she sought comfort through media outlets vs. finding the strength and comfort in the arms of Her Father. Always climbing up, it was easier to do than to receive, and exhaustion set in until the Hand of her Father kneeling toward her became blurry.It was time for a fresh reminder of His grace and faithfulness. Daily reminders were necessary in the ebbs and flows of her life. And for every reminder, I watched her take His hand as gratitude and thankfulness became her response. Watching her unwrap this gift of grace became a gift that I too will always treasure.There is nothing that our enemy hates more than a fresh dose of daily gratitude. We were ready for battle, taking up our shield of faith and sword of the Spirit.This would be a great place to declare that we all lived happily ever after. The honest truth; however, is that this story is still being written. Kayla continues to battle the thoughts that sit in the corner recesses of her mind, but now she does so with a fresh dose of grace. She continues to pray on the armor of God, and she meets with an amazing counselor who is helping her find freedom from the ghosts of her past.And I will continue to stand in the gap, pointing her to Jesus, for as long as she needs.Isn’t that what sisters in Christ do?“I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your heart through faith. 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 3:16-19

Standing in The Gap - Between Two Trees

Welcome to part four of my walk with a sister through a spiritual battle. If you would like to catch up, click here for part three.If you look up the word spiritual warfare, you will read words like evil spirits, demons, possession, oppression, and strongholds. Why is it always so scary? Why do we focus on the black spirits and ghosts of our lives; when the reality is that in every battle there are always two sides. And the truth is that the other side wins!Yep, Jesus has already defeated the demons and evil spirits of this world on our behalf. So why do we focus on them? On the other hand, we can’t ignore them. The spiritual battle is real. So what can we learn from Ephesians 6:18?We must be alert and pray.So, Kayla and I prayed, and we prayed. Every morning, every afternoon, every night. It was such a beautiful season of prayer.But I’m not going to lie; it was hard. I get tripped up on that whole phrase, “let Your will be done.” If we could have our druthers, wouldn’t we all admit that there’s a little five-year-old in all of us that stomps her foot and says, “But I want it, and I want it now!”I know you get me.I wanted her to experience immediate healing. My heart tore into a hundred pieces when I would read her texts of pain. Honestly, I would have taken the pain for her if I could.But God’s answer? “Keep praying.”“But Godddddddddddd!”Okay, maybe not quite so dramatic, but very close to it.In June, I would see the reason why God would answer as He did.I think she experienced some relief when she came home for the summer. Change of scenery and the stress of school behind her for a brief moment allowed her time to breathe. Her smile came back, the texts and calls weren’t as frequent. I breathed a sigh of relief, “She is on the way to a healed heart! Thank you, Father!”Until she wasn’t.I wonder if the enemy gives us a break or if we just sweep him under the rug and ignore him for a time? Maybe God sees us in our weakness as He picks us up and says, “Just sleep, daughter, I’ve got you." While the thoughts seemed to have dissipated for a time, something more sinister set in. She didn’t see God, and she didn’t feel Him. Even if God had her in His Hand, she was looking at everyone else but Him. So, of course, she began asking the obvious question, “Is God even with me? Did I do something wrong that made Him leave me?”Oh, the tears over that question! I just want to punch the enemy in the face for EVER placing that thought in anyone’s mind! But don’t we all ask that question? Isn’t it the very thought that we aren’t good enough for God that drives us away from Him? When the absolute truth is that HE LOVED US so much that He took on flesh, walked among us and took death on our behalf so that we would experience LIFE? How could we ever do anything to drive Him away?But, that is what the enemy would like us to believe. Oh, the lies he weaves:You aren’t good enough.You aren’t smart enough.You aren’t pretty enough.You aren’t popular.You will never amount to anything.What makes you think that God loves you?Look at what you did; you’re such a sinner!What makes you think He could ever use you for His Kingdom?It’s all poppycock! Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” The enemy and his lies can just take a hike because Kayla has been chosen! Jesus even prayed specifically in John 17 that we would become one with Him just as He and the Father are One. Yep, Kayla might as well write her name in that verse, because Jesus was praying for and about her!The enemy is devious, but He has been defeated!So, in a new season of prayer, we focused on grace. What did God do for us?You see, our humanity judges on the things we do. Whereas, God sees our heart through the eyes of grace with the righteousness of Christ applied. There is nothing that we can do or say that will ever take that away; short of completely walking away from Him and wanting nothing to do with Him, ever. As we focused on grace, we spent a lot of time under two trees.The “Do” tree and the “Grace” tree. The Do Tree is the one where we add up all of the things we’ve done right and the things we’ve done wrong, and we say, either, “I’m good enough for God’s Love” or “I’m not good enough for God’s Love.” Then we work to try to become good enough.Then there is the “Grace” tree. Think of the Cross. Where Jesus wrote your name on His heart and nailed your sin and said: “She is mine, the enemy cannot have her!” Yes, this is the tree that our Father so longs for us to sit under. The one where we are FREE. Free from condemnation, guilt, shame, worry, and fear.We go back and forth between trees. Unfortunately; however, we spend a LOT of time under the Do tree. And the honest truth is this is where the enemy wants us to spend all of our time. You see if we believe that it’s our power and our strength, he knows that one day our pride and/or weakness will bring us down. Then discouragement will follow. But when we find our way to the Grace tree, we find our rest. No longer are we “striving” to be good or strong enough, but instead we can rest in His power, His strength.What we believe about who we are and what Christ has accomplished makes all the difference.So, Kayla and I had to retrain our brains to enjoy the freedom under the Grace tree.That means receiving grace for ourselves and extending that same grace to others.Did we swing ourselves into Happily Ever After? Check out next time when I wrap up what God taught us under the Grace Tree.

Standing in The Gap - The Battle Ensues

Welcome to the third installment of Standing in The Gap - God’s calling me to battle for a fellow believer. Click here if you would like to catch up on installment 1 andinstallment 2.Go to battle? Yes, you read that correctly. It was time to go to battle. Ephesians 6:12 states, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”Goodness, there are those angels and demons again. I wish I could tell you that evil wasn’t real. But just as the enemy stole the freedom from Adam and Eve in the garden, he is trying just as hard today to weasel his way into our lives and steal our joy.Steal our Joy- But how can he do that?Oh you know, subtle ways at first. Example 1- Friend offends leading you into anger. Bitterness sets in your heart like a bitter root giving birth to unforgiveness and resentment.Example 2- Encouraged to step outside of your comfort zone, fear pushes insecurity to the surface. Faced with all of the what-ifs; you shrink under the pressure giving up on the dream bubbling up inside. Example 3- Succumbing to temptation, guilt covers you like a blanket. Worried that you will be “found out,” isolation barricades you from situations where the blame will be laid bare. Example 4- Abused as a child, you find yourself burdened with secrets that strangle you into the isolation of shame like weeds in a garden. In each example, there is a common theme. The enemy strikes at the heart of your weakness and emotion.He then isolates you with shame and guilt.Finally he wraps you in a cocoon of fear and worry.And this is his MO- To distract by tempting you to focus on the weakness and emotion instead of the solution. His isolation keeps you from reaching out to those who can help you. And if he can wrap you in a dark cocoon he can continue to throw darts and keep you paralyzed in isolation. The father of lies, he is very good at raising up the things in you that speak to your insecurity. And just as he did with Adam and Eve, he bends the truth ever so slightly from beginning to end in a circle of condemnation. WHY?If you are afraid, worried, anxious, ashamed, guilty, stressed and alone- you aren’t seeking and feeling the Love of your Father. If you don’t see and feel the love of your Father, it becomes more and more difficult to see the value and purpose that God placed in you to bring Light into this dark world. And then he wins. He doesn’t have to win you over to his side; he only has to render you defenseless until you’re too weak to care anymore.The months that followed our prayer were strenuous. Every day, Kayla was subject to the enemy’s attacks on her thoughts and emotions. There wasn’t one day that went by that she wasn’t reeling from the effects. And my heart was crying out to God. “God, please, please help my friend! Please give her peace and show me how I can help her through this season!”And of course this question would rise up from time to time, "Father, how can we go to battle against an enemy we cannot see?"Ephesians 6:10-18 gives us the battle plan. Beginning in verse 10-11,“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” The first thing that you must know is that THE ENEMY HAS NO POWER OVER YOU, EXCEPT THE POWER THAT YOU GIVE HIM. When Jesus went to the Cross He said, “It is finished.” He declared victory over sin, death and the power of the enemy over our hearts and souls.Oh and guess what? There is no condemnation in Christ. So if you feel any sort of condemnation- guilt or shame know that it isn't from Jesus but from the enemy!But, We have to receive His victory and use the tools that God gave us to fight the enemy.Continuing in verse 13,“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” There will come a day when we have to choose. We can choose to hide or to fight. If we hide, the enemy will return over and over, until he ultimately wears down our defenses. But when we put on our armor and stand, the enemy has to flee, just as he did with Jesus. JESUS GAVE US THIS VICTORY OVER THE ENEMY!So what is the armor? Ephesians 6:14-17 shares,“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”Truth- Stand on the truth of God’s Word, the enemy’s lies have no defense against God’s truth.Righteousness- As Christians, we wear the righteousness of Christ. It was His blood that cleansed us white as snow, and it is His righteousness that the Father sees when He looks at us! So wear it well, condemnation has no power over us!Gospel of peace- Better than the cure for cancer, we have the answer to a dark and hurting world. We carry the Light of the world and therefore have the opportunity to pass the plate of peace in every situation. His peace heals all chaos.Shield of Faith- The enemy loves the game of darts. And when we lower our shield, he will hit the bullseye every time. Our faith in Christ works in direct opposition to fear. Our faith creates a force field that diverts the enemy’s flaming arrows from penetrating our heart.The helmet of Salvation- Our confidence is in Christ. When we believe and turn to Him, our salvation is settled. We are set free from the eternal damage of the enemy’s schemes and given the freedom to walk in the path of our Savior- FOREVER.Sword of the Spirit- Just as we stand firm on the truth of God’s Word, we too can use God’s Word to attack the enemy directly. An active hit vs. a defense mechanism, we don’t have to wait for our Savior to rescue us because He already has! We only have to use the weapons He gave to fight the enemy and WIN!I love Braveheart. Mel Gibson shows great courage as he inspires his army into battle: “Aye, fight, and you may die. Run, and you'll live... at least a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willin' to trade ALL the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they'll never take... OUR FREEDOM!" We too have a choice to fight or run. And if we run, we may think we are okay, for a little while. But little by little the enemy will steal our joy until we look back one day and recognize that he stole our freedom as well.Jesus gave us the victory, but can we hold on to courage in Him and realize joy and freedom in the process? In Ephesians 6:18a, Paul shares profound intel to freedom in a spiritual battle,“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” Just as Mel inspired his army to go into battle, when we pray, The Spirit inspires us to courageously face our enemy and our circumstance with the power of Christ. We are not going into battle alone, but we are being led by The One who has already reigned victorious! So claim it and follow the One into battle that has already won!Up to this point, Paul is taking a “proactive” stance in his teaching. Actions meant to be taken BEFORE the attack of the enemy. But what about during the temptation?Jesus gave us the perfect example of this when He was in the wilderness. In Matthew 4:1-11, the devil tempts Jesus with His need. 1- Satan tempted Him with food when He was hungry. 2- Satan tempted Jesus to put God to the test. 3- Satan tempted Jesus with power in the world. In each example, Jesus rebuked Satan, spoke truth to him from God’s word and then afterward, in verse 11 it says: “Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.”Jesus’ example of how to respond when you are in a battle against the enemy: Rebuke himSpeak truth to your circumstanceSeek God and prayAnd when you can’t do it alone, Ephesians 18b shows us what to do for each other, “With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”So I continued to pray. Standing in the Gap, I was made for such a time as this.Tune in next time as I share God’s response to our prayer.