Fast

We live with one foot in heaven and one foot on earth. We are eternal heavenly beings that happen to be wrapped in temporal earthly bodies. Fasting magnifies the difference between our souls and our flesh. We come face to face with the intense cravings our bodies have for the physical; as well as, the intense love the Saviour has for us.

During a fast our spiritual ears are turned towards heaven and the Holy Spirit's voice is clear. We have more awareness of our prayer-life. Likewise, we are in a state of denial to our bodies and the screams of desire are just as clear. The beauty of this juxtaposition is that we can discern between the two more clearly. There isn't an overlapping--a mistaking carnality for God's voice or God's voice for carnality.

What do I mean by that? Well, sometimes, we may desire something so strong in our flesh that we start believing it is what God wants for us. Then we are devastated when God doesn't move in that direction in our lives. A few years ago, I went through this very thing. I had wanted to be an attorney. It was such a drive for me and I truly believed it was what God wanted for me as well. It wasn't. I was getting ready to apply to law schools when the Lord stopped me. It was what my flesh wanted so badly that I thought for sure God wanted it for me. I thought this was my destiny. Not now it isn't. He may grant me that desire down the road, but for now--it isn't where I am to be.

Fasting is a small way to demonstrate to the Father that you are listening and you crave His words for you and His direction for your life above all the desires of this world. I want to know God intimately, so badly that I will give up anything--even food--to know Him more.

Have you ever contemplated this spiritual discipline? Prayed about it? That's exactly where you start. Fasting, or any spiritual discipline for that matter, isn't legalistic. It isn't something we do because we "should" or to look more "holy". God looks at our hearts--our motivations. Spiritual disciplines are motivated by our desire to know God deeper. They aren't motivated by any outer influence.

Spiritual disciplines are done in prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to guide us, teach us, and strengthen us. The Holy Spirit gives us the strength to go without solid food for a season. He is all wise and knows whether our bodies are ready for such an undertaking.

Take it to the Lord in prayer and He will show you when you can fast, what you shall abstain from during your fast, and when the fast is completed. Again, spiritual disciplines are Holy Spirit lead. It is a rich time of fellowship with the Holy Spirit.

 May you continue to grow in God's grace and love for you as you explore more of the spiritual disciplines.

Spring is in the Air and Love is Everywhere

I just love spring! It is my favorite season and it holds my favorite holiday, Easter.

I don’t love Easter because of the fluffy bunny that breaks into homes in the
middle of the night and hops into living rooms with baskets of goodies for
children everywhere. I don’t love Easter for the big family dinner full of good food
and laughter. Rather, I love Easter because of the selfless act of Grace that was
done that day on our behalf.

On that day, God transformed the world through His love. His crucifixion not only
forgives our trespasses, but it also beckons us to come into His presence and live
in communion with Him for eternity. This invitation can only be given because the
power of sin has been rendered powerless. No longer are we slaves of the enemy.
We have been given a new identity. We are now co-heirs with Christ,
daughters of the King.

Furthermore, His grace allows us to enter into relationship with Him
right here, right now. We don’t have to wait until this shell of a body
passes away. The Holy Spirit is guiding us and teaching us. He is
transforming us—changing us into the image of the Father.

2 Corinthians 3:18 says, “But we all, with unveiled face,
beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed
into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the
Spirit.”

New Assignment

For 4 years of my life I planned and organized a christian women's conference in NW Indiana called "Tie Us Together". We had 3 wonderful conferences where people of many denominational backgrounds had their faith strengthened.  I never doubted what I was asked to do; however, I did doubt my ability to do the assignment.

After seeing the faithfulness of God for the first couple conferences, I didn't even doubt the Lord's ability to pull all the pieces together and financially provide. I was content in my inability because I knew He was able. I could have organized conferences for the rest of my life with complete contentment.

Our last conference in 2009 didn't turn out like the other two. The actual conference was fantastic! Jan Silvious brought the Word and Jennie Wellsand took us to the throne room in worship. But the finances didn't come through like they had in the past.

 I struggled for months and months as to why God didn't pay His bills immediently. My faith was shaken down to the core. I felt abandoned by the Most High. It was all I could do to hold myself together and not doubt in the existance of God.

I kinda felt like John the Baptist sitting in jail. Remember in Matthew 11, when John sent his disciples to Jesus asking, "Are you the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?" Yeah,I felt like that. Here I had seen the Hand of the Lord working, I had lived in intimacy with the Savior, but with this one upset--I was severly doubting Him. I just wanted to make sure that He is who He says He is--and that His word is true.

Finally, after  months of silence, that Still Small Voice spoke loud and clear. He was changing my assignment. No longer would I organize women's conferences. He was giving me a new assignment. Had the last conference turned out like the first two, I may not have given up the assignment. I may have continued to organize conferences. He needed to slow me down--to stop me, so I would listen to Him.

 For the last year and a half, I have been listening to His voice leading me. He has put this blog together and named it "Homesick". He has asked me to be a communicator to His people with my writing and speaking. When called upon by the Body, I faithfully speak. When called upon by the Spirit, I faithfully write. Daily, I stand amazed that He chooses to use this weak vessel.

My assignment may never grow beyond this blog and a couple speaking engagements. I'm content with that.  The joy doesn't come in the largeness of what we are called to do. The joy comes in the obedience to the One who calls. Listen to His voice calling you and obey the assignment put in front of you. He is faithful.

Running Home

There is a nasty sin that just wouldn't go away in my life. It was consuming my thought life and I was miserable. I had tried everything I knew--gone to support meetings, asked for prayer, changed my habits. Inevitably this thing would cycle back around and I would again try to control it unsuccessfully.

Until the day my husband said, "What if you just didn't think about it anymore?"

Seriously? Did he just say that? My mind began the rebuttal, "Really? You think it is that simple? Like THAT is going to work!"

After some time chewing on what he said, I realized it is that simple. Paul says in Philippians 4:8, "Finally brethren [and sisteren ;)] whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things."

The "whatever" Paul is talking about must be heavenly. This world isn't true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, etc... So, how does that practically look in daily life? Well for me, when this sin cycles back around, I run Home. I run to the Holy of Holies and sit at my Father's feet in worship. I fill my home with worship music and I set my mind on the things above.

By posturing myself this way, it takes me out of the fight. Now the battle is between this sin and my Protector. He will cover me. He will guard me. He will let me continue in sabbath rest while He gets rid of this sin.

Now, I no longer bow to this sin in my life. I don't try to fight my flesh in my flesh. I don't do it anymore on my own. I now allow God to stand in the gap. Romans 6:17-18 says, "But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness."

The more I run to the Father's arms and ask Him to fight for me, the less the temptation is to fall back into that sin pattern.

What is it that you are struggling with? What sin keeps cycling back into your life that you just can't shake on your own? Run to the Father. Run Home to the Holy of Holies. Set your mind on the things of Heaven and the stuff of earth with fade away.  He is big. He is strong. He will take care of this pest for you.

Freewill

He walked in the front door and in frustration threw his book bag on the floor and shouted, "When am I going to be allowed to cuss?" I immediately stopped loading the dishwasher and offered up a feable prayer. Something like, "God help me."

"All the kids at school cuss. When am I going to be allowed to cuss?" Gingerly, I started asking him questions about his day and figured out what he was so upset about and why he wanted to cuss. Once he was calmed down, he asked again, "When am I going to be allowed to cuss?" 

I told my first born, rule following, child that he was allowed to cuss--just not in my home or around me, his father, or his sisters. The funny look on his face mirrored the funny feeling my heart felt saying those words. I had him say a couple cuss words and talked about how he felt saying those words. I told him my experience in middle school and how those words hurt me and my friends. I ended our time telling him that he could take a couple days to think and pray about whether or not he wanted to start cussing.

A couple days later, he came home from school and said, "I know what I want to do." He told me that he wasn't going to cuss. He had thought about it and even prayed about it and had decided not to cuss. My heart let out a huge sigh of relief.

I knew I couldn't keep him under my thumb and if I didn't give him freedom in making this [relatively] small decision about his life, he may not come to me when the decisions are a lot bigger and more complicated. So, I reliquished parental control and gave him the most scary gift a parent can give their child: freewill.

Again, God brought to my attention that my children are His first then mine. I am gifted with the responsibility to steward their upbringing for the kingdom. Ultimately, God is their protector and He will provide what is needed. When I let go and allowed the Lord to work on my son's heart, I received the opportunity to see God at work in his life.

This is how the Father is with us. Everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial. We ask for permission for things that aren't beneficial often. His Holy Spirit guides and convicts us in the way we should go. Ultimately, it is up to us to make the decision to follow His ways or our ways. Which way will you choose?

Rest

A year or so ago I began a study in the book of Hebrews. During the study, the Spirit took me on a journey into the depths of Christ I had not known. It was more than a touch. It was more than being swaddled by His love while in prayer or worship. It was a depth in understanding and a progression in wisdom that cannot be compared to an experience or feeling. My hunger for His word grew to craving proportions.

One of the concepts brought out during that study was Sabbath Rest. This idea that we can live in rest. No more striving or working for the kingdom of God. Instead, I have let go, opened up my heart to let God work through me. I no longer am taking the lead but have allowed Him to lead me completely. By resting in His ability to guide me, I am sitting in a home that I never expected to live in, I am filling my days with activities that I never thought I would do, and I love people with a love that is not my own.

More of Him and less of me. What a magnificant love that can consume me and create in me a heart longing for the Father's presence. My goals, my dreams, my desires for my life have been left at the cross and I now carry His goals, His dreams, His desires for me.

Where are you at today? Are you locked in a tired effort to bring about results in your spiritual life? Posture yourself in such a way that you can give your efforts to Him and you will begin to see the sweetness of His Sabbath Rest.

Discernment

Oh Friends, I have to tell you what I saw on TV the other day. I had to blink a few times to make sure it was for real.  Ok, I saw a homeshow on a PBS channel. You know the shows that have various homemaking segments such as decorating, cooking, etc...Well, this show was all about preparing for a dinner party with limited preperation time. So, the segment I caught was "cleaning up" for the party.

The host talked about how to throw dirty dishes in a big bowl or pan and put them in the oven or cabinet. Then she talked about  spraying some sort of house cleaner right in front of the front door so when the guests arrive they get a whiff of cleaner and they will have the perception that the house is clean even though it isn't. She ended the segment by saying "perception is truth".

To which I say, "No."  The truth is: your house is dirty, there are even dirty dishes hiding in your oven. The lie is: the house is clean--see your nose even thinks so.

Our senses will lie to us. They will perceive that the house is clean when it really isn't. They will see things and smell things that aren't truths. This is why the Bible is vital to our spiritual growth. Without the foundation of the Word of God, our senses and/or our emotions can lead us into a dirty home when we think that it is clean. We will be tricked.

Friends, know the Truth. Know the still small voice of the Spirit. Sit with Him and listen to Him speaking. Then, when you go into someone's house (i.e. read a book, hear a teaching, etc...) you will be able to distinguish if the house is clean or dirty.