Remember This

"Cheer up!  Don't be afraid!  

For the Lord is living among you.

He takes glad delight in you.

With His love He calms all of your fears."

Zephaniah 3v 16,17

As I was praying and listening the other morning I felt like God was whispering to me that some of us needed to remember His goodness.  'Cause when we grasp that He is always and only good, it changes how we live.  I need the Truth of who He is to wash over me and renew my mind.  Here are a few reminders He was speaking to me - maybe you need to hear them too?

He is a good Father.  Always and only good.

He has not forgotten you.

He is ready and waiting and wants to interact with you!  He loves sharing His heart and hearing yours.

You are His kid, His beloved, His adopted child, royalty.  He has never left you or estranged you.

You may feel guilt, shame, or embarrassment 'cause it's been awhile since you've spent time with Him.  You might not even know what to say or feel like you shouldn't be with Him cause you've sinned too much.  It's okay!  He's a good Dad and He loves to scoop you up and listen to you and share His heart with you.

Remember?  His love for you is deep and undying.  He wants what's best for you. 

He smiles over you.

He adores you.

He is so proud of you.

When You're Not Sure If It's All Worth It

Most of the time I like to have everything figured out.  I like to know where we’re going, what we’re doing, and when we're going to get there.  More often than I like to admit I like to rest in comfort and safety.

This was another one of those I-don't-want-to-do-anything-hard days.

We're driving down Highway 101 and Mark sees catches a glimpse of that grand Pacific.  It woos him in every way.

We swerve off the highway to see if there’s a path down to that grand ocean view.  We hop out of the car and I see nothing, so I hurry back.  Meanwhile, Mark wanders.  Five minutes later he pops his head out of those Oregon green bushes, “I found one!” 

This is not the comfortable, uneventful morning I was hoping for.  But I appease him.  The least I can do is check out the path.

First he bring me to this.  Wandering into a bunch of bushes ain't no thing in Oregon, right?  

Yes.  This is the "path" he found.  

Then we come to this.

I’m not so sure.  That's too far down.  There's not enough landing space.  I have no-traction boots for landing. That's too steep.  I’ll fly right down the hill.

Mark beckons and I leap to his held out hand.

Then this.  This is a terrible picture, but it's a straight down shot with little foot grip and a bunch of slick rock for the landing pad.  I'm not exactly excited.

I'm not gonna do it.  I can see the view from here and it’s just fine.  Remember?  I’m just ready for rest and beauty.  The condo with the view calls.

Mark finagles his way down.  “It’s not that hard!” he yells up from below.  I come up with every excuse in the book.  I just don’t wanna do it.  The view’s good enough from here.

“But you’re sooo close!”  I don’t care.  See, I’m close.  “Won’t you regret not coming down this one last part?  It’s prettier down here.”  Dang it!  Fine!  I catch my boot on the stump and scrape it like I knew I would.  I awkward finagle myself down the cliff, reaching root to root, and dirt pile to rock, then leap.  I master the cliff and turn around proud.

Wow. 

The rocks are slick and we’re sliding everywhere.  It doesn’t matter though.  The beauty is worth every scuff mark and nervous jump.  I find the perfect rock seat to cozy up and take it all in.  As I sit quiet I hear God’s voice gently roaring at me in those waves.  All is well.

Mark races around, climbs to the farthest rock, hops tidepools, then runs eager to my side.  “Do you just wanna make it to that waterfall?" he spits out like an excited kid in a playground, "it’s the last place we haven’t been!”  

All I see is this field of large, jagged rocks and the ocean sweeping over any hope of a sand pathway.

The only way to get to that faint waterfall is right over top.  

I hop up on the first rock and pause a moment to feel out which rock is my next best step.  I carefully maneuver to the next one and pause again.  That’s where everything starts to click.

Sometimes in life we just have to take one step at a time.  Sometimes one day at a time.  Sometimes one hour at a time.  Just take each thing as it comes and trust God will meet us there in each moment.  I don't have to have the whole plan of how I'm going to get there.  I just have to take each step as it comes.  

One boulder by one boulder, and one step by one step I meet the waterfall mist.

So much beauty.

Isn’t that how life is?  God’s been speaking these grand dreams, these too-big-for-us visions and sometimes (much of the time) I am overwhelmed.  When I see the end picture I can’t possibly imagine how we’ll ever get there.  I’d rather be comfortable and safe, stopping somewhere toward the middle, or even the beginning of the journey.  

The cliff jumps and forging bush pathways isn't easy work.  Sometimes it's intimidating.  But the end was far more beautiful than I could have possibly imagined.

He will be with you every step of the way, and when you get to the end goal, you’ll be so glad you did.

Just one cliff, by one jump, by one conquer, by one day at a time.  That’s how we have to do it.  

Don’t you think that’s how those heroes in Hebrews did it?

“Abraham moved without knowing where he was going.”

One step at a time.  Just do what Jesus tells you in that day, in that season.  All those “movings” will add up to something grand and glorious.

For decades Noah faithfully built a gigantic boat.  One step by one step, until he boarded his family on that massive thing and saved them all.

A city isn’t built in a day, and neither are your God-dreams.  One step, one risk, one conversation.  You've got this.  You, me, all of us, we’re all slow moving forward to the grand vision God has called us to.

The risk, the pain, the scuff marks, the hours, they are worth it for such a grand view.

Song for the Journey - Let this be your heart's encouragement and prayer:  Kari Jobe “You are for me”
I know that you are for me // I know that you are for me // I know that you will never forsake me in my weakness

When You Feel Ill-Equipped

Do you ever feel like the task, the vision God’s given you is too big, too daunting for you?

Me too.

Sometimes it’s the smaller tasks and sometimes it’s the bigger vision.  It can seem overwhelming, can’t it?

He says, “I want you to speak at such and such,” and all I can think of is a million reasons why I’m not the person for the job. 

I don’t know the culture of the people.

I don’t know what I’d say.

I’m not good at speaking.

Or He shows us a picture of this big vision we’re headed towards.  It’s exhilarating and exactly what we were made for! …But it’s daunting and defeating all at the same time.

Overwhelmedness washes over me and “you’re too small” lies begin to slam me.  I run through my list of excuses and slink down in despair.  I don’t know where or how to start.  Then I hear His gentle whisper, “Remember David?”

David.  The little guy.  The one who everyone said was too small for the job.  The guy who didn’t have military training, or right-fitting equipment.  He didn’t even have the proper weapon for the job.  It was just him, and those little stones, and a crazy faith in a God who said He would conquer. 

Though “untrained” he was perfectly equipped.  Though people believed he couldn’t, he believed God could.

‘Cause here’s what David knew and what I need to cling onto:

If God asks you to do something, you’re the right person for the job.

If God says you’ll conquer the giant, you’re going to conquer the giant.  He’s going to make it happen.  All you have to do is show up.

Show up.

Take the next step.

Do the thing He said to do.

Say you will speak.

Conquer the giant.

Move toward the vision He said He would fulfill.

God told His kids that He, (yes, HE) was going to conquer the giants.  The “conquer” was not dependent on their skill, their training, their equipment, their strength or their numbers.  Their victory was reliant on God who said “conquer,” and a guy who believed Him and showed up for the match.

If God asks you to do something, you’re the right person for the job.

YOU are the one.  God knew your “smallness” and He sees your not-equippedness, and your million excuses, and it doesn’t scare Him one bit.  He always thought you were the right one for the job.

‘Cause with Jesus entire cities are conquered with a shout and a trumpet blast.  Raging seas are stilled with two simple words.  The tiniest and the “least significant” are the mightiest and the most effective.  

In Jesus, with Jesus, nothing is impossible.  By His hand you can do anything He has called you to do. 

Do You Feel It Too? This Mighty Stirring?

Do you feel the stirring? Do you feel the mighty move of God? It's the stirring of something more. The rumbling that maybe there's something more than what we've seen or experienced or even believed that God could do. It's a tidal wave and it's swelling, swelling, rising up in the most unsuspecting of places. 

From the small town prairie Canada to the conservative Dutch community in farmland Midwest, and the labeled Conservative Baptist to the once legalistic Bible school student... God is on the move in a powerful, awesome way. 

At first I (so arrogantly) wondered if we were one of the few having these profound encounters with Jesus. If we were some of a small pocket discovering life changing Truths, discovering real, living Jesus. We are not. 

The more we share, the more we hear. In the seemingly most unlikely of places, God is showing up. Because He's not a list of morals, or rules, or "do this and don't do that." He is not simply a nice concept. He is real, living, at-work-in-our-lives Jesus, and He is on the move. 

Dreams from God are coming in droves. Visions and pictures could not close to be numbered. And for many, the same picture, similar words. A mighty wave of God that's about to pour out on His people. And He's showing us now because He loves to talk with us, loves to have us share in the excitement of a secret that's too good to be kept quiet!  Some are hearing His voice, many are having revelations, many who once didn't believe in such things are watching person after person be healed in Jesus' name. Then there's countless others who are hearing God speak to them through His people. He speaks words or encouragement and hope, vision, confirmation, and direction in their lives. It is like a direct line from Heaven speaking His words over you and it. is. amazing. His realness and goodness cannot be mistaken. He is on the move and showing up in the most awesome of ways. 

Are hearing of, seeing, feeling His move too? This is a season of rejoicing for all of us!  A season of anticipation, of preparation, of planting seeds, and allowing Him to invade and work in our lives. Even if you haven't yet heard stories or seen Him mighty on the move, would you join us? The move of God is not for some special elite group or people who have it all together. This is for anyone, anyone, that is willing to receive all He has for them. Can we just take some moments and prepare our hearts as we anticipate and allow more of God stirring in our lives? Maybe just grab his hand and sit down with Jesus. Share your heart with Him and listen to His gentle, wooing voice. Look into His eyes and see His overwhelming love and acceptance of you. Just do whatever you gotta do to prepare your heart cause when we open our hands and heart to Him He is bound to show up. All I know is YOU ARE NOT GOING TO WANT TO MISS THIS!