Recession or time of opportunity?

I thought I'd pass this podcast link along from Graham Cooke. The Lord has been doing much of this in our lives; getting us to see things through his eyes instead of the world's. It is so important to recognize the enemy, otherwise he just sneaks in and we don't even know we've been defeated.

Tara

More Desert Truth

 "I am not what I think I am. I am not what you think I am. I am what I think you think I am." 

All our lives, people and culture tell us who we are, and we believe them. We accept it and define ourselves by their labels... yet they are wrong. The Lord has a different definition of who we are, and it is the truth. 

The truth is, Jesus died for all our ugliness. He died for all our impurities, our pride, our shame, our malice, and our mistakes. It's done, settled, paid for, forgotten. They no longer exist. Therefore, all accounts of recollection are merely shadows, as all else in this world is that is outside of relationship. It is just another piece of unreality. It is a piece that lives on the wrong side of the cross, outside of the Kingdom. The Kingdom is on the right side of the cross. And there is no shame in the Kingdom. 

The Lord's opinion and His word are the truth, no matter how anyone else sees it. If the opinion is in contradiction to the Lord, then it is the one that is wrong, not God. So when we feel like we are something other than what the Lord says we are, we are the ones that are wrong. The Lord is truthful; he cannot lie. It is not in His nature.

The Lord's grace fills in all the holes to make us truly all these things He says we are. It takes all our lives and makes them a beautiful story of love and perfection, so that when we are weak, he is strong. Therefore, it glorifies Him all the more! We cannot go wrong!

We must choose to believe the truth, even when we don't feel it. The Lord has proven himself trustworthy.  

The Lord loves me intimately and personally. I am a beautiful person because of the Lord. No longer will I let the fall determine who I am. Now, I will let the cross determine it, and I will live in his grace.   

 

Presence

I have come to realize, that without the presence of the Lord, all is void and meaningless; with the presence of the Lord, just existing drips with meaning. 

Shamelessness

I am beginning to realize that freedom is shamelessness, an absence of pride. Being able to fully express myself, with no regard to outside opinion. Living in the total acceptance of my God, my love.

Desert Time

The Lord has brought me into the desert and it is a dry and lonely place. Thankfully, He told me he was bringing me into the desert, otherwise I might be more discouraged than I currently am. Knowing there is purpose in it gives me hope at least. I was reading Hosea 2, and seeing many parallels in it for me in my life and just knowing the Lord will restore me and speak sweetly to me. Right now he is stripping me of my false gods which have for so long given me identity and purpose. He is stripping me of the pride I have placed around my heart that blocks out his love and prevents me from being fully beloved. God is showing me that the only thing that can prevent him from entering fully into my heart, is my unwillingness to let him in. That cannot be forced. That cannot be taken. It has to be given. Right now, he is shining light on those protectors I have placed around my heart, and it hurts. It hurts to know that I have blocked out my love. It hurts to know that I have been wrong. It hurts to be humbled, but I want it. I want all of it. "Crush me Lord into a fine powder, and rebuild me again from the fires of love!"    

Grace

Two nights ago, I was exposed. I was like a volcano that had exploded. My top blown off and all my ugliness sprawled all over, completely unsheltered. As I walked around this mess, I knew there was no excuse to be made for it, no way to explain it away. There was no way to put it all back together. No way to hide it. There it all was, completely defenseless. Most of it had gone unrecognized by myself, unknown, until that night. I looked at it and was disgusted, ashamed. I wept bitterly, knowing it was all true, knowing I had not the power to change any of it. I couldn't even imagine it away. I knew there was meaning in this. I knew that I needed to see it. I knew that I was hideous and unlovable. I knew that in this state, I could not even ask for love. I didn't want to ask for it, because I had nothing to offer in return. I could promise nothing. I could not say that I would get better; that I would please in any way. All I could say was, " I am ugly." 

Then the Lord did something amazing, He looked straight at my ugliness, not denying it, and loved me anyway. He held me and loved me entirely in his own power and capacity to love, receiving nothing from me, and I was undeservedly safe. Completely accepted because of who God is, not because of who I am. It is unfathomable.

I have never understood grace like this before. Never know it to this capacity before. The Lord loved me in my shame, so I can do nothing to part from his love, nothing to un-deserve it, because I didn't deserve it to begin with.  In this, how can I not trust the Lord with my entire life, my entire being? He loves me more than I love myself. Even I was not willing to love such an ugly person, yet his love alone has made me beautiful. Therefore, the Lord may have my life to the fullest, for he has proven himself trustworthy.

-Tara  

Call to Arms

There is an interesting phenomenon going on with our economy. We are in a global recession. We all know this. We hear it on the news, know many that are being laid off, or have experienced it personally. There is something hidden though, that the enemy doesn't want us to see.  You see, the Kingdom of God is not bankrupt. It has unlimited resources. The Lord has it all. However, hell does not. Hell has to use what it is given. So, when the world is in a recession, so is the enemy. He is losing resources to do his work. Yet we still have access to resources. Therefore, we are given an extreme advantage. On that note, I have a challenge for you. I challenge you to look into your life and see where the enemy is using resources to do his work, then take those funds away from him and use them for the Kingdom. Bless those around you. Hire people. Hire a gardener, a housekeeper, a personal trainer. Get your hair done, or your nails. Hire a friend that is struggling as a handyman, painter, or dog walker. Get creative! Remember, when you hire people, you help to feed their families. It blesses them.  

One of the ways my husband and I are doing this, with cooperation from my mom (as we all live together), is turning off the Direct TV. The TV is a relationship breaker, distracting us so that we avoid conversations with each other and God. This is a tool of the enemy in our house. A subtle one, but one none the less. Yesterday, we hired a landscaper who had recently been laid off, to do some random work for us. He was so grateful and urged us to hire him as our weekly gardener. (Up until this point, we have done our own gardening.) He also showed us all the different things he could do to the house, wanting to use it as a showcase to gain business in our area for his landscaping. We don't need this stuff done, but that is besides the point. He needs the money. He has a family to support. By paying him to do these things, we are putting money and resources into the work of the Kingdom. I believe the Lord has challenged us to employ as many people as we can. Right now it might be a gardener and some great women in Africa, but I believe as we employ people, the Lord will provide more funds to employ more people. What a great way to fight the enemy! 

So this is a call to arms! Look around you! What can you do? We are the army of the Lord and this is our opportunity to fight! 

Jesus says in Luke 6:38 - "Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured in your lap."

Until next time...

Tara