Posted on by Sami M

Let Go >>> Let’s Go Pt. 19

Letting Go of self

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

1 Thessalonians 5:23

God desires us to let go of self, and be set apart as a people who are living a life of sanctification. There’s process where the Father wants to cultivate a new self set apart for His divine glory, and that process starts in the spirit, then the soul, and finally through the body. We are made with three separate parts spirit, soul, and body. Each of which work together towards complete sanctification. The work of sanctification comes in a very specific order as written by Paul, spirit, soul, and body. The shekinah glory of God desires to over flow from the spirit within us, to the soul, and finally until our body is filled with His glory so we may live from His overflow. We are created to operate out of divine overflow where His glory can shine from our innermost part through the covering of our flesh. God’s peace, His character, brings about that process. The work of sanctification is a gradual and quiet process by which God is cultivating and uprooting every unholy thing in our lives. He wants to take every part of us, deep and shallow to another level, He wants to see His nature come through us. God’s supernatural has to uproot and cultivate every ounce of us so that He is able to grow the supernatural in us. He desires to see our sanctification come to completion. We see that in the first section of this scripture in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 .

First we have peace, which describes God’s character, and also the vehicle by which He sanctifies us. Below I have written out the greek for peace, which is eirene and it’s root word eirō. God’s peace works out our sanctification through quietness and seeking wholeness. A spirit of peace can not be operating within us unless there is wholeness where we are joined together with Him. His nature and character which is defined by this peace is what sanctifies us.

Peace = eierne = one, quietness, rest > eirō = wholeness, join together

Sanctify means to make us holy, regarding us as special, and to set us apart for His purposes. This is where in that still quiet place with God, His peace enters in and starts working in us towards change. Theres a thrilling quiet where He starts to work in our innermost parts. God’s desire is to bring this process of sanctification to completion. In the greek below you will see holotelés means complete and perfect. To fill out the meaning of the word, the root words are hólos which means whole/all parts present/entirely and télos which means end purpose. Our process of sanctification is meant to make us whole, bring our growth to completion, and it is his end purpose for us. We are made in the image of God, and in order to live that out, we are meant to walk out a life of sanctification so that when we reach our end here and come before God we come to completion on the other side of eternity. He desires us to have wholeness and unity with Him. We can see that His peace is what ties together that sanctification process bringing us into a wholeness.

Sanctify = hagiazó = make holy, consecrate > hāgios = regard as special, set apart, sacred

Completely = holotelés = complete, perfect > hólos = whole, all parts present, entirely >télos = end purpose

This is a divine wholeness that can not be reached without the whisper of the Holy Spirit consistently working in our lives, starting with our innermost spirit, then to the soul, and finally outwardly through the body, through our actions. We see this in the order of Pauls list of spirit, soul and body for sanctification. The spirit in each of us is our supernatural part which is what reaches out and speaks to the Holy Spirit and which is first touched by the words and promptings of the Holy Spirit. This is where sanctification first must start working. The spirit as seen below is our rational soul, the eternal portion. It is the breath of God within us which is the same portion of us which is resurrected from the dead when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. God breathes life back into our spirit when we choose to follow Christ. We are then able to house the Holy Spirit and this revives our line of communication with Him. Without the inner resurrection there is no inner communication with the Holy Spirit. In John 4:24 we can see how our spirit is able to connect with God. We can not worship God properly or rightly without our spirit; spirit must speak to Spirit.

Spirit = Pneuma = rational soul, immortal/eternal portion Hebrew = Rûach = breath of God

God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truthfulness.

John 4:24

Our soul is our individual self with all of the emotions and thoughts and actions. Our soul is what speaks God to the world around us. We express Him through our soul. It is that outward expression of Him through us which is where the soul operates. Luke 1:46-47 shows the different functions of the soul and spirit. There’s a difference, soul is magnifying the Lord and the spirit is rejoicing in God. Magnification can’t come without the joy, because your can’t magnify something that doesn’t exist. Her worship came from her spirit first, then expressed outwardly though her soul. The inner joy comes first from the spirit, and then magnified from that quiet inner place through the soul.

Soul = Psychē – vital breath of life, personhood, unique individual

And Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.

Luke 1:46-47

Body = Somā = physical body

Our physical body is the last part which is changed and set apart. Our physical actions are always determined by our innermost self. God reaches us first in our spirit when we become alive in Him, reborn spiritually when we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior from that day on. God’s move in our life is in the innermost quiet, peaceful place, where His Holy Spirit resides. It is a gentle whisper coming in, ushering in His presence. His peace brings us into wholeness, because peace requires wholeness. As divine wholeness is cultivated in the quiet dark place, new creation is made (Gen 1:2). This is where our soul is changed, so it magnifies Him. His shekinah glory begins to saturate the spirit, soul, and body as we conform to the quiet & silent sanctification process within. It is in the inner stillness we can be made new. Sanctification is easily missed if we never settle in our spirit to commune with God. What we do outwardly should reflect the innermost part of us. We are set apart by God as His inheritance (Eph 1:18), which He has made for Himself through the work of His son, cultivating His people through the sanctification of spirit, soul and body of each believer.

…having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints…

Ephesians 1:18

Sanctification is gradual, so that each piece of us is thoroughly cultivated, so that in this process, others may see God’s glory and desire to know Him more. In this way, rather than living soulish lives where we are living from and for our own emotion and direction, we live from His peace, wisdom, and guidance. We look towards our eternal destination where our sanctification comes to completion. Here we are finally made whole. Letting go of our soulish, emotional, and unfiltered thought lives and outward version of ourselves takes great humbling and active work before the Lord. He does not offer up any of the sanctification process with a free pass on effort and commitment on our part. God desires to co-labor with us in the process of change in our spirit, soul, and body. The Father will convict our hearts, transform our thoughts, and call us to action when we are willing to submit our heart and flesh to His will. He can change the most wretched of us to a vision of His glory and holiness when we choose to labor with Him in the mess. We have a loving Father who lays out the plans to let go of our emotionally driven patterns of thought and action. The only thing the Father requires in our sanctification journey, is our passion for Him, His heart, and commitment to submitting to His ways and not our own. When we step into the fulness of who He’s calling us to be, that’s where we see lasting change happen in our deepest parts, marching us to higher places mentally, physically, and emotionally. Having the mind of Christ should be an active, daily journey, for each of us. There we have the greatest impact and allow the shekinah glory of God through us. The Holy Spirit finally finds himself no longer quenched but a tangible, burning fire, working through us.

We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

1 Thessalonians 5:12-24
Posted on by Sami M

Let Go >>> Let’s Go Pt. 18

Letting go of the good

You know those big prayers, not the ones where you are asking for big things for you necessarily, or miracles, or things that seem big to you. But like those ones where you’re like PLEASE God don’t let me waste my life, don’t let me be mediocre, I want to be a warrior for Your kingdom. Sweet Jesus, He will absolutely go full send on those. Maybe not right away, but let me tell you, He will always come through on those if those warrior prayers are from an earnest heart. Those are the big and scary prayers. When God gets the ball rolling on those prayers, you better strap in. God desires us to be all in, because He’s all in. He’s always looking for people who are desiring to surrender their entire selves to His kingdom and mission on earth. I think many of us run around hoping that He will do amazing things with us while we still desire to be in charge of our lives. By God, He will bring you to maturity if you so desire it; true history making maturity in the Kingdom of God requires ultimate surrender, sacrifice, and obedience. There is not one single warrior for God’s Kingdom who made waves who has not seen ultimate sacrifice, stripping of the flesh, and the beating back of sin in their life. We each go through phases of the flesh being pruned back, usually each one being deeper than the last. At some point if we are honest in our prayer life, we desire more from God, and less of worldly satisfactions; we get bored, stagnant, and are caught running circles in the flesh trying to uphold our little worlds hoping God will do something with us. We spend days running around hoping we are doing His will, but unwilling to take on the threshing that’s required to plant the next season. We like to stay where we are comfortable even in the discomfort and stagnancy.

John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

Luke 3:16-17

Threshing requires us to get to work dividing the chaff of the past season from the seeds of the next. A lot of times that crushing, separating, and dividing isn’t just what we are doing in obedience, but where we are personally being sifted by God. Our spiritual growth and fruit is harvested and harvest requires death to bring new life. All that has grown for the glory of God as well as anything that has not, is cut down, separated and sifted, so that only what is for the next season remains. The threshing floor of our spirit and physical lives requires submission, obedience, and active work towards the future.

The threshing floor was many times linked as a metaphor to the judgement of God throughout the Old Testament. Threshing or winnowing was a picture of separating the good from the bad, true from false in order for us to understand that this crushing allows for us to see what is meant to survive. God promises us we will not be burned, consumed, or overwhelmed as spoken in Isaiah 43. What will survive are the portions of Him, because He will not crush Himself, only crushing and separating what has eternal significance and value from what is meant to be left behind. The threshing floor is where we are judged and tested, but also a place for worship which positions us for future blessing. When we spiritually position ourselves where we let go of our lives, then we are positioned to bear fruit in due season. Then the threshing done to us allows us to thresh the mountains before us. Submission of our flesh is where we find our greatest strength, which sharpens us. When we are found strong in the Father and weak in the flesh; sharp in the sword of the Spirit and dull in the might of man, we are at our best. We are crushed, sifted, and tested. The ultimate yes and letting go is in making it through the process and bearing fruit in due season again and again.

Crushing requires submission, sifting requires obedience, and testing requires our active work. The big yes to God that requires you to let go of everything to have everything, will require you to walk through these three places. He will call you, He will make a way, but first He will crush you. Your self made life will be crushed like wheat separated from the stalk or grapes in a wine press. You will be at a crossroads that places you where you continue to be where you have been and where he’s calling you to go. You will be crushed and pressure to every facet of who you are will be challenged. Only what is meant to remain will stay if you submit to His plans. You’ll be called from everything you are and you know. It will challenge every idea of who you are in Jesus and in your sphere. He will crush your pride, your ideals, your plans, your un-Godly pieces, your self made kingdom, and your picture of how things should be. If you submit to the crushing, then you are on your way to a holier, more submitted, and sanctified you. You’ve trusted the first step and had the faith to believe that what He’s doing if for your good and His glory. The choice is yours to either hold on to everything you built, or step away and know that He’s taking you somewhere new. First it just may feel like you will die, like your world is ending, like everything you thought you were supposed to be doing is stripped from you. Not that what you’ve been or what you’ve been doing isn’t good, but it’s time for the next season, the next chapter. God has to get us to make the next move, not staying complacent in a place that’s no longer for us.

If you let Him, He will separate you from the parts of your identity and life that are not meant to remain. He will sift the deepest parts of you. God will breathe fresh wind on the seeds of your life separating them from what grew and produced them to that point. Much of what grew you to the point you are at will be winnowed and blown away by the wind of God. We can either stand there and try to grasp at the strands of our lives that aren’t meant to go forward with us, or we can choose to submit to where God is taking us and what we are called to leave behind.

I am the one who helps you, declares the Lord; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel. Behold, I make of you a threshing sledge, new, sharp, and having teeth; you shall thresh the mountains and crush them, and you shall make the hills like chaff; you shall winnow them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the tempest shall scatter them. And you shall rejoice in the Lord; in the Holy One of Israel you shall glory.

Isaiah 41:14-16

He is our Helper even when we don’t feel we want or need the help. Many times it will feel unwanted when this season of change comes upon you. When we are willing to trust Him in the midst of the the work He is doing in our lives we come out the other side of the threshing floor, ready to plant the next season. He is always doing a great work in us, but we must realize that He is redeeming us from our flesh and cycle of death over and over again to purify His bride. The Father desires to help us grow better in every new season, bear fruit in new and different ways, and not live in a place that is stagnant or past due. When I say cycle of death, the idea is that we are always working to bring life to that which is around us. But many times, when we grow stale in our spiritual and physical positions we are put in, we will do the same work over and over, but it will no longer produce the life that it used to. We are people of habit, comfort, and generally simplicity. If we are given our way, we will keep running the same cycles hoping that we will grow and thrive somewhere different. Much of anything we can do in the flesh without the positioning and anointing of God will won’t produce life when we get to the destination. It will fall flat and without divine purpose when we get to the end of the journey. Our Redeemer, Holy One of Israel promises us something very different when we submit to Him. We go from being the one who is threshed, to being equipped with the same tools of heaven to do the threshing. Isaiah is speaking to Israel in this scripture, but it also applies to us as believers who have been grafted into the family of God. The Father promises us that we are victors and have the authority to thresh what comes against us, that every thing that is not of Him, we have authority to crush and sift. We are given such a promise to see His kingdom come to earth, so that people can see Him and His Glory.

When we are able to take what God has done in us and use it for His glory and the good of those around us, then we are able to sow for the current season and do the work He has called us to do. Our desires and vision shift to His heart for what He desires to to do in us and through us. When we have come to the place where we can do the threshing, we find that its a place where God has taken our eyes off of ourselves and what we think is good for us. We come to a place where we are no longer self focused, but Christ focused, which is where His good and His glory reside. In this place we can see what He is doing around us and how He wants us to pursue His heart in the current season. Seek the righteousness of the Lord, let him crush you, sift you, test you, and plant you. In this you will let go of your good and pick up His good. His good is the best of what can be. So be sharp, be precise, and be pure of heart, to let him to the work He has called you to do.

Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.

Hosea 10:12
Posted on by Sami M

Let Go >>> Let’s Go Pt. 17

Letting Go of your chains

You are delivered, redeemed, and set free from your sin, addictions, past seasons, previous relationships, negative habits, and anything else you can think of that does not line up with Jesus. If you’ve sought deliverance in your spirit from the Enemy and his demonic workers, you are FREE. The blood of Jesus Christ has delivered you from the bondage of the Enemy, and given you the keys to your spiritual freedom to walk in alignment with the will of God. I’ve had a stirring in my own spirit that the Holy Spirit is asking us to drop our chains. The blood of Christ has broken them and unlocked every piece that held us bound to the Enemy. You are free, but are you willing to drop the familiarity of your bondage. Are you willing to drop old habits, seasons, people, or thoughts that are holding you back from your God given story. We cling to the old things because they are familiar, we cling to the chains that once bound us, because we don’t know what that forward step in faith looks like. We have a disbelief that God’s freedom over an area of our life is somehow less fulfilling than the old comfortable way of the deceitful heart and bondage of the Enemy. There’s a disconnect in us from the comfort of living in a past place the Enemy bound us and from God’s word about our future. To walk in dominion over our old chains, God is calling us to drop them, never look back, and step forward in faith, believing that He’s doing a divine sanctifying work in us to bring us from glory to greater glory.

“Like a dog that returns to his vomit, is a fool who repeats his folly.”

Proverbs 26:11

When I had the vision of us staring at our chains unable to let go of them, despite them being unlocked, broken, and no longer binding us, I knew it was a picture of our regular return to old things that were sour, stale, and bore no future life for us. In this moment I was reminded of the scripture in Proverbs 26 where we are reminded of the dog returning to it’s vomit. Going back to our old chains or even just holding onto them in an unwillingness to let go keeps us in a sour, stale, and dead place. We have the choice to go forth and feed ourselves with the truth of God and His promises, or continue to feed ourselves with what Jesus delivered us from. Many times in deliverance people vomit or cough as a physical representation of a spiritual change. When this happens a demonic stronghold leaves through the mouth. Unlike the dog returning to vomit, we have reject and eject the spiritual strongholds from our lives permanently and not go back to them. Those chains are no longer yours, leave them in the lap of the Enemy, and walk out in victory over the things you’ve overcome in your life. Jesus is greater than the dead things you used to find comfort in. Maybe they were even once good, but not all good things stay that way. When God removes those things, He’s telling you they are no longer a source of life for you. They became chains and they became the vomit on the floor that needs to be cleaned up and thrown in the trash. Your freedom is found in your obedience to one hundred percent walk away from the old chains you cling to. Leave the old dead things on the front door of the Enemy’s porch and just walk away, don’t give him the satisfaction and victory in your life. The battle of your mind is your largest war front; fuel your forward movement and personal victory with the presence, power and purity of Jesus Christ. You did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into old chains, rather, you received a Spirit of adoption as a co-inheritor of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, with every access to the heavenly places to overcome every battle.

“So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

Romans 8:12-15

As an adopted son or daughter Jesus is calling you to truly step out in your freedom, from the oppression of the Enemy you allow in your mind. You are in control of the level of freedom you walk in because of the amount of access you give the Enemy to tempt you back to old chains. With your permission you can allow the Enemy to re lock those locks and set yourself back in the grip of the Enemy. I know none of us want to place ourselves in bondage, but inevitably he wears us down sometimes, and we allow ourselves to go backwards and tread an old path worn by the Enemy. If that is you, declare your freedom, renounce the lies you believe, repent of your sin, and declare those chains be loosed in the name of Jesus. We must remember we have the same Spirit as Jesus Christ, who resisted every attempt of the Enemy to have access over His mind and His life. We are adopted as sons and daughters, given every access to the Father as Jesus had on earth. So we must cry out when we are tempted to walk backwards. We must meet the Father at the throne of His grace and mercy, asking Him to help us believing in faith that we are already victorious. YOU ARE ALREADY VICTORIOUS over every attempt of the Enemy to tempt you to go backward or to cling to the old things. You must wield the might of heaven before your flesh and fight for your perseverance forward. Will you believe it and call him out for the liar the Enemy and your flesh is? Will you declare that your Father in heaven has greater plans, promises, and growth for you than what the enemy could ever offer you? Will you hope for your victorious future rather than crumble from your past?

And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Romans 8:23-25

We all struggle with moving forward in different areas of our lives, especially when it comes to the things of God. Saying yes to Him when we can’t see the new, is difficult. We are promised a hope and a future greater than we can perceive and struggle to grasp it because of the world we live in. The world is on loan to the Enemy, and everything in the world is easily seen and perceived. The Enemy is great at distracting and derailing us from our divine future and assignments because he’s in our face everywhere. God is calling you to step from what you see and what you know into a deeper place of faith. He’s asking you to trust and believe in every promise He has made to His people, which in the bible alone, is over six thousand promises. The Enemy and our flesh gets too much credit for being the easy way out, the reason for our lack of fulfillment and joy. We have to drop our excuses for why we can’t let go, change, or go forward. We have a hope for an eternal future with the heavenly Father, but while we are here we have a daily hope and promise of God meeting us right in the middle of the world we live in. There is no hope in what is seen, because it we already have it, God’s calling you to hope for far greater than what you can see. Press into His presence, His wisdom, His guidance, and turn your back on the struggles and stale comforts you can readily see. Set your eyes on the One who can help you move forward. He’s released you, but now you have to walk forward with hope, a divine promise of a greater future here on earth and on the other side of eternity.

“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Isaiah 43:18-19

Once the chains are broken, and we chose to let go of them, then we can begin to perceive the new thing. God promises He will make a way when we turn our backs on the former things. He wants to see us grab hold of the new change He is bringing. He promises to cut down the path before you, to give you access to your future, and to fill you so that you are well watered. God has a promise to make way for your feet and to grow you so that you have the maturity to press forward in what He is calling you into. You are precious and honored in His eyes, so loved by Him, that He has given everything for you. The price is paid for your future, now you have to redeem the promise of a bold, victorious, and joy filled life. Just as the men holding the ark of the covenant had to step into the Jordan river in Joshua 3:13 for the river to stop its flow in order to go forward to the promised land, you must step into the river and trust that God will part the waters for you. Joshua was told by God that the men must step into the overflowing river in order to have a path set before them. They had to take a step of faith, trusting that God was going to show up and make a way for the Israelites. We don’t want to be the generation of Moses who clung to the comfort of the desert because we knew it well, and end up spending our time stuck there because we were too afraid of what we might face on the other side. Be a Joshua, steadfast in going forward despite an unknown, patiently standing upon the promises of God that He is for you and will make a way. You are meant to let go, so you can say, yes to His, let’s go. Our faith, perseverance, obedience, and hope is necessary for our divinely appointed future. Whatever the old chains are, I dare you to drop them into the abyss, and never look back, you have a hope and future as an adopted child of God with every resource of heaven at your fingertips.

Posted on by Sami M

Let Go >>> Let’s Go Pt. 16

Letting go of the old life

So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord that He may be glorified.

Isaiah 61:3c

We are divinely chosen and planted by God, grown up in His Son, Christ Jesus, so that He may be glorified. Isaiah is speaking through the presence and power of Jesus in this prophecy where the Believer is defined as an oak of righteousness. Every oak belongs to the One who is righteous and holy, eternal perfection in every way. All of Isaiah 61 speaks to the coming of Christ and who He is, and how He will transform the believer into an eternal planting of the Lord. Jesus breathes life onto the page describing how the Believer who is planted in Him will become a mature oak, unwavering, standing in beauty and glory for the Kingdom of Heaven for the world to see. In reading Isaiah 61:4, we as Jesus people are described as those who build up, raise up, and repair the people around us. We are defined by these Christlike characteristics when we grow in maturity of the Spirit of God, and are obedient to the call on our lives. In our obedience, we are able to step into the blessings God has for us, which enable us to shine even brighter for the world to see. We are called to be more than flowers which fade as spoken in Isaiah 40:6-8, but rather perennial trees which exude the strength, longevity and majesty of God.

In 1 Peter 1:22-25 it is spoken of how the believer is planted of imperishable seed because we are born again and called to walk out that new life. We are then found purified through our obedience to the Truth of God, and revelation of what it means to be a believer. The righteous oak who is planted of imperishable seed by God, is one who is found holy, redeemed, obedient, set-apart, and steps out of their old ways and passions of the flesh. To be grown up into a mature believer, we must truly lay down all of our old ways which do not bear the image of Christ in order for growth to happen, straining towards maturity. When we pursue a mature spirit in line with the beckoning of the Holy Spirit, our nature in Christ shines so that to the world we are different, no longer blending in, but set apart so that God may be glorified. Practically this is so difficult, but to yield fruit in all seasons and prosper in our ways, maturing in a way that we call others to maturity, we have to live out the gospel to its fullest and allow for the sanctification to happen daily in our lives.

In looking at chapter 61 of Isaiah calling Believers to be called oaks of righteousness, there are important details to be seen under the surface when looking at the Hebrew of the text. We don’t see elsewhere in the bible believers being called oaks of righteousness, but based on the context of the chapter being about Christ, prophetically spoken by Christ through Isaiah, we know that the passage is extremely significant. For me personally, Isaiah 61 was spoken over my life prophetically when I was a brand new believer calling me into maturity and I’ve held onto the passage ever since. When you look at the Hebrew word for oak in Strong’s Concordance, it is the root word, Ayil; you will see the immediate context of the word usually means is ram, as in the animal used frequently for sacrifice in the old testament. Other meanings include tree, lintel, pillar, and leader. I don’t believe there is any coincidence in the more frequent meanings of the word Ayil, the most frequent (over 50x), use of Ayil is the meaning ram. Rams were used for frequent sacrifice and for cutting covenants in the Hebrew church. Sacrifice was used to help maintain right standing with God despite unintentional sin, it was a profession of faith believing God would forgive (future forgiveness through Christ) and repentance to God for the sins committed because of the flesh. Sacrifice signified faithful believers desiring to be in right standing with God which is relevant to us, because when we see that this root word ram is used for oak, you will see that you can not be an oak without the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ. This scripture looks forward to a day when you don’t need a ram to stand tall before God but rather, Jesus Christ, and His finished work on the cross. Two other similar meanings for Ayil are lintel and pillar; lintel is a horizontal beam over windows and doorways, and pillars are upright structures which also bear weight. Both of these pieces are important parts of structures which bear weight and hold everything standing upright, bearing the major loads in buildings. Who is the one who bore the weight of our sin on the cross, and continues to bear the weight of our lives on His shoulders? Jesus. We can’t be oaks without allowing Christ to bear the weight of our sin and mistakes every day. We can not shine His glory without laying down the weight of our lives on His shoulders. In that we can then lead like Christ. The final definition of Ayil, is mighty man or leader, which is our ultimate call. Jesus went before us as the mighty man who could lay His life down for us, the ultimate leader, making the ultimate sacrifice for us. Every single one of us are called to lead just as Jesus did, bear the burdens of fellow believers, and live a sacrificial life before God, serving well, pouring out the love of Christ on the people around us. The true Righteous One is Jesus; His perfection and sacrifice is what calls us out of our old ways to become an oak of righteousness just like Him. Jesus righteousness is imputed to us when we are made new in heavenly places, therefore we are able to carry His righteousness before God and to the world around us.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.

Psalm 1:3

We are called up out of our old ways, planted in new waters, and meant to be watered by the Holy Spirit. When we are watered in this way, we strive towards maturity, towards the upward call of Christ, and pressed to turn away from our passions of the flesh. The mind of the believer is continually renewed, which allows the believer to continually grow and mature in faith. Mature believers are called to bear fruit prospering for the Kingdom of Heaven. I think a major struggle for many of us in pressing forward and attempting to leave the old self behind, is our timeline. An important detail to remember is that the Son of God spent thirty years in preparation for only three years of ministry. Curiously enough, the oak trees we are compared to in Isaiah on average take a minimum of twenty years to bear fruit, aka produce acorns. Most oak trees reach best acorn production between fifty to eighty years. We have to be reminded that maturity takes time to cultivate, and in that maturity, only then will fruit be found. The most and best fruit comes with a deepening of maturity. We are not flowers, which come quickly for a season, and then fade out after reaching their peak. Unlike flowers we do not grow faint or weary as we become more mature. Instead we are given supernatural power and strength in our weakness, because our maturity and building is not from our own might, rather from our humility and submission to Jesus. We are planted oaks, maturing over time, deepening roots, and aging with measure.

The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God. The still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the Lord is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

Psalm 92:12-14

In order to reach maturity for bearing fruit and continue to grow in maturity throughout our lives we have to submit to the sanctifiction of the Spirit. What this means is we need to be in submission to the Spirit of God, through intimate relationship with Him in obedience to His shaping of our life. Submission requires us to turn from sin, and repent in humility when we fail to turn from it. We are also called to pray, fast, worship, read the Word, and be involved in active community with other believers. We have to forgive frequently and renounce lies of the Enemy regularly. We are called to be generous with our time, finances, and skills for our community. We have to walk in our gifts, and actively cultivate them for the benefit of the body. We have to be set apart from the world, being cautious with what we read, listen to, and watch. In order to defeat the Enemy daily, build up the body, and raise the next generation we have to be willing to not conform to the comforts, opinions, and sins of the world around us. Coming under the authority of what God says about our identity and what we do with our true identity is what rebuilds, raises, and restores the nations. When we step into our calling, in complete submission to Him, and fill our lives with every facet of Him, then we begin to reach maturity, and continue bearing fruit in old age. Rejoice in Jesus, bear His image and cast off those old habits, sins, and dirty rags. Allow yourself to be clothed in new garments worthy of the King. Allow Jesus to renew your mind daily so you can grow, fill your life with Truth, even when it isn’t easy. Pursue the heart of the King and you will find you will become more like Him than you ever thought you could. Beauty and strength in Jesus is the manifest glory of Him. You are called to flourish in an undeniable way, putting off your old self, and taking up your new self, righteous and holy. Stand tall as you are called an Oak of Righteousness a planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.

I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation and wrapped me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom wears a priestly headdress, as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth its growth, and as a garden enables seed to spring up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.

Isaiah 61:10-11
Posted on by Sami M

Let Go >>> Let’s Go Pt. 15

Letting Go of the longing

…for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Phillipians 4:11b-12

I’ve been deeply challenged with letting go of the previous season of my life. The previous season of supernatural growth, amazing community, watching God move regularly amongst the body of believers, and the general supernatural joy around me was SO HARD to let go of. Dare I say I had what felt like one of the best, most exciting years of my life, like being a new believer again, but better. God said step away, you’ve been obedient, there’s a mess you can’t fix, and now there’s no more for you here, it is time to go. That was the hardest thing to hear, especially knowing that God had blessed that season so abundantly and surrounded me with unbelievable community and support. I was determined to be obedient in His call despite the immense hurt and pruning that would follow. Even once I stepped away and took a leap of faith, that didn’t mean that all of the sudden I stepped right into the next fantastic thing God had for me. Sometimes God has you step into a barren place of stripping away to see if all that He built you up in the previous season, was enough for you to trust Him. He sometimes tests the fruit and the root growth of the previous season, by dropping us smack in the middle of a wilderness where there’s a stripping of the entire support system you relied on. He wants to see if you will truly trust Him, lean on Him, and stop looking back at what was but rather look at what can be. What can be, is many times unknown to us, but known to God, and that is where He keeps telling us to let go. You have to let go of what you loved, what was good previously, as well as let go of your ideas of what next looks like. Especially let go of your discontentment of where you currently are, marching forward with certainty, knowing there is a next. He wants that entirety of your trust in the process; you have to trust His process no matter how insane or uncomfortable it may seem. He puts us in a place of testing, to see if we are faithful and true, if we truly learned and grew in Him in that bountiful season. Will you be content when God brings you low, to test you, humble you, and press you? Like Paul states above while in a Roman prison, he has found his contentment no matter what is happening around him, because he has Jesus. His outer world doesn’t define his inner peace and sobriety of spirit.

In this struggle of being brought low, the next place many times looks like this barren wilderness, where you feel like you just want to recede from everything, because nothing is what it was. Like sure God is moving, but nothing looks the same, nothing is comfortable, your usual places you turn to in order to fill up your spiritual cup have changed. Taking bold steps with confidence seem impossible and your navigation has gone awry. Satan may even lead you to believe that maybe maybe isn’t that interested in you anymore, that life isn’t filled with Him, that He’s not ever going to come back the same way. Maybe even that He’s done using you in the Church. Satan will try to fill your cup with the lie that the last season was the best season, and that it is never coming back, and certainly won’t be better than before. Satan coaxes you into looking into the rear view mirror wishing for the past, keeping you stuck there, distracting you from what God really wants to do in the wilderness. THAT is the true test, will you be stuck in the lie of the Enemy that you’ve lived your best, and there is nothing more? Or will you combat the lies of the Enemy, announce to him that you are built on the rocks, the pillar of Truth, and that you KNOW your God will never forget you, forsake you, or make you believe He’s done His best with you and now He’s done. That is the test, that is where we find out just how deep our roots are even when everything the world can see looks dead in you. We know if Paul had succumbed to this lie of the enemy at any point when he was imprisoned or was faced with adversity, we wouldn’t have most of the New Testament, and he wouldn’t be a mighty warrior for the kingdom of God. We wouldn’t have every glorious writing God spoke through Paul, saying every difficult thing we endure is worth it for the sake of the gospel.

By the end of Paul’s life he was probably crippled physically from so many torturous encounters, but he never let previous beatings or imprisonment stop him from advancing the kingdom. He never looked back and said wow I just wish that really great comfortable and beautiful season had lasted forever. No, he endures, pressing on and encouraging others to fight the good fight even when you’ve been pruned to the stump. You look like that bush someone pruned to the ground that no one ever thought would grow back, yet you do. God is doing a quiet work, slowly deepening that foundation fed on His fountain of living water. The growth is not yet upward for anyone even maybe yourself to really see, it is downward deepening in resilience in Him. The path may be unknown, you may only know one step at a time, but that obedience, lead to resilience, and got you to the other side. No matter how much life has kicked you in the face, God is not done, and we are victorious because of Christ’s finished work. We fight from victory, not for it. The challenge is that even in the dark places, we must be found believing in our victory even though we haven’t physically seen it.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Phillipians 4:4-7

Paul’s best writings came from the most difficult places of pressing, and in his encouragement of the church of Phillipi and many others, he knows many will face wilderness, tempting, testing, and adversity. Yet he calls us to rejoice, do not be anxious, pray no matter what, give thanks, and find peace in Jesus to guard yourself against the enemy. Despite our surroundings being in upheaval, our outer world seemingly crashing, and our inner world fretting, there is One who remains who is not. Even when you long for what is lost, struggle with the change in reality, and know life has to go forward in some direction you don’t understand, Jesus remains steadfast. He is the anchor to our soul, and the reason for living. He defines our future when we can’t see right in front of ourselves. He already wrote it into the heavens that we have much to look forward to and Him to look to when life kicks us down. He sanctifies us in the struggle if we put our joy, hope, and trust in Him in the process. He wants to see us grow deeper roots, so we can grow better fruit, more beautiful flowers, and stronger branches. There is no way to overcome wilderness places without Jesus, because He is the way, the truth, and the life. He is the path we follow when hell breaks loose, the truth we believe when the enemy lies to us, and the life breathed into us when we want to give in. Jesus wants to breathe life into you, so you can grow up out of the ground and testify to depths of which He’s grown you.

Leaving the wilderness behind is when you can let go of the longing of what was, so you can embrace what is. You have to come to a place of finding joy in Jesus with what is in front of you, even when you don’t understand. God wants your trust and your faith in His grand design for your life. You have to believe that He has more for you, that your ministry, your impact, your presence, your place in the world as a warrior for His kingdom is actively and carefully sculpted in the dark at times. You have to let go of what you know and take hold of what you don’t, submitting yourself to Him completely. In our submission and obedience in the hard places, we find a supernatural peace, rest, and reset for our spirit. You will know the moment you step out from that wilderness, when the testing is finished, and the coals of your heart are fanned to flame, there is a much greater understanding of who Jesus is to you, and why He is called Faithful and True. There is an even greater testimony of faith and impartation of wisdom ready to be poured out on the people around you. There is no longer a looking back wishing for the past season, that’s like wishing for flowers that have died, and shriveled when winter came. It is time for new flowers, greater beauty, and more supernatural glory. The new will not look like the old, because you are different, you have changed, you have become wiser, more mature in the Spirit; purified through God’s goodness, grace, and kindness in your stumbling. It is time to step forward, grow up out of the ground, and shine in the light. Press on to the call of Christ in your life and do not succumb to the enemy. Do not long for what was, rather walk forward in what is and trust He has your back and there’s a greater season ahead. You are a citizen of heaven, an adopted child of the Most High God, and friend of the Savior who gave everything for you, so don’t let the past stop you from living in the present and pressing on towards the future.

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained. Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

Philippians 3:17-21
Posted on by Sami M

Let Go >>> Let’s Go Pt 14

Letting go of distrust

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? 

Jeremiah 17:7-9

Do each of us truly trust the character of God? When life is found wanting, do we truly trust in His person that He will bless us, provide for us, and make a way? Do we believe Him and His promises? Do we believe in who He says we are? Do we believe that the most difficult or empty places in life can be filled with His glory if we trust that He’s in it with us? Do we trust Him with our everything? I think those questions are our greatest test of faith of whether or not we are truly trusting God with the whole of our lives. The supernatural joy we carry day in and out is fully dependent upon our trust and faith in His character. As soon as we are found not believing what God says to us, about us, or our life, we are allowing this lie in that He isn’t enough to guide us and be our provider. The prophet Jeremiah talks about what our lives can look like when we trust in the Lord with our whole heart in daily surrender. He makes this analogy of being rooted in God’s promises and character; they are like being planted by streams of water which never dry. He will continue to provide all that we need, no matter what we are facing. Jeremiah warns that we are to be careful in trusting in our own strength and operating out of our own ‘heart’ to make decisions. We are corrupt by nature, because of the sin in the world, which should make us much more cautious not to make decisions based on how we feel and what we see. The heart can be reckless and ride like a roller coaster when confronted with difficulties. We are meant to soak our hearts and minds in the fountain of living water, Jesus. We are called to trust in Him for everything, big or small. In this trust we can live in the imperishable blessings God wants to bestow on our lives. There’s more to be seen and understood when we know Jesus intimately enough to know He has our back no matter where we are at. Our trust in God’s will for us is directly impacted by how well we know Him. We have to understand who God is, and how He’s formed this complete eternal foundation which we can rely on. We have to be able to understand with our whole being who Jesus is to us, His work on the cross, the significance of His Holy Spirit within us, and how God orchestrated the entirety of the Living Word to help us know Him completely. There are four big characterizations of God which help us see and understand who he is to us. We will walk through how these descriptions of God is our Everlasting Rock, Living Water, Good Shepherd, and High Priest are so significant to us trusting in His character completely. Having a depth of understanding of God’s character helps fan that passion for living a Christ filled life. Knowing HIM will bring you to your knees and face in awe and wonder of what He’s done uniquely for YOU. We can only get there by deepening our relationship with Him by getting to know Him.

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord is an everlasting rock.”

Isaiah 26:3-4

Our Everlasting Rock, what a powerful description of our mighty God, our solid foundation. A good builder always builds on a solid foundation, and from the foundation up thinks through every detail of the structure in order for it to last and stand strong no matter what the structure may face. Our Builder & Creator has made everything in perfection, and is the foundation which holds up the world, people, creatures, plants, the seas, anything, and everything. We forget that the One who Created everything, upholds everything every minute, and is the Everlasting Rock because He sustains literally everything surrounding us, including us. We can have an unshakeable peace, that if God upholds the universe every second, how much more will He uphold you personally if He is your foundation and the One who builds your life. Jesus confirms all of our trust we put in God because of His work on the cross. His saving work of our souls is proof on its own that He is our steady foundation upon which we build our lives and upon which we make our decisions. We tend to try to be our own builders thinking that we can build our lives in our own way in our own strength, that somehow we can each attain this perfect life that looks incredible to the people we encounter. We are not perfect; our thoughts, ways, and plans are certainly not perfect because of the sin we fight. Somewhere in the midst of our building, crumbling, building, and repeating, we have to turn around and look to the One who is perfect, and can build the life that shines in the world. We can attain peace and steadiness when we are relying wholly on Jesus to guide our lives, rooted in Him, and poured out on the world around us by His Spirit.

“On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified..” 

John 7:37-39

Jesus’ Holy Spirit as our Living Water is what builds our lives upon the foundation of God Himself. We regularly miss the greater depth behind the Living Water we receive from God; the Water pours out the fountain of eternity which feeds everything Jesus touches and in turn raises from the dead. The sin in the world causes everything to die, which is one of the many reasons we thirst for what brings us to life in the world around us. We are constantly seeking what makes us feel joyful, secure, and alive. We many times miss the first step into resting in that security and joy, we miss God’s Spirit, which He gave us to help continually direct us to eternal joy and security. God’s Spirit raises us, our souls, from the dead when we take that step to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior who was raised from the dead by the same Spirit, and ascended to heaven to be seated, ruling and reigning at the right hand of the Father. Jesus provides our living water, His Spirit, to us to provide constant access and connection to Him. The Holy Spirit fills each of us believers and is meant to be a means of watering us so we can grow up into Christ’s image. We are gifted access to Living Water, pure Truth, in order to feed our minds and souls the best way. We should be seeking the Living Water to bring us to life, find our deepest unwavering joy, and our complete security in our identity. There’s this struggle against our flesh though, a struggle that distracts and divides us from the watering of the Spirit on us. We struggle with the world feeding us lies that puff us up, beat us up, or break us down, trying to constantly defeat our spirit at every corner. The world feeding you will make you work hard in every direction to grow, but inevitably will not last and land you covering up the mess or crumbling to the floor. The narrow Truth is an intentional truth, and if we widen our eyes to all of the worldly options for filling us up, the easy options, we will find ourselves adrift from the Truth which is narrow and unyielding to the world. We drift into the ocean around us and it dries us out. The world will certainly leave us out to dry and bake us in the hot sun, crumbling. The Holy Spirit beckons us to walk in His crystal clear waters, which refresh us, but they are narrow and we have to keep our eyes and complete focus on where He leads. When we soak in the Truth, and the direction of the Spirit, instead of drying out, we become so full, we operate out of a supernatural overflow. The overflow reaches out and touches everything we touch, and then the world gets touched by eternity, by the all powerful and unyielding King of Kings. When we soak in his waters, filled by His refreshing breath, and grown by His direction we truly see with clarity how we can trust the Father with everything. His waters are clearer than crystal, nothing to hide, never petty, or scheming, just pure loving Truth.

“I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.”

John 10:14-16

We see Jesus as our Shepherd who guides us on this path of life, helping us stay straight, building our lives in a good Godly direction. First we have to trust Him to guide us in our daily decisions, which can be hard. Do you truly believe that Jesus knows you intimately, every fiber of who you are? I think most of the time we miss the part where God truly KNOWS you, better than you know you. He created you, wove your spirit into His perfection in the heavenly places, and then placed you here uniquely in perfect timing. He built you perfectly in His image and has plans for you to carry His mission out in the world. He knows your strengths, weaknesses, sins, struggles, things you hate, things you love, your passions, your gifts, your insecurities, your motives, and every other thing about you, and who you are. He knows that despite how fragile you are, sinful you are, and how much you struggle, that He can do a work in you, through you, which will reach the world around you. God is not reliant upon us to get anything done, but He does desire to partner with us in all He does so we can be used for a much greater mission. He desires for us to bring the gospel to the people around us, and to help build up the Church around us if we will partner with Him. More than anything, God desires us to delight in Him and desire HIM. In order for God to work within us, we have to trust in Him as our Shepherd. Jesus our great Shepherd sought each of us out individually calling us by name to bring us into His flock. There was a day in your life where you really met Jesus for the first time, the day He called you up from the ashes. You believe in Him to save you from yourself, and accepted Him as your Lord and Savior. You believe He died for you, and was raised, so that one day you will rise again when Heaven meets earth. How much more, if you trust Him with your eternity, will you trust Him with your daily life? The challenge is to trust Jesus as your daily shepherd, your guide to this life, going before you and making a way. He deeply desires to go before you in all you do making a way so that each decision you make is a part of the divine calling on your life. We are described as sheep in comparison to Jesus. Sheep need a shepherd desperately because they cannot fend for themselves and get into all sorts of trouble. Sheep are unable to survive on their own, which is why you never really hear of wild sheep. Sheep need to be shown the way to food and water; their daily lives managed so that they are kept healthy and safe from harm. We would like to think that we can shepherd ourselves and follow others we idolize for direction, and somehow people will satisfy us, keeping us healthy. If you have lived for more than 5min or are just honest with yourself, you will know that anyone who is not driving you to Jesus and the foot of the cross for guidance is not a great shepherd, nor are you. None of us can lead ourselves, and the only way we can lead others in a bountiful way, is through our Shepherd, Jesus. He’s the only one who has it right because He is God, your Creator, infallible, all knowing, the whole truth, and knows you intimately. Jesus is looking for you every day, calling on you every day to come into His sheepfold and be filled with Him. You are the one He leaves the ninety nine for when you drift from His presence. He deeply desires your complete reliance on Him for every single day of your life, even when it is going great and “You got it covered, and don’t need no help!”. Trust me you still need help, because you’re still a hot mess sheep who can’t be your own guide. When you are at your bottom and hopeless, you are still a sheep and He is still your Shepherd. He will pick you up, put you on His shoulders and carry you back to where you are meant to be. Either way, you are meant to call out to Him daily when He calls your name, and focus your eyes on Him, listening for Him, allowing Him to lead you to greener pastures. Jesus as your Shepherd is a daily surrender to Him as the one who cares for you and leads you. Laying down your wild, I can handle it, independence and focusing on the One who makes you whole. We are meant to be healthy sheep flocking together as one with Jesus, so we can reach the one who has gone astray.

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Hebrews 4:12-16

Jesus is our high priest, our intercessor, the One who stands before God the Father making a way for us, so that every need and prayer is brought before Him. Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father ruling and reigning making way for every believer so that our prayers are met with mercy, grace, and God’s eternal goodness. Jesus is so much more than some man who died (He is God who laid down His life for us as fully man and fully God). He is our advocate before God, so that we can draw near to the heavenly throne and be heard. Jesus understands every struggle, pain, temptation, and loss we will encounter in this life, because He experienced every pain this world has to offer, yet remained sinless. He knows exactly where you are at every time you come to Him with your weaknesses, because He understands the weakness of man, without himself being weak. God sees you through and through, knows exactly what is going on whether or not you tell Him. There is nothing hidden in His eyes, because He is all knowing and all seeing, but despite God knowing our ugliest of ugly, He gave us Jesus. Jesus is worthy of all of our praise for being our advocate before God knowing full well how messy we are, yet meeting us with mercy and grace. Jesus has a complete understanding of what you are struggling with, and can sympathize with your inadequacy. We can have complete confidence that Jesus is on our side, fighting the good fight along side us. What we struggle with is coming to the throne of grace and admitting that we have struggled and need help from the heavenly places. We try so hard to be the strongest people we know, when really we are weak, and Jesus is just waiting to meet us in our weakness and breathe life back into our bones. We are challenged daily to submit our strength to Christ’s throne, because the world shouts daily that we are to be strong, perfect, and adequate in all seasons. Really the only on who is strong is Christ, because He was able to live out a human life with eternal strength and wisdom, die for us, walk through hell, be raised from the grave, and then ascend to heaven. Only HE had the strength to defeat sin and hell, so we have to sit in a reality, that we need HIM to defeat sin and hell in our own lives. There is no other way, only He is perfect and able to get you through life, because He did it with eternal heavenly perfection. He is who we focus our eyes on when we want to hide our mess, because instead of being torn down for our inadequacy, Jesus brings our need to the Father. Jesus meets us in our need with heavenly help of the Holy Spirit and gives us every heavenly resource to march forward with a bold confidence in our identity. He places His stamp upon us, where we are found adequate, whole, and holy. We can’t hide from God, He knows, He’s waiting, and He wants to meet your needs and exceed your expectations. God wants to see you walk a life in communion with him, continually being sanctified by His Spirit. First surrender your strength to the High Priest who advocates for you, pursues you, grows you, loves you, and pours out every spiritual blessing upon you. Just posture yourself to receive what you already have as a co inheritor of the kingdom of God.

We see that our foundation, food, guide, and advocate in this life are all found completely in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus is described as our rock, living water, shepherd, and high priest. He is our rock, steady foundation, immovable, impervious, able to withstand anything. He provides our living water through the presence and power of His Holy Spirit, that which provides life to us, filling us, and growing us. He is our shepherd, our guide, the one who rights our path, and makes our way safe. He is also our high priest, the one who stands before God on our behalf, as our mediator, bringing to the Father all of our needs. When we are able to grasp the gravity of who He is, only then can we truly trust in Him to be there for us in every way. Jesus life is testimony to His character, His character is testimony of who God is. We constantly wrestle with unbelief of who God is, because we see the brokenness of our own lives and the mess of the people around us. We constantly battle this idea that we are our own problem solvers, and that in our own strength we can do anything. Only in Jesus’ strength can we walk through this life with full confidence and assurance of who we are and where we are going. Jesus heart for us, is what sustains us in every season, a firm foundation, always watering us, guiding us, and advocating for us in the heavenly places. We are not promised an easy life, we are actually promised struggle and pain because of the state of the world. BUT Jesus does promise us that we have access to every resource of heaven as He did, and that He is with us and for us. We just have to trust His character, knowing Him intimately, and surrender our ways for His ways. In this surrender and trust in Him, we can face anything coming our way with bold confidence as a Holy people.

Posted on by Sami M

Let Go >>> Let’s Go Pt.13

Letting go of your wild

I am the true vine , and my Father is the Vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that does not bear fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless youe abide in Me.

John 15:1-4

Little did I know when I started this series of letting go, so I could say yes to God’ s call of let’s go, that it would be this process of epic pruning all the way to the stump at times, like a rose bush that has grown wild and untamed for years. It’s roots are good, but not everything that is growing is healthy. The bush has too many inconsistancies, growing in many directions, taking on a life of its own. If anyone has seen an unkempt rose bush, you know there’s potential for more fruitful growth, more flowers, and better direction. The bush has to be pruned back to its start, to grow it in a better direction, consistently kept up by its keeper. What I have learned in the last year, is we are like wild rose bushes when we grow our own way, despite being grown in the goodness of God.

We can be planted by God, watered by Him, but not allow Him to do regular pruning and upkeep of our soul. I think many times we think that by our good deeds, baptism of the Spirit, our regular commitments to church, and Jesus community that these are enough and by extension that we will walk on the path of sanctification consistently becoming more like Christ. Consistency in our walk with Christ is defined by our willingness to submit to our Vinedresser. I’ve found that without us seeking God with daily intention and looking for Him in moments of each day, we miss His touch on our encounters with the world around us. We miss His provision in the midst of loss, His blessing in moments of joy, His favor in hard fought victories, His pruning in moments of pain, His glory in places of beauty, His guidance in difficult decisions, His peace in times of trial, His patience in our struggle, and His kindness when we falter. We miss so many moments with God, that we lose the direction of God, running wild without Him. The Spirit of God desires to run wild with us and in us, leading us.

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

John 15:5

Saying yes to God daily means that the Holy Spirit does a regular pruning of our sinful souls when we abide in Christ, gently growing us in the right direction. We have to seek Him earnestly in our daily lives with an intentional heart. We can get caught up in chasing the look of a Christ like life without the intimacy of it. Intimacy is where God can intentionally grow us, and prune us in a more regular fashion. I think we tend to run off on our own instead and go, “I’ve got this! Thanks for everything!”, but that’s not what abiding in the Vine really looks like. God is really good at letting us grow in every direction, but at some point we meet His boundaries for us and that is where He reminds us of who we are and where we are meant to be going. God wants our total and complete dependency on Him for the direction of our growth, so He can grow us better in every area. Growth requires pruning back even the good stuff. With roses keeping them pruned regularly keeps the branches healthier so they can produce more flowers. God desires to take every single area of your life and make it better in a completely supernatural way that is so indescribable that the His glory shines through. Even Jesus needed continual communion with God in order to fulfill His mission on earth.

But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.

Matthew 14:15-16

If we look at Jesus before His ministry began in Matthew 4, He is led by the Holy Spirit to the wilderness place for forty days to fast and stand before God to prepare Him for His ministry. God called Jesus to Himself before sending Him out to bear fruit. Jesus didn’t just sit for forty days doing nothing, He spend those days in fasting, prayer, and communion with God. Was it comfortable, probably not, was He very physically weak and tired by the end, yes. At the end of this period we see then, after being built up in the Lord, He is tested by Satan, yet despite being weak, He is made strong, and resists Him. Then after this He steps into His ministry and bears fruit outwardly to the communities around Him. Christ’s time and testing didn’t end there; His complete reliance on the Father’s guidance and character was required right up until the end. There are many examples of Jesus’ reliance on the pruning, watering, and growth from God. In Luke 6:12 we see Christ rely on the Father to provide the wisdom for Him to pick the people of His inner circle. He seeks the comfort of God in the midst of loss when He receives news of John the Baptist’s death in Matthew 14:13. Jesus heals tons of people throughout scripture, Luke 5:16, in this case it is a man with leprousy; immediately after He leaves to commune with God to be renewed and restored in humility. Jesus could have easily run on healing many others, as we probably would, in His own pride, but He didn’t. As we know, for Him to live as He lived, continued humility was key. He sought this through the highs and lows of His ministry by retreating to God’s presence no matter what amazing thing He had done or sadness He experienced. There are many other instances of Jesus need for the direction of God, showing us how to abide in God, but these are just a few. Jesus’ life was no cake walk, He experienced the supernatural miracles we dream of, but also experienced loss to the greatest degree, and lived with His disciples everywhere inbetween. Somehow He managed as fully man to show us what a wild life with God looked like, never once did He run on His own esteem. He had a total and utter dependence on the Vinedresser. Jesus’ life is what we as believers could only dream of living, a wild ride with the Holy Spirit, ministering to thousands while staying in perfect harmony with God’s will. A completely fulfilling and exciting life, even with the difficult choices that He had to make along the way.

Somewhere along the line, we see life in our own way, and think God is done prepping us or teaching us for a while. We go it alone in a sense, never completely, but definitely running on some pride thinking ok, I’m ready, I can go my own way. The reality is we are never ready to go our own way because we live in an imperfect world, in sinful bodies who commune poorly with our Creator, if we’re honest. If Jesus who inhabited a broken body relied on the Heavenly Father for His every move, then why do we think that we have it right taking our growth in our own hands. When reality strikes us, we realize that maybe we are going about our ministry, family, relationships, personal growth, job, etc wrong. Jesus couldn’t do it, so how could we? Pride, yep, simple pride. God desires to strip us of our pride, so that we can see that whether we are in a season of joyful smooth sailing, transition, or a season of loss, we need Him all the same. We get blinded somehow thinking that we should have it all our way or that life should be easy and we only need God when it isn’t working for us. Wrong move on our part, God is equally in our corner whether we are in a constant struggle to stay above water or living through the most joyous season yet. His presence, goodness, and wisdom never stop pouring out, but we are capable of stepping away from the oil He’s trying to anoint us with or we are showing up with a cup thats too small. We are allowed to choose, but we many times feel like we can place anointing and favor upon ourselves just because something is good and He was blessing, when God has moved somewhere else. We don’t follow well. Or we are showing up before God with a kiddie cup with this expectation that He can’t turn our messiest and most painful situation into beauty and glory. Just abide, and throw your pride and small expectations to the wind.

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion– to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified. 

Isaiah 61:1-3

We are the planting of the Lord, called to be righteous and Holy, giving up our weedy and wild tendencies. Jesus showed us what an amazing and full life looked like without getting caught up in the weeds or growing off in some other direction far off from God’s anointing on His life. This sanctification process through the pruning of our wild is a refinement process, removing from you the baggage of your sin that will keep you from stepping from one place of growth to the next. The Father wants to rip out our pride by the roots; He didn’t plant a spirit of pride, He planted a righteous, holy follower of Christ. When you and I accepted the saving grace of Christ, allowing the everlasting life of the Holy Spirit to dwell in us, we accepted a new identity. As we walk by the Spirit, the fruit we bear outwardly to the world grows in number. The places you’ve always struggled, become less, and the direction of your heart begins to permanently shift in a different direction. Our sinful tendencies start to fade, and our walk with Christ blossoms. The darkest times we walk through become filled with the sustaining goodness of God, shaping us in a more beautiful way. We see the miracles that are possible, hoping in everlasting possibilities, rather than losing faith in God’s character. We begin to trust His character and His motives rather than judge Him by where we are and what we faintly see with human eyes. The seasons of transition no longer become a narrow hallway we want to escape but rather a laser focus on who God is, and where He is potentially pointing us. The joyous and abundant seasons become a place of thankfulness and generosity, not gathering for ourselves, but rather pouring out, just as God does for us. I know where I am, and its not a visibly joyous season, but I do know there is this invisible and supernatural joy I will abide in every day, even when I’m seen to the other side of what seems impossible. I will hope, be steadfast in faith, constant in prayer, doing my best never to show up with the kiddie cup for God. I will show up every day to the best of my reckoning to say YES to let’s go, no matter what is in front of me, and let go of whats hindering me.

Posted on by Sami M

Let Go >>> Let’s Go Pt.12

Letting go of your stubbornness.

“Yet the Lord set His heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day. Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn. For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe.”

Deuteronomy 10:15-17

I am positive we all get stubborn in our own way quite frequently, unwilling to change without force, compromise, or bribery. Our stubbornness gets the better of us keeping us traveling in the same direction over and over until we have worn a trench so deep it doesn’t seem possible to change course. Other times we keep walking down a path that leads us to a literal or proverbial deathly cliff edge. Well let me tell you God doesn’t find your trench or your cliff hanging path intimidating in the slightest. With Him, course correction is what He does, because He knows when choosing a path on your own, where you are going, and how you will get there . Your path doesn’t scare Him, nor does the stubbornness of your heart that got you there. He sees you, every part, even the deepest depths of your soul. Yet, there is hope, because He knows who He made you to be. Who YOU are in Christ as a co-inheritor of the Kingdom of God means there is always hope for your life here on earth and forever in eternity. Your identity defines your future, not the sinful choices you make or the stubbornness you carry. If God can be faithful and generous with whole of Israel throughout the Old Testament who were stubborn, constantly complaining about their circumstances, and falling back into sin regularly, He will do a work in you. Will it be overnight and with little effort on your part, probably not. Your trek from stubbornness to submission, wilderness to promised land, mourning to joy, and frustration to fruit is on the Father’s timeline (which is almost never on ours). Much of this heart change is dependent on your willingness to let go when He says let go and go forward when He says march, trusting in who He is. When you lay the whole of your identity in who He is and who He says you are, you can allow a course change in your life toward a beautiful direction.

“For the land that you are entering to take possession of it is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and irrigated it, like a garden of vegetables. But the land that you are going over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water by the rain from heaven, a land that the Lord your God cares for. The eyes of the Lord your God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.”

Deuteronomy 11:10-12

God is always moving us to greater glory when we are in alignment with Him. We see this when He speaks of the land the Israelites will inherit. We see above God speaking to the Israelite people telling them their future is not built upon what they make for themselves, which landed them in slavery to the world, the world being Egypt at the time. Our own glory we create in our own toil when we are far from God pales in comparison to the glory meant for us when we stand in God’s light. Egypt was a godless nation which drew the people further away from God’s path for them. Their stubbornness is what made their trek from Egypt to Israel forty years long instead of eleven days. God knew that they would not meet their promised land as a new people, one with God, walking the straight path, in such a short distance or timeline. The lengthy and circuitous route they took during the forty year period is what solidified the Israelites as God’s chosen people who would be set apart from the world. He wanted to bring His people from glory of previous generations, forward to greater glory so they could stand in His promises. In that forty year wilderness, God never left them. He stayed with His people guiding them and providing for them every step of the way. God molded and shaped the way for His people to stand apart throughout time. In our stubbornness of heart, and wilderness places, a big question is are we trusting God will see us through? Will we be obedient in His course correction for our hearts and minds? Will we allow God to take us from our previous glory in another season, to greater glory on the other side of our wilderness and stubborn heart?

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.

Proverb 3:5-8

When you find yourself rinsing and repeating areas of struggle, usually God is trying to reveal to you that there is a stubbornness of heart and unwillingness to change. He wants you to know that if you choose to go through the process of Him pruning away the stubbornness of your heart, He will see you through to the other side. The greatest revelation is to put your trust in His character, know He will see your path made straight, and set you on the other side of your struggle. The Father is more wise than we give Him credit for. In us allowing Him to do a work in our heart, we allow for a refreshment of our heart and soul. Our struggle with sin and disobedience is on going and will never stop. With the Holy Spirit as our guide, and scripture as our standard of Truth, we can trek through the deepest wilderness and find the other side better than whence we came. God desires continual growth in each of us throughout our lifetime, which requires continual sanctification, becoming more Christ like each day. The upward call to live a Christ like life is no easy task, because Christ’s life, death, and resurrection was no easy path. Our path to walk a Holy and righteous life such as the Son of God, requires trial, temptation, and sanctification. We can do it, we can let go of our stubbornness to go our own way. We can let go of the desire to lives as though we are more wise than our God. We can let go of our need to be our own god and know our own way. Jesus is the Way, the measure of Truth, and the eternal Life. If we want Jesus, we must allow God to become the champion of our wilderness, because there is no other way we make it out the other side better than when we entered. We are set apart children of God, living for a higher calling than the satisfaction of ourselves. Trust that God knows what He’s doing when you meet your wilderness and find your stubbornness in the midst. He’s calling you to let go of your old ways, thoughts, desires, understandings, habits, and sometimes relationships. Just let go, He will pull you from your trench and set you on His highest places. You will travel and experience life in an abundant way that you had not yet experienced. In your obedience of letting go, you will find yourself aligned with the heart of God, His plans for you, and for His glory. Keep going and know He has not left you, will not leave you. Trust in His direction and keep marching, your path will be made straight. Let go of your stubbornness and step into greater glory for His kingdom.

Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”

Hebrews 3:12-15
Posted on by Sami M · 1 Comment

Let Go >>> Let’s Go Pt. 11

Self Justification…A lie

The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit. Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble. Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished. By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the Lord one turns away from evil. When a man’s ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice. The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

Proverbs 16:1-9

The last few months have been a wild ride through some sketchy wilderness on a personal level and that doesn’t include anything that I have seen on a societal level within our country and communities. I have sat in silence since April knowing I needed to write, that the Holy Spirit has been nagging me every day to just sit, soak, and write His words down on the page of all that I do not understand. That is terrifying, writing on what I don’t understand, and don’t trust His goodness and timing with. So instead I have sat with this knowing that I should write even though, I feel like I can’t, and have allowed Satan to come and attack, picking away at my trust in the knowledge and wisdom of the Holy Spirit. Satan strategically got me believing that the distance and procrastination I put between me and writing was justified, and that I had fallen too far from my walk to step back into that Secret Place. Not sure where you are, but if you have experienced anything like I have, then I hope like me, the Holy Spirit has pressed upon your heart that this is a LIE. Last week I finally got to sit for 3hrs reading the Living Word and bam, instantly I realized God was fully present and had been waiting for me to just give into this nagging and stop justifying my avoidance of His presence, believing He wouldn’t show up for me. Somewhere in the last 5 months I began to believe that He wouldn’t show up for me, because other people in my life with a walk stopped showing up. I justified distancing myself from Truth, and came into agreement with lies because of pain, hurt, lack of understanding, and inability to receive encouragement/rebuke from my usual community of people. Satan is sneaky like that, He will make you believe that you are unworthy of the goodness of God, because of the behavior of people. And so you justify your pain, your disappointment, grief, frustration, etc. at the expense of your relationship with a Heavenly Father who deeply desires daily continual relationship with Him no matter what life throws at you. You are never not enough for Him, and no matter how far you fall believing lies of the enemy, the Father will pick you back up.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”

Hebrews 12:1-6

So this word on self justification, hits home and it hits hard, but I believe is not just a word for me, but for everyone. We all walk each day believing we are justified in all kinds of thinking and behavior, when we aren’t. If it is not of Truth, if it is not of God, the immeasurable, immovable purveyor of wisdom, honesty, and justice, then it is NOT for us, HIS PEOPLE. We forget who we belong to and who we are image bearers of, because we get stuck in the world and believing what we see, when we are called to believe the unseen Holy presence of God that rests upon us each day. We justify what we think and do because we see things, take them at face value, believe them, which then blinds our spiritual eyes from seeing what God is working in us and in our communities. We step away from our faith and take our eyes away from the one true King, and we become what we behold. At some point, like me, you realize Jesus was no longer who you were looking at and your lens changed to what you see, not what He sees.

We are lead to repentance, a place of humility where we no longer wallow, justifying our emotions, feelings, inward, or even outward behavior. Living in a place where you can’t escape swirl of processing your surroundings, passing conclusions or judgements on your current life circumstance is a dangerous, prideful place to be. You have set yourself in the judgement seat, the one who should have answers and solutions, eliminating God’s plan, righteous judgement, and truth to enter into the space. You have attached to and accepted your sinful state as your truth and place of living, rather than committing your pride and passing judgement to God. In an instance you have belittled the work of the cross, and who Jesus truly is in your life. I did that, and justifying my feelings put a wall up between me and a Holy walk with Christ which I hold near and dear. BUT because of the grace God gives, the Holy Spirit woos each of us back into His presence, and leads us into repentance and restoration of our hearts. The Father prunes back the growth that wasn’t from Him, and restores you to who you are called to be. We just have to come to a place of humility in our broken state, allowing the absolute, irrevocable forgiveness of God to wash over us. He goes above and beyond not to just accept us back, but instead tugs at us, convicts us, and then welcomes us with open arms. His faithfulness will always overcome our lack of faith and disobedience. His grace is greater than our circumstance.

Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; 

Hebrews 12:12-14

I don’t have all of the answers, nor does God always provide them in the timing I want, but what He does do is call me to look at Him, and not the circumstances right in front of me. You and I are called to look beyond the seen into the unseen. In this obedience we can have full assurance of faith (Hebrews 10:19-39), that the Father will provide peace over our souls (John 16:33), and help straighten our paths (Jeremiah 31:9) so we may speak and walk in a manner pleasing to God (Colossians 1:10). When we get here, where what we see physically, is no longer all consuming; the importance of trying to control, solve, and fix the problem before us fades away. Instead we give way for the Holy Spirit to lead each day and help us live in a way where we are truly justified before God, honoring the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ.

We are called to humility rather than pride that ensnares us into believing we can justify our behavior and thinking. In this we tear down the barrier we built between us and the Holy Spirit. In our acceptance of our sin in feeling justified in our behavior and belief, we deny ourselves the comfort and wisdom the Good Shepherd provides. We deny His pursuit of our whole heart. We make everything loud, busy and clanging to drown out the Truth and revelation God wants to bring to us. Each of us are called to step out of our wallowing, self righteousness, suffering, pride, or circumstance so we an see beyond the physical. We need to acknowledge the forgiveness and grace extended to us by a Heavenly Father who knows us best. Our lives are not comfortable, and we aren’t meant to chase comforts of what we perceive to be true. Our true Comfort is defined by the pursuit of our Father no matter what we are struggling with. We can choose to overcome suffering recognizing God’s hand in it or we can allow suffering to become a dividing wall. Pick up your Sword, and cut down the sin you have accepted as the truth, and let go of justifying your behavior. God is our one true righteous judge, and because of His Son, we are able to be justified before Him, we are just asked to commit our lives to His continual shaping and molding. You are never lost to the Creator, just accept His pursuit, and allow Him to be the refiner and definer of your life.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

1 Peter 5:6-11
Posted on by Sami M

Let Go >>> Let’s Go Pt.10

Peace in the woods

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 3:14-19

Letting go of trying to over analyze new spaces and controlling hard situations is tricky on our own. I sit here today after having ridden over 100 miles on a new to me mountain bike I purchased weeks previous. In this exciting place of riding the trails on a new bike, I have come to many beautiful revelations of the Spirit and have found myself profoundly wondering about the nature of God and our journey with our Father and Creator. We have a such a unique and beautiful God who can scarcely be described in the english language to a degree that is satisfactory. What I can say is that He is life giving (1 Corinthians 15:45), rich in mercy (Ephesians 2:4), full of grace (John 1:14), steadfast in righteousness (James 1:12), loving beyond measure (1 John 4:18), fair in judgement (2 Timothy 4:8), kind hearted (Romans 2:4), sole provider for our souls (2 Peter 1:11), the everlasting (Romans 8:38-39), beginning and the end (Revelation 21:6), redeemer and refiner (Psalm 19:14), wise beyond our understanding(1 Corinthians 1:25), the King of kings (1 Timothy 6:15), and our greatest friend (John 15:15). In spending time on the trails, I have been taught so many things as to who our King really is, and it has been a riveting journey, that I know will continue for as long as I pursue Him.

Three simple things I’ve come to find when biking:

1. A new bike takes time to become wildly confident to trust it to stay upright on every turn, root, and rock.

2. Consistent rides takes practice, and a commitment to loving what you are doing even when it seems impossible.

3. When you look ahead at the bigger picture, technical sections and scary descents become thrilling instead of second guessing.

When God is calling you into a new season or out of an old one, it can be daunting, and discouraging because it is like navigating a brand new trail, brand new bike, or both and nothing feels right. I am in a place where God has ripped the rug out from under me in one area and is breathing brand new life into another. You may be in a place where all it seems is crashing around you, called to a new adventure, or somewhere in the middle. You know where you are, and if you don’t you should stop and pray out loud over it for clarity. The best part of whatever place you are in right now with your life, is that God is unchanging unlike the bike or the trail. We tend to fall on the rocks or fly over the handlebars, but God surely isn’t, He’s just waiting for you to come to Him with the burdens or questions you carry and rely on Him to help you navigate the roots and rocks. He desires to remind you that the handlebars of your bike may feel different, the gears may not be the same, but your purpose and your God have not changed. God brings us to and through all kinds of change and growth that may feel different or even be painful, but what He wants you to see is that there is fruit and beauty on the other side. God wants you to grow in your relationship with Him and be a conquerer of those new trails or that new bike. In this then you can lead others to be trail warriors as well.

For rides on the trails to get consistent, they take commitment, courage, and love for the journey even when the going gets rough. Getting into a good rhythm with God or creating new habits with God take time, consistency, and love. The ride of life is those mountains and valleys no doubt, but we have a choice. We can either wander around by ourselves stumbling over rocks and roots, get lost somewhere along the way, or look at Jesus for guidance and reassurance. Deep positive change in life requires it to come our of a place of love, sheer will power rarely, if ever changes us. Love drives all things in our lives. So who loves us the most, Jesus, who should we love the most, Jesus. Why? Because there is no greater love than the love God has for us, shown through the life, death, and resurrection of His son, Jesus Christ. What is the sure way to create consistency with God, chase the love of Christ and accept the love He displays for you. Prayer time, bible study, ministry work, worship, generosity, joy, healthy friendships, marriage, church community, mental health, emotional health, etc are all places where God may be calling you to dive deeper and become consistent. The only way this can happen is through an understanding of His love for you, and a desire to get to know Him. In this the rocky sections of life you’ve attempted to navigate on your own, the sketchy downhill roots you keep falling on, or places you walk your bike down, fade away. Even those places you just straight up avoid because you don’t think you can handle it, God can, and He desires to do it with you. God wants to get consistent in His time with you in EVERY SINGLE AREA. I mean, literally, every facet of your life, God wants to touch it and make it beautiful. You have to know Him and love Him first, that cultivates change and growth. Then you have to accept what He wants to do in you and say yes. Finally you find consistency and see the fruit of your labors.

Hardest lesson learned on the trails, scary things are way easier if you JUST KEEP GOING FORWARD. The worst thing you can do on a trail when biking is over analyze a technical rocky or rooty section and hit the brakes. It almost always ends in falling of the bike or stepping off and walking it over. Neither of these results help you learn how to navigate the difficult sections you come across. Life is filled with difficult decisions, unknowns, scary situations, and all kinds of oh crap moments. When we panic, overthink, stare at the problem, fixate on one thing, or run fifty scenarios in our head of what ifs, it is like hitting the brakes in a non helpful way bringing you to a skidding stop or a really rough walk around that avoids an issue other than facing it full on. The best question is, where was God in all of that navigation, probably not there, because He doesn’t panic, or lose sight of the greater picture before you. When the going gets tricky, technical, scary, or difficult, that is where God wants to jump in and show you the best path to get to the other side. Relationship with God requires momentum, consistency and trust. You have to trust Him with the bigger narrative of your life in order to trust Him with the little nuances that like to derail you or scare you. He will make the scariest places a daring joyride, that leads you to bold trust in His capability to lead you, and lead others to the other side even when it seems insane or nothing looks ‘right.’ Sometimes He just wants to see if you will jump and trust the bike and tires underneath you to grip on to every surface and keep ripping down the trail or climb up the steep ascent. God will not skid out from underneath you or navigate your life poorly. He is our everything, the alphabet of who we are in Him.

God is the alphabet of our lives, our A-Z, almighty, advocate, anointed, all in all, brother, builder, beginning, beloved, blessed, bright morningstar, captain of salvation, counselor, crown of righteousness, creator, deliverer, days men, dayspring, emmanuel, ensign, everlasting, foundation, forerunner, first born, friend, faithful, guide, governor, glory, God of gods, giver, holiness, health, hope, Holy one, head of all, horn of salvation, great I am, intercessor, judge, Jesus, King, kinsman redeemer, Lord, lawgiver, light, liberator, love, master, mediator, Messiah, mercy seat, meek and lowly, merciful one, minister, naked crucified King, nobility, Nazarene, overcomer, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, overseer, peace, power, pardon, physician, passover, prophets, redeemer, ransom, refiner, refuge, restorer, shield, sanctuary, sanctification, shiloh, song, star, salvation, sacrifice, strength, teacher, truth, treasure, threshold, thrice Holy, tune, throne, unchanging, undefiled, unsearchable, vine, virgin born, word, wonderful, wipes our tears, worthy to open seals, worship, wrath, yesterday today and forever, zeal of our hearts. The alphabet of God, is Jesus, the sweetest name of all.

Jesus is everything we could ever desire in someone as the satisfier of our souls. My hope is that you desire to understand who He is and cultivate relationship with Him, because He came for you, and deeply desires to walk this life with you. God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in His son. Then our lives reflect the beauty of God in our daily lives, down to the deepest parts of who we are. This is God’s greatest desire over your life, to desire to know Him, love Him, and seek to do life with Him guiding you. God wants all of the glory and is jealous for your heart, He wants you, every last piece, so He can refine you into His beautiful reflection as His child, like He originally intended.