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. 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

The Soul Waits

“The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”

Genesis 1:2

We first meet the Holy Spirit hovering over the still waters of the earth of which have no form. Here we see God bring forth creation out of this still and unformed space. He’s calling you to meet Him there in that space, that still formless space, but first you have to lay down your burdens at His feet. He wants to speak this new life over you, something that burns away the darkness. He wants to do a new thing in you and with you. The Holy Spirit desires to fan the flames of your heart back to life. Your burdens are quenching that flame, the struggles, the pride, the stress, the frustration; lay them down. Pour out your heart to Him, lay down these burdens that quench the Spirit within you. A flame cannot be fanned to life if you are constantly putting it our with the burdens you carry. The soul can only wait in silence once all burdens are left at the foot of the cross. Only then can you be prepared to receive an be fanned back to life. He’s calling you to a quiet, patient, silence, in a posture of humility. Here is where God wants to bring forth new life, new dreams, new plans, a new future you didn’t know was coming. He’s desiring to bring you to your fullest point, full of life and the fire of His Spirit. Lay down your burdens, kneel in the silence, rest in the Presence, and receive what the Holy Spirit so desires to bring forth in you.

“Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him. God is a refuge for us.”

Psalm 62:8

Posted on by Sami M

The imperishable wreath

You received an imperishible wreath which marks you as a victor over death and the grave, making you into a co-inheritor of the Kingdom of Heaven. It is a signet designating you as a part of the royal priesthood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Lest you not forget the life set before you is one to be lived championing the King of kings, living out His declaration of life and freedom over you. Be disciplined in your walk, honoring the One who has bestowed upon you a crown of steadfast love and mercy. You are a planting of the Lord, clothed in a garment of praise, and anointed for such a time as now. Do not let your praise fade, or your discipline go awash. You wear the armor of the Holy Spirit and you are meant to walk with an authority over the darkness. You are called to carry the abundant Joy of Spirit which shatters the Enemy. Do not forget who has placed the wreath of eternity upon your shoulders, He has declared you as HIS, the KING & CREATOR of all. He is your discipline, your lifeline, your first love, your guide, and your one true path. You are a child of the most high King, walk in it boldly.

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

Reflecting Christ’s Character

A prophetic word walking into the unknown.

Your character is refined and defined by Me. Do not be afraid to walk out into the unknown spaces, because I am your foothold. The path you take will be defined in a unique supernatural way. Do not waver in your identity and character as you make way. I am your mirror, and will always reflect the peace and confidence you need to march forth. If you trust in what you see in Me, you will make it through, blazing a new path, taking on new territory. Your confidence is defined by my steadfast character which will see you to the other side. Know that taking on new ground will require a refinement of your soul, be humble and patient in the process. You may be shaken but you will not fall, we will forge a new way together. Trust in my character and goodness for the testing that will come. Active faith, hope, and love will help define the forward moving path even in adversity. Your character will be tested, but will not fail, because I am with you and I define you. It is time to blaze a new path, trust that I will get you there. A supernatural work of My Spirit is at hand.