Test Everything

What if you get a word from God? Perhaps someone and shares something with you? You get a vision or a dream? How do you know it is from God?

You must test everything. Do not take it all at face value. 

If you have a dream: go back with prayer and ask God to show you the true nature of the dream in the name of Jesus. 

If you get a prophetic word spoken over you, note it and then look for patterns. Have others said the same/similar thing? Do the words ring true within your spirit?

Does the vision, dream, prophetic words line up with the word of God? You can be sure that if anything spoken to you or that you see that does not line up with character of God it is to be thrown away.

I was the focus of a prophetic pit. I sat in front of 50 people who did not know me and they prayed and asked God what He wanted them to know about me. After several minutes they shared what they had gotten. There were true themes where multiple people got the same thing about me. This is another way to verify what the Lord says. 

Just take a minute now and ask God, "What do you want me to know about you? What do you want me to know about me?" These types of moments can be powerful, but truly life-changing when you step into what God says and believe.

Don't Let Your Do Define Your Who

What is the lens you see life through? Have you ever had anxiety or felt depressed? Life through this type of lens affects everything. If someone at work says hello, the anxiety lens might overanalyze the body language/tone of voice reading into the action something that was never there. Whereas, when one is chronically depressed if someone makes a positive comment, through the lens of depression one might doubt the sincerity of the compliment or even negate the words by saying something like, "Well, you have never seen me when I wake up in the morning."

This filter also directly affects what you think God thinks about you. Is your relationship with the father are you bound by this lens or are you free to run and able to truly hear/believe what He says about you?

In addition, society tells us success is based in performance -- that your worth is seen by what you do. But, don't let your do define your who.

The truth is what we do doesn’t affect the fact that we are God’s children and that He absolutely loves us with an everlasting love. The father is your biggest fan no matter your works.

So, take a minute and ask God if you are looking at Him through some sort of lens. He sees you-- it's about time you really see Him and understand how deep his love is for you!

Your Best Case Scenario

What is your best case scenario when you think about your life? Success in your career? Perhaps another degree? Your children's accomplishments?
These are what the world values. But, what is God's best case scenario for your life? What is your destiny from God's perspective?
God's plans for us are WAY bigger than anything we could have ever thought was possible when looking at life from an earthly perspective.
How do you discover God's plans for you? There are multiple ways:
1. Prophetic words might have been spoken over you or to you. Remember when someone gives you these types of words you must always test them -- are they edifying and glorifying God? Do they ring true in your heart through the Holy Spirit? Have other words confirmed the same message? Do the words line up with scripture?
2. You can ask God what He wants you to know about you. Do you know how to hear God? Can you be still before Him? Click here if you are not sure how to hear God. Be sure to write down whatever you see or hear - even if it is weird or doesn't make sense.
3. Fill your life and heart by listening to praise music, audio bible, and sermons. Pay attention to when your heart feels full or your eyes fill with tears. Note what is resonating with you. What does God want you to gain at that moment? What does God want you to know?
4. Spend 5 minutes each day just daydreaming and writing. If you could live anywhere where would it be? Have you ever longed to visit a certain country or place? If you could do anything and not have to worry about money or other life details - what would you do? God places desires in our hearts that tie right into His plans for us.
5. Do some life mapping. This is basically a word web. Think of all areas of your life. What is the best case scenario for you physically, emotionally, spiritually? What is the best case scenario for you in your love life? In your family? Professionally? What hobbies could tie into this best case scenario?

Basically, what I am encouraging you to do is go deep with God. God has so many plans for us. We can choose to see right in front ourselves and do the same thing we have always done in life and basically just survive each day. Or we can truly thrive by stepping out of the comfort zone into the great unknown of what God has for us. Can you take some time to reflect on this? Can you set your heart on things above? God wants to give you your best case scenario. TRUST. LISTEN. REST. REALIZE.

How to REALLY Trust God...

I was just praying and felt very convicted. I have been worrying about something. God has told me He's got this.
Why do our hearts get so troubled? God wants us to truly rest and let Him take whatever ails us.
I know this in my head, but how can I really DO this?
1. Let go of ALL fear - you may need to work on holding ANY thought captive that resembles fear or worry. For me, I sometimes get into a pattern of worry. Not okay to worry at all. Drop the fear and trust.
2. Rest - rest in the midst of your trouble. What does this look like? What is your pattern when you are troubled? Do you relentless search the internet for answers? Do you call multiple friends and tell them about your concerns? Do you get very busy or frantically clean (one of my neighbors used to do that when her heart was troubled). What would it look like to rest - really rest? Trust.
3. Stop being stubborn. Has God told you the way to solve the problem and you refuse to take the next step. Are you arguing with God about the next step? What if falling into His arms and truly trusting Him is the answer?
4. Stop trying to solve the problem at all. I often look for solutions and ask for many people's opinions. God has told me to STOP completely. There is no peace when one is running around trying to find the answer.

What about you? Is there a problem in your life that you feel fear or worry about? What does God want you to know about the situation? Can you give it to him, really relinquishing it, and simply trust?

No Record of Wrongs

What does true love look like? True love is unconditionally loving others and not keeping a record of their wrongs. God does this. We pray and ask forgiveness and our sin is tossed to the bottom of the ocean. He lets it go.
How can we mimic this within our friendships and relationships with others?
First, let's identify what we are saying that hinders this type of freedom in love. Have you ever said something to the effect of, "That person is going to have to earn back their trust with me after what just happened?" You have just set a condition to being able to love that individual freely. You have tied your joy to whatever behaviors the person displays. You are now being managed by their behavior/emotions.
This has happened to me. I have a close friend that is not very consistent and has really hurt my feelings several times. I kind of opened myself up to that response because I kept wanting this friend to behave differently. Therefore, every time this person did not show up the way I wanted, I felt hurt. Do you see how my feelings were managed by my friend's behavior? I kept a record of the wrongs and they compounded upon each other all because of the way I chose to view it.
What we are talking about is a complete mindset shift here. A complete overhaul to the way society views other people's actions/words. I need to go from remembering hurt feelings/times I was disappointed by someone's behavior to absolutely and completely letting it go.
This is not just in friendships, this can be in work or personal, and even family relationships.
If you are managed by the behavior or emotions of others you will never truly be free and you will not truly love unconditionally.
Can you start to shift your thinking? Think of one person in your life who makes you frustrated, hurt, or some other strong feeling. Can you let go of what you are expecting them to do? Can you stand next to that person and love him/her well failures and all? #lovewell #otherpeoplesbehaviordoesnotmanagemyfeelings #totalmindsetshift #loveunconditionally #letitgo #changeyourthinking #changeyourreality

Channel for Satan

Did you realize the mirror you look into everyday could be a channel for satan? Think of the condemning statements one often says when looking in the mirror. But what if your mirror became a channel for God instead? Can you ask God to show you what is beautiful about you? When God talks to me about my beauty, it is never about the physical realm. Instead he tells me of my beautiful spirit or the beauty of my heart. 

Many of us understand, as believers, what the Bible says about us and how much God loves us, but are you truly believing what you read? Do you need ideas - check here.

Could you take a dry erase marker and write some key phrases to yourself on your mirror and look at them over and over until you internalize them?

What if you were to truly believe what he said? What if you were to say His words aloud to yourself? As you get dressed, could you put on the beauty of God. 

Could you say to yourself some positive statements like, "I am needed to reflect God's glory" "I am worth fighting for" "I am accepted, loved, and secure in Christ."

Agree and Do Not Doubt!

I used to wonder why my prayers for healing seemed ineffectual. Then I learned it is not just what we pray, but the belief behind what we pray.
I used to pray for the migraines to leave, while thinking in my head two things: 1)Maybe I deserve these migraines because I have failed God; 2) Praying is nice, but it has never worked before to relieve the pain.
Do you see what was underneath the prayers I prayed? I agreed with the migraines because I thought I had disappointed God. (I didn't know, at that time, that God has never had a bad thought about me.
I also doubted my prayers had any power.
What would happen if you changed the way you thought while you prayed? What if when you prayed (or even declare with authority)you knew what you prayed would come to pass? How would your prayer life change?
What about the passing "I'll pray for you" you state to someone who is sick. What if you really prayed knowing that it is never God's will for us to be sick and prayed with authority?
Can you think about what your thoughts are while you pray? Be in agreement and do not doubt.

Stepping into Your Destiny

What has God called you to do in life? Often God's plans for us are way bigger and completely different than the life/job we are currently in.
How do you know what God has in store for you? Do you spend time daily, or perhaps even weekly, being still in silence before Him to listen. [If you feel you cannot hear God ever or very infrequently hear Him, please go here].
As you begin to explore the future and His ideas for you, you might begin to upset your current life -- for instance, the status quo of your family system. Initially, I shared with too many people what God was showing me. This did a couple of things - it provided some naysaying, it dampened my excitement, and it caused me to doubt.
People, in general, are afraid of the unknown. But, when God truly is our leader - He says, "Fear not for I am with you!" Consider sharing your revelations with only a select few.
Take time today. Ask God, "What do you want me to know about you?" and "What do you want me to know about me?" Have paper ready, write what you see or hear. If something does not make sense, just ask God what it means.
Watch your world open up and change as you step into who you were really meant to be!