Agreement With a Diagnosis

God just revealed to me that I was in agreement with a diagnosis of anxiety from twenty years ago, still. Despite my powerful experience with becoming healed of the migraines, I did not realize there was still this diagnosis and it had become a part of my identity.

What does it look like to be in agreement? To agree with a diagnosis means looking at life through this different lens. What do you say about yourself to others (in reference to the diagnosis)? For instance, for twenty years now I have said, "I am an anxious person." Or "I don't sleep well." The diagnosis had become a part of who I was which now affected sleep and the way I viewed life. By taking on the diagnosis as a part of my identity, it's power grew. I was actually speaking over myself and making it more intensified by saying things like, "I probably will wake up worrying about this." etc.

I didn't realize I was still identifying with this. I no longer took medication for anxiety, but by just having this as a core part of my identity, it has really been affecting my life subtly.

What are you in agreement with? Perhaps a generational issue like "my family has always had trouble with losing their temper"? Or have you been giving a medical diagnosis that has reshaped your entire life? Have you ever found yourself saying something like, "Well, that's just the way I am."

The first step is awareness. Begin to listen to yourself. When you talk (or think) about yourself is there something that you are in agreement with? Jot it down. Pray about it. Ask God what He wants you to know about that.

God wants you to live in ultimate freedom. He can do so much more with you free rather than bound up in sickness and old patterns. He has never had a bad thought about you. It is not His will for you to be sick, but rather in ultimate freedom.

Understand who you are in Christ. Don't know? Check out some verses here. Or just get out your journal and ask God, "What do you want me to know about you? What do you want me to know about me?"

I will write more about strategies to undo old patterns, mindsets, and yuck. I just took the time to do this for myself and feel way different than I did an hour ago. God is awesome! He loves us! Praise the Lord!

God Scares Me

How do you see God? Are you afraid of doing something wrong and receiving punishment?
I was always confused by all those verses that talked about fear of the Lord being a good thing.

Think about your earthly father for a minute. How you view your father here on earth is often how we view our heavenly Father. So, if your father was not present, you might feel abandoned by God or fear His abandonment.
If your father angry and harsh, then you may truly fear God the Father.
If your father was highly critical of you then you might believe God is truly disappointed in you.

A lot of us have made God the Father guilty by association because of our earthly father.

What is the truth? What does God think of you?

First off, God has NEVER had a bad thought about you, nor has he ever been disappointed in you.

To discover who you are in Christ and all the fabulous things he has to say about you click here.

Agree with what he says about you and embrace it as complete truth!

If you still find God scary or worry you might disappoint Him, check your heart. Have you forgiven your earthly father for whatever happened in your past? If not click here.

Making peace in your heart with the past and then walk in peace with your Heavenly Father - for He truly adores you and longs to be with you!
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In this blog I have used material I learned at Wind and Fire Mission Base

 Wind and Fire Mission Base, 3243 Wind and Fire Dr. Marion, IA 52302

and the Be in Health ministry 

Feeling Trapped by your Feelings

I used to live my life by my feelings. It is really easy to fall back into this, actually. We naturally want to feel "good," but can easily be overtaken by strong feelings that stick around for a while affecting our relationships, work, sleep, and general health.
It is God's desire for us to have peace and joy, but it is completely normal and biblical  to feel angry, sad, afraid, etc. The key is to ask God to help you move from a place of anger, fear, depression, etc to peace.
What I did for most of my life is I went by how I felt and when I felt a strong emotion I often stayed there for days. 
In Ephesians 4:26 it says, "...Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry." I always thought of this verse as a guide for couples to not go to bed until an issue was settled. However, I believe it could also mean do not perseverate on a strong emotion like anger. 
For me it was often sadness or fatigue I would get stuck in for weeks at a time. It is not sinful to be in this state, but God wants us free. He also has big plans of how to use us and cannot get those plans moving if we are stuck in a strong emotional time. 

What can you do if you find yourself in a season where you are often angry, sad, or anxious? 
1. Remind yourself it is okay to feel strong emotions temporarily, but God does not want us to live in these feelings, being stuck or restricted because of them.
2. Begin by remembering and agreeing with who God says you are. Click here if you do not know who God says you are 
3. Remind yourself that God is not disappointed in you. In fact, He has never had a bad thought about you.
4. Get rid of all shame and condemnation
5. Be still before God and ask Him, "What do you think about me?" (Click on link if you feel you do not hear God).
6. Write out what you hear or see. Ask God to tell you more about each item or vision. 
7. Read frequently and believe these truths God has told you. Internalize them. Believe them. Know them by heart. This is really more important than anything. This will power you to move forward exponentially and step into who God created you to be.
                                                        
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In this blog I have used material I learned at Wind and Fire Mission Base.

 Wind and Fire Mission Base, 3243 Wind and Fire Dr. Marion, IA 52302

Who Does God Say I Am?

Feeling insecure? Unsure of who you are? Unsteady on your feet? Begin by reading and AGREEING with the following verses from the Bible.
How do you do this? Read aloud the verse, paraphrase, and personalize it. For instance, in Song of Solomon 4:17 say, "I am altogether beautiful. God loves me and He finds no fault in me." Then say, "I agree with this."  Your words and agreement are powerful. God wants you to really understand how deeply He loves you with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3).
Still having trouble believing these truths about yourself? Try personalizing your favorite ones and copying them onto a paper that you read daily. By pouring truth into yourself you will begin to agree.

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lordsees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.Psalm 139:14

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 1 John 3:1

 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13

 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 1:6-8

Will You Share Your Treasure of Block it Off?

This morning I woke up and asked God what He wanted to tell me. I had the following vision:

I see a bird flying over a cave/cavern. Inside the cave is a treasure. Deep inside the cave is an even more beautiful treasure.

I asked God what this vision meant:
The bird is the Lord. The cave is me and the treasure is what is inside of me.

Further interpretation from God:
Each of us are a cave. We have within our spirit beautiful gifts God wants us to share with others. There are parts of ourselves that are deep within which are especially lovely and highly coveted. We have a choice, we can block off our cave so that none can enter (through defensiveness, hiding from others, sarcasm, and other self-preserving strategies) or we can be vulnerable and step into what God has destined us for, thereby, being able to share with many the beautiful parts of ourselves to make a global impact for God.

Which will you choose?

Negative Words - True or a Lie?

How often does a negative, condemning thought float through your head? "Oh I shouldn't have done that. That was terrible!" or "I failed again. I can't believe it."
We have talked quite a bit about who you are in God and choosing to agree with that. But, what if you did make a mistake or you really think whatever you are hearing that is negative is really true?
Take 5 minutes and ask God, "God this is what I was just thinking. (insert your negative thought here) Is this true? What do you have to say about it?" Then write down (if possible) what is said and BELIEVE it. Choose to agree with whatever God says. Remember He has never had a bad thought about you. 
What about that mistake you made? We have discussed that you should no longer be looking at any decision from a pass/fail mentality, but looking at and grading outcomes. But, if you really feel stuck, like you know you did make a mistake - what then? Simply ask God, "Was this truly a mistake?" and "What do you want me to learn or know from this?"Again, choose to agree with whatever God tells you. Walk in freedom, my friend! Condemnation is not a part of God's world and He certainly wants you to be totally free from it!

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In this blog I have used material I learned at Wind and Fire Mission Base.

 Wind and Fire Mission Base, 3243 Wind and Fire Dr. Marion, IA 52302302

Who Am I?

If you grew up attending public schools, you probably made one of those "Who Am I" or "I am Special" poster boards for a class project. Remember the parts of the poster that were supposed to demonstrate your worth? (Your likes, dislikes, talents, how many brothers or sisters you had, what you wanted to be when you grew up, etc).

With this philosophy, we are brought up to believe our worth is defined by what we do or what we like. It is no wonder that our self perception is so distorted by the time we get older.
I found that my primary identity came from what I did for a living. When people would ask me how I was doing, I would think about how my job or personal accomplishments in my life. It is interesting to look at that. Isn't the question, how are YOU? Not, what have you accomplished recently; how successful are you in your work or relationships; etc. If we are really engaging in meaningful relationships we should really want to know HOW the person is doing, not WHAT they are doing.

I learned recently that God is not focused on WHAT I DO, but WHO I AM.

God does not determine a person's value by looking at what they have done in life or by his/her good works.

Did you know that you are actually God's treasure? We are His treasured possession! (Exodus 19:5, Deuteronomy 7:6, Deuteronomy 14:2, Deuteronomy 26:18)

Walk in freedom - stop identifying yourself by what you do. Start embracing who God says you are. Start now. Watch this video from Casting Crowns.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------In this blog I have used material I learned at Wind and Fire Mission Base.

 Wind and Fire Mission Base, 3243 Wind and Fire Dr. Marion, IA 5230230