"You can have all this world, just give me Jesus."
The words to this popular Christian song have been ringing in my head. I've been singing it over and over. I was challenged by it though...what does it mean? How many times do we sing a song along with the radio and not give any thought to what we are saying. Whatever we sing and proclaim is what we come into agreement with, good or bad. Think about that. What are your kids listening to and proclaiming over themselves? It says in the Word that "Death and life are in the power of the tongue"( Proverbs 18:21). Notice that 'death' comes first. This is a big deal! What we say helps to create the atmosphere in which we live. Our thoughts that become words spoken out of our mouths are building blocks for our future.
I am learning that I really like to have control. When I'm not in control I become anxious. I want to know the outcome and every detail that goes into it. I am also learning that that is not how God works. He is in ultimate control. I sing "just give me Jesus" but inside I am saying "give me Jesus and everything else that I need to be comfortable and maintain control". When situations arise where we release control (either willingly or unwillingly) we have to have total faith in God. Faith is defined as "complete trust or confidence in someone or something". Having faith is no easy task. It takes renewing of the mind and a lot of courage. I have found myself in a place of releasing control and putting total trust in God. I have a lot of questions and not many answers but I know that He is faithful. I am challenging myself to change the words that are coming out of my mouth. Instead of "How is this going to work, Lord?", I am starting to say "I know you are going to work this out, Lord.". I want you to join me. Put your faith in God and remember that He is never going to let you down.
Tuesday, June 26, 2018
Friday, June 8, 2018
Freedom
What does freedom look like to you? For me, it looks like liberation from bondage. In my case, bondage is defined as negative mindsets, fear, and unrealistic expectations. Sometimes I have a hard time trusting God (gasp!). It is flipping hard some days. Yes, God is good all the time and all the time God is good. The problem is not with Him, it's with me. It says in 2 Corinthians 3:17 "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom". What does that mean? I had a revelation recently and the Lord showed me that when we become born again we are given the Holy Spirit, he dwells INSIDE of us. That in turn, means that because the Spirit of the Lord is IN us, freedom is also IN us. Because, "where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom"!!! That encouraged the heck out of me. We automatically have freedom, we just have to take hold of it. I've said it a hundred times and I'll say it again, faith is not about feelings. We have to push past the junk, the mindsets, the lies and walk in the freedom that is inside of us.
"So if the Son sets you free, you WILL be free indeed." John 8:36 NIV (emphasis mine)
He is good and we are liberated.
"So if the Son sets you free, you WILL be free indeed." John 8:36 NIV (emphasis mine)
He is good and we are liberated.
Tuesday, January 16, 2018
Keep Going
Sometimes it's hard to keep going. Discouragement creeps up on me almost daily. I want to encourage you today that you are powerful! God has blessed you with certain attributes and skills because He knows that those are what you need to be successful! I have been blessed with the skill of writing. I love to write and I'm pretty good at it BUT I have let fear keep me from consistency and obedience in this certain calling. I have blog ideas frequently but I never post because I'm "too busy" or "too scared" or I don't feel worthy. I have let lies determine my future. Those lies have knocked me off course and broken me down. I pray that through this post, you can see that its ok to fall down....I've been down for about a year! Though we fall, we must look to God and have Him help us remember our "WHY". My WHY is freedom. Writing gives me an outlet to deal with the pain of my past while reaching toward an amazing future. It helps me to encourage myself and (hopefully) others. God needs you. He needs you to get up and keep going no matter how slow you move. When you are weak, He is strong. Draw from that strength and I encourage you to make one small move today in the direction of your calling!
Love,
Kennedy
Sunday, July 30, 2017
Shift your focus
“And they overcame
him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony…” Revelation
12:11
In previous blogs I have mentioned how I
felt as though God was punishing me. I had a wrong view of the Father. I was so
caught up in ME that I didn’t truly take time to get to know Him. When we focus
on us we will never be able to truly see what God is doing. I heard someone say something along the lines
of “You might think everyone is looking at you….but, Honey, you’re not that
important!” And while that may sound rude to most, its true! We worry so much
about what others think, how “I” look, how “I” feel, what “I’m” going to do and
the truth is, the people we worry about impressing aren’t even thinking about
us! Even if they were, their opinions aren’t the ones that count. Our main
focus should be on Jesus.
It says in the Bible “Therefore if any man
be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all
things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Your salvation happens in an
instant but the rest takes some time. Day to day, it’s a process of choosing
God. Allowing him to transform you, change your thinking and shift your focus
from ME to HE! When we put our focus on Him we don’t get derailed by our
circumstances because we know that our God is good and His promises will
prevail! How do we know His promises? By getting in the WORD! Not reading your
bible is like having a million dollars in the bank and never spending it.
Adversity may come and we don’t always know WHY but we can have hope because we
know WHO.
No one is perfect and that’s OK. God uses
people from all different backgrounds, lifestyles and neighborhoods. Your past doesn’t
define you but helps you tell your story. There's power in your “been
through”. You may have been knocked down
but by the grace of God you got up! You’re alive, able see another day and that’s
another chance to share your story and glorify our heavenly Father. Keep your
eyes on HIM!
Be Blessed,
Kennedy
References:
biblehub.com
Steven Furtick
Thursday, June 8, 2017
The Potter and the Clay
A while ago my husband told me he had an idea for a blog and felt like the Lord wanted him to share it. This is my first time having a guest writer and I am so happy that it gets to be my sweet husband. To say I am proud of him is an understatement! I pray that the message that the Lord gave him speaks to and encourages you!
Sitting at church
during our Wednesday night bible study a few weeks ago I was hit with this
message that I believe I needed to share. I have had discussions about “giving
it all to God” or “leave it all on the altar” with others of like-minded faith
in the past. I took a step back and thought about those phrases we hear
consistently in our walks. This particular night in bible study the Lord
dropped this scripture reference on me and it really made me think. I’ve been
putting off writing this out (delayed obedience is still disobedience), but I
hope it makes you think also.
We see
in scripture the reference to our Father as the great potter. We are the clay,
He is the potter (Isaiah 64:8). What the Lord dropped on me was if a literal
potter is at the wheel, he already has a plan. When he goes to work at the
wheel to make a pot, the potter needs the clay, and not just some clay, he
needs enough clay to make a
functional pot. 90% of the clay he needs isn’t enough. If he doesn’t have enough clay, 100% of the clay, as he
comes close to completion of the pot, he will notice that this pot is not going
to work properly. It won’t hold the water or substance that it is intended for.
An incomplete pot doesn’t retain water. An incomplete pot spills or leaks and makes
a mess that the potter has to clean up. He didn’t have enough clay on the wheel
to finish this project and for the pot to function where he needs it and how he
needs it to function. This pot does not get finished. This pot gets smashed
back down to a pile of clay to be turned into something else. This pot didn’t fulfil
its intended purpose.
Now,
think of this in the spiritual sense. He, our God, is the potter and we are the
clay. He shapes us. He molds us to function in His kingdom, His purpose, His
design. If we truly believe in our Lord and His abilities, why do we hold back?
Why don’t we “give it all” to God. Why do we think we can handle things
ourselves? Why do we hold on to worldly things? Has He not taken care of us up
to this point? Does He not give us purpose and use us according to His purpose?
We, as followers of Christ, have to stop holding back things of our past worldly,
fleshly things. Stop partially giving. 90%, 50%, or even 5% isn’t going to meet
the need. We have to start trusting in God and give 100% of ourselves. Take
that 10%, 50%, or 95% you hold back and leave it on the altar for God to take
care of. Give the potter 100% of the material He needs to make a functional
vessel that is useful to His kingdom. Useful to His purpose. This pot could fulfil
the intended purpose. This pot has a chance to change and give the Creator 100%
of the clay needed to form a sturdy vessel that serves a greater purpose. Don’t
live incomplete. Leave it at the altar. Give it all to God.
Blessings,
Dalton
Reference:
Isaiah 64:8
Jeremiah 18:1-4
Saturday, February 25, 2017
My Hope Is In The Lord
"My hope is in the Lord, I belong to Him. He will never let me go. My hope is in the Lord. I can count on Him. My hope is in the Lord."
Teaching preschool gives me constant access to awesome songs to help remember the things of God. The one I shared above is simple but when you dig deeper, is very profound. Let me explain....
The beginning of February started out rough and I had to learn how to rest in the Lord and put my hope in Him. It's difficult to do that when you are used to doing everything for everyone and being strong in the midst of it all. I don't have time to be weary...or at least to let my weariness show.
February 1st, our youngest son ended up in Children's Hospital with RSV and viral bronchiolitis. He was there for 2 days. That was one of the scariest and most traumatic times of my life. To see my sweet baby hooked to monitors and oxygen and not knowing what was going to happen, really took a toll on me. The second night in the hospital, while wondering what I did to cause all of this to happen to my sweet boy, my friend told me that I needed to just rest in the Lord and let Him work. I didn't know exactly how to do that but I knew it didn't include me blaming myself and going crazy trying to answer all of my own questions. I just tried to be still.
Through the winter I have really learned how to tune in and hear God's voice. I have grown in so many different ways. And all these ways allowed me to be O.K. when God stopped talking directly to me. Our stay in the hospital started a 17 day season of my life where hard things happened but God was quiet. I am a social person. I meet a friend for coffee or have a long and spiritually profound phone call with someone almost once a week. I thrive on these things. Even just going to work 16 hours a week, fills me up! During this quiet time, not once did I spend time with a friend AND I was only able to work 3 of the 17 days! It was SO odd! I didn't realize what God was doing at the time but I do now! He was wanting me to seek Him for fulfillment. Not putting so much stock in people or situations. He had to let me see that He is the one who is in control, not me. He wanted me to put my hope in Him. Now, God didn't make my baby get sick but, like he says in His word: He made all things work together for good(Romans 8:28)
What does it mean to "put your hope in God"? I didn't know so, like the rest of the world, I googled it! I searched the definition of "hope".
What I gathered was that putting my hope in the Lord means to expect Him to do what He says He is going to do (according to His word) and trusting Him to do it! It's a very simple principle of getting in the Bible and learning all about God's promises. He loves when we pray His Word back to Him. Yes, he knows what it says, but it blesses Him to hear us asking for and activating His promises with our words. "Life and death lie in the power of the tongue" (Proverbs 18:21) That is pretty big stuff.
Now, you might be wondering why I shared that my season was 17 days long. Many times, in spiritual lessons, numbers are very significant. At the end of this time God gave me a revelation. We recently entered the year of 2017 and in January, our pastor taught on what the number 17 meant. It symbolizes overcoming the enemy and complete victory. The Lord revealed to me that during my quiet time, He equipped me to overcome the enemy and have complete victory! Not only now, but in the coming seasons!
I have to tell you, this quiet time was hard but as I mentioned before: God taught me how to get through it! Normally, if God weren't speaking I would worry that I did something wrong and that He was punishing me by being silent. I know it sounds silly but that is really how my brain used to work! The whole purpose of this blog is to encourage someone with my journey and share how I've grown and changed in my spiritual life. I share this to tell you....Won't God do it?! He has been so faithful! My prayer last year was that He renew my mind and though there have been many other instances, this one is significant! What normally would have derailed me, changed my life for the better! I would never have expected to pass the test and handle this the way I did but God equipped me! He changed me, molded me into His image and is continuing to do so! God did one of the greatest works in me, while He was being quiet! That goes to show, God has many ways of ministering to us. We just have to be open to receive.
In Christ,
Kennedy
https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=hope+definition&*
http://lamarboschman.com/the-biblical-meaning-of-2017/
Teaching preschool gives me constant access to awesome songs to help remember the things of God. The one I shared above is simple but when you dig deeper, is very profound. Let me explain....
The beginning of February started out rough and I had to learn how to rest in the Lord and put my hope in Him. It's difficult to do that when you are used to doing everything for everyone and being strong in the midst of it all. I don't have time to be weary...or at least to let my weariness show.
February 1st, our youngest son ended up in Children's Hospital with RSV and viral bronchiolitis. He was there for 2 days. That was one of the scariest and most traumatic times of my life. To see my sweet baby hooked to monitors and oxygen and not knowing what was going to happen, really took a toll on me. The second night in the hospital, while wondering what I did to cause all of this to happen to my sweet boy, my friend told me that I needed to just rest in the Lord and let Him work. I didn't know exactly how to do that but I knew it didn't include me blaming myself and going crazy trying to answer all of my own questions. I just tried to be still.
Through the winter I have really learned how to tune in and hear God's voice. I have grown in so many different ways. And all these ways allowed me to be O.K. when God stopped talking directly to me. Our stay in the hospital started a 17 day season of my life where hard things happened but God was quiet. I am a social person. I meet a friend for coffee or have a long and spiritually profound phone call with someone almost once a week. I thrive on these things. Even just going to work 16 hours a week, fills me up! During this quiet time, not once did I spend time with a friend AND I was only able to work 3 of the 17 days! It was SO odd! I didn't realize what God was doing at the time but I do now! He was wanting me to seek Him for fulfillment. Not putting so much stock in people or situations. He had to let me see that He is the one who is in control, not me. He wanted me to put my hope in Him. Now, God didn't make my baby get sick but, like he says in His word: He made all things work together for good(Romans 8:28)
What does it mean to "put your hope in God"? I didn't know so, like the rest of the world, I googled it! I searched the definition of "hope".
NOUN
- a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen:"he looked through her belongings in the hope of coming across some information" ·"I had high hopes of making the Olympic team"
- a person or thing that may help or save someone:"their only hope is surgery"
- grounds for believing that something good may happen:"he does see some hope for the future"antonyms: pessimism
- archaica feeling of trust
What I gathered was that putting my hope in the Lord means to expect Him to do what He says He is going to do (according to His word) and trusting Him to do it! It's a very simple principle of getting in the Bible and learning all about God's promises. He loves when we pray His Word back to Him. Yes, he knows what it says, but it blesses Him to hear us asking for and activating His promises with our words. "Life and death lie in the power of the tongue" (Proverbs 18:21) That is pretty big stuff.
Now, you might be wondering why I shared that my season was 17 days long. Many times, in spiritual lessons, numbers are very significant. At the end of this time God gave me a revelation. We recently entered the year of 2017 and in January, our pastor taught on what the number 17 meant. It symbolizes overcoming the enemy and complete victory. The Lord revealed to me that during my quiet time, He equipped me to overcome the enemy and have complete victory! Not only now, but in the coming seasons!
I have to tell you, this quiet time was hard but as I mentioned before: God taught me how to get through it! Normally, if God weren't speaking I would worry that I did something wrong and that He was punishing me by being silent. I know it sounds silly but that is really how my brain used to work! The whole purpose of this blog is to encourage someone with my journey and share how I've grown and changed in my spiritual life. I share this to tell you....Won't God do it?! He has been so faithful! My prayer last year was that He renew my mind and though there have been many other instances, this one is significant! What normally would have derailed me, changed my life for the better! I would never have expected to pass the test and handle this the way I did but God equipped me! He changed me, molded me into His image and is continuing to do so! God did one of the greatest works in me, while He was being quiet! That goes to show, God has many ways of ministering to us. We just have to be open to receive.
In Christ,
Kennedy
https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=hope+definition&*
http://lamarboschman.com/the-biblical-meaning-of-2017/
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Knowing God's Nature
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
James 4:7
The Lord placed this scripture in my spirit the other night and I made a post on Instagram about it. I want to share with you what I wrote there and elaborate a little.
We hear people quote the second half of this verse frequently..."resist the devil and he will flee from you", But it is not often that we hear the first half..."submit yourselves, then, to God". It's a command, not a suggestion. Many people act as though you can pick and choose what you want out of the bible and only do what is comfortable. That is not the case. In order to resist the devil, we have to submit to God. You can't have the one without the other. What does it mean to submit? My pastor said that it means to "come under". Submitting to God looks like dying to flesh. Letting go of fear and choosing to walk in faith, letting go of doubt and trusting in God. Standing on His word when everyone and everything else is telling you the opposite. It looks like forgiving when forgiveness is the last thing on your mind. It looks like keeping your mouth shut when you want so badly to gossip about that person that drives you crazy. I share this because I am there. I am struggling BUT I am learning and growing through it all. God is good all the time. Be encouraged if you are in the same boat. "Cast your cares upon Him, because He cares for you.For me, submitting to God has been a process. It's had to be intentional. Over time it has gotten easier.
These past 9 months, my walk with Christ has grown and flourished so much and so quickly. I can't tell you how many times I've been on the verge of giving up and throwing in the towel on my faith, BUT GOD! My journey of going deeper in my faith started with me studying Moses and the Israelites, especially their time in the desert. Through the story of Moses we see that he came to know the nature of God. He knew God's heart. He took time to seek him, gaining clarity, wisdom and favor. On the contrary, the Israelites were only seeking God's hand. What could God do for them and how quickly would He do it? Our generation has such a "microwave mentality", that more often than not, we view God the same way. Through Moses, God parted the Red Sea and they escaped from Pharaoh by walking across on dry ground! And in the entire 40 years that they were in the desert their clothes and sandals didn't wear out! What miracles! Those things should have been enough for them to consistently praise and worship God. It should have motivated them to seek a relationship with Him. But it didn't. They kept wanting more, they even said that they would rather just go back to Egypt, to slavery! Reading those stories , I have thought to myself "How ungrateful! Such miracles and they are being brats!"....Then I realized....I have acted the same way. Asking God for things over and over, not just worshipping Him for all He has done for me.Needless to say, that is a hard pill to swallow. Yes, being a child of God, I should be confident that God wants to and will bless me, but he doesn't HAVE to. This is where grace and mercy come into play. More on that another day.
This whole process started with me submitting to God by asking Him to change my mind. To renew a right spirit within me and help me to be like Moses. I want to know His nature. I had and still have such a hunger to be exactly who he wants me to be. I had to realize that I could never do this on my own. I had to relinquish control. It's been scary, and sometimes it still is. Though now, I am aware that I can cast down those thoughts and ask God to fill me with faith and peace. Day by day. Hour by hour. Moment by moment.
I have adopted Proverbs 3 as my "life chapter". It's good stuff. I will share a bit of it with you here but you should go read it in its entirety.
These past 9 months, my walk with Christ has grown and flourished so much and so quickly. I can't tell you how many times I've been on the verge of giving up and throwing in the towel on my faith, BUT GOD! My journey of going deeper in my faith started with me studying Moses and the Israelites, especially their time in the desert. Through the story of Moses we see that he came to know the nature of God. He knew God's heart. He took time to seek him, gaining clarity, wisdom and favor. On the contrary, the Israelites were only seeking God's hand. What could God do for them and how quickly would He do it? Our generation has such a "microwave mentality", that more often than not, we view God the same way. Through Moses, God parted the Red Sea and they escaped from Pharaoh by walking across on dry ground! And in the entire 40 years that they were in the desert their clothes and sandals didn't wear out! What miracles! Those things should have been enough for them to consistently praise and worship God. It should have motivated them to seek a relationship with Him. But it didn't. They kept wanting more, they even said that they would rather just go back to Egypt, to slavery! Reading those stories , I have thought to myself "How ungrateful! Such miracles and they are being brats!"....Then I realized....I have acted the same way. Asking God for things over and over, not just worshipping Him for all He has done for me.Needless to say, that is a hard pill to swallow. Yes, being a child of God, I should be confident that God wants to and will bless me, but he doesn't HAVE to. This is where grace and mercy come into play. More on that another day.
This whole process started with me submitting to God by asking Him to change my mind. To renew a right spirit within me and help me to be like Moses. I want to know His nature. I had and still have such a hunger to be exactly who he wants me to be. I had to realize that I could never do this on my own. I had to relinquish control. It's been scary, and sometimes it still is. Though now, I am aware that I can cast down those thoughts and ask God to fill me with faith and peace. Day by day. Hour by hour. Moment by moment.
I have adopted Proverbs 3 as my "life chapter". It's good stuff. I will share a bit of it with you here but you should go read it in its entirety.
"Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.[a]
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.[a]
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and shun evil.
8 This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones"
fear the Lord and shun evil.
8 This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones"
Letting God guide my every step and trusting Him totally is not easy but it is so worth it. I don't understand it most of the time but God always tells me that His thoughts and ways are higher than my own. God's plan is not for us to understand. Having faith is a huge part of being obedient to Him. Faith moves God. Keep pushing and striving.
Blessings,
Kennedy