Last night a close friend called, and though it was late, the Lord knew it was exactly what we both needed...to "need" together in community and bring our struggles into the light, even if 6 times zones and thousands of miles separated us.
What I am getting at is this...Satan is crafty and somewhat intelligent as to how he gets us to buy into his crap, but let's be honest, he stands no chance and is a fool to think that at the end of the day he holds victory. As my friend spoke of her struggles, I asked her the lies that she hears and is believing. And as she shared them, I realized that those were the exact same lies I was hearing and believing! The only difference was our situations.
It brought me such freedom knowing that first, I was not alone, and second, that though the enemy does not play fair, he had been exposed! I think we would each be surprised if we were honest with one another, with the struggles and lies that we hear daily, because we are really not alone in the battle at all. Satan is rather limited in his craftiness and his pathetic lies, and we have the power and the authority to stand over him. But it is our choice.
Last night, my friend and I fought our lies together, and it brought such life to my spirit. I knew I was not alone, that my fellow believing brothers and sisters were also the same target for the enemy's same flaming arrows and he had now been exposed. Even more, where two or more are gathered in Jesus' name, He is there too. I experienced it yet again.
Stand in the Truth.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Thursday, January 10, 2008
dreamful or dreamless?
I have thought much about this subject the past few months, and again, as God would so hilariously do, brings it up further in a book I am reading called Soul Cravings. Something the author, Erwin McManus, mentions really resonated with me:
"As children we assume that greatness is within our grasp. Whatever inspires us, we begin to dream that one day we will be the best. It is only as we lose our childlike innocence that we begin to settle for far less. A part of growing up seems to be acquiescing to mediocrity. It's easy to say that we're just becoming realistic, that it's just part of growing up. But, in fact, it's the death of our souls. When we stop dreaming, we start dying."
When did we stop dreaming? And do we even have dreams for our lives anymore? When is it not okay to dream big, because God gives us dreams...and desires and visions and goals...and yes, they are usually "out of the box"...but then again, God has no boxes.
Only Jesus allows us to freely dream, and then go after that dream, whether it makes "sense" or not. The world says it is okay to dream, but when it comes to actually taking steps in the direction of our heart, maybe out of the box, it is subtly communicated not to. By pursuing visions, desires and dreams that are not "normal" we are relying on the power of Jesus within us, His dream, because truth is there is no other way. As children of God, we were designed for greatness. Yet there is an enemy and he, via the world, says otherwise. John 10:10 makes that clear..."The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." The enemy manages to get most people to settle for mud pies when Christ is waiting for us at His full banquet table!
So what is a dream? Webster says it is a series of thoughts not under the command of reason, and hence wild and irregular; in scripture, they were sometimes impressions on the minds of sleeping persons, made by divine agency (why can't dreams be the same today? If scripture is still alive and active and being written in and through our lives, why are we not still free to dream?); to think, to imagine; to be sluggish, to waste time in vain thoughts, as to dream away life (now this I find interesting, because this defines the first part of John 10:10, which is "to steal and kill and destroy").
So the question is, are we dreamful or dreamless? Are we "full of dreams" or "free from dreams"? I want to be a dreamer, after more of Jesus' heart, one who is visionary, who dreams, lost in wild imagination of who Jesus could be in and through my life.
"As children we assume that greatness is within our grasp. Whatever inspires us, we begin to dream that one day we will be the best. It is only as we lose our childlike innocence that we begin to settle for far less. A part of growing up seems to be acquiescing to mediocrity. It's easy to say that we're just becoming realistic, that it's just part of growing up. But, in fact, it's the death of our souls. When we stop dreaming, we start dying."
When did we stop dreaming? And do we even have dreams for our lives anymore? When is it not okay to dream big, because God gives us dreams...and desires and visions and goals...and yes, they are usually "out of the box"...but then again, God has no boxes.
Only Jesus allows us to freely dream, and then go after that dream, whether it makes "sense" or not. The world says it is okay to dream, but when it comes to actually taking steps in the direction of our heart, maybe out of the box, it is subtly communicated not to. By pursuing visions, desires and dreams that are not "normal" we are relying on the power of Jesus within us, His dream, because truth is there is no other way. As children of God, we were designed for greatness. Yet there is an enemy and he, via the world, says otherwise. John 10:10 makes that clear..."The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." The enemy manages to get most people to settle for mud pies when Christ is waiting for us at His full banquet table!
So what is a dream? Webster says it is a series of thoughts not under the command of reason, and hence wild and irregular; in scripture, they were sometimes impressions on the minds of sleeping persons, made by divine agency (why can't dreams be the same today? If scripture is still alive and active and being written in and through our lives, why are we not still free to dream?); to think, to imagine; to be sluggish, to waste time in vain thoughts, as to dream away life (now this I find interesting, because this defines the first part of John 10:10, which is "to steal and kill and destroy").
So the question is, are we dreamful or dreamless? Are we "full of dreams" or "free from dreams"? I want to be a dreamer, after more of Jesus' heart, one who is visionary, who dreams, lost in wild imagination of who Jesus could be in and through my life.
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