Sunday, August 19, 2012

Loosen my reigns, set free my heart

This week I saw more prayers answered than ever before. I saw the Holy Spirit manifest Himself in more ways than I ever dreamed possible. I saw more Love poured out than I've ever known. I saw more people on fire for an Almighty God than I knew existed. This week I met my God.

You see, up until this week, I had created a box for God. I gave Him just enough room to move in my heart that wouldn't create any discomfort. I didn't want to be stretched or challenged. But this week, my God looked at my mindset and knew it was stifling the Love He was trying to show me. He looked at me and said "this will be uncomfortable, but it will be worth it. You are worth it."

In no way do I think that my man-made box was containing God. My God is uncontainable. I believe that God has been moving in these beautiful ways for forever, but I have been turning my eyes away from these gifts that God has been pouring out. So God began tearing down the walls of my box--sometimes with a nail file and sometimes with a sledgehammer. My God is bold. He is gentle. He is perfect.

"If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" Luke 11:13

I saw more prayers answered than ever before. I saw people healed: knees, shoulders, ankles, backs, stomachs, hearts, and souls. God gave me boldness and delivered me from things by which the devil had held me captive for years.
I saw the Holy Spirit manifest Himself in more ways than I ever dreamed possible. I saw the Holy Spirit intercede in prayer through speaking in tongues. I saw convulsions of joy in worship. I saw visions and heard words of prophecy.
I saw more Love poured out than I've ever known. I watched my sweet Jesus call me out of the crowd to dance with Him. I listened to Him tell me He loves me. I felt His embrace.
I saw more people on fire for an Almighty God than I knew existed. I met some of the most beautiful people I've ever known. I learned that I am not alone in this. I met people who challenge me to grow in my own faith. I was blessed beyond belief this week through incredible fellowship.
This week I met my God. This week I fell in love with Jesus--and I fell HARD.

So I challenge you, friends, to let go of the reigns. I challenge you to join God in kicking down the walls that the devil is trying to build up. I challenge you to clear the way for God's Love to permeate every second of your life. The time is now, guys, to lose yourself to our beautiful, sweet, perfect Jesus.


Thursday, August 9, 2012

This heart o' mine

What is a heartbeat? Is it cherished? Is it marveled at? Is it awe-inducing?
Who is Christ? Is He cherished? Marveled at? Awe-inducing?

Both of these are critical for our survival, in both physical and spiritual realms. Without a heart beat, we die. Without Christ, we die.

So then, why is it that we fail to cherish, marvel at, and be awe-struck?

Could it be because we...
are selfish?
feel entitled?
think we are too busy?
feel intimidated?
are lost?
are broken?

Could it be that we have failed to grasp this truth until now?

"I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart."
Ezekiel 36:26


Christ is our heartbeat! He has ripped out our old, dead, and calloused heart, and has replaced it with His own. When we accept His grace, it is no longer our heart that beats within us, but HIS.

So we have to ask ourselves, friends, what do our hearts beat for? Do they beat for the things of this world? Do we crave money, popularity, what the world deems as success? Or does our heart burn for the poor and impoverished children of the world? Do you ache when you think about little Daniel, who was abandoned by his mother on the side of the road in Uganda? Are you wrecked by the fact that there are 27 million people held in slavery today? These are the things for which Christ's heart beats.

Doesn't it make sense that ours would beat for the same?


This blog is a story of what God has done with my calloused, broken, and stony heart. It is a story of the lifeblood He has pumped into me, and the whispered truths with which He has shaken me.

My heart beats for Christ, and THAT is my story.