Category Archives: prayer

the realm of All Things Are Possible: a kindling post

Posted on by June 22, 2023

It’s not as bad as it looks.

The enemy wants you to depend on what you can see, and ignore what you’ve heard from the Lord. But you’ve heard promises.

You’ve seen miracles. You know how God moves. You’ve seen Him change hearts because He’s done it with your own. You know He heals relationships and brokenness and immaturity and pride. You know the Lord is moving even when it seems dark. You know the sun is rising.

Now is a time to rile up your faith and trust God for all the things you cannot see.

Thank Him for moving. He is.

Sit and listen and He will tell you how He’s moving, not just broadly across the world but also personally, for you.

Don’t cave to fear or discouragement. Don’t let the enemy distract you from abiding. Do not worship yourself by trusting only what your eyes can see.

You hold those promises firmly and declare the Lord is true. He is. Do not hinder Him by quailing. Stand firm and watch what He’s about to do.

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;

fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,

over the man who carries out evil devices!

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!

Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.

For the evildoers shall be cut off,

but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.

— Psalm 37:7-9

It’s not all up to you, and you know that in your head but you still feel hyper-responsible for all the results. The breakthrough is His job, though. Your job is not to figure out how the puzzle fits together; your job is to obey.

So obey. Do the thing He told you that you’ve been putting off.

Maybe you’re already obeying, but it is a hard road. Victory will come sooner and easier if you carry your cross without resentment.

You do have such power in paving the way for breakthrough. Thank Him for moving. He has been orchestrating the details and speaking to others on your behalf, arranging favor and answers.

It’s happening. The process will be so much easier if you thank Him in the midst of it and obey in gratitude.

The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;

my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.

— Psalm 28:7

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

— Colossians 2:6-7

The Lord has the answer to your breakthrough, and it’s better than you could imagine. He’s not late; it’s been in progress for a long time.

And the best news, but also the hardest news is…you don’t have to figure it out.

It’s not a riddle you have to solve. It’s a waiting game you have to endure by abiding and obeying, by trusting Him and refusing to entertain fear, despair, or hopelessness.

You must not give those things any room to maneuver in your mind — cull those thoughts relentlessly. They are not your thoughts; they are planted by the enemy to get you to sabotage and give up on the victory you’re so close to.

That victory is a Kingdom victory, and the enemy fears it.

You make him afraid by believing the Lord and living in great wonder and joyful expectation at what He’s going to do. Remember, it’s not your job to figure it out.

But you can dream about it and think of all the fun possibilities. Whatever you dream of will still come short of what the Lord is doing.

…according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do

far

more

abundantly

than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

— Ephesians 3:16-21

Jesus, protect our faith right now.

We refuse to cave to the enemy’s lies and discouragement. Help us see what we cannot see: the allies we’re unaware of, the provision within reach, the answers that solve the situations overwhelming us.

We have the mind of Christ, so we will think the way you do — confident of the victory because we are as certain of it as if it already happened.

Which it has.

That’s where our eyes will focus: on the victory and the realm of All Things Are Possible. We choose to believe You.

Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God….“For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

— 1 Corinthians 2:12&16

The future, good or ill, was not forgotten, but ceased to have any power over the present. Health and hope grew strong in them, and they were content with each good day as it came, taking pleasure in every meal, and in every word and song.

— JRR Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Want a printable version of this post? Here you go:

the-realm-of-All-Things-Are-PossibleDownload

your joy is at stake: a kindling post

Posted on by November 20, 2024

I was about sixty seconds too late for this photo. A minute earlier the sky was like *insert Hallelujah chorus* but I was trying to finish my row of knitting 😏 and missed it.

So here:

When the Lord tells you to move, do it. Don’t delay. Don’t put off obedience.

But also, this:

If real life has been in the way and you are feeling behind, always five minutes late to the party, doing everything you know to do but still feel like you’re missing the brightest colors…you’re not. If you are obeying, you are in the right place at the right time.

You’re just in time.

You didn’t miss the party. You might be watching the end of the sunset, but it might be tomorrow’s sunrise that blows you away.

We need His direction and clarity and perspective, and He longs to give it to us. But we have to abide — we receive from Him by being in proximity to Him.

A few ways to increase your proximity:

  • Read the Bible.
  • Memorize a verse (or three).
  • Ask the Spirit to help you hear Him.
  • Put on worship music.
  • Acknowledge the Lord right where you’re at – while you’re scrolling right now, doing the dishes, filing paperwork, changing a diaper, changing a tire: “God, thank You for being with me.”
  • My favorite: Ask God, “Give me Your words.” This is not just good for writers, speakers, and ministers who constantly need His words. It’s also good for parents, kids, friends, siblings, coworkers, employers, and everyone else…because we all need His words for ourselves, and for others.

If you’re having a hard time hearing God, run to His word.

And if you want to keep hearing Him, stay in His word.

A little bit every day. Push through. Posture yourself to hear Him, and You will. Ask Him for understanding & wisdom. He is eager for you to have them.

And Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.”

— John 12:44-50

And one more way to hear the Lord:

Do the thing He’s already told you to do.

It’s for your good, and your joy is at stake.

You don’t have to be afraid to do the thing He told you.

We can’t expect to hear Him if we’ve continually ignored the things He’s already said to us. We train ourselves to listen by obeying.

This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.

No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

— John 15:12-17

What we invest our time and thoughts in will influence the way we see the world around us, so choose carefully what gets your time and attention because not everything will honor the time you give it. Not everything will give a good return; some things will take and take and begin to twist you in ways you know are less than who you were made to be.

So prioritize well. Abiding with Jesus will always give you a greater return than you imagined, and He will lead you to things that refine you in intricate, unfathomable ways.

He is Living Water on our hard surfaces. Through holy erosion sometimes He gently molds us like rain on a path, and other times He carves aggressively at cancerous growths like a raging flood.

He’s right there with you, so let Him have His way. Your joy is at stake, and you will love who He makes you.

And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

— Philippians 1:9-11

The Lord knows the things you’re holding back.

When you felt too small, too quiet, too tired to put yourself out there, He heard you.

He knows the prayer request that was too sensitive to share.

He knows the burden you don’t want to unload onto others.

He knows the dream that seems too wild and unreasonable, and He knows you can’t stop thinking about it but you’re too afraid to tell others yet about it.

Sometimes we need to be quiet about things for a while. And sometimes we need to be brave and share.

It’s important that we decide between the two based on what He tells us, and not just what seems most comfortable.

He is your support and wisdom and comfort and provider either way.

What you produce isn’t supposed to look like what everyone else produces.

God designed you differently on purpose. No one else can do exactly what He made you to do in the way He made you to do it.

So make sure you are doing it. 🤍

Don’t shrink back in anxiety or worry about what others will think. Don’t be hindered by the expectations of others that would keep you small, limited, and less than what He’s been prompting you about. Stay humble but move boldly as you abide, keeping short accounts with the Holy Spirit as you move forward in constant communion and obedience.

You can trust Him to lead you well. He loves your closeness and brave, joyful, tentative steps forward.

But if He’s nudging you to be brave, He might want to do those things through someone else so you can see the answer and breakthrough right in front of you.

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed[…]work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

— Philippians 2:12-13

Want a print-friendly version of this post? Here you go.

your-joy-is-at-stake-1Download

you can do what He’s calling you to: a kindling post

Posted on by November 12, 2024
you can do what He's calling you to: a kindling post

The Lord knows your breakthrough is taking a long time. He is waiting, too.

He knows the enemy has tried to wheedle his way in and get you on the merry-go-round of doubt:

Is it because I still haven’t learned my lesson? Is it punishment? Is it because I don’t deserve what I’ve been hoping for? Is it because someone else needs the answer more than I do? Is it because I’m too stupid to figure out the answers?

The Lord knows the lies and accusations you’ve been wrestling with. Here’s some truth to hang onto:

He is giving you the wisdom you need as you abide.

He doesn’t love anyone else more than He loves you. He’s not playing favorites.

His provision has no limits. He doesn’t have to choose between needs to fill.

His timing is protecting you from things you don’t know about, and preparing you for more than you imagine.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

— James 1:5-8

You don’t have to know what you’re doing when the Lord tells you to do it.

You don’t have to wait until you have it all figured out. In fact, a lot of people do it that way but it’s just disobedience pretending to be responsible.

Yes, do some research. Figure out your first step. But if He tells you Go, then do it asap. Your joy is at stake.

Show Him you can be trusted with the little things so He knows you are ready to steward the bigger things you’re asking for, too.

You can do the thing He’s calling you to today. The big, brave thing, and the small, annoying thing. The new unfamiliar thing. The strong, steady, obedient thing.

He’s holding favor for you as you trust Him. He moves mightily on your behalf and loves your heart that pursues Him and chooses His ways over your own preferences. He is taking that surrender and molding your desires so they align with His, making it easier and easier to hear Him and know the way to go.

My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad.

Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack!

The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

What man is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good?

Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.

Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

— Psalm 34:2, 9-15

There will be people out there who misunderstand you maliciously and religiously.

So caught up in their own misinterpretation, refusing to see other perspectives, eager to judge and be offended, they will miss the forest for the trees just as they have missed the point that could have broadened their own understanding.

Sometimes they cloak their condemnation with misapplied scripture to keep themselves on a high horse of self righteousness while criticizing those they know nothing about and quenching the Spirit they don’t understand.

But you will know them by their fruit, Jesus said.

So abide. Keep abiding. Keep doing what the Lord has called you to do. It is the only way we bear fruit, and our growth is helped by a good application of manure every once in a while. 😏😎

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.

— Matthew 7:15-17

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

— John 15:4-5

The Lord is not waiting for your perfection or performance to deliver you. He did not bring breakthrough or deliverance or answers to people in the Bible because they checked off all the boxes. He doesn’t deliver because we are perfect, but because He is.

Want a print-friendly version of this post? Here you go.

you-can-do-what-Hes-called-you-to-1Download