"The hand of the Lord was upon me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and sat me down in the middle of the valley; and it was full of bones. He caused me to pass among them round about, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley; and lo, they were very dry." Ezekiel 37:1-2
So here you stand, in the middle of the valley looking around at a place that is dead and hopeless. The smell startles you, a familiar stench, and yet foreign. Your memory jogs and suddenly you realize you have been here before. It has been a long time, so many things have changed, and yet, the valley is so very much the same.
Your head is hanging low as you try to recall how you got here. One wrong turn there, not listening close enough here; on and on you go for what seems like several minutes as you trace the steps to this very point. Every mistake you have made is blazing in your ears, you cannot see past the regret of doing it wrong; and yet, in the midst of the chaos going on in your mind, you hear His voice. It is a calm voice, calling you gently back, speaking words of Life and Truth, reminding you that you are His and He is here; even in the valley.
Today I read Ezekiel 37 verse one and had a sudden jolt in my spirit. In Ezekiel's vision, he clearly says The hand of the Lord was on him, and HE (the Spirit of the Lord) brought him down into the valley. What? God brought him down into this valley? WOAH!!! You mean, it wasn't because of the wrong turns, the misplaced steps, the huge mistakes he made? It was GOD?? And wait a minute...God brought Ezekiel down to the valley to use him? To empower him to speak life and breath into dry bones? The chapter goes onto explain the vision in greater detail, that God was preparing Ezekiel to go speak that same LIFE into the people of Israel.
God has us right where we are for a purpose. It may seem like a valley to us, it may have all the familiar sights and smells of a place of darkness, but today let me challenge you as I have been challenged; to change the lens that we look through. Instead of being blinded by the darkness, choose to see that glimmer of light. Instead of being sucked into the despair, reach for the joy. Instead of giving in to the death, stand up and fight for Life. Allow your perspective to be filtered through the eyes of Jesus. Allow his grace to sustain you as you walk, and his mercy to catch you when you fall. His plan for your life, for the lives of the ones you love, is nothing short of amazing. Be the agent of hope, and speak LIFE INTO DRY BONES!
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Monday, August 12, 2013
Perfectly Placed
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts" Isaiah 55:8-9
Like almost every morning, I scanned through my e-mails. Because I had none showing up in my "VIP" list, (my way of filtering my favorites), I knew nothing was of immediate importance or worth. As I scrolled through, I stopped on a devotional. If the opening scripture does not speak to me quickly in a moment like this, before my morning coffee has taken on it's full effect, I click delete before I even think about it. This morning, I continued reading....
Even now, two hours later I can not remember what the content of that email was, but I do know that with that opening verse, God spoke swiftly to a part of me that was searching for stillness amongst the clatter of the things going through my mind. Finding sleep last night was difficult as I played out every scenario and situation I am currently involved with. With quite a bit of anxiety, I tossed and turned; with every turn a different topic came to my mind and I was sucked back into trying to "figure it all out." I did not find a peaceful state to sleep last night, and my dreams continued the craziness in my head. It was with that opening scripture that God jolted my attention; I was trying to figure it all out instead of trusting Him.
I am guilty of feeling it is my responsibility to make things run smooth in all aspects of life. It is part of the "people pleaser" in me that is still in recovery. I get so caught up in things that I feel are injustices, that I take on this persona of a warrior going after the kill, and if I am not careful and very purposeful in my approach, I begin to take over where only God is suppose to be in control. I heard God say to me in the midst of my morning fog, "I am not your team mate, I am your leader, Bonnie. Give me back the control and rest. I have you placed where I want you, allow me to guide you."
Today, rest in the sovereignty of the Almighty, that He has you PERFECTLY PLACED right where He wants you. Give Him back the control and allow Him to guide you in the purpose that He is working through you. Jim Elliot, the missionary martyr once said, "Where ever you are, be all there", don't just be there, be ALL there. Be ALL that mom that God wants you to be. Be ALL that wife that God wants you to be. Be ALL that leader God wants you to be; and be ALL that friend that God wants you to be. Remember, His thoughts are not ours, His ways are HIGHER~ If God has you in this moment, in that relationship, in that circumstance, it is for a reason. Trust Him, and give Him back His proper place...the lead....
Like almost every morning, I scanned through my e-mails. Because I had none showing up in my "VIP" list, (my way of filtering my favorites), I knew nothing was of immediate importance or worth. As I scrolled through, I stopped on a devotional. If the opening scripture does not speak to me quickly in a moment like this, before my morning coffee has taken on it's full effect, I click delete before I even think about it. This morning, I continued reading....
Even now, two hours later I can not remember what the content of that email was, but I do know that with that opening verse, God spoke swiftly to a part of me that was searching for stillness amongst the clatter of the things going through my mind. Finding sleep last night was difficult as I played out every scenario and situation I am currently involved with. With quite a bit of anxiety, I tossed and turned; with every turn a different topic came to my mind and I was sucked back into trying to "figure it all out." I did not find a peaceful state to sleep last night, and my dreams continued the craziness in my head. It was with that opening scripture that God jolted my attention; I was trying to figure it all out instead of trusting Him.
I am guilty of feeling it is my responsibility to make things run smooth in all aspects of life. It is part of the "people pleaser" in me that is still in recovery. I get so caught up in things that I feel are injustices, that I take on this persona of a warrior going after the kill, and if I am not careful and very purposeful in my approach, I begin to take over where only God is suppose to be in control. I heard God say to me in the midst of my morning fog, "I am not your team mate, I am your leader, Bonnie. Give me back the control and rest. I have you placed where I want you, allow me to guide you."
Today, rest in the sovereignty of the Almighty, that He has you PERFECTLY PLACED right where He wants you. Give Him back the control and allow Him to guide you in the purpose that He is working through you. Jim Elliot, the missionary martyr once said, "Where ever you are, be all there", don't just be there, be ALL there. Be ALL that mom that God wants you to be. Be ALL that wife that God wants you to be. Be ALL that leader God wants you to be; and be ALL that friend that God wants you to be. Remember, His thoughts are not ours, His ways are HIGHER~ If God has you in this moment, in that relationship, in that circumstance, it is for a reason. Trust Him, and give Him back His proper place...the lead....
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Let's Walk
Proverbs 13:20 "He who walks with the wise grows wise..."
Recently, my friend and I decided that as often as needed, we would remind each other that the most important things to get caught up in are those things that have an eternal value. The words, "And remember, don't get caught up in that, it's not of eternal value" have become a normal part of our conversation...Why? Because almost daily, at least one of us needs a trusted verbal reminder that what we "feel" is not always the best way to determine what we set our passions to.
I have witnessed over the last couple of weeks, an intensity in situations around me. Some of those situations are of eternal value and deserve the fight, but some are merely a ploy by the enemy to distract me from the things that are most important. Satan is sneaky and deceptive, but he is not smart; I do not do life alone, and if I am weak in my defenses on a given day, you can be sure my friends are on guard. Sometimes, it might just be a single sentence from my mouth that hints to the battle I am having, and because I am walking with women who seek after God, He works in and through them to stand along side of me. Some days, it's a silent listening ear, and some days, it's a text in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, because quite frankly, I need someone I trust to raise their voice at me to get my mind back on the things of significance and not stupidity; and sometimes, I need someone to tell me to STAND and FIGHT for injustice and FLEX MY MUSCLES!!
I am reminded of the friendship of Jonathan and David. Jonathan loved David so much, that when he saw the enemy ready to take David out, he protected him and told David of the plot his father had to kill him. Isn't this the way we should be with our friends? So aware of what is going on in their lives, that we too recognize the enemy and quickly bring warning of an incoming attack? And then I think of Ruth and Naomi. Ruth would not listen to the pleas of Naomi to leave her in her distress, instead, she committed to stand with her through the pain. Isn't this the way we should be with our friends? Heart connected in such a way that we stand with them in their tough stuff, ready to be immovable when their world seems to be spinning?
Living life in community with like-minded, God seeking, Jesus passionate girlfriends is one of the greatest blessings God has given to me. As a mentor and leader of women, it makes me smile when I see other ladies around me experiencing the same thing; true friendship. God's design for women is to have relationship with one another in healthy ways, ways that glorify Him, and bring us closer to Him. I can not imagine my life without the ladies who walk on each side of me. God's agenda far outweighs our own insecurities, and trusting that He has the best in mind for me gives me freedom, because I know it is He who has chosen for me, the "Best of the Best."
True Friendship~
It speaks Truth and Life~It Protects and Defends~It Sits and Listens~It Stands and Fights.
Recently, my friend and I decided that as often as needed, we would remind each other that the most important things to get caught up in are those things that have an eternal value. The words, "And remember, don't get caught up in that, it's not of eternal value" have become a normal part of our conversation...Why? Because almost daily, at least one of us needs a trusted verbal reminder that what we "feel" is not always the best way to determine what we set our passions to.
I have witnessed over the last couple of weeks, an intensity in situations around me. Some of those situations are of eternal value and deserve the fight, but some are merely a ploy by the enemy to distract me from the things that are most important. Satan is sneaky and deceptive, but he is not smart; I do not do life alone, and if I am weak in my defenses on a given day, you can be sure my friends are on guard. Sometimes, it might just be a single sentence from my mouth that hints to the battle I am having, and because I am walking with women who seek after God, He works in and through them to stand along side of me. Some days, it's a silent listening ear, and some days, it's a text in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, because quite frankly, I need someone I trust to raise their voice at me to get my mind back on the things of significance and not stupidity; and sometimes, I need someone to tell me to STAND and FIGHT for injustice and FLEX MY MUSCLES!!
I am reminded of the friendship of Jonathan and David. Jonathan loved David so much, that when he saw the enemy ready to take David out, he protected him and told David of the plot his father had to kill him. Isn't this the way we should be with our friends? So aware of what is going on in their lives, that we too recognize the enemy and quickly bring warning of an incoming attack? And then I think of Ruth and Naomi. Ruth would not listen to the pleas of Naomi to leave her in her distress, instead, she committed to stand with her through the pain. Isn't this the way we should be with our friends? Heart connected in such a way that we stand with them in their tough stuff, ready to be immovable when their world seems to be spinning?
Living life in community with like-minded, God seeking, Jesus passionate girlfriends is one of the greatest blessings God has given to me. As a mentor and leader of women, it makes me smile when I see other ladies around me experiencing the same thing; true friendship. God's design for women is to have relationship with one another in healthy ways, ways that glorify Him, and bring us closer to Him. I can not imagine my life without the ladies who walk on each side of me. God's agenda far outweighs our own insecurities, and trusting that He has the best in mind for me gives me freedom, because I know it is He who has chosen for me, the "Best of the Best."
True Friendship~
It speaks Truth and Life~It Protects and Defends~It Sits and Listens~It Stands and Fights.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Five Reasons My Eyes Will Not Stop Sweating
Sometimes, God just wants us to thank him in the middle of our junk
1.) I have this New Job. It’s called a job because I actually get paid to do it, but it’s so much more than that, it is a mission and a purpose. Every day I wake up different than the day before. The magnitude of the responsibility is so beyond my own capabilities. Standing in the trenches is the place I most want to be. And so, my eyes sweat in surrender to the only one who can do it through me. Philippians 4:13
2.) I have an Amazing Husband. I think about his sacrifice for our family, and I am so proud to be his wife. When days get long and I am emotional and exhausted, I remember that we are in this together and that God gave me the best team-mate. His life exemplifies the true transforming power of Jesus Christ. And so, my eyes sweat in gratitude to the one who brought me to him. 1 Chronicles 16:34
3.) I have two Beautiful Children. My kids simply rock. There could never be two more different flowers from the same garden. I look at them and wonder what I ever did to deserve such precious people of my own. They make me laugh and stir my heart in ways I never knew possible. They make me proud every single day for simply being who God created them to be. And so, my eyes sweat in thanksgiving to the one who blessed me with them. 1 Samuel 1:27
4.) I have an Awesome Church. The heartbeat of the local body I call family, is the heartbeat of Jesus. Transparency and authenticity leaks from everywhere. Joy fills every room because true love resides there. It is a place passionate about the things of God and the desire to see each life touched and restored in a supernatural way. And so, my eyes sweat in love for the one who brought me here. 1 Corinthians 11:1
5.) I have True Friends. I use to think I knew what friendship was, but I didn’t. God has so delicately placed amazing women in my life who see me better than my best and call me higher than my highest. True friendship is without expectation and judgment. It is viewed with eyes that see into the heart. It is knowing your place without question, and trusting without hesitation. It is listening and being heard. It is comfort, it is strength, it is bold, it is gentle, it is kind, and it is love. And so, my eyes sweat from a heart filled with joy for undeserved favor, to the one who gave them to me. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Crazy Faith
Romans 4:20-21 "No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised."
I am, by nature or nurture, a tad bit crazy; my personality and unique look at life has always held a certain element of exaggeration. I will never forget a couple of years ago, a friend and I were on a trolley car in San Francisco; I can't remember at all what I had said to her, but she looked at me so matter-of-factly and said, "You're such an over exaggerator," and then totally cracked up at herself. I did not laugh; in fact, I began that very day to investigate what that description meant, and how I had been labeled as such in her eyes. As I continued the journey to wholeness in Christ, I realized that those words, words she probably forgot in less than 5 seconds, were true words, but they were not necessarily negative words. I am an exaggerator, and I am crazy, but throughout my entire life, I was not using those pieces of my personality for anything except drama, drama, and more drama.
When I talk about what God has done in my life, I sound a little crazy, and people think I might just be exaggerating, when in fact, it's all very true. I am different than I once was; Where there use to be hostility, there is peace. Where there use to be fear, there is confidence. Where there use to be uncertainty, there is promise. Where there use to be death, there is life. I do not forget the fragile woman I once was, because she is still a part of who I am. I look at her in the mirror everyday, and although I see her, the reflection is very different. She is still crazy, but she is crazy about the things of God, not the nets cast by this world to entangle her and hold her back.
I cannot imagine living any other way than totally sold out for the things of the Kingdom. To go backwards would never be ok, because God is calling me forward. Noah didn't decide to stop following God after God brought him and his family through the Great Flood. Abraham didn't decide to stop following God after God spared his son from sacrifice. Joseph didn't decide to stop following God after he was rescued from the pit. Daniel didn't decide to stop following God after God saved him from the lions; and I will not stop following God after He has healed my body, healed my mind, healed my emotions, healed my heart, and healed my family.
Call me crazy, but when you call me crazy, pay close attention to the things I am crazy about. I have crazy faith and crazy anticipation of the promises of God. I may not look at life the same way many people do, but I hope I challenge those around me to look past their current situation and see God in the middle of it. I live my life big with an exaggerated personality, but when you see the actions I take that seem exaggerated to you, look closer at the reasons I do them; those reasons are found in the promises already fulfilled by Christ in my life.
Crazy Faith.
Crazy Faith.
Crazy Faith.
The kind that does not make sense and makes people wonder, but when fulfilled, brings multitudes into relationship with Jesus.
I am, by nature or nurture, a tad bit crazy; my personality and unique look at life has always held a certain element of exaggeration. I will never forget a couple of years ago, a friend and I were on a trolley car in San Francisco; I can't remember at all what I had said to her, but she looked at me so matter-of-factly and said, "You're such an over exaggerator," and then totally cracked up at herself. I did not laugh; in fact, I began that very day to investigate what that description meant, and how I had been labeled as such in her eyes. As I continued the journey to wholeness in Christ, I realized that those words, words she probably forgot in less than 5 seconds, were true words, but they were not necessarily negative words. I am an exaggerator, and I am crazy, but throughout my entire life, I was not using those pieces of my personality for anything except drama, drama, and more drama.
When I talk about what God has done in my life, I sound a little crazy, and people think I might just be exaggerating, when in fact, it's all very true. I am different than I once was; Where there use to be hostility, there is peace. Where there use to be fear, there is confidence. Where there use to be uncertainty, there is promise. Where there use to be death, there is life. I do not forget the fragile woman I once was, because she is still a part of who I am. I look at her in the mirror everyday, and although I see her, the reflection is very different. She is still crazy, but she is crazy about the things of God, not the nets cast by this world to entangle her and hold her back.
I cannot imagine living any other way than totally sold out for the things of the Kingdom. To go backwards would never be ok, because God is calling me forward. Noah didn't decide to stop following God after God brought him and his family through the Great Flood. Abraham didn't decide to stop following God after God spared his son from sacrifice. Joseph didn't decide to stop following God after he was rescued from the pit. Daniel didn't decide to stop following God after God saved him from the lions; and I will not stop following God after He has healed my body, healed my mind, healed my emotions, healed my heart, and healed my family.
Call me crazy, but when you call me crazy, pay close attention to the things I am crazy about. I have crazy faith and crazy anticipation of the promises of God. I may not look at life the same way many people do, but I hope I challenge those around me to look past their current situation and see God in the middle of it. I live my life big with an exaggerated personality, but when you see the actions I take that seem exaggerated to you, look closer at the reasons I do them; those reasons are found in the promises already fulfilled by Christ in my life.
Crazy Faith.
Crazy Faith.
Crazy Faith.
The kind that does not make sense and makes people wonder, but when fulfilled, brings multitudes into relationship with Jesus.
Friday, January 18, 2013
Do You Trust Me?
"The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God." Daniel 6:23
Imagine being thrown into a den of hungry lions, left there to be devoured, only to be pulled out not only alive, but alive and untouched. Daniel's deliverance from the lions is an amazing example of God following through on His promises. God had promised that He was going to deliver the people of Israel if they obeyed His law. Daniel took God at His word and continued to obey, despite the threats of death on his life.
As I was recounting this story in scripture, my eyes were halted and focused on verse 10, I could not get past it-"...and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously." So, after Daniel knew his sentence of death had been signed, he continued to obey God, even knowing he was about to stare death in the face. His faith in God superseded his fear of man.
Seems almost impossible to us, doesn't it? To have the faith to stand in the face of certain death. To choose to obey instead of conceding to save one's life. To stand up to the king and say his man made rules do not supersede the law of the Lord. To open the windows and pray confidently to the God who has promised to deliver his people from harm. It can seem impossible to us because many times, we do not take the stance to hear the voice of the Lord, to recognize Him, and take Him at His word. The stance of being on our knees, fully surrendered to His will for our lives.
Why don't we find ourselves in that stance? Is it fear? Is it distrust? Is it being too busy? Is it that we might lose control? I would say yes...to all of those and more. Because we live in a world where authority seems to dictate to us what we do and how we act, we often limit God to those exact permitters, that if He is asking us to obey Him, then we are going to lose our rights and privileges. While I understand where those thoughts come from, it does not give excuse for us to live our life in disobedience, always doing what we feel would be best for us, never consulting the one who actually created us! We have humanized God so much, that we see Him the same way we do our earthly rulers, when all He wants is to GIVE to us our rights and privileges as HEIRS to His Kingdom.
Finding oneself in a modern day lions den can be terrifying. But listening to His voice, with the promise of life on the other side, far outweighs the fear. Not long ago, I heard Him say to me, "Do you trust me?"....Of course I said, "yes"....only to hear Him say, "No, do you TRUST me?" in the calmest and most comforting way. I felt my heart bow before Him with a tender "YES". That is who God is, He is our Confidence in the face of fear; He is our Yes in the middle of no; He is our Strength when we are at our weakest; He is our All when we have nothing.
Do you trust Him?....NO, do you TRUST Him??......
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
STOP!
"They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them;" Acts 16:6-7
How many times have we felt God leading in a certain area or situation in our lives, only to be stopped dead in our tracks from going forward? What is our reaction when this happens? I would venture to say that more times than not, our gut instinct is to think that we have done something wrong, messing up what it was we "thought" we were suppose to do.
The apostle Paul is a great example of such a thing, EXCEPT, his perception was not marred by the world, but led by the Spirit. In Galatians 1:12, Paul says "For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ." It is time we as Christians take our eyes off of ourselves, the people around us, our opinions, their critiques, and place ourselves solely in the hands of the Holy Spirit.
When our family of four moved to California, the number one thing I had to do was get us connected and grounded in a good church. In my mind was a lot of "man made" anxiety, thinking and feeling that it was in fact MY JOB to do this. I prayed, I cried, I searched (only for about 3 days, but still...that was an eternity to this PK). Anyway, once God planted us in our local church, I began feeling like I needed to get involved in some sort of ministry, and as a default, I went to what I knew best, singing. Now, I started this totally out of desperation, just wanting to do something I had always done, knowing I would be comfortable behind the microphone (note the word comfortable). I did pray about it, but to say I sought the Lord on it would be lying. Running parallel to this was a Bible Study I had began going to, focusing on Prayer. There were so many things taking place inside of me in the process of that Bible Study, that the voice of the Lord began to become clearer and clearer with every single day. On my last rehearsal before joining the team on a Sunday morning, I sat at the keyboard with our praise and worship pastor going over things when out of NO WHERE, I felt a shift in my spirit, looked at her and said, "STOP!! I CAN'T DO THIS! I DO NOT KNOW EXACTLY WHAT IS GOING ON IN THIS MOMENT, ALL I KNOW IS THAT THIS IS NOT WHAT I AM SUPPOSE TO BE DOING". We both laughed at the candidness of the moment, and agreed that God was in that moment, very present.
Within a very short time, my personal praise and worship became much more than I could have ever dreamed. God gives us gifts and talents, but what man does with and to those is so often in contrast to His design. My mentality was "Oh, you were born into THAT family, well, then you have to be on the stage singing". By releasing myself from the pressures of what I thought I should be doing, and focusing on what it was GOD wanted me to do, my life took a major shift; was it comfortable? No; in fact, the journey has been one of the most difficult things I have faced, because in facing myself, I began to be stretched, refined, sharpened, (dulled when needed), BUT all with the affirming voice of the Holy Spirit leading and guiding.
We can do all the planning we want for any amount of time that we want, but if we are seeking after God, and He says "STOP", it may not be because we were doing anything wrong, it may in fact be because He has a Greater picture for us. The Holy Spirit told Paul he was not going into Asia, but within a couple of years, according to Acts 19:10, all those who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord. God is not ironic. We often label His works manifest as if they are ironic, but nothing about Him is coincidental or unexpected. He knew you from the beginning of time, and He has your story written. He is waiting for you to commit to going longer and deeper in your relationship with Him. He will make the path of your life known to you, In Him, there will be fullness of Joy and Pleasures Forever (Ps.16:11).
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