May we never forget....

Starting almost a month ago, our lives began to change like never before.  I remember riding in my car when I saw the first text message telling me that Kate’s soccer was cancelled for the rest of the season.  Then, I remember standing in my kitchen preparing dinner when I got the call about schools being cancelled.  

To my amazement, more changes came quickly - churches cancelled, gymnastics cancelled, baseball cancelled, no eating inside restaurants, grocery stores swamped, news channels showing death numbers rise and an economy that was collapsing. Like many of you, I went through several emotions – shock, disbelief, questioning, and even, depressed and fearful. I remember one Friday night barely sleeping and then waking up the next day feeling so empty inside as I thought – what are we going to do today? It’s the weekend and we have nowhere to go, no one to visit, and negative news everywhere. I allowed this fearful, depressed heart to control me for a few days until suddenly I had enough.  I actually got angry!  Angry enough to cast the feeling of fear and doubt out of our house by praying through the power of the Holy Spirit.

God changed my focus that day – the news is not allowed to be on in my house and social media is limited. As a healthy way to fill my time, I listen to podcasts that include preaching and teaching of God’s Word.  As a family, it is a priority to read the Bible together every day, sometimes several times a day.  As we clean the house and do chores, we turn on K-love and sing. I, not only pray and read the Bible first thing in the morning, but also read my favorite scriptures before I lay my head down at night. I converse with God all day, asking Him to make me aware of His presence.

After these changes - one month later, our family is thriving.  We are at peace.  We are laughing together. We are growing closer to God together. We are getting physically stronger through exercise.  Our yard looks beautiful. Our new trails are cleared out. We are resting well. And…we are waking up each day excited about what the day will hold. Our family had to make a choice – fear or faith.  We chose faith! We chose Jesus! 

Through diligent prayer and studying of God’s Word, I am confident that this virus will Passover my family – both immediate and extended family.  I am trusting God’s Word (both His biblical Word and promises that He has spoken to me personally).  With this confidence comes a peace beyond what I can explain and I am so thankful.  But…I fought for this peace.  It didn’t come without making changes in my life. 

Think about our lives before this pandemic – were we (me included) really putting Jesus first in our lives or were we worshiping the gods (little g)/kingdoms of this world?  This world has kingdoms in it that have taken the attention away from God for a long time.  I’ll name a few - sports, media, education, and religion (not the true followers of Jesus but the form of religion where people gather as a social event on Sundays only). For many years, these kingdoms of the world have taken priority over our focus on God. They have ruled us by captivating our time, our attention, and our focus. Anything that becomes a bigger focus than God is an idol.  Do these worldly kingdoms have some good in them?  Yes! But, we have idolized them and put them ahead of the only Kingdom that will remain standing in the end – God’s Kingdom. 

At this point – at least temporarily, most of the kingdoms that I listed above have fallen or are shaking. But, God’s Kingdom – God’s true believers – the Church – those of us with a personal relationship with Jesus is getting stronger.

The scary part is the only other kingdom that has not been shaken but has been strengthened is the media.  Many people are allowing it to control them, brainwash them, and to instill fear in them.  I am telling you – if you want to rid yourself of fear and depression, turn off the news!  Stop letting the media rule you. God, through the power of His Holy Spirit, will tell you all you need to know!

This crazy time where the parts of life that we have “worshipped” are not available is a wakeup call to the body of Christ! God is calling us to use this time to strengthen the Kingdom of God in our households, and to strengthen our personal relationships with Jesus so that when the other Kingdoms begin to build up again, our desires and focus will remain on Jesus. 

This “quarantined” time should change my generation’s way of parenting forever. A schedule based around chores, Bible, and prayer time should forever take precedence over a schedule around sports and entertainment desires. A questioning of a school’s decisions and disrespect for teachers should forever be replaced by a thankfulness for all the school staff.  A lackadaisical mindset of “We might go to church today if we feel like it or if the ballgame isn’t too early” should forever be replaced by “Praise Jesus we can congregate together and worship our awesome God. We WILL be at church!”

God is using something that the Devil began to raise up a generation that trusts in Him again and focuses their lives on His purpose, His protection, and His strength.  Don’t miss this time to work with God to strengthen His little warriors that we have been blessed to care for.  As Miss Patty Cake says, “Every day is a patty cake praise day!” As a family, turn off the news, put down your phones, and read God’s Word together, pray together, and praise Jesus for all the precious people in your house right now. Our kids will always remember this time in their lives.  It’s up to us as parents to determine….will they remember fear or will they remember peace, love, joy, and time with Jesus. The daily decision is in our hands….

Coming soon, I envision parents, school staff, and students crying and embracing in car lines and bus stops. I envision churches full of people on their feet, with hands raised in thanksgiving and praise!  I envision athletic fields with fans of both teams sitting together as they talk about God’s goodness. This unprecedented time in US history will pass by the grace of God.  But, will we forget and move back into our old ways of life?

In the Bible, the Israelites forgot all that God had done for them and began whining not long after they were freed from Egypt.  With this “forgetfulness” of the Israelites on my mind, God has shown me a few scriptures that have spoken to my heart and now, my prayer is this…

Holy Spirit – help us not to forget! When this all passes, may we be changed forever – never returning to our old way of life.  May we never return to a life of worshipping the idols of other kingdoms and filling our schedules with selfish agendas but instead may we continue to grow in our relationship with Jesus, constantly leaning into Him and being led by His Spirit.

In Matthew 9:16-17 (Jesus says) – “Besides, who would patch old clothing with new cloth? For the new patch would shrink and rip away from the old cloth, leaving an even bigger tear than before. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins.  For the old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins.  New wine is stored in new wineskins so that both are preserved.” 

After reading these verses, the Holy Spirit began to show me, personally, how I (and us a family) cannot go back to our old lifestyle. We have to continue to recognize the newness that Jesus brings.  A relationship with Jesus doesn’t “patch” up the old self but gives us a new self. It is our responsibility to walk completely in that new – staying next to Jesus.  If we do not, the “new” born again us will spill back over into the world instead of growing more fervent and fruitful IN Jesus.  To preserve our Spirit, we cannot put our new born again Spirit into the old flesh. We can’t live our old lifestyle and expect Jesus to do new things in us and through us! 

In Matthew 12:43-45 (Jesus says) – “When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, seeking rest but finding none.  Then it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from.’ So it returns and finds its former home empty, swept, and in order. Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before.” 

During the last month, we have been emptied of evil things.  What I mean is we have been emptied of distractions – emptied of the world pulling us in every direction BUT the direction in which God is going. Not long from now, these distractions will return and they will return in full force – ready to, again, pull us away from God. I am praying for my family and for your families that you not let that happen.  Use this quiet time now to fill that “empty” place with God’s Word and presence so that you never want to be pulled away again. 

As I have said, I believe this season we are experiencing now is a wakeup call for all of us.  I believe that after all of this virus stuff is gone, the choice that we make – whether to follow the world or God – will determine our eternal destiny. These difficult times (or worse) will return one day.  Next time, will we be spiritually ready? On Sunday, our pastor preached an awesome message that included a strong warning from God.  When you have finished reading this blog, I encourage you to come back and listen to this powerful message here….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKgAOULOd4s&feature=youtu.be

In the Old Testament, God told Jacob to move his family to Bethel. Genesis 35: 2-4 says, “So Jacob told everyone in his household, ‘Get rid of all your pagan idols, purify yourselves, and put on clean clothing.  We are now going to Bethel, where I will build an altar to the God who answered my prayers when I was in distress.  He has been with me wherever I have gone.’ So they gave Jacob all their pagan idols and earrings, and he buried them under the great tree near Shemchem.”

Like Jacob, I am so thankful for the way that God has answered my prayers during this time of distress. One of the best parts of my day during this “quarantine” is going for a run.  During this quiet time with God, He has comforted me with visions of how He is protecting my family, my neighborhood, and my friends. He has comforted me with scriptures and sent messages to me in the perfect timing.  I have drawn near to Him, like I was years ago. I’ve repented for allowing distractions to pull me away from Him. When this waiting period is over and it’s time for me to “pack up” and head back out into the real world, I want the pagan idols (worldly kingdoms) to stay buried. Will I be able to physically bury them and avoid them altogether? No, but I can bury them in my heart so that they are not a priority in my life…..the priority will remain Jesus.

My prayer today and for the days to come is that every person reading this has found peace in Jesus during this difficult time.  If you have not, turn to Him and He will comfort you.  Most of all, I pray that every person reading this will still be leaning into Jesus next year when life has been back to “normal” for a while.  Oh, God, may we never forget what you have done for us and what we have learned.  Grow YOUR Kingdom in our lives above all else….ALWAYS! 

Love,

Toddy

Victory for All!

In this life, one of the greatest challenges we face is how to handle conflict with others around us. Many times, conflict between two people, even “Christian” people, results in gossip, avoidance, and/or judgment.  We want to “win” the disagreement by proving we are “right.” 

Over the last few months, I have been a part of an unsettling conflict with someone that is close to me daily.  The conflict made things around me stressful, negative, and was, quite frankly, stealing my joy.

To protect this person but to help share my testimony, I am going to give this person the name “Dottie.” 

When I saw the conflict starting to happen, my first reaction was to confront Dottie because I believe honesty is best.  My mom always told me, “Don’t say things behind someone’s back that you wouldn’t say to their face.”  So, I expressed my concerns and worries to Dottie about the direction in which our relationship and other relationships around us were headed.  At first, things seemed to be better but then quickly turned for the worse.  I began to sense resentment towards me in Dottie’s heart and situations around me became even more challenging. 

At that point, I got frustrated and reacted according to the flesh.  I resorted to all the negative things I mentioned earlier – gossip, avoidance, and judgment.  In my heart by the Spirit, I knew this was not the way that I should be handling the situation. I knew that God had bigger and better plans in this situation so I prayed for His help.  For about a month, I did well with my words.  I did not speak negatively about Dottie, I just went on with my daily business and poured my heart and positive energy into others around me. In every situation happening around me where the paths of Dottie and I crossed, I was whole heartedly doing what was right, with never one minute of malice or evil intent in my heart.  I was beginning to see some hope in the situation and my heart was softening and then SMACK….the enemy struck!!

Out of the blue, Dottie decides to share some things with me privately. She shares with me that she thinks that I have been scheming and purposely acting in a way that would hurt or damage her and she gave very specific examples.  Examples in which I knew I had pure intentions but, from her viewpoint, they were malicious. As the conversation continued, I saw two pathways before me…..I could react in anger and hurt or I could react with love and understanding.  I continued to listen to Dottie while also allowing the Holy Spirit to give me words to speak.  As I sought the Holy Spirit, I felt a jello like peace come over my body.  This is one of the greatest gifts the Holy Spirit pours out – Heavenly peace. There have been several situations in my life in which I suddenly was melted by the peace of God through the Holy Spirit and this was one of them. God was right on time and He expected me to cooperate, so I did….

Out of my mouth didn’t come anger but instead words of understanding. I told Dottie what the intentions of my heart were in all situations between us and shared with her that I wanted a mended relationship between us.  We were able to conclude the conversation in a positive way. 

But, then, the flesh rose up in me….as time passed, I began to second guess my response to her and ask myself if I “gave in” too easily.  I played the scenario in my mind and began to think….”You’ve been misjudged, you need to tell someone what Dottie has said to you.” So….I did what I knew to do….I began to pray.  I asked God to tell me exactly what to do in this situation….to give me His Words, give me a vision, or speak through another person.  And, He responded quickly….

That evening, as I went in and out of sleep, I saw a vision…..I saw hands digging a hole, the hands put something in the hole, and then the hands covered the hole back up.  By the Spirit, I knew what God was telling me.  I knew that He was telling me to take all that happened between Dottie and I and bury it – bury the words, bury the hurt, bury every negative situation that had taken place. God was showing me that if I did this, that if I obeyed His directions, then He would bring forth something beautiful out of that dirt.  God was promising me that, not only would He take care of me, but that He would use me and this situation to bring forth good things for the Kingdom of God.

This vision was exactly what I needed to move forward and that is exactly what I did. It’s now been over a week since the hurtful comments were spoken to me. Dottie and I have experienced nothing but positive interactions. She seems happier and at peace and I have my joy back. And…in the meantime, God has used this past week to reveal Truth to me about His desire for conflicts that we face with others and I believe He desires that I share this Truth with others….

As I stated from the start, when in conflict, the fleshly, human nature side of us believes that there should be a “winner” in every situation. We often believe that one person in the conflict is right and the other one is wrong, and, most of the time, we believe we are the one that is right SO, if we give in, we feel like we have surrendered to a “wrong” and, therefore, we have “lost.” 

This belief is at the core of what keeps people from resolving conflict.  This belief keeps families apart, friends estranged, and working environments tense.  I challenge you to change your thinking on conflict….don’t think about a “winner” or a “loser” or a “right” or “wrong” – think about this….

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Did that verse say for God so loved the one that was “right”??? No, that scripture reminds us that God loves everyone and He desires that all come to know Him.  So, within disagreements and conflicts, God’s Heart is to see both parties restored, healed, and set free from ill feelings.  God desires a victory for all! 

Sometimes we convince ourselves that we “deserve” a certain outcome from conflict because we go to church and the other person doesn’t or we pray and read our Bible and the other person doesn’t.  Well, I’m here to tell you – I’ve learned from experience – if you truly do those things - go to church, read your Bible, pray, AND seek the guidance of the Spirit, Jesus will not tell you to judge, He will tell you to love. 

Proverbs 3:3 says this, “Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the tablet of your heart.”

Mercy is defined as compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm.  In every conflict we face, we can cause harm to others by insisting that we are right or we can follow Jesus’ example – just as He has forgiven us, we can forgive those around us. 

Jesus is the most awesome example of unselfishness that we will ever see! Jesus was a man but also the Son of God that allowed Himself to be mocked, beaten, and hung on a cross until death. Why? - for you, for me, and for that other person you have a conflict with.  There was not one ounce of selfishness within Jesus! 

God has shown me this week that when I stay frustrated, angry, and in a state of negativity toward another person that I am actually being selfish.  I am thinking about all of the ways that I am effected and hurt and that is not how Jesus sees the situation.    

Jesus sees the heart of the other person. He desires to heal his/her emotional wounds, as well as mine. Often times people hurt other people in relationships because they have been hurt. They may be holding resentment and hard feelings from past situations that has given them a hard heart and out of that hard heart, come the words and actions that have hurt you.  Well, who is going to stop this cycle for people??? If we are hurt by those hurt people and then we retaliate or refuse to love them, what are we doing to that person? We are adding another layer of resentment and hurt to their hearts.

That is not what Jesus did.  I think the story of Zacchaeus is a great example of this.  Many of you heard this story as a child. I encourage you to go back and read it as an adult. It can be found in Luke 10:1-10.  Zacchaeus is out of alignment of God’s Will and is conning people out of money on their taxes. However, Zacchaeus still desires to see Jesus so much so that he climbs a tree to see Him.  Jesus, knowing all things, knows who Zacchaeus is and what he has done. However, Jesus looks in the tree and asks Zacchaeus if He can come to his house. Those around watching were shocked that Jesus would want to spend time in the home of such a “sinner.” Jesus and Zacchaeus spend time together at Zacchaeus’ home. We have no idea what they talked about or the specifics of what happened, but the Bible tells us that Zacchaeus changed his ways and returned the money that he had stolen. Zacchaeus’ time with Jesus changed him forever. 

In every conflict we face, we have this opportunity – to invite others to spend time with Jesus through us and we will never get this opportunity if we block ourselves off from someone because we are “right.” Dottie had hurt me, but I realized this week that she is hurting too and it is not my place to judge and scorn but only to show steadfast love and mercy. Through this mercy will come a renewed relationship and through the renewed relationship will come an opportunity for Dottie to see Jesus through me.  Then, just like with Zacchaeus, Jesus will have the opportunity to heal her.

And…in the meantime, my heart is healed as well.

The way we handle relationships with others – both the easy ones and the hard ones – is an example of Jesus to others. It is one way to disciple other believers around you and to capture the attention of non-believers around you.  We are always leading others to something or someone by our actions and words – we have to decide, will it be Jesus?

When anger and frustration is in our hearts, our words and actions reflect that. When we are at peace with all those around us, joy overflows from our mouths and into our actions. This morning, I pray, worship, and type with a heart of JOY! I have released my hurt and frustrations to Jesus and now I can rest in His peace and love! That’s how we were designed to live!

Remember – it’s not about you, it’s not about me, it’s about LOVE – it’s not about who is “right” or who is “wrong,” it’s about MERCY – it’s not about who “won” or who “lost”, it’s about VICTORY for all! “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10)

Natasha

Joy

I am getting ready to go through a transition in my life…one that could be (in the flesh) difficult and one that every Mommy dreads. In less than a week, I will return to work after a beautiful and blessed 13 week maternity leave. For you mommies out there who work, you know what this is like….going from being a stay at home mommy to a working mommy sends you going from 50mph to 120mph in just one day.  All the responsibilities you had as the stay at home mommy are still there but work is added on top.  And…all this happens as you walk out the door each day without your baby (and preschooler) that you have snuggled and kissed all day, everyday for 3 months.  It could be depressing, it could be stressful, it can flat out put you over the edge.

I am so blessed to have three healthy children so this is the third time that I have faced this transition.  I know how hard it can be and I have absolutely refused to let the negative emotions get me this time.  I have refused to let the worries or dread of the future block my blessings in the present. I am choosing JOY and this is how….

(1) I am living in a state of thankfulness.  During the last month, two friends of mine have been diagnosed with cancer.  Now, we know that Jesus has already provided their healing so they are not keeping that cancer.  However, I cannot imagine the battle in their minds as they hear a doctor fire that horrible news at them. As I have talked to these two friends and prayed with them and for them, they have both shared with me how worries and stresses that seemed big before seem like nothing now.  One friend even said, “I used to take a lot for granted but I see things differently now.”  Oh me! How true!  And what a great reminder to me at this time in my life that this transition that I’m facing is not something to stress about.  I am healthy, my kids are healthy, and I have a great support system to take care of my babies and my house while I work (and her name is Mammaw).  I must focus on these blessings and thank God for them constantly.  Seeing these precious friends suffering over something so serious (life or death) has made me realize I really have NOTHING to worry about but only to be thankful for….

(2) I am being obedient.  During this maternity leave, I have been focusing a lot of my study time and many conversations with the Holy Spirit on finding true joy.  We live in a world where everyone is searching for joy.  They fill their lives with worldly things that satisfy the flesh hoping that they will experience joy and true happiness.  We even use our children as our avenue to experience joy.  Don’t get me wrong….children do bring a joy that is hard to describe but they are still not the way to everlasting, never failing, always present joy. There’s only one way to find this joy and it’s in Jesus. 

Now, you might be thinking…you started this section by talking about obedience…..where is this headed?  This simple sentence brings it all together and has taught me so much…..joy is found in obedience.  And, this is why….

Take a minute to think about how our natural way of finding joy includes controlling everything…we plan our social gatherings, sports, daily schedules around all the things that we WANT to do….all the things that we think will make us happy and our children happy.  

The Holy Spirit has been showing me that this is not how we experience joy.  Instead of filling our hands up with all the things we want and then closing them tight so that no one (even God) will interfere with these plans or steal our joy, we should open up our palms and allow God to fill them with blessings in the way and timing that He desires. This is difficult and requires humbling ourselves and releasing CONTROL.

Matthew 5:5 says “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth.”  When you look up the original Greek word and meaning for “meek” you will find that it means a disposition of spirit in which we accept God’s dealings with us as good and do not resist.  Meekness is the opposite of self-assertiveness and self-interest. In the Greek, “blessed” means happy and to be envied and when you look up “earth” it means the main land (as opposed to the heavens). Inside this short scripture, we can learn that what makes us truly happy is putting aside our self-interest and allowing God to fill our lives with blessings as we follow Him....as we release our control to Him.  So….for me personally, I am already thankful that one of the worldly things that God has blessed me with is a good job that I enjoy and that allows for a lot of time with my children.  I will accept this blessing, humble myself, release control to God with my palms wide open and let Him continue to lavish me with His love as I work for Him each day at school. 

And…y’all it’s hard to go on from here because there is so much that the Holy Spirit has taught me about control….it’s probably another blog in itself…but before I move on….let me use a quote from a popular Christian song….in the song “Just Be Held,” the singer uses these words, “chained by control ?, there’s freedom in surrender.”  How true is this?  For so many years of my life, I kept myself from experiencing the blessings and even hindered my relationship with Jesus because I tried to control everything in my life instead of yoking up with Jesus and letting Him take control.  How foolish is this? How chained was I? No wonder I was tired in the flesh and in my Spirit all the time! I now see that I was trying to use the tiny bit of wisdom I thought I had to make decisions instead of letting the all powerful, all knowing, LOVING God with my best interests at heart lead me into all His purposes. Think about that….

Another scripture that the Holy Spirit has used to speak to me is John 14:21…but let me first begin with Galatians 5:22-23 which states, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”  Well, as you can see, JOY is one of the fruits of the Spirit.  I want JOY to manifest in my life no matter what the circumstances so I asked the Holy Spirit….teach me how to manifest these fruits of the Spirit in my life and he answered with this scripture….

In John 14:21 Jesus is speaking and He says this, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.  And he who loves Me, will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”

Sometimes when we first read a scripture (especially one that we have heard before), we toss it aside and think, “Well, I’ve heard that in church for years” and then we don’t seek what the Holy Spirit is trying to really tell us.  Because I had asked the Holy Spirit a specific question, I knew there was so much more to this scripture that He wanted to teach me so I began looking up what the original Greek words meant and this is what I found…

“commandments” means “authoritative prescription”

“keepeth” means “to guard by keeping your eyes upon”

“loveth” means “to be a friend to, to have personal attachment”

“manifest” means “to exhibit in person or disclose by words”

So….when you piece all of this together in plain English this is what Jesus was saying….

If you keep your eyes upon Jesus’ commandments (through the Word of God, the Bible) and your ears upon His Spirit (always listening to the Holy Spirit), Jesus will lead you into a friendship and personal attachment to Him and out of this relationship and Jesus’ love for you, His fruits within you will manifest to you and others.  

My question was answered….if I want to constantly experience the fruits of God’s Spirit (peace, love, JOY….), I must spend time with Jesus in Spirit and in His Word and as I draw closer to Him and OBEY Him, the fruits will overflow from me. 

So…to sum it all up (sorry I got lengthy this morning)….joy comes through obedience when…..

You talk to the Holy Spirit and read God’s Word…..then….You hear, you do, you talk to the Holy Spirit about your next steps….you wait, you hear, you do, and before long you aren’t thinking about yourself, your worries, or even your next step because the Holy Spirit is guiding you. The obedience of following Jesus begins to bring forth the greatest love, joy, and peace that you could ever imagine.  His fruits (Jesus’ fruits – which simply means the characteristics of His personality) begin to manifest in all parts of your life and, as a result, joy is not based on circumstances of this world but, instead, found in the comfort of walking and talking with the Holy Spirit, the best friend you can ever have. 

On March 13^th, my circumstances in the natural will change and yes, naturally, I might shed some tears on that first day but, because my joy is not dependent on circumstances, but only dependent on His Spirit within me, my joy will remain.  I will have the privilege and blessing of carrying Jesus’ personality and power right back into my school where I can manifest and pass along His joy to others while all the time….listening to the Holy Spirit, hearing, doing, and then resting in that joy and peace that is beyond my understanding….on days where I may begin to miss the snuggles of my babies, the Holy Spirit will give me the biggest hug and snuggle that I could ever receive….because He’s always right on time!

Promise Keeper

Today is a special day for our family, it's the birthday of our sweet baby Kate.  And, that perfect, precious girl will always be a reminder of how God keeps His promises, how He creates perfection, and how He covers and protects those who rely on His Word.

As I sat down in the rocking chair in the room where I have rocked Kate since the day I brought her home from the hospital, I was overwhelmed with thankfulness.  I began to think about the love of our heavenly Father and His precious Son, Jesus.  Any good earthly father desires to lavish their love upon their children and one way they do this is by always keeping their promises, doing exactly what they have said they will do. Our heavenly Father is the same way - He desires for us to listen to Him, to get to know His promises, rely on His Words, and then watch Him finish His plan with perfection.

This morning, I thank my heavenly Father for the promise of baby Kate.  Early in the pregnancy, the enemy made an attempt to steal our peace through negative reports from the doctor.  Then, on the day she was born, our baby Kate was born in a way that could have been risky to her survival.  BUT....neither one of these threats from the enemy harmed our baby girl.  Why? Because we (her parents) and her Jesus trusting family and close friends, used our authority (through the name of Jesus) to send the enemy running. God told us Kate would be perfect and we trusted in that Word all the way through.  Since that October 21st, 2013 day, I have NEVER doubted God's Word and what He will do when we trust in Him.

So...this morning I also thank God for the perfection of baby Hannah.  As I still sit in my ever so loved and used rocking chair, I look forward to the quickly approaching day where I get to look into baby Hannah's precious eyes and touch her tiny body parts that I know God is completing right now.  This baby girl had God's Word spoken about her BEFORE we knew she was in my womb. Landis received a timely phone call from a precious friend of ours just minutes before we took a positive pregnancy test. This friend of his knew we were expecting a third baby even before we knew it.  As we confirmed to him that, yes, our pregnancy test was positive, this friend began to tell us all about the promises God had for this baby girl. He told us about the joyful person she would be, how she would be bold for Jesus among a generation who would toss out "religion" and would instead KNOW Jesus.  This friend went on to claim that my pregnancy would be complication free and joyful.

Well, I sit here confirming that this friend was exactly right.  I cannot believe how smooth this pregnancy has gone. I have a little over 7 weeks left and I feel great! The doctor's say "I'm elderly" in pregnancy years but I don't feel any older than I did when I was pregnant with Luke. Thank you Jesus for upholding this body!!! I look forward to the December day that God fulfills the other part of His promise and delivers us with a sweet and perfect JOYFUL baby Hannah.

Luke and I are reading through Genesis together each night and every time we read, Luke and I talk about how time after time in that first book of the Bible, God spoke and what He spoke happened.  It is such a blessing to then be able to show Luke how God STILL works this way today by reminding Luke of all the promises God has spoken in our lives and then fulfilled.

Friends....God loves you and He has promises for you that He will fulfill as you trust Him!  Have a blessed and beautiful October 21st!

Toddy

The Power of THE Word

As many of you know, around 17 weeks pregnant with our baby Kate, I received a phone call that my genetic screening had returned abnormal and showed an increased risk for our baby to have Down's syndrome.  Landis and I were called to the doctor for an ultrasound where we saw a beautiful film of our perfect baby girl. We trusted God for her perfection throughout the rest of the pregnancy and now today, she's just that - perfect!

Well, here in pregnancy #3, I once again received the same phone call that my genetic testing had come back abnormal for a different (worse) genetic disease. This time, I didn't even cry after hanging up the phone but instead became angry - not at God - He's never the bearer of bad news - but at the Devil. I thought to myself, "Why would the enemy attack with lies AGAIN when he knows he has been defeated already?"

I began to talk to the Lord about this second attack. This time, I knew what God's Will was for this baby. I knew she would be whole and perfect and that God would reveal that to us at the ultrasound.  So my talks with the Lord wasn't about begging or pleading with Him to make this baby perfect. He was already working on that because that's His nature - that's His Will.  I wanted God to strengthen me in whatever way He wanted during this battle. A battle that would ultimately take place in my mind.

And....that's where I think the Lord is taking me with this blog because that's where He began to show me some things. During those 5 days between hearing the negative words from the doctor and yesterday when God's Word was proven true, I had to rely on the Spirit of God for peace but more than anything, I had to hear God's Word (His Truths laid out in the Bible for us) louder than any seeds the doctor planted in my mind.

In this mind battle is where so many people (even Christians) get deceived and let their guard down.

Here's an example of what I mean....because Landis and I had been through this negative "screening" process before, we knew that even after a perfect ultrasound that the doctors would offer us other forms of testing to "prove" that the baby was okay or to find the problem areas.  This time, we knew we would be offered an appointment to Wake Forest for "genetic counseling" and a "high risk ultrasound."  We knew BEFORE we entered the doors of the doctor's office yesterday, BEFORE we saw the ultrasound, that we would deny this extra testing and this is why....

There is NO TRUTH outside of God's Word - NONE.  The first screening was a lie from the Devil so we were not going to give the Devil anymore chances to plant negative seeds (contrary to God's Word) through these extra tests and appointments.  God says in His Word that His Will is a perfect, healthy baby - every time! Does the enemy attack babies in utero? YES! He will steal, kill, and destroy any chance he can get.  But, in this body of mine, the Devil has no authority because Jesus reigns inside of me.  I will not release ANY authority to this horrible enemy but instead trust (with a pure, confident, non-wavering heart) in Jesus to shelter this baby, make her perfect, designed for His purpose in this world.

Tests, news, reports from doctors are often times in direct conflict with what I just shared.  When you hear news from the doctor, it is often negative and speaks a "sentence" over you.  Often times more information is needed and more tests are run and it's a sad process that beats us up in our minds if we let it.  I'm writing this blog today to encourage all of you to get God's Word in your hearts so strong, so loud that anytime in your life that you face a doctor's report, that you will hear God's report louder.  You will know what God's Will is and you will take authority in Jesus and claim your heavenly Father's will over anything a doctor tells you. That takes faith - and I know it's hard.

In my situation, many parents would opt for more testing. They would want to know every detail about this baby inside of them and they may or may not receive more bad news. Some people would say, "But, doesn't it drive you crazy that you could know all this other information and be 100% sure that everything is okay. What would a few more tests - just to make sure - hurt?"  Well, that's where the faith walk comes in.  Yes, sometimes saying NO to all this "information" could be hard because the information would give you facts right then (whether good or bad) - faith requires that you EXPECT what you cannot yet see. You trust in God for the finished product BEFORE you have evidence of that finished work. Faith isn't easy but it ALWAYS results in a blessing.  Psalm 22:4-5 says, "In You our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them.  To You they cried and were rescued; in You they trusted and were not put to shame."

This verse reminds us that when we put all our trust and faith in God, He WILL RESCUE US!  The scriptures do not teach us to put half our trust in God, while also seeking every worldly confirmation that we can - it says to cry to your heavenly Father and trust Him.

Trusting in God, the authority of Jesus that we have been given, and through the power of the LIVING Word of God is the ONLY way to defeat the enemy both in battles in our mind and in our physical bodies.

How do I know this?  Because I've seen the Word of God come to life over and over in my life, especially since I've had children.  The Word of God and the authority through Jesus in me has now saved all three of my children.  Luke was cured of allergies through the Holy Spirit and Word of God. Kate fought negative doctor's reports during my pregnancy and was born in a position that normally injures babies - she was born perfect without one bruise. And, now, this third baby received a terrible report at 18 weeks but has already proven to be perfect.  These attacks did not come from my Father in heaven, but from the enemy; however, my GOOD, GOOD Father rescued us EVERY time! All because we trusted in Him....and Him alone....

As I was asking God to strengthen me even more in His Word over the last few days, I heard this question in my Spirit, "Why did I leave you with the Word of God?"  I told the Lord, "That seems like such a simple question. You left us your Word so we would know your Will and your Ways."  And God whispered again, "Because my Word has POWER. It's a living Word."  Yes, yes, yes!!!  I began to get excited and knew I had a research mission. I love it when the Holy Spirit gives me "homework" that will grow my roots and foundational beliefs deeper. I began to research in the Bible all the scriptures that tell us that God's Word is living and has power and this is what I found....

Hebrews 4:12 - "For the Word that God speaks is ALIVE and FULL OF POWER, it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow (of the deepest parts of our nature), exposing and analyzing the very thoughts and purposes of our heart."

Matthew 4:1-11, Luke 4 - these scriptures teach us about how Jesus defeated the temptations of the Devil. He defeated him by telling the Devil what the scriptures said.  I encourage you to read these scriptures on your own.  Jesus is our example of how to use authority to defeat the enemy. If He used the Word of God as His weapon, so should we.

Jeremiah 23:28-29 - "The prophet who has a dream, let him tell his dream; but he who has My Word, let him speak My Word faithfully.  What has straw in common with wheat (for nourishment) says the Lord?  Is not My Word like fire that consumes all that cannot endure the test? says the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks in pieces the rock (of most stubborn resistance)?

Hebrews 6:5 - "And have felt how good (beautiful, excellent, useful, comforting) the Word of God is and the mighty powers (for performing miracles) of the age and world to come."

1 Peter 1:23-25 - "You have been born again, not from a mortal origin (sperm, seed) but from one that is immortal by the ever LIVING and LASTING Word of God.  For all flesh (mankind) is like grass, and all its glory (honor) like the flower of grass. The grass withers and the flower drops off.  But the Word of the Lord (divine instruction, the Gospel) endures forever. And this Word is the good news which was preached to you."

1 Thessalonians 2:13 - "We also thank God continually for this, that when you received the message of God (which you heard) from us, you welcomed it not as the word of mere men, but as it truly is, the Word of God, which is effectually (able to produce) at work in you who believe (exercising its supernatural POWER in those who adhere to and trust in and RELY on it."  This is one of my favorites - the Word of God always has power but we have to RELY on it to see that power manifest and produce.

I share these scriptures with you for this reason...the next time you hear a doctor give you negative news.  Just remember - those words are DEAD as soon as they are spoken then replace those words with ANY of the LIVING, POWERFUL Words from the divine book of scriptures - the Holy Bible.  I challenge you to memorize verses that speak to you personally so those living Words can rise up in you at times when your Bible is not physically with you.  The Holy Spirit is smart, very smart - when you make deposits of the Word into your Spirit, He will bring them to your remembrance in the perfect timing that you need them. I'm a witness!

And...one last thing that God showed me over the last joyful week...one night at bedtime I was reading Kate the scriptures about Jesus and Peter walking on water.  Kate always enjoys the scriptures but on this particular night, God was speaking to me.  This awesome testimony of Jesus' power can be found in Matthew 14:22-33.  When Peter first starts walking on the water toward Jesus, his faith is strong. While his eyes are focused on Jesus, he is able to maintain that miraculous walk on the water.  Then, in verse 30, it says, "When he (Peter) perceived and felt the strong wind, he was frightened, and as he began to sink, he cried out, Lord, save me!"  When Peter took his eyes off Jesus and allowed the circumstances to affect him, he began to sink.  As I read this I knew what God was telling me.  If I allowed more tests on this precious baby, I was allowing the winds and waves to be felt and my faith would be weakened. God told me loud and clear - keep your eyes on Jesus and this miraculous walk to a whole, perfect baby will be complete!  Oh, thank you Lord! I love it when that Word jumps out at me and speaks right to my heart - it's ALIVE, for sure!

When you continue to read these scriptures in Matthew, verse 32 says, "And when Peter and Jesus got into the boat, the wind ceased."  The presence of Jesus brought calm, brought peace to the raging storm around them.  Yesterday after the ultrasound, we sat down with the doctor. As we expected, she explained our testing options, all the negative things that could still be possible, and then asked us what we planned on doing next.  We very calmly explained to her that we would do nothing else but wait on the Lord to complete His Work in me and the baby.  The doctor looked at me and Landis and said, "You all are so calm. I dreaded this conversation all day but you all have made it easy. Some patients get very emotional and even angry but you had your minds made up already."  Landis and I looked at each other, smiled, and said, "It's the joy of the Lord and when we have God's Word, we can be at peace." We told her that God had created perfection in baby Kate and we trusted that He would do it again with this baby girl.

As I drove home yesterday, I thought about how different the thinking that Landis and I have is compared to the world's thinking. As we sat in that doctor's office, we were walking in the Spirit, not allowing the flesh or emotions to take over. When the doctor was telling us about all the different reactions people have when they hear that negative news, I felt sorry for them because I know that they, too, need the Word of God to comfort them, give them peace, and help them overcome the Devil's lies. Friends, turn to the Word daily - read the Bible, study the scriptures, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal them to you personally. You see God knows what tomorrow holds for you and He will share the perfect scriptures with you at the perfect time if you just get still (shut out the world's noise), listen, and learn from your Creator. Why? Because there's POWER in everything He says....

Love you all,
Toddy

Awakening

Praise Jesus for Easter Sunday!  Oh, what a joyous day it is.  This year in our house we have made some major changes to our past "Easter" celebrations, and, as a result, the Gospel of Jesus and the power of Jesus' resurrection has been revealed to me (and then passed on to my children) in a different way than ever before. 

First of all, let me explain some God spoken changes that we made this year...as a family, we participated in NO easter egg hunts, did not purchase Easter gifts or baskets, and, of course, made sure that our children knew the truth about the Easter bunny. (For a side note, if you don't know the truth about the Easter bunny, you should google it's origin and you will find very disturbing information about how he first represented a pagan celebration of the goddess of dawn.  For this reason and many more, our family will have no part of celebrations of little "g" gods...we know the one and only living, powerful capital "G" God and He's all we need.)  

We read the Word of God in our house often but this year we made sure to read the scriptures from the Bible (Luke - Chapter 23) that describe Jesus' crucifixion.  We also included Ephesians 4:8-9 which tells us what Jesus was doing during the time that His flesh was still in the tomb.  Then, this morning, Kate and I took a sunrise walk.  We played our Jesus songs and watched the sunrise over our neighborhood as we worshiped Jesus - the reason for our celebration on this day.  I look forward to also reading Luke Chapter 24 (the scriptures that tell us about Jesus' resurrection) when Luke wakes up this morning.

Through these changes of focusing on Jesus alone (and trying our best to shut out the world's eggs and bunnies), Jesus revealed this very simple revelation to me (and with the children)....

Did you know that on that first Easter day your identity changed?  Luke 24:36 says this, "Now while they were talking about this (the witnessing of seeing Jesus' alive on the road to Emmaus), Jesus Himself took His stand among them and said to them, 'Peace (freedom from all the distresses that are experienced as the result of sin) be to you!'"

Did you catch that?  Jesus Himself was reminding the disciples and other witnesses that they no longer had to identify with sin and the bondage/stress/guilt that comes with it. Jesus reminded them to identify with peace. On that day (on this day), Jesus' resurrection had defeated sin and replaced it with peace.  And...also on that day (on this day), Jesus' resurrection had defeated death and replaced it with eternal life.  So, praise Jesus - from that day forward, we no longer have to identify with sin, with guilt, with stress, with worry, with doubt - but we only identify with peace, with eternal life, and with the love and thankfulness of what Jesus has done for us.  

On that day of Jesus' resurrection, we became a son/daughter of God.  Our pathway - communication - relationship - with God, the Father, was restored.  All of the blessings of Heaven and the good treasures that God wants to give us became available.  The Kingdom of Heaven had come! And, of course, it's still here.  The Kingdom of Heaven is right here, right now - when we turn our sin over to Jesus and accept Him as our personal savior. 

Today, in churches all over the world, the Gospel of Jesus will be taught.  Today, many people who usually don't go to church will find a church and enter the doors.  I talked to God this morning and prayed that the Holy Spirit would go forth and bring people to Jesus today.  Romans 1:16 says, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek."  

Oh, friends, if you don't know Jesus as your personal savior today, call out to Him. Or, if you know Jesus and you are trusting Him as your savior from sins but you are still identifying with guilt from your past or you are struggling to overcome the temptations of this world, call out to Jesus today. Ask Jesus to reveal His identity to you.  Remember, Romans 8:10 says, "If Christ is IN you, the body is dead because of sin, yet the Spirit is alive because of righteousness."  Jesus has made you righteous in God's eyes (as soon as you accept Him). God doesn't see your dirty past but only your clean Spirit (that is one with Jesus).  So, now, ask God to help you begin to see yourself as He does - pure, clean, righteous. Tell yourself that you are a son/daughter of our loving heavenly Father.  Tell the enemy that those guilty "feelings" and reminders of your past are a LIE.  Don't let your mind identify with those dead things. You are NEW in Jesus and today is the day that represents that first Easter day that changed our identify forever. Oh, thank you Jesus!

This morning, as Kate and I watched the sun rise, we heard the song by Chris Tomlin called, "Awakening."  Some of the words said this..."Like the rising sun that shines from the darkness comes a light, I hear Your voice and this is my awakening."  

Just as the sun rises and overtakes the darkness, Jesus' power in you will overtake sin, stress, worry, and doubt as you let Him.  There is no darkness too powerful for Jesus. God proved that when He raised His Son from the dead...and, now this same power is IN us...Ephesians 1:19-20 says, "His incomparably great power for us who believe, that power is the same as the mighty strength He exerted when He raised Jesus from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms." 

With God's power in us, we can overcome all evil things in this simple way - identify with Jesus.  

Happy, happy Easter! Happy, happy resurrection day!!! Happy, happy identity changing day!!! Let the awakening (and revelation of our new identify) overwhelm us today and everyday!

Love,
Toddy

New Life

For the last few days, my morning drive to work has slowly become more colorful. With every new touch of color that I see, I smile and feel such a warmth in my Spirit as I think about the new life that spring brings.  Even as I sit here right now (thinking about the pretty purple flowers that began to bloom in my own yard yesterday afternoon), my heart is full of what spring means to me and I pray that the Holy Spirit help me put it into words that will grow your heart as well. 

Maybe the best place to start is winter....think about what happens in winter....the old leaves, the old blooms - they die.  The leaves fall to the ground and then we have to pick them up and get rid of them - our goal is to take these leaves away where we never have to worry about them again. Did you know that is exactly what Jesus did to our sins?  

Jesus bore our sin in His body on the cross. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him (Jesus) we might become the righteousness of God." Jesus had no sin. His flesh and His Spirit remained pure.  But, God still designed it that Jesus would be beaten and crucified on the cross for our sins. Because of Jesus (and when we identify with Him), we become righteous in the eyes of God. Oh, how God has loved us all along - to put such a perfect plan in place! 

When we are sinners (not born again/haven’t received salvation), we identify with Adam.  We see ourselves as flesh (which is corruptible seed).  We identify with sin and sickness BUT after we are born again and receive Jesus, we identify with Jesus.  Romans 8:10 says "If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.

When we are born AGAIN, we are born of Jesus.  Our first birth is a natural one – we are born of the flesh (the likeness of Adam was reproduced).  Our second birth is a spiritual one – we are born of the Spirit (the likeness and power of Jesus was reproduced).  When you are baptized, you go under the water as FLESH, you come out of the water as SPIRIT.  Your identity changes. 

John 3:1-7 says, "Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, 'Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher, for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.' Jesus answered and said to him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.' Nicodemus said to Him, 'How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?' Jesus answered, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." 

With Jesus IN us, we see ourselves as Spirit – no longer ruled by the flesh. When we receive Jesus, the flesh dies…it loses its power – the power of the Spirit of Jesus inside of us takes over.  We no longer have to worry about dying (our flesh perishing) because we don’t even identify with that part anymore – we identify with our Spirit – which is eternal.  And…because we identify with the Spirit of Jesus, we know that we are WHOLE. Jesus isn’t sick – He isn’t carrying around feelings of guilt – dread, fear.  Jesus is ALIVE, He’s WHOLE, He’s at peace, and He has authority over all fear through His Power. When we identify with the Spirit of Jesus, we KNOW we have all these things as well and this is where our confidence comes from.  

So....let's get back to those trees and dead leaves.  Remember, that after the leaves die and fall to the ground, our goal is to get rid of them.  We don't want those DEAD leaves cluttering our lawns and gutters.  Just like the leaves, Jesus got rid of our sins.  During the three days between Jesus' death on the cross and His resurrection, Jesus was in a place that we will never have to go - the lower parts of the Earth. What did Jesus accomplish there?  He took our sins far, far away and left them in the darkness - never to be returned to us.  Ephesians 4:8-10 says, "When He (Jesus) ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, and He gave gifts to men.  Now, this expression, He ASCENDED what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the Earth?"  These scriptures teach us that Jesus freed those men of God from the Old Testament (Abraham, Noah, Jacob and many more). These men had righteousness "on credit" and after Jesus' death on the cross, He freed them from the lower parts of the Earth (those were the captives referenced in these scriptures) AND Jesus left our sins there - in the lower parts of earth - as far as the east is from the west.  

So...when you have those days, when the enemy wants to remind you of the sins of your past. Please think about those leaves of fall that you raked up and threw away. That's exactly what Jesus did for your sins (if you have faith in what He accomplished). He took your sins away - FOREVER and does not want you to be reminded of them anymore. Thank you, Jesus!  

Now...back to those seasons.... :) 

Just like it takes some time for the dead of winter to change to the life of spring - it also takes some time for us to bloom and produce evidence of Jesus in us. After we are born again, we begin to put the Word of God in us, to ask Jesus to baptize us with the Holy Spirit, to pray in the Holy Spirit, to spend time with Jesus daily and as a result, our blooms (our characteristics of Jesus become evident) and in a beautiful way.   

As we "bloom" in Jesus, it’s so very important to build our confidence by understanding WHO we are IN God…we are not Adam…we are Jesus.  We are not flesh, we are SPIRIT. We are not sick, we are WHOLE. We are not guilty, we are FORGIVEN. We are not slaves, we are SONS/DAUGHTERS. All because of…..Jesus! 

NOW, when I see the colors of spring - all the different types of blooms and new life around me....I begin to think about all the fruits of Jesus' Spirit that I now identify with. 

The leaves of.... guilt, sickness, fear, sinner, slave, anger, bondage, selfish, doubt, powerless, perish ...have died....and now the beautiful, fragrant, colorful blooms of spring....forgiveness, whole, peace, righteous, daughter/son, patience, love, freedom, selfLESS, powerFUL, confidence, eternal....are my new identity. 

So, as I often do, I challenge you....during this beautiful season that I know that God designed for such reasons as He has shown me, I challenge you to see Jesus in the new life of Spring. I challenge you to identify with Him.  And....here's a hard one (especially for my generation), instead of talking to your kids about the Easter bunny and egg hunts....tell them about the new life that spring represents.  Read God's Word about the new life they have when they accept Jesus as their savior.  Tell them how Jesus took their place on that cross and how He took their sins away forever - permanently.  Easter is NOT about bunnies, eggs, and candy - but it's about the hope that we have in our only way to God the Father - through His precious Son, Jesus.  Oh, thank you, Jesus, for my new life. I identify with you!  

Part II of another celebration (and glory to God) that spring always brings for our family coming soon! :) Stay tuned...