Commended for Faith, not an outcome

“Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.  This is what the ancients were commended for.”

Hebrews 11:1-2

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Written By: Mindy Larsen

Have you ever stopped to consider that you may never achieve the one thing that you’re working towards?  Or that maybe you’ll be stuck trying long after you expected to be reaping the rewards?

I’m a writer whose one big goal is to write a book. I’m taking courses to become a better writer, sending off submissions, sharing posts on my blog and on social media in hopes that someday I will be a published author.  One day, I sat behind my computer, pressed my fingertips onto the smooth surface of the square keys, and heard the Lord ask me, “Will you still praise me if your book never gets traditionally published?  Will you still be faithful even if you don’t receive the outcome you’re working towards?”

faith hall of fame

There’s a well-known chapter in Hebrews chapter 11 that is often referred to as the “Faith Hall of Fame.”  It tells the stories of well-known heroes of the Bible—people like Abraham, Moses, Isaac, and Noah—who took courageous steps of faith.  For example, Noah was told there was going to be a flood that would drown the world, by faith he made an ark.  Abraham was asked to travel to his new home in the Promised Land but he had no idea where he was going; by faith, he trekked through the desert. 

After telling these stories about monumental steps of faith, verse 13 says, “All these people were still living by faith when they died.  They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.” 

 One sentence in this verse struck me – “they did not receive the things promised.”  

The finish line

Our culture operates strongly based on a finish line.  We train to complete a marathon.  We go to graduate school to get the MBA needed to become an executive. The purpose is to get to the end, to finish the goal, to complete the project.  Only then, when the finish line has been reached will we have made it.  Then we’ll be commended. Then we’ll be praised. Then we’ll be worthy because we reached our goal; with this mentality, it’s all about the outcome.

But what if we, like some of the heroes in Hebrews chapter 11, never get to see the final outcome?  What if we never reach what we’re working towards?

Hebrews 11:1-2 says, “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.  This is what the ancients were commended for.”  It is so easy to get caught up in the belief that success is based on what we yield.  But what the Faith Hall of Fame advocates is, we will be commended for our FAITH in the journey – not for an outcome.      

Commended for faith

Noah saved mankind and all the animals of the earth, but believe it or not, he was not commended for the end result.  He was commended for the faith it took to build the ark. And Moses was not commended for leading the people of God to the Promised Land (friends, he never even got to go in); yet he was commended for the faith it took to leave Egypt.  

When it comes down to it, our ultimate goal as followers of Jesus is to be faithful no matter what.  If we become so focused on what we produce, on what goals we are accomplishing  (or not accomplishing) in our lifetime, we not only rob ourselves the joy of enjoying the process, but we run the risk of losing sight of our purpose; to make Jesus name known.

The key to losing the end-goal mentality, to being satisfied with steps of faith versus an outcome, is found in Hebrews 11:16 that says, “Instead, they were longing for a better country – a heavenly one.”  The reason the ancients didn’t lose faith, even when they didn’t reach their outcome, is because instead of being focused on their end goal, they were focused on THE end goal – eternity in heaven with the Lord.   

shifted prespective

Instead of obsessing over my goal to become a published author, I’m shifting my perspective to being faithful and obedient to the Lord in each moment, and trusting Him to lead me even if the outcome is not what I expect.  And you know what the result has been? Freedom. Satisfaction. Joy. 

Fixing our eyes on Jesus releases us from the power-hungry obsession to be successful and enables us to enjoy life to the fullest.  Will you join me? Together, let’s focus on faithfulness, find satisfaction in the journey, and pray that someday we, like the ancients, might be commended for our faith. 

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Mindy Larsen is a writer living in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin.  She loves donuts, the power of Scripture to combat anxiety, and cuddling on the couch with her husband Chris, and their cat, Finn.  Mindy writes to encourage others with words that point towards Jesus.  You can find her writing in Thryve Magazine, Grit & Virtue, and (in)courage, as well as on her personal blog – www.loveminblog.com She’d love to connect with you there, or over on Instagram www.instagram.com/mindykaysl

 

Finding Freedom in Surrendering Your Imperfect Purpose

For through the Law I died to the Law and its demands on me [because salvation is provided through the death and resurrection of Christ], so that I might [from now on] live to God.  I have been crucified with Christ [that is, in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body I live by faith [by adhering to, relying on, and completely trusting] in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. I do not ignore or nullify the [gracious gift of the] grace of God [His amazing, unmerited favor], for if righteousness comes through [observing] the Law, then Christ died needlessly. [His suffering and death would have had no purpose whatsoever.]”

Galatians 2:19-21 AMP

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There is freedom in surrendering to who Christ designed us to be. As humans, we often feel like surrendering to anything means that we are giving up control, giving up power, and giving up freedom, but in Christ, we find true freedom when we surrender to His design. A freedom that can only come from the Lord because it is solely dependent on the price He paid for us on the cross. Yet, we allow ourselves to hold back from full surrender because it means that the imperfections and the mess will be uncovered, that our weakest points will be on display-- but what we are not grasping is that the Lord has us come just as we are. Our perspective of who we belong to has to be shifted, the chains of this earthly world must be broken-- as Christian women, we are to show up however He might have us so that He is seen through us. We have to daily remember that He has placed us here on earth for a set amount of time to share who He is, to speak His message, to build His Kingdom, all through the imperfections that we walk with. As a body of believers, our eternal perspective needs to bring us such a hope and peace that we are not battling ourselves to hold on to our own freedom. We are His, society would have us think that can make us weak, belonging to someone-- but it is not just someone who we belong to-- our lives imperfect and all are purposed for His glory. He has called us, purposed us, in such a way that His Kingdom comes, in every single one of our imperfections. The freedom that arrives at our doorstep when we surrender it all to the Lord can feel harder than surrendering to self, but don’t let the enemy deceive you, do not believe that lie he sets up there. God wants us to sacrifice the total feeling of comfort to give us something greater. HIMSELF.  When we think what we want and what He wants out of our lives it can often be different purposes, and it means stepping into the unknown so He can show us all of who He is, and all that He is working in our imperfections.

Why do we give space to hesitation in surrender?

We give ourselves a space to hesitate to surrender because we allow the ongoing pressures of the world, the flesh, and the enemy to shape our thoughts, feelings, and actions. We live in conformity to those things--- we cannot be transformed in Christ when conformation is existent. We must surrender to these conformities so that we accept His grace in our lives and rebuke the ideas of perfection and pressure. When we hesitate to surrender it all to the Lord, what He does, in fact, call us to, we are really saying, “ fear, lies, perfection, you are all welcome here,” because we choose fear over faith, lies over truth, perfection over imperfection.

Have you felt consumed with the “rules” and “should do’s” of this world that you found yourself in a place where all you could think of or do is try to keep up with it all? Your wheels have just been spinning in the yes mode, the I can do it all mode, day in and day out until you get to a place where you are so tired because really you are just relying on your strength? Your striving is what you think is thriving, yet deep down you know something is missing? It is easy for us to look at our world, at other women, and mamas, and think, “Oh, that is the way I need to be, or that is what I need to be doing, or that is the way it's supposed to go, so what do I need to do to get there” , completely disregarding the truth that we belong to Christ and He is who ultimately directs and empowers us-- not the world that we live in?

We give space to hesitating to surrender because we accept comparison when we should actually be empowering and equipping the women around us to walk in the grace that the Lord has called each of us too.  As Kingdom women, there cannot be a place for hesitation-- we have to be boldly pursuing what it is that will advance the gospel, what will grow His Kingdom. It has to start with a deeply rooted grasp on a fully surrendered life. We leave an open door for our flesh and the enemy to enter when we are not in daily communication with the Lord. Our faith pulls us to center as we ABIDE + SURRENDER to Him. It is so important for us to protect our faith day in and day out— He calls us to have a FIRM grip on our faith, for ourselves and for generations that follow. There is no room for HESITATION when we live surrendered.

 

In what ways can we find true freedom in surrendering our imperfect purpose?

The freedom that comes when we surrender it all to Christ is the freedom that identifies with Christ, living in Christ who lives within. Surrendering is living on the basis of faith not striving. Embracing our imperfections. We begin to understand that it doesn’t mean we are alone on our journey and that His ways are greater than ours. We think that freedom is the power for us to walk on our own, yet He did not design and create us to walk alone in our lives. The truth is freedom is redemption but that doesn’t mean that we go back or remain in a perfect state because there is only One perfect, Christ.

We find true freedom when we accept that we were made with a purpose to glorify His kingdom which means our lives are not about us and our comfort but about the walls He will tear down for us to walk in the victory he paid for us.

The freedom that comes with surrendering our imperfect purpose, the perfect ways that we thought, or strive for, is the freedom that we live out because we have died to our flesh where we can now grasp the power of His growth, abundance, redemption that He purposed in our lives.

When we seek to surrender to the Lord, he sustains us. When we surrender ourselves to the Lord, we are in fact transformed-- freedom..we are justified through our faith in Him alone. When we trust the Lord, what is true of Him, is true of us. It is about what Jesus has done for us, something we could never do for ourselves. Surrendering is doing it only on the basis of faith.

What does TRUE freedom really look like in contrast to the way we perceive earthly freedom?

True freedom from surrendering our imperfect purpose looks like transformation and trust compared to a lack of power as our world would see it. It looks like He is working to challenge us, to connect us, mature us— it doesn't look like we get to do what we want when we want.  It understands that we are not in power of our lives— that there are things that will have consequences due to the fall and sin. We are imperfect for this exact reason, a broken world, a broken people-- but we are redeemed through Christ. It does mean that He is and always will be a good God though because in the end, He will always be glorified but our faith has to remain undoubting.

Something that has really forced me to work very hard to stay far from earthly expectations is being a mama to a special needs child. I feel God in this place every single day, nothing about my pregnancy, my son’s birth, and our journey is one that was a “rule” follower-- it was never about it going according to “plan” because it was all about being Christs to glorify. It is not mine to compare because no matter what it looks like it is a gift. I would be abandoning the Lord if I followed suit with what I thought I should be as a mama to him by comparing-- the wheel would never stop spinning because I would be living for me, my expectations, my desires. Yet, we all have one place we can all dwell in, one Savior to abide in, and surrender to.  We get to walk in freedom trusting that we don’t have to keep trying to please the Lord, and certainly not this world. Christ has already shown us how to live, He already enables us to live a life that is free of pressures, guilt-trips, expectations. We have to take the initiative to identify with Christ himself, understand that with His death, our flesh has also died and we are alive and living with our Savior, not with the striving of this world. Our way to thrive with our time on earth is to let ourselves be consumed with only the Lord, and who He is so that we would be imitators of only one, Him. God doesn’t need or care for us to keep trying to keep up, He needs us to lift our hands high, surrendered, trusting Him to have His way with our lives, not for our sake at all, but for His.

 

“Let us say it again: The Universal Presence is a fact. God is here. The whole universe is alive with His life. And He is no strange or foreign God, but the familiar Father of our Lord Jesus Christ whose love has for these thousands of years enfolded the sinful race of men. And always He is trying to get our attention, to reveal Himself to us, to communicate with us. We have within us the ability to know Him if we will respond to His overtures. (And this we call pursuing God!) We will know Him in increasing degrees as our receptivity becomes more perfect by faith and love and practice.” - A.W. Tozer

the freedom in surrender is found when our imperfect purpose is in fact surrendered

When we surrender to God’s plan for us when we surrender to our imperfections and make room for His perfection we surrender we are brought to a place of rest because we turn over-dependence on the Lord, making way to freedom in our lives. Our world would have us believe that we have to exemplify self-power, self-dependence, but all that eventually does is run us dry. You will do yourself hard if you for one second believe these lies. Ultimately we have to hope in the Lord-- and only in Him, if we want to live a life that is surrendered to Him. Laying down our lives for Him is exactly where He wants us to be, in the imperfect places. He has perfection all figured out, it is not our job, so we can accept that He is who He says He is, He will do what He says He will, and He has already got it all figured out. When we know Christ, who He is fully, everything He has already done for us, we are compelled to surrender to Him, fear holds no ground in our lives.

 

How Desperate Am I For More of God?

Written By: Tiffany Nesbitt

“Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit” (Jeremiah 17:7,8).

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The miles flash as I speed through the desert. In its pre-dawn blush, the sky shimmers, mother-of-pearl. Rugged mountains cut a stark silhouette against the glow.

It’s breathtaking.

But all I can think about is my rumbling stomach. I’m hungry. So hungry that my stomach's growling complaints fill the entire sound-space of my brain, leaving no room for any type of early morning appreciation of beauty.But I’m also in a time crunch, without even a moment for a pass-through at fast food joint where I could hurriedly snatch a rubbery biscuit loaded with cheese and a bit of overdone egg...

Instead, I gaze across the miles into a desert range rising jagged and bare, and I’m catapulted back to the image which captured my heart just days before. All about Moses and his hollow heart hunger, and how God showed up to feast Moses on the indescribable glory of His presence.

And it makes me pause, wondering.

How hungry am I, really?

Because Moses was so desperate for the Presence that if he didn’t get more, he was willing to wander the scorched sands of Sinai, forfeiting the divine promise of milk-and-honey inheritance for himself and his people.

“ If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. ” (Ex. 33:16)

In other words, if I can’t have more of you than what I’ve yet tasted, I’m ready to dig in my sandals, stubborn-like, and just — wait. No charging forward, half-filled. No finding a way to make it all happen, dissatisfied still. A single longing filled Moses’ very core.

More of His presence.

I interrogate my heart there in the quiet hurtling through space.

How much do I really want? How desperate am I for more of God?

I glance in the rear view mirror, images flashing hard across its lens. Too many scenes of filling my soul’s belly with less than or not enough . How quickly I gravitate towards those plasticized versions of nutrition, nothing really there except temporary gratification and, somewhere down the road, coronary disease.

Jesus, more of you.

ecause I want to be so hungry for Him that every moment of my life, I’m knocking, searching, chasing Him down. He’s promised that if I seek Him, I’ll find Him — if I search with all my heart. But so often my heart is a divided territory, only half-in, while the other half slumbers away in complacent enough-ness. He’s promised that if I hunger and thirst for righteousness, I’ll be satisfied. But it can’t be any of that self-made, man-approved righteousness, striving only after comparison. The kind I cling to so easily.

I want a real, lasting hunger that burns, inferno-like, within me and declares I can’t possibly go forward without more of you, my Jesus.

Satisfy my burning heart.

The suns bursts over the horizon, and I imagine Moses, his face blazing like glory as he treks down Sinai. He’s been in the Presence — that more for which his heart had cried — and his earth-suit can’t contain the splendor.

I pull out my sunglasses, squinting into the glare. It’s glorious.

And there in the blinding glow, I can finally hear the beat of my own heart, satisfied.

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My story? I’m a Jesus lover: an ardent worshiper who longs for nothing more than to revel in the presence of the One who alone is WORTHY. I am wife to Christopher, that amazing husband and father whose beautiful romancing 30 years ago started so much.I am mother to four incredible blessings: two stalwart young men, two radiant young women. Gifts of glory and sanctification, all. I spent nineteen years of my life practicing at being a home educator: joyful, hard-won days filled with priceless memories and perpetual messiness.I thrive most when teaching, mentoring or loving on the upcoming generation. My husband and I co-founded CRSSM, a ministry center in Costa Rica, where we lived for the first half of 2016. On March 1, 2018, I released a women’s Bible study called Bless. I am a fearless shower singer, a faithful Austen devotee, an unashamed musical watcher. I love to celebrate milestones with great aplomb. I delight in opening my home to friends and family, and at such events, steaming cups of tea are invariably found.

ou can find her at her website Tiffany Nesbitt, and over on Instagram.

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TIPS AND TRICKS FOR LAUNCHING A PRODUCT OR SERVICE

Written By: Rachel Allene

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In the past years, my business has changed a lot. The business I was running in 2016 is completely different than the business I am running in 2017 and 2018. There are a lot of things that influenced these changes, but there is one thing I really started to research and implement. It transformed my income and my business. You want to know what I am talking about?

THE LAUNCH.

I know “launching” is kind of a buzz word in the creative industry right now, so you might be rolling your eyes and thinking: “yeah, yeah, we get it. Launching is a big deal.”

But. It is. Like a really big deal.

And I want to give you all my secrets about planning a launch and being able to be on autopilot once it goes live.

Today, I will be sharing five tips to help you plan and execute a successful launch. Let’s dive in!

Before we get to the tips, allow me to introduce The Launch League! This is a FREE 5-day online challenge where I will lead you through the steps and strategy behind planning a successful product or service with ease. I will help you go from frazzled and stressed, to confident with every launch!

Want to learn more and sign up FOR FREE? Challenge kicks off on April 23rd!

Just head to this page and get started!

Step One:

Putting it all out there

Make a comprehensive list of everything you need to do. Make sure you get really specific here. I like to split my to-do items into as many small items as possible. For example, “contact Influencers” can be broken down into these items:

• Make list of Influencers

• Write first contact email

• Write follow up email

• Create spreadsheet for “yes” list

So, I just took one item and made it into four items. I like to do this because I feel more productive on my list of items to complete if there are small tasks. Which also helps me stay motivated to do more.

Step Two:

Categorize everything.

You will want to make different categories for all the items on your list. So, have a list for all the content you need to write, the social posts you need to schedule, the design work you need to do, the emails that need to be scheduled, etc.

 

Step Three:

Write all the content.

Before I do any emailing or social post work for something I want to launch, I write ALL the content first. For example, for #theheartfeltgrid (a free instagram e-course I hosted), I write all the emails for the entire challenge, the emails to write to my list of influencers, the content for any educational resources, and the content for the website. Once the content is written, I am able to focus more on the social strategy and start creating the design elements for the launch.

Step Four:

Create a social strategy.

You will need to create all the Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest posts. For my challenge, I needed to create graphics and write content for my social strategy. I simply had a massive Google Doc with all the posts that needed to be scheduled and wrote the day and time above the content for the post. This was done so when I went back to schedule the posts, I wouldn’t have to think about which day it was done. The content was written before I do the scheduling, so it’s easier to just decide on the day and time while you’re writing the content.

You also need to create graphics for these posts. You might just need to take the pictures or maybe you need to design them in Adobe Illustrator or Canva.

Part of creating a social strategy is also creating a schedule for promoting the launch of your product/service/challenge/webinar.

*Using Facebook Live and Instagram Live are also important for a launch! In full disclosure: I didn’t have the time for this in my previous launch, but moving forward I will be hosting Live video. It allows your audience to ask questions and Live videos are relevant for quite awhile after you post them. So, the content lives on!

Step Five:

Scheduling everything.

In full disclosure, I will tell you that I have a virtual assistant who did the majority of my scheduling for my recent online challenge I hosted, but before that I did all the scheduling myself. This is because I have an infant. Otherwise, I would have done all the scheduling myself. If you block out time for planning your launch, I promise it can be easy and streamlined.

Here is what I use to make scheduling easy peasy:

• Google Docs for all content that can be easily copy and pasted into the respective social channels.

• Facebook can now schedule posts in groups, so I just use that resource.

• I am old school with Instagram and write my captions in an email and send it to myself.

• ConvertKit for emails. ← seriously the best!

• Tailwind for Pinterest!

 

Step Six:

Execute the launch!

When your launch is going on, I suggest that you only focus on the launch. “Shut down” other areas of your business so that 100% of your attention goes into the launch. So if you’re launching a course, make sure that is all that you’re focused on while the doors are open for your course. If you’re trying to juggle too many things, the success of your launch might suffer.

If you’re looking to dive into the strategy behind launching and learn how to craft an approach that CONVERTS, then come join The Launch League!

Challenge starts April 23rd, 2018 and I can’t wait to get started!

Head here to sign up and start learning all about launch strategy. I can’t wait to see you there!

Xo,

Rachel Allene

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Rachel Heckmann is an educator, product shop owner, encourager, and the creative stylist and director at Rachel Allene, an online shop that offers products and services for the creative, joyful, and inspired dreamer. She creates business resources in order to encourage and empower women to run heartfelt and profitable businesses on all social platforms. Rachel is a grateful wife, humbled mama, founder of #lesshustlemoregrace, and believer of real talk.

You can find her at her website Rachel Allen, and over on Instagram.

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3 Ways to Transform Your Prayer Life

"And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be [a]transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you]."

Romans 12:2

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Are we fully giving ourselves to the Lord because of the grace that we have thru Him that which saves us? When I thought and prayed about how I wanted to start the year off, prayer was the first thing that came to mind. I think it is a topic that we hear and talk about a lot, but I think sometimes we only grasp the surface. When we are new in Him, we have come from the dead (a brokenness) to a new living being from within. The old withers, and the new sprouts. As we are made new in Christ, our minds are also transformed so that we can further discern God’s will. That which is good and acceptable and perfect for our world is far different than that of Christ most often, a purpose that goes far beyond the expectancies of the world. When we meet the Father in prayer we are letting Him overtake it all for us, which is what He desires, it is what He wants so that we have a vast awareness of what He is capable of in our lives. Our prayer life is transformed in walking out our faith, surrendering it all to Him, being expectant of the work He is doing, where we might be swept in a slew of directions, shaken, sifted, taught, even paused-- to actually being present, showing up to do the work-- meeting Him in that place. Honestly, we have to have a faith so rooted in Him where we allow Him the room to do the mighty works-- that is fully transforming, not necessarily doing but being one with Christ. 

Transformed through Surrender

In order for prayer to fully transform us, for us to know that we are fully His I think we have to begin with surrender, the rest will follow from there. The thorns that we read about in Matthew 13:16-23, they will choke us-- it is on the hardened ground where we might cling more to the cares of the world that produces less fruit. If we dig a little deeper into our lives, into our prayer life even more specifically,  when we allow our fears, our anxieties, our brokenness, our need for perfection to take hold of us-- we are in bondage to Him. We are admitting to our Savior that we don’t think what He paid for us on the cross is worthy enough--- when in truth it is His abundance He gives to us. When we break free from the thorns, whatever they are in your life, you are opening yourself up to God. He already knows every single detail about us-- He just needs us to speak it to Him.  For transformation in our prayer life to sprout, to experience the fullness of Christ, we must speak His abundance-- that means laying it all out to Him. Practically it means being present with the Lord--- we live a world where it can be easy to just go through the motions-- however, in prayer, it is not that way. We have to open ourselves up to the Lord trusting and asking for His will, His way, to be done.  

I don’t know about you but when I read about Jesus praying I can picture Him, being so humble and lifting His hands up in surrender. In a posture that allows our Heavenly Father to lean in closer to us. We learn from Jesus that by surrendering it all we seek His will, we are there to encounter His whispers. Our hunger and thirst for the Lord when we surrender becomes our constant appetite. Can we be so desperate that our faith in the Lord is the complete belief in what His ability is and not ours? Are we coming to the Father, fully surrender, fully prepared to abide in what it is that He has for us? 

Before you begin to pray, surrender--- pause, hunger, and thirst for you to hear Him, draw near. It is almost as if you are taking a deep breath and lifting yourself up to Him. 

Transformed through Expectancy

Our prayer life is transformed when we have a posture of expectancy. We need to position ourselves, our prayers, our thoughts to be expectant of what is to come. This can be hard sometimes, our world wants us to think we have to move two steps ahead and have all the answers-- that is flesh, that is not how our God works-- He is the only one who knows what was and is to come, we however just need to expect Him-- trust that He is present. We are made new in Him, and this sometimes means that we will have to wait. We are on His timeline, and each day that He gives us, we need to know that with that we are made new again and again until He says He needs us in eternity with Him. 

I will tell you when I had Mason at 23 weeks, of all the things I remember most on the day he was born and the very scary days into his life, was having to be expectant. We hear the word expectant, and we tend to think of a woman carrying her child, but for me, in that place, it was expectant of what God’s plan was for Mason’s life, for our life. In praying almost every minute of those days, prayer woven into every conversation with the doctors and nurses, especially the first 4 days of his life-- I remember so clearly, hands open to Him, letting Him know I was going to just be expectant, if that meant He needed to take Mason to be with Him, He could, if He wanted Mason to stay with us a while longer, it was His will. We must go to a place in prayer where we understand that it is not about what we want when we want it--- what we may pray for may come but also in a completely different way. No matter the way He presents it to us, being expectant forces us to trust that no matter what, He is there with us-- there is nothing in His purpose for us that is not used to glorify Him.

When you pray, be expectant--- instead of only asking Him what you want or need, give Him the permission for His will to be done in your life. 

 

Transformed through Revival

Let us first define revive:

revive is the translation of chayah, "to live," "cause to live," used of restoration to life (Genesis 45:27; Judges 15:19, etc.); of rebuilding (Nehemiah 4:2); of restoration to well-being (Psalms 85:6 (the Revised Version (British and American) "quicken"); Psalms 138:7; Isaiah 57:15; Hosea 6:2; 14:7); of Yahweh's gracious work for His people (Habakkuk 3:2, "revive thy work in the midst of the years," etc.); "reviving" is the translation of michydh "preservation" or "means of life" (Ezra 9:8,9). "Revive" occurs in the New Testament as the translation of anazao, "to live again" (Romans 7:9; 14:9, the King James Version "Christ both died, and rose, and revived," the Revised Version (British and American) (omitting "and rose") "Christ died and lived again" zao). Orr, James, M.A., D.D. General Editor. "Entry for 'REVIVE; REVIVING'". "International Standard Bible Encyclopedia". 1915.  

For us to understand transformation through a revival perspective, we break down what the word revival means. Here we can see that to revive is to live, a means of life, to live again. We become alive when we have this living relationship, which we can do through prayer with the Lord. Revival is showing up, day in and day out, knowing that we need Him in every moment of our days. It means when we want to give into what our flesh might want, impatience, exhaustion, anger, sadness-- we have to rise to Him. We have to rebuke the enemy. Living in Christ is a relationship with Him, one where He shows up no questions asked, even when we doubt His presence. We have to show up and meet Him in all areas of our life. In order for us to bear the fruit, we have to tend to the harvest. The work needs to be put in-- whether you set 5 minutes aside a day, or you talk to Him throughout your day-- you have to filter your days through Christ. 

Maybe for you, that means writing out your prayers, physically seeing the words you speak to Him, and then seeing His promises back to you-- whatever works in your life, to be transformed in prayer let yourself be revived-- brought back to life in Him. When we pray and read the word, we are not trying to get something out of it for ourselves--- our main focus has to be about getting to know our Lord and Savior. Not what He will do and fix in us, but what He has done. When we sin, when we feel less than, to trust that He makes us new--- are you going to Him, confessing, and asking for forgiveness? We have to ask ourselves if we understand the depth of what His victory in our life means-- that there is no battle we actually need to fight because it is won by Him already. In the midst of our days, when we pray we are rebuilt, right then and there. Our thoughts are shifted to a position of focus towards Him. 

When you pray, show up--- get into His word, get to know Him more than anyone-- serve Him, build His Kingdom, live in Him. 

“For God alone my soul waits in silence; From Him comes my salvation.He alone is my rock and my salvation,my defense and my strong tower; I will not be shaken or disheartened.” Psalm 62:1-2

What if we break down the walls of prayer-- remove the fear of not doing it right or saying the right words--- what is we grew in our relationship instead-- ultimately our transformation comes through the Lord this way. What if we threw out the misconceptions of prayer just going through motions and actually had an honest conversation with him? Can we move from here and now and to our beings waiting, surrendered, present, expectant of what the Lord has planned for your life. Waiting in silence, so that we can draw near and get so close to Him so that we can hear Him speak. Maybe you can’t quite make out the words, but a place of awareness brings so much freedom in our lives.  Being aware of our joy, and contentment, all stem from Him alone. I have found that when I feel overwhelmed, doubtful, anxiety-filled— I can wait with Him, I never have to feel alone, even in a world so big, I can get still in Him. We see SALVATION here twice- deliverance— we are delivered from Him, and this friend is the only thing that should shake our day— nothing else, can shake us because thru Him we are delivered. I cling to this, I can release fear in my life because He is my defense, He wants me to live a BOLD life for Him, His strong tower protects and this is also the truth for you! In times when my soul might feel dry or run down, exhausted— these words of truth bring an eternal light and life to me, may they bring the same to your life. 

Will you wait in silence for Him today? Will you FULLY trust that your salvation, your deliverance comes from Him alone? Can you picture Him as your defense today, your strong tower? You cannot be shaken friend, He is your eternity. 

 

Prayers of the Bible | A guide to cultivating a spirit of prayer

"Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us."

Ephesians 3:20

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Have you ever been in a place in your prayer life where you didn’t feel equipped in your walk with the Lord to turn to Him, or maybe you didn't think you had the “right” words? Maybe prayer is not your go to? With that, I want to challenge you and ask you why? Prayer is one of the powerful tools that the Lord gives us to connect with Him. It is a way for us to experience His fullness and know that He is at work in our lives. To cultivate the spirit of prayer lets define cultivate first- to prepare and use, to develop. In order for our prayers to transform our lives, the relationship, the faith in Christ has to be put to use, and we do that by talking to Him, calling upon Him, thanking Him, praising Him. Do you hold back from the Lord, I pray that in learning to cultivate a spirit of praying and talk to our Savior all the time that your relationship with Him will open you up even more to how powerful He is. Our Lord knows everything, even before we show up to Him, so let us not shy away from Him for any reason at all. Let’s show up before Him, and thru this we are His vessel for the world to experience His abounding love. 

How did people of the Bible pray? What can we learn from the ways people prayed in the Bible? 

The blessings that we read about in the Bible fall nothing short of being connected to obedience, perseverance, and willingness. It is important to mention that when we talk about blessings, that also included times of frustration and confusion, yet their posture to abide in the Lord remained. They positioned themselves to understand how He might reveal Himself to them. As we look a people in the bible, people such as Elijah, Hannah, Moses, Hezekiah, Jabez, and David. We saw that each were in a different place in their lives yet all calling on the Lord. All of them were seeking the overall presence of the Lord. Exactly what we seek as well don’t we? 

When we really break down the purpose behind prayer and the connection, it is Him. We so badly want to know, feel, hear, the Lord. Prayer gives us His presence. He tells us that His presence will go with us. Prayer allows us to know our Savior, it connects us in such a way that we are transformed by His abounding love for us. When we cultivate a spirit of prayer in our lives asking, proclaiming, rejoicing, thanking, fully trusting, we grow spiritually in such a way that we might not know or understand the work He is doing in our lives, but we know that fully laying it all down for Him and for His glory His goodness is abundant. We cease to be hungry when we are only filled with Him, moment after moment.

As we look at how people of the Bible prayed we can dig into three areas:

• A spirit of obedience

  • They partnered with Jesus, there was not a lot of room for argument when they spoke and prayed with Him-- we see many times in the Bible, “they followed”.

  •  They let Jesus take a hold of their lives when they prayed

  • Although there were times in the bible where they might have shown some frustration, they ultimately knew that Jesus would bless them for what His ultimate purpose was. 

  • They listened to the word, He was/is the Word!

• A spirit of surrender

  • We see people who came open-handed to the Lord, with hearts ready to be taken over by Him

  • They were open to Jesus taking them to the harder, lower places of their lives so that He would be glorified.

  • They poured out their bodies to make Him known

• A spirit of trust

  • So many times in their prayers they mention words like known, presence, to know-- all situations where they put all their trust in their faith that He would make himself known. 

  • We see Jesus actively present in their prayers.

  • They placed it all in Him, in the end.

  • They believed that He was always a good Father, even when their circumstances were not changed. 

How can we apply that to our own lives?

• Prayer is our undoubting faith in Him. We must not put limits or boundaries on it-- Obedience, surrender, and trust need to be placed in the Lord as we seek Him in prayer to have a posture to abide. 

  • We are going to go into the deep end of the pool many times in our lives, and we will not know what He is doing there until we are fully obedient, surrendered, and trusting. 

  • We must shift our hearts and minds to be fully aware of the Lord, who He is, the power that He is capable of. 

  • We need to be open to the unlikely circumstances where He might be at work.

  • Our faith is built with prayer, which then draws us closer to the Lord. 

  • Our thoughts need to move towards a God that seeks to use us as a vessel to be glorified-- the Word gets into the world this way-- through all that Jesus journeys with us. 

  •  To apply prayer is also to make Him know-- living in Christ, as we die to the flesh.

  • There are times when we need to be still in prayer and there are other times when we need to move in prayer!

  • The more acquainted we are with prayer, the more we are attuned to hear His whispers

  • He reserves so much of His glory in the broken areas of our lives.

  • We shall practice being aware of ourselves and WHO and WHERE He is in our lives.

  • He accepts us as we are, He will not love us any more than He has today, and will tomorrow. God is showing up, He is always there, are we always showing up to Him? 

“My grace is sufficient for you [My lovingkindness and My mercy are more than enough—always available—regardless of the situation]; for[My] power is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness.” Therefore, I will all the more gladly boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ [may completely enfold me and] may dwell in me. 10 So I am well pleased with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, and with difficulties, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak [in human strength], then I am strong [truly able, truly powerful, truly drawing from God’s strength].”2 Corinthians 12:9-10

What He gives us in prayer is still really His to use, for Him to work thru in our lives. Prayer is the way to the word, the word that is God. Prayer is infinite, there are no boundaries to the Lord, and therefore no boundaries in praying-- our faith in Him, our relationship has no limitations. We have to know WHO our God is, who WE are in Him, and then live in Him. When we are inclined to box our prayer life in, we are closing Him off, we are in fact saying that we got this, when in fact that only way possible is thru Him. What would it look like if you connected with Him in a way where you walked thru each day allowing Him to overtake you, live inside of you? If your prayers were not “what more could I get out of God”, but instead were “to get more God”, we then acknowledge Him. We fail to give Him the credit for who He is when we only go to the Father for the more we can get out of Him, instead of a hunger and a thirst for more of Him. Jesus can do such deep work within us, that pours out onto others for them to see His abundance, His victory, that He paid for us.

 

3 Things We Can Learn About Prayer From The Way Jesus Prayed

“Faith in Christs ability to do and to do greatly, is the faith which prays greatly”

E.M. Bounds

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Prayer is one of our greatest tools that God has given us. It is our weapon in this fallen world.Prayer heals the brokenness. Prayer is the open life line that we have with our Savior that allows us to experience the all mighty powerful God. Are we using it, applying it, for everything in our life-- for our protection, deliverance, and victory? What holds us back from experiencing the abundance that is already laid out before us? Do you feel like you're unworthy, afraid at that God might want instead of what you want, fearful that His answer won’t be the one you think you need? Jesus was hungry and thirsty for God. He had a posture that opened Him up to the Lord. Jesus made sure that He was in a position to hear God speak in His life and abide by no hesitation. 

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 How did Jesus pray in the Bible?

Matthew 5:2 states this “ And he opened his mouth and taught them….”. Can we dig a little deeper here for a minute? He is on the mount and the disciples came to Him, and I find myself asking myself this questions- Am I going to Him, running to Him to soak up all He has to teach me, to guide me? We read here he opened his mouth, he is a talking Savior, he teaches, therefore we must go to Him with open hands. There is no better person than Jesus to teach us about prayer. Let's dive a little deeper friend and hear Him speak to us. 

He prayed with rhythm

• In Mark 1:35, “Early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left [the house], and went out to a secluded place, and was praying there”.  We see Jesus waking early in the morning while it was still dark, and departed to a desolate place and prayed. This posture to rise and seek the Lord first was a rhythm that brought Him to the hidden place to be with God. We also read that He prayed for an extensive time, His prayers were not instantly answered and certainly even for Jesus it was what God’s will was. Withdrawing, going to the hidden places, repeatedly, is a rhythm we see Jesus position Himself in to pray to hear God’s whispers. He goes back again and again to the Father, fervently. This is sacred, protected time with the Lord. 

He prayed surrendered

• In Matthew 26:39, And after going a little farther, He fell face down and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible [that is, consistent with Your will], let this cup [a]pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”  We once again see this posture, this humility that Jesus has when He prays. He comes to the Father bold but surrendered. In a prayer, where He knows His death will happen, and lays it all down to the Father, emphasizing that it is whatever is God’s will for Him. He is not asking to not die on the cross, instead, Jesus falls face down, prays and says “consistent with Your will”. Because Jesus surrendered He was not afraid to pray for deliverance, for what was to come, He had undoubting faith in His Father that He can do all things. In surrendering to the Father, he was able to pray for the big things, the hard stuff, on top of all the other prayers we read in the bible-- He knew the father would deliver Him when He gave it all on the cross. 

He prayed powerfully and victoriously

• In Matthew 6:9-13 we read, “Pray, then, [a]in this way:
  ‘Our Father, who is in heaven,
  [b]Hallowed be Your name.
  ‘[c]Your kingdom come,
  Your [d]will be done
  On earth, as it is in heaven.    
  ‘Give us this day our [e]daily bread.
  ‘And forgive us our [f]debts, as we have forgiven our debtors [letting go of both the wrong and the resentment].
  ‘And do not [g]lead us into temptation, but deliver us from [h]evil. [i][For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]’ 
  Jesus prayed declaring that He was His father, He is our Father. He knew exactly who He was talking to, because of the power and victory God has over the Kingdom. Heaven emphasizes the sovereign rule that God has over all- His power, one that brings victory for every single one of us.  When he spoke these words as He prayed he set the Father apart from everything, powerfully He prayed and spoke His name. He is victorious when He prays declaring this truth that His kingdom has come,  His will shall be done. We see the power in the words Jesus prays here because He prays for all that is to come. Jesus prays from a place where fear is absent because He trusts that the Father power is victorious. 

What can we learn about the way He prayed? 

Through rhythm, He found connection and heard the Lord

• We see a very living human aspect of Jesus when He goes out to a secret private place to pray. He was quieting His surroundings so that He could lean in closer to God and hear the gentle whispers. The same applies to us when we meet Him in the secret places, the hidden places of our lives we can quiet the noises, the busy. 

Through surrender He left fear behind and sought God's’ will

• I don’t know about you but when I read Jesus praying I can picture Him, being so humble and lifting His hands up in surrender. In a posture that allows our Heavenly Father to lean in closer to us. We learn from Jesus that by surrendering it all we seek His will, we are there to encounter His whispers. Our hunger and thirst for the Lord when we surrender becomes our constant appetite. Can we be so desperate that our faith in the Lord is the complete belief in what His ability is and not ours? Are we coming to the Father, fully surrender, fully prepared to abide in what it is that He has for us? 

Through power and victory, He experienced God's’ might and praised Him. 

• God sent His son Jesus to die upon the cross for us, so that we may be saved and live in eternity with Christ. We walk in the flesh through and with the power of God. His Kingdom comes, He will be done- that is the VICTORY that we get to walk in every day. A posture of praising our mighty God for this, and the power to know that when we pray He already knows what we need before we even ask. Are you walking in the abundance of His power and victory that He has already given you?

“ As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” Psalm 42:1-2

Our God is here in all the rhythms of our days, when we surrender to Him, draw closer, when we stand firm in truth that declares He has won, He is victorious, therefore the weight is taken off of us because He carries it for us. As we proclaim His power, forgive, and confess we tell Him we are open to hearing and we are eager to respond. His words over our lives will never be wasted, He is waiting for you to get into the position to hear Him. Where will you go, what will you do, how will you live in Christ so that you will hear His whisper?

 

The Intricacies of Prayer: What Is It + Why It Is An Important Aspect of Our Faith

“Prayer is continuing a conversation that God has started through his Word and his grace, which eventually becomes a full encounter with him.”

Timothy Keller

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Prayer is connection yet there are seasons and times in our lives when that connection gets pushed to the backburner and left untouched in applying it to our lives. Prayer is obedience, are we abiding in Him and going directly to the source of the abundance that has already been given and promised?Perhaps prayer feels overwhelming, or you feel lost in your prayer life. We are going to look at prayer in a different light here, connection, a closer connection. It is our time to spend with our Savior on earth in the flesh any time we want. Will you pause with me for a second, will you try to picture Jesus sitting right next to you-- you and Him are  face to face-- He is staring into your eyes and He wants to talk to you for hours on end and doesn't want the conversation to end. He desires us so badly, a kind of desire that we should seek out in Him any chance we have.

What is prayer?

Prayer is simple, prayer is surrender - I say this to mean one thing that prayer is trust. It is a gift that has been given to us thru the ultimate sacrifice of our Father. I know that that can be all things depth and complex, but when we truly get laser-focused on what prayer is, it is simply abiding, simply surrendering. It is radical, friend because the power of Christ is miraculous and because of that we simply have faith. I am not going to promise you that because prayer is simple, you are going to get what you want. What I want to uncover is the simplicity of prayer and the power that it holds when we are committed to our relationship, our ongoing conversation with Christ.  

We can easily complicate something as simple as prayer and that can cause it to make its way to the backburner of our lives. When really it should be how we start our days, how our daily life is rooted. Do you worry you don't have all the words to say? Maybe you don’t feel qualified? Overall there might be a sense of overwhelming when it comes to prayer? Place yourself back in that image of you and Him talking face to face. Sit there. As you look at Him can you see you listening, Him speaking, and then you speaking and Him listening? This is the simplicity. Take away all the barriers that you feel hold you back in prayer and simply speak and listen. Ask, and wait for a response. Seek, and obey. 

The Word is God's prayer, it is Him giving all of us to Him to continue a conversation to be ever present in our lives. Prayer is a connected conversation with our Savior, it is a space that is free access. Jesus tells us that what is written about Him is fulfillment-- He is enough, therefore our conversations with Him are our fulfillment. Prayer gives us His concrete being in our lives. It speaks to us, we know who we are in Him thru prayer, who we can run to, who we can rest in, who we can hide in. 

“Our prayer must be in full, grateful awareness that our access to God as Father is a free gift won by the costly sacrifice of Jesus the True Son, and then enacted in us by the Holy Spirit, who helps us know inward;y that we are his children.” Timothy Keller

Why is prayer an important aspect of our faith + How can you equip your days with prayer?

Prayer anchors our lives. It turns our eyes upon the one who is in full control. It is critical for us to not look to the world for our hope, guidance, approval, and timing. We will leave empty-handed if we look to our flesh for all of these things.  He gave us prayer because He is not finished, He is at work in our lives. He was obedient to the Father so that you and I could be covered in His grace, truth, and glory.

 
Although prayer is simple, the conversation between you and Him, I preface here that that does not mean all that we pray for will come to be. We live in a fallen world, one where there is illness, hatred, crime, death, where the enemy is on the move in many circumstances--- Let these things never be what stop you from prayer. Jesus knew what was to come of His life, He knew He was sent to earth to die for us-- yet we see His obedience to God, never ceasing to pray. Perhaps you are praying for something and you're not hearing from Him, He is not answering you-- what if the exact place or season that you are standing in is where He wants you. Prayer is so important in our faith because, in places like these in our lives, our faith grows deeper, the connection grows stronger. We might not know or see what He is doing, and maybe we never will, and I know that is hard to swallow-- I have had to wrestle with this a lot through these past few years, but to trust that it is and never has been up to us is suffering it all to Him. 

We do not have to stop praying for something because we have been praying about it for a long time. Jesus tells us to pray, to always pray and to never lose heart. Prayer opens our hearts to fearing and respecting God at the same time. We see persistent prayer all throughout scripture, from Jesus, and from so many people in the bible- he encourages us to keep praying. Remember that in having faith in Him is trusting that in all in His time and in His plan. The beauty of our prayer life is to have a faith so strong that you have undoubting faith. To wholeheartedly have no doubt when it comes to the grace of God. 

Prayer does not at all have to be perfect.  We can pray in a multitude of ways and no one way is the correct and only way. If for you that is speaking them out loud, or hidden in your war room, writing them out day after day, crying out to Him, a simple check in at any point in your day-- whatever it looks like, however, you can have the conversation with Him, have it. We engrain it in our hearts when we speak and/or write out our prayers. If you have never written them, my challenge to you today is to grab pen and paper and write out a prayer-- a conversation with Him. If you have never prayed out loud, my challenge for you today is to speak your conversation out loud. You will feel His presence, in some way you will. We have to be obedient when He tells us to keep coming to Him, run to the living Word. We must not get restless but rest only in Him. 

• Equip yourself, your day, your life. Prayer never should be an extra or a burden, it is a get to and we need to abide by that.

• Before you turn to anything else when you wake in the morning, turn to Him, take a few moments and speak to Him, thank Him, ask what you need of Him, praise Him. He will meet you there.

• Then throughout your day check in with Him, when your writing an email, making dinner, folding laundry, running those errands---- talk to Him in the glorious mundane because He is right there with you.

• We must use the tool of prayer that He has given us, that was sacrificed for us--

We shall surrender ourselves, our days, our lives- all of it, to our powerful Father, because the abundance, we are standing in it, you and me. He is our abundant life. His will has, shall, and will be done. In His name, Jesus. 

 

Breaking Free From Our Imperfections Defining Us

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood."

Ephesians 6:12

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Our imperfections are messy, intimidating, and sometimes you might be letting them defeat you, maybe even disqualify you. I am guilty of it. I have to catch myself as I go about my day and dismiss the lie that I am not doing it well, that I am not doing enough. Perhaps they can feel like pressure - pressure to be the perfect mom, the perfect wife, the perfect business owner, the perfect friend. And when we fail, it hits us hard. This is a natural emotional feeling, and I think it is important to process it, but we need to stand firm in truth that is behind it. His truth, and really our identities are only rooted in Him alone. These imperfections that we are created within Christ might be a description of the season we are in, or what we are processing, but never are we defined by them.

In the genealogy of Christ, we see many people, women, who were completely imperfect-- yet they are included in this list--

The Genealogy of Jesus Christ

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram,[a] 4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of David the king.

And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, 7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph,[b] 8 and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, 9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos,[c] and Amos the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel,[d]and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, 15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.

17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

Matthew 1:1-17 (ESV)

It is important to note that God carefully places  this genealogy to show us that we all come from somewhere, that we have broken parts, that we are imperfect, but the greatest truth in this to hold on to is that Christ redeems us. We are a part of His story of grace. I am here to tell you that we get to BREAK free from our imperfections defining us because we get to embrace them-- when we embrace them, we are essentially embracing Him, trusting that God is in control of our lives.

There have been many times in the last 6 years or so that I have let my imperfections define who I was, to fall into a trap of thinking that I am less than-- when I decided that I no longer wanted to pursue becoming a doctor, and instead I chose real estate for a while. So much of that transition left me feeling lost and seeking His purpose in my life. As I went thru infertility there where many days where I believed lies that it was my fault, that I had caused these issues with my body. Then there were, even more, times when I blamed myself for delivering my son early--- all thoughts and emotions that I had to break free from because that was not God's plan and purpose for me or for infertility and the premature birth. Honestly, friends, the struggles are still there as I break free from these imperfections defining me on a daily basis. There are moments when I am at doctors visits and therapy appointments with Mason and I will slip back into turning the imperfections to blame and down a spiral that is not at all what He wants for my life. I am here to tell you that no matter the imperfection, we can BREAK FREE because He is in our future-- He is going to use all of it the way He desires, and that might not be an easy thing to swallow. It might not be what you want or what I want, but when we can surrender it all to Him and allow Him to make a beautiful thing out of it-- that is when we can be free from the imperfections making us believe we can exist and be on our own.

We have to begin to trace the source of our internal thoughts and ideas that we have. If we are truly metabolizing His words to fuel our minds, then we can fully thrive in the living truth. We become grounded in Christ which is an essential part of breaking free from the imperfections defining us, and instead, we begin to thirst for more of Him. To have such a deep love for the Lord that you feel as if He is standing right there with you. I experienced this many times,  particularly in the NICU, I vividly remember when I literally had to just fall to my knees and just sink to Him. God reminded me that my imperfections are not weaknesses, they are opportunities to cling to Him, seek Him, hear Him. I heard Him over the constant ringing alarms in the hospital day after day for five months, over the chest compressions on my son many times, in the hospice room, and on the walk out of hospice as Mason was moved to a room of life.

I will also share that there will also be times when you can’t quite make out His voice, or see the light, or run to Him-- but know that He is not disqualifying you, He wants you to grow closer, connect with Him even further.You see the closer we are to embracing our imperfections, we are that much closer to understanding how much we need Him. We were made imperfect because He wants us to need Him, to run to Him and lay it all out--- and His grace covers us. He gives that to us unconditionally.

In our lives, these imperfect moments, situations, feelings, thoughts, they are part of His plan, and we have to know that we can’t fast forward thru them. Many times they will last for a season, or years, and sometimes they will remain forever. Yet we get to remain in Him, and that is where we see Him unfold in our lives. Our broken world would have us think that we need to get out of the imperfections-- let me emphasize getting out and breaking free are two very different things. Getting out of the imperfections is not embracing them, it is believing a lie that we don't need Him. Breaking free from them defeating and disqualifying you is a very different idea. It is the premise that when we allow ourselves the space and time in the imperfection we are in fact intensifying the connection with Him-- we begin to see God at work in our lives thru the imperfections and know that we are defined by Christ only, and the imperfections make way for us to stand in His glory.

You can stand through anything when you stand in His abundant grace. Because, friend, it's in our imperfections that Christ makes His perfections shown. He has the power to break us free from the role lies play that can takeover us not embracing the imperfections. He loves us today like He loved us yesterday and like He will love us tomorrow, imperfections and all.