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There is a lot of buzz right now in Christian circles about the topics of mental health, PTSD, codependency, trauma, inner healing, therapy, etc. I feel like in many ways, those topics are intertwined, so it's fitting really that so many people are beginning to talk about them all. In fact, I will likely touch some on each of these topics here in this article. If anything the buzz of these topics was greatly compounded when notable Charismatic Christian leader Todd White spoke out on said topic.
"Yet many of the rulers also believed in Him. But because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they be put out of the synagogue. For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God" (John 12:42-43). When Jesus revolutionized His nation with the gospel of the kingdom, He was continually questioned and criticized for His visionary initiatives and unorthodox methods. The Pharisees were the politically correct referees who sought to silence His voice and penalize any advancement of His message. Knowing that their power and influence were losing ground, their religious mindsets could not comprehend or celebrate the very truths that could set them free from their own man-made bondage.
Is there ever a more appropriate time to warn of the dangers of comparison and envy than the holidays? The most curated, edited versions of our lives are on display for all to see like never before in the history of humankind. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing your families, delicious food, presents, trips, and more. "It's the most wonderful time of the year." I'm no Scrooge/Grinch. This time of the year can bring a quiet darkness, though, for many. It's a darkness I believe is exacerbated by the glossy, personal PR campaigns that provide online, addictive platforms like Facebook and Instagram free content.
I want to share a prophetic dream that I had a few years ago. Although this word is for women, it is not promoting or preferring women over men. For the past few years there has been an increase in spiritual warfare against women. The Holy Spirit brought me back to this dream today. In the dream there was a great swarm of large, brightly colored yellow and black bumblebees flying around in my room as I was reading my bible.
When I was asked to bring forth a word for the offering, immediately the Lord started poured out what I should say. It might not be the traditional message one would hear at this time but it was He gave. The first thought He gave me was whatever you give to the least of these you give unto Me. The second thought was to plant a seed by faith and expect a bumper crop. It isn't in the amount of monetary value in that seed but the amount of the faith of God that you attach to it.
This week I was continually surrounded by the sense of "first fruits" of breakthrough and "signs" of new life, cracks in the wall beginning to appear, the sound of new beginning and the waters parting. I had an encounter with the Lord and I heard the sound of waters that were backed up behind what felt like a "dam wall" and they were roaring as they were growing with pressure. Then the sound of the "dam wall" beginning to crack surrounded me and I saw the trickle of waters beginning to break through.
If you have felt like you are laboring and in a time of pain or suffering, then I have some good news for you. The difficult season many of us have been in will indeed pay off. Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. John 16:20–21 NIV Just as we are celebrating the birth of Christ this month, the Lord is birthing new things in you, bringing things that you have been called and created for.
If you come from a broken home like I do I believe the following discoveries God has been helping me to see in the last few decades, have the potential to shed some light on your own path. I began to notice over the years how I always came into relationships with set expectations I was looking to have fulfilled. The problem was not so much the expectations I had, which were unhealthy in their own right, but the fact that they never seemed to be met. This, of course, was not the consequence of others not trying to meet them as much as it was actually me not even knowing what they were in the first place.
The wind of the Holy Spirit is always blowing, but there needs to be something for that wind to "blow into." God looks for us to put up our sails that His wind might blow into our sails to take us where He wants us. When we step out in new ways it is like putting up our sails for the winds of His Presence. It takes some effort on our part to find out just how to put up those sails. In our times with God the light of revelation gives us guidance on just what to do. God inspires us to do things that His wind might find something to blow upon.
"But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God" (Psalm 52:8). A few years ago, my husband and I went for a walk in the woods behind our house and saw these two beautiful trees linked together and it looked like there was a ring that joined them together at the top. Maybe you can also see the ring between them? They appeared to be a couple! We talked about how stately those two trees soared upward together -- and afterward we often looked at our photo. Scripture tells us that the magnificence of the Lord is detailed in nature..."And all the trees of the field shall know that I am the Lord" (Ez. 17:24).
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