Clipped Wings

I have been blessed by an amazing group of ladies I study the Word with. We are now on our summer break and we are doing a book club for 8 weeks. We are reading  The Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson. AMAZING read! It will make you think, will  challenge you, it will make you hungry for more of the Holy Spirit adventure in your life.
  In fact, the book is all about the Holy Spirit! I have learned that Celtic Christians had a different name for the Holy Spirit, it's Ah Geadh-Glas, which literally translates as a Wild Goose. It's unpredictable, it's daring, it's FREE.
    With my group of ladies we have been reading and discussing about the Holy Spirit and how modern day Christians are missing out on so much, because, perhaps, we have clipped the wings of the Holy Spirit!
    How can we clip the wings of the Wild Goose in our life, you ask? Here are some amazing answers my group came up with: we clip the wings of the Holy Spirit, when we settle for the second best in life and never allow Him to lead us to the ultimate destination  purposed for us. We clip the wings of the Holy Spirit, when we decide that we are in charge and only allow God "go so far" as long as we are comfortable with it. We clip the Holy Spirit's wings when our worship and prayer is not 100%. ....I am sure there are many more ways, we are just on chapter 2! We are about the start learning about the six cages we, as Christians, can spend entire life without realizing. Because we all know that saved/redeemed people are  not necessary spiritually free people.  
   So, I have been in the "chase mode" ever since we started! Every Scripture I read, I ask Him, " How can I be free and chase You better? What area of my life have I been in charge of and have been clipping Your wings?"..... I seek the answers everywhere!
         This weekend we had short family staycation and spent entire day at the Omaha Zoo. We had a blast! We got to the "Sensory Garden" and I am pretty tired by that point and want it to be quick.
We see all kinds of fun things, boys have to touch EVERYTHING! They try to replicate the " Double Trouble" statue :) , they do it daily without realizing!
    

 

Then they try to copy the loud birds they see in the shade.

        I am so hot and thirsty at this point, I just go and sit in the shade next to the Zoo keeper lady.

I look at the birds again and I don't see any strings attached to them....I look at the Zoo Keeper lady and wonder , " is she, like, going to run and catch them if they fly away?"....Apparently, Zach is thinking the same and asks me , " I wonder how they trained them to stay in the same spot? Why don't they fly away?"....Zoo Keeper lady looks at us, smiles and says , " They won't fly anywhere, we have clipped their wings".....WHAT? YOU DID WHAT? You have actually clipped the wings of the bird? I search for a camera, look at the Zoo keeper lady and say, " you  just gave me some great material for a Bible study! you see, this blue bird is modern day Christians..."....She looks confused...

      I run to the bird, try to take it's picture...see for yourself! He showed me his wings! Holy Spirit was all over my heart right there in the middle of hot day at the sensory garden!

I stand there and wonder to my self, " Well, since he can't do what he is meant to do and be free, what CAN he do now, besides siting and looking pretty???".....So Holy Spirit heard my thoughts and I shifted my eyes to this:

 

And the very next second the bird made this loud piercing noise, which startled the boys...

 

By this moment I was no longer hot from the outside heat, my spirit within me was burning  as I heard God speaking in my heart,  " Believers are in great danger of spiritual disability. They only allow Me ' thus far" in their life, they make decisions, they make choices, they make plans and then they want Me to fit into their small cage. You can't contain Me in the cage. The truth is, my children were never meant to be the cage materials either. Without the spiritual adventure, all they have left is looking pretty ( pretty bibles, pretty church, pretty Christian lingo), being loud and biting. I have far better plans for my Church today. Would you follow ME on the great adventure? Forget your plans, agenda, ideas....just believe ME. I will take you to the higher heights, you think you saw a lot of Me....baby, you haven't seen nothing yet"....

 

JOHN 3:8 makes so much more sense now!
"The wind blows where it pleases, and you hear its sound, but you don't know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

 

When did Christianity become safe, predictable and tame????????? How did we get here?

 LEAD US, HOLY SPIRIT!

We choose You, not the accessorized predictable life, thrill us, blow our minds away. You LOVE us, You wouldn't lead it to a wrong place.  

speaking of Bank accounts...

As I was praying last night for my family and opportunites that God has layed on hearts, I got some Scriptures out and prayed them through ...all of a sudden, God tugged on my heart saying " do you realize that some of My promises are like checks that need to be deposited into your heart and wait for them, but many of them are checks to be cashed right then and there"....mmmm You're a Good God! So I did some Scripture Banking last night and cashed some promises that are mine now and today!!!
Do the same beloved! He is a God that love to bless His children!

God often speaks to us through things we can relate to. A while ago I saw a young Godly lady asking a question , "why do some people stay in your life forever,but others only last a while". That was the begining of my new lesson.
Working at the Bank I process numerous transactions daily and see all kinds of people and they all try
to do all kinds of things with their accounts.
Now think with me here...what IF we started treating our hearts as we treat our Bank accounts?
We all like when our accounts have enough to sustain us and, perhaps, bless others as well. We want to have enough for our children to enjoy our legacy.
Few things must be done in order to keep our "spiritual accounts" in a good condition. We must remember,
that EVERY relationship we establish through out our life will leave some kind of deposit in your "account". We can't get away from people, they are all around and what they do, how they live, their choices, their words,their attitudes.. ( you get the idea) will affect us whether we like it or now. Although we can't get away from people,we can, however, avoid sometimes what kind of deposits they leave in our lives. Here are few examples:
1. "GOOD CHECKS"- the kind of people who are just simply good for you. They inspire you to be better. Have you
ever being around those? Those are the people you can't help but want to be like them!! I love surrounding myself with ladies who inspire me to read my Bible, to cook healthy food for my family, to keep my house clean. The influence of these people incredibly contagious. Are they perfect? Probably not, but they are doing their best to be Christ like is it is noticeable!
These are the people who are shaping you to be the way God intended. THAT IS A GOOD DEPOSIT!
1 Cor. 11:1 mentions that kind of people "Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ"

2. "QUESTIONABLE CHECKS"- the kind of people who here and there will raise your eyebrows. They are not necessary bad,
but they are not necessary good either. This deposit could be a treaky one. Do you deposit it in your heart or let it go?
This is the time you are to ask God for wisdom. Is there a room in your spiritual account for that? Don't make a mistake, I am not talking about about not loving them, but I am talking what Philippians 1:9 teaches us "And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight"...LOVE WITH INSIGHT is what God is teaching us!
After all, just like Paul said in 1 Cor.10:23 "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is constructive". We may think a "luke warm" deposit is OK, but is it beneficial, constructive to your spiritual condition?

3. "BAD CHECK"- the kind of people you know better to protect your heart from. The ones that you know would be returned for "insufficient funds" back to you and make you "account" negative and there will be fees to pay for that one. Once again, we don't stop loving those people, but we can't allow them to deposit in our hearts and shape us into something other than God's perfect plan for us! 1 Cor. 15:33 "Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character."

3. Finally, a "FRAUDULENT CHECK". This one is sad and often by the time we figure this one out, it's has already been deposited in our heart and we are going through a devastating heartbreak. Fraud is fraud- it looks like the real deal, it smells like the real deal, it knows all the right answers and does the "right performance".
1 John 2:19 warns us against such people "They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us. ". Especially in the last days, the enemy is furious and he will do anything to lead God's people away!

We are made in the image of God and we , just like God, are very relational creatures. And this can be the best thing or the worst thing , if we are not careful. Jesus called us to love one another, YES, but He never told us to be stupid about it.Love one another with the insight, love others to bring them closer to God, but we careful that it doesn't stumble you!
Some people are just simply toxic for each other. Some relationships are not for you, there is all to it. You are to pray for them, but you can't invest yourself, because it can be the end of you.
And why, you must ask? The wisest man in the Bible answered in Pr.4:23 "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life". Your life depends on that!
So, my friend, I encourage you to evaluate your account today. See what kind of deposits have you allowed in. How have they changed you? Have they brought you closer to God or rather the opposite? Have they caused the bitter root grow in your heart as a result of that relationship or it's influence? Have they made your account richer or put you in the negative balance and you found yourself lacking with the whole bunch of penalties to pay? Guard your heart above all else!
And while you are protecting your heart, be sure to be a good deposit for others as well. Let your life and heart make someone richer!
I want leave you with the words form 1 John 2:27 "As for you, the anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in Him".
Jesus is not a counterfeit! He is not a fraud! Deposit Jesus daily in your heart and once you have the fullness of Jesus in your heart it will get easier and easier to detect the right deposit.
You can take that to your spiritual bank!

New Things are in Store

Zach and I have been in the stage of "Holy Discontent" as we call it. We want to see God move more, to hear His voice more, to see His face more! He is working something out and i am thrilled to see His hand doing it!!!

Baby registry in the Kingdom of the Almighty

I am obsessed with being a mother. A passion for motherhood was awaken in me the moment I saw my first positive pregnancy test. ever since then- I see "baby stuff" in the most odd places! Places like Psalm 87!

“I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to those who know Me; Behold, O Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia: ‘This one was born there.’ ” And of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one were born in her; And the Most High Himself shall establish her.”The LORD will record, When He registers the peoples: “This one was born there.” Selah

I remember my son's precious little toes on his birth certificate and those adorable toys are mine and I still love to kiss them and tickle them! The tenderness overflows my heart at the single thought of my baby boy and now i get God even more when it comes to be a loving parent! He too, loves to declare to the world, "THIS CHILD IS MINE! HE BORN INTO MY FAMILY AND IS MINE!!!!!!!" God has a baby registry book! Who woulda thought! He registers every single one of us the moment we are born again and He tells everyone around "This one was born here and I have registered her into the Book of Life !" But this time, I think He not only has our footprints, He has the picture of our heart. Thank you , Jesus!

But wait! There is more!! Do you wonder where would that baby register book be? well, I looked up the original word for word "registered" from the Scripture above and it meant to "engrave"

May i suggest that Isa.49:16 gives us the clue to the location of the "baby registry" book: See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me."....Your name and your "footprint" is on the very hand of God! The same hand that was pierced and crucified. the same hand that was raised to calm the storm, the same hand that touched to heal the sick and resurrect the dead...your and my name are engraved on the palm of God's hand! It's always before Him, it's always just a touch away , it's always near!

Building materials

" A true successful person is the one who builds himself up by the stones other had thrown at him" (David Brinkley)...
I have read that in a secular printing material but was inspired by it. Daily the enemy of our souls is throwing stones at us (through other people, circumstances etc) but we have to choose what to do with those stone! I say- let's build ourselves up! So, if I change my perspective, I see those stones not as a harmful weapon against me , but a building supply meant for me.
Let's no longer allow enemy steal your joy but rather make him work for you!!!!
and remember- no weapon against us shall prosper! EVER!

House hunting

This morning my husband and I stumbled upon another spiritual truth. We've been house hunting for few months already and just can't seem to find what suits our family needs. On the way to church we pass the house that has a great outside look...the price was good, but when we came closer- it was soo sad! The house inside had hiddeous kitchen, unkept rooms and horrible paint job. But then we've seen some that wouldn't catch our eye whatsoever but they are surprisingly cozy and cute inside....So as we pass the pretty/ugly house my man says "isn't that like with people? We think of someone so much by the way they acts in church, they know all the answers to the Bible trivia, but then we see them closer and are shocked...but then see those who are not that outstanding, wouldn't be on the front lines but we get to know them and Jesus lives there!"....yes honey! so true! I suppose, that would be the only time we will disagree with the House Hunting TV show host who says curbappeal is everything....not in spiritual terms.
take heart! we may not have the "curbappeal" to the world, but little that they know is 1 Pet.2:5 says that "you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."...
So..the challenge of the day is that: How is your house on the market?

loong time no see!

wow..thats been a while. i don't even think anyone is checking it out. but just in case you do, here is a shout out to my peeps.. lol...
my son is about 15 months and such a tremendous blessing to us. we learn a lot about God as a parent! we learn a lot about ourselves as parents! the best job ever! LOVE it. God is still faithful to show revelations to me and i hope to keep it posted.