Spirit Boundaries

Finally, grow powerful in union with the Lord, in union with his mighty strength! 11 Use all the armor and weaponry that God provides, so that you will be able to stand against the deceptive tactics of the Adversary. 12 For we are not struggling against human beings, but against the rulers, authorities and cosmic powers governing this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm. 13 So take up every piece of war equipment God provides; so that when the evil day comes, you will be able to resist; and when the battle is won, you will still be standing. 14Therefore, stand! Have the belt of truth buckled around your waist, put on righteousness for a breastplate, 15 and wear on your feet the readiness that comes from the Good News of shalom.16 Always carry the shield of trust, with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the Evil One. 17 And take the helmet of deliverance; along with the sword given by the Spirit, that is, the Word of God; 18 as you pray at all times, with all kinds of prayers and requests, in the Spirit, vigilantly and persistently, for all God's people.

Spiritual Boundaries

If we think boundaries are just about managing a healthy relationship with others... we have forgotten a very real battlefield that we must learn to effectively fight and defend our bounds in: The spirit.

Our spiritual battles are ALL ABOUT BOUNDARIES!

The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy... violating our spiritual boundaries. Only he tries to make us think we are fighting ourselves and our own struggles.

So, we need to take our God given authority and dominion and stand up for ourselves. The enemy cannot make us do anything any more than a person can make us do something. We have the privilege of choosing what we will do and not do, what we will think about and will not think about.

The enemy tries hard to get us to utterly hate and condemn our own selves, from frustration thinking that we are powerless in the war against own minds. But this is not true, for we struggle not with flesh and blood (which includes ourselves). He would rather us fight ourselves than fight the enemy!

We take every thought captive and make it obedient to the knowledge of Christ. Does that mean we are putting part of ourselves into captivity. NO! Who the Son sets free is truely free. We are putting the enemy's suggestions into captivity. and choosing freedom for ourselves. This awareness is rather helpful for self esteem. We are called to love ourselves, which makes us love others. And to hate evil. So, we separate ourselves from evil. If we don't do this, then we are needlessly battling our own selves. And the word says that a house divided against itself cannot stand.

Ephesians exhorts us to stand, which means we cannot be divided against ourselves. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

So, stand firm. Set your boundaries. You don't have to scream and yell at the enemy- don't be aggressive. Be assertive. Love yourself, love God and love others. You, God and others are not enemies! And God has given you authority...

Luke 10:19 CJB

Remember, I have given you authority; so you can trample down snakes and scorpions, indeed, all the Enemy's forces; and you will remain completely unharmed. -Jesus

'Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus!

Hurray! Relief has come! If you have found yourself cornered by weaknesses and are so frustrated by your inability to heal yourself from the past twistings of life, I have found the peaceful and bliss of serenity for your worries to cease... 1 Thessalonians 5 has some lovely things to say to you...

"May the God of shalom make you completely holy - may your entire spirit, soul and body be kept blameless for the coming of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah. The one calling you is faithful, and he will do it."

Now, put that in your pipe and smoke on it for awhile. He is the One who will make your entire being holy right now as you live your life waiting for the final holy transfiguration in the end. Trust now. Just trust Him.

A little wondering about Charismania

To all my charismaniacs and over-the-top revivalists, I have a wondering about something. After spending night after night in hyped up intensity beyond belief, entering in deeper and higher to activate the angelic realm to come and move and bring the presence of The Lord... for healing, miracles, deliverance, signs and wonders... at the end of the day, what if all that amazing bing! bang! boom! in the heavens is pretty much useless because of the most important ingredient being missing. The ingredient of love. (which, I am not saying that it is always missing, but it could be sometimes)...

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a gong or a clanging cymbal. If I can fathom all mysteries.. give all I possess to the poor, but have not love, I am nothing...If I surrender my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

I realized something. Jesus said that many will come to Him and say, Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name"... and He will say to them, depart from me for I never knew you. This tells me that we can actually be operating in the gifts and connected with God's angelic activity, but totally miss it, if we don't have love. So, love is the thing that makes all that matter.

I'm just saying this because it occurred to me that if love really is the one thing that makes all the bing! bang! boom! stuff matter, then shouldn't we be teaching, preaching, learning and seeking love MORE than all the amazements of heaven?

Not to snuff out the lovely raindrops of golden glory, miraculous wonders of Father's heart manifesting before our very eyes... Just to honor a very precious truth that will cause all of the golden glory glitter to gleam with depth and stick like glue to the fabric of our beings... get it in deep to the real connector places of relationship... Honor and value L.O.V.E.

Just something I've been thinking about.

Digging Up Treasures For The Garden Of Our Souls

Today, while weeding in my garden, I dug up some treasures. I had a little discovery about the process of weeding, organically speaking. You can either painstakingly, patiently pull with all your might to remove the unwanted weed waste from your garden while it is alive and firmly bolted into the soil... or there is another way to more easily remove them. You can cover them with something to keep them from seeing the light of day, and they will die. Then, the process of removal is rather cinch-like. After pondering this.. a little treasure party opened up to me: I thought, hmm that sounds familiar... covering! Just like love covers a multitude of sins. The lesson revealing that if we cover the weeds of our soul, keeping them from the life giving qualities of thought, meditation, remembrance.. and basically leave them to die, they will! And we can kindly treat ourselves to the truth, knowing that the weeds are not us, we are the precious fruit bearing plants worth pruning. If we cover ourselves with mercy and let our weaknesses and twistings of thought die, then we can easily come back and pull them up with out so much of a fight!

Oh My! It's Up To My Thigh!

Seemingly overnight my lettuce got refreshingly dowsed with plenty of rain water and is reaching up to my belly button! I had no idea lettuce did that! Well, I decided to see if it was still edible and discovered that the leaves may be bitter since flowers are now beginning to bud from it, but you can still use them in soups and stir-fries. And for the most exciting part of all, the lovely yellow flowers, which have not exactly budded yet, but probably will this week are EDIBLE!

Hurray for the pretty salads I shall be eating this summer!

A Spa Moment of Bridal Ecstasy

A friend asked me to pose as a bride for a new wedding clip he wanted to film to promote his cinema style wedding videography. He said, "Gretchen, do you have a wedding dress you could use?" I thought, "Oh, sure, let me just pull that out of my pocket! I might just happen to have an extra wedding dress sitting around somewhere in my Mary Popins closet... Let me see here...!"

Well, I dropped by the thrift store to see if I could happen upon maybe a decent wedding dress prop for maybe $10.00. They did have an array of used wedding dresses, but not exactly for $10.00! I spied one that looked simple and like it might possibly fit in some way.... looked at the tag and thought, huh? 80.00? Nevermind that idea! Well, my curiosity sort of got to me... this sudden desire to maybe just try it on for a brief moment of bridal ecstasy. So, I circled around the isles for a few minutes.... the lines were too long for the dressing room.... I happened upon the checkout counter and found that it was 50% off. oh, my $40.00 for a photography prop! Well, somehow, I was overtaken with this sudden urge of bridal wishing and convinced myself that it would be nice to have an extra wedding dress prop around for various photo shoots and things. So, I showed up at the park in this wedding dress pinned to my underwear, hoping it would stay up long enough to take some clips. And as I floated down the walkway, I became the center of everyone's viewing pleasure. All eyes looked to see the lovely bride strolling in the garden. There were gasps and oohs, and "look mommy... isnt she pretty!" A young married couple smiled and warmly said, "Congratulations!" I felt totally like a bride. It was like the dress changed everything. Suddenly I was this most special chosen one and the object of everyone's favor and worthy of compliments and warm smiles. It is as if the men suddenly were aware that some lucky fellow had won himself a lovely bride. The women were remembering their own bridal day with fondness and everyone was honoring the sanctity of marriage, love, honor, respect. It was amazing! I totally recommend it for all single women who have been single for a rather long while. It's like going to the spa, getting a massage, only better!

How do you take your music?

I had a wake up connection with Holy Spirit last night. It involved a mix of surrender, peace, freedom to be, excitement, and remembering that He is my favorite best friend- seriously!

Then, as I was waking up this morning, I caught a snippet of the dream I was dreaming:

There was this special man and alot of women present. It was as if we were there to each catch a special moment with him (like our one night with the king). Hoping that we caught his eye.

He came to me and the question he asked me was: " Do you eat music?".

For a moment I was confused.. what? Then, I remembered something and said, " No, we drink it." And then, I saw a sparkle in his eye! I had caught his attention.

He walked away... but I was still on his mind.

Interesting!

mmm... Spring, how delicious! I love the daffodills, buttercups, tulip and cherry trees, but my most favorite sight is the tasty green budding out... the fresh grassy patches, the bright green weeping willows bursting forth... It's so delightfully yummy to my soul. I confess, i just want to try a nibble or two.. its got to be nourishing that color of bright spring!

I know for certain when I see those delicious trees as I drive down the streets.. as the glory of spring overwhelms my senses completely, that creation is whispering a loud shout of truth to our spirits.

You cannot pass by this fresh beauty springing forth and not be raptured by a sense of hope dawning. A sense of peace that the winter is finally passing and colorful treasures are popping out to prove that the death has passed and resurrection life has come to us.

So take a drink... a deep drink of the bright new glory whispers in the flowers and trees. Let the new life get deep inside you and taste and see that the Lord is good.

What's Inside?

Seek and find.

Everyone who seeks finds. And whoever knocks, the door will be opened.

Jesus is so good.

He is totally the hope declarer to all who have forgotten who they are, or who He is.

Spirit Stirring

I absolutely get firey happy when I spy something so creatively declaring sweet truth messages into the darkness of passers by.

This sort of art is a beam of hope sitting on the shelf, just waiting for the hungry to happen upon it's perfect message of satisfaction.

I love it. Hidden messages of truth for the seeking and finding.

And the hand fashioned imperfection marks... the lumpy cirlce, and truth writing carved into the clay...

It is just so real. Creative Hope on display! www.turtlewarepottery.com

Sweet Sleep

Has your resting been interrupted, less than pleasant... worrisome... attacked... terrorized by roaring dark sudden growly monsters? Do you lay wishing for the sun to come up so you can feel it's peace streaming in your morning window? Do you wake up with tired eyes and feel not too interested in getting out of bed...?

I have discovered a heavenly promise for sweet sleep.

A message from our loving Father:

"My son, preserve sound judgement and discernment. Do not let them out of your site.

They will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck.

Then you will go on your way in safety.

Your foot will not stumble;

When you lie down, you will not be afraid;

When you lie down your sleep will be sweet.

Have no fear of sudden disaster, or the ruin that overtakes the wicked, For the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared."

Proverbs 3:21-26

What if our judgments and discerning are off? We might in a split second of unconscious decision, begin to believe things that are not true about ourselves and others. Then, without any further adieu, worry sets in. Why? because our spirits are disturbed by the subtle lies we are living with.

I recently heard a superly perfect-for-me message on presenting our case before the Lord. The idea was that the accusing evil steal, killer and destroyer is standing somehow before our Father laying eye witness accusations against us, and that we, hearing those accusations, are feeling less than loved and valiant in our battle stance. The devil is stealing from us because we are not presenting our case before the Righteous Judge in this courtroom in the heavens. But, we have a perfect plea! If we will present our humble plea with honesty and justice to our Father, the enemy of our souls will stand condemned by the love and conquering blood of the Lamb who was slain on our behalves! He will then have to repay us 10 fold for the things he has stolen and plundered from us.

So, with this in mind, present your case before the Father, justly and full of integrity, making a true case, and not speaking lies and empty accusations against people who have offended you. I realized this piece about integrity when pleading our case, when I read this:

"Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God. Your sins have hidden his face from you so that he will not hear... Your lips have spoken lies and your tongue mutters wicked things. No one calls for justice, no one pleads his case with integrity. They rely on empty arguments and speak lies. They conceive trouble and give birth to evil..." -Isaiah 59

I know this is rather deep about the thoughts and intents of our hearts. But, I think it is really true and full of deliverance and freedom. Hope is here for us today. Let's love each other with honest and just inner discernment. I believe our sleep will be sweet and our lives filled with our Father's anchor of Peace and that we will begin to sense His smile shining on our foreheads as we let love be our gentle leader.

Spending the Day

We weren't quite sure what we wanted to do on this almost spring day of February.

All he knows is that he wants to sit exactly next to wherever I decide to sit.

That is really all his criteria for the enjoyment of life.

He doesn't exactly like for you to tell him where to look when you take pictures. You have to try and trick him and snap a shot quick.

So, we had ourselves a little photo shoot entertainment this morning.

At least that was what I was doing, I think he would say that I was disturbing his morning relaxation.

But, nevertheless he did prove that he is still totally cute even when he is on the smelly side and in dire need of a trip to the hair fluffer.

Soon

Well, lovely ladies and hard working men, if you are waiting for the very one and only love of your life to discover your amazing priceless worth and bow down before you with sincere joy and tears to say that they have realized that they want to love you forever... I know how you feel. Now I know chivalry is not exactly described as the quality of true manhood and true feminity may not necessarily have something to do with being a damsel in distress, but there is something truely satisfying hidden in the fairytales of old that leads our hearts back to something real and genuinely longed for. Kings and Princes, Queens and Princesses reigning in a land where "happily ever after" are the last words of the story. This is actually heavenly language. The land of the Tree of Life! We were actually made for reigning and living happily. That is why surely goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives and we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. His table is abundance, and He gives us drink from His river of delights. That sounds like the fairytale I want to live in. I long for the One who will nurture my deep places and bring me to His river of light and draw me a cup of life. Ok, this is Spirit talk! We can live in this place... by simply surrendering to the Life He already offers us. So, seek and find with your spirit. For everyone who seeks finds... And grace and love to you while you are seeking!