honestly — time for a change

Honest moment.

 

First off. Hi 2020. secondly, clearly I wasn’t posting much on here for the year of 2019. Overall, great year. but obviously from only 7 posts in one year it was just a year of changes. Which is kind of a joke to myself since my word for 2019 was change (yes I was and am that basic Christian. I am learning to laugh at myself, which is something I also learned in 2019). This isn’t a post about my 2020 word (because yes. I did pick another word. clearly the basic Christian didn’t change much. I am working on that for 2020)

(photos from @cjoy.photography on insta)

This is an honest moment with myself to myself through old notes of 2019. Honesty can be really freaking tough in the life of a Christian. and that is probably why we aren’t honest with ourselves when it comes to life and faith in Christ. Because we would rather spout off “trial”, “wilderness”, ” dry seasons”, “hardships”, “struggles”, and whatever else is always used within the Christian culture. maybe because honesty shows weakness. Now lets be real right now. No one likes looking weak. We can go around all we want and saying and even believing that in our weakness He is strong (true. fact. biblically based. But still hard to grasp). just sometimes it still sucks to feel weak. I see all the time people recognizing their weakness as His strength and I believe it. I believe that same strength is life giving and transforming. but I am also tired of the front of just saying it because it is easier to say than to recognize the weakness for what it is and that is lack of trust. its not a bad thing, it is a human thing. and knowing that doesn’t make us less of a Christian, it makes us more aware of our position. Here is my honest truth. My honesty in my weakness is that my trust goes up and down throughout the day and I cant thrive off of a statement of “in my weakness He is strong”. I just cant, and I have learned that painstakingly slow through this past year or so. maybe painstakingly slow is the best way to describe 2019.

 

that is the first time I have actually come out and said that and it hurts. Not just hurts my pride (because it is there. not just a selfish pride, but a pride of I once was somewhere and now I feel as if I am no where). But it hurts my heart and soul. I think it is a good hurt because once you recognize that there is something you can gain something from that ache. I am definitely not going to try and make myself “okay” with a those statements of passiveness. but instead use it to gain ground in a deeper stance of faith and honesty. Make them go hand and hand. it is our choice. I just believe there is more. In 2019 I learned that to have all of Christ I couldn’t stick with the blunt statements. I had to do my own searching. my own navigating. my own thriving. my own downfalls. my own humiliating statements before Christ. my own changing relationship with God.

 

I learned that I sometimes am thoroughly exhausted by the world. by people. by life. by social media. by people. by the rush of it all. by the slow pace of it all too. by the decisions. by the people. by the hurt of it all. by the frustration. by the emptiness. and even by the excitement. How about that for honesty haha! Faith in public is great. it SO is. But it is different. and they both can be even greater if we take time to know the depth of it within our own selves. and then move with that into a greater life. Yes. I said greater, because I believe it can be. so then maybe then it won’t be so exhausting? I am asking this for myself too. I don’t know the answer I just know life is exhausting and maybe there is a way to change that?

 

I just found myself burned out. With all of it. i still am sometimes. that is where that daily up and down comes into play that I was talking about. I sometimes get burned out on the “social media faith”. that is what I call some different things that are posted, like the long Instagram captions, the short tweets, sharing certain verses, posting the picture of your bible from that morning (or is it from that morning?). it’s as if we have to explain away the struggles. are we trying to convince ourselves that by sharing that verse or that long post that everything is actually going to work out for our good? or are we trying to explain away the fact that life sucks in the reality of it. Actually explaining away reality is exhausting as well.  but hey, at least life looks put together on our fb page (please see the sarcasm). or we trying to just grow our trust by clicking “share” or are we actually sinking deep into our understanding and logic of our faith? it is so much bigger. i am beyond guilty of this. but i would rather feel the real joy of the Lord instead of posting a pretty picture of the sunset and writing “jesus is my joy” and then throwing down my phone as i wonder where in the world all the shambles of my life have fallen too. How many people have that honest thought throughout the day? maybe instead of seeing those thoughts as a weakness we can see them as honesty…

I believe once we come to the real fact of that then we can chose something else for ourselves. is there a difference in our social media lives and our real lives? by what we share and post. acting as if everything is a blessing, yes even the struggles and trials.

I am not saying a social media detox or a social media minimalism. I am saying balance. honesty. truth to yourself. ourselves. and a difference of our strength in our day to day lives.

The honesty hurt myself more as I wrote this than I thought it would. I don’t know my point exactly, but I more just want to share that an honest look at the why behind our faith & actions is tough. it can hurt, clearly — it is annoying and it is frustrating. but knowing the real truth of faith seems to mean more than a faith that is just a quick quote and a move on with the day in a continuous struggle. I think we have to see what actually changes our faith in the grand scheme of things and do more of that. it is probably different for everyone and depends on where they are in life. but all I know is it is easier said than done to live something out rather than just click, share, and continue on in a state of numbness. watch the effects. lets see what can actually be done apart from ourselves and pray that the honesty works.

 

 

So honestly (haha lets go back and see how many times I use that word or a form of it. wow I am annoying) I don’t know where this leaves me. one reason there wasn’t much on here is because I was very uninspired. I am feeling more inspired lately, I think, but really to share just whatever. Things have changed. My writing style has changed. outlook. life. all of it. just having this blog be more of life stuff. Pictures. updates. fun stuff. Funny stuff. but most definitely writing. It’ll be all over the place and whenever I want to post. depends on what happens in life. But I know it’ll always be honest (add another to the count).

remembering how to praise

Praise to God is sometimes best when we are broken down prior to, in the midst of, or right after that praise. That also happens to be the hardest time to praise. okay, yes, praise is best whenever, but something more beautiful is happening when praise is transferred to God with brokenness and trust is put on because of the Spirit. Sometimes all you have to do is praise. It’ll bring you to His feet, planted in a stance of remembrance.

Trust, to me, comes from remembering the faithfulness and the real promises already fulfilled. isn’t that how trust is established? Past promises actually happening? trust is usually, for me anyway, based on past experiences. and those faithful past moments are best remembered at His feet, in His presence, aware of His holiness, and in a heart postured to praise. you’ll remember Him as your God, but mostly as your Father. no longer is He a God of wrath to the ones who has been given His righteousness upon them. now we can call Him Father. that is praise worthy. a spirit sealed child running to Gods feet seems to be a lot more peaceful when there is praise involved. whether it is easy or not, praise always comes out to be a beautiful thing.

 

In praise He lets me put down my broken pieces and as I pick them up after being in His presence they are beautiful. remade. premastered. replaced. and renewed. praise can be beautiful imagery of being molded into His image through brokenness and redemption. Even though I keep taking brokenness, wondering where it all keeps coming from, I still try and remember those faithful moments God has really shown me that praise can lead to more beautiful things. It might be the very next day that there is more broken pieces and a hurting spirit in you, but there is truth filled remembrance that can heal that hurt. Maybe just keep taking that broken spirit to Him in praise and hoping one day you’ll pick something else up that is whole. I seem to have to remind myself of this more often than I can admit — that picking up something that was hard to put down in the first place always seems to be heavier the next time you try and put it down. remember the past faithfulness to praise within that heaviness and only in hopes that you gain more wisdom for the next time. because there will be. Maybe that is how we remember to praise?  the heaviness of it all.

 

 

broken. remember. trust. praise. repeat.

flourish.

Excerpt from something I wrote at the beginning of 2019 —

 

To me a plant and our walk are comparable. both you have to tend, water, watch, and wait when it comes to plants and our relationship with Christ. With the growth of both plants and our relationship with Christ there is a surrender and there is sacrifice. Time is taken, you give up things, and you give it your all. I’ve had very few plants in my life, mostly succulents because I have no green thumb. But when I do have plants, frick yes, I want that thing to flourish! I want that plant to be so green and full of life that people do think I have a green thumb! Our walk with God should be the very same. We surrender our old selves to the King of kings and we sacrifice our all to bring Him glory. It is hard sometimes. Sometimes takes a lot out of you, but man is it worth it to see a fruitful life that is flourishing in the light that is Jesus Christ! that is my drive lately, a fruitful life that is flourishing in even the smallest bit of light while surrounded my darkness.

When it comes to surrendering and sacrificing there isn’t just the surrendering the old you and sacrificing your time to get to know our God. There is a surrender of everything that is holding you back from knowing Him to get those deeper roots, which lead to the fruitful and flourishing of life. There is a sacrifice of the things that you are clinging to that is not helping those roots stand firm. Maybe there is a “what” holding you back. A lot of things hold us back in this world from fully sitting in the light of Jesus. We live in a sinful world, there is sin around us, in us, and others. Sin is separating us and the light. There isn’t anything we can do to stop sinning all together, but we can rest in knowing that the Spirit of God dwells in us and feeds our soul to help our roots grow deeper. That is where we get the light. That is where we can rest in the light. Just by having the faith in who Jesus is, what He did, and what He longs for, gives us the light to grow deeper, and gives us the Spirit to flourish.

I was going to make a list of things of the world that can hold us back from getting those deep roots I keep mentioning. But, honestly, this isn’t a place where I want to point fingers and say “Don’t do this. Don’t do that. Stop that. Stop this”. I want this to be where we say what we should be doing instead of the things that we are doing wrong. I think there is more growth in that. more stability. more life. Yes, there are a lot of things we do wrong. Thank the Lord for saving grace. Can I get an amen? But, I think to grow deep roots in Christ we have to water with some words that, you know, um don’t hurt. 

there is this experiment, I am sure you’ve heard of it before, but it is where one plant is spoken to with kind words while the other doesn’t grow as much because harsh words are being spoken over it. all the while that plant with kind words falling over it is growing. maybe speaking kindly really does effect life.

What if I told you the emotions, thoughts, worries, and fears are holding you back from sinking deep into His strength and power? They are. I said I wasn’t going to list the things of this world that are holding you back from your relationship with God. And am not. But, I am going to make a list of things that are holding you back. Confused yet? These are all things of the world but they aren’t the usual “no no’s” that you would think.

There are things holding us back from God. i think we can all agree something is always holding us back to the fullness of God. They aren’t just lies you told, anger you had, drinks you drank, idols you had, and words you said. These are thoughts and emotions you had or have. Like I said, confusing. But I fully believe the lies that Satan tells us effects our growth and those words he implants in our minds, hurt. its evident in the plant experiment. the only difference is the enemy is speaking those words to us, not someone in a green house. thoughts and emotions stunt our growth and numb us to the reality that is Jesus Christ and the Words that God Himself breathed into people just like you and I. The words Satan speaks to us, the fear that he leads us to believe, the worry that can consume us, and the stress that enrages us are all things that come from lack of trust in God. and really what are we putting our trust in if we stick to the mindset the Enemy has ingrained into us? definitely not God.

 

Worry         Stress       Fear        Doubt

       Confusion       Thoughts      Opinions

Overthinking         Concern      Anxiety                

 

i am not pointing fingers here, this comes from a lot of time trying to fix my own battles and win my own wars, but then realizing the only way that can happen is if I lay my thoughts, worries, fears, and stress down at God’s feet with humility. knowing I may very well pick them up again. Maybe that is what you have to surrender and sacrifice to God as well. There might be fear sitting right in the front of your mind as your reading this. There might be worry in the front of your heart that you are tired of thinking about. I just want you to know I have been there and sometimes I am still there, sitting in the mess that is my overthinking brain. The power of our thoughts is something God wants to use as a blessing, but He can only do that after we have surrendered our thoughts to Him.

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, and whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. ” Philippians 4:8

 

Something I have had to surrender and sacrifice to God is my fear of the unknown. this is something very real for me because I like the known, I like knowing what is going to happen, when, where, and why it is going to happen. Maybe I am a control freak, but that’s a whole other topic we don’t have to get into.

I had to surrender that fear because it was holding me back from the here and now and making me think I had to know what is later and then. I had to sacrifice that fear so I could fully rest and have peace in who God made me to be here and now not who I will be later and then. I was so focused on the future I had no peace in the now, and that is no way to grow deep roots. That is like waiting for the fruit before you’ve even planted the seed. That is just silly. Come on let’s water and tend to the soil and wait patiently for the fruit that He gives in His perfect timing.

I am definitely not done surrendering and sacrificing that to God. This is an ongoing thing that has to be put into action every time we have fear, stress, worry, doubt, thoughts, and concerns. use Phillipians 4:8 when it comes to the battle of your mind. That verse has been repeated time and time again for me when the overthinking and fear strikes my oh so crazy mind. When I have the thoughts of fear or worry or stress or really anything I repeat Philippians 4:8 to myself and break down what it says about godly thoughts and the way God wants us to be thinking about ourselves, His children.

I lay out this verse. I think of my fear and I ask myself, and God, is this thought true? Is this thought noble? Is this right? Is it pure? Is it lovely? Is it admirable? Or excellent? Is it even praiseworthy?

If a thought, fear, worry, doubt, or concern doesn’t line up with the Holy Word of God then it didn’t come from God, it is against His words, so it came from the enemy trying to uproot your mind and heart from the sovereign King. I really challenge you to sort out your thoughts as soon as they hit your mind. As soon as you feel that fear of being unloved think about if it is true. No, it isn’t. You are a beloved child of a risen King. As soon as you worry about if you’ll ever have peace in your life think about if it is right. No, it isn’t. The prince of peace crushes the enemy under His feet and rises us into an eternity that is full of peace and praise with our Savior. When you feel the doubts of who you are and who you were created to be think about if it is lovely. Nope, it isn’t. You were created in the image of the creator of the universe and He created you with a purpose in mind.

Surrendering your thoughts can be very hard, because they are always there. There is no leaving your own mind, it is all about the sacrifice and surrender off your mind so that He can be glorified through it. So line up your mind with scripture. Speak truth into your mind, and fill your thoughts with life that is forever giving peace, joy, and love. All of those things come from God. There is no peace, joy, or love when we surround our mind with the lies from the enemy. Surround yourself with His peace by surrendering your fears, doubts, worries, and stress to the Lord who will give you loving kindness.

 

 

Now back to the end of 2019…. Still a battle. still a war of thoughts and worries. But honestly I can say in this year I have grown the roots of my faith into the Word. and it continues to be a life source to flourish with Christ. it is amazing what arming yourself with His words will do for your mind.

 

something lovely. something abundant. something beautiful in its time.

I can not tell you how many times I about started to write a post and then totally trashed the idea of ever really writing on here again. I left posts on draft. Left pages of my notebook blank for days. I think I am more in a reading phase right now more than anything. Really more than anything. I would rather put my face in a book then pen to paper or hands to keys. Slowly I have gotten back into writing in an actual notebook. I had a whole post idea I was somewhat excited about than I lost the real drive to share it here and just kept it on a piece of paper. That was towards the beginning of May. Now we are half way through July… and I still simply don’t want to share it.

 

That post I was planning to write and share many many times and it just never happened. Clearly, since I haven’t posted since the beginning of May. Then I decided today I wont post it because it is just for me and for God. Which is the special thing about a relationship with the creator.

 

There is this book I am reading, called “Here, Now”, it definitely confirmed that I don’t actually need to share it. Maybe I wanted to, but also, I didn’t want to. My brain is so scattered and the notes are to all over the place to actually make a sentence of it. Let alone a whole post.

 

Not everything is to be shared. That is what I learned from a chapter in that book I mentioned above. Which is really funny since while reading the chapter it talks a lot about social media, mainly Instagram, my Instagram app completely stopped working. Okay, God I see you there! Maybe a whole day where I disconnect from that little app is what I really need to really see the good in the mundane. The truth of it all is that Instagram can be platform that we overshare on and find ourselves feeling less than and often stuck. We make our lives look like they are something on this app, but then we exit out of it and start to see the reality that is our life. And often times we don’t like how it looks. That can go for any social media.

 

I want my days to mean something. To show for something. But more often than not the days feel meaningless and mundane. Especially when you see the highlight reel of so many people on your feed many times a day. I looked the other day and I spend a lot more time on those colorful icons than I do reaching for God, learning new things and actually living a life that is maybe actually worth sharing — a life that glorifies God . Those days feel so dull and silent when I am trying to fill my brain with what @*insert username here* had for lunch instead of what Christ did to feed the 5,000 for lunch. Sometimes my days really, if I am honest, are boring and bland. like no taste. Hey Casady, remember today? oh, you don’t? probably because it was bland and forgettable.

I would totally be lying if I said I didn’t want everyday to be spectacular. extravagant. Beautiful. meaningful. Stunning and growth-filled. Life-filled. I believe lovely things are life giving and I believe lovely things are from God. All of that leads to abundance with Him.

But. hey. the abundance of life always comes by and with a shift — a new perspective. 

 

I see that as life filling — A new perspective. New life. New shift. It’s something lovely.

 

If I am to build something meaningful of my days. Something beautiful. maybe even timeless. I must go into the plainest. most ordinary. boring days with open eyes. If I am to build a whole beautiful life out of the smallest of moments, then the regular days really do count the most. Maybe the simplest shift of perspective shows us the little boring so called bland day can turn into a beautiful growth filled day that adds up to an abundant life.   

I ask God what all of this is for. the small. mundane. ordinary days that I seem to be counting begrudgingly more often than simply capturing the lovely and beautiful. like getting to lay in bed an extra 10 minutes. or getting all the green lights. pouring just the right amount of creamer to where your coffee is extra phenomenal that morning. I mean, can I get an amen?? getting to talk to just the right person at just the right time. hearing a new worship song that speaks differently to your soul than you thought was possible. getting an evening at home with family that you weren’t excepting. hearing a word from God that brings you closer to Him. These are lovely and beautiful things that can happen in the days we call mundane. the lovely little moments He brings in our lives. That’s what He says — It can all be lovely and life giving. But our perspective in those moments, if we see it lovely and not so ordinary, depends on how deep our faith is and how closely we walk with God.

 

That is what the teacher in Ecclesiastes hits me most with the truth. The truth of all those small moments added together equals something beautiful in its time.

 

I can’t see the whole scope of Gods work in my life. but, if you can, hit a girl up and let me know what the Lord is doing. Just kidding! Some days I despise little moments and have a fear my life will really always be stuck in the mundane. But that makes me human. that makes me in need of grace. that grace adds up to a life in abundance. Growth.

So there He is, working in all seasons. The seasons where the only thing holding you up is a cup of coffee and a book. the seasons where you are struggling to see that physical or metaphorical light at the end of the tunnel. the season where you are waiting for that promise to unfold. the season where you are stuck in one chair all day wondering why the week days are five and weekends are only two (really quite the mystery. and how can we change that?). the seasons where the only glue that seems to be working for your broken down life is the glue that is His grace and mercy. BUT also the season that you seem to be thriving in. where the family is at peace. a friendship is at peace. promises are before your eyes. you hear God the clearest you have ever heard Him. Your actions are reflecting His breath. All of it.

——-

there He is. working in all seasons. I’m only responsible for showing up. Even in my so called mundane. He is still giving me those “mundane” days. (I am not one to use a saying like that — about God giving us another day. so please don’t get used to it). But He is turning and adding those days into a beautiful season of Him reaching His hand out in a total different way than you’d expect.

 

capture them. those moments. small or mundane. They add up to something and they all equal abundance and more peace within His presence. Hold tight to the creator of the season. shift, change, scoot, move. all of it. any of it. if it gets you closer to God and gets you closer to that abundant living in Him. It is something lovely. It is something abundant. It is something beautiful in its time.

may 2nd. don’t confuse the teacher with the teaching.

Coffee in front of me with books open all around me. This is just how I like it!

 

 

I wrote something in my little notebook here that I have in front of me while I was reading a book. One of my favorite things to do is write all in the books I am reading, as well as have paper around me to write down every other little thing that comes into my head. Because sometimes, only sometimes, do little nuggets of truth come out that apparently I need to hear, write, or share to myself or for someone else.

 

I wrote this whole page out and I loved what I had written. But I didn’t feel that tug after finishing writing it or that twinge in my soul of “this is my Father right here showing me something to me right now!” That wasn’t it. So I closed the notebook wondering if I will ever actually need what I wrote because it wasn’t a struggle of mine right then. I knew who my Father was in that moment. I knew His guiding hand. I knew it was right there with me. That knowledge and presence of the Most High. I don’t know, maybe I was a bit to proud as I wrote it acting as if I had come to the point of knowing Him through and through. Boy am I wrong. But don’t we all have those moments?

 

 

I closed that notebook being glad He gave me a word. Being glad He spoke to me so clearly on who He is as my shepherd. But I also closed that book wondering if I will question who He is. I do, and we all do. I wrote that a week and a half ago. it wasn’t until I caught myself questioning everything He has taught. shown. guided me. lifted me. and brought me through is when my Father reached right down from heaven and brought those words so clearly back to the front of my mind. I’m wondering if I’m those moments of questioning why He has done certain things He shows us exactly who He is.

 

 

“I am not what I teach you.”

 

 

These words that stung differently a week and a half ago ring truer to my heart and soul now because I see them differently. I sat wondering why such a “loving father” would let my mind be so overwhelmed. When the overwhelming doesn’t show the character of my Shepherd. And the overwhelming doesn’t define me. My shepherd defines me. But what He shows and how He teaches and what He brings out of me is not who my God is. Below is what I wrote. but right up here. in these words is what I learned. Its what my Father taught me, but He also showed me that this isn’t who He is. He is so much more.

Below are words that bring light because it shows Jesus as the leader. But sometimes the Holy Spirit saves us a twinge of hope in our souls for later. that little bitty moment where He tends to whisper the sweetest things that our soul longs to hear in those bitter moments. I think it’s a powerful characteristics of the Holy Spirit when He brings some truth to the front of our minds that we learned so long ago yet still applies today. Its painful but its truth. Its only truth because it is life giving and life altering.

 

 

A little bit from my notebook on May 2....

don’t confuse the teacher with the teaching. When He is trying to teach you patients in a trying and hard time it does not mean He is a God that is full of just pain towards you and to you. If there is pain in your life or hurt in your past that doesn’t define Gods character. But it does show His divine plan in curating a heart ready for a more full relationship with Christ.How often do we let our circumstances define God instead of letting the One who is leading us through it define Him?

 

When He is trying to teach us obedience, even if He seems silent, even if He is actually speaking loudly, we still seem to define Him by the actions we seem to think He is making. We think He is a silent Father when we have a screen in front of our face.

Maybe our own actions are defining who our sovereign God is. I don’t want my sinful heart and mind to lead me into assuming my God is silent when I am letting myself sit in the consuming world of technology. My actions definitely don’t define God. maybe if my actions were more the way the Word defines a child of God then they could define my God, but my actions aren’t always Christ like. My mind isn’t always set on His ways. My heart isn’t always seeking Him. My eyes aren’t always fixed on Him. and I certainly don’t always let my circumstances lead me closer to the name that is above every other name. So how can I let those things that I am doing myself define such a sovereign God? the answer is I cant.

 

If He is teaching us to be more dependent on His voice maybe He will be silent. because He, being a mysterious God, He works in unconventional ways that our human minds can understand.

 

He works differently so that we may learn eternally!

 

If He is being silent, as to our own understanding, we have to step back in our armor of truth and shift our perspective back on the teacher to find His point. How can you grasp someone else’s concept and leading without understanding the person themselves??To become more dependent on His leading voice maybe we have to see just how dependent on it we are….

 

Don’t mistake who He is in what He is trying to teach and show you. The hurt can lead to more. The silence can lead to more. the unknowns can lead to knowing Him more. I think our Father wants us to live in abundantly more, but He wants us to do it in the way that can be immeasurably more. And that only can be done through Him.

I don’t want to ever mistake HIS abundantly more for anything else. I want to see Him for who He is to the fullest and never stay on the sad understanding that what He is leading me through is who He is. Because that isn’t true. The grace He shows us in this thing we call life defines such a loving Father. That hurt you feel in this life thing. that isn’t our King. He cherishes those times when you come to Him as a child setting that hurt at His feet and jumping into His grace filled arms accepting and excepting that He is showing. leading. and growing you into His abundantly more.

 

all through a pair of shoes.

All of this week I have had to “dress up”, you know, like office type clothes. So all week I have been uncomfortable in heeled shoes, dresses, horrible material shirts. To find out office attire is not Casady attire. I love a good dress as much as the next girl, but give me a pair of jeans, sneakers and a tee and I am set and totally myself.

It is finally Friday *praise*, which means… jeans. it also means sneakers *praise*. This means I can freely dance in the bathroom to the most recent song stuck in my head without worrying that I will fall in my heeled booties and dress. Granted I still may embarrass myself because no matter what day it is a co worker can still come in while I am dancing whether I am in sneakers and jeans or heels and a dress. Point is, I am hopeful that even though it is embarrassing to get caught dancing, it is less embracing if you don’t end up on the floor. Sneakers are easier to dance in than any heeled shoe. case and point.

 

All of that to tell you… Love sneakers. Wearing sneakers now. best day. Unfortunately said sneakers squeak when I walk. I am not going to let this fault ruin my love for these baby blue Velcro kicks. Yes, you read that right. Velcro. Because I am a toddler. Not only are they cute but also doesn’t take up time to tie them so who I really winning here? The toddler. Even if these sneakers squeak it is not like they are totally loud. It is more of a quiet little squeal, but in the silence of an office building its more noticed then if I was anywhere else.

 

I am one of those people that notices the smallest of noises and they drive me up the wall. So currently as I walk through the office I am taking big steps very slowly in hopes it just looks like I am on a runway and not annoying people with the squeal of a toddlers shoes as I go from desk to desk collecting mail. In-between the tasks of a receptionist and a professional back-up dancer/embarrassed wannabe dancer (you decide) I’ve been reading A.W. Tozers “The Pursuit Of God”. Yeah I know totally flipping the script, one second we are talking about the shoes that a toddler would be cute in and another we are talking about a book full of big words. I don’t know, just follow me here. God talks and teaches me in funny ways that I think sometime only my brain can actually understand what He is trying to tell me. Then I wonder if it actually makes any sense. Really not a toddler just someone who enjoys dancing by myself to good music, but also someone who enjoys sitting down and reading a good book. its all about balance people.

 

If you haven’t read an of A.W. Tozers book, check it out. But also be prepared to read like a chapter at a time and reread paragraphs. Because dude is smart, uses big words, but once you’ve got what he is saying you really learn some stuff that makes you sit back and recognize the God you serve speaks.

 

You’re probably wondering why I rambled on and on about my shoes and then flipped the switched and started talking about my man Tozer. But I promise, it does make sense. Well hopefully at least a little bit by the time you finish reading what I have to share. This morning I read chapter 6 “The Speaking Voice”. After a lot of reading, underlining, highlighted, circling, notes to the side (trying to make sense of those big words), and rereading, I kind of closed the chapter wishing I could put into my own words just exactly what I learned. But this toddler shoe wearing, mail gathering, phone answering, Instagram addict, and bathroom dancing girl didn’t know what to make of these conclusions Tozer had come to.

 

What I know is I have got to train myself to hear. Training myself to let His voice be loudest and not let His voice be quieted when I close The Word.

 

“I believe that much of our unbelief is due to a wrong conception of and a wrong feeling for the Scripture of Truth. A silent God suddenly begins to speak in a book and when the book was finished lapsed back into silence again forever. Now we read the book as the record of what God said when He was for a brief time in a speaking mood. With notions like that in our heads how can we believe? The facts are that God is not silent, has never been silent. It is the nature of God to speak. The Bible is the inevitable outcome of Gods continuous speech. It is the infallible declaration of His mind for us to put into our familiar human words.

If you would follow on to know the Lord, come at once to the open Bible expecting it to speak to you. Do not come with the notion that it is a thing which you may push around at your convenience. it is more than a thing; it is a voice, a word, the very Word of the living God.”

– A.W. Tozer

 

We limit the power of our Father by closing the Word after we are done searching for Him in that moment and set it aside as if He will no longer talk to us after we have finished. What are we pushing aside besides the fact of what our God has done and the promises of what He will continue to do? By pushing the Bible away at our own convince we are only focusing on the breath of God. Don’t get me wrong the Word is powerful, truth, spoken life, and the actual words of God. But we serve a God who speaks now. If we only expect Him to teach, lead, answer, and guide us while we have a book open in front of us we aren’t fully living WITH God. We are serving a notion that believes a faithful God is only faithful in His past tense an not present love.

 

He is a speaking voice in our day to day and the breath of God in the Holy Word. His voice is just as living as the many Bibles sitting on our shelves collecting dust. It all is a matter of when, or even if we are training ourselves to experience that very voice of God that speaks just as much life into a weary soul that isn’t begging for Fiji, it is begging for Living Water.

 

“Every one of us has had experiences which we have not been able to explain — a sudden sense of loneliness, or a feeling of wonder or awe in the face of the universal vastness. What we saw there, or felt, or heard, may have been contrary to all that we had been taught in school or learned from the world. We are forced to suspend our acquired doubts while for a moment, the clouds were rolled back and we saw and heard for ourselves. Explain such things as we will, I think we have not been fair to the facts until we allow at least the possibility that such experiences may arise from the presence of God in the world and His persistent effort to communicate with mankind.”

– A.W. Tozer

 

The Bible is the written Word of God, and because it is written it is confined and limited by the necessities of ink and paper and leather, The voice f God, however, is alive and free as the sovereign God is free.

“The words that I speak to you, they are spirit, and they are life.” John 6:63

The life is in the speaking words. Gods words is in the Bible can have power only because it corresponds to Gods word in the universe. It is the present voice which makes the written Word all powerful. If it wasn’t for the power in His voice it would lie locked in sleep within the cover of a book. It is His breath of life that brings such grace and mercy from ink and paper!

It is because of His voice speaking to His people in the past leading to His written breath on paper that I can rest in His presence through those written words. Yet I can set my Bible aside and still rest in Him knowing His truth as I walk in squeaky shoes.

I was walking in these squeaky sneaks in that silent office wishing they’d be quiet for just a little bit. But right then I thought “If only I heard God as much as I heard these shoes make their annoying sounds!” and right then I heard “You can if you just be still and listen. My voice can be heard just like you hear those shoes right now. In the silent I can speak and in the noise I can lead. don’t push my voice aside, let me do life with you. Don’t push me aside when you close your Bible. Do life. Walk together, squeaky shoes and all.”

 

No those shoes didn’t teach me some huge revelation about God. But by continuing to walk WITH God and do life WITH Jesus I was able to do what I had learned from His breath on paper and listen for His voice. I didn’t hear Him because of the shoes I heard Him because in that moment I was present with Him and patient for His understanding, not my own. I could have easily thought right then He doesn’t speak. But I left myself open to the voice of God even with squeaky shoes.

 

The truth is, I don’t want to harbor the power of God to little moments. I want it to be all throughout my life and radiant in everything I do. I don’t want to keep His truth and grace boxed off into 30 minutes of my morning. Hello, if His grace is big enough to save me from my sin I think it is powerful enough to come into every aspect of my life.

 

I don’t want to let a life with God become mundane. I want my life to be abundantly full of His breath even after I close the Word. I want my bathroom dance moves to continue because I am full of joy. I want His voice to be the loudest. I want to do this life with Jesus showing me more and more of Himself throughout the day, even when I am walking in big steps very slowly. It isn’t about the squeaky shoes. It isn’t about the bomb dance moves. Nothing about being a child of God is mundane, I mean come on He taught me through annoying shoes. He isn’t a God that sits on a shelf. But He is a God that will just sit on your shelf if you don’t let Him speak even when those pages are closed.

 

 

 

 

Shift. Fix. Focus // all of the unknowns can be placed on our known God.

How come we shift our eyes? I may not actually answer this question because right now I can’t even think of an answer. I do know that without calling upon the name of the Lord we can’t shift back our eyes on Him. We are weak in our understanding of this world. That is maybe why we shift focus. We don’t understand the why, the how, the reasons, or the outcome. We are weak in our understanding because we have sinful nature that like I said, can only be shifted back by calling to the One who is full of knowledge and the understanding that we lack so very much. Do you know why you so easily shift your eyes away from God? You’re the only one that can answer to God as to why you moved your heart and mind away from His loving kindness. The same goes for me.

Think of it like this. The most powerful person in the world gives you this gift, and this gift is eternal and is totally free. It never fades, it never leaves you, it never withers away, and it never forgets you. But it is a gift that guides, leads, helps, loves, carries, protects, and also keeps promises. You’ve got this gift with you forever, doing all of these things that grow you as a child of this most powerful person. But something happens that you weren’t expecting, and you aren’t the happiest about it because this gift didn’t tell you exactly what was going to happen, even though it was a promise to protect and guide you. Then you stop and shift your eyes away from this amazing and free gift that is doing what it has to do to grow you closer to the King of kings. You no longer are focusing on the eternity of it, now you are focusing on the mundane fading gifts that you had to pay for. The love you felt because of this gift isn’t as present because you haven’t been focusing on it. Your eyes are totally off of this gift that you grow weary and loose joy.

Without knowing it this gift is trying to make you see that through this circumstance you are learning. You are being taught more abundant gifts like peace, joy, love, and a deeper relationship with the person who gave you the gift. This gift is so full of love it is beyond our understanding. So beyond anything we can grasp. That is what makes this gift so powerful.

How come you took the focus off such an abounding present that promised you eternity in His presence? How come when another unknown situation comes up we forget the growth from the last unknown? Apparently we have to write down all God has done for us to remember that He loves us. As if giving us an undying love that sets us apart from this world and guarantees us eternity in His kingdom isn’t enough. How come we shift our eyes away from the actual known of our eternities to the unknown of our situations? 

“I will give you peace at all times and in every situation.”

1 Thessalonians 3:16.

Faith Thrives In Holy Discomfort

You know what I love? I mean I am pretty sure a lot of Jesus believers love this, but I am still going to share it. I love the presence of God. That comfort. that peace. That knowledge of a heavenly Father being with His child. It brings so much peace and wholeness that it is unexplainable. But that is one thing I love about it, I could just go on and on about time with Jesus.

I have just come back from Passion 2019 and I hope to share some notes from that later. but I found this post in my archives a bit ago and I wanted to share it because it was laid on my heart a while ago yet I felt like I wasn’t supposed to share it yet. but now I want to share it. It is something I learned a while ago and still go to a lot when there is discomfort. Isn’t that one of the great things about being in His presence though? learning and being taught by the Spirit and knowing that this applies now and also for the future? We are always learning things in His midst, and hopefully applying, but there is also something so loving about a Father that teaches His children for the future. He’s looking out for us in all of our unknowns and questions and leading us into so much more…more of Him.

 

the Holy Spirit provides for us—holy discomfort. There is holy discomfort because the Holy Spirit is trying to show you something, trying to shape you into who you are supposed to be, and guide you into a new possibility with Him.

The possibilities are endless when it comes to the Spirit guiding us. He could be guiding you into church service, into a new career path, to a new home, to a relationship, and to so much more. The seasons God brings us into unfold by putting our discomfort into His hands and letting Him lead us through them. Whether it is a hard decision or a frustrating circumstance, there is discomfort but find the holiness in it. Holiness is found at His feet and there is where you find peace. The opportunities God wants to show us can make us uncomfortable and they will make us step outside of our comfort zones, but faith thrives on holy discomfort.  The discomfort in a season usually brings the fruit you least expected.

Think of the faith you are building up in the discomfort of the season. Your faith is thriving when you get your peace from Him, your faith is being made strong when you are weak and seeking Him, and your faith is growing when you are getting to know Him instead of focusing on other things.

FAITH THRIVES IN HOLY DISCOMFORT

           I had actually a week that would’ve been called holy discomfort. The summer of 2018 I went on my very first mission trip to Nicaragua, and I would go back right now if I could! The best week ever. And not just because of the adventure, the beautiful place and people, but my faith grew so much because I was in discomfort. That week was the first time I ever shared the Gospel or shared my testimony. My faith thrived in holy discomfort that week. It was holy discomfort because the Spirit was leading me so it was holy, and it was discomfort because I had never done it before. I barely talk at home around people let along in a foreign country with people I don’t even know. But I had to step out in obedience, because God was calling me and commanding me to step out in holy discomfort.

You don’t have to go to a foreign country for your faith to thrive. Maybe there is somewhere else in your season you have to step out and grow your faith through holy discomfort and that’s the season you are in. Every season is in discomfort, especially if you can’t find God’s grace and mercy in it. But if you are in holy discomfort then there is grace and mercy written all over it, search for it and hold it tight. His character is written all over grace and mercy

 

I want every season of my life to have grace written all over it. Not because I finally had peace because of a situation, but because I found peace in His presence even when the discomfort was pulling me down. When I am being pulled down in discomfort I want to hit the ground on my knees and my face to the ground because the lack of comfort led me to a place of holy reverence in front of a loving Father. I am learning that peace isn’t found in comfort, it is only  found in the holy and life giving presence of such a good good Father. There is rest and assurance there in His name.

Romans 15:13

Staying in the will of God. WHO He created me to be will lead me into what to DO.

I am sitting here with my third notebook open of 2018. I started my first notebook on March, so in 9 months I have started writing in three notebooks. I think that just goes to show you how busy my brain is and all the thoughts that I apparently can’t keep in my head. Because they end up either in one of those notebooks or on this blog, whether that is one month at a time on here or daily on my notebook. It has been way over a month since I posted last and in that time I’ve started another notebook, not that you care, but I love these notebooks. Not only do they just contain something special to me because it has what God has taught and spoken to me, but actually they are just good notebooks. Like good paper, good cover, and a good spine. Yes, let’s face it. I am a notebook freak. I am also a pen freak. I order a pack of 15 count of my favorite pens on the reg and I stock up on my favorite kind of notebook whenever Target has them in stock. Call it an obsession or call it whatever you want, but I love a good set of pens and a notebook.

But as I sit here with my little space heater as close to my feet as I can get it and my notebook open to notes from an AMAZING podcasts I keep thinking about my last blog post. “Faith in the unseen. A life lived by faith. A Hebrews 11 life. ” I keep thinking of the pages of notes in my notebook that will be in between my page on Hebrews 11 and this page. I think of the things I learned and wrote down so quick that it is hard to read because I don’t want to forget that thought that was brought to me while reading one certain word or one certain passage. Really in those in-between pages that I see growth. Even in the month and a few days since I wrote that post on a faith in the unseen…A Hebrews 11 life. But that is what is it all about. I am becoming the child of God that I am meant to become. I am becoming the who so I can know what to do. I’m being led into His will by seeing who I am supposed to be in Jesus.

I will link the actual podcast at the end of this post. Take. A. Listen. but know, it isn’t life changing. The dude speaking isn’t going to tell you what to do with your life. There isn’t going to be some huge revelation about all of your unknowns. But there will be a certainty that Christ has a way of shaping WHO you are to show you what to DO.

What should I do? What should I do? That question ringing in your head on what to do in a circumstance is also ringing in so many others. Now if you are asking that question with a cookie right in front of you wondering if you should eat it. The answer is yes. You are welcome, you can stop reading now. Your life is full. Naw, I am just kidding. But really sooo many questions ring in my head on the daily. Okay, yes maybe those three notebooks are full of a bunch of questions I am asking God. But all of them have the same backbone to them.

“What should I do?”

“How do I know what Gods will is?”

“When is comes to Gods will, What is His will for my life?”

See — will will will will will. do do do do do.

it really is kind of exhausting. But God cares about two things.

1.God cares about WHO before the DO.

God cares about who you are personally before what you do. Whether that is vocationally. financially. relationally. or anything else for that matter. He cares about who you are before any of that.

“It is Gods will that you should be sanctified…”

1 Thessalonians 4:3a

That very verse tells us who we are supposed to be. Holy and set apart. sanctified to become like Christ. That right there is our calling. Our calling isn’t to be an accountant, a teacher, a doctor, a lawyer, a missionary, a receptionist, a sales manager, and not even a pastor. Our calling is to live for God.

The will of God isn’t a do. the will of God is who He created us to be. chosen. loved. bold. peaceable. joyful. loving. and so much more!

Don’t let the “do” keep you from following the “who”. Because if you follow God you will become who He wants you to be. And by becoming who He wants you to be you’ll be in His will, then He will show you what to do. As long as it lines up with His very spoken Word in the Bible then you know who you are then you’ll know what to do. All of this life is to line up with His life. His Word. His Truth. I think we so easily get caught up in what God wants us to do in situations, circumstances, choices, and trials when our question isn’t “What can we do?” our question is “Who did God create me to be? And by doing this is it bringing me closer to God and who I am meant to be?”

What does God want me to do?? a better Question… Who does God want me to become? And by doing this am I be drawn closer to God?

What we do is our secondary calling. Who we are is our first. Living faithfully for Jesus is the who. wanna know how we become that who? How we become that faithful servant of Jesus? Get to know that very man who walked this earth as a living example to His children.

God didn’t place His very breath in our hands to tell us “take this job.” “buy this house.” “move to this place.” “do this service.” “date this person.” “marry this person”. I am sorry, but last time I checked no book of the Bible has any mention of exactly what we are to do in those types of situations. The Bible is a guide, not a story book of our individual lives. It is full of examples of ways to live faithfully for God. Full of ways to see who He wants us to be. Full of examples of Jesus. Which is who we are supposed to live like. Yes, it is HARD. But, it is the way we are called to live.

I am already at 1,000 words and I am still on page one of my notes. God has taught me something. He wants me (and you) to see who we are supposed to be is in the Bible, not just what we are supposed to do.

If we are not being who we are called to be we are not in Gods will.

Before we ask about the “do” of His will make sure you are being who God called you to be.

When we ask what we are supposed to do we have to ask ourselves “Will this make me more like Christ or less like Him?” that is a simple who before do question. Who are we becoming by stepping into the action of do. And then who are we in the do?

who is a calling. Do is an action in the calling.

There doesn’t have to be a fear when you walk in the Word of God. See, God gives us everything to DO His will — which is Jesus. To walk in His Word is to truly trust the spoken commands of God. To truly trust His command is to walk in obedience even when fear strikes who you are. Christ is in you leading you to DO because of WHO you are.

2. His will is WHY before WHAT.

“All a persons ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord.” Proverbs 16:2

“What does God want me to do?”

“Where does God want me to be?”

These questions are almost impossible to get to the right place when you have the wrong motives.

We have to ask ourselves: Why behind the what are you thinking about doing?

To find the “do” ask why before the what.

Our do should be backed up by if that action is going to glorify the name of Jesus and if the action lines up with His very Word. It isn’t a matter of you feel like God is wanting you to do this. To know that feeling is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, and praiseworthy you have to search the Word (Philippians 4:8).

Don’t keep wondering to yourself is you are in His will. If you are living a life lined up to His Word and seeking Him and His grace He will lead you INTO His will. He will teach you what to do. Not tell you but teach you. If that is one thing I have learned since my last post is that God isn’t going to tell me how to live. He is going to teach me how to live a life worthy of the calling to which I have received. One that is holy, praiseworthy, and being a beacon of His light. He is teaching me daily what it means to be a daughter of a King. He isn’t telling me because telling me isn’t as loving as teaching me. And if He wants us to be loving He will be loving Himself.

The who & why is our faithfulness.

The who & why moves us into the will of God… the do & what! the do & the what will always be a reflection of who & the why!

But His will is so much more than the do and the what. His will is a closer relationship with Him.

That Him is also Jesus. Our example. How did Jesus DO what He did? Because of WHO He is and WHY He did it.

When we know who we are in Christ and why He has gifted us or shown us things like He has, then suddenly the DO starts to overflow and the WHAT is shown. By becoming the right WHO our God will help you choose the right DO. At some point we are to become doers of the Word. How can we do that without being in the Word?

How to choose… it is only when you are grounded in Christ. Set apart. Growing closer. Secure in who you are in Him. That is when you are driven by the right WHY that God will lead you to the right WHAT.

If we want to know Gods will, Gods perspective, Gods good that He has in store for us, then we must not be confused to the worlds way of processing life, that isn’t our way of thinking as chosen children of God. But we are to be transformed by Gods Word and Gods way to know what to do.

Romans 12:2

Divine Direction Podcast.

Faith in the unseen. A life lived by faith. A Hebrews 11 life.

Hey, it has been a week exactly since I posted on here! it hasn’t been a month like it usually is. I am giving myself a pat on the back because it actually takes a lot to get on here and type out a post. Not only does it take a while to type it all out and make it look somewhat good. Grammatically speaking (which really doesn’t happen often. or at all), and also just to make it look pretty with pictures. Ya know, its gotta be appealing to the eye, or at least I think it should. I love putting together these posts, taking the pictures, writing out what I have learned and heard, but sometimes it is exhausting. Not the actual physical time of it and all, but sharing what I have learned. Sometimes God hits you right upside the head with truth that needs to be applied. If we aren’t applying are we growing?? Some things I don’t share on here, hellooooo personal. But a lot of stuff I learn I do share on here. So it can get exhausted pouring a lot of words out that sometimes is easier kept to myself. Maybe that is why I go in random spurts of posting and not posting.

Some days there is conviction that stays with me and God. Promises between me and God. revelations that He gives that stay with me. And then there are the times when I am posting, and those are the times when I feel as if I need to share.

Like today. Whoa does God speak on the daily when you try your best to engulf your thoughts, time, and energy into the things of God. Not saying I do a good job at that, because I don’t. Have you heard of Pinterest, work, Instagram, and well anything, just life. It’s very distracting and takes up a lot of thoughts, time, and energy. Which I should be giving to God. Hey, I am working on it. anyway. I could go on and on about where we hear from God, how we know it is from God, and any personal experience I have with Him. But that may be for another time. Just not feeling like sharing that part right now.

Right now I wanna walk in faith. Not just stand in faith. Where is the movement if there is no action in the faith He has called us to? Where is the obedience in the faith He has spoken into us? 

I have said probably so many times now that it is getting annoying but…. I want to be a woman of God that stands on His promises, acts on His call, walks in obedience, and listens to His voice! This is probably the third or fourth time I have said that before on this blog, and I am not going to stop saying it either. I want that to be truth and something I strive for, so you better bet I will be saying it. Speaking out truth brings the truth forward! It is something I want to grow towards and grow into — A woman who fearfully walks in the faith that was given to me through grace!

Luckily I have a ways to go, I am only 19, so I think I’ve got a few years to keep growing that faithful woman of God goal. But a goal none the less.

Speaking of God, well um, speaking, I can’t wait to share a few bits I have grabbed on faith.

Wanna be a child of faith? Have child like faith! This week I am studying on the shield of faith in the armor of God. Maybe that is why I am pumped about being a women of faith, because this girl is ready to wear her daily armor of God and pick up that shield of faith. That is right. Pick it up. Because picking up that shield of faith requires action. Faith in action is what faith is.

You can have faith, but faith without action is just belief. Yes, it is GREAT to have belief in God. Who He says He is. What He says He will do. And all He is. But there is more to that. There is faith — which is putting that belief in your mighty Father into action and stepping out into a command to believe who He is. what He says. and all He is.

You want to know what kind of life I want? I want a “by faith” life. I want my actions to be based on the faith that I have in His promises, commands, callings, and merciful grace. I want my life to be able to stand in the hall of faith. Which I made up, just so you know. But there is a hall of faith in His Word. And honestly it is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. It is full of people of God putting their belief in their God into action. Into faith. By faith these people lived. By faith Noah built the ark, even when the unseen was coming. By faith Abraham acted on God’s command, even when the end goal was not seen. By faith Sarah had a son, which was promised to her, even when the possibility of that wasn’t seen. By faith the people passed through the Red Sea, even when they clearly saw the water, but they couldn’t see how they could cross. By faith the walls of Jericho fell. By faith Rehab acted in obedience.

These children of God acted in accordance to the word of God spoken to them. They showed their trust in God by acting on what God had commanded them to do. If that isn’t a life to strive for, I don’t know what is.

A child like faith. Something to really grow to. Now, those people in Hebrews 11 weren’t acting as if they were children. They were living expectantly that their God would move in a way that they didn’t expect because He was asking the unexpected. Whoa, kind of a tongue twister. A child like faith isn’t crazy and off the wall. a child like faith is trusting, full of expectation, full of love, and gratitude. Children seriously believe that a man with a beard and red suit on comes down their chimney once a year to leave gifts for them under a tree with decoration hanging off of it. Children literally believe that there is a pot of Gold at the end of a rainbow. Children for real believe that there is a bunny that leaves eggs full of candy around their yard once a year. Children actually believe that if you go up to a door dressed up and say “trick or treat” that they’ll get candy. Okay, well that last one is very true. But you get what I am saying.

They live in expectation of things unseen.

Why can’t we do that when it comes to what God has said, promised, told, and called us to?

Read the first verse of Hebrew 11.

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see”

Hebrew 11:1

Faith is hoping in something unseen. We just have to choose if we act on this unseen thing. We have to choose if our belief is strong enough to carry us into the abundant life of faith.

all of them in Hebrews 11 had a difficult choice. Just like us. Succumb to what we can see, or trust God with what we can’t see.

Acting in faith protects you from the enemy and extinguishes the darts that the enemy assigns for your life. See when we aren’t walking in true faith, the enemy sees a gap in our life (where the faith in the unseen should be) and points his flaming arrows right in that spot. the faithless spot.

We have to activate faith for the assurance of Gods movement.

So if you want to see insecurity quelled, doubts suppressed, fears quieted, hate overpowered, intimidation assuaged, trust growing, abundant living, and promises fulfilled, move forwards in obedience. In faith.

Being a child of God who extinguishes the fiery darts of the enemy means:

• Choosing to live in an unwavering confidence in God and His promises to you.
• Walking in accordance with truth as revealed in His Word and His personal directives for your life that aligns with it;
• By His power pushing past the fear or doubts that may seek to paralyze you in insecurity, choosing instead to follow God where He leads, trusting that He will care for the rest.

The enemy still sends flaming arrow into your life specifically when you are being called to walk by faith. Those arrows are deliberately intended to disable you from doing the only thing that has the power to extinguish them: walking by faith.

It isn’t until we act on that faith we are called to that those arrows start to fizzle out.

Walking in faith. faith in action. activated faith. belief in the movement of God. Means doing what God has called you to do anyway. Even when the arrows are coming. Even when all seems gone. Even when you don’t understand the faith He has called you to. Show the belief in His promise by putting your belief into action. By faith.

Here is my current phone lock screen. I want a faith in the unseen. I want to remember to act on the belief of who He is, what He says, what He promises, and the faith He has died for us to have.