Who Is He?

"Then he asked them, 'But who do you say I am?' ” 

(Matthew 16:15 NLT)

As I am reading through Matthew in my Bible I come to this verse and I stop. Because it catches my eyes and my heart. And I think, "who do I say He is?" I sit for a moment and ponder this question and then I continue to read.

After Jesus asks His disciples who they say He is, Peter's response comes quickly: "... the Messiah, the Son of the living God." And Jesus says to Peter that He did not discover this truth on his own, but the Father has revealed it to Him. And I stop again. It's a selah moment.

I ask myself, who has God revealed Himself to be in/to me? I think of so many circumstances in my life (some great and some not so great) and I look for Him in those moments. I recognize Him revealing Himself to me in many different ways, in many different circumstances. And I begin to make note of all the amazing attributes of God that have touched my life:

Father

Friend

Healer

Debt Eraser

Lover of my Soul

Provider

Confidant

My Constant

Comfort

Warrior 

Victorious King

And my list kept growing. You see, Peter knew who Jesus was because the Father revealed  it to Him, and the same goes for me. Through every moment in my life the Lord has shown Himself faithful and revealed a little more about Who He is to me. From the first encounter I had with Him and finding His love for me was not just an emotion, but love is His very nature! To seeing Him provide in miraculous ways in my life, to Him healing my body... and so much more. 

In every season there is a new thing to learn about who He is and who we are in Him. And when I think about the Father revealing to Peter the identity of Christ, I can also clearly picture the part that follows where He reveals to Peter who Peter is. It's so much easier for us to know who we are as individuals when we allow God to show us who He is first. Reminds me of a few chapters previous where Jesus says to "seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." ( Matthew 6:33) 

I think I felt like I needed to share this today because someone is struggling finding who God is and who they are in Him. And I want you to know that He is faithful to reveal Himself. Look for His hand at work in your life even in the smallest of things. And if at first you can't see it, look again! Because He is there and He is working and He will reveal Himself to you. When He reveals Himself to you, you will begin to know who you are and what you are worth to Him. And my prayer is that as He reveals Himself to you, you will fall so in love with Him and your life will be forever marked by the infinite awe of all He is!

What's The Take Away?

If you have ever met me, ever had a conversation with me, I am certain at some point in our exchange of words that I brought up South Africa. How am I certain about that? Because what the Lord did in my life in that country 13 years ago CHANGED ME! Those who knew me pre-SA 2004 can testify to that last statement. It was not just a slight change that maybe affected me, it was a complete and total overhaul of my mind, heart, and soul. I entered that country broken, physically and spiritually; I left healed and whole! I had hurt and shame on my shoulders, but the Lord lifted it up off of me and filled me with His joy. The change in me permeated my entire life and being.

I preface with all of that because I got back from my second trip to South Africa this week. I am having a hard time re-adjusting to home because my heart keeps longing to wake up back there. I find myself in a processing stage, and it seems the more I process the more I find reasons to be in that beautiful country. I wanted to take a few minutes though to share some of the amazing things that God showed me, taught me, or used me for on this trip.

1) This trip was not about me.

    

   When the Lord called me to SA back in 2004 it was very obvious that I needed His touch in my life, because I was needing some major healing. And He did it! He was faithful and I found the freedom I was searching for. But this time around I knew going in to the trip that God had other plans in store. I asked Him daily to use me to carry His joy and love to the people around me. I just wanted to serve and honor. And the honest truth, I feel so filled up having spent 10 days doing just that. But it wasn't about me feeling full, it was about those I came in contact with needing to experience the full on joy of the Lord. 

    One of my favorite examples of this was a child that I found swinging by herself at one of the care centers. She had no smile, really no expression at all. And I knew that sweet girl needed the Lord to touch her. I didn't ask her if I could hold her, I walked over and picked her up and hugged her. She rested her head on my chest and I prayed that the Lord would fill her up. At some point I had put her down and lost sight of her. But as we were leaving to our van, there she was waiting on the side of that dirt road. I walked over and said, "Oh my friend!" and picked her up in my arms to give a big hug! When I put her down to leave she had the biggest smile on her face. And as I turned around I heard this sweet voice say, "bye friend!" You better believe I was a puddle! This child that would not smile 20 minutes prior, now had found her smile and a friend. This is why I went on this trip.

2) Testimony releases faith.

    I had been feeling the Lord preparing me to share my testimony a month or so before I left. I am always so ready to share my testimony because I know how encouraging it is to hear from someone who has gone through something similar to you and has come out on the other side. I also think a lot about the scripture in Revelation 12 that talks about overcoming the enemy by the blood of the Lamb and the word of the testimony. There is power in testimony. Something happens in our spirit when testimonies are released and it builds our hope and faith.

    So every opportunity I got I shared my story. I shared the power of the Lord in my life. I rejoiced with people who were currently struggling through something, that God was already working. I asked the Lord to let the words of my story offer a peace in the midst of someone's uphill battle. And I saw Him do that. It was amazing the quickness in which He worked too. It didn't take me an hour of testifying for faith to arise, it would happen in minutes. It was really truly amazing and miraculous!

3) Some times tangible hugs are better than words.

    There were many moments that I felt like my words were not enough. Someone telling you how they felt they were failing at life and felt so defeated and overcome, it's hard to find the right thing to say. A couple of times this happened to me on the trip and I felt the need to just hug and hold them. A hug can be a very powerful and anointed thing. It can break down a barrier that someone has put up and open the door for a receptive heart. I want to always remember that hugs are a tool that we often neglect, and be more aware of when that tool may be needed.

and lastly... (for right now anyway lol)

4) Honor is important.

    The first Sunday we were in SA, we spent it in The Big Tent in Jo Burg. It was a special day because the church had come together to honor the 40th wedding anniversary of their Pastors, Bishop and Pastor Maggie. I watched in awe as person after person and couple after couple spoke words of life and honor over their pastors. It was amazing. It was powerful. It was a deep service. The service lasted for 5 hours... yep, you read that right, 5 hours! INCREDIBLE! 

     But the honoring was not just because they had stayed married for 40 years, the honoring was taking place because of all they had accomplished through their marriage. The many couples who shared of the spiritual mother and father that parented them in the Kingdom. It was amazing. They showered them with gifts and money and hugs and tears. 

    And it got me thinking... we are missing that in America. Often times the church congregation views the pastors as someone there to tend to our needs and so they must answer to us. But I believe we are missing out on some blessings because we don't revere and honor our spiritual leaders. God has ordained them and anointed them to do a heavy and hard job. We need to not only acknowledge that, but lift them up and encourage them. There is something to be said about a church that, doesn't worship their pastor, but honors the person God has ordained. 

So with all of that said, I'm still processing through. Everyday I remember something else the Lord did and asking Him to teach me through it. But mostly, I am thinking about the people and how much love I have for them. If someone put a check in front of me right now for a large sum of money, I would quickly be back on that long flight to SA. If I've said it once I've said it a million times: When you leave Africa you never really fully leave. There is always a part of your heart that remains there.  

And until next time, I will push in to the Lord and ask Him to do in me all that needs to be done so I can be ever more effective when He does send me back!

What Are You Fighting?

In light of the nation's present standings, I have been spending much time thinking about, praying for, and lingering in the battle between "sides". Over the last couple of months I have read countless blogs, journals, articles, and social media posts that not only enrage me emotionally, but stir up a righteous anger in me. But contrary to popular belief I have not found myself leaning one way over the other. I read things from both ends of the spectrum, agreeing with some and whole-heartedly disagreeing with a lot from both.

And this has been the place where I have felt a huge tug-a-war going on inside of me, which has made it difficult to pray at times. I don't like my country being disgraced but I also do not agree with having more passion in patriotism than in our relationships with Jesus. So many people are hurting and it just seems like we can't get past this place, this moment in time... and then I had this moment of revelation. I was reading an Instagram post by someone at Bethel and they shared a verse in Ephesians. I decided to look it up and compare translations. When I read this translation it really clicked:

"Our fight is not with people. It is against the leaders and the powers and the spirits of darkness in this world. It is against the demon world that works in the heavens." Ephesians 6:12 (New Life Version)

WOW! Why are we so angry at each other? Why are we arguing about athletes kneeling during the anthem? Why are we outraged over stupid comments people make? Why are we spending more time being offended at each other instead of breaking off the chains of the real enemy? Speaking to myself here as well!

Our pettiness has reached an all new level of surreal, and I am so thankful that the Lord has opened my eyes to this tonight. We need to address the root. We need to align ourselves with the Spirit of God and follow His guidance in prayer. What if we spent 5 minutes in the morning putting on the armor of God to avoid allowing the schemes of the enemy to deceive us. That way when someone says something that would naturally offend or get us riled up, because that is inevitable, we would already be prepared to let those arrows bounce off. How about that for not bringing glory to the enemy? What if we spent our time focused on the Lord and what His heart is instead of letting the enemy be exalted through our petty flesh?

There are people out there really, truly hurting. People who do not know Jesus and the hope and joy that He gives. But if I am being completely honest right now, for the most part they aren't seeing a great representation of His hope and joy in His church right now. Church, we have to rise up. We have to fight for this nation in the ONLY way that will benefit it, by humbling ourselves and praying! We want healing? Then let's follow the guidance the Lord has already given us in His word (2 Chronicles 7:14).

I am asking you right now to join me in repentance and battle. May we stop focussing our vigor on each other, and may we turn our fight towards the real enemy! I believe we can see a healed nation. I believe God will still move in a mighty way. And I believe that if we can align ourselves rightly that He can do it quickly! Join me in joining Him!