For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which Godprepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.  Ephesians 2:10 (NAS)

 

It might show up in the form of a peanut butter smeared face with a toothy grin and a soft, pliable heart. Or call through the voice of a friend in pain, looking for a life line into the Presence of God. Perhaps your work is the neighbor who just moved in, the young girl at church who sits alone, the couple struggling at home. Maybe you know your assignment from Heaven or today might be the day your paths cross for the first time.

Rest assured, your work is of eternal nature. While you are putting in the hours at your job, managing the home, doing the things that need to be done, eternal work is at your fingertips. A soul. A living soul that will live for all eternity is right beside you.  And even, though, they don’t know it yet… they are waiting for you…for the God inside of you.

But just as surely as the work shows up day after day, so do the lies.

“You aren’t good with words.”

“There isn’t time enough today to spare.”

“It won’t make a difference anyhow.”

“She doesn’t want to hear it.”

“Someone else will do it.”

And you have believed them before. Not today, though.

Today is different.

Because half of the battle is knowing there is one, and now, you know…you have a work that has been prepared specifically for you.

It has been waiting for you. There is no one more capable for the task at hand than you are.

You are a child of God. It doesn’t matter if you know what to say or do, because He does. Inside of you is the best leader who has ever lived- Jesus Christ.  And you have been designed to brilliantly stand out in dark settings… you are the light of the world.

Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.  Matthew 5:16 (NAS)

 

Make no mistake…those who change the world are those who press past resistance, be it from within or without, and do the work that God has called them to do.

You were designed for this.

Shine.

Photo Credit: Marcus Carlsson of Creative Commons

Linking up with www.thebettermom.com today. =)

A little refresher for you on where things are headed with this site- starting with this new series, I am planning on posting on one topic during a month. New posts will be added on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. And my thought behind these lessons is that they would be something that will resource you to be able to sit down with someone else and give them away.

The question that comes up most often for me and my husband is “What should I do with my friend who just got saved?”

So, this year, I am focusing my writing on answering that question by writing curriculum on major topics that are building block to creating a Christ centered home .

A lot of people won’t sit down and read a book these days. But they will tackle shorter pieces of content…hence the popularity of blogs. We wouldn’t just hand a new believer a bunch of stuff to read on their own anyhow, because part of this journey of salvation and becoming more like Christ is relationships.

God doesn’t intend for people to do life alone. He puts them into a family; they are surrounded with brothers and sisters, grandpas and grandmas, nieces and nephews. Those people teach them about God, both with their words and with their actions. They pray for them, encourage them, challenge them, and sometimes…they get in their face a little and push them to become all that they can be in Christ. God loves family, both in the natural and the spiritual.

So, the direction that I am taking with Creating Home Journal this year is to lead you forward into ministering to the community that is all around you. I want to inspire you to look for someone to take under your wing and begin to mentor. And I will provide you with the resources to do it. You don’t have to worry about what to say. Each lesson on Creating Home Journal will be faith filled, inspiring, and helpful for understanding the Bible as it pertains to the topic we are discussing.

It might seem like a crazy mission, but that is what is in my heart. And that is the reason that I created the forums, so that we can dialogue about questions that come up, pray for one another, and support each other as we “create home” inside of our communities this year by reaching out to people. Slowly, some of you have been trickling over to the forums and testing the water. Keep on coming, the water is fine.  Ha ha! =)

My prayer for this Supernatural Parenting series is to inspire 12 women to take a person or a small group through these lessons on parenting. And secretly, I am hoping God blows that out of the water.

I am not asking you to commit to being one of those 12 people now, because if I were you, I wouldn’t commit to anything without seeing the lessons. But as we wade into them, please keep that thought it mind- Is this  curriculum helpful to me? And if so, is God leading me to connect with a younger believer/mom to take her through this resource?

Thanks for being such an amazing blog audience! I genuinely love connecting with all of you and hearing about what God is doing in your lives and ministries. Again, I could never imagined myself here…trying to lead a movement of women into leadership inside of their communities through blogging, but here I am. Come with me, lets see where God takes this.

Creating Home Journal want you!

(Ha ha! I crack myself up!)

a) knew what would make me happy

or

b) wanted me to be happy with that thing.

So, I struggled against Him.

I would read something in the Bible or hear the preacher explain a truth from Scripture and my heart would get into a wrestling stance.

Now, as I think back to those days, I laugh at how foolish I was and marvel at how patient God is. It isn’t that I have a perfect batting score on doing everything that God asks of me, but one major thing has changed in my life that keeps me from entering the wrestling ring- I have become settled in God’s love for my life and the good plans that He has in store for me.

Do you struggle with trusting God?

Are you settled in the place of understanding that He knows you better than you know yourself, that His plans for your life are good, and that He loves you beyond what you will ever be able to comprehend?

If the answer of your heart is that you want to know that place but instead find yourself struggling against God then I want to encourage you to meditate on these Scriptures. As you do, take time to insert your name into the verses and let them penetrate deep down into your heart…past the wrong views of God, past the insecurities of your heart, past your pride and selfish ambition…let the seed of God’s Word take deep root in your spirit so that it can produce a confidence in His love, a trust in His goodness, an excitement for the plans that He has in store for you.

Then Christ will make his home in [your name] hearts as [your name] trust in him. [Your name] roots will grow down into God’s love and keep [your name] strong.  And may [your name] have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.  May [your name] experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then [your name] will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.  Ephesians 3:17-20 (NLT)

You saw [your name] before I was born.
Every day of [your name] life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.

How precious are your thoughts about [your name], O God.
They cannot be numbered!
I can’t even count them;
they outnumber the grains of sand!   Psalm 139:16-18 (NLT)

“For I know the plans I have for [your name],” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give [your name] a future and a hope.”  Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)

Whatever is good and perfect comes down to [your name] from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.  James 1:17 (NLT)

God is for you. And if you come to that conclusion and embrace it as truth for your life, then you will follow Him when He asks you to do hard things or leads you into difficult seasons. No, God isn’t trying to make you comfortable but He is leading you into deep fulfillment and joy. Trust Him.

If you would like to talk more about this subject, follow me over to the forums through the link just below this post. You can ask others for prayer or voice your questions.

If you are finding these posts helpful for your relationship with God, invite a friend to join us here.

Photo Credit- tpower1978 of Creative Commons

Join the forum discussion on this post

It is easy to believe for something that you can actually accomplish in your own strength if you just put your mind to it.

Its not very hard to believe that God will be able to provide for your little family to survive.

Believing that God could use you to impact someone else falls into the realm of believable.

Even believing that God would use your friends and people you agree with to accomplish something for Him is something that you can easily believe for.

You know what is hard to believe for? Unbelievable things.

It is hard to believe that God would do something so big through you that it would take a bona fide miracle for it to become a reality.

It is difficult to wrap our faith around God using someone to do great things who we don’t see eye to eye with.

It stretches us to believe that the community that we have become so familiar with could be anything different than we have known it as.

It stops us short when God asks for us to believe for things that, in our mind, appear unbelievable.

I confess, all too often, I have been found in the camp of the unbelievers.

I have looked at something or even someone and couldn’t see anything other than what my eyes registered it as.

But then God broke into my logical thought process and turned my world on its axis.

He said, “Jamie, if you never believe for unbelievable things in your life…you will never see unbelievable things take place.”

Simple equation. But difficult for the heart to digest.

I turned the pages of my Bible until I found Joshua, a man who led the people of God in to inhabit their Promised Land. My eyes fell upon words like strength and courage. And I noticed when God told Joshua to silence all the people from their incessant talking so that they could let God rip down Jericho’s walls. My heart leaned in close to pay attention when Joshua got too comfortable with the battle plans and failed to consult with God.

Like the silent observer on the sidelines, I stepped into a time that wasn’t mine and took note of every little detail as I watched a people, too much like myself, inhabit the place that God had given them.

And then I read the list of their conquests- 31 kings had fallen at the edge of their sword. 31 kings, 31 kings, 31 kings with 31 kingdoms…it replayed in my mind, over and over again.

“God didn’t give them a land,” I thought to myself, “He gave them a fortress!”

No wonder 10 out of the 12 original spies shrunk back in fear. They were probably expecting, like I would be, an open and spacious land. The images that come to thought are those of the settlers who discovered Oregon- they found a land that seemed to be waiting for them to come in and inhabit it.

I don’t think of God handing them New York with its massive skyscrapers and clearly inhabited land. But that is exactly what God did, He gave His people a fortress and told them to make themselves at home.

Unbelievable.

 Photo Credit- Howard N2GOT of Creative Commons

As I have been spending time with God in prayer this week, one thought has been changing the way that I approach Him- “Am I willing to believe for what is unbelievable?”

What about you, friend?

Have you settled into believing for what is easily believable for your home…your church…your friends…your finances…your future…your ministry? Are you standing with the 10 spies who looking at things logically with rational expectation? Or are you numbered among the few who are willing to believe for the unbelievable?

Would your prayer requests shock you a little if they became a reality? Have you let God stir something inside of your spirit to believe for something that isn’t easy to believe for? Don’t be found among the unbelievers in 2012, friend. Intentionally position yourself among the couple spies that see beyond what natural eyes can take in.

That land over there…the one that looks like a fortress…that’s your land. Go, make yourself comfortable.

Join the forum discussion on this post

Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. Ephesians 4:14-15 (NLT)

Everywhere you turn someone is voicing their opinion. Twitter, facebook, blog posts…everyone has something to say. And if you listen to it all, you might find yourself feeling tossed by the wind.

What should you be doing with your time?

What values should be important to you?

What does normal look like and should it be my aim?

Listen long enough and you will start to feel confused, you will start thinking muddled thoughts, and your life will start to look like you are walking around in circles…always moving but never getting anywhere.

Culture communicates a message that says role of a “homemaker” is old-fashioned and quaint. That it is beneath a woman to spend her best years cooking, cleaning, and caring for her household. After all, this is the 20th century and women have been liberated from the bonds of the submissive housewife long ago.

I have found that in order to stay focused on who I am in Christ and what He has called me to do, I need to develop selective hearing. When my ear is tuned in closely to the Word of God, I begin to see clearly, think focused, and walk with purpose.

When I bend my ear close to the Holy Spirit, I hear these words, “Reclaim the title of homemaker.” And I look around me and I see what He sees…a community that desperately needs homemakers to rise up and take their place and create “home” once again.

Home is unconditional love, genuine kindness, unwavering encouragement and sometimes even a little brutal honesty. The home that we are looking to create is governed by Christ and established by His Word, the Bible. It is a home that embraces all as they are, but doesn’t settle for anything less than everything that God has in His heart for every person who graces the door frame.

~the vision of Creating Home Journal

As we march into 2012 with fresh faith, I have set my eyes on reclaiming the role of homemaker. My children need me to create home for them in these unsettling times. There are young ladies who have been practically orphaned by dysfunctional families who need me to create home for them inside of my life. And there are ladies who desperately want to create home for their families, but need to experience it first and see it modeled.

There are people in your life that need you to create home for them, too.

Every one of us has been charged with a high calling of creating “home” inside of our families, churches and communities. This role is neither quaint or old fashioned. It just might be more relevant than it has ever been before as our culture continually grows increasingly fragmented.

And so I am asking that you join me in a vision of reclaiming our roles as homemakers inside of our communities this year. It is more than just a series of topics that we are going to be tackling from the perspective of the Word of God, it is a movement of ladies stretching out their arms to embrace people and draw them into “home.”

Here is how you can join me-

1) Subscribe to this blog or Follow us on Facebook

2) We are kicking off February with the topic of “Supernatural Parenting.” Choose someone now that you know needs a God touch in their parenting and commit to praying for them. As we wade into the lessons, consider asking that person to coffee and talking to them about parenting.

2) Get involved with the community of women who are pursuing this vision by joining the new Community forum.  You can meet some new friends, ask for prayer, share what God has been doing in your life, or ask questions. Yes, it is brand new…so someone has to take the first step.

3) Tell your friends about where we are going. Ask them to join us here at Creating Home Journal.

We are stronger together than we are apart. And in 2012, I am praying for great impact inside of our families and communities as we reclaim the role of homemaker together!

What springs to your mind when you think of being a homemaker inside of your community?

Photo Credit: Catherine Bond of Creative Commons

Multiple example flood to my mind. Examples from the Bible like Deborah and how her faith set in motion a battle that would change everything about her world. Or Paul and Silas who wouldn’t quit praising God even after they had been beaten and thrown into prison. Their faith caused an earthquake that would bring the prison to its knees and not just free them, but everyone that had been in the prison with them.

There are also examples of people in my life right now who come to mind. Like Bo and Steve who are facing the diagnosis of ALS with a faith that is stirring people all around them to step forward in new faith to face their own giants. Or Jandra who stepped into a new place of faith in her own relationship with God and is now seeing multiple young ladies encounter faith in Christ for the first time because of it.

Over and over again, like dominos falling, one person’s commitment to new faith causes something to stir inside of the person next to them.

It is beautiful how it works.

January has been a month of stirring up that new faith in my spirit. I committed to a fresh time of waking up and seeking God. My husband and I, along with our church family, stepped into a season of fasting and prayer. And in the middle of it all, I have been hammering out some fresh vision for this blog that goes right along with releasing faith in others.

The number one question that I am continually asked is,  ”How do I help my friend?”

Whether it is leading their friend into having a relationship with Christ or giving them principles from the Word for how to parent their children, the people who are posing the question want practical help in how to teach the Word of God to their neighbors, relatives, coworkers and friends.

So, I am focusing my writing to meet that need and resource you to be a leader, counselor, and teacher inside of your community.

Every month, I will be outlining 12 lessons on a subject and will post them on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. My hope is that these lessons will not only inspire you but that they will be a helpful resource that will give you the tools to sit down with someone in your life and help them go to the next place in their relationship with God.

In between the planned lessons, I will still post random stuff. But I will be working hard to stick to a schedule and outline for at least three days of the week.

There it is! That is the plan. Now I have told you so you can hold me accountable.

As I step into new faith, I am believing for God to release new faith in you. And as you step forward, I am praying that a ripple effect will begin to take place. Already, I could tell you of multiple miraculous God encounters in the lives of people around me. By the time 2012 draws to a close, I am believing for innumerable stories of how God is moving in our communities.

I will soon be adding a testimony page to this site where I will start recording how God is working through us to impact our communities. It will enable us to celebrate with each other and inspire us to be the “light of the world” each day that we walk out our front door. There are a few great stories from just recently that I am looking forward to telling you as soon as I get the page up and running.

When I first named this site “Creating Home Journal” it was because God had put it into my heart to create “home” not just inside of my house, but inside of my community. I hope you will join me in that pursuit. As we step into new faith for the call of God, there is a ripple effect just waiting to take place around us. My heart believes for it and my prayers are circling that place of influence fervently!

 Can you think of someone in your life that needs the truths of God’s Word so they can stop spinning their wheels and live the abundant life God has available for them?

What are the topics you would love to be able to teach them about? 

It isn’t a matter of whether or not you will worship, but of what you will worship. You were designed to worship God, but when He isn’t the focus of your worship, something else will fill His spot. The Bible word for this condition is idolatry.

You shall have no other gods before Me. Exodus 20:3 (NASB)

 

Pretty much anything can take the place of God in receiving your worship. Music. Tv Shows. Family. Health. Work. Fitness. Ministry. Sports. Beauty. Friendships. Education. Recreation.

Having other objects of worship that are higher in priority than your worship of God kills your faith. It puts you on a roller coaster in your relationship with God where you are continually moving from excitement and passion back down into doubt and discouragement.

How do you walk in fresh faith on a constant basis?

Create a place of worship to God in your life that is greater than anything else.

Worship is an open invitation for God to be the unseen Guest in your home. And when God is present, you will see the evidence of the fruit of the Spirit starting to blossom and bring forth supernatural fruit.

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.  Galatians 5:22-23 (NASB)

 

One of the ways that we have learned to deal with the stress of ministry is by cultivating laughter in our home.  Whenever  Danny and I have had an especially discouraging day and are needing a good laugh, we always end up talking about Mike.

There isn’t anyone who can make you laugh like Mike. And one of us always ends up saying to other one, “If Mike lived closer, we should invite him over tonight so that we could stop thinking about this situation and just laugh for awhile.” There is this thought in us that if we were to hang out with Mike, who is funny as part of who he naturally is, we would experience the fruit of his life of humor in our lives- we would laugh easily and often.

Do you have friends that bring out something different in you than is naturally there? Maybe they cause you to be more adventurous when you are around them because of the boldness of their dreams? Or perhaps they stir something inside of you to play and enjoy life with your children more because of how energetic they are about having fun?

When I think of the Presence of God, I think about how different things are when His Presence fills our home. Who He is changes the atmosphere. The fruit of His Spirit influences us and we begin to see those attributes of His Presence in our lives as well.

Of course, turning on worship isn’t a light switch- turn it on and the atmosphere changes.

You have to choose to engage with every guest that comes into your home. But as you do, you find yourself enjoying what they bring into your life (at least if they bring good things).

Inside of this year, make a commitment to roll out the welcome mat for the Holy Spirit inside of your home. Get rid of things that offend Him. Find some new worship albums to turn on and engage in the most wonderful Guest who could ever grace the door frame of your home.

In case you are looking for some new worship music, some of my favorite albums right now are  from some good friends of ours-

Westside Worship

Generation Unleashed 

I Will Be Glad (worship from Africa)

]]> http://www.creatinghomejournal.com/2012/01/13/the-guest-new-faith/feed/ 4 http://www.creatinghomejournal.com/2012/01/13/the-guest-new-faith/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CreatingHomeJournal/~3/FH65PuO4Zw4/ http://www.creatinghomejournal.com/2012/01/11/boldness-new-faith/#comments Wed, 11 Jan 2012 02:56:09 +0000 Jamie http://www.creatinghomejournal.com/?p=2609 Last night, I sat with my boys and talked about how to combat fear in their hearts.

“What makes you afraid?” I asked

My six year old piped up first, “Sometimes I am afraid of dying.”

“Me, too,” chimed in my almost 4 year old, “And I am also afraid of being left alone.”

I nodded, “Sometimes mommy gets afraid, too.”

“Of what?” they both asked in surprise.

“Well, of bad things happening. But do you know what I do when I am afraid?”

They both shook their heads.

“I do two things- I pray to God and ask Him to help me to not be afraid and to have boldness. And then I start thinking about who God is. I think about how powerful He is, how many good things He has given me, how much He loves me to send His only Son to die for me. The Bible tells me that when I think about God that I will have peace in my heart, which is the opposite of being afraid.”

To illustrate the point, we started to talk about God together. We talked about everything that He has created, the miracles that He has done, how we can’t really understand how much He loves us. After a little while, I asked the boys how they felt after thinking about God.

“I feel like Heaven in my heart,” my 6 year old said.

“I feel like Dad’s strong arms are around me,” replied my 3 year old.

As I tucked them in and closed the door to their bedroom, I thanked God for moments like these to teach my little men the tools to walking in boldness.

The wicked flee when no one is pursuing, but the righteous are bold as a lion.  Proverbs 28:1 (NASB)

 

All of us have fears that try to cripple us in our pursuit of God and His plans for our lives. But Jesus died on a cross to be able to give us a boldness that comes directly from Him. As we focus our attention on who God is, how powerful He is, and how much He loves us then we begin to see ourselves in a new light. We don’t see ourselves as tiny weaklings who could easily be taken out by so much as a threat of a giant approaching.

Instead, we see ourselves in light of Him- as being clothed in His righteousness.

And down deep inside of our spirits, we know that if God is for us…who could possibly be against us.

Friends, set your mind on things above, today. Focus in on who God is and let boldness wash over your spirit. A new faith is available for you to reach out and grasp it. It is a bold faith that prays bold prayers, makes bold moves for God, and expects a bold response from the One who hears and answers.

Photo Credit: Mister-E of Creative Commons

Every year, our church family does a season of fasting together. As we deny our natural selves of physical comforts, faith increases among us. Every service is filled with anticipation because the whole church is intentionally denying their flesh and saying yes to God in a fresh way.

When there is less of us and more of God, faith will always be flourishing. But in seasons where we aren’t intentional about dying to ourselves and living to Him, faith struggles to stay healthy.

Recently, I had a conversation with a young person that went something like this-

“What do you think God is asking of you in this situation,” I asked.

She answered immediately, “Oh, I know what God wants me to do. I just don’t want to do it.”

I explained that she could continue her wrestling match with God but it would be one of those battles that she would inevitably lose…even if she won.

“I know, I know. How did I even get myself here?” she asked with regret in her voice.

It is a scenario that I am a part of all too often. A young person is loving God, reading their Bible, passionately worshiping Him and then, slowly, things start to change. They begin to struggle with their emotions- they don’t want to seek God like they once did. The sin that they once walked in victory over feels like a giant breathing down their neck. And soon they are sitting in the back during church passing notes instead of engaging with God. It will only be a matter of time before they stop coming to church all together.

Many times, I sit down with these young people after they, like the prodigal son, have become disgusted with their own sin. And they always wonder how they got to this place. But they are sinners by nature, just like all of us, and all it takes is not saying yes to God to start pioneering our own road that ends up taking us where we never wanted to be. Even if it is a road that still includes religious activities,  it is void of real relationship and vibrant faith.

How do you stir up faith in your spirit? Say yes.

When He beckons for you to come and spend time with Him…GO.

When He asks you to release your grip on something so that He can give you something else….DO IT.

When He tells you to stop worrying and trust in Him…SHIFT YOUR FOCUS.

When He gives you the next step to take and you are afraid…TAKE THE STEP.

Photo Credit: Matt Larson of the NXT Youth Church

Say yes to God. Say no to your flesh. It is a recipe for fresh faith that works every time.

Want to know a secret to my relationship with God? I wake up every morning and I say yes to Him again. Each day requires a new yes- “Whatever you ask, Lord, here I am.”

Tell me, friends, what lessons have you learned about the correlation between  your faith and being completely surrendered to God?

Today, I want to talk about how faith correlates to what is coming out of our mouths.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its fruit.  Proverbs 18:21 (NASB)

 

Your tongue holds great power over the direction of your life. There are few things as shaping as the words that flow from it.

Why? Because your heart has a habit of believing your mouth.

When you say something over and over again, you heart begins to latch onto it and accept it as truth. As that takes place around negative words, what the Bible describes as “strongholds” begin to form inside of your spirit.

We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.  2 Corinthians 10:4 (NLT)

 

A stronghold is a fortified place in your thinking that is in opposition to the Word of God.

For example, if you continually hear the truth of how much God loves you but can’t seem to embrace it as truth for your life then you have a stronghold in your mind. When the Word of God comes near to your heart it is kept out by the fortified walls of the stronghold.

Listen to these statements and see if any of them sound like something you might say:

I keep messing everything up. I just can’t do this “relationship with God” thing.

The “good plans” of God are for people who haven’t screwed up, not for me.

It might be different for someone who didn’t know they were sinning, but I knew what I was doing…and I did it anyway. God doesn’t forgive people like me.

I have tried and tried but God doesn’t seem to hear me or answer me like He does other people. Something is wrong with me.

God isn’t interested in healing me.

I have been this way too long. Maybe if I would have let God do something with this mess long ago… but I am too far down this road now.

This marriage is beyond what God can repair.

I don’t know what God would possibly want with me? I not only have nothing to offer Him, but I am not good at anything.

God doesn’t love people like me.

Do any of those statements sound like something you have might have said? As you read them, you might be able to recognize that not one of them lines up with Scripture but that doesn’t mean you believe it for your personal life. Too often, we look at the Bible and we tell ourselves that it is true…but for other people, not us.

Want to know how to get out of your stronghold?

Give your tongue a sword. It is the most worked muscle on your whole body- put a double-edged sword in its grasp and it will start demolishing those strongholds. Better yet, give it a living and active double-edged sword! Your life will never be the same!

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.  Hebrews 4:12 (NASB)

 

One of the quickest ways to stir up the faith inside of your spirit is by quoting Scripture. You can memorize it, pray it, sing it, declare it. Whatever you want to do, just get your tongue working for your faith instead of against it.

Just like your tongue can get your heart into a prison of negativity, it can also push, prod and shove your heart into a position of faith.

Go back and look at that list of statements for a second. Notice that they all have one thing in common- all of them are centered around you. You, yourself, and you. But this life with Christ isn’t about you. If you are following Christ then you died! Your life is now hidden in Christ. So, quit letting you get in the way of what God is trying to do.

God is wanting to take the Bible and get it into your spirit. Help Him in this work by giving Him your tongue to wield the Word of God. It will cut through those negative strongholds. And you will soon find that the seed of the Word of God is able to be planted and bring forth good fruit in your life because there isn’t anything keeping it out of your heart.

Friend, make this the year that you stop agreeing with your enemy and start agreeing with God by what comes out of your mouth. Let your tongue be a weapon in the hands of God and watch as your heart begins to follow the words flowing from it. Your faith will never be the same!

Photo Credit: georgeparilla of Creative Commons