Weapons (Part I)

2 Corinthians 10: 3-6 (NKJV)
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.  For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

War.

We war for purpose.  We war for prosperity.  We war for peace.  We war for freedom.  We war for love.

In this battle, I have found that indeed the weapons are not carnal.  When I am battling a "woe is me" mindset or a feeling of rejection, I don't whip out my Jesus machete.  (Although one can argue that we in fact whip out a sword - the Word of the Lord - when in the midst of battle.)

I have learned that there are many other weapons in inventory at our disposal.   The Lord has been showing me how to wield each one.

Rest is a weapon.

"A lion rests for 20 hours a day.  Doesn't make him any less ferocious.  When you're divinely in step with your God-given nature and identity, the four hours of activity are filled with power.  It's enough to carry your reputation." 

-Author Unknown (Graham Cooke maybe?)

Hebrews 4: 9-11 (NIV)

"There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people God; for anyone enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience."

I was doing too much.  I was in graduate school and I was burnt out.  Since kindergarten I was hell-bent on achieving.  So when my academic striving became so painful that I cried myself to sleep every night I did not know what to do with myself! Toward the end of my graduate school career, advisers told me to apply to doctoral programs; "just keep going."  But I couldn't.  I sat down to type applications to five top doctoral programs and I burst into tears.  The Lord invited me to rest.  I took a break.  I stopped working the entire month after graduation and took an entire month off before I started my new job in Atlanta.  During my time off, the Lord revealed that I sought acceptance through achievement.  He began to unravel this "trait" and that's when I started my journey toward wholeness and freedom.  I am now equipped to recognize the lies of the enemy concerning acceptance/rejection, and can apply God's truth to replace each lie.  Thank you for rest!  It's okay to take a break - to rest one's mind and seek recovery.  The creator of the universe rested!  We can too.  

Repentance is a weapon.

"Bear fruit in keeping with repentance." 

-John the Baptist (Matthew 3:8 ESV)

Her feelings of discontent had held her down long enough.  My dear college friend was ready for a change in her life but did not know where to begin.  As she sought the Lord for direction, she prepared a list of stumbling blocks in her life.  Lo and behold, the list turned out to be a feature of her broken relationships with men.  She pressed in.  Guided by a prayer featured in the book Captivating, my friend repented of her sexual sin.  As soon as she repented, the Holy Spirit whispered to her.  She was instructed to get rid of her furniture and to buy storage bins; the Lord was preparing her for a big move.  Needless to say, the instructions were exactly what my friend wanted (and needed) to hear.  I believe that if she hadn't repented, she wouldn't have heard the whisper of the Holy Spirit.  Her sin pile-up prevented the undistorted hearing of God's Word.  As she repented, the sludge was removed and she heard what was necessary to continue her journey of purposeful living.  

Prayer is a weapon.

"A person who speaks in tongues is strengthened personally..." 

-Paul (1 Corinthians 14:4)

It goes without saying that prayer allows us to draw near to God and pour out our hearts to Him.  When we pray, we bring our spirits into alignment with God's promises and submit our will to His ("thy will be done").  When we pray in tongues, we strengthen our inner-man.  The enemy cannot distract our hearts and minds when we pray in tongues.  How did I start?  A friend gifted in speaking tongues prayed with me over the phone.  As she prayed, I kept my heart open, shut my mind off, and allowed my tongue to be overwhelmed by God.  I began babbling.  As my friend's prayer intensified, my expression of tongues grew.  Now, I pray in tongues and am empowered knowing that God has communicated to my spirit - it reminds me that He is real, powerful, and has my back! Hallelujah!

There are many weapons to wield in this battle.  What weapons has God shown you? 

Break-up Blues| The Single Girl Recovery Kit

I had lunch with a friend today.  On Saturday, her boyfriend gave her a commitment ring.  Six hours later he decided that they wouldn't work.  She's hurt.  

But not alone!  

I told her that I would be there to support her throughout this break-up season.  And I also provided the following resources.  

If you or someone you know would benefit, please pass these resources along!

1) Captivating - I cried and cried and cried reading this!  But it enriched my understanding of my identity so much.  Check it out!

 

2) Every Young Woman's Battle

 

3) Kissed the Girls and Made Them Cry

 

4) Andy Stanley's "New Rules for Love, Sex & Dating"

 

5) Peaceful Single Girl (Blog) - April gets right to the heart of the matter. We are discontent because we can't have our way.  Throughout her posts, April explains the importance of loving ourselves, respecting men, and trusting God.  Her God-inspired topics and explanations are not mainstream, however they are critically important.  I can personally attest to a transformation in the way I view and treat men as a result of reading her posts.  Enjoy!  

With Love - Mama Lise

Beauty for Ashes

Isaiah 61:3 [Full Chapter] (via BibleGateway)

To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory. 

 

 

I'm still kicking.  And dear readers I apologize for my writing hiatus.  I have spent these past few months unloading my to-do list.  For months I had promised to send support emails for my dear friend's EmbRace Healing campaign and petition, to review resumes and send professional development resources, and even to reconnect with my various church groups and ministries.  And as the backlog of "to-do" items increased, my quiet time with the Lord decreased.  I became very unproductive!  And that frustrated me to no end.

 

I decided it was time to prioritize.  As I handled my business (so to speak) the voice of the Lord rang louder each day.  And here I am, thankful for this space to unload, unwind, and maybe even minister from time to time. 

(See that's me!)

On Saturday, I returned to Daystar Atlanta to serve on the prophetic team.   A sister duo entered the appointment room with a desire to hear an encouraging word from the Lord.  After a few moments of prayer and contemplation, I received an image.  I saw one sister walking out in front of a large group.  She was leading her family.  She was carrying a large backpack.  Unfortunately, the backpack was filled with heavy stones.  For a long time, this sister was able to carry the stones.  But now, she had grown weary.  

I saw the Lord approach her.  He wanted to trade.  He instructed me to tell her that instead of stones, he wanted to give her a toolkit filled with resources from heaven to face life's obstacles.  For each stone, He would trade her an arrow - a targeted strategy - for dealing with sickness, debt, and other concerns.  He asked her though, "Do you want it?"

The Lord is a gentleman.  He doesn't force or impose His will on us.  We are allowed to say no (free will) and He will back off.  But in the end we all know what happens.  Each space that we deny God access to becomes an idol, stumbling block, or other damaging dimension of our lives.  How long do we strive with a backpack full of stones when God wants to hand us exactly what we need to overcome?

So as I start this blogging journey for 2015, I have to ask - Will I, will you, allow God to impart beauty (good things) in exchange for the ashes (dead and hurt places) in our lives?

Parenting

I watched a one woman show yesterday entitled "One Drop of Love".  The mixed-race creator and performer, Fanshen Cox DiGiovanni, allows us to travel with her through her family history.  It's a beautiful story of reconciliation.

The show opens with a telling of how she met her husband, Diego.  She marries Diego in Jamaica, the birthplace of her father, but guess what?  Her dad does not come to her wedding.  After confronting her dad, she learns that he was not upset that she was marrying a European as she had assumed, but rather he did not want to return to Jamaica because of the poverty he experienced growing up.

Now, before confronting her dad about the wedding, her grandmother encourages her to ask her dad about his own father.  When she does, she learns that her grandfather was an alcoholic who would beat her grandmother.  Grandma leaves grandpa, and her dad is left to fill his own father-less void.  She learns that her dad does see his father every once a while, as he drives a bus in a nearby part of town, but that's the extent of their relationship - bus conversations and a little exchange of money.

Fanshen remarks, "Parents are only able to pour out the measure of love given to them plus just a little bit more."

Aha!

I am not a parent.  Ok, I am not a parent to a human child - after all Pepper is my baby - but I can imagine that when a child is born, an involved parent determines to shelter that child with an insurmountable amount of love, protection, and provision.  But somewhere along the line, every parent falls short, and not necessarily for lack of trying.  Each parent is only able to model the love that he received himself.

That's why we need the Father's love!

Yes, revelation and reception of God's love will enable any parent to fill up her love void and equip her to pour out more to her own children, and at the same time allow her children to be filled up in the areas that she's lacking.  Yes!

The ultimate, perfect, all-consuming love from Daddy God hits the spot!

Piece of advice from Mama Lise -
Before confronting your parents with "you should have done this and been there and said that", examine your heart voids and invite the Father to fill those places.  Then seek reconciliation - not humiliation - with your parents.  Embrace them as the human beings with hearts in need of as much as healing as yours, and invite them to enter God's love chamber.  

  

It's All Good

Romans 8:28 - And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Just picture it.  A girl, with dog in hand, stands on the curb as a man practices parallel parking - over and over and over again.  Every time Sean maneuvered the car into the space, I exclaimed "You did a good job!  Try _________ next time."  I said that every single time.

After a while, Sean says, "I am not listening to you anymore.  You always say good job."

That I do!  I just can't help it!  I saw him earnestly trying and my initial response, every time, was good job.

This morning I thought about God's promise to work everything out for "good".  No matter the circumstance, God says "good".  

Where there's pain, God says GOOD - I will show my glory.
Where there's confusion, God says GOOD - Fix your eyes on me, and I will lend you clarity.
Where there's a bruised heart, God says GOOD - Allow me to enter as the lover of your soul.
Where there's loss, God says GOOD - I will be your source of provision.

I am taking the time to examine my present circumstances.  My job tenure ends in 3 weeks.  EEK!

God says GOOD - Elise, allow me to employ you with my heart's desires and dreams.  Your next steps are guided by my hand.  Do not be afraid or discouraged.  I am with you always and forever more.  This is working together for  GOOD.