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A huge lesson that the Lord continues to have me learn is being aware that I always have a choice in every situation I find myself in.

I struggled to take ownership of my own free will in specific areas of my life where I felt I had no control, while others or something else did. 

I would find myself, for example, in a job feeling disillusioned and stuck. I would be miserable and downright depressed because of my situation and still I would not take ownership of the choice I was making to stay in that job. 

It took me a long time, longer than I liked to admit, to learn that I always had control to stay in such life challenging situations or make decisions that resulted in their change.

And when I did find myself feeling “stuck” it was often motivated by a deep rooted fear within me.

I feared the consequences of my decision to try and get “unstuck”. I feared the opinions of others and the possible rebuke from a non understanding friend or acquaintance. 

And recently, I have learned how feeling stuck within a relationship can be resolved with setting healthy boundaries. 

To get out of a job you dislike and that is tormenting you can involve a few steps. Work on your resume, seek out another job that hires you, and put in your two weeks notice with the current horrible job.  

Now if the job you feel stuck in involved a ton of investment and years of faithfulness on your part, the choosing to seek another job is a much more difficult and gut wrenching choice, but a choice that is still yours to freely make.

Relationships are a bit trickier and I am sure you will agree with me on this one.

Some relationships we can put an end to if the situation has become unhealthy and toxic, while other relationships, such as a marital one or a family member, we have to find our way out of the “stuck” situation in a more wiser way.

And as I mentioned above, using healthy boundaries within those challenging relationships will be your best solution to begin feeling “unstuck” again. 

If the other party is being disrespectful or hurtful to you, you have the choice to not receive their behavior. You can walk away until they respect you within a conversation. You can inform them that you will not be treated the way they are treating you and, thus, you are setting a boundary line. If they cross that line, the relationship cannot be as they would like. 

A lie that likes to find its way into my head is believing that I do not have a choice in a situation. 

When I recognize that I am holding onto this lie, I know it is time to rethink what is running through my mind. 

We always have a choice. God has given us the gift of free will. When we use our free will to pull ourselves out of unwanted and harmful situations, we are honoring what God has given us. 

There are plenty of well written books on this subject of setting healthy boundaries within relationships. I encourage you to research one for yourself to read and then to apply boundary setting in your life if needed. 

Do not allow yourself to believe the lie that you are “stuck” and you cannot get out. This is not true. It most likely will take great courage to set boundaries in a difficult or even abusive relationship, but find that courage and strength in the Lord and use your right to choose. 

The winds are blowing, the season is changing, hope will be renewed and joy will spring forth in the hearts of man once again. Freedom is coming, great freedom like never experienced before. The future is bright, incredibly bright. Burdens will no longer be so heavy and God’s rest will envelope His people.

He promises it is all coming. Let the winds blow till they have completed their part. Let life shift and shift some more until everything is put in the right place, as they should be.

Doom and gloom is not the next season, it is quite the opposite. Those that have called the next season and current season wrong will repent and will be amazed at what God is really doing and has been doing. If they had just trusted His voice, not been easily swayed, they would now have room to rejoice, instead being in sorrow of their own making.

But God is full of love and compassion and He will lift their heads again, and they will be changed. Then all will be ready for things to come, things planned before time, things that are great and wonderful. Praise the Lord!

One powerful thing that I am learning in my life right now, is that in order for us to move forward with our lives, with our relationships and with our relationship with the Lord even, we must revisit the moments of pain and brokenness that have not had the chance to heal.

Asking the Lord to reveal to you where those wounds are within you will not only give Him permission to continually bring you the healing you need, but it will give Him permission to show you a wound you thought was nonexistent.

This happens to me a lot , and yet, each time I am terribly surprised when God does reveal to me a wound He wants to heal.

Healing from wounds and trauma is a journey for each of us that will take on their own paths. 

It is not uncommon for people to live their lives with unattended wounds that perhaps they are completely unaware of. 

Remaining in a place of humility before the Lord helps when wounds are revealed to us. Our pride, however, works against what God is wanting to do in us. It says there is nothing wrong with us and we are fine. Pride puts up an invisible barrier that keeps the hand of the Lord from working in areas of woundedness.

There are behaviors that people have when they have unattended wounds in their souls. These behaviors vary from person to person, but always the behavior is definitely not a reflection of a whole and healed soul. A wound reveals itself in wrong behaviors, and for some even alarming behaviors.

Be observant of yourself. In stressful situations see how you respond. Are you being triggered in anyway? Are you perhaps overreacting to something because you are experiencing it through a wound that is already within you? Are you easily irritable and take things out on those closest to you?

These are just a few signs of unattended wounds that need to be cared for and healed. 

Since life hands each of us a lot of hurt and pain, it is never a waste to have a time of self-reflection, asking the Lord to show you any area of your life and heart that He wants from you. Holding anything  back from Him is a sign of mistrust and fear. But you can trust the Lord with your soul wounds and you can trust that He will be gentle and kind.

Praying the Lord will bring you full healing in the right timing and when you are ready to yield to Him your wounds. 

The world you live in can become a place you do not recognize anymore, but I never change. I remain a God of great love, of peace, and of joy. I am constant, I do not change with the wind, and I remain as I’ve always been.

I am faithful, dependable, and consistent day after day. Life brings about change and seasons of change come and go. Some changes are good and some bring grief and pain. But I invite you to put your hope in One who never changes and remains the same.

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”

Hebrews 6:19-20

Allow me to be your Anchor.

Allow me to be your Strength and your Stability.

And when the winds blow and the sea grows bold with its waves, know it will be I that holds you in place within me. Remain focused on me and remember who I am and my character. For remembering me within the seasons of change, will be your comfort and strength.

I do not change. I remain the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Depend and rely on me and when others fail you and nations are in an uproar, you will not falter and you will not lose hope. Keep your eyes on me.

Just like with Moses, we also have been given a staff. Our staff is our authority in Christ to stand against the enemy. There are different ways to wage war against him. And the Holy Spirit will not only lead us into battle, but He will lead us how to fight. 

Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.” 

Exodus 14:13-16

Taking authority over the enemy is one way to fight. 

The enemy works desperately hard to put us in a state of confusion and despair. He aims to rob us of our confidence in knowing who we are in Christ, that we are loved by God and received by Him fully. His plan is always to separate us from God. A plan that has been his only pursuit for the human race beginning all the way back in Genesis with Adam and Eve.

Having already committed our lives to the Lord does not protect us from the enemy taking pleasure in trying to harm our relationship with our Creator today. In fact, he seems relentless in his efforts in doing this. If he can get us on shaky ground, leading us to doubt the faithfulness, goodness and love of God in our lives, then he can easily hold us back from our pursuit of God and walking in our identity in Christ.

Our confidence in our relationship with the Lord and who He truly is is our faith in action.

We are confident that God will move on our behalf, we are confident that His plans are for our good, and we are confident that the promises He provides us in His Word stand strong in our lives as well.

Losing confidence in the Lord equates to us not having faith in what He has told us and what He has already done for us. And we do not take our authority that we rightfully have in Christ if we are easily tossed back and forth in waves of doubt.

We must be determined and resolute in our thinking. We must not shrink back from the authority we have in Christ and from our positions on His wall. We must take up arms in spiritual warfare on a consistent and daily basis. 

And we must be mindful of how the enemy works, but not afraid of him. 

For in Christ Jesus, we have authority over all the attacks of the enemy against us and against those we intercede for. We have more power and authority than we probably realize and, yet, we live our lives unaware of the threat we really are to the enemy.

Think about it. In order for the enemy to prevent us from coming at him, he would have to do his best to convince us that we have nothing on him? That we are actually unable to fight against him? He taunts us with lies, hoping we would believe them and never come at him.

This is what the enemy does to us. He works against us through deception and intimidation, but in reality he has nothing on us. We take blow after blow and cry out to God for help. But we overlook the help God has already provided us. He has given us a weapon. And we need to stand up and use it and fight. 

Our weapon is His Word and our faith in the fact that our victory has been sealed. We just need to stand up and declare this over every area of our lives that does not align with His Word. And we need to take our stand against the enemy and his attacks. 

A new month is upon us; a season is changing. We are coming out of a dark winter of intense spiritual warfare and stepping into a season where the winds are blowing and the rain is falling.

The winds will divinely blow everything into place and the rains will wash away the struggles and despair of the previous warfare season. All this will take place in order for Spring to show up with the flowers ready for blooming and the sun receiving its orders to shine brightly.

Let the Lord move His hands, move things in position in order for the Spring season we have all been hoping and looking towards shows up in a correct and righteous manner. Movement can be painful, however, for those who are and have been unwilling to move in the past. These movements have a purpose to align us with the heart and plans of God.

This “Winds of Movement” is unique. Everything will be impacted with this movement, whether you participate willingly or not.

For others, they have been prepared, already having experienced being uprooted and replanted in previous seasons, and they have remained open to the movements of God about to continue in their lives. It will not be as painful because they have allowed themselves to be prepared.

Again, this movement month of March is necessary and of the hand of God. Do not mistaken it as the work of the enemy in your life. Have discernment, lean into the voice of the Lord, and continue to put your hope in the promise that God is at work and His will is being accomplished.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” 

Romans 8:28

Boldness in sharing our faith comes by the Holy Spirit. He emboldens us to open our mouths and gives us the words to share with others. 

“Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. 

Acts 4:29-31

If you have people in your life that need to hear the message of Jesus and what He has done for them on the cross, then let me encourage you to begin to pray for them to have hearts softened to hear the voice of the Lord. 

And also pray for yourself to receive boldness from His Spirit when an opportune time is available to share with them. 

A lot of times we find ourselves unaware of the work of God in the lives of those around us. And when they do not have faith in the Lord, we falsely assume that God is not in pursuit of their hearts. But in fact, He actually is.

Asking the Lord to help you become aware of God working in people around you will also make you aware of how you can be praying for them and preparing yourself to boldly share your faith with them. 

It is not an easy thing to bring up a discussion on faith and our relationship with the Lord with people who do not share our beliefs, but it is something we need to pray and ask the Lord for help with. 

God wants your friend to know Him. And God wants to invite you to be an instrument to be used by Him to introduce that friend of yours to Himself. 

When we ask the Lord for boldness, that does not mean the fear or the awkwardness of discussing spiritual beliefs disappears. It means, despite the obstacles we face with sharing our faith, the Holy Spirit is able and more than willing to empower us to share boldly anyways. 

Sharing our faith should be a sharing of who you are and a natural thing. When a friend that does not walk with God asks me about things like my favorite hobbies or interests, or what I am passionate about, I am given an opportunity to share about my love for Jesus. And to find ourselves on that level of communication with others means we need to invest in those relationships with open hearts and be willing to love them with the love of God.

Discover people in your life that you can be praying for today. Jot their names down in a journal and take time to pray for them everyday and when the Lord brings them to mind. And continue to pray for boldness when the Lord opens a door for you to share your faith and His Gospel with them. 

Happy sharing friends!

I had a vision one night last week that revealed that the Lord was going to bring back to His children the eyes of understanding. He was going to begin allowing us to understand the warfare that has been coming against us and how to see our circumstances as they truly are. I held onto this promise, knowing that I was struggling myself to understand my own life circumstances.

Fear is a red flag for me that lets me know that I am not placing my confidence and trust in the Lord about a situation. And when I begin to struggle with fear, I also begin to search my heart of what I am afraid of and why.

The past month has been super challenging for me on a personal level. A few circumstances rocked my boat and I struggled up until recently with believing God was for me. It was hard.

What I did not realize was that I was harboring a fear deep within me, a fear of rejection actually. This fear immobilized me to stand my ground with a certain individual in my life. I feared that if I allowed healthy boundaries to be placed in this relationship, then that person would cut me off.

I had allowed my fear to allow that other individual to have power over me and to easily manipulate me. This fear that I had, that I continue to fight against, was hidden from me. I had no idea that it was ruling over me and that I had handed over my power to it.

When I realized what was happening, and what had been happening in this relationship for almost a year now, I repented to the Lord, asking Him to forgive me for handing my power and free will over to someone else out of fear. I also praised Him for helping me understand what was really going on with this relationship, remembering the vision He gave me about “the eyes of understanding” returning to His own.

I then decided to take my power back. I first declared to myself that I was no longer going to be afraid to be cut off and rejected. I declared that if this individual chose to act in a way that rejected me, I would be fine with their decision. I would not like it, but I can still choose to live my life fully and happily despite their actions.

As I was declaring this, I felt my power return. I felt the fear leave and its taunting voice. It was no longer ruling over me and I felt free. I continued to pray for this individual. I also prayed spiritual warfare prayers against the constant attacks of the enemy via this individual.

God then revealed to my heart what I had done. I had broken a stronghold that was forming and an attachment that was unhealthy with this person. He told me I was much more powerful than I was allowing myself credit for and that He made me this powerful through His Son.

This individual called me shortly after and, to my surprise, was treating me nice. It was certainly spiritual warfare coming against me. And the Lord wanted me to remember how our battles are not against flesh and blood. I very easily forget this truth.

The Lord wants you to be set free as well. He wants you to stand against a fear in your life that is dominating your decisions and behavior. So let God set you free and allow Him to reveal to you what fear is trying to have a hold on you.

This is a season of God blessing us with His  eyes  of understanding of our situations and lives. I pray that as you begin to understand clearly what the enemy tried to disrupt with confusion, that you will see and receive encouragement from the Holy Spirit with how to move forward in victory in Him.