Tag Archives: provision

Release. Resign. Renounce. Walk away from the darkness. Have nothing to do with it.Expose it for what it is. Renounce it from your life. Give darkness no power over your life, no time on your calendar, no fear over you mind, no platform through your discussions, no consideration in your plan-making.

“Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them” (Ephesians 5:11).

Expose the things that creep. Call them out by name. Renounce them in the name of Jesus, and walk away. Live, breathe, think, speak and act under the covering of God, under the protection of His angels, by the wisdom given to you through the Holy Spirit, and by the strength of God’s power, operating with the authority given to you in the name of Jesus.

Create. Plan. Paint. Laugh. Write. Cook. Shop. Raise your children. Use your gifts. Live your life. Rebuild the ancient ruins. Restore the places devastated in your life. Sons and daughters, prophesy. Young men, see visions. Old men, dream dreams.

Walk away from the darkness, that which is not yours, and step into His glorious light. Step into your gifts. Step into your calling. It is time to awake.

Wake up. Slumber no more. Fear no more. Freeze no more.

Look forward. Contribute beauty. Plant. Create. Plan. Invest. Pray. Trust. Live. Life is happening beneath the drama. Step out of the drama. Step out of the cloud. Walk away from the darkness.

Trust God more than you fear others. “The fear of man is a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is set securely on high” (Proverbs 29:25).

So, go live your life. It was given to you. What will you do with it today?

God is the God of “and,” not “or.“

I have learned that God is the God of “and,” not “or.” Nothing is limited in Him and all things are possible with Him. God doesn’t love, bless and forgive me but forsake you. He is the God of “and,” not “or.” He loves, forgives, heals and blesses you, and He loves, forgives, heals and blesses me, even if you and I once hurt each other.

Apply this to your life: Could your situation – the one that rubs so harshly between you, like bone against bone – be “and”, not “or?” Couldn’t your experience be true and their experience be true? Could it be “and,” not “or”? Could there be validity in each? Things are complicated. Not everything is as black and white as our minds and pride might prefer.

Thankfully, God knows how to take complex, oddly shaped, uncomfortable things and redeem them through His love, to work together in love for our good and His glory. Our minds can’t comprehend it but God can clean, heal, purify and realign relationships, patching them together beautifully. But we have to loosen our grip, release our pride, extend our trust, open our hearts and watch Him, and wait on Him. When we do, He turns beauty from ashes.

Likewise, in my life I have learned that, unless there is a clear right and wrong as laid out in the Bible, when we as friends jump to “or” thinking in support or protection of our friend, who is in a disagreement with another, we do not truly support them as we may stunt healing and reconciliation. As friends or family, we do not have to “pick sides.” We can actually be peace-agents and used by God when we ask God to show us and guide us in His love for both.

We must recognize when it is time to stop looking and to start being.

When I could find a moment, I used to drive around, in search of myself. Perhaps a street corner would jog my memory or maybe a museum, and I might draw enough inspiration to keep running for awhile.

The other day, I found a moment to myself for the first time in awhile, so I did what I have done for 20 years: I started driving. I didn’t see anything that grabbed my attention or inspired me. I drove past the old, usual places, but nothing stood out.

At first, I wondered if I was dull. I felt as though there was something to be seen or learned but nothing was coming to me as I looked around me. So I asked God, “What do you want me to know, God?” Very calmly, I sensed Him saying to me, “You were searching for something (then), and now you have found it. Enjoy.” Filled with peace, I smiled, turned around and headed back to my home to live my life.

This moment revealed how truly important it is for our lives, and the lives of those God has called us to serve and do life with, to know when it is time to stop looking and to simply start being.