The Uncaged Journey

Here in Puerto Rico it is normal to see stray horses walking the roads. However, seeing them run down the Interstate is not something you see often. Recently, my husband and I saw just that - two big horses running scared with their small foal. They were running on the side of the highway in the same direction as the four lanes of traffic we were on. A construction worker was waving a flag at them, trying to scare them back into the grass, away from traffic, but there was no safe place for them to go for at least half a mile. All we could do was pray that they wouldn't head into traffic and cause an accident. I imagine these horses were either tied to some trees in a nearby field, or kept in a stall, but the monotony of their unchanging circumstances drove them to break free in hopes of finding something better. That sounds very familiar to me! How many have found the dullness of circumstances (pain of trials, etc.) driving them to break free and run ahead of God into somethin

Today's blog may be a bit different than my usual, but I pray my candid pondering will encourage you!  The other day I was told that a friend of mine met someone who read my blog (whom I have never met) and how the Lord ministered to her through it. Hearing about the situation made my day! It is one thing to journey through life's trials and triumphs with the Lord, but it's entirely different when we go beyond ourselves and minister the revelations we've received to others. I've found that many times I don't realize how much I have learned in a particular season until I use the truths I've "owned" to minister life and encouragement to others. When I say "owned", I am referring to when we go past head knowledge of the Word and experience it for ourselves. (See "Experiencing the Word", blog below) It's like we get tunnel vision in the midst of the things we go through and though we are doing our best to keep our hearts and m

Today in my quiet time with the Lord, He spoke something to me that I know was not for me alone. It's awesome! He was explaining to me why we sometimes have to go through hard situations. Here is what He shared. I pray it blesses you as much as it blessed me! "To believe My Word is true is one thing, but to know it experientially, is another. This is why sometimes I allow you to go through difficulties - to bring you through an EXPERIENCE of the Word; to bring about the manifestation of a truth into your life.  Over-comers are allowed to walk through difficulties in order to overcome them and gain AUTHORITY in an area. My purpose is not for you alone, but for those I will bring across your path to minister freedom to as well. The way is not always easy, but for those who will believe, victory is eminent. You heard Len say, (Len is my husband) "View every unwelcome situation as an opportunity for God and not a problem." Sometimes in order to truly EXPERIENCE MY WORD

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” - John 16:33 “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” - John 14:27 When facing a situation that is getting ugly and big, we call it a problem . In the dictionary one meaning of the word problem is "a matter or situation regarded as unwelcome or harmful and needing to be dealt with and overcome." The explanation is that a problem is something we create ourselves, by the way we view what is happening. It is a problem when we view it, or regard it as a problem. However, when we view these things as opportunities , instead of problems, trusting God to create a testimony, then we are completely resting in God's ability. When we do not have peace and cannot rest in the midst of battle, it denotes that there is fear

Today I want to share a few things to encourage us as we prepare ourselves for this time of waiting. What exactly is waiting on the Lord, what do we DO during this time, and what should we expect? The word wait in the Bible means: To wait, or look eagerly for, to linger, to bind together, to collect, and to be collected. Waiting on the Lord is a time when we eagerly look for Him to speak to us through our spiritual senses. We linger in His presence and as we do, we are binding ourselves with focused intention to His Spirit. We are not only receiving from Him, but He is receiving from us as well! If waiting on the Lord is something you haven't done before, or done often, it's important to know that this is a time of fine-tuning our spirits. Sometimes you will truly feel His presence, hear His voice, and begin to have His Word open up to you in great revelation. However, sometimes it may feel that all you see is the back of your eyelids, and all you hear is your own

"He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."    -John 14:21 Ahh! To see Him face to face! My thoughts when I read this verse always settle on the part where He manifests Himself to us. But recently, the Holy Spirit directed my attention to the first part of this verse. The part that explains that our love for Him is determined by knowing & keeping His commandments. But this isn't a -  10 Commandments, obey or burn type message! We live with a NEW commandment - to  LOVE. When asked what the greatest commandment in the law was, Jesus answered:  " You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." - Matthew 22:37-40

The other day I stumbled across some notes that I had written in January about grace. I never shared my written pondering, because I wasn't sure if it was good enough. However, the day before I found these notes, my husband and I were listening to Bill Johnson teaching about the same exact thing. I was so surprised!  The reason that I started delving into the subject of grace was because I felt like some ministers I heard were taking it a bit out of context. I truly enjoy some of the things these people carry, but I needed to hear for myself what the Lord was saying about it. Yes, we are under grace and not the law, but that doesn't mean that we no longer have to "do" things. (Fast, pray, etc.)  It just means that instead of our "doing" leading to righteousness, our "doing" comes out of our righteousness; it comes from a heart posture. Where the law said, "You shall not murder, not commit adultery, etc.," (Exodus 20:13-14) Jesu

I just realized that in a lot of my blogs I quote a song. It's not surprising really, since music is one of the ways the Lord speaks deeply to my heart. Realizing the different ways God speaks to us is very important. Sometimes He speaks through His written word, at other times through things we see, through others, or through something we read online, and even through music. I've heard so many people say in frustration that they don't hear the Lord speak to them, when in fact they just didn't realize the plethora of ways that He does! I was thinking about a song that Cory Asbury sings in which he says, "I finally found where I belong, it's to be with You, to be with You." In light of my personal situation right now- waiting on a move back to the U.S for the past year and not feeling at home where we are now, this song hit the spot!  So many of us find ourselves in situations that are uncomfortable. Whether you are believing for a spouse, ready

I shed all thoughts and distractions of this world. They fall from me like broken pieces of a cumbersome, restrictive shell. As my heart rises in worship, now free from all that impedes it, I find the intoxicating delight of His gentle yet immediate nearness. His Words draw me in closer and my senses become flooded with the living substance of His love. Oh how He loves us! I swim in the ocean of His love - though it is only the two of us, I'm aware of the countless multitudes that flood His heart as well. There is room for all of us in in this love -so deep and wide.  His living words breathe faith into my spirit and in this place of immersion, I receive His instructions. This is where we hear His heart - here in this place where nothing else matters but our total abandonment to Him.  Do you hear it? Deep is calling unto deep within you. Let's go closer.....

To be ravished by His love is an honor too few have experienced. Fewer live in this proximity to God on a daily basis. I love the words to a song I heard today, sung by Steffany Frizzell:  "Your love has ravished my heart and taken me over, taken me over. And all I want is to be with You forever, with You forever. So pull me a little closer, take me a little deeper, I want to know Your heart, I want to know Your heart. Cause your love is so much sweeter than anything I've tasted, I want to know Your heart." I've been praying a great deal recently for Wisdom. (see Proverbs 2:2-5) There was something that resonated within me that if we can stay tapped into His Wisdom, everything else in our lives will fall into place. We have the mind of Christ, yet we don't engage it to the point that all of our thoughts are consumed by His.  Today I saw it so clearly: Many times we pray for Wisdom, or even for His presence to come and we imagine it as if we are on the outside,

"To worship You I live, to worship you, I live, I live to worship you." As we sang the words to this song at church, it felt like nothing else mattered in life other than being able to worship God. What a profound blessing it is to be worshipers of God! We are a people whose lives are founded upon a lifestyle of loving God and living in such a way that we exhibit His love to the world around us. There are varying seasons of our life, some flourishing with Kingdom fruit and others spent in the stillness of His presence. But in truth, every season will bare fruit when we are worshipers of God. Regardless of whether we are in a season of stillness or business, it is to be embraced with an attitude and lifestyle of worship.  The lifestyle of an abandoned worshiper is manifested in fearless love. (1 John 4:18) We aren't afraid to be vessels of His love towards others. We aren't afraid when things don't work out the way we hoped, because as worshipers we res

I most definitely prefer the bliss of the Lord's presence and the joy of His nearness, to the Fires of purging. I really, really do! However, I have learned over the years that His cleansing Fire, is the Fire of His passion that burns within us. We can learn to have peace and joy even in the midst of the most difficult circumstances, by fixing our hearts and minds relentlessly on the Lord. At any time during trials & spiritual attacks, if we begin to react out of our flesh instead of our spirit, we will feel the Fire of God's passion trying to consume what is not of Him, in order for us to not become contaminated by things like sinful reactions, demonic oppression, etc.  The reason we feel such contention inside of us during these trying times, is because His passion for us is trying to draw us into Him instead of away from Him. When we begin to react to our situations in the flesh, we feel the Fire burning, doing it's cleansing work. However, this pain can becom

God gave us emotions on purpose. It wasn't for us to be led by them, but for the expression of the deep things that stir within us. The other day I sensed I needed to birth something in the spirit which emotionally can really get to me. I wanted to be sure my desire to hit this thing in prayer was coming from Him and not what I was feeling in my soul, so that I wouldn't become vulnerable to an emotional burden He doesn't want me to carry. This morning as I began to pray with focus, faith, and determination, I sensed the joy of the Lord's presence. This was my key to know that I was, in fact, being led by the Spirit. My prayers fueled the faith in my spirit, positively affecting my emotions. When I was done praying I began to understand how our prayers can be hindered or helped by our emotions. When we are led by the flesh into prayer, it is a lot of work! It is true that circumstances which influence our emotions, will lead us to pray, but if we remain centered on the

 "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. " John 14:21a When I committed my life to Jesus, I really went all out. I was so in love with Him that all I wanted to do was read my Bible, ask questions, and talk to Him non-stop. I wanted nothing to do with my old lifestyle. I remember reading this first part of John 14:21 and telling myself that if my obedience to Him would prove my love for Him, then I would be the most obedient person on the earth. (Yeah, we all can have a good laugh at that one!) However, He began to teach me that it wasn't my obedience that proved my love. Obedience without love is  a slave mentality. It was my love that naturally caused a desire to be obedient. My heart's cry to know Him more and my love-sick heart were seeds of love that would blossom into branches of a new lifestyle. My desire to pray, read my Bible, etc., wasn't done out of religious obligation, it happened naturally because I couldn't g

Remember when God spoke to Elijah in the STILLNESS? (1 Kings 19:11) We've all been taught a great deal about the importance of being still to hear from God, but I was just thinking about something else regarding stillness. In the season I am in right now, I have much more "still" time than I would like. I honestly don't remember ever having so much still time. I remember how much I used to cherish times like these and now I cherish the times I am busy! Life's funny that way, isn't it? Stillness is quite revealing. Not only does God speak to us in these times, but He reveals much about ourselves during these times as well. For example, when you have nothing to do (I realize some of you WISH you had nothing to do--sorry about that), what DO you do? Do you watch TV, go online, read a book, talk on the phone, etc.? In our fast paced society, few know how to handle the times when they have nothing to do. Instead of sitting down and literally being still,

    Today I want to be a bit more candid with you about "The 40 Day Journey," because I know many of you have had some of the same struggles, questions, and desires. The desire of my heart comes from John 14:21 which says, " He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him . " My desire is to see Him! Each day when we spend time with Him, He reveals more and more of Himself to us and for this I am eternally grateful. But I truly desire to see the One I live for; the One I sense with me at all times.     So, how was the journey? Well, I didn't have Jesus sit and have tea with me, I didn't have any unusual manifestations of Heaven in my midst, I didn't even have a vision, or fall down drunk in the glory! It actually felt drier than it was before the 40 days. There was one answer to prayer which has blessed me tremendously - I had (and stil

Song of Solomon 6:13:  "Return, return, O Shulamite; Return, return, that we may look upon you!" Then the Bride asks, "What would you see in the Shulamite?" They respond, "As it were, the dance of two camps ?" What was it the daughters of Jerusalem (regular Christians) saw in the Shulamite that drew them to her? I believe they saw the reflection, the mirror image, of the Bridegroom (Jesus) emanating from her being and yearned for what she carried. They knew they needed what they saw in her, but instead of going directly to the Lord themselves, they were settling for what they could receive through her. When asked what they saw in her, they responded that she was the dance of two camps.  You, like the Shulamite, are the dance of two camps! You are the convergence of two realms. You are the living substance of heaven and earth. When God created Adam, He formed Him of the earth, but also breathed His Spirit into Him. This symbolized that man

"God's design for the soul is that it should be lost in Himself, in a manner unknown to ordinary Christians." Jeanne Guyon Sometimes I sit to write this blog and realize that there is no way I can convey with mere words what is stirring inside of me. In truth, I cannot. Although I love to write, there really is a place of God's love that leaves us expressionless, so deeply at rest in His love that words become trite - almost offensive. Perhaps I can dance what is inside of me? More than likely, even dancing would be no more than stirring the air in comparison to the hurricane of His love I experience deep within. Did God create the wind, the storms, the ocean waves, and the majestic mountains for no other reason than to give us a picture of this love that is stronger, wider, and more powerful than words alone can convey? The more we get to know the treasure of His love inside of us, the more we realize we are forever wrecked. The days I am overwhelm

We love the Lord's presence, we desire to see Him (John 14:21), touch Him (John 20:27), eat with Him (Rev 3:20) and be besides ourselves in the rapturous bliss of His presence (2 Cor 5:13-14). We are those with burning hearts; those who desire to remain in the awareness of God's presence at all times. When we have set apart times with the Lord, we close our eyes and turn our gaze upon Him and allow ourselves to be immersed by His love and glory. But as we seek Him, let's remember something very important. Regardless of our great need for His love, let's remember to take our eyes off of ourselves and our need and bring Him our love . Honor Him as King, Savior and Friend. Bring not just your heart to Him, but words with you, speaking forth His greatness, beauty, righteousness, faithfulness, etc.  Let words of love flow from your lips, not just so you can sense His presence, but because He is deserving of your adoration.  His presence will come as w