The Uncaged Journey

We all go through seasons when it feels as if our backs are against the wall. Circumstances around us scream in our face and demand our attention, yet regardless of how long we stare in their direction, nothing changes. At times, we feel powerless. We fight the enemy with declarations of God's Word, we fast and pray, and do everything in the natural to fix what we can, only to wind up exhausted. God Has a Better Way Every opposition we face must be met with faith. We know this. As believers, we've invested our lives in believing what we cannot see with natural eyes or understand with the finite mind. So what do we do when we've done everything we can and feel like our faith has been hijacked by terrorists? The answer—we rest. Rest goes against our fight-or-flight instinct. It feels counterproductive and impractical. Let's be honest—when you're in a battle, resting does not come naturally. Surely the only way to victory is by fighting! Yet right here, in this pl...

There it is—that wall that has been standing in front of you, for longer than you care to remember. It taunts you. Tries to intimidate you. Reminds you of what hasn't happened. It arrogantly proclaims that its power to hold you back is greater than God's ability to thrust you beyond it. What that wall doesn't realize is that it was erected on a foundation of lies. It doesn't stand as a true representation of your situation. It is an illusion—one that you were created to rise above. Scarlet Lily Photography If you look closely at this barrier to your breakthrough, you'll see that it has protrusions—small steps for you to climb. God took what the enemy built to oppose you, and made a way for you to use it to your advantage. Scaling this wall will strengthen you. As you clamber your way to the top, it will scream, emphasizing the impossibility of your conditions. But you were made for the impossible! Every fiber of your being will want to quit; to succumb t...

All of us have at least one thing we are standing in faith for. Day after day, we pray. We stand. We worship and we declare God's truth. Until the manifestation comes, we wait and we believe—sometimes through tears and sometimes with tenacity. Always, by His grace. This morning the Lord gave me flashbacks of moments in my life that literally changed everything. Scene after scene, I was reminded of the power that one moment holds. One word I'd waited to hear, one decision, one touch of healing, one revelation, one tragedy—life, radically impacted in an instant. The Lord is encouraging us to be in expectation mode, especially if we've recently been knocked down. The enemy loves to thrust our attention toward the problem and away from the One who holds the answer. Regardless of how long you've believed for your breakthrough, do not give up! Your breakthrough is a moment away—a mysterious, inexplicable, precious point where God's will and your life converge. Sc...

I saw a fiery blue flame resting on our hearts. It was burning with faith and power, stirring our resolve. Beneath it, flowed a stream of peace melting into the deepest caverns of fear and unbelief. Then I heard the Lord say, "Declare your victory! Stand in confidence and shake off the dirty rags of doubt. You are more than a conqueror! I created you for victory! You have the power to change things! Drench your soul, not with thoughts of what has gone wrong or what could go wrong, but with anticipation of good. See with the eyes of faith I've given you! Put My Words on your lips and believe in their power! Agree with My Word and put an end to doubt. "My passion for you is both a fire and a river. Able to burn away what contradicts Kingdom truth, while bringing peace that surpasses understanding. Soak your heart in the rivers of My love and invite My fire to go deeper than it has before. Let it consume your heart until My passion annihilates wrong mindsets. It ...

This morning I felt a rumble in my spirit—like thunderous clouds announcing the coming lightning. The image of God rising from His throne and planting His feet forcefully on the ground ran through my mind. The Father was about to address the chaos. In my spirit I heard these words, "Enough is enough! Declare the victory! Stand firmly with your feet planted in My truth. In faith and boldness, declare My promises over your situation. But once you have done that, REJOICE! Stop looking at what you see with your natural eyes and see with the eyes of faith. Truly believe that every plan of the enemy is not only going to be crushed, but that I will flip things around and bring the opposite result.  Laugh! Allow joy to spring up within you. I truly am a good God! Let faith fill your vision and overtake every fear, discouragement, and anxious thought. Fill your spirit and your mind with what you know to be true according to My Word. Shake off the heaviness of this last season. My vict...

This morning I heard the Lord say,  "Don't look behind you to see what was. Turn your eyes with expectation to what lies ahead. With each step forward, pave the road before you with words of faith and declaration. Let words of fear, doubt, and disappointment be left behind—otherwise they fall from your lips like quicksand upon a path that is meant to be paved with golden truth. With your eyes upon Me and your faith in line with My promises, I will lead you forward. Trust Me. Release the past. I love you and I hold the answers that you need."

Imagine if today were the day you received that breakthrough you've been praying for.   Go ahead—imagine.   Close your eyes and picture what it would be like. How would you react? Would you celebrate? Would you cry in relief? What would it feel like to finally have the answer to that prayer for: finances, health, family, ministry ...? The list is endless, but deeply personal to the one who's been believing God for a resolution.  Did you allow your imagination to take you to that moment, or did you scoff? So many of us have been believing God for things that feel as though they are never going to happen. Just because it hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't happen. I understand what it's like to be afraid of stirring your hope; to believe again. But giving up is definitely not the answer! As my pastor, Bill Johnson, says, "Your greatest breakthrough is on the other side of adversity." The greater the opposition to the breakthrough, the sw...

For many years I have started my day by spending quiet time with the Lord. Sometimes those moments are amazing and sometimes, quite frankly, they aren't. But either way, when we set ourselves to seek His face, it is always time well spent.  As Thomas Merton said, "We should not, however, judge the value of our meditation by how we feel. A hard and apparently fruitless meditation may in fact be much more valuable than one that is easy, happy, enlightened and apparently a big success." I remember when my friend Patricia King told me of a time when the Lord warned her that she wouldn't feel His presence for a season. He encouraged her to continue doing all of the same things she had been doing, and that He would still be there, even though she wouldn't sense Him. She said that when that happened, although it was a very difficult time, it taught her a lot. Patricia learned to go to the Lord for who He is and what she could offer Him (love, devotion, adorat...

“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...