The Uncaged Journey

It was just over twenty years ago that I heard Fuschia Pickett say something that changed my life. She said, "You can have as much of God as you want." I'm sure I'd heard that said before, but that day it came with the breath of God upon it. That was the day I made the decision to wake-up early in the morning to start seek His presence before anything else. I had one small child and a baby at the time and sleep was a rare commodity. For the first couple of weeks, I remember thinking, "I'm too tired to pray, read my Bible, or even hear God!" He didn't rush in and start speaking right away, but I persisted. Not long after, my relationship with the Lord exploded with dynamic encounters of His presence. To this day, set-apart time with Him is my life-force and joy. How much of God do you want? Isn't it interesting that the Creator of all things allows us to decide how close we want to come? He gently draws us to Himself, but it takes an act ...

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...

Today's post is a short prophetic encouragement.  "Courage, dear heart." That phrase from C.S. Lewis resounded loudly in my spirit two days ago and this morning I still hear it. A shift has taken place in the spirit. For some, dreams that long seemed dead are coming alive again. For others, something new is being awakened by the breath of God.   There is one main thing you need: courage to believe again.  The Lord showed me an aerial view of a beautiful river, flowing and clean. There were many paths in the adjacent woods, which led to it. Some paths were worn and easy to see. Other paths were still covered with twigs—seldom used. Then I heard the Lord say, "Courage dear heart, I'm leading you down a different path. Don't expect to see the same things on this path as you've seen before. Release all of the disappointments of the past to Me, and shake off everything that has held you back. Stay close to Me and you will begin to see from My perspec...

Have you ever thought about how often you pick up your smart phone for no significant reason? Checking Facebook, your email, Googling, watching a video... you know as well as I do that the list goes on and on. It didn't hit me how frequently I take a quick peek at something until I went 48 hours without it. I'm embarrassed to say that the first 24 were hard. But it got me thinking. Where I live, society encourages us to be raw and authentic. There's an emphasis on individuality, acceptance, and "Human-Kindness." Most of us agree with these things, yet we're content watching others do it through the safety of our screens, (TV, phone, etc.) and forget to do it ourselves— out there. In the real world. We forget to lift our eyes and look around— taking in a world that offers much more socialization than we will ever get via social media. We live life thinking that because we see it online, we're actually engaging in it. Ironically, social media has...

I woke up in the middle of the night with the phrase, "But the Blood is free," resounding in my mind and reverberating throughout my spirit. As I pondered its meaning, I saw an image of an exquisite Fabergé egg and an art gallery filled with priceless pieces of art. People pay hundreds of millions of dollars to own fine artwork. Once purchased they can enjoy it's beauty whenever they want and take pride in the fact that they own something of such great value. All night as I drifted in and out of sleep I continued to hear, "But the Blood is free."  Although I knew God was talking about the Blood of Jesus, I didn't understand — the Blood certainly wasn't free — it cost the Lord everything.  We Are the Most Beautiful Piece of Art  When I woke up I had a vision of God looking from Heaven to the earth below. In the next scene, He was walking around admiring the earth's beauty. I saw breathtaking scenery — gorgeous beaches, colorful sunsets, an...

Go about your day in confidence, believing you are who God says you are. God has declared that you are brave, favored, worthy, loved, smart, strong, and creative. You are these things and more because you were made in His image.  No one can make you believe otherwise. No one can strip that away from you—unless you let them. Most of us don't like adversity, especially when someone is trying to convince us that we're something that we're not. But the truth is that coming up against people who try to confuse our identity, can actually strengthen us.   Let me tell you a story. Recently, I was confronted by someone who was convinced that my inability to do a certain task was due to some deep wound inflicted upon me as a child. To say I was taken back would be an understatement. Not only was this person convinced of this, they believed it was their job to walk me through inner healing.  Okay, I'm all for inner healing, but I knew — at least I thought I knew, that t...

Today I grabbed a shadow and held it in my hand. A fleeting moment, A whispering breath. Anticipation swells within, making it hard to sort my thoughts. Waves of creativity crash against each other somewhere deep. Too deep to fight, Too powerful to withstand. Yet the shadow remains in the cleft of my hand, awaiting my attention. Discovered in stillness, Offering answers, if only I would partake. As I allow myself to sink past the surging waters, Past the teasing notions which offer no substance, The shadow overtakes me, covering me with its feathers. It is the strength of peace, A well wisdom. It is purposefully hidden, Yet desired by all. Within this shadow, the clamor ceases. Striving ends, And destiny revealed.