bible
Dance to the tune of His revelation 💃🏼
Have you ever found your life going into autopilot? You wake up in the morning, eat the same breakfast as usual, go to the same workplace, meet up with the same friends? Rhythms and routines are great in life and necessary to put down roots and be established.
However, sometimes stuff we have done for a long time just don't serve our life anymore. It's like life begs more from us... This could be our soul yearning for a new level of devotion to keep us well fed in the Word of God even though our current devotion has been working fine for us until now. It could be a fine-tuning needed in areas of diet, exercise, friendships, family investment, job situations and on and on it goes. The scenarios are countless really.
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It's like when walking barefoot has served our lives perfectly in the Summer days but if we keep walking barefoot as the weather changes, our feet will turn blue and cold. A change in the season calls for a change in how we carry ourselves. To not hurt ourselves, get sick and slow ourselves down, we need to put on some shoes. The same applies to our spiritual and emotional prosperity. What worked in a previous season won’t necessarily work in a new one.
I find adjusting is key to staying flexible, fresh and fired up for what God has for our lives in the current season.
Why is this necessary?
Since God is the one who changes times and seasons, who He removes kings and establishes kings, (Daniel 2:21) we want to be people who are constantly tuned into the gospel message and who dance to the tune of His revelation, like King David did. (Psalm 119:70 MSG) When He changes the season, we want to change with Him. We are kept safe as we listen to Him, readily recognize what he wants from us, and quickly respond to it.
We are not the only one who pays attention to the seasons in order to stay aligned with our purpose. Certain birds do the same as they migrate to warmer, foreign skies during winter, and for them it is a matter of life and death. We may not apply the same life-and death urgency to our season shifts as birds but we can sure learn from then. Their example can definitely propel us forward in adjusting accordingly to successfully walk in our new season and assignment.
2 - We change wineskins
"And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine is stored in new wineskins so that both are preserved" Matthew 9:17 MSG.
I was sent this verse by a friend right before major transitions in my life; stepping into marriage and a new ministry. The old ways of doing things wouldn't work in the new God had for me. I needed a new mindset, a new resilience, and a new level of devotion to Jesus to sustain the growth and blessing He was adding to my life.
The ability to adjust and adapt is something we can totally do! Why? Because we have a High Priest who is modeling this by being perfectly adapted to our needs (Hebrews 7:26 AMP). Let's in response align and go with Him into the adjustment that's required to receive the new He has for us. Let's test all things carefully so we can recognise what is good, and hold firmly to it.
How do we continue to dance to the tune of His revelation?
3 - We do what we can, not what we can’t.
In transition, not all things are in our own control. How people perceive our change, or the doors that open for us are examples of that. It's not up to us. But what we can do is regulate our heart, and as we regulate our heart, our hand will follow!
Even if your situation does not consist of a major transition, our hearts need regular heart-checks to stay diligent and not grow weary with what you have already been given to steward. This is necessary to keep dancing in tune to His revelation and will keep the assignment and commitment to it fresh.
To dance to the tune of His revelation, we need to know our season. Once the commitment is clear, we can do what we can, and leave what we can't up to God.
We can do what the musicians did when they were singing in the book of Nehemiah as the wall in Jerusalem was dedicated, and praise was sung to God. It says that "the musicians were under the king's orders, which regulated their daily activity." (Nehemiah 11:23 MSG)
Let's in the same way let our daily activity be regulated by our King's marching orders! Let our hearts be aligned with Him and are hands will automatically follow. We are most safe living in His will, in His way, for His glory.
Let's adjust by listening to the Holy Spirit, by changing wineskins and by doing what we can, not what we can't as we regulate our heart and hand to dance to the tune of His revelation.
Love,
Sandra.
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"Head and not the tail" series - Established in His ways
(Part 1 of 3)
Have you ever seen a building site like on this pic? It is often messy, grey and with time it will even be invisible as a house is built on top. There is a sense of vision but it often takes creativity to imagine how the envisioned future building will look like. It can be easy to underestimate the foundation because of its colour and basicness. This underestimation happens both in the natural and spiritual. However, building the right foundation is essential to be established well in life!
Deuteronomy 28 is a great place to let our year be framed by. It's full of faith and desire from the heart of God for us to be the head and not the tail in life! As we dig in, I believe the depths and reality of this chapter will unfold before our eyes in 2018.
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This first chunk talks about being established. Let's dig in.
The context we are entering is that Deutoronomy is the last installment of Moses’ original writings to Israel. The events in Deutoronomy occurred over a relatively short period of time as Israel prepared to enter Canaan in 1406 BC. The book was likely written right around that time, a message from Moses to the generation of Israelites that would enter the promised land. The book is providing guidelines for the new covenant community, enabling them to live obediently to God’s intentions for them. (She Reads Truth info)
“The Lord will establish you as a people holy [and set apart] to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk [that is, live your life each and every day] in His ways. So all the peoples of the earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will be afraid of you.” (Deut. 28,9-11 AMP)
Here are beautiful promises I believe are for you and I today, and here are also calls to obedience that are the keys that will unlock these exact promises over our life.
The bible all over actually talks about being established, so we know that it is important to our King. It talks about it in the context of establishing God's covenant, His rule and His people. The bible talk about establishing a core of disciples, establishing a firm foundation of roots, and about how salvation and power are established for all mankind.
The bible is also really clear that God's love and trusting in Him is the perfect foundation to build over lives on. (Psalm 89,1-4 MSG and Prov. 22,17-21 MSG)
Also, it tells us that the basic foundational truths are already in place. These are turning our backs on “salvation by self-help” and turning in trust toward God; baptismal instructions; laying on of hands; resurrection of the dead; eternal judgment.
God helping us, we’ll stay true to all that. But there’s so much more. Let’s get on with it! (Heb.6,3 MSG)
Your turn:
- What could it look like for you to be established this year? Then expect God to surprise you over and above!
- What are the “if’s” in the verses in Deut. 28 that will unlock the promises in your life?
- How can you pursue this call to obedience today, and long-term?
- What are those promises, and how do you believe your life would change if you saw this happen in your life to a greater extent?
- Where do you need to start building on the rock instead of sinking sand? (Matt. 8,24)
- Are there any places you are called to rebuild a firm foundation? (A relationship, habit, thought pattern, job situation etc.)
I pray over you for the desire and grace to live in Jesus’ ways. I pray that 2018 will be a year where people will sense there is something special about you that make them know you are royal and set apart, a daughter of the King that they shouldn’t mess with as the last verse in Deut. 28,11 talks about! I pray you will see an establishment deeper into community with the people of God this year in your life! I believe foundations will be set in your life so that you can start building this year.
Receive His steadfast grace for you today.
Let's be established in Him,
Sandra.
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Spread your wings - soar & serve
Have you ever seen a beautiful bird spread its wings? It looks so natural, elegant and confident. Birds are generally thought of as a symbol of freedom. Birds can walk on the earth and swim in the sea as humans do but they also have the ability to soar into the sky. Birds are free to roam to earth and the sky, kind of like the link between heaven & earth.
For Easter, I went with my whole family to Scandinavias biggest bird park that is located in Nordsjælland, and there we watched one exotic bird after another spread their wings majestically as they are made to do!
One bird stood out though. As it had spent its first year as a pet inside a cage in captivity, it had never been stimulated by its owners or other birds to fly! It was cute and beautiful but not flying as it was created to and it was a bit sad to see the bird just sitting there on a fence watching the other birds fly around in freedom.
The interesting fact for me was that the ability to fly was inside of the bird from birth but flying still needed to be stimulated, nurtured and cultivated to actually happen. The bird needed encouragement and allowance to spread its wings. When we heard all this explained from the bird expert in this bird park, my husband exclaimed, something along the lines of:
"It's kinda like people who haven't met Jesus yet, and don't know the freedom and power they have access to through the Holy Spirit!"
Just wow, and yes and amen. We all continously need the Holy Spirit to be able to soar, fly and rise to live an overcoming life, and to not stay caged to our fears!
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That comment from my husband made me think about all the freedom I have access to through the gift of the Holy Spirit, and how I do not want to take that for granted. It made me think how I want to use that freedom to serve others in love, as Paul speaks about in Galatians 5,1. And I want to experience it also in areas where I can currently relate to that sweet bird who still lives with a cage mentality even though it has the freedom to step into the fullness of flying.
The good news is that even if we have had a bad start like this bird, we are not doomed to stay in that misery forever. Even if we are still waiting and praying for support from people around us to cultivate us to fly in life, we don't have to wait in despair. Even if no-one can do the cheerleading for us right at this moment, the Holy Spirit is our comforter and friend that can guide us into all truth that sets us free to soar & serve!
So, how are you using your freedom? Where are you trapped? Are you continuously inviting the Holy Spirit into your life to do what only He can do - set you free by the truth who is Jesus?
I know I need to lovingly ask myself these questions, because what we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. (1 Corinthians 2:10–12 NIV)
When we know what we have access to, the freedom that has been given to us, we can spread our wings to soar and serve and encourage others to do the same! 🕊
If you have never invited Jesus into your life and experienced this freedom I'm talking about, you can pray this prayer whoever and wherever you are. He will welcome you with open arms:
Dear Jesus, I’m praying this prayer because I know that I have done wrong by living without you. I am sorry and I trust that you will forgive me. I accept your love and grace for me and ask that you would be my Lord all the days of my life. Help me believe in you and love you every day, and help me to show the world what you are like and how great your love is.
In Jesus Name. Amen.
Congratulations! To pray these words with a surrendered heart to Jesus is the beginning of the most important adventure you will ever embark on: the journey to follow Jesus. If you've prayed this prayer, the best thing you can do is to share it with someone and find a local church to be planted in. I would love to hear from you!
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