God-sized Dreams

Where Dreams Set Sail

Six Ways to Tell if Your God-Sized Dream is Counterfeit

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“Everything God does, Satan attempts to counterfeit.”

I can still remember when a friend spoke those words to me.  So many things began to make sense with that one simple statement.  She went on to explain how the enemy does all he can to keep us running to these counterfeit things…rather than to Jesus. For peace. For comfort. For joy. I had not heard it in such plain terms before.

Talk about a light bulb moment.

It was then, I started noticing a funny pattern with opportunities that came my way.  It would usually happen at a time I was feeling low, convinced nothing could ever come of a crazy dream that felt three sizes too big.  I would find myself wondering if God had forgotten the dream He had for me.  Or maybe I’d just heard wrong.

In that exhausted, slightly desperate place, along would come a break.  Yet, almost from the moment I’d hear it, something wouldn’t sound quite right.  Deep within, I’d know this wasn’t the opening for me.  Yet, try as I may, I couldn’t find a real reason to talk myself out of it.  Nothing that is, except for that niggling pull guiding me towards another route.  More often then not, I’d end up saying yes, but knowing deep down something was just off.

I’ve now seen how this pattern played out over and over in my life.  As long as the enemy could keep me wrapped up in something I wasn’t meant to be doing, I wasn’t make strides towards what God wanted me doing.  And the things that would come along, were great opportunities, they just weren’t meant for me.  Often, I’d untangle myself from one thing, only to find myself all wrapped up again soon after.

Sigh.

While the details of your situation likely look a little different, it’s probably safe to say the enemy would rather have us all spinning our wheels on a Satan-sized counterfeit than on our true God-sized dream. 

[clickToTweet tweet=”The enemy would rather have us all spinning our wheels on a Satan-sized counterfeit than on our true God-sized dream.” quote=”The enemy would rather have us all spinning our wheels on a Satan-sized counterfeit than on our true God-sized dream.”]

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A counterfeit, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is “made to look like an exact copy…in order to trick people.”

[clickToTweet tweet=”How can we tell the difference between a God-sized dream and a counterfeit?” quote=”How can we tell the difference between a God-sized dream and a counterfeit?”]  The difference between a knockoff the enemy is using to trick us and the true dream that God is calling us to?  Here are a few ways to detect a counterfeit God-sized dream:

1.)  It should be for the building up of God’s people.  Our God given gifts are for building each other up, and our God-sized dreams should do the same.  And remember, our God-sized dreams should be life giving to everyone, including ourselves!  If it feels like it’s sucking the life right out of us, that might not be where God wants us!  “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” Ephesians 4:11-13 (NIV)

2.)  It should always honor God’s Word.  Plain and simple.  He doesn’t contradict Himself.  If we have to go against God’s Word, it’s simply can’t be from Him. “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.” 2 Timothy 3:16 (NLT)

3.)  Every aspect should be on the up and up.  I know, I know, this should go without saying but you might be surprised how convincing Satan can be, even speaking blatant lies to believers.  After all, the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy, and Jesus comes so we may have life to the full!  

4.)  It should always lead others into God’s light. If it leads people away, in any way, we should reconsider what it is we’re doing.  “For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night.” 1 Thessalonians 5:5 (NLT)

5.)  God should be the main motivator.  Money/recognition/fill in the blank might seem great, but God-sized dreams take a lot of work/time/gray hair/freak-outs.  Our families might have to get used to cereal for dinner and remind us laundry needs to be done again because, well, clean underwear would be nice.  This will all get old fast, if our motivation is anything but Him. {To which I will also add, everything will get old in double time, if something called “perimenopause” has come to visit your abode. Ahem.}  “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33 (NIV)

6.)  There should be no hold backs.  And I don’t mean the natural hold back we have because of fear.  Even Moses doubted, right?  He tried to tell God he couldn’t speak when God called him.  (Exodus 4:10)  I’m talking about the general feeling that something is off.  Pay attention and take that to God in prayer.

The good news?  I’ve noticed right behind a counterfeit dream, more often than not, along comes the real thing.

The even better news?  No matter where you are on the path, God has you, friend!  Nothing can mess with His plan for you!  He can work all things together for good.  He can use for good what the enemy meant for harm.  God can even repay for the years the locusts have eaten!  Phew!

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to do laundry and plan my next post: God-sized Dreaming While Hormonal.  Good times!

(And here is a wonderful song for dreamers by Jeremy Camp, which the quote in the above photo is from. It’s definitely worth a listen…but might just get stuck in your head! 🙂

Shared by: Christine Wright

Maybe Our Prayer Requests Aren’t Burdens

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GodsizedDreams.com Joshua 1:9
I can remember when my husband showed me the home online.

What about this one?

We had been scrolling the real estate sites for a few weeks and had even visited homes we were interested in. We told ourselves we were about three to six months away from doing anything at that point but there was something so endearing about this particular house.

I had long been praying for a home large enough for our family (and numerous pets!) to live in comfortably but recently felt led to pray specifically for a home that had been well-loved. Not a new home or a problem free home. Not specific in anyway…just well-loved. It scared me that I wasn’t even sure what that meant.

We saw the home and liked it. While we were meeting with the realtor to see it for the second time, she told us she had found out more about the house. She went on to explain it was built in 1991 for a pastor and his wife. Various church members also helped build parts of it.

Also, she said, the current owners wanted us to know they would take money off of the list price, making it the exact amount I had felt prompted to write in my prayer journal.

While still having that conversation, I turned and looked at the wall at the base of the stairs and saw what looked to be a doorbell. Inside the house. I pressed it and we heard it ring upstairs.

At that point I remember yelling at my real estate agent (who I didn’t know very well at the time!), “OH MY GOSH! I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED A DOORBELL THAT RINGS UPSTAIRS SO I DON’T HAVE TO YELL AT MY CHILDREN!” She looked a little freaked out.

We put an offer in on the house that night.

The very next morning, a wave of fear washed over me. Years earlier we had tried to purchase another home, only to have it all fall apart. The housing market crashed months later, making the purchase (had it gone through) a terrible one. Even so, there was a wound there that ached for years. I wondered if this contract was headed the same way. Maybe it was all for naught yet again. God delivered this verse to me that morning: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

In some ways the weeks after are a blur. It felt like one big battle after another as we tried to get to closing. I referred to each challenge that arose as an “ite” (from this verse: “Today you will know that the living God is among you. He will surely drive out the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites ahead of you.” Joshua 3:10). I watched in amazement as God did drive each one out indeed.

Much like the last few weeks of pregnancy, I had forgotten how the weeks between contract acceptance and contract close feel like they will never end.

We waited and waited to hear the words “clear to close” from the bank. But they never seemed to come. Always more paperwork was needed. As soon as one set would be sent in, a whole new set would be needed. My stomach tightened every time I saw an email from the bank. I’d pray, “Lord, be with me as I read this.”

It was getting down to the wire. We needed to have the clear to close from the bank so the final papers could be drawn up in time, but there didn’t seem to be a way for it to happen. The bank was requesting a final set of papers from a far away office that no one was able to get through to. I had tried for weeks. On the phone. By mail. The bank had tried via fax, computer, still nothing. And without these papers, there would be no closing.

I had asked people in passing to pray about this dream of a home, but gave few details. I didn’t want to bother my friends who all had struggles of their own. 

Then I was faced with the possibility of us not closing on this land. I knew in my heart it was ours if we were willing to do what it took.

Finally I was ready to admit this was a spiritual battle that needed a praying army.

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 Finally I was ready to admit this was a spiritual battle that needed a praying army. Laying pride and fear aside, I sent out an email explaining this dream had come down to the wire and unless the necessary papers were somehow received by the bank in the next few hours we wouldn’t be closing like we thought. Friends, mind you, who all had struggles of their own. Things that had kept me from wanting to burden them.

Immediately I received emails back that people were praying.

In under two hours, we received an email from the bank with an all caps subject line, THE FORMS ARE BACK. The necessary forms had been faxed. I stood just shaking in my kitchen.

And a few hours past that? We got one more email, we were officially “clear to close!”

At that point, I just slid to the floor, completely overcome with God’s goodness. Thank You, Lord! He did it and my closest friends were there to bear witness as He answered our heartfelt pleas for this long awaited God-sized dream.

I kept holding back, not wanting to burden anyone with a prayer request. Especially those fighting their own battles. 

All the while it seems God was just waiting for me to invite others on the journey.

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All the while, it seems, God was just waiting for me to invite others on the journey. It was so nice being able to share in those final victories with friends…it was as if I could hear them whooping and hollering as each answer to prayer came in! God’s people helped to build our well-loved home, and I’m so grateful He wouldn’t allow it to be sold until His people were once again invited to join in!

Shared by: Christine Wright

An Enduring Love

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An Enduring LoveIf there’s one way to get me to squirm, it’s to start talking about love. I’m like a 5 year old boy. Love? Ewww. Gross! So when Love became the theme for February here at God-sized Dreams, it was a relief to be scheduled for January.

I haven’t been writing much the last year – a combination of fear and doubt wedged it’s way into any attempts – making the words too painful to write. I was certain 2016 was going to be a different year. That is until I found out the dates had shifted and I’d be writing about love!

The love month. Really? I can’t write as it is and now this.

Lovely.

I tried not to think about it too much. Then one day as I was listening to Forever by Kari Jobe (what is it with that song?) God reminded me how different His love is from the gooey Valentine’s Day love. How surrounded by His love we really are, even when we are completely unaware.

How surrounded by His love we are…even when unaware.

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 He brought to mind an example and I knew that was the love story I needed to tell.

The story starts with a church leader I did not know and had not met, at a church I did not attend. Crazy though it sounds, I knew I was being called to pray for this person. I’d pray as I drove through town, while I sat in the car pick up line at school, and went so far as to ask a few prayer warriors I knew to pray as well. I even sat in the parking lot of that church and prayed a few days before the Easter services, pretty certain I looked like a stalker. (That would have made for an awesome conversation with the police. “Hey there, Officer! Oh I’m just praying for someone I don’t know, at that church right there, that I don’t even attend. What? Why do I need to take a breathalyzer test?”)

Driving to a meeting at my own church one day, I felt a strong urge once again to start praying for this church leader. Before I knew it I was crying off my freshly applied mascara. I was glad to get to the parking lot a few minutes early so I could finish praying and do my best to clean my face. Just then a friend walked up and asked what I was doing. 

That was the day I started to question my own sanity. What was wrong with me? Was I making this whole thing up?? But still it continued.

Eventually though I no longer felt called to pray and slowly forgot about it.

Months later, I met the leader’s wife. I knew I had to share how I had been called to pray so many months earlier. Certain she would think I was a nut, I silently asked God for help, then began to explain the crazy story.  

With tears in her eyes, she shared some of what they had walked through. That it had been the hardest year they ever experienced.

I was absolutely awestruck by how much God loved them and how held they were by Him. In their time of despair, God surrounded them with His love.

In their time of despair, God surrounded them with His love.

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 While I don’t know all the ways He loved them, I do know one way for certain. He called someone, who didn’t even know them, and gave her a heart to pray. (And I have a funny feeling I wasn’t the only one.) In His grace, He gives others the opportunity to partner with Him…and then to be awed as He pours out His love.

As God-sized dreamers, we are frequently called to trust and climb, often unable to see the next step. I sometimes hold back, thinking as soon as I can see a little further, I’ll go. In this case, had I of not prayed, and instead listened to the world (why pray for someone you don’t know?), I would have missed such a glorious opportunity to see Him. Does God need our prayers? Absolutely not. Yet He beckons us to join Him on the journey! What a beautiful mystery. 

He loves us more than we could ever know, and more than we are aware of.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
Psalm 136:1

Thank You Lord, for all the ways You love us and care for us. Please open our eyes to see You and the ways You are moving in our lives. Help us to see beyond our human vision. Thank You for the amazing times the veil is thin enough to glimpse through. We are grateful for Your unending love. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

Shared by: Christine Wright

It Is For Freedom

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GSD.com post
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.
Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1 (NIV)

Recently, I have been called to pray for situations that are beyond my comprehension. I’ve tried to make sense of the news reports but I simply cannot. All I can do, having very little knowledge of the situation, is pray as God leads. Sometimes through Bible verses, sometimes through my own words. Often wondering if I’ve even heard God’s call right. Most of the times wondering why a mom in Florida would be called to pray for situations she can’t even figure out.

Although I don’t understand, I am stepping out anyway.

We are often called to do things that make no sense. Our human eyes only see a small part of the picture. But if you’re anything like me, sometimes what you feel threatens to trump what God is saying.

I read about a prayer warrior who was being trained by another prayer warrior. The mentor asked the trainee to pray and declare certain things over the state they were visiting. The trainee was horrified and told his mentor, Me? YOU know what you’re doing! YOU declare it! He did not feel ready, not to mention the mentor was a well known man of prayer. It made all the sense in the world for him to be declaring things over a state! The mentor then explained the authority to speak those words over the state had been given to the trainee, not to him. The mentor could and would pray, however he sensed God was saying the trainee was the one divinely commissioned to speak forth the message. The trainee, not fully understanding why he had been given such authority but trusting, began to pray.

Something shifted in me when I read those words. The idea of God granting authority began to grip me. Authority.

“He replied, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.’ ” Luke 10:18-20 (NIV)

If Jesus has given us authority who are we to argue and say we’re not enough? (Click to tweet) What if we are indeed given authority to speak, to write, to pray, into broken areas that will not change unless we trust enough to accept that authority? What would our lives look like if we lived that out? What would we do differently? Would we rise up, and truly accept the freedom we’ve been granted?

Reading that story depersonalized things for me. It’s about Him, not me! About what He says I can do…not what it feels like I can do. My ears may hear my mouth saying a fumbling prayer for a people far away. My mind may be thinking, “I am terrible at this!” But my spirit knows this is why I have been set free. I’ve been given authority for something beyond what I can even imagine. But it’s up to me to walk out that calling. Because what is authority if it is not used?

In doing what God has called me to do, whether I believe I am good at it or comfortable with it or even effective, Jesus is increasing and I am decreasing. As that happens, I am embracing the freedom Christ died to give us.

What is it that God is calling you to?
If you don’t yet know, ask for God’s vision, as the song in the link below says, “to see things like You do”.


God I Look to You song by Jenn Johnson, Bethel Church

Shared by: Christine Wright

It Takes a Praying Community

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it takes a praying community1

Can I share a frightening God-sized dream with you? Something that wasn’t even in my vocabulary a year ago. A dream that others in my community have had and prayed for…yet seemed like such a mystery to me.

Last year God called me to lay down the dream of this God-sized dream website. I didn’t understand it but I knew I was hearing correctly. There was a comfort in that, despite being unsure of the next phase. Even though I trusted God and felt sure it was the right step, I cried waves of tears. I mourned the loss of a dream I never expected to be taken away so soon. And then I cried because I wondered if such a reaction meant I was more in love with the dream than the Dream Giver? {Lord, please forgive me.}

I had a strong leading God was calling me home to something local and I shared that with friends, but there was a little something more.

“Local, but global.”

…is what I walked around saying…and not understanding.

“Local, but global.”

Usually followed by this thought…”That is crazy!”

The stirring to lay the site down began in full force in September 2014 (as my church participated in Mark Batterson’s Draw the Circle 40 day Prayer Challenge). I finally admitted it out loud in October. In November, my city was hit with tragedy. Shootings at Florida State University and days later, a sheriff’s deputy was ambushed and killed. God had already given me a heart for my city and state, but then it simply broke open.

None of this was a surprise to God however. Looking back, it is clear He was gathering the saints to pray. In December 2013, a prayer group led by a woman named Dena, at a nearby church, prayed for revival and that the churches would come together. Weeks later, a man named Bob from the church I attend, began to feel so moved to act on a specific idea the Lord had given him. An idea to bring the churches together for a neighborhood faith festival (he had spent months trying to push it aside, thinking it was too big for him). Pastors began to meet and pray and plan and in June 2014, a festival called Power in the Park happened, bringing together eight churches.

I had some extra time on the morning of the Power in the Park event and went earlier than my assigned shift. I was sent to help in the church info tent, and took a seat next to Dena, the leader from the prayer group that had begun praying in December 2013 that the churches would come together. We talked about God and His Word and prayer, through almost two shifts! I felt like I’d found a long lost friend!

Fast forward to December 2014.  In a meeting over coffee, in a matter of hours, a God-sized dream was born! Dena, Luanne (the Assistant Pastor from the church I attend), and myself were witnesses to the birth of a dream. A God-sized dream for the churches to gather and pray for revival in Tallahassee…in Florida…and the Nation.

God is making a way and the churches have started meeting monthly for worship and prayer. We gather with our brothers and sisters in Christ and we pray for God to pour out His Spirit on our town. We pray for release from darkness for the captives. We stand in the gap for our city…state…nation (as one pastor said it, we allow God to draw the boundary lines). It’s so exciting to see how God is moving!

It takes a praying community to birth a God-sized dream like this! (<=== Tweet this)

 

(While I highlighted only very briefly a small part of the story, there have been many faithful people whose prayers over the years and decades (and beyond!) have brought this story together.)

Shared by: Christine Wright

When God Calls You to Lay Down the Dream

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Laying down the dream

I recently came across my bucket list. Written years ago, at a time I was feeling desperately stuck, I had a vague anticipation something was on the horizon. My day to day situation seemed so bleak though. I knew God could restore what the locusts had eaten (Joel 2:25), but to be honest, I was nearing the end of my rope.

I remember sitting at my kitchen table creating the list. A list of dreams so big, even writing them down seemed silly. Things I thought I might never be brave enough to try, or even have the chance.

Reading back over the first one gave me goose bumps…

1.) Sailing…serious sailing, in a beautiful, big sailboat with the owner…not just on a rented cruise.

I never could have known God was preparing, even then, to take me on quite a sailing adventure.

When I wrote that dream down I was thinking of sailing in the conventional sense…gorgeous white boat, sails full of wind, unending turquoise sea. Not understanding I would set sail from my computer! Alongside so many brave women (and a few men) from around the world. That the white boat would actually be my black laptop, and the turquoise sea, a vast place called the “internet.” Surrounded by so many dreamers who get it. Readers and writers – who know first hand how hard and beautiful the journey is. Encouraging each other…as the Holy Spirit filled the sails.

Not to mention, sailing with the True Owner of the ship.  

Who knew you could sail without leaving the land? (<=== Click to tweet)

This little corner of the web has also been my safe harbor. It’s because of you I was finally able to relax into who God made me to be. The good and the not-so-good parts. To finally accept my identity in Christ.

So, what I’ve been called to do is difficult.

In going through the Mark Batterson Draw the Circle prayer journey, first over the summer and again in the fall, I started to feel a funny little tug that at first I ignored! It was crazy. (Real crazy – not just normal crazy – ha!) Except it got stronger and I finally knew what God was calling me to do.

To step down from leading the God-sized Dreams website.

I cried and cried, wondering how can God give a dream for such a short time, but we (of all people!) know that is the path dreams take at times.  Having to lay down the dream of the God-sized Dreams website – oh, I know there are so many lessons there – but truly at first my heart was just so heavy with mourning. It was hard to process. Even typing this still gets the tears going, but it’s often the detours that make life a grand adventure with Him. I love what God says in Genesis 15:1, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.” (<=== Click to tweet)

Moving forward, Kristin Smith will be Executive Editor, with Delonna Gibbs and Alecia Simersky serving as Managing Editors.  Praise God – His plan is so good!!

I truly feel God has a remarkable team of leaders hand-selected for this site. Each one has such a heart for supporting God-sized dreamers, in many different ways (missions, prayer, encouragement, etc., etc.), all complimenting each other beautifully.

God bless Kristin, Delonna, and Alecia for being so brave to say yes to this call. I know God has called each one of them for a divinely inspired reason – it will be beautiful to watch it all unfold.

I will stay on as a writer but I’m going to take a little time off. When I started to hear God’s call to lay the site down, I had a feeling I was being called to something “locally,” but didn’t know much beyond that. Just a sense that I had to let go of things first – to make room for what was to come – even though it sounded crazy to be making room for something that didn’t even exist! Oh, the joys of God-sized dreaming! Ha!

Thank you for a wonderful journey! Thank you for the comments, emails, tweets, Facebook comments, etc. I have cried and danced and cheered along with you! Big thanks to Holley Gerth, who taught us the importance of obedience and helped us all set sail in the first place. Gindi Vincent and Kristin Smith, thank you for giving tirelessly, at all hours, for this dream. God knew I would need help and He sent the best! And this dream wouldn’t exist without the writing team – I am grateful for each one of you! Anyone who doesn’t think it’s possible to meet friends on the internet, need only meet this team. One last thank you, to the “Wild 99” (the name Chelle Wilson gave to the original crew of 99 dreamers), for your prayers and support.

I simply cannot wait to see what God has in store for His God-sized dreamers in 2015! Love you all!

Shared by: Christine Wright

Photo Credit: Unsplash

When God Writes Your Spiritual Resume

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God was building her spiritual resume. www.Godsizeddreams.com[pinit count=”horizontal”]

I can see it in her eyes. The chronic pattern of inaction is dulling their sparkle. God is calling her to jump but she just can’t take that step. The call is only getting stronger, but so is the fear.

She’s been equipped in countless ways. Divinely chosen for such a time as this. It’s clear to those around her but still she hesitates.

Still she questions….what if I jump only to realize I was wrong? Underprepared? Or worse yet, the wrong person for the task?

She has spent hour upon hour talking with Jesus – sitting at His feet. When it looked to most as if nothing special was happening, something was growing within her. Everything in preparation for her calling. That time was anything but ordinary.

In each challenge, each joy, even in times best described as dark nights of the soul, God was building her spiritual resume. <=== Click to tweet

Unlike typical resumes posted on LinkedIn for the world to scroll through, this is something far more precious.

This resume, much like a house the Lord builds, is one that stands the test of time. It’s not built on shifting sand, prone to rise and fall according to what the world markets say. It’s not dependent on how much training she has had in the latest technology (only to be considered out of date by the time the class ends). It doesn’t even take into account what her formal education looks like. (Or doesn’t look like.)

In fact, it’s built by saying:

Here Am I. Send me!

The significance our spiritual resume carries is dependent on our saying yes to the One who is writing it. <=== Click to tweet

My friend’s fear? Ultimately, it’s that she is not enough. That she will step out, in view of everyone, only to fail. She is somewhat risk averse by nature and here’s the rub: there is no way to do what Jesus is calling her to do and not take a risk.  A big risk.

So, she’s left with two options. Say no and chose safety or say yes and chose faith.

Say yes, leave it all behind and follow Him. Risking crazy looks and comments from those who are still striving to build their worldly resumes.

Or say no (or not yet, or maybe one day, or I’m just not ready – each one still a version of no). Not have to wonder if she’ll fall. Quickly finding an array of distractions to occupy her time. She’ll gain the whole world, losing her soul in the process. She’ll do her best to shove that resume out of sight, but Jesus will never take His eyes off of her.  

After some length of time, she’ll begin to realize there’s just no way a temporary world can satisfy a permanent longing. She’ll wonder if it’s too late, if somehow a calling can be missed and ask for forgiveness. He will assure her she is forgiven and it’s not too late.

Her eyes bright and heart pounding, off that cliff she’ll jump. Hand in hand with Jesus.

And the resume writing will continue once again.

__________________________

Here is a beautiful song by Plumb…very fitting for today’s post!

Shared by: Christine Wright

Sometimes Dancing Like David Leads to the Supreme Court

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Be still, and know that I am God;[pinit count=”horizontal”]

My dad had a saying, “Don’t follow the herd.” It was his way of saying it’s ok to be your own person. To take a different path. Sounds nice now, but it was slightly annoying when repeated SO OFTEN, especially when I was a teenager. But without realizing it, those words gave me strength to say no to a lot growing up. The idea of doing something just because everyone else was, was (usually) not a motivating factor for me. While I certainly didn’t prefer it, I was able to stand alone if need be.

I could never have known then how those years were preparing me for the times I’d be called to go a different way or do a different thing. The times of sideways glances from those who thought I was a little too into “this whole God thing.” Days when I felt alone, even in my own family and among my friends. Even the times I felt alone among fellow Christians.

I was at a prayer conference recently and heard Dick Eastman speak. He is the president of Every Home for Christ, as well as former chairman of America’s National Prayer Committee. A mighty prayer warrior.

In 1984, Eastman said he felt led to spend 24 hours audibly praising the Lord. A very different thing indeed! He’d never been called to this before and wasn’t even sure he could do it. He wrote out note cards full of Bible verses to help him when the time came.

While on a business trip to Washington, D.C., with an whole day free on his calendar, he knew the time had arrived!

After praising the Lord all morning and afternoon, he had grown horse from speaking so long. Eastman had found a wooded area to walk through, and about the time his voice was done and he ran out of things to pray (he’d prayed through his note cards 6-7 times each), a thought came to him.

He told God he had never danced for Him before and wasn’t even sure how. But he wanted to. (Think David’s dance in 2 Samuel 6:14.)  And despite being unsure of himself, he did it. In an open field, Dick Eastman whirled and twirled for the Lord for five minutes!

After explaining to the Lord he wasn’t even sure if he did it right, He felt the Lord reply “You’ll never know how happy that made Me!”

The next day Eastman’s schedule included going to the Supreme Court to pray. He walked in and, as best he could, tried to conceal what he was doing from the guards. Using phone booths, even bathroom stalls as prayer closets! It was less than ideal, but better than nothing.

Later that evening, at a meeting, he met a young woman whose father worked at the Supreme Court…and had access to every single office and room. Though her, he was able to gain access to the entire building! Talk about a God-sized dream!

A few months later, when he came back to town, the entire Supreme Court building — every judge’s office — was prayed through by Dick Eastman!

The best part was the unbelievable ways the prayers he prayed that day, were answered over the following years!

Eastman is convinced the two events, his unabashed dancing in that field and subsequently, praying throughout the entire Supreme Court, were connected. I agree!

Mark Batterson says, in Draw the Circle, “We never know how or when or where a move of God might begin.” It’s unlikely Eastman thought a move of God would begin that very day, as he did what he felt led by God to do. But he stepped out and was obedient, even though the call was to something unconventional.

Over the summer, while at a Panera one morning, I was approached by a woman who needed help. In the course of talking with her, I could sense God wanted me to ask if she’d like me to pray for her. And I mean pray. Like not just take a prayer request, and promise to pray later.  Pray right then and there.

In front of the big Panera window.

The busiest one in my town.

With all the serious looking business people.

OH, LORD.

But I did.

I stepped far out of my comfort zone and asked if she would like to pray. You could see the relief just come over her.

And a little later, that very morning, God starting moving and opening doors for my daughter to change schools. And that new school? Turns out it no longer had a Moms in Prayer program.

But now it does. Another new mom and I meet every week to pray. Isn’t God awesome?

I am fully convinced, had I not dared to trust God and follow His lead, and instead let the world lead me, I would be missing out on so much. Because it’s not that God in any way needed me to pray in front of that Panera, it’s that He invited me to take part in His incredible story. (<=== Tweet that) And that’s an invitation to a dream we just can’t refuse!

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” Psalm 46:10 (ESV)

Shared by: Christine Wright

Photo Credit: Jake Givens via Unsplash

The Times I Almost Turned Back

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The Times I Almost Turned Back[pinit count=”horizontal”]

She certainly didn’t mean any harm, but her words stung.  Sitting across the table she voiced her opinion on divorced families.  Nothing personal of course.  She didn’t even know I was divorced.  I wasn’t comfortable enough to speak up, but what I did do was decide that group was not for me.

I promised myself I wouldn’t go back.

Never desiring to write, I remember the dread that loomed.  It was only a couple of paragraphs, explaining an upcoming gathering.  How hard could it be?  But at the time it might as well have been a novel.  It was done and circulated, only to have someone so upset by what I’d written, they came in person to complain.

And I told myself I’d never write like that again.

When we were in the design phase of this very website and my mouth could not find the words to describe the vision my heart could so plainly see, I felt desperate.  I wasn’t a website guru or even slightly talented at this sort of thing.  So totally out of my element, I would cry out to God, but nothing seemed to give.  As the months went by, rather than getting better, the whole process grew more difficult.  Finally one day, when my hope grew too thin, I reminded God this wasn’t even my God-sized dream to begin with. {Ouch!}

And I cried out, maybe He should look for someone else, because I was done.

In each one, I began to walk in another direction, but God.  He had a different plan.

That group I swore I’d never return to?  I did return.  And found the dearest, kindest group of women imaginable.  And realized, we all have things to learn.  And during that very study, I overcame a massive fear, and found the strength to follow what I absolutely know was God’s call to have another baby.  Something I had feared and said (for years) I would not do.

And that writing?  In the most unbelievable of situations, as I was praying and crying out to God for healing, that very night my path intersected with the person who had raised concern over what was written.  We met for the first time.  I found out it was a misunderstanding and have been friends ever since.  I still cannot believe God would orchestrate such a beautiful, redemptive ending to that story.  And by His mercy, He sees fit to give me words that string together into writings – something I didn’t think I’d ever be brave enough again to try.

And the website design dilemma?  Oh, friend, I am grateful God didn’t let me give up.  It came together (after more tears than I thought possible), and has united so many dreamers!  Maybe God had me feel each and every labor pain of the dream so I could better encourage others one day! (<==== Click to tweet)  So I would truly know what it felt like to dream against the odds.

Three different times in my life.  And in each one, I finally threw in the towel.  Said things like: Enough, I’m done, I give up.

Only God said something different.

He pulled me close and assured me: I AM enough.

But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
2 Corinthians 12:9

And that was what I needed to go back, dry my tears (for a little bit!), and see His amazing work unfold before my very eyes.

Oh, the things I would have missed had I not believed Him!  (<==== Click to tweet)

Is there something (a situation, a person) that’s causing you to turn back?  What is it that God’s saying?

Shared by Christine Wright

Hope Waits

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You are Loved[pinit count=”horizontal”]

I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Psalm 27:13 (KJV)

Barely making it home before the tears hit, I was grateful for the peace of my closet.  In a small house, sometimes that’s the only place to really have a good cry.  And cry I did.  I cried and prayed and poured everything out to God.

It was only 8:30am, but already that morning, I’d had time to wonder if Psalm 27:13 might not be my life verse?  I’d said it so many times over the last few days and weeks, but that morning it was the only thing keeping me going.

Over and over I repeated David’s words.  Things looked terrible yet I hoped one day it would be better.

___________________________

In a string of difficult years, this year has been one of the most challenging.  And it’s led me to wonder, many times, is it possible to keep God-sized dreaming when we’re in the valley?

I’ve watched God take my struggles and turn them around.  Not take them away always, but use them for good.  I’ve seen Him use the lowest points in my life as the groundwork for my God-sized dreams. (<==== Click to tweet)  And I say that from the battlefield.  Not cleaned up, post-victory.

Since I was divorced 12 years ago, mothering has become a challenge beyond what I can put into words.  Divorce adds a huge wrench into a family dynamic, which gets further compounded by non-communication.

As a direct result of these mothering challenges, I turned to prayer.  Five years ago, I began to make prayer a priority because I was desperate for change in my family – but little did I know the change it would bring to me.

Never did I realize over the years how my God-sized dream would evolve into something involving prayer.

For the past three years, I’ve been praying with a Moms in Prayer group on Sundays at my church.  For the first year, I’d have stomach pains from the time I woke up on Sunday morning, I’d be so worried about praying out loud.  This fall, I’ll be leading a group.  Only God could take a binding fear, deliver us, and turn it into a place of victory. (<==== Click to tweet)

______________________

That morning in my closet, I poured it all out to God, and suddenly felt a lifting of my sorrow.  It wasn’t gone entirely, but it was as if the heaviness was off.  The burden had been released. It was then I felt these words in my spirit, “Go clean your closet.”

Now, if you know me at all, you know this was not me thinking up these words.  I have more of a “clean your closet only when the door no longer shuts” mentality.  And maybe not even then.

However, I was so grateful to be released from that terrible sadness I actually got to work cleaning my closet!

I pulled out lots of random things – and one was the swag bag from Allume 2013.  I’d taken out what I could use immediately upon returning, then set it in my closet only to have piles grow on top of it.  I opened the bag, and out came an item.  The tag read, You Are Loved.  Then I saw the reason I needed to clean my closet.  The tag was attached to a plaque that said:

hope waits

Hope waits
Psalm 27:13

 Shared by: Christine Wright