![]() The past few days before launching into 2015, the Lord began dropping into my spirit what lies ahead for us as this year unfolds. At the end of this writing you will find scriptures that go along with what the Lord released to me, as well as a phrase per day to ponder over the next several days. We know that the Hebrew year 5775 began late September and continues as we round the corner into our new Roman calendar year anticipating God's ongoing heart for His people. The following is what I sense the Lord will continue to release in 2015: In 2015 we will arise above to the place of the rest of the Lord and be able to think, process far more clearly and enter into literal obtaining, grasping, apprehending, laying hold of and seeing our promises be made manifest into reality with fruitfulness that we have been longing and waiting for. We enter 2015 with a knowing by faith saying, "It has begun in a new way," as well as we will say as the year progresses, "(A new season of reaping) It has begun in a new way." This year will usher in the unfolding of the new provision over a lengthy spans. Whereas, before many were in a type of survival mode, trying to navigate carefully and not be blown away by the strong winds of adversity that were blowing, obtaining and reaping will begin in a new way. There will be turbulence in the earth, yet God is causing His people to enter in to obtain in these months, lifting the yoke of discouragement and heaviness that has been upon His people who have been waiting for their promise to come to pass. Joy will begin to return. (Psalm 126) Also, many in the body of Christ who thought they were written off as not making a perceived, "A team," and who were discouraged, be encouraged by the following: The Lord has had you practicing alongside other players, those in the body of Christ who are and were leaders and in the forefront all along. Yet, in this hour as we round the corner into 2015, He is issuing to you as your Coach (analogy I see as vision) an invitation to play on His field, His harvest field. He is pointing to players who felt they missed making the team or those who have felt, "benched," to enter His field to play on His NOW appointed team in His field of harvest. It's time. You may be playing in the same place, but with new clusters or groupings of people. Watch for new assignment invitations and pleasant collaborations you did not expect. Some collaborations, however, will not be necessarily pleasant at the time, but by participating in them it will bring you to a higher level, catapulting you beyond a roadblock that you had previously struggled with and had asked God to help you to overcome. Know that He comes in answer to those prayers through these collaborations or networks. Be sensitive to His leading and discern those that you are to accept. Not all of them will be for you. Discern with anticipation, expectancy and joy. You have been prepared. He will fill you with His now Word. Everywhere you turn will require a now word, but do not worry, for the Holy Spirit will fill your mouth when each now word is called for (Mt. 10:19). Your dream was not aborted and is alive. Grieve no more! Arise in joy that you are chosen, you are included and He is calling upon you this year, pointing your way for you to arise. The favor of the Lord rests upon you. Also, though you have been strong in the past and have been noted by others and by fruitfulness of your life as walking in particular giftings or offices, you will need to pull up your bootstraps to strengthen for higher places of walking, operating, playing on the NOW playing field and new or increased places of authority that are coming to you. New positions will require increased muscle and strength than was required where you operated in old positions or levels prior. This is natural with increase and with doing new things. Be strong in the Lord and the power of His might (Dt. 31:6; Ps. 31:24; Eph. 6:10). Revisit the ways you remained in strength in the past and up your game in those areas. Also, be sensitive to the Holy Spirit as He guides you in acclimating. He may have you release or let go of some old ways of acclimating to new and increase and add new ways, but some will definitely overlap. You may well have to battle initially to acclimate to the new altitude of operating where God has called you to. Yes, this is a year of increase and increase in fruitfulness that you will being to see unfold. The year 2015 will be the beginning of obtaining, opening up to a stretch of time where laying hold of the blessings, God's call on your life, your promise, the promise outcomes and tangible and measurable fruitfulness will begin to unfold. Remember, as in higher altitudes in the natural can cause lightheadedness and being out of breath due to the thinness of the air, you will have to acclimate as you "make the climb" this year. You are more than capable (Phil. 4:13) and part of that acclimating successfully will be realizing that you have been being prepared all along. This isn't entirely new to you, but some of the activities you will be called upon, invited to engage in at the prompting of the Holy Spirit, will be new. You just will have to apply "steady as she goes," consistently acclimating to these higher places of faith and action/doing that the Lord God invites you into. You will receive many invitations this year, new invitations. Though your natural reaction will be to hesitate, saying, "I have never done that specific thing before," or, "Wait until I master it," step through those doors with joy and say, "Yes." There is reward beyond the door for you (Mat.19:26; Luke 1:34-38). Remain in joy and cast off fear. Fear loves to try to jump us, but get into the habit of shaking it off, almost an attitude of, "Oh, it's you again!" Do not show hospitality to fear. Too often when we have a gift of hospitality we mistakenly cast a general net out of hospitality to anyone and anything. That is incorrect teaching and it is cheesy, unrealistic Christianity in operation at the very least. But, you need to selectively exercise your gift of hospitality, turning away from you fear and negativity, self-doubt, worries, wrong networks, etc. (Read my blog, "How To Avoid the Costly Mistakes of Self-Sabotage") This is a year to pay attention to what is at the door of your life. Ask God to open your eyes to see and discern in a keener way. Show lavish hospitality to love, joy, peace, positivity, kindness and the 9 fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23). Cultivate those at the leadership of Holy Spirit and be lavish in your giving of those to yourself and others, as well. The more you pour out, the more you find that you have. That is how it works when we walk according to the Spirit. Jesus wouldn't point to you or call you out if He didn't know that you had what it takes to fill the position. He has been preparing you all of this time. Go for it! Pray for wisdom, strength, joy and courage in new ways to be applied to your life. Increased wisdom will be vital to apply every step along the way. Ask God what to release as you move forward, because you won't be able to carry everything that you did before, plus step into the NOW NEW. Some of the NEW may simply be INCREASE in the activity for the position you now hold, are at the helm of, or are participating in. Remember, you have got what it takes. Expect to be STRETCHED beyond the capacity that you thought you could be as you go along. Don't quit. Stay the course. It will pay off. You will see benefits from it in many ways and from many directions. Scriptures: Dt. 31:6; Ps. 31:24; Eph. 6:10; Mt. 19:26; Luke 1:34-38; Isaiah 41:10; Mt. 10:19; Habakkuk 2:2-3; Galatians 5:22-23; Psalm 126 (all); Isaiah 45:1-3; Ezekiel 47:1-5 "Become! Become! And love ME with ALL YOU BECOME!" "I'm doing it....I'm really doing it, Lord!" "Your soul will not falter, your steps will not fail when you are lost in My Love." "Today I hear You say, 'Go higher!'" "The altitude is great up here, Lord!" "You picked the right person....that's my passion, Lord!" "I make myself available to You today." Phrases taken from Conversations With God (Series I) by Dayna Belcher, (c) 2009 Photo credits: Deposit Photos
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![]() Through the years and in different seasons of living, my time spent alone with God in prayer and meditating on Scripture has been distinctly varied. There were seasons "before children," when I was teaching in public school, that I would stay up until 3:00 a.m. learning to hear from God, writing music and praying. Then, the next day I would get up in time to go teach an honors music class before regular school hours started. The love I had for God and the joy and zeal from our time together was more than enough fuel for each day. Here's a glimpse of some of my private worship in that particular season.... "As the lily bows its head I yield to You Like the leaf falls from the tree I fall before You Oh, Lord My God, I give my life to You. As morning's promise of the dew I wait for You Like the cloud that waits to see the sun again. Oh, Lord My God on You I'll trust and depend. Oh, Lord live in me. Live through me as You have promised. Oh, Lord reach someone today. Let me cross their way in You." In another season, I home schooled our sons and my husband traveled quite a bit. It was during those years that my alone time with God seemed more like a game of musical chairs....start, stop, start...stop. I had to grab cognitive God-moments in between living out our very tight family schedule. I think a valuable lesson I learned from those times, was to just go with it and not be critical of myself or the season we were in. I knew that over time things would change, and, they did. God knew and I still felt His nearness. Here was some of my personal worship during that season.... "I couldn't wait to get here just to run into Your Presence! I couldn't wait to get here just to seek Your face. I couldn't wait to get here just to feel Your Mighty Power. I couldn't wait to get here just to feel Your warm embrace. You see, my heart ran faster than my feet they ever could! I just had to be near You! I just had to be near You, Lord! I couldn't wait!" These days, I love arising in the morning to keep my daily appointments with God. While my body processes past grogginess, my spirit leaps in anticipation of our time together. I truly sense God's presence and His mutual anticipation. The coffee gets clicked on and my Best Book gets cracked open. Out of all the Bibles I have, my NIV study Bible that was gifted to me from a friend years ago, is my favorite Bible to read and spend time in. Being a pastoral family, we have many Bibles in our home, including Bible on iphone, but I love the feel of the real-deal in my hands and the turning of actual pages. I have marked this one throughout with dates when Scriptures 3D-'d off of the pages at me and highlighted meaningful and favorite passages, along with my handwritten notes scribbled off to the side in the margins from my time spent with my God & Amazing Friend. Those times are indescribable, rich and fulfilling to my soul....an unending water Source in the dry desert of living. Here's another peek at my personal worship that I wrote, which we sing at our church.... "Fill me up with Your wisdom and power. Fill me up, Lord, in this hour. Fill me up, Oh, Lord, by Your holy hand. Lord, I am thirsty in the land! Oh, Lord, I am thirsty in the land! Living Water flowing to me. Living Water flowing through me. Living Water flowing to me. Living Water flowing through me. Fill me up! Fill me up! Fill me up!" He is our unending Source. The book of Revelation tells us that we can drink freely from the River of Life! May God increase us in our intimate time of prayer, worship and reading His Word, filling us up to pour us out into the earth for His glory! ![]() What you don't know about self-sabotage can hurt you and your relationships with others.I want to shine light on the following, "How To Avoid Costly Mistakes of Self-Sabotage" tips: Focus on the positive in other people. The very thing you criticize another for may well be what you yourself will encounter. I have found often what I criticize someone else for, I seem to encounter. Hmm, could God be saying something? Perhaps, "Walk a mile in their shoes," or, "Judge not." Do we judge someone else in the name of expressing our opinion? I have really tried to break that habit as of the last several years, not that I am perfect at it. But, I do try to catch myself before I do. From my vantage, there is nothing wrong with being silent, or conveniently removing yourself from a conversation. Even the use of humor is a great deflection or disarming tool to employ if others bring something up something negative about another person. Another option might be to change the subject to something amazing and engaging. Or, try an, "I'll pass," if tempted to enter into a gossip fest. Seek rest for your mind and soul. Know that quiet is okay. There doesn't always have to be conversation with others or thoughts flying 90 miles per hour in your mind. Multi-tasking is good and has its place, but peace and rest for your soul is vital to learn to dwell in even in the midst of activity going on around you. I encourage you to make that a goal to let perfect love and peace be your dwelling place in God in your daily living experience. Every single person on the face of the earth faces challenges and problems, but it is how we choose to deal with them that determines our level of success in overcoming or navigating our way through them. Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT) 28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Philippians 4:8 (NLT) 8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Realize that some things just aren't personal or (are you ready for this?) even about you or me. Enjoy your inner peace and joy. Taking everything personally sets us up for failure….ie…wearing your emotions on your shirt sleeve and living reactionary by nature. We've heard the phrase, "Not everything is about you." That should be a comfort to you. You don't always have to be, "on." Enjoy people and be with them while someone else may be, "on." You choose how you will view each day. The character, Eeyore, from Winnie the Pooh incessantly focuses on the negative. Even sunshiny days are perceived as gloomy through his eyes! Know that there are good days. There are bad days. A day does not a lifetime make. Remain positive even through the processing, through the progress, the learning and even seasons of pain, whether emotional, physical or mental. Trash the fear talk. "What ifs?" and "This or that might happen," justifications of why or why not someone should put on hold or avoid trying a particular new venture altogether needs to be trashed. It doesn't matter if it is your own self-talk or coming from another person. Trash the fear talk and move forward. Pick a new role for yourself. Playing Velma or Vernon the VICTIM is not for you! Cancel your subscription to, "I'm a victim," phrases from your past or current situation. Change your perspective from victim to, "I'm processing through to Victor," even if it's one step at a time! Let go of rehearsing ill-health symptoms play-by-play. Have you ever known people who have difficulty connecting with others in conversation on any topic but ill health? (And, usually, it is their own!) Does it make you want to engage with them or turn and walk the other way when you see them coming? Of course, life is real and there are truly times we are down in some way, whether recovering from illness or a negative life event or tragedy. Remaining there in conversation is an act of self-sabotage in relating to others. On the flipside of someone experiencing true illness, we have all encountered a person, perhaps more than one, who journeys through life as a hypochondriac. That is a person who is abnormally anxious about their health. They have such fear that they are ill or will become ill that they hyper-focus on their bodies. In relating to others that won't fly well. Close the "Dump." Does it seem that there are people who surely must see a sign over your head that reads, "CITY DUMP--DUMP HERE," when they see you coming? Some people unload all their negative stuff that is going wrong or bad on others, sometimes all in one conversation! Perhaps we think, "Here comes Bad News Betty again," when we see or hear her coming! All she talks about is what is going wrong in her life. If that individual insists on that being the dynamic of your relating to each other, simply make yourself unavailable or make it inconvenient for that person to be in your presence to dump on you. Close the dump! Show interest in others. Showing interest in others is common courtesy. Relating to and with people is a give and take in healthy relationships, not just one-sided. Knowing, first of all, what level of relationship you are in with that individual helps to determine how personal or non-personal to keep your conversation. This could be skewed in a multiplicity of ways. Business is business. Then, there are business friendships, acquaintances, casual friends, close friends, best friends, opposite gender friends and same gender friends. The list could go on. The important thing is to show interest in others at any level of relating. It is an act of kindness and a loving thing to do. Learn to ask questions about them, their interests, their work, their life updates, etc. Keep a cheerful, "No, thank you!" in your pocket. If you're a fan of western movies, then you most definitely have heard in a pre-gunfight scene, "Hold it right there. Don't move!" So, lovingly I say to you, "Hold it! Don't be moved from your place of joy and peace," even in annoying situations. At the risk of sounding Pollyanna-ish, here is an easily-overlooked, simple tip, that is profoundly impacting upon you AND the one to whom you are speaking. It is a great tip for managing your emotions in potentially annoying situations. An example might be when you are shopping and pass a kiosk with a salesperson calling out to you to purchase something or perhaps you are shopping and a sales clerk asks if you would like to buy extra products or open a charge account? Rather than feeling irritated, you can simply (literally) raise the pitch of your voice to a higher tone, smile and say, "No, thank you," cheerfully. No guilt, just cheer for both you and the listener. Your, "No" doesn't have to be gruff, angry or impatient. You can literally remain in joy and peace within yourself and say a cheery, "No, thank you." It's as simple as that. I recall taking a summer eurhythmics course under Dr. Robert Abramson, a dance instructor from New York City. He said, "Learn to say, 'No,' with a smile." What about those annoying telephone calls that catch you off guard? Remain in peace and joy with your simple, cheerful (even if forced), "No thank you." The point here is to not be moved from your inner place of peace and rest because something or someone has irritated or annoyed you. The smile is for you, as well as the listener. There are definite times and places to appropriately respond in a gruff and definitive, "I mean what I say and that's, NO!" response when you feel danger or threatened in some way. Common sense and discernment would be your guide in those situations. I hope these, "How To Avoid Costly Mistakes Of Self-Sabotage," tips will serve as a guide to being good to yourself and more positively engaging with those you encounter. |
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