Tag: atmosphere

revisiting how to shift the atmosphere

Karla Lees

Author’s note: This piece was first shared here on my blog, and has become the number one blog post I have ever written. I believe this is due to the fact many of us feel helpless when we suddenly find ourselves in situations without knowing how to handle them. He often reminds me of the lessons I learned in this post when I succumb to allowing my emotions to lead me instead of His Word. May He continue to direct us as we continue to invite Him in to every moment of our lives.

Be a thermostat & not a thermometer. Change the atmosphere around you with your attitude rather than just reflecting circumstances all day. –Sandi Krakowski

Tired of walking into a live drama?
Feel like you are stuck in a sitcom you can’t escape?
Sick of being a survivor?

If you are ready to take action, there are three ways to change the atmosphere wherever you are:

1. Own your part.

I have finally learned it is okay to get along with everyone. Being respectful, honoring and kind does not mean I agree with other people’s decisions or behavior. It means I choose to make relationship a priority, not agreement.

If I am in a crappy mood, or feeling low, I need to deal with my stuff before I am around other people again. Even if it’s a quick bathroom break to pray, refocus & find peace – make the time to name it, own it & deal with it.

It takes two to make drama. If you are calm, that alone can cool a hot situation down.

2. Shift the atmosphere.

I have learned from experience that we can sometimes pick up on other people’s vibes, even when they haven’t spoken a word. As an intuitive person, this can lead me to wild imaginative scenarios playing out in my mind if I am not careful.

If someone around me is irate, upset, depressed or cranky, I now immediately pause to pray, something like this:

“Holy Spirit, Your Word says You live in me, Your temple. I do not want to partner with anything that is not from You. I ask You to be my Shield right now, and I send this ____________(name what you are sensing) back to the person sending it out there. May Your peace reign in this room, right now. I invite Your Presence, and blessing, in the name of Jesus.”

I will share two examples of how I have seen this work in my life.

My hardworking hubby was really cranky about some last minute work changes to his day, and his displeasure & anger was ringing out loud in our car. I turned my head to the right, muttered a similar prayer to the one I wrote above. Lo & behold, within a minute, my hubby calmed completely down and was at peace again. My hubby & kids asked me later what I had done, so I shared it with them. Our home has been a lot calmer ever since, and we react more appropriately to each other when someone is upset now. God can change the atmosphere when we invite Him into any situation.

There was an irate customer one day who wasn’t being very pleasant with their language at work. I prayed the above first, then slid over to support my coworker on the receiving end of their unpleasantness. The customer immediately calmed down as I spoke back the “clean” version of what I was hearing, and they realized they were being heard. My coworker had become quiet in their shock. Now, this customer only has smiles on their face when they come in that workplace, because God broke off whatever was trying to target my coworker when I invited His presence to shield and go before us.

3. Don’t stay if you sense you need to leave.

You may be in a good head space, and have prayed the above prayer, and still feel a bit off.

This is either God or fear telling you it is time to leave.

Fear isn’t from God, so if you ask God if this impulse is from Him, and you don’t get an answer, you need to deal with this fear. Now.
Ask God to kick it out, and stop giving it a listen. You may need need to make a mental note to revisit this at another time and uproot it, but blocking its ability to speak in the moment is a critical step.

If God is telling you to leave, He is trying to shield you, protect you from something you may not be aware of, but He certainly is. Obey.

If you claim to be His follower, then follow where He is leading, even when you don’t know why.

In those moments when I have obeyed without knowing why, I have to trust He knows better and has good plans for me. I no longer worry if this may offend others. I used to, and realized my overdeveloped desire to please had left me exposed in situations I should have never been in, resulting in avoidable wounds.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12 ESV

So to recap, to change a situation:

  • Own your part. It takes two to tango. Take control of yourself by tapping in to his Presence to help you discern what’s going on.
  • Shift the atmosphere by allowing the Spirit to shield you.
  • Follow as He leads. When He says go, move. Every time, even when you don’t know why.

As you seek Him everywhere You go, remember His Presence is with you, always actively ready to guide & help as we tune in.

It’s time to show His reflection, instead of our reaction.

praise and worship to change the atmosphere

Karla Lees

Praise and worship arrest the atmosphere that is constantly whispering fear, failure and regret.  Lisa Bevere

These past few weeks, God has been whispering to me to listen before I speak, even more He ever has before.

When I get that email which causes my anxiety level to soar in an instant.

When I remember something I had forgotten to do, and am unsure how to handle my disappointment with myself.

When I knew I blew it, and the enemy blows a sense of heightened fear onto the reality that I failed.

Maybe you too can relate.

Instead of immediately reacting, I have been stepping into a new way to handle these kind of situations, which inevitably happen to all of us at one time or another. (Even more if you live, work or hang out with people on a daily basis. Which is most of us!)

I put on my praise and worship pants.

I step into the wonder and awe of my More than Enough, and leave the atmosphere of failure and not enough in my rearview mirror:

  • I proclaim God for who He is.
  • I keep my eyes fixed on His ways.
  • I set my heart to seek His heart for me, His heart for those I interact with or encounter.
  • I choose to focus on what I do know instead of the what ifs and all the other questions which tend to pop into our mind in stressful situations.
  • I sing, write, draw, sit in quiet as I feel lead, and listen for His direction and prompts.

But first and foremost, i remind myself who is with me.

Who lives within me and walks with me.

And as His temple, I don’t want to willingly partner with anything that will make me less of a host to the Holy Ghost.

So I proclaim I am His, and I am refusing to allow anything that does not come through His hands into my temple.

And I send it back to where it has come from.

As I do, He shifts the atmosphere to that of His Kingdom.

And fear, worry, anxiety, lies, failure and regret ebb away in the light He brings with His presence into the immediate situation where He has been invited.

I pray if you too need to shift the atmosphere about you, that you will clearly hear His voice guiding you as you invite Him to move on your behalf in the moment.

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3 Ways to Shift the Atmosphere

Karla Lees

“Be a thermostat & not a thermometer. Change the atmosphere around you with your attitude rather than just reflecting circumstances all day.” – Sandi Krakowski

  • Tired of walking into a live drama?
  • Feel like you are stuck in a sitcom you can’t escape?
  • Sick of surviving?

Sometimes in the spiritual battle we face God has already equipped us to confidently engage.

If you are ready to take action, there are three ways to change the atmosphere wherever you are:

1. Own your part.

I have finally learned it is okay to get along with everyone. Being respectful, honoring and kind does not mean I agree with other people’s decisions or behavior. If I am in a crappy mood, or feeling low, I need to deal with my stuff before I get around other people again. Even if it’s a quick bathroom break to pray, refocus & find peace, make the time to name it, own it & deal with it.

It takes two to make drama. If you are calm, that alone can cool a hot situation down.

2. Shift the atmosphere.

I have learned from experience that we can sometimes pick up on other people’s vibes, even when they haven’t spoken a word. An intuitive person, this can lead me to wild imaginative scenarios playing out in my mind if I am not careful. If someone is irate, upset, depressed or cranky, I now immediately pause to pray, something like this:

“Holy Spirit, Your Word says You live in me, Your temple. I do not want to partner with anything that is not from You. I ask You to be my Shield right now, and I send this ____________(name what you are sensing) back to the person sending it out there. May Your peace reign in this room, right now. I invite Your Presence, and blessing, in the name of Jesus.”

I will share one brief example. My hardworking hubby was really cranky about some last minute work changes to his day, and his displeasure & anger was ringing out loud in our car. I turned my head to the right, muttered a similar prayer to the one I wrote above. Lo & behold, within a minute, my hubby calmed completely down and was at peace again. My hubby & kids asked me later what I had done, so I shared it with them. Our home has been a lot calmer ever since, and we react more appropriately to each other when someone is upset now.

God can change the atmosphere when we invite Him into any situation.

3. Don’t stay if you sense you need to leave.

You may be in a good head space, and have prayed the above prayer, and still feel a bit off. This is either God or fear telling you it is time to leave.

Fear isn’t from God, so if you ask God if this impulse is from Him, and you don’t get an answer, you need to deal with this fear. Now. Ask God to kick it out, and stop giving it a listen. You may need to make a mental note to revisit this at another time and uproot it, but blocking its ability to speak in the moment is a critical step.

If God is telling you to leave, He is trying to shield you, and protect you from something you may not be aware of, but He certainly is. Obey.

If you claim to be His follower, then follow where He is leading, even when you don’t know why. In those moments when I have obeyed without knowing why, I have to trust He knows better and has good plans for me.

So to recap:
If you sense He wants you to change a situation:

  • Own your part. It takes two to tango. Be prepared by being in control.
  • Shift the atmosphere by allowing the Spirit to shield you.
  • Follow as He leads. When He says go, move. Our obedience shows we have invited Him to take the lead in our battles.

As you seek Him everywhere You go, remember His Presence is with you, actively ready to guide & help as we tune in.

It’s time to show His reflection, instead of our reaction.

Worship to help shift the atmosphere: Here as in Heaven by Elevation Worship

salty or sour?

Karla Lees

What fragrance do you bring with you when you enter a room?

What we focus on permeates us. Sending out a message, whether we are aware of it or not, to those we encounter.

Complain a lot?
Whiny?
Negativity falling off your tongue more than anything else?
Does a smile rarely have an opportunity to turn your frown upside down?

Sourpuss, you leave a sour taste behind that people would rather avoid, even if they care for you.

There are steps you can take to help you change this state of heart:

1. Leave what you are carrying at the foot of the cross. Give it to Jesus, and leave it in His capable loving hands.
Stop taking it back. Your worry and anxiety takes your sourness to a new depth of despair. Refuse to pick it back up. When it tries to lure you back, re-invite Jesus to bring it back to the cross.

2. Practice an attitude of gratitude. Everyone has something to be thankful for each day (besides still being alive). Jot them down each night before going to bed. Keep a running list on your computer or phone. Keep being thankful. This will help lift your spirit a bit more each day.

3. Thank God for the cross, your blessings & His love. Giving thanks to the One who gives us His all every day will remind you how big He is, and how He is rooting for you, no matter what you are facing.

4. Spend some time getting to know Him better by reading the Word, worshipping and listening for His small sweet voice. The more you hang out with God, and spend time in His presence, the more His love, grace, mercy, goodness, holiness, kindness, peace, joy, compassion, forgiveness will cling to you, and you will become:

Salty instead of sour.

I would say sweet, but for two reasons. Sugar is highly overused in comparison to sour things (writer’s opinion) Salt was used in older days to help keep meat from spoiling, or souring as it were. Salt was also a precious commodity, not as commonly used as it is today.

And God suggests we are to be as salt:
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Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt… Colossians 4:6a

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored…Matthew 5:13

We are to be as salt, adding a good flavour to those around us…well prepared and seasoned.

In a day when people like to always be told the sweet things, more than ever we need to hear wise words, seasoned with the salt of the Spirit…speaking the words He has for us to help draw others closer to God.

Its time to pass on the sour grapes, and start sprinkling some salt.

Salt adds a zest to what it is added to.

Let’s become the people who when we walk into a room, people look forward to:

Our smiles.

Seeing us confident in our faith, and who we are in Christ.

Using our gifts well.

Our genuine listening skills, and caring compassion for those we encounter.

A willingness to lend a hand, generously, without complaint.

A fresh tang in their day.

As when Jesus stepped into an area or a room, may those around us catch a glimpse of the God we carry, and begin to crave His presence too.

Salty things can help us realize we are thirsty…