Tag: Father

Take me away…

Karla Lees

Take me away, a secret place
A sweet escape, take me away
Take me away to better days
Take me away, a hiding place

– Natasha Bedingfield, Pocket Full Of Sunshine

My heart started crying out this song to my Abba these past few days.

When life gets tough, my first reaction is instinctively to ask to be rescued, for a quick escape so I don’t have to deal with whatever is currently facing me.

Afterwards, it used to be I would escape into a bag of sour cream potato chips or a sitcom, licking my wounds and berating myself for rolling over and taking a beating yet again. 

We never learn to be proactive and change our ways by just thinking about it. We need to do it.

Instead of being passive and keeping my hurts buried in the hidden spaces within, I am learning to run to the secret place.

His embrace.

I am invited there 24/7.
365 days a year.
And on into eternity!

I stopped short quite some time ago as I was headed down the wrong path of response when it hit me.

Why wait for eternity to fix everything? Why not now?

If we are called to supernaturally live in, through and with Him…then here on earth is where we need to do so.

Just as Jesus did.

Jesus took Himself away at times. Not to kick his wounds or hide away, but to reconnect. Becoming rejuvenated and reinvigorated for the plans He was to walk out with His Father. (Luke 16:16, Mark 1:35)

Jesus never backed down from doing His Father’s business where He saw His Father inviting Him into a situation.

I need to do the same.

Instead of allowing fear and survival instincts to drive me, I need to choose faith and supernatural instincts to guide me.

He promises to always be with us, and show us how to live free.

Our part is to choose to stay in His embrace through our days, and refuse to allow the lure of other pleasures to steal us from where our souls and spirits know is where we belong.

With Him.

He may take you away from a situation by prompting you to remove yourself from it.

He may guide you as to what to pray to shift the atmosphere.

He may tell you what to say to diffuse discord and bring peace.

The whole time, He will be with you.

I would rather be in His embrace in a hurricane than left alone to my own devices.

Lead me away from what doesn’t work, Abba, and keep me headed on the path You have for me. May I run to You first, and You alone, when the storms begin to circle.

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community: family by choice

Karla Lees

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I am very blessed in community.

I know several people who feel like they are all alone in their circumstances or situations, and the reality is: often it’s due to your choices.

We don’t always reach out to show our need nor vulnerability when we can, so we essentially build a wall to block out connection when everything within us may be craving it.

Connection begins with a choice to be vulnerable, and let someone in.

Community happens when hearts are knit together through regular connection.

Family occurs when God blesses community with a love which can only come through weathering the storms arm in arm, knowing your family has your back and won’t leave you on your own.

Jesus modeled this well while He walked among us.

He carried an atmosphere of invitation to those who were outcast and lonely in society, and they came.

The disciples are a perfect example of choosing to connect, seeing what someone is capable of beyond their current situation, becoming community through shared living, and becoming family by choice.

God deliberately chooses to connect with each of us.  He wants us to live in close community with Him, Abba Jesus Holy Spirit.  He wants you to walk knowing you are already in His forever family, even if we aren’t physically there yet.

God didn’t choose those we would automatically assume would be on the inside.

For His community is family by His choice.

●Cain, marked with His divine protection despite his crime.

●Jacob, wrestling with God after stealing his brother’s birthright.

●Saul, more concerned with following his fears than God’s leading.

●David, lacking strong self control over his attraction to women.

●Solomon, who tried everything under the sun to come to the realization that without God, all is futile.

●Paul, murderer of the faithful.

●Moses, the stutterer.

And just so we keep it real, there were also women He chose to include in His community which make us sit up and pay attention:

○Sarai, who laughed off the Promise to come.

○Hagar, who took off when things got tough.

○Pilate’s Roman wife, who had dreams of the Jewish Messiah.

○Elizabeth, barren for so long she must have given up hope of a child, chosen to bear the forerunner to the Messiah. (And her priest husband ●Zachariah, struck dumb when he doubted the angel delivering God’s Good News, in the Holy of Holies!)

○Tamar, who tricked her father-in-law to do the right thing but broke the law to do so.

○The Samaritan woman at the well, with her colourful history, spreading the word about living water.

All of these people are and were part of His story through the family He chose to create.

And we are included.

We have the opportunity to build community and family wherever we are,  for we carry God with us.

The Father who is just waiting for us to come near and join the family.

The Son who is just waiting to connect with us and not only show us who we truly are but help us become whole.

The Holy Spirit who draws us into community, helping us to see beyond our natural sight the Kingdom He is shaping about us.

Community is family by choice.

It has always been God’s choice to choose you.

It is your choice to accept the invitation of life long family and beyond which He has always offered, or stand alone on your own two feet.

Only you can make the decision to move into connection, to stay isolated in your current situation.

Community is family by choice.

what is fueling your hope?

Karla Lees

Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not grow faint.  Isaiah 40:31

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Hope is fuel and passion fuels hope. Christine Caine

How is your fuel tank?

Are you running low from all the running around you are doing, and not stopping long enough to sit as His feet?

I am coming to realize that if we make seeking Him foremost eac day, somehow everything we need to do gets done with more grace.

It’s part of the Kingdom of Heaven, how spending time with God fuels us up.

Hope is intertwined with passion in a circle which continuously redirects us to the other as we seek Him.

For its in the pursuit we discover our passion, which fuels us to pursue all the more, elevating our levels of hope in such a way we are even more fueled to keep pursuing.

Our energy feeds off this combination of passion and hope, calling us to grow deeper, soar higher and leap all the steeper.

We can become, do, see more than we ever imagined possible when we allow the fuel of Heaven to be our drive.

Jesus showed us this kind of empassioned hope fueled living while with us on earth.  He knew who He was in relationship to His Father, placing His desires before His own, and walked empowered by Holy Spirit wherever He was lead.

My prayer for you and I?

For us to catch that this was not an isolated incident in the life of Jesus; but a daily moment by moment occurance, one we too can live out.

Weary from all the running here there and everywhere? Low on hope? In need of a top up of love and passion?

○Head to your Father’s embrace.
○Sit at the feet of Jesus.
○Allow Holy Spirit to whisper their love deep into your very being.
○Soak in their Presence.

And then, in their power, refueled with their love, you will be ready to roll with fresh hope and passion for the day ahead.

For we, you and I? We are meant to be the ones who soar, who can stay on course in the race without losing our focus or source of fuel. 🙂

So let hope rise up and darkness tremble at Your Holy light, for every eye to see Jesus our God, great and mighty to be praised.

careless in His care

Karla Lees

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I have been an avid bird lover since I learned that penguin parents sing to their young.

As a ‘songbird’ myself, that resonated deep within me.

I liked that love can be shown through a song.

As a child, i often wondered to myself who cared for all the wild birds I enjoyed soaring across the sky, nesting in the trees and flocking around.

That question gave me a swift shove after I became a believer as a young adult, and first read Matthew 6.

I am called to live carefree.

Nor carefree without consideration for others, but carefree in the ability not to worry.

Because I am covered under His wings, safe in His embrace, completely cared for by the God who loves me.

And the birds we all see about us remind me of that truth almost every day.

If birds are cared for, all their needs are met and they are able to chirp, fly, nest as birds are meant to do because of His care….why do we tend to think He would care less for us?

As a mom and wife, I have a tendency to make sure my kids and hubby are well taken care of before meeting my own needs.

That is a characteristic of our heavenly Father we reflect here on earth, when we care for our loved ones.

He’s a good good Father.
It’s who He is.
Not chooses to be, but intrinsically part of His very nature.

So when we read verses about living carefree in His care? He wants is to take Him literally.

For God doesn’t lie.

If He says He is caring for us, He is.

If He says we are of great value to Him, we are.

You don’t offer up your son as a sacrifice for people you don’t care about.

You give your best for those you adore, don’t you? On their birthday, graduation, Christmas?

God gave His very best on a regular day, because He knew we would need to know He cares about all our days, not just the religious ones.

Just as every bird is under His watch, so is the rest of creation.

But the pinnacle of His love is found in the ones He made in His image.

You and me.

We are the ones He cares so much for He made sure His heart of love and all the actions it inspired was recorded. A living testimony to the God of life who allowed Himself to be recorded within the Word.

In snapshots of promise, hope, purpose, love and care.

His love in action, caring for us all.

He not only shows us how much He loves us, He reminds us how much He longs to take our cares upon His shoulders and shoulder the load for us.

Every care we have matters to Him, because all of us matter to Him. All our hopes, dreams, worries, concerns…. He cares about it all.

So I don’t have to carry my cares all upon my shoulders.

He calls me to bring what I care about to Him, and allow Him to carry it for me, so I can live carefree in His care.

His love is so great for me, He not only rescued me but He holds my cares for me.

He paid a weight of love to redeem me from my sin, and carries the weight of my cares so I can be free to follow Him without worry.

Does that mean I never worry?
I can honestly say, I don’t worry as long as I used to.

God made this verse come alive to me about 15 years ago and each year I take shorter and shorter the length of time to bring my cares to His waiting hands.

I am loved by You.
It’s who I am.
Completely cared for in the safety of Your love.

May God give you too a revelation of His love for you. May it awaken within you like the song you were meant to sing. May you remove the weight of your cares, and allow Him to carry them, and you, as you follow Him into the wide open spaces of grace He has waiting for you.

clinging tightly

Karla Lees

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When my children were babies & toddlers, they used to cling tightly to me when we were in new situations or meeting new people.
As a mum, I adored those pressing in close snuggly opportunities which helped build their trust as they learned they could count of me to protect them.

As a little girl, my world shifted suddenly with the early death of my father and need for my mother to head to work full time. I felt unanchored, a feeling which stayed with me for more than a decade until I encountered God, and everything shifted once again.

Before Him, I tried clinging to my friends, boyfriends, my wit & sarcasm, music, reading & writing…..but all fell short of meeting the deeply rooted need for security which was begging to be watered as only God can.

Because clinging to anything but Him leaves us empty handed instead of tightly held.

We were made to be “cling ons” to Hope. Not the kind of window clings which unattach themselves as the elements change, nor the kind of Klingons who wreak havoc wherever they go.

We are meant to cling tightly to the One we were always meant to be rooted in.

The Only One who is our Rock solid security.

Whose foundation will never fail, whose embrace will always reek of grace & mercy, whose love for you & me is never ending, forevermore!

I am no longer ashamed about picturing myself clinging to His feet, pouring my heart out in worship, adoration & petition.

I am not ashamed of needing my hand held, despite being well into adulthood.

I know how desperately I need to be lead, fed, cared for & protected as I go through each day.

And I intend to cling on to Him, my Life Giver, for dear life as I move through the moments of each day.

The best parts of increasingly clinging on to Him?

He delights in holding on to us too! And He will never let us go.

7 reasons to be Spirit led

Karla Lees

Over the past month, our pastors have been guiding us through the Word and reintroducing us to Holy Spirit.

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John 17:13 has been the one verse that has spoken to me more than any, so it was pretty timely of Him to remind me of it yet again this morning through today’s http:// first5.org devotion.

Because I need the regular reminder.

I am to be Spirit led.

Not me led.

When I am in control, the further i become ‘unled-ded’, unwilling to be led, and the further I drain myself of my sensitivity to His Presence.

Now, He does not leave His children when they wander or misbehave, but its hard to hear His voice when you aren’t looking His way, isn’t it?

When my kids were distracted when I was trying to speak with them, I used to ask them to look at me before I continued to talk.

Otherwise, my voice was just one noise of many.

I suspect Holy Spirit is a lot like us parents in that way.  He will continue to try & reach us, but may have to use alternate means of doing so when we refuse to turn His way & listen.

Without a tour guide in a foreign country, we can easily get lost or find ourselves somewhere we shouldn’t, facing an avoidable danger we wouldn’t have encountered had we been following our knowledgeable guide.

Our Guide?
8. Knows what is to come.
7. Knows where the Father wants us next to be.
6. Knows how the Son wants to next set us free.
5. Knows when our wounds need to be addressed.
4. Knows who we were designed to be.
3. Knows the whys behind it all.
2. Intimately knows us more than we will ever know ourselves this side of Heaven.

These seven logical reasons are enough to make me want to follow 90% of the time….but honestly? I tend to forget or overlook the number one reason undergirding the other seven as to why I should be led by Holy Spirit…the real heart of the matter.

1. Because He loves me more than life itself.

Jesus went to the cross to show us that great love, because of His passion for His people.

The Father loved/loves us so much He let His Son be separated from Him, covered with all the sin of the world, lifted high for all to see before His heart wrenching death. How hard it is to watch your child suffer? Excruciating.

Holy Spirit removed Himself from the Son due to the stench of our sin, so that Jesus could fulfill the reason we have hope & purpose. Our freedom.

Once and for all, sin was defeated by Jesus,  through His death & rise back to Heaven. Because He loves us so.

Holy Spirit has been given to us to help us overcome, learn, grow & spread God’s love, day in and day out.

Holy Spirit is constantly trying to speak God’s heart to us….through situations, through the Word, right into our hearts & souls & spirits.

When we follow His lead, our heart beats with the Father’s, our eyes are fixed on the Son, and we are empowered by the Spirit.

All things are possible when He is in the lead.

Let’s refuse to become unleaded, but press in to Him & all He has for us, each moment, each day.

Where You lead, my heart’s cry is to follow.

step behind to move forward

Karla Lees

Most of us like to lead.
To be in control, to make the decisions, to head up the charge.

As Christians, we need to let go of our desire to lead, and learn to follow.

There is only One Head of the church, and His Name is Jesus.
He laid down His life in order to restore & love her, us. The one He adores.

Not only has He physically earned the right to lead, it is His birthright as the Son. 

The Father has Jesus sitting at His right hand & sharing the throne of Heaven.

Jesus waged the first major battle for His Bride, and came out victorious.

With a battle equipped and ready leader in our corner, why do we struggle so with allowing Him to lead?

Because we forget.

We forget He made us exquisitely complicated & meticulously  detailed to plan by His hand.

We forget He made all things, knows all things, and rules over all.

We forget He has plans for us to prosper, overcome & have a great future.

We forget He is with us, every single moment, intimately a part of our lives when we are His.

God came with the ability to lead hardwired into all He does, based upon His mighty strength, never failing wisdom, and His loving sacrificially servant heart.

We don’t.

Oh some of us have leadership abilities and wonderful talents.  In the Kingdom, He is to lead the way.

We are to follow Him home.

The road ahead will have pitfalls, gains, heartbreak, blessings, pain, joy, and road blocks.

We cannot navigate on our own if we want to make it through victorious.

For the part we cannot always see in full, He walks confidently aware of with the authority He was meant to wear.

The battle is not only waged earth, but in the spiritual realm as well.

Without the head of Heaven fighting for us, we will be damaged, wounded and defeated by the enemy.  Not because God isn’t almighty & capable to defeat him, but because we refused to let God lead.

When we go into the battle without our Shield & Warrior, we become an easy target for enemy snipers.

In Ephesians, we are reminded that most of our weaponry is defensive, made for our protection. 

Our main weapons?

Listening for instruction.
Putting on our armor.
Obeying His commands.
Following where He goes before us.

The only weapons we are to actively use are prayer & Word: both as led by the Spirit, who does all things proclaiming the Lordship of the Son & honoring the plans & Name of the Father.

The Father is the strategist.
The Son is the Warrior.
The Spirit is the Messenger.

We are to live out the message that Jesus saves.

We are to follow where He leads.

We are to remain in Him.

His part is to protect, instruct & guide us to live the lives He desires for each of us.

It is hard to acknowledge you are not meant to be on the front lines 24/7. Because we always think where the visible action is is where we want to be.

Without the reconnaissance of satellites, millions more of our military could walk into unnecessary ambushes & to their deaths.

It’s because of the bigger picture, both the overview complete with the details, which the information gatherers collect, that they are able to know where to head for safety, or where to go to avoid the ambushes & stay on target.

The planning makes the most of the data taken in, and the use of the might at hand as it aims to defeat the enemy.

When we know where best to go & how to fight, the battle is more easily won.

The Father is our satellite,
Jesus is our weapon,
Holy Spirit is the data transmitter.

We are meant to tune in, and follow as God leads.

Some of the battle being fought around us is handled by His angels.  Some through our prayers.

The one common denominator, which leave the enemy quaking in His boots is Jesus.

The One who defeated death & broke the chains forever has already tossed the enemy out of Heaven, and shown Himself the Eternal Victor.

One of the only strategies the enemy has left is to deceive us that we can successfully fight without our Victor.

Take a moment, and acknowledge to Him how much you like to be in control. (Don’t worry, I am repeating this out loud right alongside you! You are not alone.)
Tell Him you want to lay down your right to lead, and invite the One who reigns to take the reins of your life. Pour out your heart and all the burdens you have before Him.  Allow Him to comfort & strengthen you. Put on your custom fitting armor, and get ready for His battle cry to go to war on your behalf. 

Pray, listen obey, repeat.
Move out remaining under His protection, as He leads you to move.
Fall into step behind Him to safely move forward.
Let Him make the way safe before You.
Keep vigilant, and watch Him do what He does best- fight for the one He loves.
You.

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all access pass

Karla Lees

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image via Remade Ministries

Over and over, I fail.
His love for me remains,
constant, solid, dependable.

Unlike me.

I am nowhere near perfect, inside or out, but I am no longer where I was when He found me.

One thing has changed me for eternity: His love.

And His love is a constant flowing moving living force. It isn’t passive. It is actively seeking out those wanting to be soaked in His Presence, changed by & for His glory.

God never turns away those upon whom Jesus has bestowed His mark, for His love grants us an all access pass to His courts, a freely given gift to enter His Presence, this King over all, at any time.

At any time, you & I have access to the Father.

At any time, you & I have access to Jesus.

At any time, you & I have access to Holy Spirit.

At any time means just that…

Today, take the all access pass you’ve been gifted, and join me as together we use it.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving in your heart.

Sing a new psalm of praise as you remember all He has done for you.

Bring the offering of your sin & past, to leave at the altar & exchange for peace & a future.

Be filled with His living water, coated in the oil of gladness, received with living bread.

The weather outside may be drab or dreary, your soul may be tattered or weary, the path ahead fearful or leery.

Your all access pass brings you straight in to the Holy of Holies, into the arms of the One who calls you Beloved, and longs for you even more than you desire to draw close to Him!

Don’t let your pass stay in your back pocket, only to be used in emergencies.

You will never overuse it, ever.

Any time, any place, for any reason, you have all access to God!

armor up

Karla Lees

God is stirring something in His daughters today….can you sense it?

He is calling us, His Bride, to band together & intercede, cry out for the ones we love.

The enemy strategy is to take us down, however he can.

God defeats him by linking us together with His power & love, and strengthening us to endure the onslaught, to protect one another as He defends us and battles for us.

Each of my loved ones is battling right now, as am I.

Whether physical, mental, emotional or spiritual, this world we are temporarily living in wants nothing more than for us to throw in the towel and give up.

We were meant to give up, but not in defeat.

We are meant to give up fighting for ourselves and allow Him to fight for & through us.

When the Maker of all things wants to defend us, we need to step back & allow Him to do so.

When we try to go into battle improperly prepared, we end up wounded & weary.

When we fail to cover one another in prayer, lifting each other up to the One who is able to do all things & anything, we end up easy targets.

Holy Spirit is whispering to allow Him to guide your thoughts towards prayer.

Jesus is waiting for you to accept His covering, the blood of the Lamb which conquers all sin.

God is pacing as He waits for you to let lose the cry which will launch Him into battle on your behalf.

We have been made in His image. which is why we get stirred up with the desire to battle. But this battleground is not one we were meant to step onto alone.

For we only see things dimly, but God sees the entire action plan.

He knows we need weaponry, and He provides them as outlined in Ephesians 6.

He becomes our armor when we prepare ourselves as He directs…

Truth: we are to wear truth like a belt, which helps hold us together.

Righteousness: He is our breastplate, the One who makes us pure & Holy because we are now His.

These two protect the core of who we are: His Beloved.

Gospel of Peace: these shoes are go everywhere shoes, relying on God to guide us as we step.  Knowing He is with us calms our fears & fills us with peace.ise can proclaim the good news about our Prince of Peace when we step as He directs, avoiding unexpected landmines of doubt & chaos.

The next two pieces of armor serve to help us in our defense:

Faith: our belief in the God we follow serves as our shield.  The truth of who He is cannot protect us if we don’t cling to it & use it as our protective shield when the enemy darts attempt to strike.

Salvation: our position in God family is to be our new mindset. We are His, forever, because we have accepted Jesus’ gift of being made anew & right with God.  We are to wear this helmet not only to protect us, but identify us as His.

The last part of our armor is the most powerful weapon we could ever use, need or desire:

His Word: The very power of God Himself is interwoven with His Word, the Bible.  We are to use this mighty weapon as His Spirit guides us to: strategically, purposefully and prayerfully.

Prayer is the key to our armor working together.  Asking God to protect us & equip us for the skirmish at hand, seeking His play by play as to the action we are to take with each step. 

And we are not only to pray for our our protection, but those of our fellow saints, as we stay alert & proactive waiting for our instructions.

If you take a closer look at our armor, you too can see it is mainly defensive pieces we have been given. That was deliberate.

God Himself wants to be our defender, our strong tower & Fortress.  Our covering, safety & hiding place.

He is 100% concerned about our security, all the time, as His Beloved.

He knows our adversary best, for He created him, which we tend to lose sight of during the battles when we get too focused on what is coming against us than Who is defending us.

We are to be on the defense, because God Himself leads the charge against the enemy.

We are to strike only when He commands us to, for He alone is head of this army.

We are to join together in prayer: for our loved ones, our friends, our coworkers, our neighbors, joining our armor together for greater defense.

When we do so, then link up with Heaven, all things become possible when God is in command.

We know how the battle ultimately ends, and we know how we are best to stand…in His corner, secure in the knowledge of whose we are, and Who is in control over all.

It’s time to armor up, Beloved.

Not only will it help keep us safe, but it has been custom designed for us by our Bridegroom to work perfectly as we use it the way He directs us to!

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Sunday Psalm: Love Letter to my Abba

Karla Lees

Abba,
Father God,
I am humbled at the thought
of Your great love for me.
My every tear is collected
by You,
my every thought known to You.
If it matters to me,
You remind me
over & over
that it matters to You,
because I do.
Every hair on my head,
(even those I don’t like to acknowledge
that have migrated elsewhere)
is counted by You.
My comings & goings,
my hopes & dreams,
my hurts & wonders,
my heart & Spirit,
all known by You,
my Father.

You loved me
even before I knew I was loved.
You not only designed me
in the secret place of Your love,
You sat on Your porch
ever keeping an eye out
for my return to Your home.
The prodigal daughter
humbling herself
before Her Father.

You are not only my Father,
the formal official title
which makes me Your heir
and officially part of Your family.

You are also my dad.
You hang out with me,
cheering me on,
holding my hand
when times are hard,
telling me how much You love me
when I need to hear it most.

My Abba,
without You
I would be so alone.
I wouldn’t know where I belonged,
I would be hopeless, helpless
and still in the mess
I was in when You adopted me
making me Your own.

You not only love me,
but like the best Fathers
You not only speak Your love
but show it to me often.
The other gifts You give me
pale beside Your Presence,
always with me.

You are my forever Father.
I delight in being Your daughter,
Abba, always.
May I never let go of the safety of Your grip, nor miss the glow of love in Your eyes when You look my way.

#SundayPsalm

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