Tag: find

My comfort, Your promise

Karla Lees

image

I am hurting today.

My body is yearning for relief,
my soul is crying for release.

And the first Word I read today as I open Your Word?

This is my comfort in my affliction, that Your promise gives me life.
Psalm 119:50 ESV

I choose to believe You answered my heart cry in those Words, for as soon as I read them, I felt peace wash over me.

The peace which passes understanding.

The Promise which endures.

For all Your promises come to pass God, for You cannot lie.

What You speak, comes to life.

It’s who You are, not just what You say.

Hope reentered my weariness, and assumed readiness for my day ahead.

I am holding the peace & joy You have so lovingly & kindly refueled within me again today.

Knowing if I rest in You, Your rest will be in me.

No matter what.

If like me, you are in desperate need for Him, draw close….

Come as you are.
Find rest for your soul.
Be filled to overflow.
In His Presence, become whole.
Continue to follow Him all your days.

Sunday Psalm: Pressing In

Karla Lees

image

God,
no matter where I go
I find You,
for You never leave me…
I just take my eyes of Your face.

I am tired of wandering
this desert of my own making.
When I stop seeking
the Source,
I run dry.

When I press in to
Your Presence,
You release
the torrent of love
You dammed up
waiting for my return…
and I am overwhelmed
by the depth & breadth
of Your love for me.

You,
God above all gods,
King of Heaven,
Majestic Maker of All,
love me…
my mind tells me
this is all a dream
I will wake up from one day,
but my heart & spirit
join up to cry out
“Holy Holy Holy,
worthy are You Lord.”
and my mind
falls into alignment
with the truth
You reveal.

My very breath
comes from the Word
You spoke
that caused me to be.

My life is safe
in Your hands.
My hope can
rest in Your love.
My heart can
trust in You.

Your purpose
Your plan
will prevail
as You have promised.
The enemy
cannot win
against Your desires
for Your people.
Your Presence
Your passion
Your power
are revealed
as I press in
and pray:
More of You,
less of me.
Take my life
and let it be
all for You,
always for Your glory.

And the dam burst,
the river flows
and the water becomes deep
as my prayer
opens up the heavens
and I look up
to see Your face
loving down at me again.

#pressingin
#hopeinHisPresence

go to the source

Karla Lees

image

I am an avid learner, as I recently shared in my desire to keep taking courses. I like to study the Word, read how others interpret the Word, and grow through the process.

The image I am sharing today struck me as a great visual reminder of the three key ways to encounter truth, and become wise.

1. Search for It.

We don’t know what we know or don’t know until we begin to search for knowledge.

The world opens up to a child when they grasp the alphabet, and the lining up of letters to make words. Being able to read helps widen our search area for knowledge.

Being a knowledge seeker means we are searching for truth. We want to know the facts. We long to know what is true, in a world that likes to blur the edges of all it reveals to us.   But  real fact is based on truth, and will have a ring of the Holy in it as a result. For God is Truth, and all truth echoes back to its originator.

2. Make it Live.

Insight is living out the truth we now know, discovered through seeking out knowledge.  If something is true, and we know it, we live differently through encountering it.

As a very young child of 3-4, I broke my money out of my piggy bank and walked to the donut store behind where we lived to buy 6 donuts.  I ate them all fairly quickly to hide the evidence, and I learned very quickly that 6 donuts was way too much food for my childish frame. 

The truth I learned is if I want to do something in secret and am not comfortable telling someone else about it, it isn’t something I should be doing.  (And I will get sick from six full sized donuts!)

Applying the truth through what we learn takes it from being a just a fact to making it relevant to our lives.

But there is still a key element missing to knowledge & truth, which leads me to point…

3. Seek the Source.
Real knowledge and truth comes from the Source of it all, God.
As He is truth, and all wisdom, He will reveal both to use when we ask for help. Discernment occurs when God reveals the truth in a way we could not have discovered ourselves without Him.  In times of heightened stress & emotions,  we can forget what we have learned and applied, and that is where drawing close to the Source is crucial. The eternal God has insight beyond our comprehension, which can reveal way more in one moment than we could spend a life time trying to learn for ourselves.

We will never find truth, knowledge & wisdom apart from God. He not only knows all, He is the starting place for all truth & wisdom. They are Him, integral characteristics of the Almighty amazing complex God we are drawn to.

Need wisdom?
Seeking truth?
Lacking insight?
Go to the Source!

A few nugget verses to check out from the Word about wisdom, truth & knowledge:

Proverbs 1:7; 8:11-21
James 1:5
Colossians 3:16
Romans 11:33

But more importantly….

 

I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength!

Ephesians 1:17-19

never beyond reach

Karla Lees

Because maybe Jesus wants us to know there is no place we can find ourselves where His presence cannot reach us.

Bonnie Gray, Finding Spiritual Whitespace

Sometimes there are lines you can read that reach out to squeeze your heart so tightly, it becomes hard to breathe.

The quote above just did so to me a few moments ago.

I am still trying to catch my breath.

There are also times when God orchestrates the internet going down, and having some unexpected time to read when I would usually be working.

These past few weeks, I have been struggling to hold onto the hope I have in Him.

There, I put it out there in black and white.

And I have pressed in to read up on hope and write about hope, all the time hoping this low season would pass.

I am eating well, sleeping well, exercising, working well, connecting with my hubby, kids & friends…

But deep inside, part of me has been lonely for more of Him.

Except until I read that line above, I thought my feeling low was jot worth bringing to Him.  You know, the ‘this too shall pass’ mentality we all slip into from time to time.

With all the horrors and war and brokenness out there in the world, why bother God with a few blue days strung together?

Because He is with me.
Always.

He has brought me to this exact moment to show me He is with me in this. 

He is enough for me.

He is here for me to press into, to snuggle up to, and rest in His presence.

There is no place in this world, or hidden within me, where He cannot reach me.

My part? 
Be honest, and open myself up to Him.
Spend time soaking, worshipping, resting in the knowledge, the truth, that God IS with me.

The ember of hope I have kept close to my heart is igniting again.

My day no longer looks so blue.

If you too need to be encouraged and reignite your hope today, Psalm 139 is a wonderful journey to walk through.

Join me as we find our hope renewed in His Presence.
image

let Him decide

Karla Lees

Max Lucado- Let Him Decide

There is an old song that still echoes in my mind from time to time “Take everything to God in prayer.”

Most of us, if we are really, really honest with ourselves, go elsewhere first.

To a touchable breathing live person.

One we already know will be there for us, to listen, comfort and be with us.

Why do we run to people instead of God?

For me, I honestly have felt I wasn’t important enough to bring my little things to Him. Why would God care whether my favorite shirt ever is missing from my closet since Mother’s Day when I last wore it? (which is absolutely true, by the way!)

The bible tells us the truth from a different perspective.

Jesus valued me, you, us enough to give up His life on the cross so we could truly live.

You don’t die for the ones you don’t love.

You give your all for those you love.

image

The Bible says God has numbered the hairs on my head, knows each tear I cry, has prepared a place for me to be at hone with Him,  provides for me, made me and understands me beyond my comprehension.

If someone loved you like that, wouldn’t He be the first person you would run to when the news comes you can’t bear on your own? Your loved one becomes seriously ill? You are afraid your marriage won’t make it? You didn’t make enough on your last pay cheque because your child was sick and you may not have enough to make ends meet?

Priscilla Shirer teaches about God meeting us beyond our beyond in the Faithful, Abundant & True teaching dvds.

Our beyond is based on how we dream and think.

God’s beyond is based on how He dreams and wants to bless us beyond our beyond.

Priscilla gives a few examples, but I will share the one that made the illustration come alive for me.

You are away from home for the weekend, and your teenager has promised to clean their room before you come home. That is your beyond.

You walk in the front door, and not only is their room clean, but they cleaned the whole house and dinner is in the oven. Reeling from shocked joy, you head to your bedroom to put your suitcase away, and there is a bath drawn, hot and bubbly, and waiting for you to hop in and relax.

That would be beyond our beyond. Exceedingly abundantly beyond what we can imagine. (Ephesians 3)

God is waiting for us to bring Him our cares, hopes, dreams, stresses, grief, pain, hurt, ailments. All of it.

When my kids get hurt, I don’t ignore them, whether it is physically or verbally. Words can cut in ways blows cannot, with bullies coming in all shapes, sizes and guises.

The momma in me riles and I want to protect my child as much as I offer them comfort. After they are feeling better/calmer, then I am willing to offer my wisdom if they ask for my help.

God is the same.

As much as a person is able to be of comfort, God is able to see the whole picture, beyond what I share to what is really at the heart of the matter.

Nothing is too small to bring to God.

Let Him decide if what is bothering you is important to Him. I know you will be surprised by His answer. He is more than able. He is the best listener, comforter and peace giver in any circumstance. He offers not only the best advice, but helps us make the changes with His strength. He is always available, forever alive and has seen in all, literally!!

“Ask and it will be given to you.
Seek and you will find.
Knock and the door will be opened.”
Matthew 7:7

So God, about my favorite top that is missing? Can you help me find it please?  Thanks! I love you too.

looking truth in the face

Karla Lees

I faced a lifetime of looking the truth in the face before it had time to burrow under my skin.

#TheMercifulScar

It takes a lot to look the truth square on, and come to grips with it.

It is much easier for most of us to hide it away, and keep following the same old patterns we have become used to.

But that is a lie.

Not dealing with the truth costs us more in the long run.

By not facing it in the moment, we bury it within us. Making an opening for ourselves to escape into, a non reality for lack of a better word. An alternate truth to us, which we think we control, but in fact ends up controlling us.

Addictions, some forms of depression, suicide can all find their roots in the emotions we bury avoiding the truth.

What we bury, when it isn’t meant to be kept in, sends out tentacles to destroy us from the inside out.

Truth was meant to set us free.

Taking out what has been buried can be painful, but on the other side is a freedom we all long for.

I learned this the long way around. Digging up the past has opened up a future I never dreamed I would have.

I am the healthier, and the better for it.

Today could be your day to heal, make your wounds your scars, move forward, and live.

For truth is found in a person.
Jesus.

Who is more than able to help you find your freedom if you turn to Him and ask.

Its time to grow and be the you you were meant to be.