Tag: kingdom

the magnetic pull of focus

Karla Lees

One day spent in Your house, this beautiful place of worship, beats thousands spent on Greek island beaches. I’d rather scrub floors in the house of my God than be honored as a guest in the palace of sin. Psalm 84:10 MSG

I love to worship. It is the one thing I like best after spending time in His Presence, and diving into the Word.

When I get really busy, I tend to rush through my day beginning with a quick devotional instead an unrushed time at His feet, focusing solely on Him.

This quick fix mentality opens me up to selfishness, hurry, and distraction. Spend too long with that crew, and the enemy begins to make his play.

When sin comes knocking, sometimes what looks good in the moment can appear better than what we know to be true. For the enemy was an angel of light, and very beautiful in the eye of the beholder. (2 Corinthians 11:12-15)

However, beauty is only skin deep, and the truth about all things will be revealed the more time we invest in it. A handsome man or gorgeous woman isn’t always so lovely once you get to know them when their personality becomes revealed.

Sin is the same.

Just because it looks good, doesn’t mean it is good.

If it sounds too good to be true, it may just be a lie.

Only God IS good, and so are His ways.

Nothing can ever beats being His, and being with Him.

●How we live magnifies our priorities.

●What we love reveals the desires of our hearts.

●What we focus on attracts more of the same….

If we zoom in on our lack or selfish desires, our mood will become increasingly dissatisfied and depressed. If we seek Him first and His Kingdom, its standards will be reflected within us.

What most appeals to His Beloved should be the things which most appeal to Him: community, truth, holiness, being with the one you love.

Lord, may we choose to regularly worship You, and keep our gaze focused on what is good, true, wholesome and pure. (Philippians 4:8) Be the fixed point of our devotion, and ever clarify our focus so we can see you better. Let Your character magnify our vision, and replicate itself within us.

May the gift of Presence be the one we unwrap the most, and may our heart align up with Your passions the more we spend time with You, and focus on what will last a lifetime instead of a fleeting moment.

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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.

Kingdom work

Karla Lees

When I go to work, I’m going to the Kingdom. I’m not working for the King, I’m working with the King. The Kingdom is not restrained to the walls of the Church. -Kris Vallotton

Many days, I used to drag myself to work.

But its not that I don’t love my jobs, for I do.

Rather its because I wasn’t seeing the bigger perspective about work in general.

Years ago, when in bible college, I dreamed of working in a church. One professor made a comment about how I was too radical to be church acceptable staff material, and my soul took on the weight of that barb.  Not knowing any better at the time, I let my dream of being on church staff fly away into my lost dreams pile.

Fast forward to more recent years.  Spending more time in the Word, I realized that the church in Acts seemed to do more “church-like” Kingdom work outside of the walls of the church buildings, right in the communities, wherever they were.

Immediately my eyes were opened to the reality that church work, Kingdom work, was never meant to be limited inside the walls of a building.

Kingdom work was always intended to be carried within the heart of everyone in the Kingdom, and shared with those who need to hear the Good News that they are welcome in His Kingdom.

  • The Kingdom is within me, for I am His.
  • The Kingdom walks with me, for the King is with me wherever I go.
  • I work with the King, wherever I work
  • All my work matters for His Kingdom when I do it for His Kingdom come and His glory.
  • When I am aligned with His heart for those around me, I am doing Kingdom work.

And I don’t need to be church staff, or in a church building to do so.

I only need to be lead by Holy Spirit, following Jesus’ example and allowing my heart to beat with my Abba’s to do Kingdom work.

For wherever I am, the Kingdom is too.

And the same is true for you!
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when you don’t quite have the best fit

Karla Lees

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For the past few years, I have struggled to find the best fit for myself in a pair of jeans.  I have more padding than I would like in my ab area, with a literal vs visual tush (basically flat) and fairly skinny legs.

I have curves in the wrong places for the trendy type of pants that are usually the easiest to find when looking for jeans.

Either I find a pair (my previous best fit) of skinny ones with a midrise and have sag beneath my tush, or find a great tush fit with wide wide legs and difficulty breathing (not an option for great quality of life).

Because I am also between sizes, and am over 5’8″ tall, this combination has made it very hard to find my best fit.

Until last Saturday.

I happened to be at the mall with a girl friend, and we decided to poke in a new store that we can across there.

And on a mannequin on the top shelf above their jeans, were my dream jeans.

Ladies, you know what i mean. The pair you just know that you know are going to be a perfect fit for you.

And guess what? After 5 different styles of jeans, guess which pair I ended up with?!

MY perfect fit.

So why I am sharing about finding the perfect fit of jeans?

Because just as the widow got justice from the earthly judge she kept going to day after day after day (Luke 18), committing to get your answer when you are looking for your best fit is possible.

And God encourages us to do so.

He wants us to know what we are passionate about, then pursue Him until we learn and can see where our best fit is.

I have known for years that I am not an average puzzle piece.  I don’t fit with everybody else fits & talent wise.  I am custom designed to be a part of the puzzle, but in the exact place I am meant to fill.

I am made for my perfect fit.  Just as you are.

Now, I am not saying that we aren’t to serve or work outside of our passion.  I am saying that God knows where we are to be the perfect fit for what He has planned for His KIngdom, and He chooses to use us uniquely shaped people to fill in the right places for His blessings to flow.

Because if your barista is meant to serve people, they will greet you with a smile, learn your name and get your order right.

Your kids’ babysitter, child care provider or teacher will celebrate your child’s successes, and inspire them to be the best they can be.

Your pastor will learn your name, pray for you, encourage you to find your place in the body you belong to.

Your mechanic will care that you are stressed out by your sudden car repair, and get how you need you need it fixed and fast.

Your doctor will take the time to explain and listen to you during your visit, without making you feel like just a number in line.

But put someone designed to be a mechanic in your local coffee shop as a barista?  Or a ballerina in as your pastor? Or a rock star as a grocery teller?

Not the best fit for their skill set, even though they might get the job done.

And if you don’t know yourself the way God has designed you to best fit, you can spend a lot of time and energy pursuing the wrong paths.

If you are looking for your best fit?
Where you are meant to release His Kingdom with your gifts & talents?

Ask Him.

He knows when and where you are to be.

He knows how and why.

He knows if it meant to be you or someone else.

I was in a job I did well in, but not the best fit for me.  I asked God to make it quite clear if I was to stay or go, and He did.

We were attending a church where we loved the people, but after many years, staff changes and most of our friends moving on, we needed to ask God if we were to stay or to go, and He did. We are now in a better fit for all four of our giftings in our family.

Again, I am not advocating change for change sake, nor recommending one church over another.  We are one Body.

But the church around the corner might need your gifts, and the church you are currently in doesn’t.  Because it isn’t your best fit.

You might be better suited to go to another country and use your gifts there versus in your local community.  Because that may be your best fit.

God may want you to be the first parent in your family line to stay at home and raise your children instead of working full time out of your home.

You may be meant to minister in word, song, prayer, encouragement, healing or teaching.

And you may not have figured out where He wants you yet as you are so busy doing, you haven’t set aside the time to sit at His feet and listen.

In order to find the perfect fit, you have to be actively seeking it.

If you, like me, have forgotten who He made you to be and need to rediscover yourself,  i would like to suggest a few things to help you along the journey:

51-pWsm5DoL._SX322_BO1,204,203,200_1. Do a spiritual gifts assessment.  Answer honestly, and you may be surprised by the result. Something you may have thought of as not relevant may be part of how He points you to your best fit.  The thumbnail is the best one I have ever done, and have actually taught.

5lovelang2. Discover your love language.  Visit the 5 Love Languages website, and learn how you best receive love.  This definitely impacts how you feel you fit.

3. Direct Revelation: Pray, worship, journal, read the Word. Spend quality time at His feet, and ask Holy Spirit to bring you revelation, and speak to you about where He wants you to serve to give Him the most glory.  This may change over seasons in your life, but with Him as your guide, you will stay on course.

4. Don’t give up!   Keep listening, seeking confirmation and His direction.  He may have someone as you to do something you  have never done before, and your spirit comes alive as you do.

How did you find your best fit?  I just love how God speaks to each of us in just the right way we need to hear Him!

birds of a feather

Karla Lees

I always related to the ugly duckling as a child, and honestly, still as an adult.

Not because I think I am exceptionally ugly  (surface beauty is in the eye of the beholder…) but because I have always felt on the outside looking in.  A misfit.  A round peg trying to fit in square holes.

I have felt that way at times in my relationships, my jobs, in ministry & at church.

And then in an email that arrived last night, I realized why I didn’t fit with the rest of the lovely ducks in the pond around me.

I’m a songbird. 🙂

Silly goose!

Laughter aside, I was trying to make myself fit into a mold I was never designed to fit.

I am both a trailblazer and a companion in my giftings.  A mentor, leader & supporter all rolled into one.

I tend to flock with the other birds also seeking their right fit.

And that is okay with God.

Coz its how He designed me.

With that email yesterday?

I realized that I have four fellow chicks I am meant to flock with. To support when one moves into the lead, to be alongside to help break the winds and offer relief when needed.  To all jointly pull in one direction, yet as individuals each doing our part.

That I am not alone.

Just as the foremost goose in the front of the flock rotates when their wings get tired, I am meant to be part of a team, not on my own.

And like the other geese, we all have separate backgrounds & nests which make us uniquely qualified to separately share,  becoming amplified when we join as the Bride to share His Words & Love to the beloved who don’t yet know the depths of His heart.

He makes us somehow even more when we are together than our sole efforts on our own.

We live in five different areas over a few time zones. Some have older kids, some younger.  A few have obvious scars, others are more hidden.

We all have an intentional pursuit of His Presence, insatiable desire for His Word and longing to hear His voice over all.

Like geese, we know we need God to be the strength allowing us to fly despite the headwinds against us.  We know we were meant to be united in fellowship, tight flock formation despite our differences.

We may not always be completely understood in our home ponds, but as birds of a feather united together for His Kingdom, we are being blessed.

My desire is for God to help each of us find our main voice as daughters of the King, writing for His Kingdom and His glory.

When God unites our hearts, we can’t wait to flock together. 🙂

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PS. I am blessed to have both local flocks of chicks, and a international flock.  This post specifically refers to my fellow writing chicks: Beth, Brandi, Kate, Jaime.

May we become the Song He longs for us to sing in harmony for His glory.

PPS. My “local” flock of chicks know how much I value & appreciate their love through the swells, valleys & storms. I regularly try to let them know how much I treasure them, more than words, and flock together whenever we can. You know who you are, sisters! xo

motivation matters

Karla Lees

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We are the people of busyness, aren’t we?

Life has become faster paced with the addition of increased technology & connectedness in our world. You can now have 24/7 access to almost any topic of interest around the clock. With email & cell phones you can be reached world wide.

We need to unplug from the busy & ask ourselves the why behind what we are doing.

Busyness for the sake of being busy is draining, lonely & empty.
With the radical rise of depression (by 2020 it will overtake heart disease as the number one cause of death & disability) we need to take the time to know the reasons we have for our actions, and live out lives of purpose.

Before we do anything else, as His people, we need to come close to Him. Enter His Presence, soak up the Son, connect with His heart, listen for His voice, act on His guidance….before anything else.

A wise man I work for says, “Make the most important thing the most important thing.”

Does God know you have made Him #1?  Do you make spending time in worship, prayer & the Word the priority in your day?

Does He have your heart? Do you know His heart for you?

Does the clamor of demands overpower the desire to connect with Him?

The sobering reality? No one else is going to help you make Him number one in your life.  They can make suggestions, share tips & resources, but only you can put them into practice.

For several years, I had my 30 min of quiet time in the afternoon, when my kids were napping and/or in kindergarten.

When they got older, around eight pm after bedtime worked for a few years, when hubby worked evening shifts.

When I worked the opening shifts at the coffee shops, I woke myself up with worship music, and had my quiet time when I got home from my shift while everyone else was still out.

I now get up earlier to do my 30 min before my work days, so they don’t become a daze of pointless busyness.

The past year, I have determined to do so, and I am healthier overall for it.  I feel closer to God, know He is for me, and I can depend on Him, so when the next wave of demands crashes on me, I am able to keep my head above the water & hear His voice.

Join Remade Ministries {and me :)} for 30 days of 30 minutes of time investing in blessing our King.

He not only deserves it, He longs for one on one time with you too.

Relationship over task, every time.

We can best serve with our hands & feet when our hearts & minds are fixed on doing what He ask us to do.  When our whole hearts are invested in making Him first place in our lives.

Then, and only then, our ministry will have impact for His kingdom.

For 30 days, give Him your first 30 minutes.  Make getting to know Him your priority over all else, and see how your life will change for the better.

When God reminds you what to say yes to, you will have no problem saying no to busyness for busyness’ sake. Your priorities will start to shift and fall as you follow His lead.

We are not meant to do it all, but we are all meant to know Him.

kingdom come

Karla Lees

With every act of love,
we bring the kingdom come.
-Jason Gray

I heard that song lyric for the first time today, and God floored me as I was headed in to work.

For years, I have felt guilty or ‘less than’ for not being an evangelist, or walking up to random strangers and proclaiming Christ out loud.

This line….God used it to reveal to me that when I smile, and offer a glimpse of hope, His kingdom comes.

When I help a friend, coworker or stranger in need- His kingdom come.

When I sing and invite His Presence to invade whatever space I am on, His kingdom come.

When we use our gifts & talents for His glory, His kingdom come.

Why oh why do we complicate what Jesus clearly showed us?

Love.
Inviting children to come.
Feeding the hungry.
Freeing the captives.
Touching the untouchables.
Loving the unlovable.
Teaching the thirsty.
Meeting the needs.

God reminded me we can all be as Jesus was when we remember to love one another.

His love was the conduit for kingdom come. 

His love was the key to releasing His power.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.

Mark 12:30-31

Its no accident that Mark recorded Jesus’ words about love.

We are marked by His love.
And that love is to be evident to those around us.

When we love one another with His heart, His kingdom come.
He is here.
With us.

You and I? We are an important part of God’s plan to bring His kingdom down to earth.

All we need is Love!

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snapshots along the Way: Betrayed

Karla Lees

As I have been rereading the Easter story, I have been struck anew by one word today: betrayed.

Jesus was betrayed to His death.

That sobering fact is not a simple one, but rather a way more complex than I have ever pondered and mulled over before.

Jesus was betrayed.

By one of His closes friends, one of the 12 He held most dear and invested countless moments, stories, and relationship building with over the three years they were together.

Judas was not a stranger, but a friend Jesus knew well.

That betrayal must have hurt Jesus deeply.

All of us have had someone betray us, but here is the clincher: Judas didn’t get that they were going to kill Jesus. He thought that Jesus would reveal Himself in power if His hand was forced, and the Kingdom of Heaven would come earlier to Israel.

I believe it is the grief of his misbelief mixed with his genuine love for Jesus that led him to His suicide.  Judas had no idea of what was to come, but Jesus did. And He knew it would hurt more than just His heart.

Yet he was not the only disciple to betray Jesus.  All the disciples scattered when Jesus was arrested.  Even Peter denied Jesus three times when asked if he was one of His disciples.  Like sheep without a shepherd, they didn’t know what to do when their leader was abruptly taken from them.

And all this occurred right after the first communion, where Jesus revealed His love to those closest to Him. Those He had lived & traveled with, those who had seen His miracles, and broken bread with, turned and ran at the first sign of major conflict.

Then you have the Jews. In particular, those in religious authority over Israel.  Those who spoke as God’s intermediaries to the people.

The very ones who knew the written Word inside & out missed the Living Word walking in their midst.

And because He didn’t fit with how they felt a rabbi or prophet should, they too betrayed Jesus by asking for His death.

Not only did they betray their countryman, their brother in the faith out to Rome, they betrayed their God in the most personal way possible – to His face, and to the death.

Pilate, the overseer in Jerusalem as assigned by the occupying Rome, knew Jesus was who He said He was.  And in refusing to stand up for what was right, he allowed a crowd to sway him to release a dangerous convict, a group of religious leaders to convict an innocent man, and betrayed Jesus to a horrible death he knew He didn’t deserve.

Betrayed by His loved ones.
Betrayed by the people He loved.
Betrayed by the one with the power to stop it all.

I believe part of why Jesus poured out His heart in prayer so fervently to His Abba in Gethsemane was because He knew the anguish He was about to feel in His heart over the layers of betrayal about to take place.

But there is one more level of betrayal to this story.

Because almost the whole world has heard of this Jesus, and what He did for everyone.

And when people refuse to take in the nail pieced outstretched hand offered as a free gift to all who accept it?

We become one of the betrayers.

If Jesus is who He says He is, then our refusal to accept it places us somewhere in the Easter story we would rather not be….one of the crowd who started out singing “Hosanna,” then began to chant “Crucify Him.”

This Easter, I am giving up keeping silent about Jesus.  For I don’t want to deny the One I love when asked about who I follow. 

I don’t want to break His heart by not acknowledging all he has done for me.

I don’t want to be a betrayer, or deny-er in God’s story anymore.

And because of what Jesus did on that cross, I am free not to do so anymore!  I am His, and He is mine.

His sacrifice makes me whole again. I don’t need ever head down the path of betrayal if I walk with Him to the cross.

#snapshotsalongtheWay

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Reason #4 to Give Thanks: Because You Care

Karla Lees

Every day, all around you, are people.

People,who like you and I, need to know they are appreciated. That what they do for others (such as us) is helpful, needed, thoughtful, well done.

They need to hear that thanks.

But this isn’t that kind of thanks I am referring to today…

When someone has blessed us with kindness, grace, an extra hand, unexpected help or blessing…we should thank God for them. In doing so, we acknowledge we care about those around us.

More than just that we need to ask Him to bless them for being a blessing we are thankful for.

When we thank God for those who bless us in our lives, He appreciates the thanks!

And when those in our circle of family, friends, coworkers & acquaintances share their good news, show you care for them by joining their celebration & thank God for blessing them!

And somehow in these thanks transactions…
1. They are blessed by Him for being a blessing.
2. We are blessed through being thankful, more aware of God moving around us.
3. God is blessed and honored with our thanks, whether for what He had given us or someone we know.

As the saying goes, “Win win!”

The next time someone does something worth thanking them for, don’t just thank them in this world. Honor them by thanking God for them in the heavenlies, and invite more of His kingdom down to earth.

Giving thanks is one of the keys for more of His presence!

May the Lord reward you for your kindness… Ruth 1:8

…I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you…

Romans 1:8

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rest is a weapon?

Karla Lees

Years ago, I learned how to connect with God in the quiet place within from Graham Cooke, a wonderfully kind prophetic teacher from the UK.

It changed me from a constantly stressed out young mom into a more peaceful woman able to rest in God despite the drama and sometimes trauma swirling around me.

I never really thought about that type of rest as a weapon before.

I inherently know that rest is good for me- does a body good, helps me focus and relax.

But a weapon?

This morning, as I looked up the word ‘rest’ on Google, I felt led to add Graham Cooke’s name into the search engine as well, and voila!

Rest is a weapon…the quote before this blog post.

Rest connects us to God and His Kingdom. As we hang out with Him, we start to see things through His eyes. Not just circumstances, situations and other people, but ourselves.

Resting before God helps us see, experience and come to know who we are in Him.

And when we walk out that reality, the rest we invested in finding it becomes a weapon.

Empowered by Holy Spirit, honed by Jesus, led by Abba.

Rest is the weapon you may be looking for to add to your arsenal for the kingdom.

Join me as we sit, rest, soak.

Sit in His presence.
Rest in His love.
Soak in His grace.
Rise with renewed purpose.

Rest is a weapon no one else can take from us. Only we can surrender it.