Tag: obedience

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.

why’s

Karla Lees

We don’t always take a close enough glimpse at one person in the Christmas story whom I can relate to the most.

Because like me, Joseph appears to have wondered at the whys of Jesus.

  • Why, Mary?
  • Why Mary?!
  • Why this way, God?
  • Why now?
  • Why me?
  • Why?

‘Why’ is a question we can all see ourselves saying when faced with a new scary or unsettling situation.

At times, we echo what we imagine Joseph’s attitude was when informed about Mary’s pregnancy.

We don’t know actually who told him, for we know Mary was out of town for several months visiting her cousin Elizabeth as she was awaiting her son to come, John. We can hazard a guess that the grapevine may have gotten to Joseph before her parents or Mary did.

Because bad news likes to spread when outsiders begin to ask why.

As her fiancé (in those days called betrothed) Joseph had pledged to marry Mary. To us today, being betrothed is like being married except not living or sleeping together yet. In that time, he had the legal right to accuse her of infidelity, divorce her, see her stoned, and be set free without any blemish on his reputation. (see Matthew 1:18 – 25)

Joseph must have asked why.  For we all want to know the answer to that question when faced with drama or trauma.

He was likely broken-hearted, angry, frustrated and second guessing himself for choosing her as his bride.

We get a critical glimpse into Joseph’s personality with his response to Mary’s news, and the hint of what he must have been thinking, when the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. (Notice the angel showed up after he had decided to quietly divorce her.)

His message from God for Joseph?

  1. Son of David: Yes, I know you, and i have the right guy, Joseph. You are part of the promise, the hope for Israel.
  2. Do not fear: I am with you.
  3. Take Mary as your wife: live up to your covenant with her.
  4. She is pregnant by the Holy Spirit: your wife became pregnant through God’s actions, no man’s. She is still your pure fiancée.
  5. She is to bear a son:  So you will know I speak the truth.
  6. Call him Jesus: For this is happening because He is the Messiah..
  7. For He will take away the sins of the world: this is the plan.
  8. And fulfill the prophecies spoken about him: this is the time for him to arrive.

Notice what Joseph did first thing after awakening from that dream.

He went and got married to the girl of his dreams. (With one exception. He didn’t consummate the marriage while she was pregnant with Jesus.)

Despite all the why’s left unanswered, Joseph heard exactly what he needed to in order to obey God, and become the step-father of the most important man in history.

I’d be asking why me too if I were Joseph.

Because I do so often enough in my own life at times.

Here is the thing.  God knows why He chose you and I.

Just because we don’t always know why He chose us, doesn’t mean we were not His intended chosen.

God knew Joseph would be engaged to Mary.  He knew him to be a just man, who loved Mary so much he would show her kindness in a heartbreaking situation.

For Joseph, despite his likely questions, was a man after God’s own heart.

After Jesus was born, Joseph was given another set of instructions in a dream via an angel of the Lord.  He was warned to take Mary and Jesus, and flee to Egypt.  (Matthew 2:13-15)

Then he was told why.

For in that instance, being a devout Jew and being asked to go back to Egypt, the country which kept your people enslaved for generation?  I’d want to know why, just like Joseph would.

The why? For Herod wants to kill Jesus.

God didn’t need to say any more than that, apart from wait for My further instructions.

There are some why’s we already know the answer to, we just need to hear them confirmed.

There are most lessons we can learn from the briefly recorded life of Joseph, step-father to Jesus, husband to Mary.  But why is evident the greatest in this portion of the Word.

Because when God asked Joseph to do something, just like Mary, he did so. Even without all his why’s answered.

There is no question in my mind that Mary and Joseph were real life people like you and I.  God knew the plans He had for them, and look how history was changed through their obedience.

Why Joseph ultimately comes down to this: Jesus needed an earthly father who resembled His heavenly Father. One whose heart was for following the ways of heaven while here on earth. 

The next time you are overwhelmed with the questions on your heart and mind, ask Him to reveal Himself to you.  

For He is the ultimate answer to all our questions: the how’s, the what if’s, the who’s, the what’s, the where’s, the when’s and yes, the why’s!

This piece of history reminds me to wonder anew at the bigger picture God has in store for us!
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when our walk can speak louder than our talk

Karla Lees

There are times when the walls are meant to come down, and God wants us to know it is because of who He is, not due to the works of our hands.

Dive into Joshua with me, and take a peek at the battle for Jericho with me today.

In Joshua 6, we meet up with the Israelites outside of heavily fortified Jericho.  First on the list to be overthrown in order to take the Promised Land.

And in verse one, we are informed no one could go in, and no one was getting out.

Now we know that didn’t used to be the case, because two of the spies managed to get in (in Joshua 4) and meet Rahab, who told them how all of Jericho was petrified from hearing about their God.  We can only assume Jericho tightened its security after that encounter.

In Joshua 5, we get confirmation in verse 1 that all the kings in the area heard how God dried up the Jordan for the Israelites to cross and their “hearts melted in fear” as they lost their courage to face them in battle.

Then the weirdest timing I ever heard of for preparing for battle happened in Joshua 5:2.  God instructed Joshua to circumcise the Israelites again.  Which may seem a bit strange, but since they had been wandering for 40 years, the circumcised generation had all passed away, and their children needed it done.

I don’t know about you, but if i had been hearing rumours the town we were set to conquer was petrified of us, I would be wanting to strike while the fear was at its all time high.  Not recover from surgery before war.

But three things happened because of their obedience, which spoke louder than i expected as I continued to read this passage.

  1. God gave the place where they obeyed Him a new name, Gilgal (which means roll), to signify He had rolled away their past in Egypt. (Joshua 5:9)
  2. When they celebrated their first Passover in the new land, the manna stopped the next day. (Joshua 5:10-12)  This confirmed for the people God has given them the Promised Land, as not only their home, but through which He would provide for them.
  3. Joshua had a vision where he confronted a warrior he didn’t recognize, asking if he was for Israel or its enemies. (Joshua 5:13)  The commander of the Lord’s army (Joshua 5:14) replied he had now arrived, and that the ground they were on was holy.  Joshua then asked him what message God had for him.

When we pick up Joshua 6 again in verse 2, I believe we hear the message the commander of God’s army passed on to Joshua in that holy moment.

God was about to deliver Jericho into Israel’s hand through their obedience, not their might.

Here was the message:  March the army around the city once a day for 6 days. Have 7 priests carry their trumpets ahead of the ark, at the front of the procession. Have them blow their trumpets, but stay silent. On the 7th day, march around Jericho seven times.  Then, when you hear the trumpets sound a long blast, everyone shout loudly. Then the walls will collapse, and you can take the city. (Joshua 5:2-5)

This might sound more than a little crazy to you and I, but don’t forget who God gave this message to.

Joshua saw Moses come off the mountain with the 10 Commandments God Himself inscribed in rock.  Manna & quail fell 6 days a week from heaven. Their clothing & shoes never wore out, despite 40 years of wear and tear. God’s Presence was visible to His people. The crossing of the Red Sea & the Jordan. Joshua might even have seen the plagues on Egypt.

There is no word telling us that Joshua took a moment to think it over, or was apprehensive at all about God’s instruction.

In Joshua 5:6-15, Joshua instructed the army to follow His directions. When the final trumpet blast sounded in verse 16, he commanded the army to shout, for God has given them the city but to give all inside of it to the Lord, save Rahab and those in her house.

In Joshua 5:20-25, we see Israel obeying.

Israel won this mighty battle because they walked as God commanded them to. Even when it might have brought them derision across the land as the days went on and they only walked around Jericho’s outside, without saying a word save for the trumpets’ sound.  Even when those walls must have looked indestructible, and solid as they kept walking about it.

They kept their feet on the path God had for them, and let their actions speak His ways loud and clear.

Their worship was their obedience.

There are times when the walls we are facing will not come down except through His might, and our obedience to follow His instructions, no matter how strange they may be.

For His ways are beyond ours, and we don’t see the whole picture clearly.  We don’t always know all the players involved in the battle, but God does.  We may not need to know everything that is going on, but He knows.

Our walk speaks louder than our talk when it is God speaking through our obedience.

I have walls ahead of me.  God isn’t finished with me yet, so I know the road up ahead for me to move into the fullness He has planned for me will not be all smooth sailing, or an easy jaunt.

But I am not facing these walls on my own.  Even if some of them may have been of my own making.

God will overcome them as I bring them to Him, and follow His lead to see them fall.

His might, His power, His holiness, Him in all His majestic gloriousness is more than a match for any wall standing against Him or His children.

On the other side of that wall, Israel discovered the wild might of their God battling for them in a way they might never have discovered had they not put one foot behind the other and walked out their part.

Today, you and I have the same opportunity.

For the same God desires to set us free of the walls of our own making, and to bring down the obstacles hindering us from where He desires for us to be.

Spend some time with Him. Ask Him what your part is to seeing the walls within and in front of you coming down. Listen for Holy Spirit’s guidance.  Confirm what you hear.

Once you know it was His voice?

Whatever He tells you to do, do it.

And watch Him show Himself strong as He battles for you, Beloved!

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in His grip

Karla Lees

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I begin truly living when God is the one writing my story.

Sounds like the opposite of what logically makes sense, but its so true.

When God writes our story, His love comes shining through.

Our part is to make sure we are in His hands, He does all the rest.

Again, sounds too easy, but that is where the battle truly is…
in letting go of our deep rooted desire to control & allow God to take the reins.

For who better to write our story than the One who not only created us, but reigns forever over all?!

The fact that He came to us & rescued us from ourselves is awesome enough, but the fact He wants to partner with us through every moment of our lives?

Breathtaking.

When we sit in the driver’s seat, we tend to only see two ways….what is behind, and what is directly ahead.  We don’t tend to be as aware of the passengers on the journey with us unless they make a lot of noise, or are our Beloved.

When God sits in the driver’s seat, He sees everything all at once:
where to avoid the pitfalls & obstacles ahead, what He has gotten us through, who we are to have alongside us for the next step of our travels, and speaks to us to love & guide us as we use our gifts & love for His glory. All at the same time.

Only One beyond time can see it all.

Only the One who orchestrated it all deserves to be the conductor in our lives.

Only the One who scripted our love story from its inception deserves to write the love letter He is making in each of His Beloved’s lives.

Mother Theresa understood it wasn’t about the gifts we offer back to Him. It’s all about the God who has us lovingly in His grip, revealing His love to the world through our willing obedience & submission to His ways before all.

Somehow in His grip, we become way more than we could ever hope or imagine, because the One is who is so magnificent is moving within us beyond our comprehension in the moment.

His story, written on willing lives in the ink of true Love, will never fade…and miraculously becomes our story too as He writes it.

May we lay down our desire to be in control, and allow the One who makes all things new to write His love in our hearts so deeply the overflow draws those around us to meet the Author of their story!

say goodbye to shame

Karla Lees

There is no shame.
There is only God’s love.

#TheMercifulScar

Tired of carrying the weight of your actions on your shoulders?

Fed up with dragging your shame around behind you?

Then don’t for another moment longer.

Its time to realize that we are carrying something God doesn’t see any longer.

You see, if we confess our stuff to God, He erases it from His forever data bank.
Signed, sealed, delivered, done.

We are the ones who pick up our old garments & try to keep wearing them, despite the fact they no longer fit.

We miss the love when we take our eyes off of Him,and focus on our past again, redredging up shame to torment us.

if you have asked God to forgive you,
He has.

if He has forgiven you,
you are made new & free.

if you can’t shake shame on your own,
get help.

ask someone to pray with and for you.
write down the transaction of being forgiven by God.

then take the steps to move forwards with His love as your guide.

Love makes a way…always.

if God Himself IS love, He can’t help Himself from expressing it to us.

stop accepting the shame game
and its blame

refill the empty space with Love.

your life will be changed for the better!