Tag: power

in His strength

Karla Lees

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Last night, I stepped out of my comfort zone and took part in a 12 hour worship burn…where we offered God praise and worship for 12 hours straight. Six teams, 2 hours each.

As a vocalist, usually two hours is a good maximum for keeping your voice strong without too much strain.

I had the beginnings of a cold when I woke up on Friday morning.

And was signed up to sing for 2 two hour time slots, 2 hours apart, in the wee hours of the morning (1-3 am) and when I am usually getting up (5-7 am).

I prayed and asked Him if I should cut back, and the following familiar verse came to mind:

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13 (NIV)

So I didn’t, and I prepared for two sets.  From the time I arrived, I stayed away from caffeine and sweets, drank about 8-10 glasses of water, rested my voice way more than I usually would, and only had the two things to help keep my throat moist besides water, shot glasses of pineapple juice and a few potato chips (the chips are apparently Amy Grant’s go to before a performance too).

And more than all that, I had to depend on Him in a way I normally never ask for help in.

An early riser, I am usually down for the count by 10 pm.

Last night, I didn’t get any sleep, nor did I sense God wanted me to.  I had a strong reassurance I would be able to make it through without sleep, and without losing my voice or incurring too much strain.  Since I am also singing Sunday morning, this was quite a bit outside my comfort zone.

I chose to trust He had me in His grip, and would get me through.

When I got to work this morning, I happened to look up the verse to double check it was the verse I remembered. I was stunned to see what Philippians 4:13 says in the Message translation:

 

Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.

I stepped out, and God stepped up to meet me there. I am still stunned with the wonder that I have now been up for 29 hours straight, and do not feel as exhausted as I would have expected.

God took me in His strength beyond what I am capable of in my own strength, and then beyond even more!

When we step out and trust He is more than enough for all we will encounter and endure, our trust is not placed in vain.

If the Maker of the universe made me, He knows what I am capable of, both on my own and with His empowerment.

I can place myself with confidence in His care.

When I expectantly come close into His Presence, He never fails to meet me in each instance.

I am able to do far more than I realize when God holds me together and strengthens me.

Which He does because of:

  • His great love for me
  • His character – God of compassion, refuge, power, might. Its part of who He is
  • His desire to draw close to be with His Beloved
  • the truth that I now live in and within Him, so His strength is an overflow of His loving kindness

and not the least, due to

  • His acute awareness of how much I need Him!

 

all of You is more than enough

Karla Lees

Yesterday was an interesting day.

No matter what I did, the timing seemed to be just slightly off. I am sure you can relate.

But I had a strong sense that everything was happening according to His timing, despite how I was feeling.

Even when I had to head to the ER with my eldest right after I finished work.

I had an unusual assurance that all would be well, despite the circumstances.

The last time we were in the ER? We look back on it now as a comedy reel. While performing a procedure on my child, one of the nurses accidentally set off her “I am being assaulted” alerts, and two huge security guards withdrawn guns swarmed into the room while loud alerts were sounding.

All while I was sitting across the hall facing the surgical room, with no visibility.

I almost had a panic attack from the adrenaline that surged with that sudden incident.

And do you know not one staff came to reassure me my child, under anaesthetic in that room, was okay?

I overheard a nurse tell another staff what had happened on the other side of the hall a few moments later, after the security men left the room, and I know it was His timing to help me calm down and breathe again.

The rest of the night, the communication was limited or non existent. Eight people treated my daughter in total, and only one was partly helpful to help us learn what was going on and what to do moving forward. In fact, we had to head back the next day to get the paperwork necessary for my child to miss school, as the doctor immediately left after the procedure without completing it, despite our obvious requests beforehand.

God knew that day I needed a physical reminder He was with me, and put it on the heart of one of my heart sisters to show up and sit with me as we waited to be discharged. He knew I needed a person in my corner so I could step into the strength He had for me in that night’s battle.

So the first thing that came to mind this time was to raise up as much prayer from my family to shift the atmosphere before we left the house.

And God showed Himself mightily as we did. We had a lovely doctor who has chosen an alternate treatment to what we were expecting, and who wants to check in with us in 48 hours to ensure it is working.

God knows what we need in each moment we face, Beloved.

All He is is more than enough for anything we could ever face.

I am learning to trust Him beyond what I dreamed possible when I first became a Christian.

It is hard to put your child on the altar when He asks it of us, when fear is rising and your mind tries to take you into all the possible nightmares that could happen in an emergency.

I have found He has been more than enough in every emergency I have faced. Losing my baby when I miscarried. Comforting a sudden widower over the loss of his wife, my husband’s sister. When the sounds flatline despite your prayers. Not knowing where next week’s grocery money was going to come from. The times my baby could hardly breathe. When I hadn’t slept for 5 nights, 6 days straight when in hospital for unknown reasons, and thought I was going to lose my mind. Hearing the word cancer spoken over family members. Holding my best friends when their marriages came crashing to rock bottom in times of crisis.

In each of these situations, God revealed Himself so powerfully I stand in awe at His timing, His provision and His Presence.

Like the Israelites in the desert, He meets all my needs.

My covering will not wear thin or fail to protect me, for He Himself cloaks and shields me.

My provision will come. For just as manna fell from heaven, so does He open His storehouses for His children.

My brokenness will be made whole, for God is in the constant restoration mindset.

He continues to make the ashes of our hurt and shards of our breaks into something more beautiful than we can see in during the transition process, because of His great love for us.

What I need to live the life He has for me, He ensures I have when I put my trust in Him.

He is the God of the constant now. He was with me in the past. He promises to be with me in the future, and on into heaven.

But He is fully here, right now, beside me, within me, guiding and reassuring me as each moment brings a new need to light.

Whether the need needs to be uprooted from deep inside to reach the new freedom He desires for me….

Whether the need lies in His comfort as the need reveals itself to be linked to loss….

Whether the need is for a physical touch, a calming of the mind, filling up my love tank, refueling my body with food, the Word or rest….

I know without doubt He is for me.

And He is more than enough in every moment I have faced, am facing and will face yet to come.

Ask Him for a deeper revelation of His love and care for you.  Pray for dreams, visions, confirmation, and watch His love in action reveal itself to you in your need.

All of You is more than enough for all of me, for every thirst and every need. You satisfy me with Your love, and all I have in You, is more than enough.

Chris Tomlin

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how the weight of His glory can fall like snow

Karla Lees

How much does a snowflake weigh?

Someone who measures such things determined that an individual snowflake weighs 0.02* grams. At that weight it would take 50 flakes to make a gram. For comparison, a Hershey’s kiss weighs 4.7 grams – equal to about 235 snowflakes. There are about 95 kisses in a pound. Using the kiss-to-snow crystal calculator that comes to 22,325 snowflakes/pound.
*this would be the heaviest end of the spectrum. Most are much lighter, weighing from 0.001 to 0.003 grams.

In reality, it’s hard to measure the weight of a snowflake. For one thing, each snowfall is different. Some snow is light and fluffy, and some is heavy and wet. That’s due to the water content in the snow, which is related to the temperature high in the clouds where the flakes began forming, and the temperature of the air they fall through.

Quote from: http://archimedesnotebook.blogspot.ca/2011/01/how-much-does-snowflake-weigh.html?m=1

An individual snowflake doesn’t weigh much in the big scheme of things.  Yet God designed each one uniquely, placing great care in its creation.

And despite its miniscule weight, it still manages to fall to earth, again as part of God’s plan.

Why am I bringing up snowflakes during winter?

Because of last night.

Last night, while worshipping, I “saw” how snow & the weight of His glory relate in how they both fall.

Each snowflake is designed for a purpose, and only fulfills that purpose when it falls with the rest of the snowflakes in the same snowfall or storm.

On its own, it isn’t particularly heavy, but when you add up the weight it forms when it piles up, it can be quite significant.

Each snowflake’s composition is perfect for the design of its fall, the exact amount of water contained within to be the perfect part of the team alongside the other snowflakes….all unique yet made to fall together.

There are two ways snow is a great example of the weight of His glory.

We are all like those snowflakes. And He will perfectly fill us with the right amount of water (living water, His Presence) so we are filled for the purpose we are to live out that day….so we can share it with those around us.

His glory? Its weight falls like the snowflake. Perfectly attuned and made for its recipient.  And when a group gathers seeking His Presence, the weight of His glory gets heavier, as He falls on everyone in the room.  Some can sense it landing heavily, others sense a light touch.  He uniquely meets each of us with the exact right weight, more than enough for us in that exact moment, but never exactly like someone else’s.

Just like each snowflake, God’s Presence falls on each of us how He knows it will best soak in & water us.

When the weight of His glory falls heavily, as a heavy snowstorm can cause traffic to come to a standstill, so does time seem to come to a standstill.  The air gets thick, charged with power and spiritual electricity as He enters the room in His majesty.

The weight of His glory
falls snowflake by snowflake
until the full weight
of His tangible Presence
descends:
soaking in,
cleansing,
refreshing
as Heaven
meets earth
in a fantastic
exchange.

Unlike how we have no control over the snowfall, we can ask God to come to us.

His word promises He will come when we seek Him:

Timing is the Father’s business. What you’ll get is the Holy Spirit.

 -Jesus, Acts 1:8

He will come when we seek Him. Exactly how & the when is up to Him.  Who He falls on with the weight of His glory? That depends on us:

Read the Word.  The God you find described there is real, and wants a real relationship with you.

Take some time to seek Him every day.  Even a five minute break can be used by Him to refresh you.  An extended period of time where you just seek and wait for Him? Even better. Even in the midst of being about His business on a short timetable, Jesus still made the time to spend with His Father:

As often as possible Jesus withdrew to out-of-the-way places for prayer.

Luke 5:16 MSG

Worship Him for who He is.  He loves to be praised, and promises to live where He is honored & lifted high:

Yet you are holy,enthroned on the praises of Israel, Your people.

Psalm 22:3 ESV

Thank Him for what He has done. For making you His. For caring for you. For the blessings He has already poured out on you and the ones He promises are to come:

I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.

Jeremiah 29:11 MSG

Believe He will come:

Because you’re not yet taking God seriously,” said Jesus. “The simple truth is that if you had a mere kernel of faith, a mustard or  poppy seed, say, you would tell this mountain, ‘Move!’ and it would move. There is nothing you wouldn’t be able to tackle.

Matthew 17:20 MSG

Just like the snow, which continues to fall, so will the weight of His glory when we keep seeking Him.

It may feel like a snowflake landing on your nose. It may be  like a tingle or charge of static electricity. It may feel like a heaviness on your shoulders. It may feel like a heat wave, a fresh burst of wind, bubbling up joy or a peace unlike any you have ever known.

He will come. Just as sure as winter will always come again!

(PS. Here is a great song to hear to help set the atmosphere to seek Him: Weight of Glory)

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Image from: http://www.kidzworld.com

Spirit bridge

Karla Lees

I just finished a non-stop meal of James L. Rubart’s trilogy finale, ‘Spirit Bridge’.

My faith grew within me.

My soul left for joy.

My mind shouted ‘Amazing, God.’

And a little voice whispered, ‘You know this isn’t for you, right?’

As the book clearly stated, the enemy likes to lie to us surrounding our identity.

All God has for me IS for me.

We are who we are in Christ.

The power He has for us to walk that out depends on our ability to believe it, and trust in Him no matter what we hear yelled at us.

Our strength comes from our ability to lay down our everything before God, and allow Him to release in us what He desires.

The exact words to speak to the heart that needs to hear all hope isn’t lost.

The song to sing to usher in a new sense of His presence, love and grace.

The shield to cover those who need His protection in their situations.

The prayer to release the heavenly resources He has for us in our moment of need.

Our part is to lay our agendas down, admit our failures, weaknesses and how much we need Him.

He does all the rest.

Are you allowing the Spirit to be the bridge in your life between the now and the possible God has waiting for you today?

waterfall

Karla Lees

There is a waterfall up ahead.

How wet you get depends on how close you get to the water.

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God’s love
runs deeper than we can fathom
higher than our eye can see
stronger than death or illness
wider than the horizon is off afar
a tap missing a shut off valve, it keeps going and going and going
forever
without end

A lover of all things water related, the choice of using a waterfall to explain God’s love is an instant snapshot for me.

Usually beautiful,
as immense torrents of water pour down to plummet into the still deep pool waiting below
Majestic
Wild
Strong
Natural
Raging with purpose

Waterfalls become places where humanity find themselves drawn to. Fascinated with the falls,
Captivated by the power,
Yet somehow
at the same time
there is an underlying current at work.

God’s love is the same.
Fascinatingly directed on a collision course for our hearts
Waiting to pour in an abundance of love, peace, joy, hope, strength, grace
As we reach outstretched arms
for Him to touch us.

May you, down to your very soul, be soaked in the spray of His downpour as you draw close to Him.

His water is the only one that truly satisfies.

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(If you are musically inclined like me, to catch a glimpse of the awesomeness of God’s love in song, listen to:
Make Me Brave; Anchor- Bethel Music
Rain Down- Martin Smith, Jesus Culture
Let it Rain, All Consuming Fire- Jesus Culture
Cornerstone; Oceans- Hillsong
And my new fave, the words of which are added below:)

Waterfall – Chris Tomlin

Oh God, my God I seek You
I wanna move when You move
You’re more than I could long for
I thirst for You

You’re an ocean to my soul
To my soul

Your love is like a waterfall, waterfall
Running wild and free
You hear my heart when I call, when I call
Deep calls to deep
Your love is like a waterfall, waterfall
Raining down on me

Waterfall, waterfall

Oh God, my God I seek You
In this dry and desert land
You lead me to streams of mercy
Once again

You’re an ocean to my soul
To my soul

Your love is like a waterfall, waterfall
Running wild and free
You hear my heart when I call, when I call
Deep calls to deep
Your love is like a waterfall, waterfall
Raining down on me

Waterfall, waterfall

It’s coming like a flood
I’m dancing in the rain
Everything I’ve done
Is covered in rivers of grace, amazing

It’s coming like a flood
I’m dancing in the rain
I lift up my hands
Your love never changes, amazing

Your love is like a waterfall, waterfall
Running wild and free
You hear my heart when I call, when I call
Deep calls to deep
Your love is like a waterfall, waterfall
Raining down on me

Waterfall, waterfall

enough

Karla Lees

There comes a time when each of us have had enough.

It might be your stress level. Your health. Your inability to sleep. A negative influence. Someone not taking your no as the final answer. A boundary was crossed. Hurtful words hurled your way.

When you’ve had enough, we hit the end of ourselves.

Leaving us with two choices:
Usually an emotional reaction, such as anger, frustration, exhaustion, hurt feelings, depression or regret. These can also show physically, with tense muscles, headaches, upset stomachs, lack of appetite, overeating, insomnia, or illness.

Coming to the end of ourselves usually occurs because you and i fail to see the bigger picture going on beyond ourselves.

The second option when you reach the end of yourself is to take that emotional reaction and plug into God for your need:

Exhausted?
Come rest. Psalm 23

Angry?
Lay it down. Ephesians 4:26

Stressed?
Stop worrying. Matthew 6:25-34

Sick?
Ask for healing. Matthew 4:23

Regret?
Seek forgiveness. 1 John 1:9

Hurt?
Forgive. Matthew 18:21-22

Lonely?
He is with you. Psalm 68:6

In need of comfort? Broken hearted?
He is close. Psalm 34:18
He heals your heart. Psalm 147:3
He loves you. Jeremiah 31:3

In bondage?
He sets the prisoners free.
Isaiah 61:1-3

Need hope?
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 12:15

When we hit the end of us, when we turn to God, we find that His more than enough is more than able to help us move forward.

May you draw close to this God who is so beyond what we can sense in the natural world, tap into His supernatural love and equipping, and find yourself as you do.

Don’t let one circumstance or situation blind you from God waiting to be there for you. Let Him help you stand, and face it together.

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tap in

Karla Lees

A few days ago, I was chatting with my boss at work while he was having physio on a painful spot on his leg. He had one hand raised over his head while the physiotherapist was applying deep pressure, as if he wanted someone to tap him out. At that time, I didn’t think about it too much beyond the photo I took (with permission).

Over the past few days, I have been reading the Well Spring novels by James L.Rubart, Soul’s Gate & Memory’s Door. Both of which God is using to shake up & sift out some incorrect ways i think. Stretching my faith to trust & believe for more grace, more love, more of His Presence, more able to hear His whispers.

In a flash jolt today, I read Ann Voskamp’s tweet, pictured below…

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I realized my boss had it right.

When we are feeling weak, we are to reach out.

We were not designed to do it all on our own. To grit out teeth and endure in painful isolation.

We were meant to tap into the source.

We are to reach out to our Abba, the Father who wants us to seek Him, to knock and interrupt Him to come on in and ask whatever we want to talk to Him about.

We are to reach out to Jesus, our Savior and brother, who intimately knew deep emotional, spiritual and physical pain. Who understands our needs even better than we do. Who is there to set us free, protect and speak up for us as we cry out to Him.

We are to reach out to Holy Spirit, our guide in all truth and knowledge. Who offers a comfort beyond comprehension, peace beyond our limited vision. Who strengthens us from within, beyond what we are capable of on our own.

Tapping out for help is not only wisdom, when we are faced with something we cannot cope with on our own, it’s the smarter way way to go.

Acknowledging your weakness and allowing God to fill in your lack is life changing.

I am somehow more than I ever imagined when I come into God’s Presence and tap into who He is, acknowledging I need His help in everything.

Will you join me and raise your hand in surrender?

Life beyond limits is awaiting….