Tag: promise

Your original promise

Karla Lees

The original promise is the direct blessing of God received in faith.
Galatians 3:20

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On the days when the moments of pain, grief or hurt try to overwhelm, God tangibly reminds us throughout His Word of His promises.

The fact that there are at least 365 of them, depending on which version you read, reassures my heart that He knows we need this reminding know a daily basis.

What we need is not a shock to Him by any means.

Our Creator didn’t just plop us on this earth and wash His hands of what He had made.

He continuously was seen throughout the history recorded in the Word by his people, interactive and present.

Reminding us He is with us.
Acting and moving on our behalf in ways we can’t even fathom.
Speaking love and truth to us.

But God went even deeper, by promising us His blessing.

Straight, no holds barred.

His direct blessing has been spoken to each of His Beloved, and offered as a gift of love to each who chose to receive it.

By faith.

Our part is to believe He IS who He says He is and trust His Words ARE true, even when we can’t yet see the fruit of our faith in the here and now.

Abraham believed decades before his promised son arrived.

Joseph believed generations before Israel was delivered out of Egypt.

Hannah believed she had been heard by God after an awkward encounter with a priest accusing her of being drunk in her fervency.

Mary believed in faith the moment the angel proclaimed her the mother of the long awaited Promise.

None of these faithful knew exactly what was up ahead, but they knew the One who made the promises, and placed their faith in Him.

Unsure of your future?
At a crossroads, or a crisis of decision?

Grab on tight to the promises of the Promise Keeper.

He is who He says He is  and He will deliver on His promises.

For He will never change being who He says and reveals He is:

Promise Giver.
Promise keeper.
The Living Promise.
Promise with us.

This Promise will never let us go.  If eveything else in your world is unsettled, He will be your steady foundation.

Reach out and grab the Promise.
His hand is always outstretched to you, and is only a prayer of faith away.

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.

#oneword2016

Karla Lees

2016.

A fresh unblemished year ahead. only a few hours old.

I don’t know about you, but I was so ready for a new year to begin. After tackling many fears last year, I am just beginning to see the blessings which are starting to unfurl as a result.

For several years now. my word for the year has been hope. 

Over the past few months, God has been taking me past hope and stirring up expectation.

Belief in more to come than I can imagine.

Belief in a God beyond the limitations I have placed upon Him.

And although that would be a great word, belief is not my choice for #oneword2016.

But I have outgrown hope alone for my word for this coming year.

My awe at what He has been doing in and through and around me over these weeks was the clue.

Wonder!

Wonder as I recall where He found me.

Wonder at how far He has brought me in the past.

Wonder He is with me here and now!

Wonder for what He has for me yet to come.

Wonder seen in nature as it reflects its Creator, the God of Wonders.

Wonder as He reveals more of who He is and the promises He has in store for me, for us, through His Word.

Wonder at where I see Him moving in the world…for He, like Aslan, is on the move!

Join me as I put on my new wonder-filtered glasses to take in all 2016 has to show me about the wonderous God I love and follow!

#oneword2016
#WONDER

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O Little Town of Bethlehem

Karla Lees

O little town of Bethlehem
How still we see thee lie
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight

For Christ is born of Mary
And gathered all above
While mortals sleep, the angels keep
Their watch of wondering love
O morning stars together
Proclaim the holy birth
And praises sing to God the King
And Peace to men on earth

Bethlehem wasn’t where Mary and Joseph though they would give birth when they first got married.  Most of us don’t travel 30 days or so to go sign in live as proof we exist. Nowadays most of us have access to a hospital or midwife in our immediate area.

But God knew.

God wanted there to be no question that Jesus came from David’s line, just as He has promised, so led Caesar to request a census of His people so history would record Joseph as one of David’s descendants.

So Bethlehem entered the stage as the setting for the miracle, get also not quite as one would expect.

We are used to online or phone reservations when we travel from home, so we know where we will end up to rest our heads at night.

Not so in biblical times.

Unless you had direct family in those days, it was first come, first serve.

Traveling with a very pregnant Mary would likely have slowed Joseph down, and resulted in no room anywhere in town.

Except a stable.

Not even a stable/barn by today’s standards, but likely a hole in the side of a hill, or a low built clay enclosure to keep a roof over the owner’s animals.

Not an ideal birthing setting.  Hygiene alone, it must have been very off putting to think of delivering the Messiah into the world as its King in a stable.

There is also no record of a midwife, so both Mary and Joseph might likely have been very panicked, nervous and crying out to God as she began to give birth.

I can relate.  And so could God.

Which is why Christ’s entry was designed so that the every day person would know God had been hearing each and every cry for help.

The Presence came as the very present we needed at Christmas:

Perfectly wrapped for the average Joe.

Perfectly planned as the Promise to come heralded through the Word and by the angels.

The Perfection of God now present in the work of His hands.

Emmanuel.

God with us.

Born in Bethlehem, announced by angels, snug in his earthly parents arms in a stable.

The Hope for all arrived with less fanfare than we would expect, yet surpassin every expectation we could have for this fulfillment of prophecy and promise.

While Bethlehem slumbered, its Messiah slipped into a stable and began to transform the world!

What a reason to offer Him fresh praise again this season.

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Historical Background:

In 1868, Pastor Phillips Brooks wrote the words to “O Little Town of Bethlehem” after seeing Israel first hand.  His church organist Lewis Redner put the words to music.

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.

when what you long for doesn’t arrive in the package you expect

Karla Lees

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My hubby has had an unusual pain across his lower abdomen for six years now.  Two major surgeries later, we were recently directed to a particular ‘minor’ surgery which promised an 80% success rate of the nerve in question is causing his pain.

It became apparent yesterday that the procedure didn’t work.

And the faint hope which had arisen has fizzed out.

I know in my gut that there is a nerve which is being compromised causing this pain. All the recent reports agree.

I know God will restore my husband, for His Word promises He is our healer and He will make us whole.

This procedure wasn’t the tool in His hands that hubby thought it would be.

That doesn’t mean He is done with healing him. I reminded hubby yesterday that we just can’t see the how yet, but our Hope can still be found in Him.

Waiting for an answer to that deep down buried heart cry prayer you have poured out from the depths of who you are, with much tears & emotions intertwined?

He WILL answer you.

You may not be able to see how. but this God who promises good things for His people? He keeps His promises.

He is also the ever present Promise with you as you go.

Everywhere.

Through everything.

You know how I know?

Jesus’ love for us kept Him on the cross, not just His desire to set the world right again.

His desire is for each of our world’s to be found in Him, each and every day.

I am choosing to fix my eyes on the Promise Keeper and my eyes peeled for the package He will use to answer my hubby’s & my prayers.

For my Deliverer is coming.

Active, alive, right there with us in the daily trenches as we battle to keep our peace & hope.

May He reveal Himself strong & present to you as well.

into the unknown Promised land

Karla Lees

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When I turned 19, I allowed emotional turmoil to lead me away from the faint whisper calling me to step towards the unknown on a certain path.

It was another 3 years before I accepted His invitation to come, but I missed the signal of my calling in my thrill of becoming a wife & mother.

Scoot forward 21 years.

I begin to hear the call again to step into the unknown up ahead, but fixing my eyes on my circumstances instead of solely on my God, I behaved no differently than the Israelites on the cusp of moving into their Promised Land.

I was too worried about how we would provide & what we needed to survive than I was trusting in my Provider. I couldn’t fathom how it could be.

How that denial from deep within grieved me, and disappointed Him.

Last night, Labour Day, at a worship night, God released me from my fears of ‘how’ into jumping in with complete abandon & a whole hearted Yes.

I don’t know what the Promised Land He has for me is going look like.

But He does.

I refuse to allow my imagination, seeming intelligence or emotions to lure me down the red herring path again.

Instead I am going to fix my eyes firmly on the Promise Keeper.

You see, in a flash of understanding, i finally understood I likely won’t understand what’s up ahead until I have already moved into it & beyond.

Beyond the beyond is where my new future will become my godly legacy, in His firm capable hands.

Because He won’t let me fail if I am following where He is leading, for He is my Promise, my foundation.

So I don’t need to worry, become anxious, or fear what is just beyond my vision & comprehension…..

Because I know the One who is my PROMISE.

And His Word never fails.
His plans always come to pass.
His love never fades.
My future is secure in Him.

I have had a glimpse of what He may have ahead for me and its both exhilarating & more than terrifying at the same time.

I will not be able to do it without leaning heavily on Him for strength & support.

But fear can only grip me if I remove myself from His grip.

So I cling to my Promise Keeper, believing & trusting on the border that the new path into the Promised Land ahead will be revealed to me as I obey the call to step before I can see.

For as I step in obedience, He will illuminate both the foggy path & the dark within me He wants to set free.

And as I walk, I become part of the Promise He has for me.

My legacy is not the failure to follow of my past, but the daily obedience to follow where He is leading me in this next moment.

May I become all You hope for me to be, God.

May my apprehension about moving into this unknown Promised Land die in the light of Your Presence.

May my Promise Keeper constantly remind me He is with me, every step of the way.

never forgotten

Karla Lees

Yesterday, God started stirring up in me the truth that none of us (who ever have been, are, or will be) will ever be forgotten by Him.

Then I saw the photo of the three year old Turkish boy who washed up on shore, and my heart leap into my throat, almost cutting off my breathing for the weeping within.

Holy Spirit began to whisper comfort to me as only He can, as He reminded me again, “None of my children are ever forgotten.”

Not one. Ever.

Each refugee crying out for justice.

Each battered woman in hiding.

Each homeless person shivering looking for warmth.

Each child dying of starvation, or from abortion.

Each widow weeping over what she has lost.

Each person who feels abandoned.

Every broken heart.

If you can feel it or experience it, it matters to Him.

Because you matter to Him.

He wrote your name on His heart when He shaped you.

He will never forget you, no matter what you are going through.

Take heart, Beloved.

You are known & treasured by the God who loves you so much He died to reveal it to the rest of the world.

God is moved by the state of the world, all of it. He always been has & He always will be.

God is moved by the state of our hearts, the events which shape our lives. He always has been, and always will be.

Your name is written on His heart, where His love is always ready to meet you.

Don’t forget, you are never forgotten.

Remind yourself through His Word. Speak it out loud in thanksgiving & faith. Trust His love is for you. Walk in hope.

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My comfort, Your promise

Karla Lees

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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.

for the best

Karla Lees

No weapon that can hurt you has ever been forged.
Any accuser who takes you to court will be dismissed as a liar.
This is what God’s servants can expect.
I’ll see to it that everything works out for the best.

 -God’s Decree, Isaiah 54:17

God Himself has told us what to expect in the battle days ahead.

There is no weapon forged or fashioned that can ever separate us from Him, nor that will defeat us.

But how is this possible when I have ____________ afflicting me right now, you may ask?

Our physical bodies are not eternal, only our spirit is.

And when we are His, He’s got our spirit covered & surrounded with His.

So the garment we all wear, our body, may get hurt in the flack of battle.

But that part of us that is most precious is safe in His care, when we hide ourselves in His embrace, His Stronghold, in Him.

The accuser of the brethren? He is known for who he really is, a liar. There is no wool he can pull over God’s eyes to trick Him.  God knows his true nature, and will always expose him as the liar he is.

God’s plan, His best for us, His children?

It will always come to pass when God is in control of the world, which He always is.

The enemy may have won ground, but that ground always was, always is, and always will be His.

The One who made all things will never give up on His plans being fulfilled, its not in His nature to give up.

He continues to speak His truth into our Spirit, to give us hope when all we can see is dim or shrouded in uncertainty:

I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you, give you a hope & a future.

All things work together for My good.

You can do all things in My strength.

You are never alone, I am always with you.

May our spirits remind us of the truths God plants within us to help us through the hard times, and may we never cease to keep our eyes on our Protector & Lover of our souls, no matter what is surrounding us.

He’s got us, He will never leave us,and all things will work together for our best. For He has promised it, and declared it to be!

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