Tag: restore

when the enemy begins his assault, run for Refuge

Karla Lees

When you are moving forward into the new place God has called you to, or the dream is spreading its wings and starting to unfurl, the inevitable usually happens.

The enemy begins his assault.

His assignment? To stop you from being free in Christ. To hinder you from becoming who God designed you to be. To block you from what God has for you to do for His kingdom, for His glory.

His challenge?

We are on the Winner’s side.

God has announced for all who will hear it that the enemy will not win.

He is only a created being.  He is not the Creator.

The enemy comes to try and tear down but is no match for the pace of the Builder’s renovations.

The enemy is trying to win at checkers, while God is playing strategic chess.

Those who are created cannot outsmart or outknow or outwit the Eternal Creator who knows all.

If you are feeling a little battered or worn from this latest assault, draw your comfort from the Lord as you move into His stronghold, the secret place of refuge God has designed for you to hide in, safe in His strong loving embrace.

His protection? Impenetrable.

His strength? Unshakeable.

His love? Everlasting.

His Words? Eternal Truth.

His plans? Always come to pass.

His Presence? More than enough.

His Protection? Rock solid.

The enemy may do his best, but we have the Best Provider for all we need as our defence.

We need never fear when God is on our side, for He is up for the task of defeating our enemy, for He is the reason the enemy tries so hard to wound us.

The enemy may have been created by God, but He certainly has deluded himself as to his ability to take down the Maker of All.

Keep in mind, the enemy will try to lure and snare us in his attempt to wound us.

Our God is greater.

If you are weary from the skirmish, take comfort in knowing God wins the war.  The battle belongs to Him, and He will come to your defence when you cry out to Him.  His covering is the shield He will place about us as He keeps us safe.

If you have been wounded in the battle, know that His healing awaits. He is longing to bind up your wounds and restore you.

Keep your eyes fixed on your Defender, not the destroyer.

Don’t be afraid; don’t pay any mind to this vandal horde. This is God’s war, not yours. 2 Chronicles 20:15 MSG

Father, as Jesus was one with You and in You, so can we be. Draw me closer to You than I can ever imagine. May Your walls of refuge & defence hold strong against the enemy’s assault. YOUR PLANS WILL PREVAIL, LORD. We know how the story ends, and the Winner has been announced forever. May I hear Your voice above all the clamour and chaos, and may Your Word release peace & order as Your Presence grows stronger within me as I seek You. You are more than enough, always, for all I need, always.  Amen.

In the Lord I take refuge. Psalm 11:1a

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If you long to be free to run towards Him in a new way, visit http://www.strongholdthebook.com for free resources and info on a fantastic bible study designed to lead you from what binds you to His safe house . If you live in the California area, visit http://www.remade – ministries.org for more info on March 14th’s Break Free workshop.

aftermath

Karla Lees

Ripping off the bandaid to show the partially healed wound below& exposing it to the air can be very painful…yet somehow refreshing at the same time.

There are many wounds within everyone in various stages of healing.

At any given time, anyone of us could be dealing with aftermath or fall out…

your spouse cheats on you
a loved one has cancer
you lost your job
your car died unexpectedly
your husband switched careers
your parent passed away
your child is struggling to breathe
a friend or coworker starts being unkind
your furnace dies in the winter storm
you have constant pain

And it hurts.
How it hurts.

There are only two things I can tell you:

God’s been there.

He cares for you in the midst of it all.

God did not have an easy time dealing with humanity from the get go:

Adam & Eve cheated on Him with Satan.
The cancer of sin entered the world.
The battle for the Kingdom began.
People strayed from Him, in the back & forth dance of their lack of commitment & devotion, breaking His heart over & over.
They disbelieved His love.
He set out to prove Himself, this Maker of the Heavens & Earth, and everything in them both, to us… becoming fully human in a divine attempt to right the wrong sin and the enemy were reaping on humanity.
From the very beginning. His life was at risk as He was regularly oppressed by the establishment,
Persecuted and abandoned by the religious,
even put to death because people so feared change,
rejected by the very ones He had come to save.
Beaten, battered, ridiculed and tossed aside by humanity, Jesus hurt to the very core at His Father having to turn His back on Him on the cross, and Holy Spirit having to pull away due to the weight of all our sin.

I think He died from that broken heart of separation from the ones He loved, not only because of the sin He bore.

Jesus? He gets the pain we feel.

When the tears begin to flow from the wounds that run deep, He so understands.

And He offers you His nail scarred hand to draw you close, as He begins the dance of restoration He intended for us.

For His plan is to make us whole, to restore what life and sin has stolen or ripped from our grasp. To carefully rebuild our broken hearts to beat with His love flooding our veins, bringing us the life He designed for us to live from the very start.

God designed us to live in the garden of His Presence, where all we need and long for is found in Him.

Sometimes, the pain can speak louder than the hope we have within.

Jesus so gets that. Even He cried out asking God for help along the way while He was here among us.

He knows the beat way for us to make it through this life is at His side.

I needed the reminder again today that He has good plans for those He loves.

I know He loves me.
Oh how He loves you & I!

May we all be reminded of Your heart for us in the swirl of the aftermath that follows the storms.

May Your voice be the one we hear soaring above the noisy wind and wild waves.

May Your arms be the shelter we seek when our heart cannot take anymore, and we need comfort – no matter what comes our way.

May the aftermath calm as You speak Your love into our wounds, and carefully begin to heal us within.

Steep in His Love

Karla Lees

Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Matthew 6:33 MSG

Afraid of missing out?

I know I am at times…maybe more than I am comfortable admitting!

There are days where I don’t get in those things I love to do, such as a freshly steeped cuppa tea to start off or end my day.  I miss my tea when I don’t make the time for it.

lightstock_101455_xsmall_karla_leesThe same can be said for our daily quiet time:  our faith needs daily steeping as well.

The Bible reminds us all that God is there for us in a real, life-altering way.

He extends His hand in a love driven offer for you:
To be with You.
To care for You.
To love You.

Honestly, I  need to reread the above verse from Matthew every day.

For it reminds me He is just waiting to help us.

He promises in His Word to provide for us, in every way we need, each day.

Just like tea, the more we steep in Him for our daily needs, the stronger the faith we will develop!

It’s time to come and soak, and let Him steep the truth of who He is deep within us, as we daily depend on Him to strengthen us, for….

He is real! – we are in relationship with a tangible touchable living God!

He started it!– All things start in Him, and as our Maker He knws how to best help us become the “us” He designed, made & hopes for.

He will provide! – He promises as we seek Him & give Him first place, our needs will be met.

Let Him take our daily rawness, and make something more wonderful as we steep in His Presence.

May we end up a sweet offering, pleasing to our King!

Note: this post was based upon my daily devotion which posted today at Remade Ministries, an organization designed to help women be remade in His hands:

http://remade-ministries.org/devotion/strengthen-your-faith/

open arms await at the end of your journey home

Karla Lees

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The part of the Prodigal son story that really got me in the gut?

The fact the son knew the Father would take him back in.

Now, I know he missed exactly how much his father loved him under the weight of his shame, but he still knew he had a place with God.

So do you and I.

God gets that we will sometimes stray, wander & journey far. He intimately knows each of us, and as our Creator He knew this would be an lasting impact from the fall.

But He never stops waiting for us to come home.

Wherever your journey takes you today, He both waits and keeps watch over you.

His love is radiating out His eyes as He follows your steps.

His heart beats loudly as it yearns for your return.

He doesn’t have servanthood in store for you, but sonship.

He will restore the damages done as you wandered, pilgrim.

Wherever your feet may have strayed.

Come home.

when your knight comes to your rescue

Karla Lees

I have a confession to make.
I am a huge believer in romance.
I love to read classic, well written tales of how two people fall in love. I love to watch it play out in front of me on the big screen.

I don’t believe I am alone, for who doesn’t want to meet that one perfect person meant just for them, have him ride in to rescue you like the knights of old, fall head over heels in love and ride into the sunset?

At least, that’s way the books & movies see it. The boy or girl from the wrong side of the tracks falling for the upperclass girl or boy, and a happily ever after in their future.

Life isn’t really like that.

I learned that the hard way at 16 years of age. My first breakup was a head smacking fall back to earth and reality. Love doesn’t work the way I believed it did from the Disney movies or the fairy tales.
But I still clung to the standard of Mr. Darcy, and believed my hero would come to my rescue one day.

Five years later He did.

What i realized in the weeks that built up to our meeting, this face to face falling deeply & madly love, was how people will always let us down. And how I needed rescuing, from my beliefs and my actions.

And when I got down on my knees and admitted my need, my Knight quickly rode in to rescue me.

He knocked out the enemy guards, broke my chains and burst me from my cell into wide open spaces of love, grace, mercy and His Presence.
image His name is Jesus.
He is my Beloved, and I am His.

Woah there girl, you may be thinking. You were talking romance and now you are asking me to believe Jesus is the one you were waiting for?

Absolutely.

He loves me with a fervour I can barely grasp. Died for me in a beautiful bloody exchange that cemented my freedom & released His power in a declaring blaze across all known space & time.

Jesus was and is indeed the white knight who swooped in to rescue me from the dark knight’s clutches, claiming me as His bride. Restoring me and adoring me along the way as I get to know Him more each day. He was the rescuer I needed, unlike any other.

What does that mean about romance? Is it dead here on earth?

No. Whenever someone lays down their wants & desires to put another’s first, true Love is seen.

We tend to think of romance as the falling in love part of the relationship. The getting to know one another, beginning of the story.

Real romance is the day in day out staying together as you walk out your love.

Its what happens after the wedding and honeymoon. The courtship is only the first part of the story.

The same with our relationship with Jesus.

When we meet, He courts us, showing us His love, freedom and promises. Once we accept His love, the real romance begins.

Wooing may get you to the door,
real love waits for the owner to hand over the key so they can enter with permission, and put both your names on the deed. Proud to merge together after making the promises to be exclusively each other’s forever.

Marriage on earth is to be a reflection of the love God has for us when He comes knocking at our door. He waits for the invitation to come in once we have accepted His forever offer of love, and He gives us our new name as His beloved. We becomes His.

So do I believe in romance?
Absolutely.

But from the changed perspective of the One who designed it, and reveals it to each one seeking real love.

I realized when I met my husband that I didn’t need rescuing any longer. My Knight had already come.

I have been given my husband to love and cherish, to try to walk out & show His love towards him on a daily basis as long as we both shall live. A living demonstration of the love God expresses to us as He loves us.

Passionately. Ardently. With abandon. Totally. Devotedly. Eternally.

So when I watch a movie or read a book about romance (or any other theme), it needs to fit into a few must have categories:

1. Keep it pure:
No smut, no swearing, no explicit scenes, no gore or horror for horror’s sake. No excuses. We have a turn it off policy after one incident, no exceptions. I have walked out of a movie theater or two and always gotten a refund when I was offended by the content. I try to get a sense of the movie through online reviews & word of mouth.

2. Keep it holy:
God must be in the story, either directly or in the belief systems in place. There must be a clear sense of right from wrong. I don’t watch movies based upon adultery, hurting one another as your relationship disintegrates, or free love being spread around. Those aren’t influences I want to share my headspace.

3. Keep it real:
I love Jane Austen, CS Lewis, Lucy Maude Montgomery and many of the classic writers because they wrote about real life within a framework of stability. Faith, marriage, community. There were hard times and difficult situations, but also forgiveness and real life consequences. Real people have flaws, a real God can restore them.

4. Keep it in perspective:
God is love, and shared that love with us- first to know Him, then to share within the appropriate relationship boundaries to make Him known as we love one another.

5. Keep in prayer:
A few times, God has warned me to stop watching, or to get rid of a movie as it doesn’t have a good influence woven within. Not always one I can see or sense myself.

There would not be such a high demand for romance novels or movies if people just wanted sex. People are crying out for more. For true love.

I want to be able to meet my White Knight, my Groom, my Beloved face to face when the time comes, and known I have maintained my romance with Him before all others. That I have loved my husband in a way that brought God glory. That I have loved my children, family, friends, church, coworkers in a way that helps reveal Him through my care for them.

The real romance worth fighting for is the one that will last forever.

With Him at your side, you can battle for your marriage knowing the Lover of your souls is with you, helping and encouraging you to stay true to one another, and live out a sharing of love others are desperate for.

God will continue to come to our rescue when we need Him as we seek Him first.

And Mr Darcy? He’s only a small echo of the amazing God striding towards us to offer His unswerving devotion & unconditional love.

Just thinking about how He loves me makes me swoon with joy 🙂

rehoping

Karla Lees

I am not sure if I just made up the word “rehoping” or not, but it fits with how I have been feeling lately, so I am running with it!

A question was posted today on Twitter on how we find our hope?

Here is my response….

Spending time in His Presence restores my hope, 
refills my love cup, 
refuels my faith & 
realigns my perspective. 
@HopenHisPresenz

Only God can restore my hope for my hope is built on Him, the eternal One. Not on anything else, for all else fades into the past, save God.

Only God can refill my love cup within. My heart needs His love daily in order to keep my hope afloat. When I sense His love, I feel hopeful, and my trust in God wanting the best for me deepens. Because when you are in love and feeling loved, our sense of anything is possible and wonder grows along side!

As a result, spending time with God refuels my faith.

Because only He is able to see the big picture, as God is not caught up in living through time the same way we are. He is timeless, forever. His perspective is thus unique, perfect and the one I need to make sure I am in tune with. Spending time with God realigns my perspective.

When my hope is low, God uses these four aspects to buoy my hope again: time with Him, sensing His love, seeing His perspective, trusting who He is.
Depending on how close I keep myself to Him depends on how much hope I can maintain.

Spend time with God if your hope is in need of an infusion from on high.

After we hang out? God never fails to leave me more peaceful, focused and hopeful.

Is it time for an increase of rehoping in your life again too?

Find your #hopeinHisPresence!

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Am I ever alone?

Karla Lees

This morning, I was feeling pretty low.

Snoring has been interfering in part with my sleep pattern, I was feeling lonely, achy and crampy this morning.

If I had spoken, it would have likely been grouchy before 8 am. Not my usual early bird chipper.

So I posted the following to my personal Facebook page, because I knew I needed some additional prayer support as I prepped to head into work:

It has been a real roller coaster of emotion & health the past four daze (spelling intentional) for the gals of our family. Please pray, that through it all, we can keep hearing our Shepherd’s voice, and know that we know that we know He is with, and for us. (Keeping it honest, and as real as we can while still keeping it private. We are okay, just rattled!)

All day, I have had brief messages in reply, letting me know I am being prayed for, and  reassuring me that God is with me.

One timely post in particular, Isaiah 43:1-4,  caught my full attention. God used it to remind me how I can rest in His Presence, and soak in the hope I have in Him:

Don’t be afraid,  I’ve redeemed you.
I’ve called your name. You’re mine.
When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you.
When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down.
When you’re between a rock and a hard place,
it won’t be a dead end—
Because I am God, your personal God,
The Holy of Israel, your Savior.
I paid a huge price for you:
all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in!
That’s how much you mean to me!
That’s how much I love you!
I’d sell off the whole world to get you back,
trade the creation just for you. )MSG)

God brought the following to mind out of this passage as i pondered it over my day:

1.  I have no need to fear: I am His. Set free. Called by name, personally,

2.  God is holding my head above the waters as I look to Him.  My life preserver.

3. There is no dead end ahead of me, for God is with me.  Always present.

4. The cost has been covered in full for me.  Paid for.

5. I am adored by God. He loves me. Passionately.

6. There is nowhere I can go where He would not move the whole world to get me back. Pursued.

My God is Personally involved with me.

Preserved my life. Paid the debt for my freedom.

Ever present, He passionately pursues me,

Am i ever alone?

No!

Lonely is a feeling, not a location.

God’s word says He is always with me.

An eternal God, everywhere in every time, forever.

Despite my feelings, i can trust in the truth and character of the God I know.

May you be encouraged to be real with Him, ask for support when you need it from those you trust around you, and sink deep into the Word to lift your spirit again.

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presence

Karla Lees

Presence.

What do we really mean when we use the word “presence”?

Presence
noun

The Google Dictionary:

1) the state or fact of existing, occurring, or being present in a place or thing. (“her presence still comforts me”)

synonyms: existence, being there

2) a person or thing that exists or is present in a place but is not seen.

synonyms: ghost, spirit, specter, phantom,apparition, supernatural being

3) a group of people, especially soldiers or police, stationed in a particular place.

Dictionary Reference.com:

1. the state or fact of being present, as with others or in a place.

2.
attendance or company:
Your presence is requested.

Presence:
Where God is, eternally, visible in heaven & sensed on earth.

Who God is, His being, God with us, God within us, God present, supernatural being, almighty God, Spirit, everywhere present.

Invited by His people to reveal more of Himself to us, to come and be present with us in a deeper life altering way, especially when we are gathered seeking Him.

I know I need His Presence more and more as I get to know just how wrecked and broken I am within.

His Presence restores what sin batters.

His Presence binds up what remains in tatters.

His Presence brings hope & comfort to inner shatter.

His Presence is where we find what truly matters.

You don’t need to be in a large group of fellow believers, a trained minister, or doing anything in particular apart from seeking Him to sense His Presence.

He just requires us to tune in and seek His frequency.

Did you know that everything has a frequency?

I believe that as Jesus walked the earth, the atmosphere around Him literally changed because of the Holy frequency He was emitting.

And those around Him were not only attracted to Him, but changed in the encounter. Eternity meet humanity and radically changed the present forever.

God invites us to tune in.
Seek His Presence.
Be present in His company.

In fact, He delights in us, and longs to spend more time with us. He wants to be our soft place to land, our cover when the battle rages, our shelter in the storm:

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble…

Psalm 46:1

Like the father waiting day after day for his beloved son to return home, God is always present in His wait.

He is all in.

His heart is to reassure us with His love, restore us as only our designer can, equip us for daily living out our faith, and enjoy spending time together.

His Presence
in our present
fully present.

What a present, indeed!

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finding spiritual whitespace

Karla Lees

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There are times when you pick up a book, and you really have no idea what you are getting into.

This is one such book.

After the introduction, I will confess I was teary eyed with relief.

I am not alone in how I feel.

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By the end of chapter 6, I was not the same.

I was more at rest after underlining, rereading and journalling that I have been for years, possibly ever.

You see, God is both the giver and designer of how we are to rest.

With Him…

and

In Him…

With Him, and He with me.
I am never alone.
He is always with me,
despite what feelings or circumstances may dictate.

In Him, and He in me.
His presence is in this temple.
He lives in me,
As I choose to hide myself away in Him.
My refuge, my comfort, my shield.

Within.

He lives in me, and I within Him…..

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We reunited on a deeper level after a few chapters of accepting His love for me,revealing a new truth to me as we went.

Every single thing I have ever lived through
matters to Him.

For I am His, and He is mine.
Beloved.

I can hardly wait to learn what freedom and understanding He has for me in the next few chapters!!!

fall

Karla Lees

It has been a few fall filled days, these past few daze of summer:

I fell and sprained my ankle

I realized I had had an arthritic attack (a few new joints have now swollen)

time fell quickly as I waited to replace my dead phone

I can’t quite fall into my new work routine since my hours switched over the summer, so i feel off kilter most of the time

and today I fell into bed after an allergic reaction at work (topical, not life threatening, but still annoying) and the migraine chaser that fell on me swiftly thereafter

after bus #2s tire fell flat
and two other buses were needed to bring me back home

my days have fallen short of my expectations….
but I still have hope
faith
joy
peace despite these last few days…

I know how my story ends

and it isn’t with my fall

You see, I have already taken the fall, laying my life down before God
I have been made new
from the inside out

not I but Christ who lives in me

in my spirit, I have been hearing more often to let go of me and rest in Him

fall down & worship no matter what

allow His love to pour over me
like a waterfall
cleansing, refreshing me

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I have learned to lay down my pride
and allow myself to be completely His

beloved
accepted
just as I am
flaws and all

the enemy has had long enough
enjoying his field day of:
keeping me down
keeping me from God’s 100% acceptance
whispering his lies
stirring up my fears

this time, he is taking the fall

its now God’s call I will be listening intently for

And if God is for me, not against me,
that means that His enemy is my enemy

and God has already foretold how His enemy falls at the end of his time

I can’t help but fall
deeper in love
with God
who has not abandoned me
loved me relentlessly
will never give up on me
falls on me with grace & mercy
always catching me when I stumble

I am sure I will have other falls over the days yet to come…

…but falling out of His grace forever
isn’t part of my story!