what is fueling your hope?

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.

run for shelter

For You have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy. Psalm 61:3

There is a promise in these words, as well as a few critical facts we need to know.

God has always been our shelter, and always will be.

He is our refuge, our hiding place from the enemy.

He alone is the strength we need when the enemy begins to attack.

The enemy cannot penetrate His fortress, for He is stronger!

Need a place to hide out?

Weary in the midst of the battle?

Take shelter with the only One the enemy cannot defeat!!

Let Him be the safe place you run to!

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runaway, run the way Home

I have had a tendency to run away from home way too often.

And God always keeps an eye out from His porch, waiting for me to return.

There are times I run because I don’t get what God has planned, and so I fill up at His table only when I hit exhaustion, and can’t run any further.

Other times I strike out on my own to try to maintain control over my life, before heading Home with my tail between my legs, humbled by the startling reality I faced – which reminded me again only He is in control.

Then there are the times when I am sick and tired of waiting for an answer, and I take off to lick my wounds & try to hide away on my own, even though I know that is the wrong place to be.

All the while, my spirit longs for Home.

My body longs for deep rest.

My mind longs for peace.

My emotions long to be still.

My heart? It yearns for Your love.

****†******†******†****

I have been keeping how I have been feeling about this current fall bottled deep within.

I hadn’t yet cried until yesterday afternoon.

Why? Because I have been trying to be brave in a situation where I have been praying for God’s justice, and discovered He may prefer for me to offer mercy & grace.

I was hoping to be made whole from someone other than Him.

Someone i respect pointed out that out, as well as that I need to be more aware of what’s going on around me, which hurt.

Because I have been trying to hold it all in, and barely managing with getting all my ‘have-tos’ completed as best I can.

Honestly, I felt slapped in the face with what was not intended to be received that way, but hit me hard through its delivery. It left me reeling for a few hours.

But family speaks truth even when it may hurt.

You see I normally try to be sensitive to the needs of those around me, for the most part. I realize I can’t always do that to the best of my ability at times, but God still wants me to listen for His cues and follow them. Whether it be an act of kindness, encouraging word or offering to help.

In trying to do more than I should be more quickly than I ought to, my sensitivity chip isn’t tuning in, as I struggle to keep it all together.

I had a few friends over for tea last night to catch up. All of us hit a rough patch of various degrees over the past two weeks. We heard one another out, hugged each other, offered comfort where we could, and are praying for each other. That was the other aspect of family I had been missing out on too.

After they left, I still had an ache I couldn’t wrap my thoughts around as I headed for bed. Heavy hearted and drained.

This morning, I awoke to hear God whisper: “I am enough for you. Come rest in me.”

With a jolt, I realized i had been living on my own again, this time without understanding I had even done so.

I am packing my bag for a permanent move Home.

No more flings with independence. No more long runs with futility.
No more sleepovers with sulking.

I am so thankful He is always with us, even when we can’t sense Him, for we are His, I am His beloved.

He will always welcome us home, and help us wash the laundry from the road we took to get back where we belong.

God’s beloved;
God’s permanent residence.
Encircled by God all day long,
within whom God is at home.

Deuteronomy 33:12 MSG

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Sunday Psalm: Wherever I Go

Everywhere I go
I know
You’re not far away
You’re right here,
You’re right here

-Jeremy Camp

I have wasted
so much time
so much effort
trying to hide
to run away from You
in my shame,
to try and cover up
how undone i really am.

It didn’t matter how far I ran
You were there along side me,
offering me quenching water
as I ran the race
which i secretly wanted
to lead me to You
despite my taking off
in the wrong direction.
I missed the subtle detours
You placed along the path
I ran until
I saw You waiting at the
finish line
as You waited
to congratulate me
for making it back
home to You.

It didn’t matter how deep I dove
to try and cover myself
in the very mud of the pit
You had rescued me from
when You found me,
You continued to serenade
Your love song
of longing and freedom
until I couldn’t take the stench
of the pit any longer,
and reached up to take the
outstretched arms
which had been waiting
all along.

It didn’t matter how high I tried to climb on my own,
the landslide of my pride
once broken
slid me straight
into Your embrace.

Everywhere I go,
You are.

When I take my eyes off
the passionate love that glows
for me
in Your eyes,
and tune out
the devotion, freedom and truth
You speak over me
I falter
and lose my way.

Yet everywhere I find myself,
You are waiting for me there.

You will never let go
of Your bride,
for You are the One
who paid such
a costly dowry
to purchase me,
such is Your great love
for me.

My heart pounds,
my spirit leaps in response:

I surrender God.
I embrace You,
and want to join You
everywhere
You are.
Instead of making
You chase after me,
I chose to chase after You
today.

May this be my prayer
all of my days.

#SundayPsalm
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wrecking ball

Try how you might,
runaway,
don’t you know
you are actually
running
towards Him?

He knew you would run
and so He planned
to use the path you chose
to draw you in,
in to His Presence.

When you come into
his courts
and into His Presence
you cannot help but be
changed.

His Presence
is like a wrecking ball…

When you run to Him
He wrecks you
in the exact places
needing to be broken…

Then He lovingly rebuilds
us the way
we were meant to be…

Restoring us to our intended design.

Loving us back to life.

Setting us
on the pathway
to walk beside Him

Made whole
by the majestic Creator

Set free from our cage
by the triumphant Savior

Guided in life
by the precious whispers of the Spirit

The wrecking ball
is controlled on purpose
in His plan for us.

Run run as fast as you want
His love will continue to call to your heart
and woo you home,
runaway.

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