Tag: safety

safe-house

Karla Lees

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God’s a safe-house for the battered, a sanctuary during bad times. The moment you arrive, you relax; you’re never sorry you knocked.- Psalm 9:9-10 (MSG)

Feeling battered by turbulence about you?

Seeking shelter from the swirling storm?

Head for Home.

God Himself is our Home, our safe-house in times of trouble.

He is the sanctuary for our wounded spirits, who binds us up, broken & battered, when we come to Him.  

And miraculously, we being to relax in the peace we find in His Presence, as He ministers to us from the inside out.

I have never regretted heading into the safety I have found in His embrace.

May you too experience Him as your safe-house, the never failing refuge found in the loving safety of His arms, whenever you need shelter in the storms of life. God is always waiting for us to find our way Home to Him.

(This blog post is today’s Drop of Encouragement over at Remade Ministries. You are more than welcome to join the community there!)

step behind to move forward

Karla Lees

Most of us like to lead.
To be in control, to make the decisions, to head up the charge.

As Christians, we need to let go of our desire to lead, and learn to follow.

There is only One Head of the church, and His Name is Jesus.
He laid down His life in order to restore & love her, us. The one He adores.

Not only has He physically earned the right to lead, it is His birthright as the Son. 

The Father has Jesus sitting at His right hand & sharing the throne of Heaven.

Jesus waged the first major battle for His Bride, and came out victorious.

With a battle equipped and ready leader in our corner, why do we struggle so with allowing Him to lead?

Because we forget.

We forget He made us exquisitely complicated & meticulously  detailed to plan by His hand.

We forget He made all things, knows all things, and rules over all.

We forget He has plans for us to prosper, overcome & have a great future.

We forget He is with us, every single moment, intimately a part of our lives when we are His.

God came with the ability to lead hardwired into all He does, based upon His mighty strength, never failing wisdom, and His loving sacrificially servant heart.

We don’t.

Oh some of us have leadership abilities and wonderful talents.  In the Kingdom, He is to lead the way.

We are to follow Him home.

The road ahead will have pitfalls, gains, heartbreak, blessings, pain, joy, and road blocks.

We cannot navigate on our own if we want to make it through victorious.

For the part we cannot always see in full, He walks confidently aware of with the authority He was meant to wear.

The battle is not only waged earth, but in the spiritual realm as well.

Without the head of Heaven fighting for us, we will be damaged, wounded and defeated by the enemy.  Not because God isn’t almighty & capable to defeat him, but because we refused to let God lead.

When we go into the battle without our Shield & Warrior, we become an easy target for enemy snipers.

In Ephesians, we are reminded that most of our weaponry is defensive, made for our protection. 

Our main weapons?

Listening for instruction.
Putting on our armor.
Obeying His commands.
Following where He goes before us.

The only weapons we are to actively use are prayer & Word: both as led by the Spirit, who does all things proclaiming the Lordship of the Son & honoring the plans & Name of the Father.

The Father is the strategist.
The Son is the Warrior.
The Spirit is the Messenger.

We are to live out the message that Jesus saves.

We are to follow where He leads.

We are to remain in Him.

His part is to protect, instruct & guide us to live the lives He desires for each of us.

It is hard to acknowledge you are not meant to be on the front lines 24/7. Because we always think where the visible action is is where we want to be.

Without the reconnaissance of satellites, millions more of our military could walk into unnecessary ambushes & to their deaths.

It’s because of the bigger picture, both the overview complete with the details, which the information gatherers collect, that they are able to know where to head for safety, or where to go to avoid the ambushes & stay on target.

The planning makes the most of the data taken in, and the use of the might at hand as it aims to defeat the enemy.

When we know where best to go & how to fight, the battle is more easily won.

The Father is our satellite,
Jesus is our weapon,
Holy Spirit is the data transmitter.

We are meant to tune in, and follow as God leads.

Some of the battle being fought around us is handled by His angels.  Some through our prayers.

The one common denominator, which leave the enemy quaking in His boots is Jesus.

The One who defeated death & broke the chains forever has already tossed the enemy out of Heaven, and shown Himself the Eternal Victor.

One of the only strategies the enemy has left is to deceive us that we can successfully fight without our Victor.

Take a moment, and acknowledge to Him how much you like to be in control. (Don’t worry, I am repeating this out loud right alongside you! You are not alone.)
Tell Him you want to lay down your right to lead, and invite the One who reigns to take the reins of your life. Pour out your heart and all the burdens you have before Him.  Allow Him to comfort & strengthen you. Put on your custom fitting armor, and get ready for His battle cry to go to war on your behalf. 

Pray, listen obey, repeat.
Move out remaining under His protection, as He leads you to move.
Fall into step behind Him to safely move forward.
Let Him make the way safe before You.
Keep vigilant, and watch Him do what He does best- fight for the one He loves.
You.

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now covered in Love

Karla Lees

I tend to be a hider by nature.

Which only reinforces what we learned about ourselves in the Garden.

When the going gets tough, we try to hide.

This past week, I had a break through while getting quiet in His Presence one morning.    God revealed to me that i had agreed with a lie in a situation where something was done to me, which i thought had been long ago been put to bed & resolved.

God knew otherwise.

It was a sneaky lie, but one that tied me down in my spirit and hindered my desire to communicate openly.  In fact, it caused me to hide away physically & emotionally as well, and God did not want for me to remain hidden in this way.

God sees it all, the beautiful, the sin, the past, the present, the future.

I had stopped embracing some of how i was made, and settled for a layer of invisibility which covered me in both a fear and a lie at the same time.  It essentially tied part of me to the past in a way which hindered my moving forward into the pastures He is leading me towards.

God called me to trade this cloak in for His covering for me instead.

What a delight to wear a garment custom made for me!

There is a layer of invisibility woven into this must wear clothing too, but one I am so grateful to God He gifts to me.

When I remain in this covering garment, I am safe in His stronghold, my spirit invisible to the enemy’s glance.  I have a love & peace secure in knowing I am with the One who adores me, freed me, restores me, protects me & wants me with Him forever.

He can keep me safe under His wing, essentially causing me to become invisible to all but Him.  He Himself becomes my shield as I trust in Him & wear His cover.

Instead of trying to keep myself hidden out of shame, He keeps me hidden in His heart out of love.

If you too have sin or lies hidden away under layers of invisibility you think God isn’t aware of…..you need to think again.

There is nothing we can hide away that He is unaware of.

There is no place we can go where He won’t meet us there.

There is no lie or sin more powerful than the blood of Jesus!

Today, come out of hiding & hide yourself away in the secret place with Him. Ask Him if there is anything you have layered within you that you may not even be aware of, which needs to come out into the light as He makes the invisible visible. Strip off the lies, be cleansed of the sin. Open yourself to His touch, as He uproots, heals & makes you anew in Him.

Less of me hidden away means more of Him coming alive within me!
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armor up

Karla Lees

God is stirring something in His daughters today….can you sense it?

He is calling us, His Bride, to band together & intercede, cry out for the ones we love.

The enemy strategy is to take us down, however he can.

God defeats him by linking us together with His power & love, and strengthening us to endure the onslaught, to protect one another as He defends us and battles for us.

Each of my loved ones is battling right now, as am I.

Whether physical, mental, emotional or spiritual, this world we are temporarily living in wants nothing more than for us to throw in the towel and give up.

We were meant to give up, but not in defeat.

We are meant to give up fighting for ourselves and allow Him to fight for & through us.

When the Maker of all things wants to defend us, we need to step back & allow Him to do so.

When we try to go into battle improperly prepared, we end up wounded & weary.

When we fail to cover one another in prayer, lifting each other up to the One who is able to do all things & anything, we end up easy targets.

Holy Spirit is whispering to allow Him to guide your thoughts towards prayer.

Jesus is waiting for you to accept His covering, the blood of the Lamb which conquers all sin.

God is pacing as He waits for you to let lose the cry which will launch Him into battle on your behalf.

We have been made in His image. which is why we get stirred up with the desire to battle. But this battleground is not one we were meant to step onto alone.

For we only see things dimly, but God sees the entire action plan.

He knows we need weaponry, and He provides them as outlined in Ephesians 6.

He becomes our armor when we prepare ourselves as He directs…

Truth: we are to wear truth like a belt, which helps hold us together.

Righteousness: He is our breastplate, the One who makes us pure & Holy because we are now His.

These two protect the core of who we are: His Beloved.

Gospel of Peace: these shoes are go everywhere shoes, relying on God to guide us as we step.  Knowing He is with us calms our fears & fills us with peace.ise can proclaim the good news about our Prince of Peace when we step as He directs, avoiding unexpected landmines of doubt & chaos.

The next two pieces of armor serve to help us in our defense:

Faith: our belief in the God we follow serves as our shield.  The truth of who He is cannot protect us if we don’t cling to it & use it as our protective shield when the enemy darts attempt to strike.

Salvation: our position in God family is to be our new mindset. We are His, forever, because we have accepted Jesus’ gift of being made anew & right with God.  We are to wear this helmet not only to protect us, but identify us as His.

The last part of our armor is the most powerful weapon we could ever use, need or desire:

His Word: The very power of God Himself is interwoven with His Word, the Bible.  We are to use this mighty weapon as His Spirit guides us to: strategically, purposefully and prayerfully.

Prayer is the key to our armor working together.  Asking God to protect us & equip us for the skirmish at hand, seeking His play by play as to the action we are to take with each step. 

And we are not only to pray for our our protection, but those of our fellow saints, as we stay alert & proactive waiting for our instructions.

If you take a closer look at our armor, you too can see it is mainly defensive pieces we have been given. That was deliberate.

God Himself wants to be our defender, our strong tower & Fortress.  Our covering, safety & hiding place.

He is 100% concerned about our security, all the time, as His Beloved.

He knows our adversary best, for He created him, which we tend to lose sight of during the battles when we get too focused on what is coming against us than Who is defending us.

We are to be on the defense, because God Himself leads the charge against the enemy.

We are to strike only when He commands us to, for He alone is head of this army.

We are to join together in prayer: for our loved ones, our friends, our coworkers, our neighbors, joining our armor together for greater defense.

When we do so, then link up with Heaven, all things become possible when God is in command.

We know how the battle ultimately ends, and we know how we are best to stand…in His corner, secure in the knowledge of whose we are, and Who is in control over all.

It’s time to armor up, Beloved.

Not only will it help keep us safe, but it has been custom designed for us by our Bridegroom to work perfectly as we use it the way He directs us to!

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call on His name

Karla Lees

The name of the Lord is a strong fortress; the godly run to Him and are safe. Proverbs 18:10

Not only is God Himself our stronghold, our safe refuge, but His very name is a strong fortress!

Have you ever faced something so mind-numbing, grief-paralyzing or shockingly painful that the only word you could speak was Jesus? I know I have, and the peace that He poured into my heart, mind and body as I continued to cling to His Name? Amazing.

If you too need Him to draw close to you, call on His Name, and picture yourself running into His embrace.

He is our ever present source of refuge, and He is just a Name away!

Join the chorus of believers crying out for God from across the ages… for His Name was, is, and always will be our Refuge, Fortress, and Home!

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PS. This piece was featured as one of Remade Ministries Drops of Encouragement, where I am one of their guest contributors.  Drop by & be encouraged, or sign up for e-updates of new posts at: http://remade-ministries.org/devotion/call-on-his-name/

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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run for shelter

Karla Lees

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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hedgeaway Home

Karla Lees

Yesterday, I startled a sweet little bird as I took my Nordic poles out for a spin.  Like the giant to Jack, I must have appeared a formidable threat.

Before those of you who have met me laugh too hard at that thought, I don’t mention it because of what I did, but rather what the bird did that split second after encountering me.

Along the boundary lines of this property is a hedge.

That wee bird headed for its entrance point in that hedge so quickly, I almost missed it.

An entrance way now made visible from all the traffic made by this tiny bird.

When trouble comes and appears like a giant above us, we too have a hedge we can run to for safety & protection.

God.

He is our Stronghold, our restful hiding place. In His Presence giants shrink to their proper size when aligned with His grandeur & majesty.

The truth is? Like that bird, we can be easily startled by anything  coming our way.

We don’t have to remain that way.

Today, join me in hiding away in His embrace.  Jesus made the pathway known back to our true Home.

It’s up to us to choose where we want to live.

Because our bodies are just the outer shell for the eternal spirit within.

We can choose where our spirit will live.  In the shadow of giants or in the shadow of His Presence.

I can assure you, no giant will appear to be larger than God when you begin to measure it against the God of the universe.

Cancer, debt, mental illness, abandonment, infidelity, loss?

God is bigger.
Greater.
All in.
Cheering you on.
Loving up on you.
Your safe place for all the emotions swirling within.

You can stay living in the land of giants, fearfully always looking over your shoulder….or staying close to Him throughout your day. Knowing with a plea or thought, He will remind you He is with you in less than a split second.

We can fly in His Presence.

We need to remember when the giant’s shadows begin to appear…..

Our hiding place is His embrace, always and forever.

Like that bird, may we fly into His stronghold at the first sign of trouble, and live secure knowing He is all we need for all we face.

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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.

beaten not defeated

Karla Lees

I’m pressed but not crushed persecuted not abandoned
Struck down but not destroyed
I’m blessed beyond the curse for His promise will endure
for His joy’s gonna be my strength
Though the sorrow may last for the night, joy comes in the morning!

–Darrell Evans, Trading my Sorrows

When I fail or slide the slippery slope into sin, I have a habit of wallowing in it.

It ain’t pretty.

It isn’t necessary.

Freedom awaits!

God reminds me He is more than enough to meet ALL of me:

He is my Saviour–
all my sins are made white as snow when I approach the cross, each and every one.

He is my Freedom–
because of the cross, and who He is, God can break any chain that may bind me, and set me free into wholeness and wide open spaces of grace!

He is my Provider–
all my needs are met in Him.

He is my Healer–
in every way, He can heal me- physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually

He is my Protector–
He is my safety, my shield, who keeps me safe & protects me

He is my Song–
He sings over us! Like a lullaby, reassuring us He is near.

He is my Source–
as my Maker, I can bring all things to Him, as He knows all things!

He is the Giver of Gifts–
all our gifts, talents & blessings come from His hand

He is my Peace–
He calms the raging torrents within me in the battles

He is Present, God with us–
God is always here.
There with us.
Waiting for us.

This is just a few examples of how despite hard times and circumstances, God’s got our back & is helping us make a way through the storms in our lives.

I am never defeated when I run to God in the skirmishes.

I may be pressed for His fragrance to be more easily released afterwards, but not destroyed by the enemy’s attack.

I may be persecuted because of the One who will never abandon me; my constant, rock solid, for me God.

I am blessed beyond the curse as I am His, and He is mine. His Presence brings blessings that far outweigh any hardship the enemy tries to curse me with.

His promise will endure, forever.
God never changes, and what He has promised comes to pass. What He has spoken comes to life. What He whispers to us sinks into our souls and grows new hope within.

My Joy will arrive. He rides a white horse, and has written my name on His love pierced hands, and He will come for His people in a triumph which leaves me breathless with anticipation.

His Spirit stirs the joy within me every morning that I am not alone, and this God who loves me so wants to be known by me, and to pour out His devotion for me 24/7, 365, and into infinity & beyond!

May you too jump into the Word, and find the names of who God is. May He reveal to you His heart as you do, and draw you closer than you could ever imagine as you invest in seeking Him first.

If like me, you have a hard time seeking freedom, would you consider the book “Stronghold” by Beth Kinder of Remade Ministries?
It is designed to move you out of the enemy’s shackles and into His stronghold of freedom, love and becoming whole. God is already using it to set people free, and it doesn’t launch until March 13th!
Please visit www.strongholdthebook.com to learn more download the first chapter for free,and pick up some scripture cards & screensavers!

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