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.

Spirit soaring

Today was to be a day off, but God had other plans for me, which is why I am currently find myself carefully trying to type on a bus!

I got a heads up last night, as I was checking an email, and a new favorite song has been added to our to learn list at church.

Every time I sing along to this song, God stirs me within.  I can’t quite put it into words, but He has my spirit begin to stretch itself bigger than I imagined while i worship.

Holy Spirit soars along side me as I learn to soar.

He is taking me into a new beyond I am not yet able to fully communicate.

And I am finding I am not as fearful of what is to come as I would have been a few years again.

As He sweeps me up in His embrace, I feel so secure in Him I begin to tap into who He wants me to become, and His strength to do just that.

Even last year, I would have been ticked off at being called in on my day off.

He has been rewiring me to go wherever He is calling, and today I got that even includes work.

For if we can’t be there for our coworkers when He whispers ‘Go’ into our ears, there may not be someone else primed to go.

Just because His Spirit is leading us into something new, that doesn’t mean He won’t send you to a familiar place.

You may be a more improved version of yourself, able to sense  Holy Spirit to a greater depth, and hear His to do list more clearly.

I sense Holy Spirit soaring over my obedience, like a waterfall of joy rushing over me right now.

I have a peace this week I have never had before at all my works.

They haven’t changed, but I have.

The key for me is to jump into the Word,  as i worship unhindered, listening for His voice as He guides through the day ahead.

I am only as effective as He has space within me.

He longs to change us all for not only our better, but His pleasure.

For you, vocalizing or writing your prayers after your time in the Word may be where He is calling you to expand.  For others, being in His Creation stirs you to open yourself up to Him to a greater degree. If you are like me, soaking in His Presence through worship is where He meets me the deepest.

He knows how we best connect with Him, and longs for us to meet with us there as often as we can.

Holy Spirit is waiting within each of us to help us soar to the new level of connection He has for you, me as He Himself takes us there.

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upward falling

Upward falling,
spirit soaring
I touch the sky
when my knees hit the ground

-Hillsong United

I have been discovering how stronger i am when I admit it am weak.

When I lay myself as I am before Him, God does something amazing with me.

And He does he same with you too, broken vessel.

It doesn’t matter how you have become broken, it matters that we allow Him to strengthen us.

My spirit is becoming increasingly free to remain in His Presence the more I kneel before Him.

There is a freedom that comes when the one without it all together lays it down before the Master Potter.

He not only makes us durable, strong enough to face the fire, but somehow more heavenly beautiful through the process.

Heaven invades open hearts which invite Him in.

Surrender doesn’t mean we lose, but we gain.

We may appear to lose from an earthly perspective, but we gain the cover & equipping of heaven’s resources.

Less of me, more of Him = win for the Kingdom.

I find my spirit can soar higher with Him the lower I lay myself before Him.

To the world, this may appear whacked.

In the Kingdom, this is true wisdom.

Even King Solomon, who had everything His heart could desire on earth, admitted it all meaningless apart from being connected to God.

Solomon appeared to have lost sight of what his father David modelled over his lifetime….

Surrender to God is where the real strength & blessing lay.

Jesus visibly showed us this as He regularly sought seclusion & time to pray & rest before His Father.

His strength to face the cross came from His Father’s love and surrendering to His plan.

And the blessing which came after He followed God’s design? Impacted Heaven forevermore.

Willing vessels are filled by the Kingdom’s never ending well.

Today, join me and fall to your knees before Him in worship.  If you too are on a bus or train, close your eyes and picture yourself doing so.

Praise Him.
Thank Him for all He has done.
Invite Him to move where you need Him to most.
Wait for His touch.

Find yourself plugged into heaven when you bow before the King.
And let yourself enjoy your Creator’s love & embrace!

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key holder

Don’t ever toss the keys to your dreams to anyone else.

Chris Hogan tweet, @ChrisHogan360

There is only one person who should hold the key to your dreams.

You.

I recently met an author & speaker who mentioned that what comes between us and our living out our dreams, our calling is ourselves.

We are our own enemy.

We can easily be the stumbling block that stands in our way.

And if that’s not enough, out of our insecurities and fears, we can place the decisions for our dreams in the  hand of others, giving them the keys.

We were designed to give the keys to the professional driver of our lives, God.

His ways aren’t ours, and are so much better for us in the long run, even though we may think we are stuck in the pitstop or on a detour.

Stop worrying about whether others are going to give you their blessing to purpose your dreams.

Press close into His Presence, and seek His approval, His guidance to become who He wants you to be.

See your dreams take flight and soar, when you believe in His ability to strengthen and keep you.

When He is the only holding the keys.
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the struggle

Too many voices are being snuffed out.

Who have you lost to depression or mental illness?

Have your relationships been impacted so much you can nearly breathe from the pain?

Sometimes those who are the most talented can’t pull back from the edges of their greatness in time to miss seeing the void on the other side.

Just like roller coasters, we can ride high in a rush, the thrill of adrenaline surging, and suddenly drop so low it feels the bottom has dropped out beneath you.

And without hope catching you when you feel that fall, you can lose sight of why you should keep going, and stop talking about what is going on inside.

Without purpose, we falter.

Without love, we wither.

but most importantly,
without the hope of hope,
we begin to die.

If someone you know struggles with their moods, whether depression, anxiety or heartbreaking grief…

Keep a close eye on them.

Don’t just glance their way.

You can be that glimmer of hope they may be needing right before they reach their lowest point.

Help them to find their voice again,
before its too late.

God is always reaching out for us…
How can we not reach out for those we love?

May you always keep your eyes on Hope, and allow Him to help you rise above the lows into His embrace.

RIP to all we know, personally or publically.

My hope is you made it Home.

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your big year

I recently watched the movie ‘The Big Year’ with my family, without knowing much about it, besides the actors & that birdwatching would be involved.

It was quite the eye opener for me.

The day before I was reminded we need to remember the treasures we have, which may be hidden under all our junk.

The Big Year brought this to light.
(Note: a big year is a calendar year where you total up every bird you have seen by type & species in North America. The real life winner at the time of filming had seen 755!)

The world’s best birdwatcher couldn’t see beyond his desires or plans, as he was consumed only with his goal: to stay on top & protect his world record at all cost.

His two main contenders this same year, one a well-off man, the other an average Joe, both managed to make  place in the top four that year. 

As they both pursued their lifelong dream of completing a big year, they came to realize their true treasures were the loved ones who were there for them, not setting the world record- for love lasts.

The defending world record holder lost the treasure waiting for him at home, as he could not let go of his desires to work together on anything with his wife. He sacrificed love for glory.

We have all been guilty of doing the same at times.

We too have the choice for a big year. The bible refers to it as “The Year of the Lord’s Favor” in Isaiah 61. Jesus lived this out while He was here on earth.

A year filled with freedom, Spirit filled living, good news, healing for the brokenhearted, comfort, rebuilding, renewal.

Where we will wear a crown of beauty and garments of praise, salvation and His righteousness.

And if those are not enough, we will also receive a double portion, and our inheritance.

All of this is what God intends for us, this year.

This could be your big year. To see the Spirit move in you over & over. That you- the captive, prisoner, hurting and/or lonely will be released from your cage, and soar. Free. As God intended for you.

You could total up your year of treasures, the ways God chose to bless you, and I suspect God would blow 755 out of the water without any two being duplicated.

Don’t settle for the glint of worldly glory.

Step out into your big year, and let His power move to let the blessings for His glory begin!

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(PS. You can learn more about the movie ‘The Big Year’  at:
http://m.imdb.com/title/tt1053810/)