Tag: storms

turn Him loose

Karla Lees

Turn me loose,
turn me loose,
I gotta do it my way
or no way at all…
-Loverboy, 80s & 90s rock band

When the road gets tough, our reactions reveal what is under the surface within us.

There are three ways we respond when the storms are swirling and the waters rising…

1. We let them swallow us, and drown us in our wallowing.

2. We freak out, stress out and run around like Chicken Little screaming the sky is falling.

The first two because we can’t take our eyes of our circumstance or situation. We forget how much bigger God is than our current battle, and we don’t walk in the confidence of Heaven. We turn ourselves loose from the possibilities God has waiting for us.

The last one is what our Abba hopes we will do.

3. Drop to our knees, open wide our arms, and pour out our praise as we seek our Deliverer.

Reaction 1 occurs when we hide away from community, and continually focus on the negative.

Reaction 2 happens when we can’t sit still from the weight of what we were never meant to carry on our own.

But reaction 3?

Falling to our knees in worship is the supernatural opposite of our natural tendencies.

And what God not only longs for us to do, He modelled for us in Jesus.

Jesus as a young teen felt drawn to His Father’s house, to sit at the feet of the rabbis and soak in the Word.

Jesus fell to His knees in prayer before He began His ministry, feeding on the Word instead of food while in the desert place.

Jesus went off to solitary places throughout His ministry to connect with His Father, sometimes with others, as He sought direction.

Jesus prayed so intently as He made His intention known to be willing all the way to the cross, His sweat dripped off Him like blood drops.

Why do we think we don’t need to follow His ways when things get rough?

Part of it I think is our North American & European culture geared for comfort and pleasure.

We have lost the daily stressors which other countries still walk with. Hunger and thirst for physical food. Desiring a roof over their head. Clothes and shoes.

God Himself is our shelter.
Our provider. The very Word we are to feast upon.

We have access to the Kingdom of Heaven as His chosen family members, Beloved.

Don’t allow your temporary circumstances cause you to forget where and to Whom you really belong.

Let’s stop belly gazing and wallowing when times get tough.

Let’s halt our panicked screaming to the world while in the trenches.

Let’s retrain our natural tendencies for those of His Kingdom:

Press in for all our Father has for us.

Invite Jesus to reign over all of your life.

Begin to ask Holy Spirit to reveal what He needs you to know in the here and now.

Rest in His promises.

Praise who He is.

Trust His heart is for you and it will all work itself out for His glory, and your good.

Keep repeating these acts of faith every day, through all things.

Turn God loose over the situations, and watch how He shows Himself strong on your behalf!!
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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!)

are your roots showing?

Karla Lees

I recently has to get my hair done.
Because I have very curly hair, i can’t always tell when my roots begin to show, until they are pretty bad.  Like over an inch or two.

Because I am transitioning back to my natural dark ash blonde, (which is actually a lighter brown but the boxes & color wheels say is dark ash blonde, so I guess technically I am still a blonde!) now that I had a lot of roots showing, I needed a new game plan. Where am I headed now? More highlights & lowlights to keep transitioning with each cut, or dye my whole head to match the roots, then add a few highlights for fun.

I went with option b.  Because I am not ashamed of my roots.  I like the color, and want to work with the body I’ve got.

How long are your roots?

Are they subtle and barely noticeable, or obvious to everyone who sees you? 

Are they hidden because of how you carry yourself?

The roots to which I am now referring?

Your rootedness in God.

Do you spend more quality time with Him than anyone else you are in relationship with?

Can other people tell you are depending on Him in your day to day life?

Can you remain standing when the storm hits?

God is unshakeably dependable, our Rock of Ages.  Nothing shocks Him, ever. Nothing can move Him out of His position as Lord over all.

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There is living water & wisdom to feed the souls of those who dig deep and draw close to Him.

And the closer you get, the deeper you become His, and the more He steadies you.

So unlike your hair, these roots are the ones we want to be visible in our lives.

We want Him to look at us and see we are standing on His Word, trusting in His ways, and seeking Him in every moment.

We want roots so deep we are constantly strengthened by Him, grounded in His Promises, & in His Presence.

May we look beyond the superficial, find the courage to let our root grow, and not be afraid to let them show.

holding fast

Karla Lees

The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
*Psalm 16:6-8 ESV

The path has been quite rocky over this most recent leg of this journey.

Changes left & right have caused me to recenter & stand firm on the unshakeable truth: God alone is my sure foundation.

I have had to take a step back & closely examine what matters most to me, and He has been reshaping me on the inside while the storms swirl around me on the outside.

By the way, a storm is anything that tries to knock you on your Foundation.  It can be a temptation, a spiritual attack, a crossing of a boundary, a sudden loss….any unexpected change, big or small.

God has been quietly prompting me to allow Him to set my boundary lines, and giving me the strength to hold fast to Him as I do.

Boundary #1: God time is in permanent marker in my schedule, wherever & whenever He wants. 

Allowing Him ownership blesses my time, makes me more confident He is with me & more productive at all I do.

Boundary #2: Self care under His direction is not selfish.

This includes enforcing my need for balance. Too much work at a time leaves me exhausted & drained. As part of my work is freelance, I now have boundaries on when I will/will not work which God is helping me reinforce.

Boundary #3: After God, my family is more important.

God didn’t just randomly refer to children as treasures or gifts we were never meant to unwrap. Your spouse is to be your best friend, the one you go to first after God with whatever is bugging you. God wants us to have daily family time, however that can look for your family. Meals, DVD, walking, laughing, worshipping together…. We miss the tight bonds God planned for us when we fail to put family ahead of all else after Him.

Boundary #4: Saying no is to be welcomed when it is enforcing a boundary, and/or following His leading.

I have a hard time with this one, as several people around me like to try and bypass my no. What is urgent to them is to become my urgent project to be immediate dealt with. If I am already working, or on a day off, I need to say no or not yet.  If they can’t accept it, that isn’t my problem. As the Polish saying goes, “Not my circus, not my monkeys!”

The reality is: I am not on call 24/7 to anyone but God or my family.

I suspect I am not the only one who needed to read that truth today. If your ‘no’ is not being respected, then quite honestly the requester is not respecting you. Stand up for yourself, and if you have to, take a stand. I have left a job I was very good at because my employer crossed the boundaries I had clearly set. As much as I hated doing so at the time, it was the best thing I could have done for myself to learn how to enforce my boundaries, knowing God was with me as I did so. No means no.  God will back you for standing firm on a boundary He has helped you set.

Boundary #5: God & I together are free to change, adapt or create new boundaries at any time. I don’t need anyone else’s permission to follow His lead.

Now, if I do something completely out of character or fall into sin, it will become obvious to those around me whether God is in it or not. We are known by our actions & their fruit, not only our words. We are to be considerate & honor one another, and at the same time we are not be someone else’s doormat to be walked all over at their convenience.

I speak from experience that I have learned the difference between serving & being a slave.

I will not head back into the chains God rescued me from.

I had spiritually cowered like Piglet for way too long, being timid and afraid to speak up for myself. Allowing God to direct me into healthier living has enabled me to see that where He wants me to step, in His Presence, will lead me towards becoming the ‘me’ He designed me to become.

Final Thoughts:

I don’t need to apologize when I improve for the better, when Holiness & Love grip me so tight I become broken to be rebuilt into something better & more precious: More His.

My boundaries all lead back to freeing myself to live more fully in the wide open spaces of His love, mercy, grace & Presence, where He is constantly with me.

So the winds will continue to try & sweep me off my feet. Let them come, I say:

Because if I am already on my knees, I will not be shaken.

God’s promise: When I stay close to Him & follow His lead, He’s got me solidly 100% on His grip.

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In His strength, I can stand firm and hold my ground when the storms circle about me.

Hold fast, dear ones.
God knows the way ahead, and the way through.
He’s got you.

when it rains….

Karla Lees

There is an awful lot of storming going on around right now.

Chaos attempts to take over previously peaceful shores.

Grey clouds try to block the sun as far as the naked eye can see.

Heavy weights falls on shoulders not strong enough to take the load.

When it rains this kind of rain, we need to drop to our knees.

We cannot break through to the Son until we admit how desperately we need Him at the first glimpse of the storm.

Only He knows whether it’s a hail storm, hurricane, tornado or sun shower headed our way.

Asking for His help ensures we have the One who sees what is up ahead guiding us through what is to come.

Instead of it being a weakness, our bowing down & pressing in close  enables Him to strengthen us beyond our physical abilities.

We can come through and overcome any storm, any rain when God is with us..

All around me, I am seeing pain, hurt, crisis,  instability.

I am also learning to sense God more in the moment, to depend on His rock solid stability, never-changingness, dependability, constant Presence.

The more the storm swirls & rages, the closer I try to be to God. 

Because He is the only anchor that will remain.

For money changes hands in the blink of an eye, physical beauty & health fade over time, losses & grief are inevitable.

Only God remains above, through, in, with and beyond it all.

When the hard times rain, He will fill you with all you need to make it through.

He not only is with us in it, He covers us from its worst.

He alone is our safety & refuge in the storms of life.

Today the rains around me have accelerated into tornado warnings. The winds have picked up over the waves, which are beginning to rock.

I am holding my peace, because I am holding onto the Prince of Peace for dear life.

And He is holding me, my Anchor through the storms, through it all.

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sea foam break down

Karla Lees

As I was walking this morning, I had a mini revelation about my fave colour.

I absolutely love sea foam/pistachio/moss green.

And today, as I was quietly listening to my Abba, I heard about why it is suited to me, why I am drawn to it.

Sea foam is a mix of green (made up of blue & yellow) and gray (black & white).

The blue represents both the ocean of my tears, and my delight at water & sky.  Blue purifies as it flows.

The yellow is the touch of sun my body craves, and the Son-light my entire being longs for.

Green is the life and growth colour, how God can grow new life from the seeds He waters and shines His light on to grow in His Presence.

The black represents the dark places that need to be uprooted, the white the purity God brings to the mix.

And the gray? The times where I could not see beyond the storms, when God broke through and let His light brighten the dark times, and the gray we can find ourselves overwhelmed by when we take our eyes off of Him.

All this makes up my favorite colour. 

When I wear it, I feel more like His daughter. I sense His closeness, and the pleasure He longs to reveal to me, His beloved.

I feel the prettiness and purity God sees when He looks at me.

People around me notice the difference when I wear this color, without knowing why.

So, I will continue to love my favorite color in the various hues I wear or decorate with, for it draws me closer to the One who absolutely adores me, and would do anything for me….which He has, and continues to do.

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my favorite purse, on my similarly hued sofa 😉

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my fave scarf with one of my two jackets

What colour helps you draw closer to Him?  Have you ever thought about that before?

#seafoamalltheway

let go

Karla Lees

Yesterday morning, I had a strong impression during the church service.

Our pastor was saying how much God was wanting us to go deeper with Him, and invited us to pray along those lines.

In that moment, I saw a picture of myself clinging onto a buoy out at sea.
The waves were high and a storm was stirring things up.

I was afraid, and clinging out of fear onto the buoy for dear life.

And God whispered to me, “You can let go now. I won’t let you drown. The waves will not overcome you as you follow me into the deep. You will be safe in My arms.”

As a child, I had a fear of falling, having fallen out of a moving car as a preschooler.

My fear of heights was rooted in my fear of falling.

It has become obvious to me that my fear of falling is not fully uprooted from the image I saw yesterday.

I am still afraid.

I still doubt that God is going to catch me, carry me, keep me safe in some part deep within me.

And God loves me too much, so much, He doesn’t want that fear directing me any longer.

So He highlighted it for me in such a way that I could see it, and His living care, all at once.

He wants me all in, not keeping parts of myself tethered to fear.

Storms, major and minor, have come and gone in my life, and will continue to do so all the seasons of my life.

God has been there, rock solid, for each and every one.

I can depend on Him to hold me.
To keep me safe.
To continue to love me no matter what.

He needs me to let go and trust:

He is more than enough to keep my head above water.

He will guide me where He leads His river to take me.

His love for me is so great it will squelch my fear if I let Him have it,and replace it with a greater sense of His presence.

His love is my anchor.

The waves may be high; His love is higher still.

The water will be deeper than I can reach at times; His reach is deeper than I can imagine.

The storms may be darker than a moonless midnight sky; His Presence is bright enough to light my way.

I need to let go of the buoy of fear, and leap into His waiting arms.

Do you need to join me?

Let’s make the leap from fear together.

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Painting by: http://fromourcove.blogspot.ca/2013/08/fairway-buoy.html?m=1