Tag: vision

the magnetic pull of focus

Karla Lees

One day spent in Your house, this beautiful place of worship, beats thousands spent on Greek island beaches. I’d rather scrub floors in the house of my God than be honored as a guest in the palace of sin. Psalm 84:10 MSG

I love to worship. It is the one thing I like best after spending time in His Presence, and diving into the Word.

When I get really busy, I tend to rush through my day beginning with a quick devotional instead an unrushed time at His feet, focusing solely on Him.

This quick fix mentality opens me up to selfishness, hurry, and distraction. Spend too long with that crew, and the enemy begins to make his play.

When sin comes knocking, sometimes what looks good in the moment can appear better than what we know to be true. For the enemy was an angel of light, and very beautiful in the eye of the beholder. (2 Corinthians 11:12-15)

However, beauty is only skin deep, and the truth about all things will be revealed the more time we invest in it. A handsome man or gorgeous woman isn’t always so lovely once you get to know them when their personality becomes revealed.

Sin is the same.

Just because it looks good, doesn’t mean it is good.

If it sounds too good to be true, it may just be a lie.

Only God IS good, and so are His ways.

Nothing can ever beats being His, and being with Him.

●How we live magnifies our priorities.

●What we love reveals the desires of our hearts.

●What we focus on attracts more of the same….

If we zoom in on our lack or selfish desires, our mood will become increasingly dissatisfied and depressed. If we seek Him first and His Kingdom, its standards will be reflected within us.

What most appeals to His Beloved should be the things which most appeal to Him: community, truth, holiness, being with the one you love.

Lord, may we choose to regularly worship You, and keep our gaze focused on what is good, true, wholesome and pure. (Philippians 4:8) Be the fixed point of our devotion, and ever clarify our focus so we can see you better. Let Your character magnify our vision, and replicate itself within us.

May the gift of Presence be the one we unwrap the most, and may our heart align up with Your passions the more we spend time with You, and focus on what will last a lifetime instead of a fleeting moment.

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only part of the story

Karla Lees

Oh as you run,
what hindered love
will only
become part of the story.

–Steffany Gretzinger, Come out of Hiding

A few weeks ago, I took part in a night of prophetic teaching, and one of the words spoken was the lyrics to this song.

It snuck past my defences, and opened my heart to receive the words God wanted me to hear. My tears, oh how they flowed!

I have lived my life with too much fear & regret, feeling like there are too many chapters I wish I could rip out of my story.

But looking at my life from my perspective is not what I am meant to do.

I am meant to lean into God, and press in for the promises and purpose He has for me.

Not to take a long look back at what was, but to keep my eyes fixed on Him & what He has ahead for me.  I am not a waste, or the sum of my mistakes.

Part of sharing my story is how God is shattering my vision, removing my faulty lie lined glasses, and let me see His vision instead.

God doesn’t use an eraser, or liquid paper, or start our story over.

He takes away the hurt, the pain, and restored the broken places of the past chapters, and helps us write each day moving forward with his help & strength.

He doesn’t remember the past.

At all.

Its a new day, every day with Him.

And because of that amazing mind-blowing aspect of His character…..

My story isn’t finished yet, and neither is yours!

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We can have hope, because what the enemy intended to use against us becomes only part of our story in God’s hands & plans.

With His grace, we can live our story unhindered!

Its time to step into the light of His grace,

gaze on His face,

and move into the place

He has waiting for us!

#pressingin

#thestorycontinues

#comeoutofhiding

#hopeinHisPresence

look up

Karla Lees

When I feel low, its usually because I have taken my eyes off of God.

When God is in His proper place, and I acknowledge how big, strong, mighty my God is, I can’t help but look up to Him.

Focusing on the problem makes it block out my view of God. It doesn’t mean God is not in the picture.

I was at a training course, where the teacher shared a part of someone else’s story.  A young man was crying out to God in a drug trip to reveal Himself. All the man saw was a tiny distraction, which led him down a tormented path for years.

When he finally went for healing and freedom, he asked God to reveal where He had been in the room at that exact moment.

God did.  He completely filled the room.

We can miss the bigger picture and how big our God is (as far as our finite minds can grasp an infinite God) when we narrow our focus.

When we limit our vision to what we think we should see, instead of seeing whatever God wants us to see.

Himself, reigning over all, no matter what we see going on around us.

We serve the one and only God, who is seated on His throne:
the Creator of all we can see on our earth, in our universe, and beyond.
the Savior of all people, who has never and will never stop reaching out his arms to them, us.
the Healer of all brokenness and wounds within us.
the Provider of all good gifts
the Guide who shares all wisdom, knowledge and discernment to all who seek and ask
the King who reigns forever and ever
and so much more!!!

In light of who He is, we need to remember He is greater than all we will come across:

The enemy who is being and will be defeated.
Those who hate and harm us.
Painful situations caused by sin & selfishness.
All disease, mental illness & sickness.
Losses and grief.
Broken hearts.

Today, I am reminded anew to lift my eyes up, and keep them focused on God, not how I may be feeling.

I will look up.
I will proclaim God reigns over everything happening in my life.
I will choose to put my hope in the One who gave so much for me.

Its never too late to look up.

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rest for the best yet to come

Karla Lees

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Rest sometimes means saying no to good things so you can say yes to the best.

There are better things ahead.

If you are too busy running around like a chicken with its head cut off (mindless circles of flapping) you will miss the view you would have seen by standing still.

It has taken some hard, painful looks at myself to realize this lesson.

I tend to do. Jump in and help wherever I can.

At times, that is absolutely the right thing to do.

And at others, it is a distraction from what I was meant to do.

I worked for years as a child care provider & barista, volunteering at church, my kids’ schools & in the community.

I am not the same person now that I was then, so keeping the same mindset about my activity levels doesn’t make sense.

I learned many skills that I still use most days and now am still learning many skills I didn’t learn when I was my younger self.

Seasons ebb and flow like the tide.
Sometimes dry, full, dangerous or safe.

In every season, we are to use our given reason to rest. With no exceptions.

God made us with that need.

What God has made, He called good.

When He was done, He rested.

Rest is the secret to our energy.

Resting physically as our body demands…I am a 7.5 hour sleeper for optimum mental capacity 🙂

Rest emotionally by dealing with our hurts, pain & stresses…I find a good walk, prayer time where I pour out my heart, and sometimes get others to pray for me helps me keep a level keel.

Resting spiritually is the most important aspect. Trusting that as we spend time with Him, God will reveal the best He has for us to seek out & hold onto. Knowing He has our back every step of the way, we are safe in His care, and never alone as we step into the purpose we were made for.

We can rest in the knowledge that He designed us to need rest, to slow down and shift our focus onto Him, no matter the storm swirling about us.

Rest IN Him, no matter the mess.
There is no situation He cannot move in. He is mighty. He is able. He is love. He is yours.

REST in Him, beyond your stress.
Stress doesn’t change us for the negative when we respond to it positively, with His help.

Rest in HIM. As we look to Him for our rest, we become fascinated & drawn to His Presence more deeply. His rest begins to soak into us, to permeate us, to leave us marked with His fragrance. He reminds us that we are a moment, He is forever.

Our soul finds rest in Him alone.

Take a look around yourself this week. Are you randomly jumping into the chaos without thinking, or asking our guide to help you rest & see what is really going on?

REST is encompassed in STRESS, the real antidote to life’s busyness.
Stop short & rest.
Make the time to rest physically.
Pray, journal, sing, play guitar, walk or run- do whatever makes you happiest to help you calm yourself, then plug back into God/rest after the day’s  swirl of events.

But rest.

Perspective will begin to reveal the best God has for you, as you take the step towards Him, let Him calm you with His love, saturate you with His presence, give you His vision for what is to come next.

Better becomes best.

The deciding factor between the two?

How much you invest in your need for rest.