You Define Me

I have been listening to Kim Walker Smith's new cd On My Side.  I love all of the songs but one in particular has really been resonating with me.  The song is called You Define Me.  It makes me sad to realize that so many do not have a really understand how God sees them (how He defines them)

I have always known I am loved by God but because I have experienced life so many outside factors have defined me.  I have developed and become what the world and my circumstances have defined me.  I have become failure, I have become rejected, I have become unloved, and unwanted but that is NOT who God says I am.  That is not who He created me to be and that is not the good thoughts He is always thinking towards me.

For years now I have helped with a ministry called Sozo.  Sozo is a Greek word that is defined as healed, saved, and delivered.  It is a ministry to heal body, soul, and spirit.  Through this ministry the person receiving inner healing lets go of the lies that have been spoken over them.  The person receiving the ministry breaks ties with the wrong thoughts (lies) and we pray that the voice of the lie becomes unfamiliar to them.  At the same time the person seeks God for the truth.  The truth of who God says they are.  The truth of how God sees them.  The truth of how He defines them.  The person not only seeks God for the truth but also asks God to show them a picture of them together.  Most of the time when the person leaves they have a totally different countenance on them when they leave then when they came in.  They are set free from the lies that have bound them for so long and are beginning to walk in the truth.  The individual also has seen themselves with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  Even though God is three in one He has three distinct aspects and it is so amazing to see how each of them interacts with you.

So take a moment as you listen to this song to ask God how He sees you.  How does He define you?  What lies have you been believing about yourself?  What lies have you believed about Him?  Then ask Him for the truth to replace those lies.  God is so good to speak to each and every one of His children.  He is so good to show them a picture of them together.  If you are not comfortable asking God the Father, then ask Jesus to show you a picture of the two of you together and then ask Him to take you to the Father!!!  He loves showing you the Father and they both love showing you the Holy Spirit.

Know that God thinks about you a lot!!!  Psalm 139:17-18 says that He thinks about us every day and His thoughts toward us outnumber the grains of sand on every seashore.  That is a lot of thoughts!!!

Eph 3:18-19 in TPT describes God's love for us as follows:

Then, as your spiritual strength increases, you will be empowered to discover what every holy one experiences - the great magnitude of the astonishing love of Christ in all it's dimensions.  How deeply intimate and far-reaching is His Love!  How enduring and inclusive it is!  Endless love beyond measurement, beyond academic knowledge - this extravagant love pours into you until you are filled to overflowing with the fullness of God.  Eph 3:18-19

Remember that God is always about the one.  You are the one!!!  When Jesus walked the earth He went out of his way for the one all the time.  Consider this, when Jesus and the disciples crossed the sea of Galilee they were met by a man who was demon possessed that could not be chained or dressed.  Jesus crossed the water to set that man free and to allow him to be in his right mind.  Think about it, he got back in the boat after that event and went back to the other side.  I wish I could take credit for this insight but I actually read about it in a book called Draw Near by John Bevere.

Below are the lyrics to the song!  Read them if you want or just go to the bottom and click on the video.  Close your eyes, focus on Jesus and allow Him to fill you full of His truth about you are. Allow Him to tell you how He defines you.  Ask Him to show you a picture of the two of you together and then write down what He says and shows you.  Meditate on the truths He gives you until they are firmly rooted within you leaving no room for the lies.  Blessing!



You Define Me"

No whisper can accuse
No rumor can undo
The words You speak over me
No lie can ever break
No shame can ever steal
The words You speak over me
You're speaking over me!

Only Your words, define me
You tell me who I am
Only Your love, can hold me
You make me who I am
You define me
You define me

The author of my days
You're writing every page
With blood and scars
You heal my heart
Oh, You heal my heart!

Only Your words, define me
You tell me who I am
Only Your love, can hold me
You make me who I am
You define me
You define me

No fear, can hold me hostage
No lie, can keep me bound
My God has the final word
My God has the final word
No fear, can hold me hostage
No lie, can keep me bound
My God has the final word
My God has the final word!

Only Your words, define me
You tell me who I am
Only Your love, can hold me
You make me who I am, oh!...
Only Your words, define me
You tell me who I am
Only Your love, can hold me
You make me who I am

You define me
You define me, yes
You define me
You define me
You define me

God I Look to You (Bethel)

Have you even been in a time of transition?  Since my last transitional place I had decided that my next transition would be a better time and yet I still find myself struggling emotionally.  I want to carry on, throw a fit, and just rant and rave but I know that is not going to make the process any quicker if anything it will slow it down.

God promises that He will never leave or forsake us.  God promises that there is absolutely nothing that can separate us from His love.  God's word declare that God is for us and not against us!!  All amazing great promises.  It also states in James that we are to count it all joy when we experience various trials because the trials build our faith and give us wisdom and other amazing God minded things (see James 1:2-8)

I love almost all of the music that comes out of Bethel church in Redding, CA.  I would say their worship team is among some of the best because their worship attempts to glorify God and help others draw closer to God through their worship.

One of their older songs, God I Look to You contains such valuable Godly truths that I felt this was the song to share with all this week.  As you get ready to start your work week know that God is with you every step of the way.  Take a few minutes each morning to just pray and declare this song because it will help you get your focus on Him and not all the chaos going on around you.

God truths;

• He will give us His wisdom to know what to do and say in every and any situation
• When we focus on Jesus we cannot be overwhelmed
• God is our strength and shield.  He is our refuge in times of trouble.
• Worship changes our focus!!!

Ps 91 TPT

When you sit enthroned under the shadow of Shaddai,

 You are hidden in the strength of God Most High.

 Here’s how I describe him:

 He’s the hope that holds me, and the Stronghold to shelter me,

 The only God for me, and my great Confidence.

 And He will rescue you from every hidden trap of the enemy,

 And He will protect you from false accusation and any deadly curse.

 His massive arms are wrapped around you, protecting you.

 You can run under his covering of majesty and hide.

 His arms of faithfulness are a shield keeping you from harm

You will never worry about an attack of demonic forces at night,

 Nor have to fear a spirit of darkness coming against you.

 Don’t fear a thing! Whether by night or by day,

 Demonic danger will not trouble you,

 Nor the powers of evil launched against you.

 For God will keep you safe and secure; they won’t lay a hand on you!

 Even in a time of disaster with thousands and thousands being killed,

 You will remain unscathed and unharmed!

 You will be a spectator as the wicked perish in judgment,

 For they will be paid back for what they have done!

 When we live our lives within the shadow

 Of the God Most High, our secret Hiding Place,

 We will always be shielded from harm!

 How then could evil prevail against us, or disease infect us?

 God sends angels with special orders

 To protect you wherever you go,

 Defending you from all harm.

 If you walk into a trap they’ll be there for you

 And keep you from stumbling!

You’ll even walk unharmed
 Among the fiercest powers of darkness,
 Trampling every one of them beneath your feet!
 For here is what the Lord has spoken to me:
 “Because you have delighted in me as my great lover,
 I will greatly protect you.
 I will set you in a high place,
 Safe and secure before my face.
 I will answer your cry for help every time you pray,
 And you will find and feel my presence
 Even in your time of pressure and trouble.
 I will be your glorious Hero and give you a feast!
 You will be satisfied with a full life
 And with all that I do for you.
 For you will enjoy The fullness of my salvation!”



God I Look to You

God I  look to You, I won’t be overwhelmed

Give me vision to see things like You do

God I look to You, You’re where my  help comes from

Give me wisdom; You know just what to do.

I will love You Lord my strength

I will love You Lord my shield

I will love You Lord my rock forever All my  

days I will  love You  God

Hallelujah our God reigns

Hallelujah our God reigns

Hallelujah our God reigns

forever all my days Hallelujah

Your Promises (Elevation Worship)

Are you a participant or a spectator when it comes to worship?  Do you only consider worship as a service that happens on a Sunday morning during a church service?  Do you know that worship needs to be a lifestyle?  Do you know that when life's difficulties bombard you that it is worship that allows you to rise above the situation?

I love music and so many of today's songs contain wonderful reminders of God's promises.  I am very much of a lyrics person when it comes to worship songs.  I really don't want to sing about anything that does not line up with what God's word say or what God's word says about us.  That is why it breaks my  heart so much to hear songs sung in churches across america that speak to a weak minded mentality or ask for something that God's word says we already have.  I also do not care of fluff songs, songs that sound great on the radio but really do not say anything meaningful. I guess you can call me a worship song snob, not a great title I know but worship is so near and dear to my heart because it is through worship that we glorify our savior.  It is through worship that we can connect with Him, to see Him, and to hear His voice.

I love to consider the fact that in Heaven all we will do is worship Jesus (see Revelation 4:8) and during our worship we will not be distracted by various thoughts.  Our worship will be completely focused on the one we love and the one who loves us.  I wish I had that hear and I am growing in that but I can still be distracted by the clock, what needs to be done or my worship can be delayed because I cannot get my body out of bed early enough in the morning.  This past year I had a friend pass away who was a mentor to me when I was younger.  Her passing grieved me and I missed her greatly.  There were many if only moments the day I found out until the though hit me that she was with Jesus and she was worshiping Him and she was spending one on one time with Him with absolutely no distractions.  I must admit I was a bit jealous but it also helped me be thankful for the time I was able to know her here on the earth and I knew she was in an amazing place.

So because God speaks to me through music so much I would like to begin sharing with each of you some of the truths and promises various songs bring to me.  It is my hope and desire that we can go on this journey together of learning to worship Him more and draw closer to Him.  It is my desire that we can grow in our intimacy with our creator.  I do want to add I know that worship is not just singing a song, it is a heart attitude, but it is through music that we tend to express the most our worship and adoration to God.

The below song is by Elevation Worship and is calle Your Promises.  It speaks to me that when you are going through a storm in your life you don't have to focus on the storm you only have to focus on God and His promises.  He will never fail you, He will never forsake you, and there is nothing that is going to take His love away from you.  You cannot mess up greatly enough that Jesus will not still love you.

What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it—we’re called children of God! That’s who we really are. But that’s also why the world doesn’t recognize us or take us seriously, because it has no idea who he is or what he’s up to. But friends, that’s exactly who we are: children of God. And that’s only the beginning. Who knows how we’ll end up! 1 John 3 Message Bible

Remember always You are a child of the Most High God and you are greatly loved.  God is for you!!!!

Your Promises

When the weight of the world begins to fall
On the Name of Jesus I will call

For I know my God is in control
and His purpose is unshakable

Doesn't matter what I feel
Doesn't matter what I see
My hope will always be
In Your promises to me
Now I'm casting out all fear
For Your love has set me free
My hope will always be
In Your promises to me

As I walk into the days to come
I will not forget what You have done
For you have supplied my every need
And Your presence is enough for me

Doesn't matter what I feel
Doesn't matter what I see
My hope will always be
In Your promises to me
Now I'm casting out all fear
For Your love has set me free
My hope will always be
In Your promises to me

You will always be more than enough for me
You will always be more than enough for me
Nothing's gonna stop the plans You've made
Nothing's gonna take Your love away
You will always be more than enough for me

Doesn't matter what I feel
Doesn't matter what I see
My hope will always be
In Your promises to me
Now I'm casting out all fear
For Your love has set me free
My hope will always be
In Your promises to me

Child of God - No Longer Slaves

Hello friends.  Thank you for taking the time to read this blog.  My numbers may still be small but I am thankful for each and every one of you.  I am thankful for your prayers and encouragement and for staying with me as I sort through the pain of healing some wounded areas within me.

God is so good and faithful and He is doing an amazing work within me.  As I was walking out some truths this weekend and trying to move into different more truthful mindsets I found myself anxious and fearful.  I was fearful as I faced the same situations that in the past have left me hurt, wounded, and feeling rejected.  I was nervous and afraid that I would act the same way as I have acted in the past, from a place of hurt and woundedness and not from a place of love.  While I cannot say the weekend went perfectly, there were a few times I know my words and actions may have been better, I just asked God to forgive me and moved on.  In the midst of my fear I say Jesus taking my hand and saying He was with me walking right beside me.  In Isaiah 41 verses 10 and 13 God reminds us to not fear because He is with us and He is upholding us with His righteous right hand.  This is the verses that came to mind with the picture I saw, while the fear never left it did diminish and I was able to walk in more confidence and boldness as the weekend progressed.  The feeling of always being on the outskirts and looking in began to recede as I began to know I had a place and a purpose with others.

Last week I began to allow God to really show me who I was in Him.  I began to confess those words out of my mouth.  At times I felt like a liar but God's word is true so I just pushed through the negative until the truth began to take root in my life.  John 8:32 declares that we will know the truth and the truth will set us free.  I held firmly onto these words because this scripture has brought past healing to me so I know it would bring a deeper healing as well.

To move on, this weekend at church we sang the song No Longer Slaves.  This song talks about being free of fear but it also talks about being a child of God.  This phrase in particular stood out to me during church.  What does it look like to be a Child of God?  Obviously it doesn't look like a person who walks around in gloom and despair.  Graham Cooke always says there will be no Eeyore's in heaven.  So as children of God we should be loving, kind, joyful, always willing to help another, and so much more.  It means living a life that sees the one in front of you and not just living a life that is all about you.  Friday night I observed a group of ladies that love God but do not walk in the power and authority that is their's because they are children of God.  They walk in a place of powerlessness feeling that what they need can only come from others.

It dawned on me friday, and I have observed these ladies for awhile now, that they all had a leader and that leader maybe in good faith was training the other women to be powerless as she was.  Maybe the leader did not know the power that was within her but for whatever reason I began to have compassion on these women.  I know that each one of them was loved by a great God and He had great plans and purposes for them, there was a treasure waiting to be mined in them.

Since I want to be a gold miner and draw that gold out of others I began to pray for God to help me help them discover their worth and value in Him.  I want to see people walk in the power and authority that God gave them.  I want to help others not only walk in truth but I want them to see themselves through God's eyes.  I know a few of their stories and I know their past has been difficult but I also know we don't have to live in our past.  We are made new, the old man has gone, it has been crucified with Christ on the cross.

Please know I do not judge these ladies for where they are I just recognize it as having been there myself.  When you have dwelt in a pit long enough you begin to see other pit dweelers and your desire will be to help them see how they can be free of their pit too.

As you listen to the song No Longer Slaves my God begin to speak His truth to you.  May you hear from Him what it looks like to be a Child of God.  For me He is speaking the truth the fear will not take my voice away.  I am important and I have something to say!

In parting I want to leave you a few truths to stand firm on:

• You are valuable
• You are loved
• You are chosen
• You are wanted
• You have a part that only you can fulfill (Jer 29:11)
• You are accepted
• God will make a way when there appears to be no way because He is a God of the impossible.

Love and blessings to each of you.

Peace in the process

All who have been reading my blog for awhile know how much I love music.  Growing up I developed a love for the oldies.  I remember the first time I heard The Byrds sing Turn, Turn, Turn.  I loved the song and then I learned something pretty amazing.  This secular song was taken directly out of the Bible!  Yep that's right, the song comes right out of Eccl 3:1-8.


The song was released during a time of war but it promoted peace.  The last line of the song says; "A time for peace, I swear it's not too late."  God's word declares that we are to seek peace and pursue it, we are to let it be the umpire of our lives (see Ps 34:14, 1 Pet 3:11, Col 3:15).  I don't know about you but I don't always seek peace and pursue it.  Often times I let the negative thoughts going through my mind get me in such a tizzy that I find it difficult to get back to a place of peace.  Or I let my circumstances and situations rob me of peace because I only see the problem and not God's solution.

I seem to battle the same feelings of unworthiness, rejection, and unwantedness over and over again. Recently someone said something to me that made me think; they said I was constantly setting myself up to be rejected and maybe it was time I removed myself from some of those situations. Well I thought about that and prayed about it and I came to the conclusion that if I removed myself from everything where I felt rejected then I would never be able to leave the house, ever!  I really did not want to become a hermit so I began seeking God to gain some victories for those areas in my life that were continually causing me hurt.

I am so thankful for those who have walked this path before me and who provide me with additional tools I need to walk in greater levels of freedom.  God first led me to Beth Moore.  Beth is great in helping woman discover all they were created to be.  I began reading her book So Long Insecurity.  I'm not far but a line in the very beginning made me think, "this woman has read my mail."  "We're going to let the truth scream louder to our souls than the lies that have infected us."  This had been the cry of my heart to God.  I wanted the truth to become more real to me than the lies I have been believing.

God also took me to Dawna Desilva.  If you don't know her she runs the Sozo Ministry at Bethel and her messages always speak truth to me of who I am.  In her message on Hope she said something to the effect that God's Kingdom always expands or adds to.  When you see yourself through the lense of rejection, unwantedness, unworthiness, etc than you are dealing with lack and that is not a Kingdom mindset.  We need to place our hope in Jesus and it is through Him we can do all things.

She gives a great illustration in this message of how she wanted opal earrings for Christmas one year but her husband was always saying they couldn't afford things.  God had been working with her to take down her walls she was hiding behind to avoid being hurt so she told her husband for Christmas she wanted the earrings.  Of course the first words out of his mouth were we can't afford it!!  When we are trying to walk in freedom the enemy will alway always always try and hold us back!!!  Anyway christmas came and she opened her gifts and no opal earrings.  She was getting more and more upset because she knew that she had stepped out as God had said, made herself vulnerable, and was not going to receive the desire of her heart.  Well she came to the last gift which was a box inside a box inside a box, etc.  Finally in the last box was her desired opal earrings but by the time she opened them she could not enjoy the gift because she had allowed all the negative thoughts to control her emotions!!!

Whether our desire is opal earrings or something else when we allow our self to believe that is not for us or could never happen to us then we look at the situation through a lens of lack instead of seeing the situation through the eyes of God.  The lens of lack can rob us from the blessings that God has made available to us.   One thing I have to continually remind myself of is that His every thought and intention towards us is for good.  This is an easy truth to grasp but only if you don't see yourself through the lens of lack.

Gungor's song Beautiful Things was on my heart this morning, especially the line "He makes beautiful things out of us."  So this is the reminder I will leave you with.   God has made you beautiful, you are more than enough, and you are blessed and highly favored.  Don't allow lack to hold you back!  Don't allow the lies of negative thoughts rob you of God's best for you.  Allow His truth to become so loud you cannot hear the lies anymore.

My desire and hope is that what I am learning may help you also.  It may feel so hard and impossible when you are in the process but know dear ones that God is there with you holding your hand and seeing you through the process.   Don't live in despair but begin to allow God's hope to invade your being.  Jesus understands everything you are going through because He experienced it first and His live on earth gave us an example to follow.

Watch What You Say

Recently I had the priveledge of reading a friends manuscript.  The manuscript was about her different experiences with God and is an amazing read that shows how good God is.  In one of her times with God, God said to her that He HATES it when people talk bad about her.  In fact she told me that God was very emphatic about this.

Out of all that I read in the manuscript this hit home to me more than anything.  I am guilty of saying and thinking wrong things about others but I am also quick to recognize it and ask for forgiveness.  But, I am not so quick to recognize when I say and think wrong things about myself.  In fact the wrong things I say and do tend to become a distorted truth to me that goes against how God sees me.

When I see myself as a goofup or a failure then I am not believing the truth of who God says that I am.  His word declares that He has good plans for me to give me a future and a hope.  His word also declares that I can do ALL things through Him, because He strengthens me.  One translation words it a bit differently and says I can do all things through Him because He empowers me.  So if God has good plans for us that cannot fail and His every thought towards us is good (see Psalm 139) then who am I to call what He created bad?

Your life may not look like you want it to but you are not a mistake and God does have a plan and a purpose for you!  He loves you and He loves spending time with you.  God has chosen and accepted you into the beloved.

I challenge you to watch the thoughts you have towards yourself and definately watch what you say about yourself.  Get into the Word and find what God's word says about you.  Begin speaking God's truth out of your mouth until His truth becomes a reality.  Begin to laugh at the lies you thik about yourself.

One ministry that I have found that helps me speak God's truth about myself and whatever situation I am facing is Igniting Hope Ministries out of Bethel.  Steve and Wendy Backlund have an amazing ministry to help others discover God's truth!  Check out their website:  www.ignitinghope.com for declarations you can begin declaring today.  Their facebook page is also another great place to obtain Godly truth about yourself.

It is hard at first when you speak the lie out of your mouth and then laugh at it.  When I began, I felt like crying more than laughing but I am keeping on until I have more of the joy of the Lord inside of me.

Last I challenge you to write down every lie you have ever thought, spoken, or believed.  Also write down every lie that has been spoken over you by another or that you have perceived others felt about you.

Sometimes I think the words spoken to us or how we perceive others feel towards us can become the open door to what we begin to see and say about ourselves.  All of my life I had felt unwanted and unchosen so a root of rejection began to grow within me.  If I am not careful the actions and words of others can make me feel rejected and unimportant if I allow it to.

After you have written down all the lies take another piece of paper and begin writing down every truth that God reveals to you on how He sees you.  Once you are done with both take the lies and rip them up as much as you can and throw the lies away!   The lies are not who God says you are!  Begin to mediate on the truth, speak the truth out of your mouth, speak what God's word says about who you are.

You have to replace the negative lies you have been thinking and speaking with the truth and the best way to do that is to replace every lie when it comes with the truth!!!!  Above I have provided resources to begin speaking the trut of who God says you are: The Word of God, Igniting Hope Ministries, the truths about yourself that God gives you.

Here are some confessions to begin with on who God says that you are:

• You are special and unique!  One of a kind!
• You are chosen!
• You are accepted!
• You are loved!
• You are healed!
• You are an overcomer!
• You are valuable!
• You are beautiful!

There are so many more truths you can begin decaring about yourself today! Go find the truth and begin declaring it over yourself today.  May you begin to walk in more freedom, peace, and joy and may you begin to experiece the abundant life that Jesus died to give you.

Blessings and peace.

Hold onto Hope

When hope’s dream seems to drag on and on the delay can be depressing, but when at last your dream comes true, life’s sweetness will satisfy your soul.  Prov 13:12 TPT

The first part of this verse seems to have become my life for the past year. I continually ask God when will I experience a longing fulfilled or life's sweetness? At times I have not weathered the storm well. I have gotten to a place of worry and fear. I have lost hope and have just wanted to give up. I have even gotten mad at God and asked Him why and when. I know this last statement may shock some of you, I am not proud of the fact but God used this to show me another side of how good He is.

While I don't understand why this season continually stretches out before me I know God is using this season to grow my hope and trust in Him and to work out all the fears, worries, and insecurities still residing within me. At times I have wanted to go at this battle alone because after all I seem to be saying the same things over and over again and it gets old, well that and I get tired of it being all about me.

Recently as I began to loose hope again God began speaking to me through different songs and the picture that is shown below. When I first saw this painting I could not stop looking at it because it seemed God was speaking to me through this painting. I believe this painting represents a seedling of hope that is being grown and developed in the Master's hands. In this place the seedling is safe and secure and has been planted in such rich soil that will allow it to grow and develop into what it was designed and created to be.

No matter what you are facing don't lose hope! There is no failure in God, His promises are true, and He is more than able. His nature is one of love, hope, and joy. His every thought and plan He has for us is good. While I don't understand why people deal with lifetime illnesses without seeing healing, or have physical needs that don't seem to be met, or even why promises spoken don't seem to come to pass I know God is still able and He is more than enough.

If you too are struggling with holding onto hope; begin to meditate on His promises, begin to verbally speak out of your mouth His promises, and begin to praise and worship Him for the promises yet fulfilled. Find something in your situation to be thankful for and begin to declare your words of thanksgiving to God.

Lastly, don't go at it alone! I know when I hold it in and don't talk about all that is happening within me is when I face some of my toughest battles. It is not always easy to share but make sure you are planted in a good church and find at least one person you trust who you can share all of your struggles with.

I am beyond thankful for the community God has blessed me with. Even when I don't want to talk they ask just the right questions to open me up and allow the light of who God is to shine once again down inside of me. They are great to restore me to a place of hope, even when they don't know it. Eccl 4:10 & 12 has been proven true for me over and over again within this community.

It's better to have a partner than go it alone.  Share the work, share the wealth.  And if one falls down, the other helps, but if there's no one to help, tough!  By yourself you're uprooted.  With a friend you can face the worst.  Can you round up a third?  A three-stranded rope isn't easily snapped.  Ecc 4:10, 12 MSG

A special thanks to my community!  You all have been such a blessing to me.  More than even my words can say.  When I have wanted to give up in despair you have unknowingly restored me to a place of hope and trust.   I love each of you so much and am extremely thankful to be doing life with you.

Here are some songs that you can listen to and mediate on that will strengthen your hope:  Take Heart by Hillsong, God I look to You by Brian and Jenn Johnson,  and Nothing Wasted by Elevation Music.  I know there are so many others but these are a few that God has given to me personally. 

There is nothing to hard for our God!

Blessings.