Stand and Fight

    Being a daughter of an officer and having a brother as a chief of police, I was glad when states finally passed laws protecting officers when they have someone pulled over. In other words, if an officer has someone pulled over to the right, we must move into the far lane instead of passing right next to the pulled over cars. I watched someone yesterday blow by an officer doing his job, not adhering to that law,.......and they got away with it.  A law doesn’t do much good if we don’t follow it, especially when its meant to protect.

   It works the same way in the word of God.  We have been given great and precious promises through the blood of Jesus Christ, however, if we fail to enforce that word, it may as well not be a promise at all.

If we do not enforce it, stand in faith for it, we will probably never see it.

2 Peter 1:3 says; God has given us EVERYTHING that we need for life.

1 Peter 2:24 says; we are healed by the strips of Jesus.

2 Corinthians 8:9 says; we are made rich because He (Jesus) became poor for us.

These are just a few of the promises of God. They are ours! They belong to us now. Not sometime in the future.... NOW! However, if we don't stand firm on those promises and contend for them, we may never see them in our life.

     I'm currently reading the book “The Last Arrow”. Its exceptional, and I've plowed through 150 pages in 2 days, and to be honest, I don't love to sit and read. 

There was a phrase in it that I read last night that hit me between the eyes:

“You need to decide to stop running in fear and turn around and fight the good fight. You need to decide who you are and what you are about, why you live and what you are willing to die for. Until you decide to stand your ground you are like a leaf blowing in the wind. You will see yourself as a victim of circumstance, or even worse, a victim of Gods cruelty.”

This made me think of 2 Timothy 1:7;

“For God does not give us the spirit of fear, but one of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

     Back in January I remember a church service of watching my friend Becki lead worship.  She is ridiculously talented, and it always brings me such joy just to watch her walk in her gifts. I could not tell you what she was singing for worship, I can just tell you that in the midst of my own worship, I felt a release to "move forward" in my life. To this day I cannot explain fully what exactly "happened", I just know God wanted me to press into him and move forward out of fear, and further into freedom.

   Still, I sat on that for awhile, making sure I didn’t misunderstand, and to be honest....giving God a chance to change his mind and check Himself if He was sure that is what HE wanted.  I can hear some of you gasping...go right ahead.  I know that is funny, or even appalling, depending on how you decide to look at it. Seriously, to ask God "Are you sure?!", but that is how fear works....I wanted to give Him an "out"  ha ha.

    A few weeks later, I sat with my dear friend Taylor, out to breakfast.  Taylor has known my struggle with fear. We have this amazing kindred spirit relationship.  She has patiently waited for me to get to the moment I was about to reveal to her.  Even up to the second it came out of my mouth I said to God, "Are you sure?!"    ......(Silence). 

It was almost as if I could picture Him looking at me, arms folded, giving me the look like, "Really Hock?!"

When I finally got over myself and shared with Taylor that I was ready to stare fear in the face and move past it into what God wanted to use me for, she was over joyed. 

Part of that was auditioning for the worship team, which she had asked me to consider over a year ago prior.  

 In other words, instead of hanging out and playing patty cake with fear..... I am going to stare it long and hard in the face, move past it, and I am gonna instead take God up on His offer of "power, love and sound mind".  

Its interesting how much God can ACTUALLY use us when we abide by His promises and stop letting fear blow us around like that leaf in the wind. Its a continual growth process of holding every thought captive.

However, again, His promises only work when we abide by them.  Since that moment I have watched God open doors that fear had once stolen in my life with both singing and speaking....both things I know are part of my calling in the race He has me on.  

    His promises are there for protection, so that we can walk in the life of freedom He has intended for us all along.

 I will end with this quote from The Last Arrow ;

"If people have never known fear, they have never had a need for courage."

Let me encourage you to find enough courage to look fear in face and trust that God's promises are for you too, so you can walk in the life of freedom He has always intended for you.

Not Everything We Face Can Be Changed........BUT.....

     Its been an interesting weekend.  I found myself Saturday night so heavy hearted that I text a couple girlfriends and asked them to pray.  It felt like depression trying to sneak up on me, yet I didn't understand the heaviness.  I felt it was an attack, because I know what those feel like, but it seemed out of the blue and made no sense.  My last thought I remember before falling asleep was the reminder of the verse that we do not fight against flesh and blood (Ephesians 16:2). I remember feeling, that "tired" feeling, where you begin to question your worth and why we are even fighting, is it worth it - complete lies of the enemy...I felt weary, not seeing clearly...but deep inside me is a fighter.  At some point I fell asleep.  When I woke my head was clear.  I had been in prayer much of the day yesterday for someone close to my heart, and also for my family. The heaviness from the night before now made sense.  It was a war raging...the enemy was mad, but I just felt something was on the horizon. I am, by Gods doing, a fierce protector, a fighter for those closest to me. I've been believing for break through for those closest to my heart. My weary heart is trying to hard to keep standing on it...but some days when you see those you love hurting, it's just flat out hard....but the fight is still in me.  
    Today, not scheduled for worship team this weekend, I stood in my seat at church this morning, watching my teammates use their God given talents for worship...something that absolutely blesses my soul.  They sang a song that we will also be singing in a couple weeks called Great Things.  I have been practicing my harmony, I know it well, but today it hit me....something different I picked up in the words after feeling such incredible heaviness the night before. 

"We dance in your freedom awake and alive, O Jesus our Savior your Name lifted High, you have done great things.  You've been faithful through every storm, You'll be faithful forever more, you have done great things. And I know you will do it again, for your promise is yes and amen, you will do great things, God you do great things...…."

As I sang those words it hit me.  I have prayed a TON.  I have begged God to move mountains, change and soften hearts and change situations for those I love.  As I stood with my hands held high in praise today, it hit me between the eyes....my praise needs to equal my prayer. Prayer is indeed important, God hears our prayers, yet He inhabits our praise.  Every time I feel heaviness, sadness, helplessness, when my heart aches for those I love...instead of praying now, I need to praise .  
When Paul and Silas were in the prison, they prayed, but it was when they praised...that is when the doors opened.  Where God dwells, His promises manifest.  When God shows up, things change. When God is present, the enemy flees and Gods word manifests right before our eyes...we see this time and time again in the Bible.

Have you taken time to praise God for your breakthrough?  Its tough...especially when you do not feel like it.  When things are heavy, when it feels like your are drowning or facing a wall or trying to dig yourself out of a pit. (preachin' at myself).  When life is confusing and blurry and you are desperately trying to focus.....praise.  To do this means we have to get over ourselves physically and mentally....look past the circumstances. The water threatening to drown us and tickling our nose hairs, threatening to take us under.....PRAISE.  It is flat out hard, but we have to make a choice to rejoice.
It makes no sense in human form to praise prior to seeing it manifest, but what hit me today is that He has NEVER failed, we have to praise despite the pain, despite the fact that we cant see.  We need to "dance in His freedom awake and alive, oh Jesus our Savior Your Name lifted High, you have done great things."  

The walls of Jericho came down with a praise.  As I stood with my family today praising God, I felt Him call us to more of it.  
That my praise should equal my prayers!!!

   Dr. Bob preached today and made a statement; "Not everything you face can be changed; but nothing can be changed until you face it."  That was confirmation to me...to do what I can do.  I can praise in the storm, despite the pain, the hurt...the worry.
When we were about to leave, the worship team sang another song and the bridge was a great reminder. 
"You who holds the stars, and call them each by name, will surely keep your promise to me, that I will rise in your victory".

He calls us by name...we are HIS.  Its a different perspective when we remember the God inhabits our praises and it is surely an atmosphere changer.  "Not everything we face can be changed, but nothing can be changed unless we face it"....lets also face it with our praise and see how God moves. As much as you pray....praise.
Blessings.