Glamour Shots

Have you ever done one of those glamour shot sessions, where you get all made up to the point that you barely look like yourself? Then you look at the picture and say, is that me? Yes, with a little help and trick photography. What if, when you looked at yourself all the time, you saw that image as your real one? What if all that doctoring up was only the stripping away of the every day to allow your real self to be seen? Kind of a parallel universe.

Girls, I've got news. We are in that parallel universe. And we are the only ones who don't know what we actually look like.

Your enemy the devil does not hate you because you deserve it. He hates you because he sees you as you truly are.

Just let that sit a minute. He hates you because he sees you as you truly are.

You are a Daughter of the Lord Most High.

You are created in the image of the Living God, a fierce warrior. Through the blood of Christ, God has given you something the devil will never have. Redemption, righteousness, power. Your enemy can only see you through Jesus. When he looks at you, he sees the One who conquered death. The One who spells his defeat.

That is what the enemy sees when he looks at you.

But if he can keep you confused, keep you believing lies about yourself and your true nature, you are no match for him.

My thoughts are swirling but my focus is laser sharp. My mind, my heart, my very being is waking up.

I am ready to come crashing through the mirror of this parallel universe that I've been living in, a shadow of what really is, according to the Bible. I am seeing clearer than I have in a long time.

We as women have a very specific role in the Kingdom. Don't accept the watered down HGTV version of your life. We've been lulled into complacency by the hiss of our enemy, soothed into a stupor of self-righteous, me-centered living, sometimes even clothed in the name of Jesus.

The battle is raging all around us. I am ready to leave the cushy sidelines and pick up my sword and my shield. To paraphrase a song, this girl is on fire. I don't know what it means or what my next steps are. But I've been invited to the battleground and I intend to show up. This warrior princess is ready to engage, in the Mighty Name of Jesus.

How about you?

Button Pushers

I was having a talk with my son this morning about what happens when buttons get pushed. He's having a little trouble making the right choice in certain situations, and I was trying to explain to him the importance of having a plan when a particular button gets pushed.

"The right choice doesn't happen by accident," I told him. "You need to know in advance what you are going to do if your buttons get pushed."

Suffice it to say that he isn't interested in my advice. But it got me thinking.

We tend to be people of reaction. Right choices don't happen by accident; we go into default mode, whatever that is for us, and end up rationalizing that we can't help the way we are.

Not true.

• "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but power, love, and self-control." 2 Timothy 1:7
• "But the Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, kindness, faithfulness, goodness, and self-control." Galatians 5:22-23
• "Do not be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Romans 12:1

We have it in us to live differently. We don't need to be hostage to our feelings and gut reactions, because while those may be what comes naturally, it doesn't always mean it's right. 

Someone today will push your buttons. Make your plan now so when the time comes, your response is driven by the Spirit, not the flesh. You can't always avoid your triggers, but you do have the tools to deal with them. 

Plugged In?

I unplugged my laptop and brought it downstairs to work on a project, and within five minutes, had the notification on my screen to plug in to a power source or the computer would shut down.

Seriously? I just unplugged it. Then I remembered that I had pulled the cord out from the wall the other day because I had used the computer in another room and didn't want to leave a live power source hanging out of the wall. Call me paranoid. It's ok. :)

Anyway, in that moment of recognizing that my computer was only plugged in at one end, God brought to mind a picture to share with you.

What are we plugged in to? Are we plugged in at both points of power? 

Sometimes the Power Source is right there, like a live wire hanging out of the wall, just waiting for us to hook in, and we ignore Him. Just going about our business, slowly draining of power, not noticing the warning light flashing that if we don't plug in soon, we will be depleted. 

Other times we think we are plugged in, because we are busy for Jesus. Busy doing all of our activities in His Name, except that the other end of the cord is laying next to the outlet, not drawing any power at all. We are operating on our own strength. I think we've all experienced times like that. 

My prayer, for all of us, is that we will be about the business that He has called us to, fully plugged in to Him. That we won't mistake being busy for being plugged in, and that we won't miss the glorious opportunity He has given to have relationship with Him. 

I recognize that this is not an incredibly polished message, but I am trying to be obedient to the knowledge that when God gives me insight into something, He intends me to share it, not just say, "Oh, thanks God, that's cool."  Not lots of time for polish today, but always time to stay connected.