Shame UP!

(Photo Via Canva.)

I started seminary this week, and we are reading through a book called “Misreading Scripture Through Individualist Eyes” by Randolph Richards and Richard James.

One of the topics this book covers is the Eastern versus Western view of “shame.” In the West we put all shame in a negative box. But let me pose a question. If someone murdered a neighbor and wasn’t ashamed of themselves, wouldn’t that be a bad thing?

There is a positive version of shame, and Eastern cultures are very aware of it. In fact, they have 18 different words and nuances to describe shame. Wow! In their cultural context, shame can be used positively or negatively. The positive use of shame actually restores and prevents bad behavior. A person does not do something they know is bad because it will reflect poorly on their collective group or family. They know it will shame their family, name, and reputation, and so they do not go through with it. That is a good kind of shame!

Interesting.

I’m still learning much about this concept. But I want to challenge you to think about shame in a new way.

• Romans 1:16 NASB 1995 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

• Boldness is associated with not being ashamed for the gospel! The Good News is honorable.

• Ezra 9:6  “O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift up my face to You, my God, for our iniquities have risen above our heads and our guilt has grown even to the heavens.”

• Shame leads to repentance and humility before God.

• Psalm 35:26 says, “Let those be ashamed and humiliated altogether who rejoice at my distress; Let those be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves over me.”

• Shame is actually to be celebrated when it is in the right context! Wow. This take a minute to wrap my head around.

• Hosea 4:7 “The more they multiplied, the more they sinned against Me; I will change their glory into shame.”

• God is intentionally shaming here, and it is an honorable action on His part.

• 1 Cor. 1:27 “but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong,”

Dig into the Word this week and consider the concept of shame. Let’s use this tool for good. We can shame people up, or we can shame them down. Let’s be people who call people higher, toward intimacy with Jesus and a lifestyle of righteousness!

Blessings on your family this week,

Joyfully,
Rachel B.

Because Your Wounds Need a Healer

(Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash)

Some wounds go deep, and time doesn't heal them. Some create such an infection that you have to dig deep to uproot the entire wound.

I just found out I have a tooth abscess. The problem is, the tooth already had a root canal. That means I didn't have any nerves in there to feel any pain. I was numb to the infection. And because I wasn't in pain, I didn't know I had an infection…or for how long. It's likely this infection had been brewing for almost two years.

I was reminded how good God is to give us pain. I don't mean He wishes pain on me. I mean, He set our brains up to send pain signals to the body so that we would know something is wrong. I didn't know anything was going wrong in my mouth because I had my pain-o-meters removed with the root canal. So on and on the infection festered.

Time doesn't always heal wounds; sometimes it promotes infection.

I wonder how long my body has been fighting an infection? I wonder if the majority of the fatigue and achiness I've been living with might be correlated to this? Regardless, this week I had my tooth extracted, the base scraped, and a bone graft to fill the space. Ouch.

Sometimes, we carry emotional or spiritual wounds so deep that the only way to get healed is to have spiritual surgery. We have to be willing to go through the pain, extra heartache, or tackle the fear, in order to get well. But God is the Great Physician. And He has a lot of experience.

Do you know that God refuses to leave your heart unhealed? Every place in your spirit or heart where you have a wound, God is interested in healing it. Every. Single. Place. He loves you too much to just let things fester. But just like in the physical world, you have to give your consent. A surgeon can't just knock you out with a punch and drag you into the OR or dentist chair. You have to be willing to have the work done. You have to sign off. The same is true with God. He is willing to heal any wound you are willing to bring to Him. It doesn't matter how small or big, and it doesn't matter how long it's been there.

God is really good with old wounds.

How do you know when you have a wound? Look for overreactions or sensitivities. Those usually indicate a raw spot. Are there raw spots in your personality? Marriage relationship? Your church? With your kids? Do you have any triggers? If so, let these guide you to the places that likely need healing. These things can be great indicator lights to help you navigate your wounds.

If you'll let the Lord have His way in you, His healing will flow into you and through you. In the process you will experience some pain, but the pain and work will be worth it. You are worth it! On the other side of the surgery is healing, new skin, new life, and fresh mercies. Just imagine the people you will be able to encourage as they work through their wounds. They say hurt people hurt people. But the truth is, healed people heal people too.

Let God have access to your wounds. Don't let them become infections. Open the door to your heart. Let Him dig around. He knows how to take care of you better than you do. You can rest in that.

Say yes and let Him begin to heal your wounds this week.

Joyfully,

Rachel B.

Are You Praying Up or Down?

(Photo by Jack Sharp on Unsplash)

I’ve often wondered the point of prayer. If God knows everything, then why do I need to pray?

I’ve been taught that prayer isn't about changing God but about changing me. That's true, but there is so much more. If you don't believe that prayer really changes outcomes, it's hard to pray with any kind of power or real faith.

When Jesus taught His disciples to pray He told us to say “Kingdom of God - Come! Will of God - be done!” (Matt. 6) This passage in original Greek is in a command form. Jesus didn’t teach us to say, “Well, if it’s your will God, maybe you could do this or that.” He actually taught His followers to pray with authority and to pull heaven down to earth.

Have you noticed that our world is really crying out? There is much strife, suffering, violence, and injustice going on in our world. Papa God is not sitting back on His laurels not caring about human beings. However, sometimes we pray like He is.

I want to suggest that when we flip the direction of our prayers, everything begins to shift. We can pray up our requests and complaints, or we can pray with the Holy Spirit and call heaven down. (Heb. 7:25, Rom. 8:26-27) Holy Spirit is always making intercession on our behalf. What if our prayers matched His?

Here are some examples of prayers that bring heaven down:

• Papa, You say in Your Word that You were wounded for our sin and crushed for our iniquities. That by Your stripes we are healed. (Is. 53) So Father, I know Your heart for our world is healing, wholeness, and Shalom. You desire for all people to come to know You (2 Peter 3:9). So Lord, release Your healing, wholeness, and Shalom into the earth. Send Your angel armies to fight, defend, and protect human life.

• Break the chains of injustice and the calluses of indifference in our hearts. Open the floodgates of real love, that men and women would find their true identity and worth in Your perfect love. I break off the spirit of confusion around identity, and pray that your sons and daughters would know who they are by how You see them.

• Send Your Spirit of Wisdom and divine strategy over our government, the CDC, and all leaders and organizations working in our world. Surround the decision-makers with divine wisdom and people full of Your heart.

• Father, in the name of Jesus, I bind the enemy and his cohorts - that every lie would be exposed, that every enemy strategy and tactic would be stopped. I declare that for every inch taken by the enemy, a mile would be returned and redeemed back to You.

• Rain down mailbox money for those in financial distress. Pour out new businesses and strategy to earn a living for those without jobs. Ignite the fires of new ideas, innovation, and vision. Give people all over the world an ability to be nimble and shift quickly.

• Show up in dreams, thoughts, and in the midst of obedience. Reveal and release the complete cure for Covid and not just that - but for many viruses. Accelerate the coming of the cure. If it is already here, expose and highlight it. Bring the cure for cancer while we seek out answers for Covid. Surprise us with infinitely more than we could ask or imagine.

• Holy Spirit, comfort the lonely. Remind them of their significance, and shut off the voices of suicide and depression. Don't let the guns go off. Reroute the trains. Thwart every plan of suicide. May it simply not work. And restore purpose, beauty, and peace to every tormented mind and soul.

• Jesus help the kids. Provide new avenues for kids to have interaction, learn, and be loved.

When praying for heaven to come down…some of my favorite words to use are:

•  Release

• Restore

• Revive

• Awaken

• Defeat

• Crush

• Break through

• Send

• Launch

• Open

These are all action words that release faith as you pray. There are a million more, but I wanted to give you some concrete examples.

Prayer is powerful when we get into the Word of God and start using the words of God.

When we get clarity about what God desires, there is no limit to the power of our prayers in Christ. The fire, faith, and fervor of our words skyrocket into the ears of God.

I believe prayer actually changes things. I believe it changes outcomes. It's not that God changes His mind, it's that our prayers pull down what God wants to see happen. Our prayers activate angels and break demonic strongholds.

We are in a spiritual battle, but we are not fighting alone. We are fighting with all of heaven for the hearts and souls of people.

We need all Christ-followers on deck. It's time to understand our authority as children of God. When we pray with God's thoughts and heart, we are echoing the prayers and words of the Holy Spirit. And that kind of prayer is POWERFUL!

Let’s pull down heaven, and may all heaven break loose!

Joyfully,

Rachel B.

Push and Praise

(Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash)

Sometimes we need to push and praise simultaneously. This is one way we ACTIVATE our faith. Faith means we push with our prayers all the way for the breakthrough. We praise in the middle of the pressing in, and then no matter what the outcome is…we keep praising.

Push and Praise. Start doing this is your everyday life, and you'll start to see your prayers and intimacy with the Lord come to life. Why? Because faith always pleases God. He actually likes it when you push, when you press in. He tells us to come boldly before the throne of grace. (Hebrews 4:16)

No more weak-willed prayers asking only once. Be persistent, believing that what you are pressing-in for matters to Him, and it honors Him. If it's in His Word, and it's how He teaches us to pray, and we know it's His will…there's nothing holding you back. Nothing. Press in for that request. Press in for that healing. Press in for that financial breakthrough. Press in for that acceptance letter. Press in for that new job or career.

I think we often miss out because of two reasons.

• We don't get certainty about God’s will. We’re afraid to pray the wrong thing. But God’s will is not a mystery anymore. It’s revealed through Jesus in His Word. The Scriptures are full of descriptions of His will and ways. You can learn the ways of God, and know how He moves. His will is revealed through the actual life of Jesus and the pages of Scripture. Go find the clues. Go find the heart and principle behind it. It will make your prayers have exponential impact because you'll begin to pray in partnership with God.

• We don't pray through. We quit before the finish line. I wonder how many outcomes we might exchange if we just had a faith that went all the way to the finish line. Pray through for the breakthrough.

Friend, I encourage you today to push. Push and praise all the way. Press in to God with your prayers. Press in to agreement with His will and Kingdom. Press in for the things that have not yet come to pass.

Did you know that the Holy Spirit is praying for you? This means your prayer life is actually a partnership-life. You are co-operating with the Holy Spirit when you pray. Press in.

You're not only pressing in TO the heart of God, you're pressing in WITH the heart of God.

 

And always: praise, praise praise. When you praise, you raise your expectation and perspective in Christ.

Praise gives you a raise.

So…get your worship on. Celebrate, thank, and sing of God's worth in your home, car, and spheres of influence.

Push and Praise. This is God's heart and way for you. And it will empower you to “live above the line.”

Joyfully,

Rachel B.

PS - when you pray, you’re not up against a wall. You’re partnering with a God who can collapse walls with the sound of an obedient shout. (Remember Jericho?) #boom.

Let Go and Make Room! (And LIVE Worship Tonight!)

PRE-BLOG NOTE: Hey, I’m going to be leading worship and doing some original songs on the Choose Conference Facebook page WEDNESDAY NIGHT, June 3rd, at 7:30pm Central Time. Join me if you’d like!

•••

My parents took the plunge a couple weeks ago. They moved out of California where they had been living for over 35 years and moved to Nashville. (In the middle of a global pandemic, and now, mass riots. Wow.) Needless to say, it's been exciting and an interesting roller coaster with ups and downs. If you've ever done a big move like this you understand the perils of all the things that are out of your control. It's quite an undertaking, and frankly, it takes courage to let go.

Something struck me though as my mom began to shoot texts with pictures of the old house emptying out. It brought waves of emotion I wasn't expecting. I haven't lived in that house for over 15 years, but there's still a lot of memories there. As the texts and pictures came through, this truth hit me:

You have to let go of something old in order to take hold of something new.

 You can't take all the old furniture with you and have room for the new stuff. There's not enough room. Imagine your hands are full and you are desperately trying to grab onto something valuable that someone is trying to give to you. Every time you open your hands to receive, stuff falls out and you drop the very thing you're reaching for. For many of us, our hands are full. We long for something new, but we just can't part with the old.

Perhaps you're holding on to an old pattern, mindset, or broken way of doing things. Maybe you’re holding on to something you were taught that was not right or even righteous. (Sometimes we don’t realize those kinds of hand-me-downs.) God wants to do a new thing.

It's not that we don't honor what our pasts have provided for us. Certainly we don't have to toss everything and pretend like none of it matters. Much of our past, both failures and successes have shaped us. Our pasts tell the story of what we've done, where we've been, and how we've grown.

I wonder how many times we miss what God wants to do ahead of us because we're so attached to what's behind us.

 

If you want newness in your spirit and your relationship with God, you've got to create space; to dis-possess something in order to possess something new. Will you make room? Will you relinquish what's good for something better and new? Perhaps there's an even greater blessing if you'll prepare your heart by letting Him clear out what isn't good for you.

Imagine spiritual breathing room. New furniture. New smells. New paths to walk. New power tools. New ingredients in your kitchen or recipes. What is true in the physical often has a spiritual parallel.

I bet the Lord wants to do something new in and through you today too. I wonder if Covid and chaos might even be the tipping point to launch you into a new direction.

You can cling to what you know and understand, or you can take the plunge, trust, and clear out what doesn't empower you anymore. The choice is up to you.

I hope you'll take a few minutes to inventory what God might be challenging you to let go of. Hop in the van. God has places He wants to take you that you've never experienced before.

The adventure awaits.

Joyfully,

Rachel B.

Unbelief

“Today if you hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me, As in the day of trial in the wilderness,Where your fathers tried Me by testing Me, And saw My works for forty years. “Therefore I was angry with this generation, And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, And they did not know My ways…"  Hebrews 3:8-10 NASB

Can you imagine seeing the wonders and miracles of God on a daily basis for forty years and STILL dying of unbelief? That's exactly what happened. The generation that came out of Egypt by the wonders of God wandered to death. They died of unbelief. (Hebrews 3:19…check it out.)

The Lord has been talking to me about my own unbelief. It's insidious. It is almost unrecognizable at times because it has become so comfortable in my life that it feels like an old piece of furniture that belongs in the house. The problem is, this couch of unbelief is actually cancer. It's deadly. It steals, kills, and destroys. It's not providing comfort at all.

How'd you like to sit on a cancer couch? Me neither.

But that's what we do when we don't believe God's Word to us. That's what we do when we don't see this "pet" sin as deadly. Unbelief is not a minor sin. It's not a minor offense or infraction. It's a direct assault on the character of God. It's real and it's wreaking havoc in our lives.

The Greek word for unbelief in the Strong's dictionary is “Apistia”#570. And it means…

"faithless-ness, uncertainty, distrust, the lack of acknowledgement of Christ; want of confidence in Christ's power; a want of trust in the God of promise.

Wow.

• Where am I not acknowledging Christ in my life?

• What areas of my life am I acting as if Christ's power does not exist?

The world acts like God does not exist. Christ-followers should not.

We don't live in the same paradigm, and therefore we shouldn't live with the same response.

I was reminded recently of two separate healing miracles in my life early on. They happened so long ago and with so little travailing that I almost discounted them as less than miracles.

The first was my eyes. I was born completely cross-eyed. I was cute, but you couldn't tell where I was looking.

At six years old, before lasers, I had "guestimate" surgery on both eyes. And I came out with 20/20. I don't remember the odds, but I remember the doctors saying it was a long shot. I experienced a miracle. Yes, through the hands of a skilled physician. But every skill, every good and perfect gift, comes from the Father - especially a perfect surgery.

The second miracle was my left wrist. When I was about twelve, my wrist became so swollen I could hardly move it. It hurt to write, to throw a ball, to do anything with that wrist, for months.

I'm left-handed by the way.

I went to weeks of PT and got nothing. Then one day, for no reason at all, it just stopped hurting. The swelling left. The wrist became completely normal. I don't even remember praying for God to heal my wrist! It was just…gone.

My physical therapist was so perplexed and annoyed by this. He was truly happy for me, but he wanted to know why it healed. What did I do to fix it? What happened? There was no explanation. God did it and I could finally use my wrist again pain-free.

 That's Jesus. Sometimes there's no explanation. No hoops to jump through. No Hail Marys. It's just No-Reason-Grace. It was simply a gift. It's been so many years without this pain that I forgot how miraculous it was. A wrist is pretty important for a piano and guitar player, don't you think?

If you want to overcome unbelief, you have to remember the wonders. Remember the miracles. Remember the provision and "God things" that have no explanation.

I've been asking the Lord to show me my unbelief, to awaken my spirit to the particular places of unbelief. I'm letting thoughts just "occur to me." The Holy Spirit works like that. All the sudden something occurs to you. You'll awaken to some thought, some idea, or some Scripture you've managed to miss your whole life - until now.

I want this spiritually cancerous beast out of my life. I want every Word of Scripture to be true in my real life. I want everything that son-ship (and daughter-ship) has to offer. I want every miracle off the shelf through faith.

What are you unbelieving for? Come on.

It's better to label it than to pretend it's not there.

I pray that unbelief gets uncomfortable in your  home, your body, and your life. I pray that the Spirit of God rises up and overwhelms you in such a way that unbelief has to flee. I can just picture that squirrely, naked, critter running right out of your house. Good bye unbelief.

Speak to that unbelief in Jesus name, and declare your eviction notice. It’s time to break free.

Joyfully,

Rachel B.

Arise!

(Cliffs of Moher, Ireland, 2019)

I Arise Today...

With the wind of Holy Spirit at my back,

With the power & portion of My Father,

Placed in me through Jesus Christ.

I Arise Today...

With better days ahead,

& lesser days behind,

With future provision seated right next to every potential problem and pain.

I Arise Today...

With the call of hope in my ear,

With the strength of God in my heart,

And with the Prince of Peace
anchored to my soul.

I Arise Today...

On the wings of eagles,

In the shadow of the Almighty,

Safe in the feathers of the Father.

I Arise Today...

In the faithfulness of my Father

In the salvation of the Son,

And in the happiness of the Holy Spirit.

I Arise.

When Hope is Restored

(Photo by reza shayestehpour on Unsplash)

Sometimes healing comes in a different package than we're expecting.  On my birthday this year, I was in the Holy Land with a group of songwriters. The whole experience was rich and life-changing. I'd love to share one of my "moments" with you.

We were in a little town Jesus frequented called Bethsaida. As we entered Bethsaida there was an engraved stone that said Jesus welcomed the people and cured those in need of healing. Just reading those words stirred my heart.

We continued walking the grounds and listening to our guide. But out of nowhere it began to rain. We took cover under this metal roofed seating area, primarily there to provide shade during tours. Our guide got excited and told us that it does not rain here this time of year except maybe every 80-100 years. The rain was a miracle.

Whoah. What? That's right.

It doesn't rain in June at Bethsaida. It's dry as a bone. Here we were, sitting under a covering to keep dry from the rain.

We worshipped and we prayed. And right in the middle of the rain, in the middle of this moment, our leader Sharon recognized that this was a sign the Holy Spirit was here to do a work. He wanted to move on our behalf.  Miracles were waiting. Rain is often a symbol for blessing and favor in Scripture. 

I stepped out from the overhang to overlook a hill. The rain was light, but delightful. In that sprinkled moment, the Holy Spirit told me that He had been waiting to bless me because He wanted to do it on my birthday. He knew this was my day, and He knew it would rain. And He was present to do healing on this day for me.

Wow. I began to cry. Do you know that God knows your birthday? It's not just something written in the Scriptures. Sure, He knows the number of hairs on your head…but He really knows every detail about you. And, I might add, He really cares. He cares for us, in very intimate ways.

As I began to weep, Sharon came over, laid her hands on my shoulders and head and began to pray. I felt this overwhelming nearness of God. It wasn't like the "peppermint" sensation I had a couple years ago when God took away the Lyme disease from my body. This was different. I couldn't pin point what was happening, but there was definitely something shifting in my spirit.

Sharon finished praying for me and moved on to the next person who wanted prayer. I just stayed there in the rain. And I heard God whisper in my spirit, "I’m giving you new wine for old pain."

Holy smokes.

What does that even mean? I loved it. I knew it was a personal message from Jesus to me. But I didn't know what it meant.

I'm still leaning into this one. New wine for old pain. Hmm. I know the pain He's talking about. This ridiculous abdominal pain that has plagued me pretty much non-stop for over four years. The pain that keeps me slightly hunched over and makes me stare at the fridge in despair. The pain that has no answers, no solutions, no root. That pain. Holy Spirit was giving me new wine for that pain. 

We came back together as a group a few minutes later and shared our healing moments. Again, I couldn't articulate what just happened. But it was very real, very personal (on my exact birthday), and the rest a mystery.

A few weeks after we all got back from Israel, I was songwriting with two of my friends who went on the trip, Matt and Annie. Matt had a similar experience in that same place and time. As we were writing, Matt said, "I think what happened at Bethsaida was that my hope got restored. It was hope restored."

Whoa again.

As soon as he said those words, I knew in my spirit that that was exactly what happened at Bethsaida. My hope got restored. Hope restored is definitely a form of new wine. 

Hope keeps you going. Hope gets you off the sidelines and back into the game. Hope gives you reason to get out of bed in the morning. Hope is the ignition and catalyst for so many other things.

After Matt said "Hope restored" I realized that I suddenly had a desire to get back out and do ministry, music, and travel again. I had hit the pause button for about 18 months, and I wasn't sure I was going to get back into traveling music ministry. But something shifted in my soul in Israel, and God had given me a new hope, focus, and grace to begin again.

That was not what I was expecting. Healing isn't always physical. Sometimes our deeper need is actually internal: a mindset, a sense of defeat, a rejection that has shaped us. There are a number of inner healings we all need at different times in our lives.

So let me ask you this. If God were to show up on your birthday, and whisper to you…"I’m restoring your hope." What would be restored in your life? What would change or shift? What old pain do you have that needs new wine?

Maybe the pain isn't going away yet. Mine has not…not YET! Yet being the key word there. Many of you know I had my gall bladder out a few weeks ago. It definitely needed to go - infected, inflamed, and surrounded by scar tissue. But, I haven't had the pain relief I thought I was going to have.

You know what? So what.

God is giving me the provision and sustenance right now to do exactly what He has called me to do. He is giving me hope and energy. And for the times I'm tired, He provides space to take a nap. As I continue to walk in His strength, instead of my own, my hope cup stays full. I'm under the shadow of His wings rather than flying off on my own.

What does hope restored look like on you? I hope you'll press in to Jesus and find out. I hope you'll keep asking Him to fill, guide, and direct you. I hope you'll hear His tender voice whisper to you what you need at the exact moment you need it. He is the very essence of hope.

I know this is getting long, but there’s one more piece of info I forgot to mention. In my music studio upstairs is a sign that’s been on my wall for several months. It says, “The Rain is on the Way.”

Perhaps the rain has arrived.

Joyfully,

Rachel B.

PS - Jill Miller, Laura Pedersen and I are starting a Christian women's conference in 2020. Check out ChooseConference.com to find out more. We are pretty darn excited to get out there and love people! Maybe you'd like to host an event? Please let us know. There are so many ways to make this possible - even for smaller churches. We want to come be a blessing and ignite fresh fire into your spirit.  Love and hugs! -RB

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To Defend or Repent...

(Photo by Icons8 team on Unsplash)

Repentance tends to get a bad rap. I think it is one of life's greatest gifts. This week I bit my husband's head off. His brain is mostly still attached, but I was mean. I was angry, short-tempered, and totally exhausted. It wasn't cool. It wasn't ok. It was sin. So I won't try to defend or justify it. Why do I still act like this? It makes no sense to me how I can be writing blogs and songs telling about my great love for Jesus and then…BOOM: Ugly Rachel shows up to poop on the party. #boo.

Rather than defend myself or my poor actions, I apologized to my husband. The next morning I repented before God and agreed with Him about my sinful behavior (not identity), and we were back online together. He made it all good. The "ugly" stuff is not really who I am. Not anymore. It was my old nature, the dead nature, trying to resurrect itself and be a nuisance! It was time to put that dead guy back into the coffin; and quick repentance does just that.

How often do we choose defense though instead of repentance? Eek.

God would rather we just repent

than defend our actions.

Defense puts up walls. Repentance tears them down.

Defense is self-protection. Repentance is self-disclosing.

Defense says "I have to be perfect." Repentance says, "I made a mistake."

Defense says, "You're hurting me. It's not safe." Repentance says, "I need surgery, and this will bring healing."

What if the real you was actually patient, kind, generous, and open to feedback? What if feedback was your greatest resource for growth? What if you could take a breath and respond, rather than overreact and blow up?

Life would get better.

Sometimes it's good to do a check in with yourself. If you're willing, here's a couple of brave questions to ask yourself:

1. What kind of fruit am I bearing? (Would my family, friends, coworkers, or people I encounter, agree with me?)

2. Is my fruit good? Does it reflect the fruit of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness…etc.?

If the fruit you are primarily characterized by is not the above, you're either in denial, deceived, disconnected from the Holy Spirit, or under the influence of a different spirit.

(Photo by Karly Gomez on Unsplash)

Head knowledge about the Word of God is not enough to bear fruit in your life. It must get into the deeper places of your heart and spirit-man. It's not about how much you know in your head, it's about the actual connection and relationship with God Himself; Heart to heart, Spirit to spirit. And the proof is in the fruit pudding. And the fruit pudding should taste good.

If you're feeling a specific conviction in your spirit as you read this -- GOOD! That means the Holy Spirit is talking to you and you are sensitive enough to hear His voice. Throw a party and listen!

If you're feeling condemned, ashamed, and like a loser…then you need to tell those voices to be quiet, because they are lying to you, and they are not from God. Any voice that shames, condemns, and belittles you is not from God. Period.

God always has specific areas of correction. His voice is always full of hope. He always has solutions to our problem areas. He always responds to repentance. God convicts and corrects, but never condemns the believer. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. Those are His words, so we can bank on them.

I'm still on a journey friend. I make mistakes and sin. But I hope you'll join me in becoming a quick repenter, a first responder. Sometimes everything in us wants to defend our remark, attitude, or action…but we both know it's just better to repent.

Joyfully, (and back to my true self)

Rachel B.

PS - Be like Denver the dog…a perfect picture of repentance. <wink> Enjoy this funny video.

What to do when your news feed is full of prayer requests...

(Photo by Victoria Heath on Unsplash)

Have you ever asked this question?  Have you noticed how many prayer requests, needs, and issues land in your news feed? It seems as though every second or third status update is a HUGE prayer request. Not the little “I have a hangnail, can you pray” kinda stuff. We’re talking , cancer, car accidents, catastrophes. What do you do with all of it? How are we supposed to handle this many problems? This much need? This much stress?

We aren't. That's right.

You and I are not meant to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders. The weight is too heavy, and our shoulders are not big enough. But it's not too much for Jesus.

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The need is still there, and the need is great. Which is why we need to trust God’s huge shoulders and faithful hands!

I want to share what I do. Maybe you’ll find it helpful, but ultimately you’ll have to decide how you want to handle what’s coming at you.

Realize that most people on Facebook or other social media sights have at least a few close friends. Some of them are in small groups. Those close friends are the ones who should carry more responsibility for those requests. That's what true friends are for. Nobody is really close friends with 1300 people. It’s not possible. Even Jesus chose twelve.

We weren't created to handle 200 prayer requests a day. But God can. Furthermore, here are a couple of “issues” to consider as you encounter your news feed.

1. We don't know if that individual has actually gone directly to God for their help. Maybe they have, maybe they haven't. But when we step in, if they haven't gone to God directly, we actually short-circuit their opportunity for intimacy with Jesus. I believe that hurts their relationship with God. I'm not saying that everyone who shares a prayer request on Facebook hasn't gone to Jesus first. It's just a possibility to note.

2. Facebook isn't a good exchange for a small group. Close friends and small groups that really care about you need to be your source for prayer. If your only prayer people are on the webisphere, you might need to create and cultivate community right where you are. There's just something special about putting your arms around someone, crying with them, and bringing over a meal in a time of need. You can't get that on Facebook.

3. Let’s be honest, sometimes the prayer request is actually just complaining. I could say more about this, but I’ll just let that sit there for a minute.

Here's what I do when I encounter a prayer request on social media:

When I see the request, I either feel immediately compelled to pray, or I move on. It's that simple.

 

If I feel the Lord prompting me to pray, I pray right then and there. I don't say, "I'll be praying for you…" That indicates that I'll continue to pray for an unknown amount of time. Frankly, I forget, and that list can pile up quickly. Instead, I simply say, "Hey, I just prayed for you. Hope you start feeling better soon!"

That response is honest, and it helps me take care of my responsibility to pray right then and there. It also frees me to keep going without getting overwhelmed.

This might seem like I'm not a caring person, but I don't think that's the case. Not one human being was made to carry all of these requests that come through. It's just too much. One hundred years ago, we did not have access to this type of information in the lives of this many people. Our capacity for stress as human beings has not increased at the same rate as the information coming at us.

Therefore…I want to give you permission to kindly “pass over” some requests, especially if it's a casual acquaintance, or someone you don’t know all that well. If you feel prompted to pray, by all means - pray right then and there!

What are your thoughts? How do you handle all of the need and requests you encounter on social media? I’d really love to know some of your ideas.

Joyfully,

Rachel B.