Ready for a Divine Upgrade? Embrace the Process!

This post is closely related to my previous post, "Grace for the Process." If you haven't read it, I invite you to scroll on down and do so.

Have you ever heard the saying, "a leopard can't change his spots?" Basically we believe one or two things to be true...you either believe a person can't change, maybe believing "they were born that way." Or, if you subscribe to the ultimate truth of God's Word, you know when one accepts the gift of salvation they become a new creation in Christ (see II Cor. 5:17.)

I 100%, adamantly, without exception or apology, believe the second statement! Upon salvation I became a new creation and will spend my entire life embracing the process to look more and more like Jesus with each passing day! Which brings me to the topic of this post...divine upgrades.

Graham Cooke (yes, I am quite fond of his teachings:) says there are unclaimed upgrades lying all around us. When difficult times come including trials, temptations, battles, etc. we can take a defeated attitude, accept things as is, wallow in self pity or hopelessness...or we can focus our thoughts and eyes on Jesus and allow Him to show us the "upgrade" available through the process! Although I am hesitant at times in submitting to the process (aka, refining) I am always looking for an upgrade...because I have learned the upgrades are well worth the "fire" to get there!

History almost always repeats itself, unless the cycle is broken. Many times we fall into the habit of doing things as usual, the way it's always been done in our families, perhaps our churches or even our denomination...finding ourselves in the same situations, with the only difference being the cast list. It was Albert Einstein who said, "insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." Maybe it is time for us to change perspectives?

I want to share with you how you could apply this concept to your spiritual walk while merging it with the concept of heavenly upgrades.

I believe God gives us tests. I also believe He has given us EVERYTHING we need to pass these tests. There are no failures, just as many retests as needed in order to pass on to the next one, thus stepping into your upgrade in that area of your life.

Let's take offense as an example...this happens to be a common problem for all of us, after all, it was Jesus who said, "WHEN offense comes." He didn't say "IF."

How we respond to offense is a crucial step in growing up in the Lord. Offense involves relationships, rather they be friendship, family or business oriented.

I must admit my goal use to be when offense took place to make it go away as soon as possible. Sadly, this usually didn't involve seeking a solution or common ground or even agreeing to disagree...no, it meant my goal was to separate or run away from the issue...almost always without resolution. Instead of acknowledging my part in the situation, taking responsibility for my actions I would also be quick to proclaim it was spiritual warfare.

Friends, we need to be careful what we blame the devil for...taking responsibility for seeds you sow is an important first step to walking in your divine inheritance as a son or daughter of the Most High. Blame shifting, rather it be toward other people or a "the devil is after me" mentality won't get you anywhere but the pit...I know, I've been there!

Now, when offense comes I ask the Lord to search my heart according to Psalm 139:23. If I have sinned or acted in a way not pleasing to the Lord I deal with it through repentance and when necessary apologizing to those who I have hurt. I take the pain in my heart to Jesus and get His perspective...trusting Him to meet my needs and releasing those who have hurt me from any expectation I have of them to change or meet my needs...only He can do that anyway!

You have heard me say on this blog many times before and if you hang around you will continue to hear me say it again and again..."You are only responsible for you!" You can not change anybody else and if you wait on those around you to change or if you think they are the problem and your life would be better if they would only (fill in the blank) you might be waiting a very long time...and in the meantime you could have been experiencing a more joy filled, abundant relationship with Jesus as you allow Him to refine YOU! And, of course, during this time you will be presented with more opportunities to pass the test I was referring to earlier. I don't know about you, but I'm not fond of tests and don't like having to take them over and over...I want to pass the first time (although, FYI, I'm not there yet:)

If you are reading this and realize history is repeating itself over and over again in your life...I would suggest you ask Jesus a question. "Jesus, what area in my life are You exposing through Your light, in order to equip me to pass the test and receive my upgrade?"

Friends, I promise He reveals the yuck in our hearts without condemnation. He isn't mad at you or frowning at you...no, quite the opposite...He is yearning for you to come to Him, like any good father, so He can lavish you with more of Him and His solutions. Any area of your life that doesn't line up with the truth of how heaven sees you is a prime target for an heavenly upgrade! So, what are you waiting for?

Learning to seek Him for His solutions, cleaning up my own messes (instead of begging Him to make them go away) and taking responsibility for myself has led me into a more fulfilling and empowering relationship with Papa God...which always makes MY SOUL SING!

If you enjoy reading My Soul Sings, I invite you to become a follower of this blog and consider sharing it with a friend! Blessings on you!

Grace for the Process

Wanted to hop on here and share with you a prayer Papa laid on my heart yesterday. It's a prayer I believe if we all prayed it, there would be a fountain of grace flowing more freely in the body of Christ.

I am not saying there is a lack of grace on heaven's part, but I think we have to be mindful that we have freely received grace for ourselves and it's time to freely give it to others as well. We need to be grace givers, not just grace receivers.

In life we are going to have conflict with others. Misunderstandings and offense are inevitable. Unless you live with your head in a hole, it's going to happen. I am at a point in my life where I want to use each opportunity to grow and become more like my Papa. Instead of avoiding or running from difficult situations, I want to meet them head on, in a spirit of love and grace. This is what I refer to as process. I am in process and everyone I come into contact with is in process...some are embracing the process and others are running from it:)

Graham Cooke refers to people in our lives that are difficult, needy or abrasive as grace growers. I have some grace growers in my life and I am sure you do too. Boundaries are necessary with your grace growers, but it's important not to completely shut them out because by doing so you will miss a wonderful opportunity to "grow in the Lord."

When we take offense and pick up our toys and move elsewhere we are just setting ourselves up to be introduced to more grace growers. He will continue to give us opportunity to grow up. It doesn't matter if the environment is different, the process is the same. Truth is, when we move, our junk goes with us...the same areas that need His touch and healing don't go away with new territory...you might as well deal with them where you are and save yourself some time and additional heartache!

For example, maybe you have a pattern of having issues with your boss. You think changing jobs is the solution, only to find the same issues surfacing within a few months in your new environment. Could it be possible, perhaps, YOU have an issue...maybe with authority? We can't control other people and we are only responsible for ourselves...so, take a look in the mirror. Allow Holy Spirit to shine His light on YOUR heart. Ask yourself the hard question...could I be part of the problem? Work on changing YOU and watch what God will do in your environments. It doesn't mean you won't have issues, but you will have His perspective and handling them with a goal toward solution will be possible with heaven backing you up!

So, the prayer He gave me was simply this, "Papa, help me to give myself grace in my process and give me grace for others in their process as well."

Yes, grace for my own process is important, because I have a tendency to beat myself up when I handle things less than "perfect." He isn't mad at me, therefore, I shouldn't be mad at myself. Who doesn't need more grace?

The day I realized I was trying to make people earn the grace I received for free was a day MY SOUL truly learned how to SING!

If you enjoy reading My Soul Sings please become a follower of this blog and consider sharing it with a friend! Blessings on you!

Revelation through Duck Poo

Like the title? A little colorful for this blog, I realize, but it was so accurate I couldn't resist!

My 15 year old purchased two baby ducklings a little over two weeks ago. Her plan is to release them when they are fully grown, as we do not have a pond or place for them once they are bigger.

I conceded to her purchase; after much hesitation, because she may be an animal lover, but I am NOT. I think animals are stinky and messy. They are most cute when they are behind a fence or plexiglass at the zoo. What I wasn't prepared for was how fascinated I would become with these two baby ducklings. I have found myself sitting for minutes at a time watching them, taking pictures and video of them on my phone.

Google has become like a Bible for me when it comes to all things about pekin ducks. I have researched about feeding habits, mating habits, moulting, gender identification...you name it. The most intriguing thing I have learned about them is how fast they grow. Two weeks ago you could hold them in the palm of your hand...TINY! Now, they are over half way to fully grown! Which leads me to the reason for my blog title...they poop constantly!

My daughter cleans out their cage at least twice a day. When they are outside playing every few steps they take they poop. I have duck poo all over my driveway and in the grass! The water hose and I have become fast friends. Of course, they eat as much as they poop...but the growth, on my stars!!!! I thought human babies grew fast...these ducks grow literally overnight.

One of my favorite speakers, Larry Randolph, talks about "poo" in the church. He gives the example of the church nursery. There's plenty of poo in the nursery, but what is also there? Growth. The two go together. Newborn babies eat every 2-4 hours and they poop just about as much...but look at how fast they grow!

So, Amy, all this talk about poo is making me ill...I'm sorry, stay with me. I heard Larry give this analogy over a year ago, but the visual raising two ducks provided made it even more profound to me. Which brings me to some questions for you...

Is the church (I'm referring to the body of Christ, not the building) more concerned with looking clean and polished where it makes the poo go away (like me with my water hose) or is the church embracing the "messes" people create and seeing them as an opportunity for great growth and an avenue to maturity through the process?

Let's make this example even more real for those of you who are parents. Do you look at the "messes" your children (think especially pre-teen/teens) make as things you need to fix, cover-up or make go away...or do you look at them as learning and growing opportunities?

I pose that question to myself as well. A few years ago I measured my success as a mother on how well my girls "appeared" to behave. Their behavior was my grading scale...but behavior isn't an accurate assessment and it isn't how God measures us. The church needs to worry less about conformity to the rules and focus more on the condition of people's hearts. In this process of healing and transformation there will be messes, but hopefully they will lead to more maturity and wisdom.

What about in your own life? Do you feel stuck in failures or disappointments? Do they cripple you? I have learned, through experience, I always have choices. I don't always make the right choices...sometimes this effects only me and sometimes it effects those around me. It is my prayer you each have a "safe" environment where things can get "messy" and those around you will extend you grace and mercy just as they have received grace and mercy for themselves. We all need to be constantly "growing up" in the Lord...and friends, messes are part of the process:)

How and what God will use to speak revelation to my heart never ceases to AMAZE me and this is just another reason MY SOUL SINGS!

My Heart Song

Hello, blogland! It's been a long time. I certainly haven't been at a loss for words, but I must admit I haven't felt like blogging for quite some time. To be honest I've not wanted to share what has been on my heart.

I consider myself to be transparent because I have nothing to hide, but quite honestly I have felt misunderstood by people who don't really "know" me. As I touched on in the Passionate about Purpose series to know someone indicates a very intimate relationship. We all have a number of people in our day to day lives, but how many of those people really know us and vice versa? I have a select few I feel really know the song of my heart. They are safe. I can trust them with my heart. It doesn't mean we have to agree on everything, but there is safety in expressing who we really are without any pretenses or expectations. These are the type of friends who if they heard gossip about me would be able to say, "no, I know Amy Dover and that's not her heart."

Out of obedience to my Papa I feel it is time to break my silence. However, I want to reiterate what I stated when I began this blog. I'm not looking for doctrinal arguments. I'm not trying to change how you think. This post and the posts to follow won't take the tone of instruction, teaching or a theological stance. In fact, Jesus doesn't even want me to use much scripture...He said to simply share my story and my heart because through it He wants to release hope to the hopeless.

Jesus often offended the religious leaders of His day. He came and totally turned over their apple-carts so to speak. Sometimes I take stances on issues that aren't mainstream...perhaps even offending some. I believe this has caused me to be misunderstood many times. I will admit this rejection has hurt, but I'm not sorry for standing for what I believe to be His heart.

Recently a friend sent me an encouraging text. In it she said Jesus said to tell you...and she went on to share what He had given her to share. Funny thing is, He had already told me the same word. Not only had He told me, He had told me several times, in several different ways (through song, sermons and scripture)...I like to believe it's because He loves me and knows I need lots of confirmation=)

I read her text and chuckled. I said aloud, "Jesus, okay I get that, I hear You. But I just want them to know my heart." You see, I had already searched my heart on the issue and knew it was pure. I was not prepared for what He said back to me...He said, "Don't you think I want them to know mine?" Wow! Talk about putting my little pity party into perspective! Jesus, the King of kings, is misunderstood? Of course He is! If the planet took the time to get to know Him and know His heart they would fall madly, deeply, passionately in love with Him!

I have spent the past several months seeking His heart and He has not disappointed me. He is revealing His heart to me on many issues. I've got to admit, it's not popular opinion the things He has shown me. Imagine that, Jesus goes against the status quo=)

So, if you're interested in having a front row seat into the beat of my heart, stick around...He has told me to give you a glimpse into His heart, through mine. I'm not saying I have all the answers, or that I have this Christianity thing all figured out, because I do NOT...but what I do have I will share and that is simply a love relationship with Papa, Jesus and Holy Spirit. A relational connection so tight I struggle very little with fear and fear use to consume me. I have peace which I have no explanation for other than Jesus, Jesus, Jesus! It doesn't mean I don't have problems, struggles or sin...it means I know my identity in Christ and I wake up each day with something to celebrate because I have learned to live on earth as it is in heaven. My Soul Sings and it's my prayer your soul is singing too...Stay tuned!