Do you love yourself?

Wow, this blogging hiatus has been so long, blogger has changed interfaces on me!

Wanted to pop on here and talk a little about loving yourself. Papa has really been talking to me lately about love, specifically His love. He has also been showing me His goodness.

The other night I was laying in bed and couldn't sleep because of the overwhelming sense of His goodness coming over me. Basking in His love and goodness rekindled a desire in my heart (which is from Him) to tell the world (or at least those reading this blog) about His love. We complicate the gospel, making it difficult. Actually, the gospel is so simple; Jesus said we are to come as children. Children don't see life through a complicated lens, do they? Children trust and have faith. Hmmm...something to ponder, eh?

Before a person can fully give love they have to know (experience) Love. Let's follow the progression of love. God loved us first (I Jn. 4:19.) We are told to love God first and foremost, with all are being (Mark 12:30.) We are told to love one another as we love ourself (Mark 12:31.)

A few months ago I purchased a graphic tee at Old Navy. On the front, in large letters, it says, "Love Yourself." When I wear it I can count on some strange looks. I can only imagine what people assume. Perhaps they think I am conceited, arrogant, or prideful. It doesn't matter. What matters to me is I really do love myself, but that hasn't always been the case.

Sometime in my early 30s I was faced with the reality I had a huge self-hatred issue. Circumstances in my life brought this ugly fact into the light and over the last decade I have been in the healing process. Self-hatred's tentacles are tight and run deep. I didn't just wake up one day and decide I was going to love myself. No, it was most assuredly a long, tedious, at times ugly process. It began with learning who Christ made me and progressed to a radical heart experience with my Papa's love for me.

I had to dig up and toss out bad theology, replacing it with His truth. Religion had taught me to believe I was no good...the wretch the song refers to...but I now realize it was a lie. Once you have accepted Jesus as your Savior and are on this side of the cross you are no longer a wretch or a sinner. Truth is, God sees you as He sees Jesus. As He is so are we in this world! See I John 4:17.

Jesus was serious when He said, "it is finished" on the cross. Everything was done on the cross, it is a finished work. Our only part is to choose to believe and confess Him as Lord!

Sadly, the majority of the body of Christ is walking around believing they are wretched sinners. They believe they are disappointing God. They struggle with the same sin time and again, cloaked in shame and desperation. I know because I was one of them.

Once I realized I wasn't destined to be a sinner my entire life, everything changed. I know now when I do sin I have an advocate with the Father (see I John 2:1.) I've heard it said the reason we need an advocate (an attorney so to speak) is because we have no reason to sin. In the NIV translation it says "if anybody does sin." If, not when...hmmmm???? We aren't going to dissect that one today;)

It's hard to put into words how powerful the love of God is. The point I am trying to make is His love changes everything, but first you have to receive. I'm not talking about salvation. I believe one can accept Christ as Savior and not really know His love. Knowing His love comes through an intimate relationship with Him.

Many people can't get to the knowing part because they can't get past the wretched sinner part. When you believe the lie you aren't worthy of His love because of sin or your past, it's next to impossible to receive it. Friend, I'm here to tell you, YOU ARE WORTHY! You are worthy because of the sacrifice Jesus made! IT IS FINISHED!!!!

Receive His love. He is waiting for you. Love yourself because you are made in His image. Love others from the overflow that comes from abiding in the love of the Father. It's beautiful! His love is life changing!

Papa, I thank You for Your goodness. I thank You for desiring a relationship with me. I thank You for the ability to enter into Your presence knowing I am clean, righteous, holy and fully loved...and I did nothing to earn it. I thank You for Your love. Your love is so safe and so empowering my desire to sin decreases. I thank You for forgiveness when I do fail. Thank You for Your kindness leading me to repentance. I thank You for loving me as much as You love Jesus! Papa, You make my soul sing and I thank You!

White as Snow, or Grey as Sludge?

I promise to return to the series I started last week. Writing conditions for me are not the best when I have people (aka my children) running in and out from playing in the snow. It usually takes me several focused, uninterrupted hours to knock out a blog post with references, etc.

As I have been stuck in the snow the last three days I have thought about the significance of snow. Many friends on Facebook have made references to the verses in scripture that speak of how Jesus washed us white as snow. I have heard references to how everyone's home and landscaping looks good under a blanket of white, fluffy snow. The snow does have a way of "leveling" the playing field. It doesn't matter what is underneath, it all looks beautiful under the pureness of white.

I always want to get up the morning after a nightime snowfall and see the roads, yards, trees, etc. covered in snow, before any activity occurs outside. Anyone else do this? Once those first shoe prints and tire tracks get made it's not the same.

So here we are late into day three of our "blizzard." Plenty of shoe prints surround my house where the girls have been playing. The roads are covered in slush, with a thin, but dangerous layer of ice underneath. Which got me to thinking...once the roads are sanded or salted, the sand/salt mixes in with oil from cars and other road debris and it creates this grey looking slush on the sides of the roads...kind of like our lives as Christians...

When we accept Jesus as our Savior His blood washed away our sins, nothing can change the fact, we are forgiven and we are sealed...but, this doesn't mean we live a perfect life, without flaws, bumps, stains...the "slush on the side of the road" so to speak.

Now, in a couple of more days the sun is going to come out and the temperatures are going to rise and this beautiful white snow will be history, until the next one. This is the question I want to pose to you. Have you allowed the "slush" of life to mix in and eventually take over the covering of Christ's blood over you? Please hear me, nothing and nobody can take away the covering of the blood of Christ, but, you can certainly live like it is gone.

There have been many times in my life when I felt less than pure, less than clean and less than covered. I allowed lies to dictate who I was and how I lived my life...the "slush" took over my thought life and the last way I saw myself was as "white as snow."

I want to encourage anyone who feels life, bad choices, sin, lies, or circumstances have overshadowed the truth "though your sins be as scarlet, you are made white as snow" there is no better time than right here, right now to allow the blood of Jesus to wash over you again...covered and beautiful in the eyes of God! He sees us ALL THE SAME AND WE ARE ALL BEAUTIFUL AND PURE IN HIS EYES! Thank You, Daddy! Woo-Hoo, this makes My Soul Sing!

Claim your upgrade!

Rainy days are perfect days for playing "catch up" around the house and for listening to podcasts, worship music and whatever else I find that nourishes my soul in the Lord. I am getting ready to attend a conference in Franklin this weekend with Graham Cooke as the speaker. I love Graham's message on our identity in Christ and so I have been watching/listening to a session of his today.

Helping others discover who they are in Christ and who Christ is in them is one of my heart passions! You can imagine my excitement listening to speakers who teach on this very topic...I get REALLY HAPPY and indeed MY SOUL SINGS!

In this particular message Graham instructs the audience to go through an exercise which I think is AWESOME, LIBERATING and EMPOWERING. I just couldn't wait to share it with you, my blog family:)

Isaiah 54:17 tells us no weapon formed against us will prosper.

Deuteronomy 23:5 tells us God turns curses into blessing simply because He loves us!

Tuck those passages away from future mediation, because they are packed with goodness!

Now, get two sheets of paper (preferably notebook, so you have lines.) On the first sheet of paper make a numbered list of negative aspects in your life, they can be negative emotions, negative situations or negative character traits, curses or sin patterns. It might look something like this:

1. critical

2. depressed

3. alcoholism

4. hopelessness

5. broken relationship

Get the idea? Now after you have completed your list of negatives set that piece of paper aside and take the next sheet and number it the same as the first. For example, if you had 25 things listed on your negative sheet, number your second sheet 1-25.

Isaiah 61:3 is a beautiful and encouraging passage of scripture. It is an example of what God gives us in place of what the enemy tries to saddle us with....a garland instead of ashes, gladness instead of mourning and praise instead of heaviness.

Now, quiet yourself before the Lord and ask Holy Spirit to reveal to you a promise, prophecy, or an "instead of" for each item listed on your negative sheet. This is replacing the enemy's lie with God's truth.

He may give you a scripture reference, or simply one or two words for each. You will know it is from God if it lines up with His character as revealed to us in His Word. What He says will not be negative or condemning! God's words to us always bring Life (seriously, can I get a dollar for every time I have written this in a blog post?)

Using my example list of 5 negative things, my positive, or "instead of," list might go something like this:

1. gift of encouragement and edification

2. joy

3. filled with His Spirit, dependent on Him

4. HOPE and His vision

5. restored relationship

As Holy Spirit leads you spend some time repenting for your part in believing or wallowing in the items on the negative list. If others have been involved in these "curses" choose to forgive them. Curses are not part of your inheritance in Christ, nor are they part of your identity in Him. If you have focused on these negative things you have empowered them in your life. Break agreement with them. To repent means to "turn from." I like how Graham Cooke puts it, "if you have a thought that doesn't line up with His, have another thought." That's repentance, pure and simple! Making the list of truth is you having another thought...His thoughts!

Now, destroy the yucky, negative list. Shred it, flush it down the toilet, however you wish to properly discard of it:) Take the list of truth and declare them over yourself. It could go something like this: (using my example list from above)

"Holy Spirit, I receive the gift of encouragement and edification. I choose to use my words to bless and not curse. I will use my tongue to bring life to others and myself. I choose to be filled with the JOY of the Lord as my strength. I have much to be joyful about, Father, please help me to recognize the joy in my life and focus on Your goodness in all situations. As I walk in the Spirit I ask You to fill me with Your abundance. I will trust in You, Father, to meet the needs of my heart and to fill me to overflowing with Your presence and Your peace. I submit my relationships to You, Lord. May I bring about the spirit of reconciliation and restoration. Give me wisdom Father to know when and with whom Godly boundaries need to be exercised."

Choose to meditate on the list of who God says you are until your actions start lining up with these truths. When you are tempted to go back to the negative pull out your list and declare the truth over yourself again!

Choosing to seek His blessings, His viewpoint, His wisdom and insight will focus your heart and mind on His plan for you. I have seen some people choose to walk in denial of the problems in their life, as if they don't exist. This isn't His solution, nor will it bring about change. Focusing on Him and actively seeking His viewpoint will change YOU, and afterall, YOU are the only person YOU can control anyway:) Focusing on what others are doing, or not doing, never brings about a positive solution....trust me, I've tried that!

Heaven is full of unclaimed UPGRADES! Father God is waiting for you to claim your upgrade! What are you waiting for?

My Soul Sings because I have discovered the lavish love of the Father fully embracing His goodness, basking in His presence and seeking His solutions...now that's an upgrade worth claiming!!!!

Attack or Pruning?

I have blogged about this topic before, but feel Holy Spirit nudging me to blog about it again in greater detail.

Consider these statements:

"Satan is after me."

"Satan is at it again."

"I know I am doing something right for the Lord, because I feel satan attacking me."

"Satan sure knows how to get me where it hurts."

"If you are working for the Lord, satan will come after you."

Is it possible by making these statements you are not honoring or lifting up the name of Jesus, but glorifying an enemy whose power was taken away at the cross? In essence bringing him the very attention he desired over God that got him thrown out of heaven?

Let's look at a couple of scriptures and see what it is satan desired.

Isaiah 14:14 (NLT) "I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High." Satan wanted to be like God. Isn't it awesome the very thing he wanted, God desired for man to obtain? We are admonished in scripture to be imitators of Christ (Eph 5:1) and we are seated in heavenly places (Eph 2:6)! Just think how this torments satan!!!!! We were created to bring God glory by doing greater works than Jesus!!! (see John 14:12) When we imitate Christ with a heart of humility, God is glorified!

Luke 4:7 (NASB) "Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours." Satan had the audacity to ask Jesus to worship him! For the full story and context read Luke 4:1-12.

I explained in this post and this post how the fall of man impacted our authority and how the finished work of Jesus gave it back to us. In this post I want to explain the two different ways we become entrapped in bondage to sin either by captivity or imprisonment.

Isaiah 61:1 (NIV) "The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners."

I want to camp out in the last sentence of this AWESOME verse! "He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners."

Friends, that is something to get HAPPY about right there!

Let's look at the differences between a "captive" and a "prisoner" in this context.

A captive is one who is made or held prisoner due to someone else's sin; one who was sinned against. For example a victim of abuse would be a captive. A child isn't willfully molested, thus they are a captive, being held against their will.

A prisoner is one who is being held as punishment for a wrong. In this context a prisoner is one who has willfully sinned. In this case we willfully give up our God given authority by opening the door to satan to work in our life through our sin. Simply put, when I sin I invite the enemy to come alongside me, which places me in bondage. Until I repent, break the cycle of sin and apply the finished work of the cross in my life the enemy will use my sin to torment me and keep me in bondage.

How does one who has been a captive go from being imprisoned because of someone else's sin into being a prisoner due to their own sin? Unforgiveness would be one way. In the parable of the unmerciful servant in Matthew 18 unforgiveness leads to torment. The jailers in Matthew 18:34 are also referred to as torturers in some translations. Guess whose payroll the torturers are on...satan's!

Another way a captive can go to being a prisoner is through forming ungodly beliefs (aka lies) based on what has happened to them. For example if a child is molested they may form the ungodly belief that all adults are capable of molesting, leading them to not trust. If they carry this belief into adulthood it will paralyze them in relationships and torment them for years, unless they allow the Lord to heal this place of pain in their heart.

The good news is Jesus paid for the release of both the captive and the prisoner! It is NOT the will of God for anyone to remain in bondage to any type of sin! It is always our choice!

If you are a captive who is remaining in a victim mentality you are not making a choice to allow the God of the universe to heal you and restore you. But Amy, it's hard, you don't know what they did to me. You are right, I don't, but you can either stay in captivity or you can allow Jesus to minister and heal you. His beaten and bloodied body paid for your release on the cross, but it will always be your choice. The garden began with a choice and there will always be two trees in our garden. Which tree will you choose?

I hope this has given you some insight into ways we can empower the enemy.

Truth: The enemy can not force himself upon us. He must have been given access. He gains access through sin.

Truth: The enemy is horrified of us when we are walking in our God given identity as sons and daughters of the Most High. When we are walking in our identity and authority he is ABSOLUTELY POWERLESS!

Truth: If I am lifting up the name of JESUS satan must flee. James 4:7 says, "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." How do we resist the devil? We stand on truth, not only with words but in our actions and Godly choices. If I have opened the door to sin, the enemy has access. His access is taken away through repentance and forgiveness. Resist sin and you are resisting the enemy!

I heard a sermon recently describing using our identity and authority in resisting the enemy. The speaker used an illustration of us running from the enemy like he was a Doberman Pinscher, when really he is a chihuahua. I'll let that illustration speak for itself:)

Friends, I am not ignorant of spiritual warfare. It is real and I am not making light of it. Quite the contrary, I'm giving you some tools to use to stand in victory. The enemy is like a lion seeking whom he may devour (I Peter 5:8.) All I am saying is, you don't have to allow him to devour you. If you have Jesus, you have power. You have authority. You have choices.

Stop running scared at the first sign of the enemy and stand up to him with the breastplate of righteousness, belt of truth, gospel of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation and sword of the Spirit!

I am coming to realize the full armor of God is more than just something you "pray on." It is a lifestyle and it is part of our identity. Once again it is a choice...you choose to wear it or not.

Does satan know your weak areas? You bet he does. Might I suggest to you the next time you are feeling like you are under attack to ask these questions. First, is this an area in which I have given satan authority through sin or holding onto unforgiveness? Second, what is the lie I am believing?

Many times we are quick to say we are under attack when really we are entering into a season of pruning where the Lord has allowed our circumstances and situations to turn up the heat. So, ask this question of the Lord. "God, is this the enemy or are you trying to burn away a part of me that isn't like You?" Ouch? I know. I certainly have been quick to blame satan when really God is just shining the light on an area of my life where there is sin. It's easier to blame the enemy than it is to take responsibility for our sin. Not fun and not pretty, but on the other side I promise you will look a little more like Jesus. Victory is mighty sweet:)

So, next time you are feeling pressured or "attacked" try lifting up the name of Jesus before giving any credit to the enemy. Allow the Lord to search your heart, revealing any wickedness there (see Psalm 139:23-24.) This is what standing firm against evil looks like.

I love the quote, "what we focus on, we empower." Friends, I choose to focus on my Jesus! Who do your words and actions say you are focused on? Hmmmm, something to think about:)

We are not to be ignorant of the schemes of the enemy, but we also aren't to give him glory by giving him credit for things in our life that are the result of our poor choices.

If you are struggling with discerning between "attack" or pruning I would love to help you and pray with you. Please do not hesitate to e-mail me at www.amydover@iggm.org or message me through Facebook. Helping others learn and discover their identity in Christ is my passion. Identity gives us power over the works of darkness...Jesus gives us power over the works of darkness and this makes my soul gloriously SING!

***I have purposefully used a lowercase "s" when using the name of satan. He isn't worthy of anything more!

I've got the POWER!

In my last post I promised a second post that would take a look at how we empower the enemy to wreck havoc in our lives. As with all my posts I take a look at the subject from my experience with it. This isn't a complete look at spiritual warfare, nor is it a complex one.

If you haven't read the previous post I recommend you start there, because I will refer to it.

In review: Adam and Eve relinquished authority when they chose to sin in the garden. Notice I said chose. Yes, they were given a choice, just like you and I are given choices everyday. Jesus came to fulfill the law, died and was resurrected which gave us back all authority.

Short and sweet, every victory we will ever need on this earth has been purchased by His death on the cross....EVERYTHING! If you deny this, you are denying the finished work of the cross!

If we have been given the power to defeat Satan and his minions why is it the body of Christ isn't walking in greater victory? There are many answers to this question and I'm only going to cover a couple of what I believe to be some valid answers.

First, I believe the body of Christ doesn't understand and fully take advantage of her identity in Christ. Instead of believing and acting upon the truth we are over comers in Christ, we walk around as if Satan is always nipping at our tails. Romans 8:37 tells us we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us!

Matthew 28:18 Jesus tells us all authority in heaven and earth has been given to Him. Jesus gives us the kingdom His Father conferred on Him in Luke 22:29. He gave us the keys to the kingdom in Matthew 16:19. Our weapons of warfare in II Corinthians 10:4 have divine power to demolish strongholds. In Ephesians 6:10-18 we are instructed about the full armor of God. Bottom line, friends, we are powerful and we are protected in and by the name and blood of Jesus Christ!

Secondly, because we undermine our God given power and, inadvertently, deny our identity in Christ, we base our beliefs on what circumstances and situations look like in this fallen world. I call this eyes on the natural. When we do this we can't help but pick up some ungodly beliefs (aka, lies) along the way. Lies about our identity, lies about the work of the cross, lies about God, etc...It is here we get into what is referred to as "open sin doors."

An open sin door is referring to ways we open the door to the enemy to work in our life. Now, most of us don't purposefully open the door when we are choosing to live for Christ. When many think of open doors to the enemy they think of blatant rebellion towards God such as a lifestyle of drugs, sexual promiscuity, stealing, witchcraft, pornography, etc. Christians don't normally like to think of ways they commonly open the door to Satan through such sins as fear, worry, stress, anxiety (to name a few.)

For the sake of this post we will use fear as an example of an open sin door.

Let's use Job for our example. Most people refer to Job as a man of God, living a life of holiness, blessing and righteousness. What we miss is one little verse in Job 3:25. In all my years of "church" and hearing the story of Job it wasn't until a few years ago I caught this. Job 3:25, "What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me." If we read by it too quickly we miss the fact that Job opened the door to the enemy through his sin of fear. Yes, fear is sin. All throughout the Bible we are told to fear not...it is obviously important.

If you've been reading my blog for awhile you will know one of my favorite verses is I John 4:18. I don't pass up an opportunity to use it, so here goes: "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."

As Danny Silk says often in his "Loving Our Kids On Purpose" curriculum, "fear is the mortal enemy of love." Just as fear displaces love, love displaces fear. Fear is not from God! As His children we were not created to fear anything or anybody other than God!

I could probably write a book on ways many Christians (myself included) open the door to the enemy through fear, worry, stress and anxiety. I hope my point has been made clear in this brief example of using fear as the open door.

When we walk in fear we empower the enemy by believing lies such as: "I am not safe. God will not protect me. I am not worthy of protection. I deserve the bad in my life." Any time we place our circumstances above the truth of God's character we are opening ourselves up for trouble. God is either who He says He is or He isn't. What or who are you choosing to empower?

*You may be asking where do I start? You start with your thinking. A renewed mind (Romans 12:2) is key to your success in walking out your God given destiny. Ask Holy Spirit to reveal to you beliefs you have that do not line up with His truth. Break agreement with those lies and ask Him to tell you what His truth is, then declare that truth over yourself, write it down, journal it, study scripture that backs it up. Meditate on Truth, the promises of God and who God says you are until the truths He shows you are deeply rooted in your heart.

When faced with lies or negative thoughts cast them down (II Cor. 10:5) and go back and feed yourself on the Truth. Do you see the cycle? I can assure you after years of believing so many lies I continually have to go back and remind my heart of the truth, say the truth, sing the truth, pray the truth and declare the truth. To encourage you I must admit this has worked marvelously well, but it has been a lifestyle for me, not just something I do in times of crisis! You shall know the Truth and the Truth shall set you free (John 8:32.)

I saw a quote on Twitter recently that basically said, "as a believer you can know you are doing something good for God when you sense the enemy at your door." I disagree with this statement, emphatically! Yes, the enemy is looking for opportunity, but you first have to open the door to him.

One such way you could in the scenario of doing good work for the Lord is to allow yourself to become puffed up with pride. Proverbs 16:18, "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall." The open door here would be pride. Let's also not forget false humility/self abasement is also pride, because it is still focus on self. If I am doing something good for the Lord I don't want to be focused on Satan, but the glory of my awesome God! Satan isn't worthy of our time or attention!!!!!

If you sense the enemy, stop and ask the Lord to show you the open door, then close it and choose to keep it closed!!!! Sensing the enemy at work isn't something to fear either...the Lord will allow Satan to trigger issues and situations in your life He is wanting to address and HEAL! I think sometimes it is easier to wallow in the mire of "being attacked" then it is to take a hard look at issues and pain in your heart the Lord is wanting to talk about so He can bring healing. From experience I can tell you it is hard, but the other side of "doing kingdom business" with Jesus is beautiful and free!

As always, it is not my desire to change your thinking or to debate theology, but to give you something to think about and search out with the Lord on your own:)

Living a life with Satan under my feet and basking in a life filled with a glorious abundance of love, freedom and grace in my Abba Daddy truly makes My Soul Sing!

*If you are having trouble knowing how to begin this process and are near the Chattanooga, TN area, Growing in Grace Ministries can help you. GGM is where I minister in the area of inner healing. You can go here and check out our Sozo ministry. We can teach you how to hear the voice of God and live a life replacing lies with truth, walking in greater victory and deeper intimacy with the Father. Check us out!

God is always GOOD!

Psalm 63:4, "I will praise You as long as I live, and in Your name I will lift up my hands."

I hope I never tire of proclaiming the goodness of God! As I sit here at the computer to write this post I realize this is a subject I write about often. Focus, priorities, God's goodness, His redemption, His love, living with Him in the abiding place...no matter how you slice or dice it, this is the theme of My Soul Sings.

As I sat down at the computer to type this post I asked God a question. "Why is it You always seem to have me write about Your goodness, focusing on Your redemptive nature?" His reply to me went something like this, "because the world needs to know. They need to know about My goodness. They need to know I am utterly redemptive. They need to know how much I love them. They need to be constantly reminded to keep their eyes on me. Amy, dear, you need to know too."

Don't you just love it when He is right? And, by the way, He is always right!

In a world full of crisis, chaos and sin we need to be reminded, as believers, this should not be our focus. Remember we are in the world, not of it. It should not consume us. Christ left us with the gift of the Holy Spirit and His resurrection power flows through our veins. As believers we hold the solutions to many of the world's problems...but, we can't effectively impact the world if our eyes aren't on Him. If we continue to focus on the negative we will empower it all the more.

Father God isn't sitting high above worried about the state of the world. Quite the contrary, He is waiting for His body to come to Him and ask Him what His solutions are. He isn't wringing His hands hoping His children make the right choices and then writhing in despair when they don't.

The statement I'm about to make is a topic many would like to debate. I am not here to debate it, nor defend it...I merely want to share it with you. I believe the wrath of God was fully poured out onto Christ on the cross. Like the song lyric says, "the wrath of God was satisfied." We won't see the wrath of God again until He pours it out as described in Revelation 6:16.

Amy, are you saying the natural disasters, torment and destruction we are seeing in the world today isn't the wrath of God punishing us for our sinful living? YES, that is exactly what I am saying. Do I believe God could stop them? Yes, I do...but just because He doesn't stop them, doesn't mean they are sent by His hand. Our charge as believers is to humble ourselves and pray as outlined for us in II Chronicles 7:14.

I don't want to camp on this subject, I think to do so would get us into a theological debate in which I am not educated enough to enter. Also, it would be a major bunny trail from the truth I wish to impart through this post. I will say I think believers get stuck on defending their theology to the point it can take our focus off the main thing...sharing the love of Christ with others and empowering people to walk in victory and relationship with the Creator.

I want to shift gears a little at this point. A friend of mine just this week got partial victory over a major storm in her life. All of us have storms, but this was of tsunami proportions. Many people are saying her life will never be the same. I agree with that statement.

Some even go on to say she will never get the pieces of her life back together again...implying her life is partially destroyed because of the devastation done from the "storm." I emphatically DISAGREE with this statement!

During the process I actually found myself believing her life was destroyed, no matter the outcome, that there were no winners. God gently showed me this belief was wrong and was not at all how I should be thinking as a believer in Christ. To believe her life is beyond the restoration and redemption of Christ is like saying there are some issues beyond His power! Remember Satan is not the equal opposite of God. God is absolute! By believing this statement in essence it's like saying this scheme of the enemy is bigger than God...and that, my friends, is absolutely preposterous!

Now...I'm not saying she doesn't have a battle ahead of her. She will be constantly faced with choices. I hope and pray she keeps her eyes on Christ. He has promised to work things together for our good, but our responsibility in this is to look to Him and follow His ways. We must trust Him and surrender to Him.

Let me try to wrap this up and bring it together for application for you and me in our every day lives:)

As believers we have storms. We have problems. We have trials. But, we also have choices. We are given the free will to run to Jesus or run from Him. We have the choice to keep our eyes on Him, or take them off and try to do things our way. We can out rationalize our faith and end up looking at situations with natural eyes as the world does...I've tried this, have you? It leads to discouragement, despair and ultimately, a victim mentality.

Without going into my friend's storm I just want to say I am encouraged by it. Watching it all play out in front of me and the hearing the testimony on this end is amazing. It has definitely increased my faith.

God is true to His promises! I invite you to search your heart and ask yourself what area do you need Him to fulfill His promises to you? Have you taken your eyes off Him? Have you empowered a lie in your situation? Do you believe the wrath of God is being poured out on you...if so, you may want to re-evaluate your thinking and ask Him for an encounter with His love.

I promise you He is not out to "punish" you. Jesus fulfilled the need for punishment. He said on the cross, "it is finished" that was for you and for me...our sins are covered by the blood of Jesus...we don't have to make atonement for them! This, my friends, is the gospel of Christ!

Father God, I pray for each person reading this post. I ask You to encounter them each individually and personally. Wrap them in Your perfect peace, grace, love and mercy. May they know you not only in head knowledge, but in the heart. I thank You Papa for sending us Jesus. I thank You we don't have to make atonement for our sin. I thank You for desiring a relationship with us free from striving. I thank You that You are always good and loving toward all You have made. I repent Lord for areas in which I have made you smaller than my problems, than the world's problems. Show me Lord Your solutions so I may be a problem solver, not a problem maker or problem enabler. I praise You Lord for all You have done and all You are doing in my life. I will sing of Your love forever as long as I have breath! I love You, my Daddy! I thank you for making my soul sing! AMEN!

No More Counterfeits!

What does the title of this post make you think of? Counterfeit money? Counterfeit art? Counterfeit people? Counterfeit designer handbags sold in flea markets?

I use to work in the security area of the banking business. The most intriguing part of my job was working with federal law enforcement agencies. Counterfeit money is under the jurisdiction of the Secret Service.

When one of our tellers would accept a counterfeit bill it was my job to fill out the paperwork and send it in to the Secret Service. The Secret Service would also send me notices of counterfeit bills circulating in the area, with lists of phony serial numbers, etc. So, when I hear the word counterfeit, money use to be the first thing to pop into my mind. Now, however, when I hear the word my mind first goes to thinking of the ultimate counterfeiter, Satan.

Satan counterfeits everything...I mean EVERYTHING! Sadly, many of his counterfeits are a really good looking version of something legit. Just as many of the $50 and $100 dollar bills I processed were really good "fakes" of the real thing...so good many of them would pass the counterfeit pen test.

What would be some examples of Satan's counterfeits? The list is lengthy. Relationships, spiritual gifts, pleasures and comforts are a few coming to my mind.

My revelation on this subject came when I realized the depth of God as Creator.
El-Elohim is the name of God which means Creator. On an elementary level when we think of Creator God we think of Genesis 1:1 where God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1 goes on to tell of God's creation of plants, water, animals and man.

When we view His creation as being limited to the universe and everything in it we can actually miss the vastness of His creativity! The purpose of this post is to invite you to search a little deeper into the depths of His creativity.

God is always good. What He creates is always good. Genesis 1:31 states, "God saw all that He had made, and it was very good."

Which brings me to my next question...what have we been missing by confusing God given gifts with counterfeits of the enemy? I can only speak from my personal experience, so I will share with you a little of what I was missing.

Now would be a good time to tell you I believe in ALL the gifts of the Spirit. I believe they are for the here and now. They are available to every believer to work in accordance with God's purpose to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to earth, to destroy the works of darkness and bring glory to the King.

I haven't always believed in the gifts and I'm not here today to convince you into believing in them. I am just sharing my journey and would be remiss if I left out this part of it.

You may be wondering how spiritual gifts tie into a post on counterfeits. Remember, the enemy is NOT creative. He is using the same lies, the same cons, the same snares he has used for generations. Bottom line is they still work, he doesn't need to change his mode of operation!

Once the Light has exposed an area of deception in our life we sometimes can't believe how gullible we were. I can think of countless times I would actually be annoyed with myself for falling for such blatant lies. How could I be so stupid? But that's the thing about deception...the deceived have no clue they are being hoodwinked.

When I first realized I had been shunning part of my inheritance by not validating my God given gifts I was angry. Angry at former teachings in which I now believe were not accurate. I had to process these feelings with the Lord and then seek what He was wanting to reveal to me. My revelation went something like this as I spoke to God aloud all that was on my heart:

Wow, God, you are the Creator! Satan doesn't have the ability to create anything new or good. He only distorts and perverts something You created. The New Age movement, witchcraft, etc. is a perversion of what You designed every believer to walk in...supernatural power. Supernatural power to expose the kingdom of darkness, drawing others to a life with You, to walk in victory and take dominion over the earth! As believers we are missing out on all the fun, believing You are a cosmic kill joy with a list of do nots. For years I served a God I didn't even really know. Sure, my head was full of knowledge from Your Word, but I wasn't walking in the power of any of it. Your Truth wasn't permeating every fiber of my being. I didn't believe in the Amy you said I was...there were too many lies in the way of me receiving all You had for me. I didn't believe Your Word in John 14:12 when Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." Or in I Corinthians 4:20, "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power." You have given Your power to every believer to advance Your kingdom! Show me Lord, show me what I've missed because all I saw was the counterfeit and it made Your gift look evil! Forgive me Lord for my unbelief! I want all You have for me. I want it all so I can glorify You, praise You, worship You, serve You, know You, draw others into a fuller relationship with You.

He simply said to me, "it is My desire to give you the Kingdom!"

Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." I've come to understand this verse more in the last year or two. I think it is possible to so know the heart of God that His heart becomes your heart...when your heart becomes so entwined with the heart of God, what you want is what He wants and He will give it to YOU! That just blows me AWAY!

So, in what areas have you accepted the counterfeits? What are you denying yourself because you don't think it is of God? Ask God these questions...He is waiting to reveal the mysteries of Himself to you!

You may be wondering what some examples would look like. God desires us to be full of His Spirit and never ending JOY! The enemy counterfeits this with drugs, alcohol, food and various other addictions. We go to these substances because we desire a feeling of euphoria, escape and comfort.

I'm going to share with you how I used alcohol, in the past, to escape. I don't believe it is wrong to enjoy an alcoholic drink. I know there are people with dependencies on alcohol and they have to practice total abstinence. I also believe scripture is clear when it says "do not be drunk on wine, but be filled with the Spirit."

Before you make any conclusions about me and alcohol I want to assure you I have never had a drinking problem. But there was a time in my life I used alcohol to make me more comfortable in social situations. I wasn't happy with who I was and didn't feel I belonged anywhere. I would drink a couple of drinks in order to loosen up and become the life of the party. I was a "fun" drinker. It made me silly and giddy...which I now realize is part of my God given personality, no wonder I desired to be that way and accepted the counterfeit in order to "get there."

When I started seriously walking with the Lord I was convicted of this behavior and gave it up without argument. There have been times I have enjoyed a glass of wine with dinner, but overall I have felt the Lord has asked me to abstain from the use of alcohol. This is a personal conviction and not one I impose on A-N-Y-B-O-D-Y else:)

I shared this to set up the rest of the story. I now am fully aware of what it means to be "filled with the Spirit." Quite frankly it surpasses any "high" I ever had from wine! It's the same feeling of freedom I would get after a couple of drinks, but without a headache the next morning!

When I'm "drunk in the Spirit" I'm absolutely rocked with JOY. I will laugh myself to tears...and it's always more fun with a group:) During times of intercession with my fellow prayer team members and friends we have entered into His presence and have been overcome with laughter and unexplainable peace. I LOVE it! There really is no substitute for the Real Deal!

As I sit back and observe the trend of our youth, I see a generation who knows deep in their spirits there has to be something more. They aren't content with their parents' religion...and, quite frankly, they shouldn't be. Sadly, many of them are turning away from God in search of something else, something that gives them power, something seemingly more exciting than the God of their parents.

They are in search of deep meaningful relationship with something or someone who fulfills the God given desire in them to excel and rise above the status quo...and, many times, they accept the enemy's counterfeits.

Kris Vallotton explains what is happening in this excerpt from "The Supernatural Ways of Royalty; Discovering your rights and privileges of being a son or daughter of God."

"I am convinced that many people who are caught up in witchcraft are the "unpaid bills" of the church. A lot of these folks have experienced spiritual realities and come to our churches to find an explanation for this dimension of life, but only find a powerless religion. It is sad but true that most people wouldn't know whether God showed up in church or not, because so little of modern Christianity requires Heaven's intervention. Jesus never expected people to believe in a gospel absent of power. Therefore Jesus said, "If I don't do the works of My Father, do not believe in Me." (John 10:37.) The people who can't find power in church visit a seance or a cult meeting and find the enemy's counterfeit power. Although it's the dark side, it is real, and they turn to it. If they cannot find supernatural power in the church, they will sadly go to where they can. Proverbs 27:7 says, "To a famished man any bitter thing is sweet." (end quote)

This post has probably posed more questions than it has given answers...and that's okay. I encourage you, as I always do, to search out the answers with God yourself. I love Jeremiah 33:3, "Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."

He is waiting to reveal His mysteries to you and to me. I'm ready! Let's go on the journey of a lifetime. Indescribable JOY, Holy laughter and personal relationship with the Creator of the Universe makes my soul unapologetically SING, SING, SING...and, that, my friends, can not be counterfeited!

Whatcha Thinking?

"What's On Your Mind?"

That's the question on every Facebooker's wall. In a little box at the top you have a chance to tell your friends in Facebook land what is on your mind. Also known as a status. So, whatcha thinking?

Well, it got me to thinking...and whenever I start thinking too much it is likely whatever thoughts are in my head will end up written here as a blog post...and, so here we are again:)

As much as I have shared with you about my journey to freedom, there is much left to share. Today I want to talk about our thought life and the power of our minds.

I am sure you've heard it said the battle is in our mind and this statement couldn't be more true. The mind is where the enemy wages war against us.

To sum up the power of our thoughts I love how Larry Randolph puts it...

"Your thoughts become words. Words create attitude. Attitude determines your well being. Well being influences conduct. And conduct determines the shape of your destiny."

Do you see how it all begins with mere thoughts?

One of my favorite sayings is, "what we focus on we empower." In Kris Valloton's book "The Supernatural Ways of Royalty" he says, "We tend to reproduce what we feast our thoughts upon." So, if you feast upon criticism, you will produce negativity. If you feast upon profanity, you will utter profanities. If you feast upon worry, your environment will be one of anxiety. These are just a few examples.

Proverbs 23:7 says, "For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he." (NKJV) Yes, there is a definite connection with our thoughts and what is empowered in our lives.

We are instructed in 2 Corinthians 10:5 "To take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." This is how Paul instructs us to overcome strongholds. When we feast on negative thoughts and thoughts contrary to the Word of God we empower the enemy to work in our lives.

I don't know about you, but I don't want to give satan any power over me! You may be wondering how your thought life can empower the enemy. One area in which the enemy gains ground through our thoughts is in thwarting our destiny.

If we believe lies about God and lies about ourselves we will never fully walk in our God given destiny here on earth. When we feast on such lies, we will empower them.

For example: I believed for years I had nothing important to say. Since I didn't finish college I believed I wasn't educated enough to speak. In public settings such as Sunday school class, Bible study, etc. I would have answers, but would never voice them out of fear of being wrong and thus being ridiculed. The enemy would whisper to me, "you are stupid and no one wants to hear what you have to say."

During one of my many inner healing sessions this lie came to the surface. Through the facilitator of my session and the Voice of Truth (Jesus) I realized part of my destiny was my voice. God had gifted me in the area of writing and teaching! I couldn't do either without a "voice!" The enemy had successfully disqualified me in my mind!

Of course what the enemy intended for harm, God will work together for good...this blog is part of the fruit of me receiving my "voice!" If God hadn't revealed this lie at work in my life My Soul Sings would never have become a reality!

This is just one example of where lie based thinking effected my life personally. I could write post after post exposing lies I have personally believed. The fact is Jesus is still revealing them to me...part of working out my salvation will include conforming my mind to think like His. In order to think like Him the lies have to go! This process will last the rest of my life, until I see Jesus face to face!

In the meantime I must choose to feast on the Truth. The more I discover the character and nature of God the more ungodly thinking is displaced.

It is my desire to view life through supernatural lenses, when everything around me is looking at the natural. I assure you God isn't up on His throne ringing His hands anxiously because of what is going on in this world.

No, I believe He is patiently waiting for us as believers to realize our identity, authority and power here on earth. To take dominion over the enemy using our God given inheritances and identities. This will only be accomplished through prayer and empowering truth in our lives.

Bill Johnson puts it this way, "I can't afford to think differently about my life than God does."

I love to write posts which expose the accuser of the brethren for the liar he is. This is a subject you will see addressed often here. If you are interested in uncovering what ungodly beliefs (lies) are at work in your life I urge you to ask Jesus. If you don't know where to start you can begin with identifying lies you have believed about Father God.

The Father's Love Letter can help you with this. You can listen and/or read this beautiful love letter to YOU here. These are truths about how Father God sees you straight from the Bible.

As you listen or read if you come across one that doesn't feel true to your heart, although you know it to be true in your head, ask the Holy Spirit to identify the lie in place. Break agreement with the lie and meditate on the Truth. If helpful, post the scripture on your bathroom mirror and read it aloud several times a day, until it sinks into your spirit and you can fully believe it with all your heart.

Setting your thoughts on things above and focusing on God's Truth will take you to places of victory you didn't imagine possible until heaven. Never in my life have I lived from such a place of peace as I do now. I attribute this to my focus being on God and His promise found in Isaiah 26:3. Living with a mindset of "on earth as it is in heaven" is another reason My Soul Sings!