I won't try to fix you

When I stop, seek and listen, He almost always speaks. It's the stopping and seeking part I've struggled with the last few weeks. Feeling disconnected from fellowship with my Maker is not a feeling I like, but alas, I find myself in that place from time to time. I certainly know how to get out, but it sometimes 'feels' like I'm too far gone or the problem I'm facing is too big...there it is, that word 'feels.' Just a reminder we can't navigate this Christian walk based on our feelings...they often misrepresent the truth:)

Yesterday was not a good day for me and it was Easter, so I hated all the more the yuckiness I felt in my heart. I like peace and peace was far from me. Knowing I wasn't going to magically be delivered from my pit of despair without divine intervention (and me purposing to ask Him for help) I sent a close friend a message briefly outlining my woes and asking for prayer.

My short take on Galatians 6:2 is we sometimes need a brother or sister in Christ to bear our burdens when we can't seem to carry them to Jesus on our own. We aren't meant to carry them, but give them to Him in exchange for His easy yoke...but there have been times in my life I haven't had the strength to even bring them to His feet...I have experienced someone taking (bearing) it on my behalf; truly a beautiful experience.

Back to my request for prayer...this was a friend who knows me and knows me well. She has earned the right to speak into my life and I hers. We have trust. We have relationship. She responded, as I would expect from her, with a short message of "got it."

This morning she sent me some advice about the situation. Good advice. I agreed with it, actually the same advice I had given to others in the past. I tried to ignore the fact it was bothering me, but it wasn't going away. After a blissful morning seeking the Lord, I heard Him.

"It bothers you because it feels like she is trying to fix you. You don't need fixing, you need intercession, love and support." There it was...He was right on...Holy Spirit is BRILLIANT, you know;) I made a mental note to be more clear when requesting prayer in the future to state what I need, even prefacing my request with a 'I'm not looking for advice here, I just need your prayers and love.'

Of course the revelation didn't end here! There's always the look in the mirror He seems to ask me to make. In His sweet Daddy God voice, "Amy, you've been the fixer when others needed you to just listen and pray too." Of course I have! OUCH!!!!

Many readers don't know me personally, but many of you do...so, consider this a public apology if I have ever made you feel like I was trying to fix you. It's in my DNA to want to help people. After all it's why I life coach. I have even received a prophetic word that I am a problem solver. Because of this call and strong desire to help others, I have to be diligent not to step over the line from friend/confidant to fixer:) Sometimes people come to me for advice, but many times they just want someone to listen and love them where they are; a safe place, free from judgment and criticism.

As I was pondering this revelation and application to my life personally, I kept hearing the Cold Play song Fix You over and over in my head. I finally pulled it up on YouTube and listened to it several times. I've always liked the song. I know a little of the background of why it was written. Basically, it's about a person who wants to save someone they love from pain. The lyric 'I will try to fix you' reverberated in my spirit all morning.

How many people have I tried to fix? Out of love? Sometimes. Out of a need to control? Possibly. Because I once believed it was my job? Maybe.

He wanted me to share this in a blog. Why? I'm not sure. Perhaps someone is reading this and you feel stuck trying to fix someone in your life and you are frustrated because it's not working...friend, it's not suppose to work. It's not my job, or your job, to fix anyone. Our responsibility is us. Work on you and give others the best you, you've got. Work on loving, not fixing, and remember, love listens...are you listening?

My soul is singing as I type this because now I am more free to love and listen. While I'm listening I'm going to purpose to ask others what they need and in turn communicate my needs more plainly. When people come to me with issues, I will ask them, "what do you need?" I've even asked my teen, "are you wanting advice, or for me to just listen?" Sometimes she wants advice, but many times she just wants me to listen. I can do that:)

When others come to me in times of distress I want them to encounter Jesus... because He is the only ONE capable of fixing anybody!

I am smiling as I realize my mountain that seemed larger than life yesterday doesn't seem so big now, I just needed heavenly perspective on it...which came in my quiet time this morning...and, in the process, He gave me an upgrade and revelation on a topic I wasn't even aware I needed an upgrade in...ha! Papa God, you have an amazing sense of humor...oh, how I love YOU!

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!

Are You Content to be Fat?

I had hoped my next blog post would be to share things stirred in my heart from my recent experience at Jesus Culture Awakening. Hopefully I will make time to do so in the future, but for today I feel I have a word from the Lord. I believe it's a personal word for me, but one He is also wanting me to share with His body.

Perhaps it is the result of what I saw and heard shared at the conference...after all, there were many ministries represented and showcased throughout the conference all with the same mission..."Send," "Go," "Love," are words I continually heard. These were people not just content to sit in a conference and listen to great men and women of faith share their stories of miracles and moves of God. No, they were people whose lives had been laid down in total surrender. They were in the trenches doing the "stuff," loving the unlovable, rescuing the dying, releasing the captives. One lady shared of a ministry starting with 5 children rescued from the sex trade, now they are up to several hundred children. They not only feed and house them, they are providing the children an education so they can grow up and be productive citizens! These people are not just preaching the gospel, they are living and doing it!

Which has led me to question are we, the body of Christ, more content to be fat? By fat I mean fat on knowledge...continuing to partake, but never assimilating. Maybe we don't "act" on what we know because we are afraid of what the sacrifice might be. Perhaps we are afraid of failing or of the unknown.

I am reminded of the scripture in I Corinthians that says, "knowledge puffs up, but love builds up." Allow me to take this verse out of context and pose the question, is it love that makes it possible for us to put knowledge into action? I believe the answer is yes. It is love that compels us to take knowledge and put action with it...to assimilate what we know.

What I love about spiritual principles is they are always first seen in the natural. If all we did is eat and eat and eat some more, but we never leave the table to exercise what happens? We get fat! Same applies spiritually...if all we do is study, go to church once a week and attend conferences, but never take what we learn and "go out unto all the world" we get fat...fat with knowledge.

"From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." (Luke 12:48b)

I don't know about you, but I'm not content to just eat and get fat. I want to share my "food," share my experiences with God, share His love, bring healing to the brokenhearted and set the captives free. This is what I was destined to do, my purpose...the piece of the Father's heart I carry. What part do you carry? If you don't know, I encourage you to ask Him. He has been waiting for you to ask!

Pray with me...Dear Papa, I'm no longer content to sit at Your table and feast without sharing the bounty with those around me. I'm tired of making it all about me, my needs and my wants. I recognize I am blessed to be a blessing. I want to see what you see in this world. I want my heart to break for what breaks Yours. I want to use what I "know" of You and represent You well to others. Papa teach me to put love into action, truth into action...I want to be a living, breathing, walking around example of the gospel of Christ. I want my words and actions to bring You glory and draw others into the abundant and free life You have generously bestowed upon me. Thank You for making the way. Thank You for trusting me, Papa. Thank You for life. Amen!"

It's time for the body of Christ to start assimilating what they know in a spirit of love. There is a world out there dying, literally and figuratively, to know and experience the love of Christ...what if you are the means to bring that freedom to someone? Why not you and why not now? This is the gospel and it makes MY SOUL SING!

If you enjoy My Soul Sings I invite you to become a follower of this blog. If this post has ministered to you, please feel free to share it with friends! Blessings on you!

Sweeter than Candy!

"Complaining in the Kingdom doesn't get you candy." I heard this said in a sermon I was listening to by Kris Vallotton and it really sparked some thought in this ole' head of mine.

The overall message wasn't necessarily about the direction I am taking this blog...it just sparked some thought which led to revelation for me personally...which, in my opinion, is too good not to share:)

After Kris made this statement he went on to the give the example of a child throwing a temper tantrum in the grocery store, begging mom for candy. You know how the story ends, because I think we (parents) have all been in this story...you get the child candy, in hopes of shutting them up and keeping peace. Not the end of the world if this is a rare occurrence, BUT if this becomes a pattern we really are doing our children a disservice by teaching them complaining/throwing a fit/whining gets them what they want in life. Although this may be true to some degree i.e. complain in a restaurant about the food or service and you may get a free meal out of it, it isn't how God does business....in other words, it's not kingdom.

I will be the first one to confess I have parented this way...giving in to my girls just to make peace...but then I was challenged several years ago by Matthew 5:37 in several areas of my life, but particularly in the parenting department. My paraphrase of Matthew 5:37 is, "Let your yes be yes and your no be no."

My girls don't push the envelope as much these days, especially my older daughter. I have even overheard her say to one of her friends, "when my mom says no, she means no. There's no need in begging her."

Okay, so you may be wondering where I am taking this...I'm getting there...

I started to think of how God parents us. Sometimes we pray and ask for something and the answer, or lack of answer, can be translated as a no from God. Then I am reminded of the story of Abraham and Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham was in true relationship with God and in Genesis 18 we see him plead with God on behalf of the righteous in Sodom. If you are not familiar with this story I would encourage you to go read it. Very encouraging and empowering to know we can have this kind of relationship with the God of the universe!!!

What I gleaned from this is I want to teach my children they can persuade (not manipulate) me, just as we can pray to God and persuade Him. You might have trouble comprehending we can persuade God, but we can probably agree that one of the purposes of prayer is to come into alignment with His heart. I think this is just another facet of what true relationship with Father God looks like...intimacy, where you see His heart and He knows yours...and because He is a good Father He wants to fulfill our desires, but they must be in accordance with His character and His word.

If I can see one of my daughters truly has a heart desire for what they are asking for I will do everything in my ability to fulfill their request...no complaining, begging or whining required!

No, complaining truly doesn't get you candy in the Kingdom, but it does get you something, but not anything you would want...it gives you an all access pass to visit the realm of darkness. It will empower the enemy to move in your life. I love the quote by Bill Johnson, "complaining is to the demonic what praise is to God."

As Psalm 100:4 tells us, "enter His presence with thanksgiving and His courts with praise."

I want to dwell in His presence...complaining doesn't put me there, praise does. I want to parent my girls like Father God parents me. I want everything I do and say to reflect the kingdom of God. What about you?

Thankful for the process of learning to live with a Kingdom mindset one step at a time. My Soul Sings with praise and thanksgiving for my Jesus and that, my friends, is sweeter than any candy!

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

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!

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!

Passionate about Purpose Part III

Welcome back to our Passionate about Purpose series. This is part three of our journey. If you are just now joining us hop on down to the first post in the series and read up.

In short review, in our last post we learned striving is a nasty word. We took a brief look at what drives us to strive and how our worth is NOT found in what we do.

Today we are going to discuss what leads to ministry burnout. In our first post I posed several questions to you. One of them was, "Are you, or have you, felt burnout in the area of ministry or Christian service?" If the answer was "yes", hopefully, today's post will shed some light and give you a direction in which to move.

As Christians I believe we all come to a point in our lives where we ask the question, "is this all there is?" If we are honest with ourselves, and each other, most of us have thought it and some of us have even verbalized it. Of course, with this thought comes a good deal of guilt, shame and condemnation. After all, He gave us the greatest gift imaginable, shouldn't we find pure joy in serving Him? The answer is "YES!" Serving Him should be pure joy....so why is it not for many?

Presence and overflow. Two key words which should be at the top of your Christian vocabulary list....way before the word service or servant. In this post we will focus on presence.

I have often said, "without the presence of God we can just all go home." What I mean by this statement is if we aren't hosting the presence of God in our life, especially in the area of Christian service, what we are doing is basically worthless. You might get the best Amy I have, but if His presence isn't on it, the best Amy is useless.

Let's see if I can make this a little clearer...can you think of a time you were in a church service, perhaps a weekend retreat or conference and the atmosphere felt absolutely lifeless? The music was good, the preaching or teaching was average, but something just seemed to be missing? I certainly have experienced this, in fact, most of my life I would say this was my opinion of church and church functions. You go to church and you go to these functions because it's what "good" Christians do, but it's not because they put a fire in your belly, it's because you feel obligated. This my friends is going through the motions. There came a time in my life I recognized there had to be more than this. The God I read about in the Bible simply wasn't this lifeless and boring! Jesus came so we could have life, abundant life (John 10:10.)

After being under the power and presence of God, I can now recognize when the Spirit has left the "building." I love the book by R.T. Kendall, "Sensitivity to the Spirit." He tells of the story in the Bible where Mary and Joseph have been to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. On their way back Mary and Joseph realize Jesus is not with them...it took them three days to realize this!!!! Now, we might read this story and think that is crazy...THREE DAYS! Would it take you three days to realize your child wasn't with you? Pastor Kendall likens this to the Dove (Holy Spirit.) How many times have we moved on in ministry, a church service, etc. without the presence of the Dove? Stuck in our routines, relying on our talents and the Dove has left the building and we don't even notice!

I really haven't done the subject of hosting the presence justice. How can I describe in a few words the magnitude of the power of His presence? I hope you will dig deeper in this subject and I pray Holy Spirit brings you wisdom and revelation...He, after all, is the very best teacher!

So, what is the cure for ministry burnout? I hope you are seeing the answer...it's His presence, but it's also overflow.

What is overflow? I am so glad you asked:) Overflow is the result of spending time in His presence, at His feet, in His lap, in the secret place with Him. When we seek Him we are promised in Scripture we will find Him (Jer. 29:13.) This is your greatest purpose as a child of the King! You were created to worship and love Him. If this is ALL you ever did, you will have fulfilled your highest calling.

In our next post we will discuss this purpose in greater detail and how if we live in a place of worship and overflow, serving Him is a natural by-product! Doesn't that sound wonderful and liberating? Serving Him is a natural by-product of spending time with Him!!!!!

Yes, we have made it harder than He ever designed it to be! Isn't He brilliant? If we would just slow down and seek Him life would be far more rewarding and enjoyable!

If you have spent any significant amount of time here at "My Soul Sings" you will recognize I am a proponent of experiencing God. I fully believe we were made to experience His goodness, power, love and grace in a tangible way. I also value His Word. It is both His written Word (logos) and His spoken word (rhema) that empowers me to walk in His presence and in His power. I have a tangible God. We are instructed to "taste and see He is good" (Psalm 34:8.)

Maybe you are hesitant to "experience" God. I am not here to change your mind, but to share my story of how He changed me and brought me into abundant life. Walking in lifeless religion, void of relationship and experience, didn't work for me...so I leave you with the question, "how's it working for you?" Yep, think about that one...

Until next time, I pray He reveals Himself to you as deep cries out to deep...your soul longs for Him. My Soul Sings because I have found what, no Who, it was crying out for...you can too!

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

Passionate about Purpose Part II

Woo-hoo, my life has been full lately! What about yours? Happy to report the home church we are helping to start had it's first service last week and God blew us away...but, He always does when you are submitted to Him. Thank You, Jesus for such an opportunity. Normally today I would be ministering but I have the day off and I am so glad to get around to blogging! YAY!

In our first post about Passion and Purpose we asked some questions. We started to break down Psalm 46:10 and learned striving is truly the "s" word:) Briefly, we discussed how God desires us to be His friends and lovers, not just servants. It is from our relationship with Him that we serve from the overflow. If you haven't read the first post, I suggest you start there, because these posts are building upon each other.

Today we are going to take a look at what drives us to strive. I say "a look" because I can't begin to cover the roots of striving completely. I can only really share from what I have personally experienced.

As I said in the previous post, striving denotes a "doing" mentality. When we put our focus on "doing" instead of His presence, we fall into the Martha trap. If you are unfamiliar with the story of Mary and Martha in the Bible I suggest you read Luke 10:38-42. I recently heard a pastor say if you are in a Martha season, by all means, get out! Jesus rebuked Martha twice!

I once was Martha. When I hosted a gathering at my home perfection was the goal, details reigned supreme and I would bit your head off (just ask my husband and children) if you walked through the kitchen. Instead of focusing on creating an atmosphere of love for my guests I created one of tension and stress. As Jesus said to Martha, "Martha, Martha, you are worried about and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her."

Pastor Bill Johnson teaches on the importance of not putting principles over the presence (of God.) Principles are good and necessary for order, but shouldn't take precedence over hosting the presence of God. It's in the presence of God where people are touched, transformed, healed and loved!

So, what might gear a person toward being a Martha instead of a Mary, toward striving instead of serving from overflow? For me it was driven out of a need to please and perform for the approval of others. I had to be the best at what I did...sadly, it didn't matter how much collateral damage there was in the process. Needing approval of others is just the surface of what fuels this kind of behavior. Unworthiness is a nasty beast driving this "striving" and "doing" mentality as well. Maybe if I do my best I can be worthy of love and acceptance. This is placing our value in what we do, not who we are in Christ.

God loves you for you. Period. When we try to "work" for His approval we are in essence saying His grace wasn't enough for us....and how prideful is that?!? Do you think what Jesus did on the cross was enough? The deceiver works overtime to keep us believing the lie we are unworthy. What I am about to say is strong and I don't say it to condemn...but really, when we say we aren't worth the sacrifice Christ made we are calling Him a liar...because, Beloved, He said you were worthy enough for Him to die for. Is your sin so bad that He needs to go back onto the cross and suffer it all again? Of course not....so, why do we live with a cloud of shame and unworthiness? Hopefully we can shed some light on this topic in the future.

Perhaps you have struggled with unworthiness (I haven't met anyone who hasn't at one time, me included.) When we are shrouded in a cloud of unworthiness we believe He couldn't possibly want to spend time with us....so we neglect spending time with Him and our hearts become empty...then we take our empty hearts and try to "serve" Him...which is the pre-cursor to ministry burn out. Which is where we will pick up next time!

In the meantime might I encourage you to seek the Lord if you struggle with the ungodly belief you are unworthy. If you find value in what you do, instead of who Christ's makes you, ask Jesus where the ungodly root is. Start with this prayer or something like it:

"Father God, You created me for relationship with You. To be in Your presence and to serve from a place of presence. I have struggled with striving and have tried to earn Your grace. I confess I have believed the lie I was not worthy and denied Your gift of grace and the work of the cross. Jesus, Your blood makes me worthy. I receive Your robe of righteousness. Father, help me. Show me areas in my heart where there are lies I am believing about how You feel about me. I want to receive everything You have for me. I want to walk in FREEDOM and JOY and serve from the OVERFLOW of my relationship with YOU! Thank You, Papa, You give me only good gifts. Thank You for Your grace. I love You!"

Now turn your eyes toward heaven....listen....He is going to talk to your spirit. Write it down and meditate on what He reveals to you.

Serving from a heart of overflow, hosting His presence which brings the kingdom of heaven to earth makes MY SOUL SING! Lalalalalala, can you hear it singing? Yours can sing too!

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

Sarcasm Exposed

"Ever been engaged in a conversation with someone and you were attempting to disclose your deepest feelings only to have them deflect your sincerity with sarcasm? Their response to your disclosure was exposure."

This quote is taken from a blog post I read yesterday by Randall Worley. It spoke to my heart so poignantly I shared a link to it on my Facebook. I have been mulling it over in my heart and mind ever since. I wanted to share with you what Holy Spirit has revealed to me through the words given to Randall.

Someday I hope to blog about a concept I will refer to as spiritual mirrors. In short a spiritual mirror is something the Lord uses to reveal to you something about you that needs refining to look more like Jesus. It is a mirror because it is usually revealed to me through another person. What you find most aggravating about someone's personality is sometimes a mirror to something you also do. OUCH! Yes, I know, it hurts.

Randall's post on incessant sarcasm is a spiritual mirror for me. Allow me to explain. I have often been hurt by sarcasm. Maybe you have thick skin and aren't effected by sarcasm. Not me. I am a feeler and my vulnerability and transparency can often leave me as a target for what Randall refers to in the opening quote as "disclosure exposure."

I could end this post here and it would be enough, but there is more and I would be remiss not to be vulnerable and transparent with you. I would like to be able to write that I had only been a victim of sarcasm, but alas, I am afraid this is the "mirror" part...I have also been guilty of dealing out my fair share of incessant sarcasm. Yes, I have hurt others in an attempt to make myself more comfortable. OUCH!

To those of you reading this post that know me, if I have hurt or offended you with sarcasm, please except my sincerest, most heart-felt apologies. This is an area I have now submitted to the Lord for refining and pruning. It is never acceptable to use sarcasm to bring pain, one-upmanship or to avoid being "real."

A friend shared with me the Greek word from which we derive the word sarcasm from:

σαρκάζω (sarkazo) which means 'to tear flesh.'

Has your heart ever been torn by sarcastic comments? Have you been guilty of wielding such comments that tear flesh? I think most of us could answer yes to both questions, although some have more of a struggle in this area than others.

Randall is the type of blogger I hope to become someday...he blogs almost daily and his blogs most always invite me to contemplate deeper things with God. I invite you to check out his blog, but be advised he isn't your mainstream pastor/writer. He goes deep into the things of God...often times making one question theology so readily accepted in the mainstream church.

Going deeper with God makes My Soul Sing! Now, if you dare, go read the post that inspired this one here.

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!

Complaints Not Welcomed Here

"Complaining is to the devil what praise is to God." When I saw this quote from Bill Johnson, I knew there was great truth in it.

Praise is our way of acknowledging God, of keeping Him on the throne of our life. Praise is one way we show our love and thankfulness to God. Praise keeps us mindful of His presence and focused on His heart.

In His presence we find peace, strength, rest, love, comfort, joy and much more! Living from His presence equips us to live a Spirit filled life, bringing heaven to earth, advancing His kingdom. This is the will of God...and praise is the key to unlocking all of it! Just writing about it sets my heart on fire... Praise, Presence and Peace...my three favorite words beginning with the letter "p!" I might just tuck that away for a title of a future blog post;)

I guess you know where this is going...if praise empowers God in our lives, what or Who does complaining empower? Keep in mind the enemy comes to kill, steal and destroy. Jesus came to give us abundant life (see John 10:10.) Praise leads to abundance and fulfillment. Complaining sets your eyes on the work of the enemy...actually, complaining comes into agreement with the enemy.

Now, I'm not saying there isn't room for constructive criticism. Constructive criticism has its place to bring about betterment of ourselves and others. Constructive criticism should offer a plan of action, something you can do to make the situation better. Please do not confuse the two:)

Complaining can be driven by a critical spirit, jealousy, or rejection, to name a few sources. A chronic complainer most likely is not living a life of fulfillment, joy or peace in Christ. I know. I was one.

Let's take a look at some scriptures first about the tongue in a negative sense:

Proverbs 4:24 "Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips."

Proverbs 10:19 "When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise."

Proverbs 12:16 "A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult."

Proverbs 13:3 "He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin."

Proverbs 21:23 "He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity."

Philippians 2:14 "Do everything without complaining or arguing."

WOW! There's more where those came from...if you want more conviction camp out in Proverbs for awhile... WARNING: Wear closed toe shoes!

On a more positive note, let's take a glance at some verses on praise and words of life:

Psalms 34:8-9 from the Message, "Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see-how good God is. Blessed are you who run to Him. Worship God if you want the best, worship opens doors to all His goodness."

Proverbs 10:11 "The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life!"

Proverbs 15:15b "A cheerful heart has a continual feast."

Proverbs 16:24 "Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones."

Proverbs 17:22 "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."

I could continue, but I think you get the concept.

I posed a challenge on my Facebook yesterday to go the entire day without complaining. Many of my Facebook friends participated. Some shared they were successful with not speaking complaints aloud, but still struggled to take the thoughts captive. That's awesome! The first step is learning to recognize it before it leaves your lips!

At one point in the day I realized I had talked less, not wanting a complaint or critical comment to leave my mouth. Guess there is much wisdom in Proverbs 10:19 about when words are many, sin is not absent:) Lesson learned...talk less!

Having success in the challenge was empowering to me. I felt wonderful and my spirit was uplifted. Our words really do carry much power, either to bless or to curse. I want to bless.

You might be thinking, "Amy, this all sounds good, but really, no complaining...I think I might explode!" God knows our humanness and His Word is full of instruction. Let's take a peek at some:

Psalm 62:8 "Trust in Him at all times, O' people, pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge."

Psalm 142:1 "I cry aloud to the Lord; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy. I pour out my complaint before Him; before Him I tell my trouble."

I am so thankful for David! Don't you just love how honest he is? He doesn't try to sugar coat or downplay what's bothering him. He just tells God exactly what he is feeling. What an awesome example for us! There have been many times when I have gone into my bedroom closet and beat the floor with my fist because I was mad at God. He's God and, trust me, He can handle it. By pouring my heart out to Him I was able to express the deep emotions of my heart, as ugly as they were, in the safety of His presence. The wonderful thing about it was I left the "ugly" at His feet and came out the other side of the rant session with His perspective and peace.

Honestly, when I back-up my truckload of complaints and dump them on a friend or, more likely, my husband I might feel better temporarily, but without addressing the root of what feeds my need to complain, any relief is fleeting. Have you ever listened to someone rant and rave? Ever felt slimed by it? It is very draining to be in relationship with a chronic complainer or critical person...again I know...I was one.

There are times when you need to share your heart with a friend or spouse in order to get Godly counsel or perspective...but hopefully your "venting" doesn't sound like the teacher on Charlie Brown, "wah, wah, wah, wah, wah, wah."

I have heard it takes 21 days to form a new habit. It is my desire to live a complaint free lifestyle. I am purposing for 21 days to not complain in hopes of it becoming a habit!

If you are interested in learning more about the important connection between our emotions and our health I suggest you read "Deadly Emotions" by Don Colbert, M.D. For more on speaking blessings check out "Blessing Your Spirit" by Sylvia Gunter and Arthur Burk.

If you are interested in participating in "21 days to a complaint free lifestyle" join with me in this prayer.

Dear Daddy, I am so thankful You have empowered me to change. You are taking me from glory to glory and I am being transformed into the likeness of Jesus. I want to live a life in complete surrender and praise to You. I want my words, thoughts and actions to reflect Your heart. I want to empower You, Daddy, to move in my life and the lives of those around me. I want my life to reflect Your heart to a broken and dying world. I want others to see the difference You have made in me and are continuing to make in me. Teach me, Holy Spirit, to talk and live like Jesus did. May I know the difference between complaining and Godly rebuke and correction. May my words be spirit as Your words are Spirit, spirit that brings life, not death. Daddy forgive me for the many times my words have spoken death and criticism that has been destructive. I break agreement with the power I have given the enemy through my ungodly words. I purpose to pour out my heart like water before You and bring my complaints to You. Instruct me Lord. Give me Your perspective, align my heart with Your heart. I want to reflect You! I love You, Daddy. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, I love You, I love You, I love You, I praise You! In Jesus' name, AMEN!

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 and the Boogie Man

Those of you with children raised during the Veggie Tale era will recall the song "God is bigger than the boogie man." This is a profoundly true statement! But, how many of us live like the opposite is true?

Okay, so maybe not the opposite...but how many of us, if we were really honest, have subconsciously lived like Satan is an equal opponent to God? Our head knowledge tells us otherwise, but the way we live sometimes tells another story.

It wasn't too long ago that I might have believed and/or said the following statements, "God is moving in a mighty way in my life and I can tell Satan doesn't like it" (then living anticipating an attack) or "Because I'm engaged in spiritual warfare I've opened myself up to an attack of the enemy" or chalking up everything going wrong in my life to spiritual warfare.

Now when I hear statements similar to these, I cringe. What I have come to realize is by believing these statements we are in essence making Satan an equally equipped opponent of God...he is NOT! Beliefs like this also bring attention to the enemy, in a way I feel like they glorify him. Instead of focusing on how big our God is we are looking for the devil behind every bush...expecting a move on his part.

I believe in living from heaven to earth. After all scriptures tells us we are seated in heavenly places with Christ (see Ephesians 2:6.) If we are heavenly minded, living from a renewed mind (Romans 12:2) we are less likely to empower Satan. Yes, you read that correctly...I believe we empower him.

Now, I've told you before I'm no theologian. I am no Bible scholar by any stretch of the imagination...but I have the Holy Spirit as my Teacher and this is where I have landed...

Adam and Eve lived with authority over every living thing, free from sin, in the garden before the fall. After the fall they lost their authority. The rest of the Old Testament tells of a forthcoming Savior and our need for a Redeemer. In the New Testament Jesus comes and fulfills the law . His death, burial and resurrection give us back all authority in His name (Matthew 28:18.)

Jesus gave us back what Adam and Eve lost. This is the simplified version...and I certainly do like simple:)

After coming to this simple truth I realized I had not lived from this perspective and therefore I had forfeited the resurrection power of Jesus Christ and the indwelling presence Holy Spirit give me. I had not been living in my inheritance as a disciple called to do greater works (John 14:12.)

Bill Johnson puts into words best what this post is trying to convey:

"Don't live in reaction to darkness, instead live in response to Truth."

"If we live in reaction to the devil, he sets our agenda. He is not worthy. We are to live in response to God."

So what has this looked like when practically applied to my life? I live with my eyes focused upward. I feed my mind on Truth. I cast down any negative thoughts (II Corinthians 10:5.) When discouragement comes I purpose to look to the Father and ask Him how He sees the situation. Though I am aware of the enemy, I do not look for him or expect him to automatically try to thwart the plans God has for my life. If you are looking for the enemy chances are you aren't looking toward God.

We've only just scratched the surface on this topic. You may be thinking I am an ostrich with my head in the sand. Trust me, I know ignoring the enemy won't make him go away and I am fully aware of that. My next post will talk about how we give the enemy authority in our lives by opening the door to sin in our lives. Revelation of this has impacted my life in ways I can't even describe, but I will attempt to in my next post!

In the mean time I encourage you to spend less time looking for or out for Satan and more time renewing your mind with the Sword of Truth! The battle is fought and won in your mind...so by all means, RENEW IT daily!

Living from heaven to earth, renewing my mind and focusing on Jesus has empowered me to walk victoriously and this makes my soul not only sing, but shout, "Thank you, Jesus!"

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!