Remember Who You Are

There is a plastic, silver tiara sitting on my bedside table. It is covered with colorful plastic jewels and actually hurts my head if I put it on. But it will stay there for a very special reason...it reminds me of who I really am. It reminds me that my King is calling me to dance with Him. It reminds me that I have a role to play and if I choose to stay a wallflower in the spirit, much will be lost.

Several months ago, at a ladies retreat, we discussed our value and purpose as princesses of the King. Since then there have been moments I have been filled with faith and have raised my Sword to wield the enemy useless in my life and the lives of others. And there have been other times, I'm sad to say, I have denied my identity and hid behind a bush with dirt on my knees, ashamed as the King came by.

The dirty and tattered clothes I wear some days comes in the form of selfishness, discouragement, pride, and self-pity, to name a few. And because I know I am called to more than this, when I realize I've given in, believed a lie for awhile or clung to an attitude that felt justifiable.....instead of running to Him I run from Him. Reminds me of Eve. The good thing is I think my times of hiding are becoming less frequent and much shorter. Where else can we go really that does us any good than to run to Him in our time of failure? of need? of disappointment? He is truly the one who sets us back on our feet, applies pressure to the bleeding wound, or gives the exact encouragement we are desperate for.

Tonight I felt to remind you of who you really are and that, yes, He is calling your name. I pray this encourages your heart and keeps your eyes looking at Jesus regardless of your circumstances.

Song of Solomon 2:14 "O my dove (that's you) in the clefts of the rock, In the secret places of the cliff, Let me see your face, Let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet and your face is lovely." (Don't hide from HIM)

Matthew 25:34 "Come, you who are blessed by my Father; TAKE your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world."

Jeremiah 31:3 "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with lovingkindness."

Listen, remember that we are the Bride of Christ. Don't be discouraged and condemn yourself as the Holy Spirit begins to put His finger on areas of your life that need His cleansing. This is an incredible privilege and honor. We are being prepared. Yield yourself as the BRIDE to this preparation and conviction. Don't run and sink into self-pity. It does nothing but keep us in that sinking sand longer. It is time to rise up, remember who we are, and walk. There is privilege and responsibility that comes with our calling as His Bride, His Princesses. And until we accept both of these we will not be happy.

I'll leave you with two other scripture verses to think about tonight and know that the Holy Spirit will individualize them for exactly where you're at.

Isaiah 60:1 "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you."

Isaiah 52: 1-2 "Awake, awake, O Zion, clothe yourself with strength. Put on your garments of splendor, O Jerusalem, the holy city. The uncircumcised and defiled will not enter you again. Shake off your dust; rise up, sit enthroned, O Jerusalem. Free yourself from the chains on your neck, O captive Daughter of Zion."

Step away from the wall....He's calling you to DANCE.

Julie's Prayer

This is the true story of how God is still a God of miracles. It is the story of how a very big God loves each and every one of us and how He does answer prayer. It beautifully displays that when we take a step out or a risk to truly trust Him, He faithfully blesses us in ways we could never imagine....

Colleen is a woman who has been attending our church for a few years. She came to know God and surrender her life to Him after much loving persistance and many prayers of love through a beautiful young woman named Michelle.

Colleen signed up to go on a Go Missions trip last year with no idea of how the money would come together, no idea of how she could possibly lead a devotional and certainly no idea how she would survive a flight across the ocean. But she had a knowing inside that God was calling her to go, so she took a step of faith and chose to trust in God.

Soon, after many answered prayers, some tears and a lot of holding onto fellow teammates, Colleen was on a plane headed to the Ukraine to work with orphan children. Here is an exerpt from her journal while she was there....

" Today we spent some time at the camp with the children. All these kids want is some attention, a hug. A small thing that means so much to them. I now know why God picked me to go on this trip and why I had so many obstacles to overcome to get here. At the camp, I met a young girl by the name of JULIE. Julie was the only black orphan there. When she first saw me, she just stared." (Colleen is also black)

Julie had prayed to God that when the Canadians came He would send someone who looked like her. Colleen and Julie cried and Colleen told her that God had heard her prayers and answered her.

" I do believe that God sent me on this mission for Julie, who was waiting in the orphanage for someone who looked like her. God is real, He is alive, and He does perform miracles."

" I wasn't sure what to expect on this missions trip, but it turned out to be harder than I had anticipated. I didn't know how touched I would be, or what God had in store for me, but I do know that with God, all things are possible."

" I have a picture of myself and Julie on a stand in my livingroom along with a letter that she wrote to me. Not a day goes by that I don't think of her. Julie is not the only child I made a connection with in the Ukraine, but she is the one that God had waiting for me. A part of me is still there, and I brought a piece of her home with me, in my heart."

" The last day that I spent with Julie was an extremely hard day. We cried a lot and hugged a lot. I promised her that I would never forget her. I told her at night when she was looking at the stars, that I would be looking at them and thinking of her....that God loved her and would watch over her....that all she had to do was believe in Him."

I pray this story of God's incredible personal love touched your heart. I needed many kleenex the first time I heard it! I want to leave you to think about what God may be asking of you. It might not be a missions trip...it could be offering a prayer for someone at work, it could be mending a broken relationship, maybe stepping out in a way you never dreamed....on the other hand :) it might BE a MISSIONS TRIP! I end with a few more words from Colleen...

"There is something in missions for all of us. There are miracles and memories waiting to happen. You shouldn't let your fears or other obstacles hold you back. If you feel it is in you to go, take that step and DO IT. Trust God for all the rest...I did and look what God has done for me."

Perfect Love

Think for a minute about someone you dearly love. Pause. Yeah, really do it. Have that person in your mind? Spouse, brother, sister, son, daughter, mother, father, friend? Now imagine someone has unjustly accused them. Someone is questioning their character. Someone is slandering their reputation.

What is your response? Are you afraid to defend them? Would you need to pause in order to think of something to say? I don't think so. The reason you would jump to their defense is because you truly KNOW and deeply LOVE them. Whenever this has happened to me, even though my heart may be pounding, I find I'm able to push past whatever fear I may have of confronting and speak. Actually, the challenge is to speak in a way that would be pleasing to the Lord! Fear doesn't hinder you because your love for the person is stronger than the fear.

The reality is this...when you love someone you have boldness and confidence where they are concerned. You want to spend time with them. You stand your ground in defending them. AND you BELIEVE in the love they have for you.

I remember several years ago I was struggling to believe God's love for me. I knew in my head it was true but I was not walking as a beloved daughter. I questioned His love. I was constantly afraid that every mistake brought Him great disappointment and then because I was afraid I would allow silence to come between us. He said this to me, "Yanna, if one of your sons came to you constantly and asked you....mom, do you love me? Day after day, the same question... would it not grieve your heart?" I realized that it would because it would show they were not believing in my love for them. I got it!

When we believe and know the love God has for us, our love for Him will grow. We will have confidence to come before Him. Fear will go and be replaced by boldness as we grow rooted in that love. Then when the time comes that someone questions us, a passion for Him will naturally flow out our mouth and our attitudes. Boldness that is born out of our love for Jesus and His love for us breaks the grip of fear.

1John 4:18 There is no fear in love (dread does not exist), but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and so he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love (is not yet grown into love's complete perfection).
-Amplified Bible

A beautiful way to get rooted in this love is to memorize the Word. Why not start with 1John 4: 12-19?

Love you,
Yanna

Come Up Here

It's been awhile since I've had a moment of inspiration but this morning I woke up to the SOUND of a TRAIN. NO kidding! It was so loud! I laughed quietly and smiled. Today I just had a feeling I'd hear from the Lord in a way I haven't for a bit.

Can you remember being a young child, standing in a crowd of people....maybe waiting for a parade, watching for the clowns to come by and pass out candy or a balloon? As you're waiting, the crowd is growing, pressing in around you on every side. The frustration mounts as you try your best to get up on tiptoes to catch a glimpse of the firetruck or the marching band as it passes by. I can't see! You start to yell over and over. I can't see!

Last week the band STARFIELD held a concert at our church. The boys had been looking forward to it for months. We were able to get to the front row for the concert. Being pastors kids has to have some perks, doesn't it?? It wasn't long before the auditorium was packed with teenagers, filled with anticipation...waiting. The minute STARFIELD walked through the door and onto the stage the front of our church was flooded with young people. Great, but unfortunately this stampede did something not so great for my boys. Their great front row view was completely blocked. The look on their faces...well you can imagine. MOM, we've been waiting for months to see STARFIELD and now all we can see is the back pocket of someone's jeans!

I thought maybe the problem would go away....the kids would shift places and they'd be able to catch a glimpse.....not gonna happen. No question, if the boys were going to get anything out of this concert, we had to change our location. Higher ground in our church is the balcony! Up we went and even though we were farther away we could see everything....a much clearer view.

Some days this is what life feels like. The circumstances we face are pressing in, people are clamoring for questions to be answered, the path before us is obscured, our unmet needs are screaming for fulfillment and a deep cry is simmering inside.... I can't see! I can't see! This is when we need to hear our Father's reply. He says to us ....COME UP HERE, my child. He wants to pick us up and put us on His shoulders, hold our hands so we don't lose our balance and help us to see from His perspective.

If you're feeling as though you're drowning in a sea of unanswered questions today, lift your hands up to your Father and ask Him to pick you up and carry you high above what you don't understand. He will lift you up as you COME UP HERE and lean not on your own understanding, but lean the weight of your cares on His shoulders.

Deuteronomy 33:12 "About Benjamin he said, Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders."