We are not grasshoppers

Have you ever faced a situation in life where things just seemed out of your reach, and believed it to be in an impossible situation?

If so, I found some encouragement from the book of Numbers where Moses sends out 12 men to spy out the land of Canaan with specific instructions.  

Image by 용한 배 from Pixabay

Num 13:18  and see what the land is like: whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, few or many; 19  whether the land they dwell in is good or bad; whether the cities they inhabit are like camps or strongholds; 20  whether the land is rich or poor; and whether there are forests there or not. Be of good courage. And bring some of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes.

Verse 20 stood out to me. Moses wanted the first fruits of the land. It was the season of the first ripe grapes.  To me, this says quite a bit. The Lord was giving them a harvest of firstfruits.

When the 12 spies returned they submitted their report. A land flowing with milk and honey, and the evidence, the fruit of the land.

The report also said stong people, fortified cities, descendants of Anak, in other words, giants lived in the land.

Num 13:33 There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.

Joshua and Caleb were the only two out of the 12 that saw an opportunity and were ready to take possession.

Friends, we are not grasshoppers. We are not small, we are not insignificant. We cannot see ourselves as a bug that can be stepped on, we are much better than that.

While you are scouting your land, there will always be those around you that do not see or ask what God has for you. The won´t pray for you nor offer prayer but will be quick to show you their ¨concern¨ when you are dreaming big.  

Many times we need to see beyond our natural ability and tap into what God´s future is before us.  Yes, there will always be giants in our land, they will never go away. We each have our own giants to deal with, but God is bigger.

If the Lord is sending you into a new land, it is for you to conquer, not to fail. God does not set us up for failure.

God loves to answer in extraordinary ways.

He loves to surprise us.

I would like to encourage you to scout or spy out your land if you do not already have one.  Maybe your land is a new move, a change in work, ministry, or something else.

Don´t see yourself as a grasshopper, but see this as an opportunity for God to slay those giants that stand before you.

The Lion Roars at his enemy

During my journaling time with the Lord, I began thanking Him for our blessings, our plans, and thanking Him that our desires and prayer request are at the door.  

I was actually encouraging myself in the Lord with music and gratitude when I was surprised by the following statement.

Image by Ian Lindsay from Pixabay

Roar your promises.

What?

Roar your promises. So I began to list the promises and prayer request we are believing for, keeping silent.

I paused and meditated on what I heard.

I was not to pray them in, I was to roar them in. 

“The LORD roars from Zion… and the heavens and the earth tremble.” (Joel 3:16)

I really did not know or understand what this meant, so I did a search and came across this teaching here.

We watched the teaching, read the handout and hubby and I roared together.

In one particular exercise, we both had the exact same communication from the Lord, the others were very similar.

In the end, we felt our list of prayer petitions was moved forward. This is new to me, to us and it is from God because I could not make this up.

Many times we may not understand everything, but with the guidance of the Holy Spirit we can be assured that God has our best interest at heart.

I am excited to see how things will move in our favor and will be sure to let you know.

 

 

How to see in the spirit exercise

In my last post regarding Seeing in the Spirit,  I shared my journey into something new and the beginning steps to achieve this goal.

Today I would like to share with you an exercise these books suggest you do to increase your capacity to “see” in the spiritual realm.  If you have not yet purchased these books, I encourage you to do so.

 

One of these exercises to seeing in the spirit is the following: I am to sit or lie down in a darkened room that has some light present, but not much. This exercise works well for me in the mornings, as the sunlight is starting to shine through the blinds in our bedroom.  Where I live sunrise is 5:30 a.m, every morning, every day, all year round.

In this exercise, I am to “look” at the empty space between me and the ceiling, or a far wall for ten minutes, and try to detect any images that appear and make note of them. I am not to dismiss “my eyes playing tricks on me” but pay attention to what I am seeing.  When I do this, I look intently, asking God to open my spiritual eyes so that I can “see.”

As I began doing this exercise, I saw a swirling white object move in the room and it seemed to go from side to side. I also saw something quite strange, and the only way I can explain it, its shape was a volume bar, white in color and it was going from side to side as well.

The next part of this exercise is to ask the Lord what I saw and make a note of it in my journal.

In journaling,  the Lord said the following:  ” What I saw was an Angel called Lapidus, and Lapidus brings joy and peace. The music bar-shaped was another Angel, and this Angel was giving God glory, praise and honor, and exalting his name.  He was dancing, praising God.”

I looked up the meaning of Lapidus, and it means made of stone, pleasant or charming.

We have had our praise music on more than normal since I began doing these exercises, and it has made a difference in our household atmosphere. I sense more peace and joy.

I am encouraged as I began “seeing in the spirit.”  I still have much to learn and grow.  I am seeing dimly for now, but I have faith as I continue these training exercises it will become clearer as I press forward.

I continue to repeat these exercises.  Sometimes I see something new, other times I see the same Angel swirling around.  It is quite fun, to say the least!

I will be sharing another exercise and its results in my next post.

Do you see your life in cycles?

Life is about cycles.

When my mother passed away more than 20 years ago, it was a shock to all of us. It was discovered during her operation, cancer had spread to the liver, and there was nothing the doctors could do.

She was sent home to die, and she did a few weeks later.

We  went back to our lives with work, family, and home. My father understandably had a void in his life that took a time to heal.

Four years after my mother’s death, he remarried and lived ten years in his new marriage until his death.

We  enjoyed seeing a new adventurous side of my father and witnessed him  do and try new things.

In all of this, I observed  doing and learning new things has no age limit.

Life has cycles. There is death,  life, we mature,  grow, we fail and  learn and  continue.

Sadly, there are those that choose to stay stagnant. It could be fear of the unknown and not seeing fit to leave their comfort zone.

They miss out on the excitement the school of life has in store for them.

I have also found  what was important to me a few years ago, is no longer important today.

Why? because of the change that has occurred within me.

I have also learned when life gets tough and discouragement sets in, handing things over to God is essential. Not only for myself but for the  good of my family.

Then, you pick yourself up and keep pressing forward.

We should always try something new, even when we fail. No one can take away what was learned  in the process.

January is around the corner, and instead of the same new year’s resolution that never gets fulfilled, why not put on your list something different.

Some ideas:

• Learn a new skill
• Make new friends
• Read a book out of your normal reading genre
• Eat different foods
• Study a new topic
• Visit a new place

They key is, don´t stay still, keep moving.

Are you willing to try something new?  If so, what will that be?  I would love to hear your thoughts in the comment below.

 

Are you easily discouraged?

I remember a few years ago during a weekend getaway, we decided to go for a morning hike to reach the signal towers for the local television channel.

It did not take long for me to realize the hike would be a challenge.

As I continued with the trek, I made a few stops to rest as I was growing tired.

In one of those rest, I hear a buzzing sound and discover a swarm of bumblebees on the path, directly in front of me.

My husband now at the top of the hill waves and informs me he can see the towers.

What do I do? Should I go in the opposite direction of the swarm, get off the trail, hide or go back down?

I decided to pull the jacket I was wearing over my head and continue the trail to the top of the hill,  walking through the swarm and leaving the bumblebees behind.

I made it to the top of the mountain.

How often do you find yourself ready to give up, because of a distraction that showed up right before you completed your goal?

It has been noted that some  people do give up just before reaching their mark. If only they push through the swarm, they will make it.

Discouragement comes in many varieties, and it happens before, during and after you reach your goal. Discouragement wants you to turn around and go back down the mountain.

Discouragement will say what you are doing is a struggle.

What it will not say is who you become during the process.

If you tire with your hike, it is perfectly fine to take a rest.

Don´t stay there for very long.

What is more important is for you to stay on track and not lose sight of the plans, goals, and dreams that you have set before you.

What are your goals, dreams, visions, and plans? Has discouragement crept in, telling you it´s not worth it, it´s too difficult, you will never make, why try?

You may need to put your jacket over your head to block those distractions, and focus on the mountain peak in front of you.

Don´t give up.

When you block them out, you will find yourself on top of that mountain, ready to tackle your next goal.

The benefits of delayed gratification

I recently read an article regarding delayed gratification. While this term is not new to me, I never really paid much attention to it, much less meditate on the phrase.

As I continued reading the article, this person delayed signing a book contract until he felt he could get a better offer.

It worked.

What is delayed gratification?

It  refers to the ability to put off something mildly fun or pleasurable now, in order to gain something that is more fun, pleasurable, or rewarding later.

I have six brothers and sisters.  My father worked the night shift at a factory, and my mother stayed home raising us kids.  I am sure  by reading this  you could guess  we did not have  extras. We had the basics, and we all turned out just fine.

I remember the trips to the grocery store in  the station wagon. As soon as the groceries were  out of the car and in the kitchen, we would begin eating our ¨extras.¨  We could never save a twinkie for tomorrow, as it would be gone.

I carried this habit into my adult life.  I felt  I needed to have things right away, or else they would be gone, for good.

I associated delayed gratification with poverty and going without, when in reality it is a way for you to receive the best.

Not having and waiting to have the better for your life are two very different things.

I  realized what I believed was a misconception.

Now that I have  a full understanding of this phrase, what are the benefits?

Delayed gratification produces:

• Patience
• Causes maturity
• You will not be impulsive

Moreover,

• You will  choose to invest  in yourself, and forgo the extras that come your way.
• You can do without the goodies  that are purchased at the grocery store or the mall.
• You can  say no to a phone call in order to listen to a webinar, read a book, or study the Bible more.
• Your goal will be achieved quicker.
• You will receive the better.

The best part  is  who you become in the process that is worth gold.

I am very blessed as I have an advantage. My husband supports me in my full-time ministry and in my studies, and I am very grateful to him and to God.

I trust one day  make him and my family proud, and to receive the better at the end.

What you should do while waiting

Upon arrival at the dentist, I was told to wait as the doctor was running behind with a patient.  The receptionist would  often say, ¨The doctor will see you soon.¨

The word  soon turned into an hour.

Time is precious, especially when one is busy.

I was prepared with kindle in purse and read for an hour.

In life, we wait for something  such as:

• To be married
• To have kids
• Our big break
• Our ministry to take off
• To be noticed
• Plans and projects to go through
• and more

What about Jesus?

Jesus knew who he was, and yet He did not start his ministry until he reached the age of 30.  I think He waited  a long time to begin healing the sick, casting out demons,   and raising the dead.

Jesus did not step out of his appointed time.

Many times we want to rush into things, but there are other times where a waiting period is essential.

It´s called preparation, and key for our success.

We prepare our entire lives to begin our craft, our dream, our desire, and when we step out the first time, we fail.

Failure is essential for our  growth and learning, even though it hurts.

We get up and try again, and fail less each time.

With each failure, we learn, mature,  and gain insight into who we are and what we are made of.

We step out  yet again even if no one knows we exist.

The goal is to start and go from there.

• In doing, we become successful.
• In doing, we become proficient
• In doing, we become experts
• In doing, we find joy

Can we start and do something new and different?

Yes.  It is never too late to start pursuing your dreams.

It´s important to come to a place where you can pursue your passion, whatever that may be.  If  you start at a later time in your life  you have an advantage:  many years of preparation and life lessons which cannot be taken away from you.

While Jesus was waiting to begin His ministry, He was not wasting His time, and neither should we.

Spend your time wisely, not letting it slip out of your hands, so when the time come for you to go public, failure will be minimized and you will be noticed.

9 reasons why you should try something new

My husband and I recently began visiting our local farmers market on a regular  basis. This is something new for us, as we would purchase all our fruits and vegetables at our local grocery store.

I noticed a fruit I had never seen called Pitahaya [pit-uh-hahy-uh] .  The vendor began informing me about this fruit.  

Rich in vitamins and has healing properties. The pulp can be eaten or made into a juice.  Taste good, stains badly, be careful.

The fruit went in my bag, and upon trying it at home, it was pretty good.

The old me would never try something new. The new me wants to experiment and try new things.

How did I become from being a conformist, to wanting to try something new?

It began when I started to read everything I could get my hands on at a later time in my life.

In reading, I dared to be creative.  I began to explore in other areas. I was challenged, I became hungry.

As a youngster, I did not have much interest in reading, until one day I had this desire to write. I began reading and  learning about the craft of writing.

In reading, I discovered what I had missed all along. Life.

Have you ever been afraid to step out in faith to try, do or say something that is out of your comfort zone?

I have many times. I have failed when I tried something new, other times I was surprised.

In order to grow, it is necessary to try new things. I am not talking about going against a moral code, but doing something new and different in your life that will improve you.

Do something that is not on the menu.

Why try something new?

Some reason why you should.

1. It will cause your mindset to expand,  learn and grow.
2. You will be able to speak about a topic and hold a decent conversation.
3. You dispel fear- you find it exciting to step out into the unknown.
4. You will continue to be inspired and motivated, and boredom will not be an issue in your life.
5. You may  find something new about yourself, and may be surprised at what you can do.
6. You will discover you are successful at something.
7. You will become energized and will find a boost in confidence.
8. You will discover your strengths and  weaknesses.
9. When you experiment, you become successful.  

Are you trying to find  something in your life that will satisfy you?  Experiment, step out of your comfort zone!  

I have found  trying something new for the first time can be a bit scary, but afterwards, it becomes an adventure.

Go ahead, give it a shot.  Dare to try to be someone better than you are now.  You won’t regret it.