Category Archives: restoration

“Beyond the Surface”

Freedom, Healing, Journey, Love, Protection, redemption, Rest, restoration

Seeing you walk down the street I would have never guessed the level of pain you had faced in your young life here on earth, but then you allowed me to come closer, you invited me into your space. You welcomed me with open arms into your abode, you served from your meager supply and I felt right at home with you. Sitting across the table from you, I began to see study your face and your eyes told of unimaginable levels of pain and shame from your past. We discussed minor things and then eventually moved into deeper things of life and your eyes became downcast and you could no longer meet my gaze. So I handed you a piece of paper and you began to write. As the paper filled up, so did your eyes with countless tears. Your penmanship changed as you described very difficult times in your young life and my heart wept for you as I read your story. I wanted so badly to take the pain away, but I couldn’t, I could only point you to the great Jehovah Rapha, the Lord our Healer. He is able to exceedingly above and beyond all we can ask or think.

Days later we sat beside each other in a church service and you reached for my hand, you gently massaged it and then lovingly held it in your hand as we listened to the Word of God being preached. It was then that the Lord spoke to me and confirmed what I had begun to perceive and understand and it was this:

“In every nation, every tribe and tongue, there’s two main desires that every person has; to know they belong and that they are loved”

It does not matter how pain you have experienced or how much turmoil there has been in your life, there is still a desire to be loved and to belong. It’s a desire put there by Your Heavenly Father to draw you close to Him! It’s nothing to be ashamed of, we are created to be dependent upon Him!

One can try to hide those desires by filling life to the brim with carnal things, but they will not fill the void within your heart, and you will find yourself running on E constantly. Yes, carnal things may bring temporary happiness, but then you will need something else to fill that void. It’s only in the Father, that you will find unending Joy! He is the real Joy giver.

My dear friend, you will not fill that longing deep with your heart, until you run to the Father and allow Him to minister to your heart and spirit. Listen to the words of the psalmist, most likely inspired in a painful time in his own life:

“The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy. The LORD is good to all, And His tender mercies are over all His works.” Psalms‬ ‭145:8-9‬

Now my friend, I challenge you, will you dare to go below the surface and allow the Lord to use you and speak to you, to bring healing to your own life and to those around you? Will you allow Him to use you to Be His hands and feet?

The Red Sea

Freedom, Healing, Journey, Peace, Protection, redemption, restoration

I wonder what it was like that day

As the children of Israel stood on the banks

Of the Red Sea, a seemingly impossible

Obstacle before their very eyes.

The army of Pharaoh overtaking them.

Did the fear from within arise?

In their distress, they cried out to the Lord

The Lord began to speak in a mighty way

“Do not be afraid, stand still and see

The salvation of the Lord above”

For what He will do today for you

Will demonstrate His greatness and love.

“The Lord will fight for you

You only need to be still”

Oh the Word of the Lord spoke clearly

They watched Moses stretch out his hand

Then as the waters begin to part ways

And as the sea became dry land.

The waters now became a wall

To the right hand and the left

They walked across on dry land

Gathering on the other side

They watched their enemy follow

But then it was evident, the Lord was on their side.

Where the waters had been divided

For them to cross the Red Sea

The Lord now caused the waters to return

The way He had appointed and designed

That transpired when there was obedience

And they themselves with the Lord aligned.

We all have a Red Sea on our journey

The obstacle staring us in the face

The enemy threatening us from behind

To find comfort, we want to run and hide

But would you turn your eyes upward

And in your Father wholly confide?

So in your fear and trembling

Cry out to your Father in Heaven

He will hear you in your distress

He will fight for you, but being still you must

He will give you peace beyond understanding

But in Him you must place ALL your Trust.

“Then the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained. But the children of Israel had walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. So the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Thus Israel saw the great work which the LORD had done in Egypt; so the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD and His servant Moses.” Exodus‬ ‭14:28-31‬ ‭

Losing Sight of the Shore

Freedom, Healing, Journey, Protection, Rest, restoration, Safety

It is no secret that we live in a land of abundance and I am so thankful for the blessing of having plenty, however; I am starting to understand that because of the abundance that we have we tend to live safe, comfortable lives, more secure in our cushioned little box than we are in Christ.

Let me share a story with you that happened to me personally while I was in Kenya just earlier this year, it truly was a life changing moment for me.

So several things you should know, is that I am generally terrified of water. Reason number 1 being for the fact that said person cannot swim, therefore putting a fear within me and yes, scripture does say:

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” II Timothy‬ ‭1:7‬

Our team had an incredible time on the short safari we did on our African trip and I thoroughly enjoyed it until I heard the dreaded word “kayak” because I knew that meant somewhere I was going to have to directly face fear and that jus terrified me. I attempted to comfort myself with the fact that I would stay at the lodge and nap(because I was really exhausted) while they went on the kayak trip. That plan didn’t work out well at all, as we are on the game drive and suddenly we stop beside the river and then I knew that my fears were going to have to be faced head on.

So I was paired with one of our incredible team and I, trembling from head to toe got into that kayak, so terrified and just sure I was going to drown somehow. And honestly, I am shocked I didn’t tip the kayak because the spirit of fear was so heavy.

We begin the trek across the waters, and thankfully it was quite calm but I clung to that kayak like we were out on the deep sea on choppy waters.

In my tense and fearful state of being I began to pray, crying out to God for peace and help. And instantly the Father brought to my mind the story of Jesus walking on the water and how He bid Peter to come to Him and as long as Peter’s eyes were fixed upon Jesus he was fine, but the minute he gave into the carnal and noticed the boisterous waters, he began to sink. Let me refresh your memory with the passage of scripture:

” Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.” -Matthew‬ ‭14:25-33‬ ‭

Out on that water in that kayak that I so hated earlier I had to repent and confess that fear, and that I had looked at the carnal instead of focusing on the Father. It was a life changing moment for me, to lose sight of the shore and to rest in the Father. I thoroughly enjoyed the trip back to land when we returned, in fact I didn’t want it to end.

Oswald Chambers says it so well:

If I can stay calm, faithful, and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil of life, the goal of the purpose of God is being accomplished in me. God is not working toward a particular finish— His purpose is the process itself. What He desires for me is that I see “Him walking on the sea” with no shore, no success, nor goal in sight, but simply having the absolute certainty that everything is all right because I see “Him walking on the sea”It is the process, not the outcome, that is glorifying to God”

So my friends, wherever you find yourself in this moment. May you rest in the fact that losing sight of the shore is preparing you for greater purpose all for His Glory🙌🏽

“You Belong”

Freedom, Healing, Peace, redemption, restoration

“And you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. -1Corinthians 6:19‭-‬20

I saw you slip into a chair at the table, then sitting there by yourself. In the little time we had to chat, I could tell you were lonely and the sadness in your voice confirmed that. You seemed desperate, wanting to be friends, yet you hesitated not knowing whether you could trust me. In my spirit, I could tell you longed to know you were loved and that you belonged. We parted ways but I will never forget you. Our paths crossing was not mere coincidence, it was by divine appointment. If not for both of us, then certainly for me.

I want to tell you, I can relate, relate because I was that person. So if you will allow me to share a few things with you, some things that I have experienced, learned, and still am learning on this journey of life.

Deep within each of us are desires and two of them are, to Be Loved and to know We Belong. These two desires are absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. The Father created us for relationships, and it truly is a beautiful thing

” For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well”
Psalms 139:13‭-‬14

Now throughout our journey through life, there will be heartache and hurts, and each time we get hurt emotionally or even physically, and we don’t know how to properly “handle or process” the pain another wall goes up in our heart, because it hurts, and when something is painful our tendency is to make sure it doesn’t hurt again, even if it’s not the best way to prevent it. Then from these hurts, stem lies straight from the pit of hell, and a seemingly endless cycle starts, where you are hurting and so you (often unintentionally) hurt others to cover that pain.

Just hours after I met you today, I was reminded of an incident that happened a number of years ago, at a time when I didn’t even recognize that rejection and loneliness were such a huge part of my life.

It was a Friday night, friends were gathering for an evening of food and games, and I being invited, had already committed to being there. I get to the location where the event was planned and because of the loneliness within my own heart and spirit and the lies the enemy was making me believe, I could not even get out of my own car. I actually left and went back home, crying most of the way home.

It wasn’t that anyone had talked to me, or even knew I had been there. The pain of having been rejected in the past was so real in my heart, and I was so lonely that it forced me to give up, what should have been an evening of fellowship and fun.

Although the enemy may have won that evening, the Father has the final word! He has healed me from That! There is Victory in the Finished work on the Cross! HALLELUJAH!

But now, thus says the Lord, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine.”-Isaiah 43:1

My friends, I want you to hear this: “You Belong” I know your heart is hurting, there’s pain, but I want you to know “You Belong” The Father created you with specific purpose, in fact He knew what each day of your life would be like, before He even formed you. He cares about every detail about you, and He wants to give all pain to Him, so He can heal you!

“Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture” -Psalm 100:3

“He Makes it Beautiful”

Freedom, redemption, restoration

Do you find yourself in a season where you begin to wonder, what good could possibly come out of this particular season? Let me encourage you with some incredible news! You are Not Alone in this season of Life.

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you” -Isaiah 43:2

Also may I remind you that every single thing the Father has ever made, is good! There’s absolutely nothing He’s ever made that’s imperfect.

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”
-James 1:17

If something is imperfect or not good, it’s because it’s not of God! But once again there’s good news, He Restores! And when He restores, it may hurt through the process, but I can assure you of two things! Our FATHER is faithful and He restores everything to perfection!

“Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” -Philippians 1:6

Consider Jesus hanging on the cross, death staring Him straight in the face, yet He was surrendered to the Father’s will, dying for our sins.

“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed” -Isaiah 53:5

Three days later, He arose! The victory over death now won and because of that glorious resurrection! We now have Hope, Hope beyond the grave. Freedom, freedom from sin and bondage! Hallelujah!

So again, I remind you! He Makes ALL things beautiful for His glory! It may not feel Glorious in the moment, but my dear brothers and sisters! Stay faithful, keep your eyes on the prize

You take what is
And you make it beautiful
When love floods in
We’re resorted forever more
With breath that brings the dead to life
With words that pierce the dark with light
Only by the blood are we set free.
With mercy strong to carry shame
And nail it to a tree You alone
Hold the power to redeem
-Lauren

Daigle, Power to Redeem