SPEAKING LIFE, CHOOSING LIFE

On October 17, 2018 I had the pleasure of having an online conversation with Jessica Wendel from her Facebook page, Pure-iosity

It was so much fun! I shared some stories from my journey in overcoming anxiety. Proverbs 18:21 says that "Death and Life are in the power of the tongue" I mean, just sit and think about the truth of this statement! It's so profound. We really have to be mindful of what we speak.

What are you speaking? If you would have asked me this question a couple of years ago I would have to tell you that I spoke death more than life, and I didn't even realize it. I shared that my sister pointed out one day that I spoke death constantly, and you know what? once I took a few minutes to consider her statement, I realized that she was absolutely correct and this did not sit well with me at all. I needed to change this behavior STAT.

My sister created that "Negative Nelly" Jar and this started me on a journey of changing, of being intentional, choosing life.

We found that old Negative Nelly Jar and I just had to share the pictures! Hahaha! She intended to actually charge me, Oh I am so thankful she didn't after all, I would be broke just in the first day. This was an awesome tool to bring me into awareness of my terrible habits, It got to the point that I would hear a paperclip hit the side of the cup and I would self correct. My Pastor says something like " Self Assess and Self Adjust" I love it! that is exactly what started happening.

It's about being intentional and mindful of what your saying and doing. If you know me at all you know that there are times that a conversation with me sometimes sounds a little something like this: Ugh! I'm so dumb, Wait! No I am not, I just didn't understand, or any variation of this comment. It's like my default has been set on negativity and I have to work to overturn it. Actually that is literally what is happening, But I am here to tell you VICTORY will come as you are intentional about changing.

I now hear the negative comment faster than before and can correct it immediately, or I hear it in thought form and than I am able choose to speak life in that moment before the negative is even released.

How did I get here? Glad you asked!

I had to start washing myself in the word of God, by literally reading it over and over, sometimes just 1 verse, but one turned into 2 and so on.

I bought myself an awesome book of God's Promises, I love it, you can look up topics like Anxiety and it will give you the verses that are about it. This is a great tool!

I have just added an amazing book from Holly Watson to my tool belt, I highly recommend it and I am so thankful for what God is teaching me through it.This is a book of 30 daily Decrees you can read and delcare over yourself, your situation and your family daily. It is so awesome!!! You can purchase a copy from Holly Watson's website at http://www.krgo.org/. I love this ministry so very much!

Surround yourself with Godly people, This is an absolute must, We were created for community and we need each other, We need Godly counsel, A sister that will speak truth, God's truth into our lives! Do not take life advice from people that don't have the same belief system as you, or as I have heard : Do not take swimming lessons from drowning people. Be careful who you confide in, not everyone deserves the same access, but find your circle, your tribe.

Listen to worship music, saturate yourself in it, It lifts the soul!

Listen to online sermons, and the bible online, The word of God takes root and begins to sprout in our hearts and mind.

Journal- I highly recommend this, It;s so good to keep record of what God is walking you through and what he is saying to you, It's awesome to look back and see how far he has brought you.

Pray, This is THE most important thing we can do ever! I pray while driving, walking and breathing.

As I started to do this and continue to this day, It has lifted and made room to got to the next step in wholeness and the next step in my walk with Christ. Healing is here!! let's get healed, Mind Body and Soul together!

Share with me some changes you want to make, What are you saying to yourself?

Blessings,

Lori G

It's Time For You to Write

For years I have had a blog, actually since 2007. It became an outlet, a passion and a platform of sharing love. Expressing myself by writing about what was going on in my life became a way of working through adversity. I really love to write.

I have been told many times that I need to write, write a book and continue my blog, and I was even given this verse



A friend gave me a word, She told me that God gave me the gift of writing and that I needed to start writing, I remember feeling so thankful that he would even see me, let alone give me a gift. I left our gathering that night in awe and thankfulness and I went home and sat down to write and Boom! Gone! My ability to write gone! It seemed I couldn't even focus on one subject long enough to even articulate about it. I felt devastated, I kept trying, Fear and Doubt hovered in the air.  I started unknowingly letting those thoughts in and it got worse.

I would stare at the keyboard or screen for hours, not knowing where to start.

I stopped even getting my laptop out. I stopped journaling, and I stopped even doodling.

This last year I have gotten reminders that I need to be writing, I knew it wouldn't be forever however I couldn't understand what was stopping me. Recently, My sister started pointing out self sabotaging behavior she would see in me, she would point out every negative comment I made about my self, every time I would say " I can't do it" or just "I can't", slowly but surely We started to see that I was killing myself with my words, each negative word that came out of my mouth ripped away at me.

  



Just this week I heard myself talking to one of my loves about writing, I was telling her to just start, don't think about it just start putting words on to the paper, our conversation continued and I really started walking myself through a healing as I was talking her through her own struggle. I heard everything God was giving me to tell her and he was ministering to me the whole time as well. He's really like that, you know.

So here goes, I am on a journey, I have a purpose and part of that purpose is writing about what I see, what I am experiencing or learning.



This morning I got a text from a friend telling me that God had put me on her heart the other day.

"It's time for you to write"

Yes, It's time.

Blessings!

Lori 

The song of my heart this week! Bethel Music- Walk in the Promise ft. Jeremy Riddle

 

Walk In The Promise"

Our souls wait in silence

In rest and in quiet for You, Spirit

In trust and dependence

We walk in the promise of You, coming

With hope and healing in Your wings

With fire and with wind

You fall on us again



Here we are waiting for this house to be shaken

For the boldness to carry Your name to the nations

Your signs and Your wonders to go now before us

For the weight of Your glory

To rest as we lift You up



We lift You up

We lift You up We lift You up



Woah

There is Power In the Name of Jesus

Several weeks ago, I answered a call for help and found myself waiting in an extremely dark and dangerous place, even in the illumination of the sun, this place remains dark. I sat watching people walking in and out, outwardly and visibly broken in so many ways, hopelessness, pain and anger hung in the air like a curtain. Bondage was the cloak many wore, and you could see the heaviness in the way they walked.

I waited......

I couldn't concentrate on the book I brought, there was just so much to see, it wasn't lost on me what a great place of ministry this is, I was completely alone, waiting and watching, hoping that an opportunity would arise, I saw many people wander in and out, in and out.

A man sat down, farther down on the bench, he was different, he had business, he dropped off his delivery and sat down to make a phone call, I made small talk about his delivery and he showed me some battle wounds, he made the comment that he was lucky because it could have been worse, I stated "That's Jesus" and I gave thanks to him for keeping this man safe, He asked me if I was a believer, to which I replied yes, and without Jesus I  would have nothing and I would be nothing. The whole time we were having a conversation people just continued to walk in and out, in and out, Some became familiar as if they couldn't leave. This gentleman and I continued our conversation about the amazing God we serve, He shared his story about his young daughter dying and how God led them into this new line of business upon her passing. He was a sweet spirit, and this really was the right job for him. We finished up our conversation as he needed to go in and complete his business, but before he left he graciously gave me some needed advice, I am so grateful.

Once this gentleman left, a different man approached, I had seen him as one of the People going in and out, in and out. as he approached, he said his name was "Mike" and he stated that he had overheard my conversation with the gentleman before and that the way we spoke about God was beautiful, he asked if I would continue to talk to him about Christ. I happily obliged, You see there is no one else I would love to talk about then the love of my life, My God and Savior Jesus Christ. He sat a respectable distance away and as I continued to share, he asked if he could move closer, I agreed, and he moved closer, but there was still appropriate distance between us, He made a comment "I need your energy" that was a strange thing to say, but I continued, He moved closer and asked If I would pray for him, I asked him if he wanted to make Jesus the Lord of his life and He stated yes.

Here is where it begins to turn........... I prayed with him, with my eyes open, He repeated after me and seemed sincere, but my spirit was on edge, literally I had begun praying in my head for safety, I realized that the people coming in and out had slowed down to a trickle, that there were people around, but if something went down, there were fewer people around to help me. My prayers increased.

The Enemy began showing his hand...... The man moved closer, and I asked him to back up, he did, but then he moved closer and stated " I want to take you away from here and use you" In my head I was praying so big, I knew I was in trouble, that if this goes down, I was on my own and I we would both go down, but I was going to get hurt. this was all happening in a split second....

My spirit rose up and I heard the voice in my head saying "Stay Gentle and Calm" I heard it three times and I said I am not leaving here, He calmed down and then tried to get me to talk about God again, I stayed calm and then, He grabbed my hands, I was saying "There is Power in the Names of Jesus" right as he grabbed my hands, I calmly yet firmly with my hand up said "No! Do not touch me!" at the moment my hand went up, He jumped as if being thrown back....... There was a look of confusion on his face and he left so fast. It was supernatural, literally, something pushed him back.

There is power in the name of Jesus to break every chain, The name of the Lord is a Strong Tower, The righteous run in to it and they are saved.

As the day came to an end, the realization of the situation sank in, His name was not "Mike", he had overheard me say to the other man that I was waiting for "Mike."  Once I realized this, I cried and cried and Thanked the Lord, for his protection over my life.

I will still continue to answer the calls for help, and I will continue to share of the goodness of my Lord, There really is power in the named of Jesus!

Thank you father for your love and protection.

With Love, Lori

What Does Love Look Like?

1 Corinthians 13: 1    If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. ² And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ³ If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned,^[a] but have not love, I gain nothing.

Today My Pastor taught on LOVE, Agape Love, Loving someone even if they have hurt you, even if they are difficult to love. This is amazing because I have spent the last two years really studying about Love, 1 Corinthians 13 is been the zip code of my heart and it never gets old. Love didn't translate well to me as a young girl, I never felt good enough or worthy of love, it wasn't until 2 years ago that I realized just how much I didn't understand how God loves me.

He loves me not because of anything I can do or say, his love is not a reaction to anything I do and it certainly is not a reaction to my love. This is what I had been learning and then I walk in to church and God just speaks so clearly! This isn't the first time, I know it wont be the last time either.

I set out of church this morning with an answer to prayer and an encouraged spirit, ready to put LOVE in to action However God called me.

My sister, her two girls and I went to Lunch together, One of my favorite things to do after church, and on the way out a man sitting on his wheelchair asked if we would like to buy some roses, They were beautiful, Neither my sister or I had any cash, We apologized and I said I would be praying for him, his eyes lit up and he was so grateful, We got in the car and it occurred to me that we maybe should have stopped and prayed with him........ We prayed in the car, and I felt God wanted me to go to the ATM and get some money for him. so I did, My sister collected all of her change and we quickly drove back, I walked up to him and excused myself and he was standing up, I told him that God had told me to bring this to him and I told him that God loved him so much, The look in his eyes was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, and he said to me, NOTHING CAN SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF GOD! The love in his eyes shocked me, because they were full of love. I asked his name, Charles, We parted and I felt so touched by love, there very thing I thought I was giving I received in abundance, It made me weep and my sister wept as well. Pastor said you will feel how much God loves you when you move in love and that is exactly what happened to me, Charles ministered to me.

Thank you Jesus!

Here are the lyric to one of my favorite songs and I am attaching the song as well, it's so worth the listen

"What does love look like?" is the question I've been

Pondering

"What does love look like?"

"What does love look like?" is the question I've been

Asking of You

I once believed that love was romance, just a chance

I even thought that love was for the lucky and the

Beautiful

I once believed that love was a momentary bliss

But love is more than this

All You ever wanted was my attention

All You ever wanted was love from me

All You ever wanted was my affections, to sit here at

Your feet

Then I sat down, a little frustrated and confused

If all of life comes down to love

Then love has to be more than sentiment

More than selfishness and selfish gain

And then I saw Him there, hanging on a tree, looking at

Me

I saw Him there, hanging on a tree, looking at me

He was looking at me, looking at Him, staring through

Me

I could not escape those beautiful eyes

And I began to weep and weep

He had arms wide open, a heart exposed

Arms wide open; He was bleeding, bleeding

Love's definition, love's definition was looking at me

Looking at Him, hanging on a tree

I began to weep and weep and weep and weep

This is how I know what love is, this is how I know

What love is

And as I sat there weeping, crying

Those beautiful eyes, full of desire and love

He said to me, "You shall love Me, You shall love Me

You shall love Me, You shall love Me"

With arms wide open, a heart exposed

With arms wide open, bleeding, sometimes bleeding

If anybody's looking for love in all the wrong places

If you've been searching for love, come to Me, come to

Me

Take up your cross, deny yourself

Forget your father's house and run, run with Me

You were made for abandonment, wholeheartedness

You were made for someone greater, someone bigger, so

Follow Me

And You'll come alive when you learn to die

Measuring Up.......

Have you ever found yourself in a place that you feel like God just isn't interested in you and that maybe he might have realized finally that you are just never gonna get it, never gonna to measure up? It's kind of silly, I know because Hello, He made us, but there are times that I just feel my inadequacies are so overwhelming and so why wouldn't he say Adios Sister, I'm over you!

Here is what I am finding out, He truly is so very interested and HE is NEVER inadequate, which means that he can handle anything you throw his way, It's true! He can handle ANYTHING! What are you holding back from him? What feels so heavy that you feel like it could hold you away from him?

It's time for me to be candid, There are a lot of things that sit heavily in my heart, these things I long so completely to overcome, Fear is one of them, The type of fear that says you are not lovable, the kind of fear that paralyzes me. A great man in my life brought up that fear and doubt are assigned to me by the enemy, they are constant antagonizers in my life. The fact that I know this and that fear grips so tightly scares me, Do I allow it? Is it my punishment for unbelief? Is my testimony valid in the light of this confession? Can God use me? These are the questions that I wrestle with, these are the thoughts that nag me.

Do you struggle with this?

The Good news is this is all normal! These are all normal human thoughts and feelings and Guess What!!!!! We are inadequate! We are born lacking because we need him, Apart from him we can accomplish nothing, and he knows this! He created us, he knew what he was getting into, he didn't choose to take us in, or accept us, No It's much more than that, look at this, if he just "took us in" or "accepts us" or "deals with us" then that would indicate that he had no control over how we would turn out, but instead he created us, he knowingly molded me into me and then he committed to cultivating me, he created us and then chose to pursue us........Just like a good parent does.

Remember the word of God says:

2 Corinthians 12:9

English Standard Version (ESV)

⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Here is the Message version, I love how it says it:

My grace is enough; it’s all you need.

My strength comes into its own in your weakness.

Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.

I couldn't of said it any better! Let Go and Let God's strength come into it's own in your weakness.

Praying for you!

Blessings,

Lori

Jesus Culture - Where You Go I Go