God

Love, God

/ Shannon Jarvis / Leave a comment

butterfly-888503_1920This month I prayed for a word from God, a word that conveys His theme or message for my walk with Him this year.  I’ve been doing this for about eight years now. Prior to this, the thought of asking God for “a word” seemed strange and a little radical. Apparently, following God is a radical thing to do as He takes you to places you never thought you’d go! The journey is where God’s love story unfolds…

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1)

These days, I eagerly look forward to the time each new season when I Pray and ask God for a new word for me.  What would you say if I told you that God has a word for you too, in fact, not just a word, but an entire poem, stanza after stanza of personal expressions of His deep, unfailing love?  As you read my story, I pray that you would consider how God has spoken to you or may be speaking to you right now.  I pray that the lines of your love poem would begin to take shape as God speaks them into your heart and mind in His perfect timing.

It is easy to forget how much God loves us, especially in seasons when we are feeling unloved, overlooked, or forgotten.  People may reject us, ignore us, or leave us, but God never will.  He never does.  Of course, we can reject Him, ignore Him, and walk away from Him.  Sadly, we often do.  I believe if we truly understood how much He cares for us, we would not reject, ignore, or leave our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we would run to him!

The first time God gave me a word, I didn’t ask for it.  It was in a season of great trial and tribulation.  I was in a place of oppression and bondage and desperately desired to be free from my circumstance.  I prayed this prayer often in fact during that time and one day, I heard the Holy Spirit speak into my mind, “be bold”.

pexels-photo-551588Everything changed that day.  I was in a deep pit, trapped in a cycle of abuse, a cycle that began when I was child.   I felt worthless, weak, lost.  When God spoke those words, I felt anything but bold.  I wanted to cry.  I didn’t know how to stand up for myself or be bold in a way that wouldn’t result in pain and rejection and the potential loss of the only security I knew.  This was ironic because I lived in fear, fear of many things, not physical harm, but deep unrelenting emotional and mental pain.  The sad truth about abuse is that it becomes the place we are most comfortable.  Our prisons become our homes.

Well on that day, with two small words, God gave me my eviction notice.  “It’s time to move forward”, He said.  It was time to stand up and face what was breaking me.  We tend to think that it’s other people that are our problem.  That if they would not do this or if they would start doing that, we would be better.  But the truth is, in every case, we are the ones who need to change.  

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”  (Bible, NIV. Matthew 7:3-5)

Ouch!  Hypocrite! Not me?!  In truth, we are all sinners, we all fall short.  The moment we are able to humble ourselves enough to even consider that we may be “hypocrites”, no matter what someone else has done, we are positioned to see the truth; “and then you will see clearly…” This is what our loving Father needs us to see, that if we focus on our relationship with Him, admit our own weakness, and in doing so acknowledge our need for a Savior, then we will see clearly. The lies we have been believing will be revealed, the darkness can begin to fall away as God replaces it with light.  The light of His word and His love.

Humility is a difficult place to get to sometimes. Pride provides a sturdy shelter, nothing gets in or out.  But shelters built on pride are nothing more than places we hide.  Better to stand in the open air of humility and prepare to weather the storm, because God is the only shelter that protects and provides.

imagesI wasn’t there yet when God spoke to me.  I was still in the “what plank? I don’t have a plank…” stage.  But His voice resonated and repeated in my mind…  “Be bold”.  Clearly the message here was that I was not being bold.  So what was I being?  I had to really think about what I was doing that would make God speak these words into my life.  I began to prayerfully ask God to show me what these words meant for me, in this time, at this place. How could I be bold?

Here’s the picture that began to emerge in the days that followed as I prayed, read the Bible, and sought the counsel of believers wiser than me:  I was stuck.  I was not acting like a person who knew that God loved her and would never leave her (the plank).  That was the  truth that I needed to embrace to begin to end my suffering and the suffering of those around me who were caught in the trial with me. To be bold, I had to trade my old identity for the new one I had been given many years before I’d lost my way.  I had accepted Christ, asked Him into my life, then slowly over time ignored Him and turned away. I needed to remember who God was, who He said I was. His words gave me the courage I needed to step out in faith.

What then shall we say in response to these things?  If God is for us then who could ever stand against us? (Romans 8:13)

Speaking these words out loud, claiming them, planting them in my heart, I stepped forward in the boldness of the Lord, letting go of all that had held me captive and choosing instead to let the love of Jesus set me free! I was afraid, but I acted bold as the Lord continued to lead me one step at a time.

cross-2713356_1920It’s true what the Word of God says, there is no love that compares to the love of God, it is beautiful and pure and beyond our comprehension.  In letting go of my safety, my dependence, my pain, I lost nothing and gained everything.  I left my toxic relationships and God restored them.  I left my loss and pain and found joy and peace.  I left the comfort of old habits and found new freedom.  God is love, and He is good!

For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not calamity, plans to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11)

rainbow_over_ocean_wallpaper“Be bold” was the beginning of a beautiful love poem God gave me over the next eight years. He is composing new lines in my heart and in my life to this day, words that guide and heal, that bring joy and revelation, each one leading me closer to Jesus.

What word has the Lord given you?  Can you remember His simple messages to you over the years?  If you take the time to write them down, you will begin to see the personal, perfect, passionate poem He has authored just for you.  God truly LOVES you my friend, rejoice and remain in Him!

…in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:37-39)

 

Shannon,

Be bold

Trust in me

Love your neighbor

Surrender your will

Pray for my people

Give glory to me

Rest

Abide

Awaken…

                       Love, God

Come Alive

/ Shannon Jarvis / Leave a comment

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Do not contain it

Do not hold it in

Do not hold it back

Do not restrain it

 

What is in you now

Is more than you know

The more you let go

The more it will grow

 

You are filled by Him

You are fed by Him

You are blessed by Him

You were made by Him

 

He calls you by name

He ordained your days

He lived life for you

Then He died for you

 

Redeemed He forgave

All that is behind

All that is to come

Set free for freedom

 

Child of God stand up

Daughter of the King

Live loved by the Lord

You were made for more

 

 

Is There an App for God?

/ Shannon Jarvis / Leave a comment


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Life is a constant struggle to do what is right. Our schedules rule our worlds. Men and women both often find themselves overwhelmed, overwrought and overworked in our high-tech culture. The blessing of technology also means we have more options and opportunities than ever before. As a result, we are racing just to keep up.  God forbid an opportunity pass us by.  If you blink you might miss something!

Just this week I discovered the “Amazon Echo”. It’s a robot that looks like a tall speaker! It sits on your counter top and awaits your verbal command to execute almost anything an app can do; which today seems to be endless. I had to stop and pause for a long time to fully absorb the reality and ramifications of this new tech.. Once again, daily life has the potential to be drastically changed. From the era of smartphones and Google-Mania comes a mighty temptation to rush to keep up and forget what we are doing, and why.

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;  to be made new in the attitude of your minds;  and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:22-24

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As believers we desire to walk in the will of God. This is not some fairy tale ideal. Once we surrender our lives to Christ, the Holy Spirit shows us where, and how, we have been blinded by incorrect thinking and beliefs. He gives us a spirit of discernment and wisdom that grows as we make choices in line with the Word of God. Despite our best efforts we often get off track.  It is harder than ever to focus in a world flooded with new and amazing distractions!

…you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Dueteronomy 13:3

God in His infinite patience and mercy walks us through our trials and missteps. He sets our feet upon a path that leads to Him if we remain faithful. Nothing apart from this is worth our time or energy. This is radical thinking when you are caught up in other things, but “other things” lead to sin. For Christians, sin is anything that separates us from our relationship with God or comes before Him. In my life, that means I have to be intentional about the amount of time I spend with “technology” compared to the amount of time I spend in prayer, in the Word, and seeking God in my daily choices. Let’s be honest, we could spend all day on our Smartphones if we aren’t careful and it doesn’t stop there…

If the Devil can’t make you bad, he’ll make you busy…

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God gives us opportunities daily to know Him more.  What happens when we are too busy to slow down and act on those Godly opportunities? How many times have you gone from one thing to the other, and before you know it, the day is over and you have not thought about God for more than a fleeting moment?  How many days do we go without praying, acting in our own strength, making choices that do not honor God but distract us from our true purpose?  Most of us struggle with this regardless of how long we have been Christians, we are too easily distracted, and the Devil knows it.

We are called to simple acts of kindness and love, ministering to others in need. These meetings have Heavenly consequences. When we can slow down and listen to the prompting of the Holy spirit, we don’t miss out on divine appointments set by God.  It’s shocking to think that we could miss out because we are playing Mine Craft, Candy Crush, or some other equally addicting game.  They seem harmless in isolation, but we must ask ourselves if we have unconsciously shifted our attentions away from God’s calling on our lives and given up precious time.

A  famous Christian Pastor tells of how he was in a busy hotel when he was a young man and a bellman offered to help him with something. He felt that he really didn’t need help.  He was about to say “no thank you” as he was in a hurry to get back to his room and check his email. But years of walking with God had taught him the importance of listening to that voice inside, the God voice, asking him to do something against his better judgment or desire. That voice told him the boy needed to speak to him. The pastor chose to slow down and listen.  He was able to comfort the boy and minister to his needs.  The boy was blessed, but in the end that meeting blessed the pastor in a way he never expected. That divine appointment led to another meeting that led to the pastor publishing his first book. That book went on to be a best seller and impact thousands of lives for Christ.

Is there an app for God?  We are the God app.  He writes the code for our lives, He is the Master Designer.  He works through us and in us.  God has an infinite wireless connection to every soul He created, that never glitches, disconnects, or becomes obsolete.  Technology is amazing and we should embrace what is new, as long as we keep our eyes on the real prize…

As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him.

Psalm 18:30

Heavenly Father we praise you for the miracles and wonders in the world around us. Guide us in your ways.  Help us to choose wisely how and where we spend our time, resources, and money. Remind us who we are in you, and that you have a purpose for our lives. Let our identity be in you God. We are who you say we are; beloved children, created in your image for good works in your name so that more may come to know you God. Help us stay on course Father, make us intentional in putting you first above all else, in Jesus name we pray. Amen.