He's Got You Covered

Everette & I took then-baby Laars down to The Lakeland Revival for a week in April 2008.  You know, the one in Florida with the controversial Todd Bentley.  Wow, did we have a great time there, and in some ways our lives will never be the same.  Forever changed.  Forever thankful.

That's were we met Todd White who's got lots of video's posted over at XP Media showing amples of healings on the streets.  And we met and became good friends with Mark & Cathy Kuntz who are on staff with Extreme Prophetic.  Laars was prophesized over (he was 10 mo at that time) and we excitedly await seeing  that prophesy come alive and evident in his life.

Anyways, I believe it was the last day, last meeting we were at before returning to Canada.  After the service I was sitting a few seats in from the aisle holding Laars while Everette stood near the aisle talking with another man.  I was quiet and contemplative, some concerns  circling through my mind.

I saw an unknown man walk up the aisle and glanced over at me as he walked past.  A moment later he was at the end of our aisle and said to me, "He's got you covered."

I said, "Pardon me?"

"He's got you covered.  What ever it is that you need, whatever it is that you are concerned about.....He's got you covered."  And he walked away.

After Everette's conversation was finished and we packed up to leave for the airport, I shared with Everette what the stranger said to me.  I had immediately thought it must be in reference to a big financial concern I had.  I asked the Lord what it was about, and I wasn't aware of any response, just my concern about certain finances.

Over the year + since that time, I often think about that 'word', and wonder if it had another meaning.  The financial concern turned out fine, but I wasn't confident that the 'word' was for just one particular concern.

Last night when I was listening to John Lynch, towards the end of his talk he mentioned that God has us covered, and my heart skipped a beat.  The words seemed to come alive and penetrate my heart even before my mind was quite conscious of what it had heard.  As if this was what was meant by that  Lakeland 'word'.

He has me covered.  On my worst day I am "clean, holy, alive, & forgiven, & new, & beautiful, & acceptable, & complete......."  Listen for all that we are, from John Lynch speaking at about 21 mins into the video. (But listen to the whole video!)

I am covered by the righteousness of God thru Yeshua.  I can never do enough to earn His love, nor can I do too little to stop His love for me.  He just loves me, with an everlasting and fully unadulterated love.  What Yeshua did on the cross was full and complete, needing absolutely nothing added to it.  It is freely given to me.  And I am only able to love Him now because He loved me first and made a way for me to get back to Abba's heart where I am safe.

He's Got Me Covered.

It's a reality.  Now I need to learn to stay there, to live there.  When I'm feeling distant from Abba, its only a feeling.  For the Word says that nothing can separate me from His love.  So I am never away from His love, even if I am not feeling Loved.  But I stand in faith knowing that I am purely loved by Him.  I am clothed in His righteousness.  He covers me like a mother hen covers her chicks and protects them.

He loves me beyond my own comprehension, and......

He's Got Me Covered.

Question for You:   Do you know how to live loved by the Father, or do you struggle (like me) with feelings of obligations & expectations (religion)?

Are We Bluffing? Or Living Loved?

What can I say but "TRUE!"  Listen to John Lynch here:




Question for You:  Do you feel that God loves you unconditionally, really unconditionally, or do you feel that you still need to please Him?

What's Your Identity?

Do you know who you are? Really who you are? Is that based on who your parents said you are, or society around you? Or who God says you are, or who satan says you are? (say....“Liar!”)



In Genesis 3 we read:

 ¹ Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”

² And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; ³ but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’”

⁴ Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. ⁵ For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Right at the beginning of human history we see somebody having doubts about who they really were and how they related to God. Before the interaction between the serpent and Eve, Eve was probably very confident in who she was and in her relationship with God. Everyday she walked and communed with God. She knew only goodness and truth and holiness. Things were perfect. But then the serpent came on the scene and slyly suggested doubt in the mind of Eve. "Did God really say....????" Eve had never doubted God and His Word before. There had been no reason to doubt. satan suggested that God was withholding something good from Adam & Eve, and she didn't stand on who she already was, what her true identity was. They had been made to live in God's glory (Rom 3:23). They were made for communion with Him. But once sin arrived in their realm, that pure communion was broken, they fell from His glory, and they were sent away from the garden.

Let's jump to the New Testament, in Acts 19:

13 A group of Jews was traveling from town to town casting out evil spirits. They tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus in their incantation, saying, “I command you in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, to come out!” 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a leading priest, were doing this. 15 But one time when they tried it, the evil spirit replied, “I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?”

I ask again, "Do you know who you are?" If an evil spirit were to ask you that question, would you have a confident reply based on who God says you are? Or would you sulk away, unsure of yourself, questioning your identity in God and in the body of Christ.


For those who are 'in Christ Jesus/Yeshua' here's some of God's Words about you. It is just a small start to what the Lord says about you.

Romans 8:14,17 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God...... that we are children of God. And if we are [His]
children, then we are [His] heirs also: heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ [sharing His inheritance with Him].

(Gal 3:26,4:6, John 1:12)

1 Cor 1:2 ...to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling... (Phil 1:1,Col 1:2)

1 Cor 3:16 Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? (1 Cor 6:19)

Eph 2:10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Eph 2:19 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family.

John 15:15 I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.

Eph 4:24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

2 Peter 1:4 And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.

Eph 1:3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.

The thing I have to remind myself is that the Truth of the Word is the truth, no matter how I am feeling about it. I am redeemed by the blood of the Lamb (Rev 5:9) whether or not I am feeling redeemed. But when scripture says that I am redeemed, I need to align my thinking AND my words to declare that truth. Otherwise, I am agreeing with a lie.

So, when we know we blow it and sin, and we are feeling like a shmuck we can go directly to the cross and ask for forgiveness and know that we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, because God's Word says that we are. Its not based on how we feel. Its based on the truth of the Word. When thoughts of condemnation come at us we can say `No, I am righteous because I am in Christ Jesus, and the Word says that if I confess my sin then God is faithful & just to forgive my sins and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness.`

Then start to make your actions and your words to support the truth of the Word.

Agree with the Word. Don't agree with the adversary, because he's a liar.

Agree with the Word. Always with the Word.

Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinks within himself, so he is.

Question for You: Do you have a favorite Scripture to stand on to help you remember what your identity in the Lord is?

PS....I enjoy Beckah Shae's music. Listen here to her song Hephzibah

Dance With Me

I have received this song and/or video 3 times now in 2 weeks, from 3 sources that are unrelated. I'll take it that the Lord specifically wants me to dance with Him, but I put it out there for others to be encouraged to Dance with the Lord for yourself too. To be intimate with Him, to hear His heartbeat, to smell His freshness.

I keep thinking of the Mary who took her alabaster jar and poured her precious and expensive perfume (likely her dowry...all that she owned) over Jesus' feet. She wept over Him, kissed His feet, wiped her hair over His feet. That was intimacy and worship. From the depths of her heart she gave Him everything she had.

After pouring her all out on Jesus, she left that house smelling just like Jesus.

I want to smell like Jesus. I want to smell like my Lover. I'll take this dance with Him.



Question for You: What is your favorite style of dance?

Variety of online Videos

Everette somehow came across some incredible videos yesterday. We are talking INCREDIBLE TALENT and unusual. Some of them moved me to tears. This one is of aerieal bombings over Kiev during WW II. Lots of tears in the audience.





Thanks to Coralyn for letting me know about this video about Mandatory Flu Shots for Health Workers. Coralyn has tonnes of information on her site about Holistic Health,Natural Remedies,Global Consciousness. Be sure to check Coralyn out.



Also on the health topic, I really enjoy much of what Paul Nison has to say, and lots of information is passed on through all his videos. Today's interview was with some Jewish dance teachers who are now eating a raw diet and loving it. You can see their love for Yeshua and for life itself. Enjoy!

Love Me Where You're At

I became aware of Francis Frangipane about 1.5 years ago through Elijah List and I have always enjoyed and been moved by Francis' writings. Same thing today.

Thanks to our webpastor this article was brought to my attention as I don't subscribe to Elijah List anymore. I couldn't keep up with all the reading ;)

I'm a bit teary-eyed today as I have cried while reading a blogpost of somebody I don't know nor follow, and I cried when Rauchelle shared the story of the boy with the wet pants (check out the previous post here), and I cried again reading Francis' writings. They aren't tear-jerkers. I'm just pregnant! That is a good enough explanation.

Question for You: Do you tend to be weepy or cry alot when you are pregnant?

Not Cut Out For Religion

I ask you, what’s the answer, and you just ask me questions,
and I’m like, “hello, I thought you were God?”
Can’t I just download you, pay-as-I-go to decode you -
a quick fix listen on my i-pod?

I ask you, what’s the answer, and you say, “where does the wind blow?”
Well, if Dylan couldn’t find it, then I won’t get too far.
What’s with all this mystery? How can you say, “follow me”
when I don’t even know where you are?

Your religion needs a makeover, you’ve got to de-clutter.
Make it softer, gooier and spreadable like butter.
I need a faith I can talk about and not sound like a nutter.
You ought to be easy to follow.

Like, a hop-on-and-off open-top bus ride,
a manual with A to Z tabs down the side,
I want a sat-nav path to heaven, not a Lonely Planet guide.
I wish you were easy to follow.

I want a Roman road map to instant glory
a happy-ending-ever-after chick lit story
and you just tell me another foggy allegory
featuring corn and sheep and wine and clay pots.
What are you like? Do you want followers or not?
Far be it from me to tell you what’s what,
but if you did make it easier I’m sure you’d get a lot
more believers, Jesus.

Give me bite-sized thoughts in a faith shape sorter,
No more spilt blood or living water,
just a pint-sized god who’s a straight talker.
Make it easy to follow.

I want fruit-flavoured shots of the Holy Spirit,
bite-sized, trite truths in Boyband lyrics
“love” and “above” – yeah, that should fill it.
Make it easy to follow.

I want facts on a plate - don’t want to have to question any,
artificial roses every 14th of February.
I want simple faith – blind if necessary.
Why aren’t you easy to follow?

You say, “you are not my servant, now you are my friend”.
You say, “I will be with you until the bitter end”.
And I’m like, “why bitter? – I wanted happiness on prescription.
Isn’t that the whole point of getting religion?
And besides, friendship’s harder – can’t I just buy the subscription?”
Can’t you be easy to follow?

Give me a clear-cut structure, not a friendship’s fragilities,
favourable rights with few responsibilities.
I could follow that plan – yeah – religiously.
That would be easy to follow.

I want three steps to beauty from a teenage advice mag;
Ben and Jerry’s Triple chocolate straight of the ice bag;
ethically traded but with a Primark price-tag -
I could say Amen to those.

I want box-up beliefs wrapped in tissue-paper
presented by Fearne Cotton, and voiced by Tom Baker,
with a hands-free contract to contact the Maker
available from Tesco’s.

I want Quicktime cut-price broadband access.
Simple principles, easily practiced.
Directly transactional prayers - the fact is,
my time is precious, so why should I work?
Why should treasure always require a search?

I want a message that’s acceptable without having to plead it,
that’ll make people instantly realise they need it.
Yeah, thanks for the Bible – but have you tried to read it?
You need to be easy to follow.

I want all the answers set out in a paperback
of less than fifty pages, in the buy-now-read-it-later rack
I’ll skim it on the train down to visit Auntie Kate and back -
nice and easy to follow.

Everyone will warm to its convenient slimness.
It’ll be easily digestible and provoke a certain tingliness,
and every answer will be one sentence long, universally applicable, and in English.
That would be easy to follow.

You see, I think you need to focus and refine your vision,
if you want to market the brand they call “Christian”.
I say, “give me clarity”, you say, “will you marry me?”
With all due respect, Jesus, I don’t think you were cut out for religion.


by Jude Simpson
You can find out more about Jude and her writings over here.

Question for You: Do you write poetry? What kind of things do you write about the most?

Taste and See

Have you heard: Taste and see that the Lord is good!

When we taste something, and find that it tastes really really good, then we want more and more of it. That's what we'll find with the Lord. If we've tasted religion, we won't like it. But if we've truly tasted of the goodness of God, we'll desire more and more of Him.

Lord, make me thirsty for You. And You'll be the Living Water and the pure Wine that I drink.
Lord, make me hungry for You. And you be that Bread of Life that feeds me. Mmmmmm!


Question for You: What does "Taste and See that the Lord is good" mean to you?

Kisses with Jesus

Little Laars (2yo) sleeps with Everette and I, over on my side of the bed. Throughout the night he often moves around until some body part of his is touching some part of mama's body. He seeks me out, not for the warmth, but to know that mama is still near. He finds comfort in me.

Come morning, he isn't content just to touch me with a foot or a hand. He purposes to come snuggle right beside me. His head must be on my pillow alongside of my head. He takes his hands and either pulls my ears or my chin towards him so that he can plant a sweet pucker on me. Well, he virtually never stops with just one kiss. He likes to cover me with kisses.

Oh, to be that way with Jesus. I want to always be in His presence, to know that He is near me, to feel Him. But there are those times when I just can't seem to get enough of Him. I'm overwhelmed with His beauty, His goodness, His love.

I want those moments more than just once a day. I want them more. I need them more. Just like Laars......always wanting more of the good stuff!!


Question for You: If you have had a family bed, what are some of your favorite memories of it?

Jesus Christ is Perfect Theology

from Bill Johnson Ministries

AMEN!!

Victory!

The word came loudly as I was hanging up freshly laundered curtains in the living room. Victory in Jesus. Not by my own strength, but in Jesus and what He accomplished on the cross. Victory over my sin. Victory over sickness and disease. Victory over poverty.

Victory is mine. Not because of my own strength. Not because I'm a really nice person . Not because I was born to Bible-believing parents. There is nothing I have to do to be victorious really, except to believe that God's word is truth. When I believe it, then I will start applying those truths to my life.

I use these following scriptures to decree what the truth is, no matter how I am feeling or what my mind tells me. I accept the Word of the Lord to be truth, over and above what I might see happening around me. I know that He is Truth, and He cannot lie (Titus 1:2)

Rom 8: 37-39 Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us. For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening 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 which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

2 Cor 2:14 (AMP)
But thanks be to God, Who in Christ always leads us in triumph [as trophies of Christ's victory] and through us spreads and makes evident the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere,

2 Corinthians 5:17, 21
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

2 Cor 10: 3-5 (NIV)
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

1 Peter 2:9(NLT)
But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests,[a] a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

John 8:36 So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.


Eph 4:27 (NIV) (I) do not give the devil a foothold.

Eph 6:14 (NIV)
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,

1 John 1:9(AMP)
If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action].

1 John 2:1 (AMP)
My little children, I write you these things so that you may not violate God's law and sin. But if anyone should sin, we have an Advocate (One Who will intercede for us) with the Father--[it is] Jesus Christ [the all] righteous [upright, just, Who conforms to the Father's will in every purpose, thought, and action].

Rev 12:11 (NIV)
They overcame him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;

Isa 54:17 (NLT)
But in that coming day
no weapon turned against you will succeed.
You will silence every voice
raised up to accuse you.
These benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the Lord;
their vindication will come from me.
I, the Lord, have spoken!

Col 1:13 (NASB)
For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,

2 Tim 1:7(AMP)
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.

Psalm 27:1 (AMP)
The Lord is my Light and my Salvation--whom shall I fear or dread? The Lord is the Refuge and Stronghold of my life--of whom shall I be afraid?

Deut 28:13 (NIV)
The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom.

Psa 91:7 (NLT)
Though a thousand fall at your side,
though ten thousand are dying around you,
these evils will not touch you.

Luke 10:19 (AMP)
Behold! I have given you authority and power to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and [physical and mental strength and ability] over all the power that the enemy [possesses]; and nothing shall in any way harm you.

I am a big fan of reading or listening to Decrees. I use them to get my heart and mind onto what the Lord says pertaining my life. I know that satan is the father of lies, and loves to feed falsehood to me at every corner (John 8:44). But I refuse to listen to him. The best way is to defute those lies with the Truth, which is Jesus.

Remember, "I cannot afford to have a thought in my head about me that is not in His." Bill Johnson

To keep thoughts about me that are not in His, is to believe a lie. To accept and believe His Word about me, is to know the truth and the truth will set you free. (John 8:32)


Question for You: Do you use Decrees?

Freedom

A few weeks after I had heard 'Life' spoken to me from the Lord, I was putting laundry into the washing machine when I clearly heard the word 'Freedom'. Nobody else was in the room with me, except the Holy Spirit. I know it was The Spirit talking to me.

I accepted that word from Him, and immediately recalled the verse in John 8:36 "So if the Son sets (or 'makes' NASB) you free, you will be free indeed." (NIV)

So, He was pointing out to me that I hadn't been living out my freedom, the freedom that Christ the Son had died to give me. I had taken on self- or man-inflicted bondage, often touted as 'holy' or 'righteous'. I was living a 'good Christian life', had a nice family, doing what many saw as Biblical, but yet my heart was not truly living in freedom. Those were only outward actions that were admired by many, and my intentions were to be pleasing to the Lord, but my heart wasn't living in freedom.

Galatians 2:19 in The Message kind of sums up much of where I had been.

"What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn't work. So I quit being a "law man" so that I could be God's man. Christ's life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not "mine," but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that. Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God's grace. If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily."

The way I see it is, if I choose to succumb to "rule-keeping, peer-pleasing", then basically what Jesus accomplished on the cross isn't effective as far as it pertains to me. Jesus gave up His precious life and blood for not only my sins, but to set me free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2). If I don't live in that freedom, then I am basically rejecting what God's gift to me is. (I challenge you to read thru Romans 8, at least thru verses 1-6. But much of the rest of the chapter talks lots about Life & death, Freedom and bondage.)

Galatians 5:13(AMP) says, "For you, brethren, were [indeed] called to freedom; only [do not let your] freedom be an incentive to your flesh and an opportunity or excuse [for selfishness], but through love you should serve one another."

We were called to live in Freedom. Not lawlessness (see 1 John 3:4). "You say, “I am allowed to do anything”-—but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is beneficial." (1 Cor 10:23)

When I talk about Freedom I am not at all saying, "Anything Goes!" because it doesn't. Scripture is clear about particular things that are sin. But past that, much of what the church sees as 'sinful' is simply religious-spirited opinion. Take drinking wine, for example. Hot topic in some circles, but I dare to bring it up. Scripture makes it clear to "Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit" (Eph 5:18) In 1 Tim 5:23 Paul admonished Timothy to use wine medicinally, and Jesus' very first public miracle was turning water not just into wine, but really really good wine....the BEST! (see John 2:1-12)

Nobody will convince me that drinking wine under all conditions for a Christian is a sin. That is just opinion. It often becomes bondage forced on others. But it is not supported by Scripture. Therefore, according to Scripture, drinking wine is permissable. It may not be beneficial, but that's a different issue. It is allowable. But many times we take our opinion that because it might not be beneficial in my situation, it therefore mustn't be beneficial in your situation, either.

I heard a story by Bill Johnson who was traveling with a fella, and Bill offered him a candy. He turned it down, saying that God had told Him that he wasn't supposed to eat candy. Turns out that a couple years previous God had asked this man to sacrifice or fast from eating candy. He hadn't imposed the 'no eating candy' on anybody else, but he had imposed that candy-fast on himself for years, without having asked God if he could now eat candy. He had actually put himself in a type of bondage because he had assumed that what God had once asked him to do, was still the 'law' for him. He hadn't thought to inquire of the Lord about the issue.

I urge you to honestly ask the Lord to reveal to you what bondage you may be under, and then ask Him to set you free from it. Inquire of the Lord in all matters, and don't accept man's ideas blindly. If the Son has set you free, then YOU ARE FREE! Live in that freedom. Make the cross applicable to your life.

Question for You: Do you feel under obligation alot, or do you feel free most of the time?