When a landlord leases out the building he owns to someone else, he gives the new tenant all of the authority and rights to do what they want with the house. But, if that tenant subleases the house, they have to hand over their keys as well as their permission and authority. So, imagine that God is the perfect landlord of the perfect earth. He leased it to Adam, therefore giving him the eternal keys to His house and dominion over all of the things in it forever. His desire was for mankind, as His image bearers, to reflect His character to the world as they walked in friendship and fellowship with Him. But when Adam sinned, he lost the keys.
Continue reading “Keys to the Kingdom”The Warring Bride
I was recently reading in Proverbs 31, which praises the virtuous woman—both a picture of the perfect wife and a symbol of the bride of Jesus—and the Lord revealed to me that I am called to be more than just a virtuous bride: I am also meant to be a warring one.
The Hebrew word used to describe the bride in these verses (chayil) is most often used in connection with military prowess and depicts a wife who is a force of might, power, ability, efficiency, and righteousness; full of substance and integrity—with the strength of an army. The same word is used over 200 times throughout the Old Testament and depicts valor, or great courage in battle. It is frequently used to describe men and soldiers; however, in Proverbs, it is used to describe the bride. The church.
Continue reading “The Warring Bride”A Prayer for the Church
Dear God,
I pray for Heaven to meet earth.
I pray that every single person reading this has an encounter with the resurrection power of Jesus Christ. I pray that it manifests as the miracles, signs, and wonders they have been praying for so that there is an opportunity to believe in a new and deeper way. Because that kind of encounter is what gives us access to the faith and courage it takes to forsake everything else as we surrender to Jesus. That kind of encounter is what gives a hurting and broken world a taste of kindness from a faithful God. So Lord, may we taste and see that You are good! May we bear witness to the resurrected Christ. May we shout to those around us that Jesus is alive and so, so worthy of our surrendered life.
Continue reading “A Prayer for the Church”When God Rewrites Your Story
“How would God tell your story?“
I was recently challenged in a Bible study to share my version of my salvation story with God and then invite Him to share His version with me. I put it off for a while, but I finally sat down to share it with Him one night last week, and joked, “How long do You have, God?”
I then proceeded to tell Him exactly how I remembered my story:
Continue reading “When God Rewrites Your Story”Serving Satan an Eviction Notice: Destroying Strongholds
“For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” – 2 Corinthians 10:4-5
Our words have power. Proverbs 18:21 confirms this: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” And before we dive into taking thoughts captive and destroying strongholds, it’s important to acknowledge that Satan does not have the same power we do. His words don’t hold the same weight as ours, so he gets more power when we speak his words for him. He wants us to do his dirty work. So, he frequently attacks us through thoughts and thought patterns because it is human nature to believe and say whatever we think or feel, and we give power to whatever we speak.
Continue reading “Serving Satan an Eviction Notice: Destroying Strongholds”