I am NOT rejected!

I love it when you read a quote from someone, and they articulate something into language, that completely describes what you have known in your heart, but couldn't find the words to explain. 

This week I read this quote from Todd White, "Once you realise you are ACCEPTED in the beloved, you'll never feel rejection by people. Why? Because nobody on this planet can ever take away what they didn't give you".

WOW! Selah - pause and think about that. Now read the quote again.

Have you ever felt rejected? Betrayed? Used? Have you ever felt like you're not good enough? Not wanted? Or squashed down because the ones who should accept you, decide they don't want to? Life happens to us all, people can change, they can let us down, and, make accusations to cover their own wrongdoings and keep up appearances.

I was thinking about my life, and times when the world may look at me and label me, "rejected". I've also been looking into my heart and wondering why, although I've experienced great pain, abuse and betrayal, why in it, I have never actually felt rejected? Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to pretend things haven't happened to us all, or make light of the pain of our experiences, but when we live a life trusting God, it's normal for Christians to go through the fire without being burnt, because we have the power of the Holy Spirit in us. And so, our lives should look and feel very different to the world.

Thanks to Todd White and his revelation of God's Word, this week, I answered my own question. "Why in the greatest rejection, did I not feel rejected?"

It's because I KNOW who I am and where my ACCEPTANCE comes from :-)

Rejection is not from God. It's from the enemy. The devil is the only one who is rejected! He is cut off. Under our feet. He is defeated and powerless. The thing is, he knows he is rejected and because his plan is to to kill, steal and destroy us, he wants to speak his mindset into our lives and allow us to believe the lie that we are rejected too.

If you believe you are rejected, you are believing a lie! I'm not talking about feeling like you are rejected, that's different. Feelings come and go. Feelings are not fact. Feelings are a direct result of our thought life.

But, as Todd says, if we realise we are ACCEPTED by God, and HE IS THE ONE WHO GIVES US ACCEPTANCE, TOTAL ACCEPTANCE, then nobody on the planet can ever take away what they never gave us.

I guess I'm trying to say that despite what happens to me in life, I can't be rejected by people, because it is God who gives me my acceptance. He accepts me totally, the good, the bad and the ugly. His love for me is unconditional and eternal.

I'm NOT rejected, I AM accepted! Haha, the enemy is such a looser, he can try to destroy, but, if our lives are rooted firmly in the mighty power of Jesus Christ, that pathetic looser of a devil can NEVER do any permanent damage in our lives. If we would audaciously walk in what God has done FOR US, and not be defined by what has happened to us, oh how our lives, families and churches would live differently!!!

I've seen too much of God's power at work in my own life not to be bold enough to walk in complete victory, wholeness and freedom :-) Rubbish still happens, but it does not define me. I don't take ownership of it. It does NOT change my identity, but rather it draws me closer to my Redeemer and brings me through the fire, pure as GOLD! :-)

I am NOT rejected, and neither are YOU!!! :-)

Choose forgiveness

To be honest, I could write a whole book on forgiveness! But I wanted to share just some brief thoughts. It's such a huge topic, it affects everyone from all the cultures and countries across the globe and I'm sure most of us have learnt about forgiveness the hard way. Forgiveness is not an easy road to take, but it is absolutely vital to the health and well being of the core of who we are.

Forgiveness is a journey, not a one off event! 

When we say we forgive them it does not make us immune to the pain of what happened. If you have been abused, betrayed or exploited, there is a journey of recovery that leads to restoration. Forgiving does not get rid of the memory, the pain or the past, but it does POSITION us to deal with it from a place of victory and wholeness. We can say, "oh last year I forgave them for what they did to me", but how do we feel about them now? Did we forgive them that one time and then go back to resenting them and being bitter, or do we choose to continually forgive? When feelings of hurt and pain come into our lives, do we forgive? Or is it ok to harbour bitterness because, after all, they don't deserve my total forgiveness, right? Um, no wrong! Just because we forgave back then, doesn't mean we don't have to forgive now. Feelings, flashbacks, memories come in waves and we need to learn to continue to forgive along the journey of our lives.

Forgiveness is a choice!

Like I said before, it's not a one off event, it's a daily choice, moment by moment choosing to forgive and let go. Sometimes we have to choose it minute by minute. It can be a hard choice to make. We can sometimes feel that if we forgive, there is no justice in our situation. It almost feels like if we forgive we are telling them that what they did was ok. This is such a lie. Forgiveness is not even about them, it's about US, you and me! It's about setting ourselves free from what they did to us, it's about not being a prisoner and slave to resentment. Forgiveness is not something we do for other people, it's something we do for ourselves. When I choose to forgive, as much as I would love to get rid of the memory, I am actually choosing to free myself from bitterness and enabling myself to live healthy, happy and whole.

Forgiveness is a command!

The words of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark pretty much say it all :-)

“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. ” (Mark 11:22-25 NIV)

Forgiveness is not waiting for an apology! 

You may never get one. There are some people who will never apologise and we need to release then to God and allow God to heal us. At the end of the day we are all responsible for our own actions and one day we will give account to God. It is not our job to demand an apology, or to withhold forgiveness until we get an apology. Some people can be so evil, or so decieved that they refuse to apologise for the pain they cause. That's ok. We are living for something way bigger than their apology. I don't know about you but I'm living to bring Glory to my God, and if someone else can't apologise for being dishonourable, that is their problem, not mine. Learning to forgive, without an apology, is a painful road to walk, but I've learnt that the more pain we suffer, the more purpose, potential and freedom we find. Stay on track, trust God, allow His grace to cover you and sustain you. When you receive all the love you need from Him, you will get to a place where you are content to forgive, move on, restore, with or without an apology.

Forgiveness is necessary for a healthy spirit, soul and body!

Studies have shown that people who harbour unforgiveness are more at risk of heart disease, anxiety, depression and other health issues. I've heard it said that harbouring unforgiveness is like taking poison but expecting someone else to die. The person it will affect is you, not them. So lets do ourselves a favour, and choose to forgive. God has a hope and a future for us and He desires that we run towards our future with arms open wide. If we are carrying around bitterness and resentment, we are weighed down and we won't be able to take hold of the full abundant life that is readily available to us. Lets choose to forgive, let go and move forward. When I choose to forgive, I make a conscious and deliberate decision to release feelings of resentment to anyone who has hurt me.

Forgiveness is not trusting!

Some people are never to be trusted again, choosing not to trust them does not mean you haven't forgiven them. You can forgive, yet choose not to go back to the same kind of relationship you had with that person before.

Forgiveness is not bottling up our feelings and believing the lie that if we feel a certain way it means we haven't totally forgiven! 

No, when you have been hurt, mistreated, exploited, there is a process of recovery that must take place (that's a whole book in itself). Those feelings need to be worked through and healed. Just because you are experiencing pain and brokenness from the trauma you have faced, it does not mean you have not forgiven. Don't be so hard on yourself. It takes time to recover, but rather than speed up the process, I encourage you to embrace it and learn all you can from it. Restoration is a process. It is the journey of recovery that leads to restoration. Only those who have walked its paths will understand it, so don't be concerned if some people don't get it, or don't walk with you. God is the God of restoration and He can supernaturally restore our lives. But, I have found that as we journey with Him, on what can be a painful and lonely road of recovery and rebuilding, the results at the end are so worth it.

It's not easy, but you can do it!

So often we try to do things in our own strength. The more I journey through life, the more I realise how weak I truly am. But the beautiful thing I have learnt is that in my weakness, He (God) is strong. So even though I am weak and can't do this on my own, with God by my side, I am able to forgive and move forward into victory. The Bible says in John that Greater is He (Jesus) that's living in me, than he that is in the world. I choose to believe the voice of truth, to be ok with feeling weak, but to allow His strength to be my strength. 

Forgiveness means praying for those who have persecuted you and done harm to you! 

"But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,"(Matthew 5:44 NIV)

This is a tough one. But I've come to realise that I'm not praying for them for their sake, but for my sake. When I pray for someone I see them through the eyes of Jesus. When I pray for them I realise they are a human being in need of a Saviour. A Saviour to deliver them from their life of sin and destruction. When we pray for those who persecute us, it reminds us who are real enemy is. To be honest, people can be so evil and do things to try and destroy us, but at the end of the day, it is the devil who is our enemy. He is the one who has an assignment to destroy us and wipe us out, and the sad thing is, he will use people to do just that. But, people aren't our enemy. The devil is. The Bible tells us that "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms". (Ephesians 6:12 NIV)

The great thing is that if you live a life surrendered to God, the devil is under your feet. Jesus has the victory and no power of hell or scheme of any many can ever pluck you from God's hand.

The devil wants us walking around harbouring unforgiveness, being bitter about our past, about the abuse, about those who betrayed us. I don't know about you but I want to live my life bringing Glory to my God and squashing the enemy under my feet. So, I choose to forgive, I choose to let go, I choose to be strong, I choose to recover, I choose restoration, I choose forgiveness, I choose joy, I choose healing, I choose laughter. I choose to live a big life, to rise above everything that was sent to destroy me.

Forgiveness is one of the greatest things we can do for ourselves. I pray that this week, whatever you are facing in life, that you would choose to forgive, let go of the past and run towards your future with arms wide open :-) xxx

Don't forget to brush your hair

I'll let you into a little secret, I don't brush my hair! I've had my hair cut once in the past 20 months and it has got so long. I like to get up and get out of the house, I don't have time for faffing and fussing, so I literally wash my hair, give it a shake, and go. I don't even use conditioner! Haha. 

Anyway, I remember as a child, my mum would always brush my hair after it had been washed, sometimes it hurt so much as she would try to brush the knots and tangles out. I would sit there squirming and squealing until that awful hair brushing procedure was over. But like a good girl, as I grew up, I followed the instruction that all good mothers give to their little girls, "make sure you brush your hair!" And I did, that is until the last few years.

Well, I had been getting along just fine with this no brushing my hair thing, it was so much easier to not brush it, and also when it dried it looked better without being brushed. Well, that's what I thought haha. So last week I was surprised to find a rather large knot of hair at the back of my head. I hadn't even noticed it, and to be honest I didn't know how long it had been there. I fiddled with it for a bit, hoping I could get the knots out with my fingers, I soon realised I couldn't. I showed a friend, who also tried to get it out, she couldn't either. So I ended up washing my hair and reaching for the Argon oil. That stuff was sure to help. Now, in my limited knowledge of hair styling, I did know that when using argon oil, one should only use a small amount. I began to massage the argon oil into the knot, which was actually a full on matt of hair! It wasn't working. I used a bit more and a bit more, until I had used two thirds of the bottle!! After lots of oil, a fair bit of pain and frustration, I finally managed to get the matt of hair out! Along with some big clumps of hair swirling down the plug hole! Ouch!

The thing is, if I had been taking care of my hair the way I should have, following Mamma's advice, I would not have been in the that situation. I wonder how often in life, we let things slip, we don't follow instruction, we say yes when we should say no (or vice versa), we don't take that piece of advice, we think we know best, we don't listen? And then, suddenly, we find a knot in our life. An issue, a problem, a stronghold, that really, if we had been given attention where attention was due, it would not be there.

I don't know what your issue is, or what your knot looks like. But I know that if I choose to be bold, and look beyond the long blonde wavy hair, I will find the root of the knot. See the thing is one of my goals in life is to live uncluttered, uncomplicated and to be the most low maintenance person I know. Well, in order for me to fulfil that goal, there are some things I need to put in place.

I want to live a life that honours God, everyday, not just on Sundays, or when I'm with my christian friends. I want to live a life that is pleasing to my God. And if I'm going to live that life, I must give careful attention to it. There are so many things I can do that give attention to the areas of my life that need care and a bit of work. But, I believe the most important thing is God and His Word. I recently just finished a bible reading plan where I read the bible front to back in 90 days. I don't say that to get an applause, I don't need one. I don't see it as an achievement, but rather an absolute necessity if I am going to live the life I dream of and the life that God has destined for me. See, I can't do life on my own, I need God's direction, wisdom, grace, forgiveness, truth, freedom, favour, protection and presence more than the food I eat and the air I breathe. I cannot live this life without Him, I need Him. If I choose to put Him on the back seat of my life, that is when knots start appearing, and they don't just appear at the back of my neck, but they have the potential to appear all over. I need Him. I choose to put Him first. Knots are painful to get out, they are awkward and ugly, and you end up loosing hair through it. The beautiful thing about God's word is that it brings conviction and guidance in the most powerful and loving way. God has good plans for us, but He can only lead us into those good plans if we put Him first, follow His word and allow Him to work in our lives for our good.

I think I need to get my hair brush back out! ;-) How about you? :-) xxx

A Poem

Life has it's way of surprising us,
There are many twists and turns.
Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad,
And sometimes there are things to be learnt.

The path we walk, the road we take,
Our future is often unknown.
Some days are dark, some full of light,
And sometimes we feel all alone.

Feelings come and feelings go,
Some emotions are too much to bear.
Our hearts get hurt, ripped out and abused,
And life isn't always fair.

I hear many stories, I've seen many things,
There is deception, abuse and betrayal.
But I won't forget who walks with me,
It's my God, and He will prevail.

The thing about life is it's just so unknown,
We plan and advise and walk.
But some things happen that we did not expect,
And They leave us unable to talk.

In life's ups and downs, in the fire and flood,
We will go through valleys and lows.
But in the storm, we can lean on God,
His presence, His power, His love

So don't be afraid, do not despair,
There is someone who carries you.
He is far greater than all that you face,
And He will walk with you through.

Friends may have left, loved ones gone,
You may be facing abuse.
But Jesus is there, His arms outstretched,
He is you anchor, your hope, and truth.

Cling to Him and lift up your eyes,
He is your everything.
He paid a great price, laid down His life,
And He will cause you to sing.

Pain lasts for the night, it can hurt so bad,
It is ugly and tries to control.
But joy comes in, the morning, so bright.
And joy will enrich your soul.

There is a Saviour, there is a king,
There is a God who sits on the Throne.
He loves you with passion, He sees all your days,
And one day, He'll carry you Home.

It's time for some favour :-)

Last year I saw the power, presence and favour of God at work in my life in the most incredible way. I have so many testimonies of God being there for me, keeping me safe, providing for me, opening doors for me, healing me, restoring me, bringing incredible people across my path, and so so much more. 2014, for me, was definitely a year of experiencing the favour of God.

As I sat down last week, at the end of what has been an incredible year, I thanked God for His favour that has so evidently been all over my life, and I also asked Him for more of His favour this year. Don't get me wrong, I have a whole list of areas I want to grow in this year and have also set myself some pretty big goals of things I personally want to accomplish and achieve. But, for me to live the exceedingly, abundant and above life that He has called me to live, I need His favour. I need strength in my spirit, I need a healthy body and soul, I need finances, I need the right relationships, I need Him to enlarge my capacity, to daily renew my mind, I need to know Him more. I need His favour.

I woke up on the morning of January 1st 2015 and specifically thanked God for His favour over my life this year. I declared that this would be a year where I see His favour even more than last year. I began to ask God for something specific for that day. I told Him what His favour would look like in my life that day and as I talked to Him that morning, I said, "you know God, it would be really good if you could do this for me today, and in this way". I left my request with Him and went about my day, hoping He would do what I had asked, but knowing that I would still trust Him if He didn't. About four hours later, God had come through for me with my earlier request, not only had He miraculously answered my prayer that morning, but He answered it in an Ephesians 3:20 kind of way, the way that only He can! Not only did I receive what I asked of Him, but it was even better than my prayer! Obviously, I was super excited. It's always wonderful when God answers a prayer, but even more wonderful when it is above and beyond what we even asked Him for! I started thanking Him for His favour. And smiling I said, "Wow, God, I didn't know you were going to do that!" I felt His response in my heart, "Leah, My thoughts are higher than your thoughts, My ways higher than your ways. You might think you know what My favour on your life looks, but you haven't seen anything yet. What I want to do in you and through you is far greater than you can even imagine".

God is so good and He desires to do us good. It got me thinking that we often ask God for something, that we might think is pretty big, but actually, we can limit God with our prayers. When we pray we are not talking to a dead, distant or dormant God, we are talking to a King who sits on the throne, the God who is alive, to the God who has overcome the evil of this world and has conquered death a hell. We talk to a God who can heal, rescue, restore and redeem. A God who is for us and not against us. A God who wants to give us the desires of our hearts. A God who created the universe with His own hands. A God who is stronger than any force that tries to destroy us, bigger than any fear that tries to control us and more powerful than anything that comes against us. THIS is our God. Why are we surprised when He answers our prayers? Why do we only ask Him for small things when He is able, and willing, to do big things? 

My prayer is that we would dream big, and then dream even bigger. Expecting the best is good, but let's not just expect the best, why have the best when you can have the best of the best? Expect the impossible. Believe for the unattainable. Reach for the untouchable and believe for the supernatural. God wants to do wonders, in us and through us this year. The amount of wonders we see will be determined by our faith, our attitude, our persistence, our seeking, our trusting, our serving.

Have you every read Isaiah 61? I love that portion of scripture and it has been close to my heart since I was young. It has always challenged, inspired and encouraged me whenever I've read it. I was once in a performing arts group called "Isaiah 61", we would share the Gospel through song and dance, it was a lot of fun! ;-) 

"The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me, for the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that THE TIME OF THE LORD'S FAVOUR HAS COME..." (Isaiah 61:1-2 NLT)

The thing is, His favour, which He wants us to experience, is not just for us, but rather to flow through us and touch those we meet. The whole point of us experiencing the favour of God, redemption, and restoration, is to enable us to live lives where His love and grace freely flow from us to impact the lives of those around us. When I think of God's favour on me this coming year, I get excited. But, when I take that a step further and think of His favour on my life spilling out to impact others, well that makes me want to jump for joy. Which is why this year I am asking God for MORE of His favour. I am not on this planet to live a boring, play it safe, mediocre kind of life. I am here to live big, to live full, to live right, to live free and to proclaim to those who don't yet know, "THIS IS THE YEAR OF THE FAVOUR OF GOD", and so are you! :-)

Be Still

[Early winters morning Southsea Beach]

This morning I was driving down the beach really early and I had to stop for a moment because the view was absolutely breathtaking! I actually can't believe how blessed I am to live in such a beautiful city, right on the sea. And this is full blown winter, but it looks absolutely gorgeous.

I love everything about this photo. But, one of the things I love most about it is how big and powerful the ocean is, yet how calm and still it is. Only a Great and Mighty God can do that. And it reminded me that through all the seasons of life, the good the bad, the busy, the mundane, the dreams, God is big and powerful and we need to be still IN HIM. I don't necessarily mean literally sitting still and doing nothing [although sometimes that is needed as we often get too busy to think]. But having a heart after His, being at peace in the core of our being and just trusting Him. God is the One who fulfills our dreams, it's not about people giving us opportunity, or trying to make stuff happen ourselves, but as we live out our daily activities with a heart that is STILL and surrendered to His,  He will lead us and guide us into His perfect and good plan. As we rest and trust in Him and not in what we can do for Him, or what we can do to serve others, not that we shouldn't serve, serving is part of living the abundant life that God has for us. But our trust and confidence should be in WHOSE we are and not what we do. We need to know WHO HE IS. When we fully KNOW that, being still should come naturally.

"...BE STILL, and know (recognize and understand) that I am God..." [Psalm 46:10 AMP]. Love this verse! 

I'm so glad I stopped the car this morning and breathed in the beauty of that moment, I could have carried on and then I would have missed it.

Be still, there's things in our day that are there to bless us, but we are often so busy looking for them that we actually miss them.

To add an extra blessing to my day, I received a beautiful necklace in the mail that says "Be Still". I think God may be trying to tell me something :)

Be FREE!

"You can't set others free while you are still captive." Chris Caine

I recently read this quote by Christine Caine and loved it. It got me thinking about being free. I've always loved the fact that when we truly know God and live surrendered lives to His word, we can walk in complete freedom. But so often in life we go through seasons, we go through storms, abuse, betrayal, crisis, and stuff happens. Sometimes the things that happen to us can leave wounds so deep that we wonder if they will ever heal. But the truth is that Jesus wants us healed and whole, He doesn't want us walking around broken and defeated. His sacrifice on the cross paid for that. 

So why is it that when we know we are saved, and we believe the finished work of the cross, we walk around bound and defeated? We say we have a passion to see others receive freedom yet we are still messed up ourselves.

The bible tells us that "He was pierced for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities...and by His stripes we ARE healed."

So why do we still carry so much pain, heart ache, confusion and condemnation when He so freely took it all upon Himself, for us, at calvary?

Maybe it is because we have become comfortable in our pain? If we are not careful, we can let what has happened to us, define us. Sometimes when we experience a storm, a trauma, a crisis, a life defining time, we can be surrounded by grief, sorrow, and, sadness. The storm can overwhelm us and it is easy for us to become self focused, self absorbed and to build up a negative attitude towards others and the world around us.

I'm not by any means making light of what you have been through, I have had my own share of trauma and grief, I know what it is to be abused, to feel like the darkness of the world is suffocating me, to have people falsely accuse me and stab me in the back, I've been through sickness and pain, but, if we are to move on to fullness of life, and freedom, that Jesus offers us, we have to allow Him to lift us up out of our pain, to heal us, to set us free, completely. Personally, I think it is an insult to My Lord when I don't truly walk in the freedom and victory that He so freely, lovingly and graciously offers me.

Sometimes, without realizing it, we can try to hold on to our pain. It almost becomes a safety net, a comfort blanket. But, There comes a time when we need to let it go. And face the world again. And move on. We are stronger and better and wiser when we do.

I'm not saying to get 'just get over it'. There is a process to our pain and we have to go through that process and let our heart mend. But, what I am saying, is let's not give the rubbish that has happened to us, power over us. What God has done FOR us is way greater, powerful and stronger than what anyone has ever done TO us.

There is a time to weep and a time to laugh. Weeping may endure for the night (and the nights can feel so long, I've been there), BUT (don't you just love it when there's a but in the bible?) JOY, comes in the morning. Oh yes, joy DEFINATELY comes. And, it comes with more power than we've ever experienced before. The joy, after coming through the storm, is wonderful. When we look back and see what we've come through and how God proved Himself strong in us and around us, and through us. And how we are now safe and whole and free, the joy that brings is so liberating and fulfilling.

There are so many people in this world who need to know true freedom and victory in their lives. And I believe that God is raising up a company of people who refuse to live in defeat, who refuse to be victims, but who choose strength, who choose courage, who choose victory, who choose wholeness, who choose life. The world needs you, and me, to show them the finished work of the cross of Calvary through our lives. Lets be brave enough to let go of the lain, to face the future with excitement and expectancy, to see God turn every situation around for our good. 

My prayer for my own life is that I would be so free, whole and victorious, that I can truly help those who are captives. Christine Caine is right, "You can't set others free while you are still captive."