Miracle on the Mountain

God took me on an adventure of a lifetime the summer of 2012. In it He taught me how to press in to Him for His strength. It all began when I went camping with my family in the mountains of Colorado. As we traveled down the road heading for Twin Lakes near Buena Vista, I felt an urgency from the Lord to pray for our protection. I prayed for each of us individually; my husband, Steven, and our sons Trevor and Heath, Heath’s wife, Sarah, and Sarah’s brother, Mike.

Early in the morning we began our hike up Mt. Elbert—a 14-er (that’s Colorado talk for a 14,000 foot mountain). Steven decided to stay at the camp so I took off with the kids. My kids were wonderful. They took turns hiking beside me. I got to spend valuable one-on-one time with each of them. We were having a lot of fun.

We were near the top and very excited about reaching the peak. Mike was hiking next to me and someone coming down asked us if we were going to the top. When we said that yes, that was our plan, they said “stay safe.” We thought it a strange thing to ask because who climbs only 13,900 feet and doesn’t go the rest of the way to the top? Then a few minutes later it happened again. It was a bit eerie and Mike commented on how strange it was that we were hearing it again. Out loud, I said “we receive that in Jesus’ name! We will stay safe!”

At that moment I got a text message from a dear friend. I sat down on a rock to read it. It said “YOU ARE BLESSED BECAUSE GOD CALLS YOU BLESSED. Blessed is Connie WHO BELIEVES AND RESTS IN THE PROMISES OF GOD. BLESSED!!!” She had no idea where I was and what I was doing so I texted back and told her that I was near the top of a 14-er and was taking this as confirmation that I was going to make it to the top. I stood and did a happy dance then walked the few steps back to the trail. As soon as I stepped foot on the trail—it had not been 2 minutes—a pellet fell near me. I froze. And then another landed and then another. It was hailing! Oh, no!

It went from sunshine to a hailstorm in seconds. We all huddled together as we pulled gear out of backpacks and put on sweaters and hats. Everyone shared to make sure that the other had what they needed. It truly blessed my mother-heart. We huddled together under a poncho hoping that the hail would pass quickly. It didn’t. I had a new interpretation to the text I just received. I pulled out my phone and read it to everyone declaring that we were all BLESSED and that we would all be SAFE. I kept declaring that this storm would not harm us and proclaimed that the power of God was bigger than this storm.

At one point, Mike said that he felt we needed to get off the mountain right now. He stood to leave right when lightning struck just beside us. He was wearing a baseball cap and heard the metal on his hat sizzle and felt a jolt. Thank you, God, for protecting Mike from being struck by lightning! Mike took off running and went down to tree-line to set up a shelter.

After having lightning strike so close, we all decided that we had better get off the mountain. But when I stood up I discovered that my thigh muscles had locked up. I couldn’t move. I forced each step with intense pain. The hail continued pelting which was painful. I was wet and cold and the hail hurt and my legs were in excruciating pain. I was only able to move inches at a time. Being near the top of a 14,000 foot mountain and hardly able to move in a hail storm is very scary. My kids refused to leave me even though I begged them to go. It was a horrible feeling to know that they were in danger because of me. I tried everything I knew to get myself moving. I prayed. I commanded my muscles. I prayed for healing. I tried willing myself. I tried rubbing my thighs. I was highly motivated but completely unable to move my legs more than a few inches at a time. Nothing worked—my legs remained locked. I knew that I was in big trouble...but I was BLESSED.

Mike ran back up the mountain wondering what was taking us so long. He pointed to the sky. Dark clouds loomed and he said that we very much needed to get off the mountain before the next storm front hit. I was desperate to get my kids off the mountain. They were in danger because they wouldn’t leave me. And I couldn’t get myself going no matter what I tried.

I looked down the very large mountain and knew that I was in trouble. Big trouble. I knew that I could not get myself off the mountain. But I knew that I was BLESSED. I was a BLESSED, in trouble person. I declared it over and over. I wasn’t in denial. I acknowledged that I was in a lot of trouble and was causing the people I care for most in life to be in trouble. That is the worst feeling in the world. AND I knew that I was BLESSED. I just didn’t quite know how those two things were going to collide. I continued to believe that I was BLESSED and asked God what He was going to do to get His BLESSED and in trouble daughter off this mountain.

In an instant, the thought of Elijah running for 40 days crossed my mind and then the gift of faith welled up inside of me. I yelled out to my kids that I was going to run (just so that they knew the plan) and in faith I took off running. I went from hardly able to move and needing to stop every 2 feet because of the pain, to running down the mountain in the supernatural power of the Almighty God. And I ran all the way to tree-line without stopping. The pain in my thighs was gone and I was praising God!

At tree-line we all took a quick break under the fabulous shelter that Mike had set up. After eating rather squished and soggy sandwiches, it was time to complete our journey. We had a pretty thick forest to maneuver and that can be dangerous when it’s lightning. So off we went. And we ran the rest of the way down the mountain. We made it off the mountain safe and sound and rejoiced. We laughed together at what a good story this was going to be and stood in awe of a very big and powerful God.

It was a few weeks later that I found myself dealing with something extremely overwhelming and much bigger than me. As I was awake all night crying out to God, I recognized that feeling of looking down the mountain and knowing my limits and inability. I recognized the feeling of knowing what I faced was bigger than me. I found myself crying to God that I couldn’t get myself off of this mountain either. I needed God to get me off of this mountain too. It was too big, too scary and I was too small, too weak. Then God in his power and goodness got me off of that mountain too. Because that is what He does. Without limit. He strengthens. He enables. He empowers. He helps. He is. He was. He always will be.

2 Cor. 12:9  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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

Know Justice, Know Peace

I have an excitement in my spirit for what God showed me about justice. We know that God is a God of justice according to Psalm 50:6. In answer to the question of what God requires of us, God tells us to do justice (Micah 6:8). A quick search found that the word "justice" is in the NAS 138 times. God takes justice very seriously. If you have ever been a victim of a crime, then you know the significance of the need for justice.

God gave me greater insight into what is happening in the spirit realm when justice is carried out. It can be found in 1 Kings 2:28-34 (NAS) when we read of Joab's execution. Solomon ordered the execution for the purpose "that you may remove from me and from my father's house the blood which Joab shed without cause" (v. 31). We get more understanding from v. 32 where the Word says "and the Lord will return his blood on his own head..." and v. 33 "So shall their blood return on the head of Joab and on the head of his descendants forever; but to David and his descendants and his house and his throne, may there be peace from the Lord forever." The blood of those that Joab had murdered needed to go back on Joab. If the blood was not already on Joab, then where was it?

We know from 1 Kings 2:31 that it landed on David and his generational line. Scripture indicates that spilling innocent blood also defiles land (Deuteronomy 32:43, Psalm 106:38). There appears to be a defilement in the spirit realm that can remain on land and affect the innocent until justice is served. Justice returns the spiritual consequences back on the guilty and releases the land and the innocent to go free. There is a reason God wants justice served. God wants the land cleared and the innocent protected. God wants us to be at peace. But in order for that to happen justice has to be served.

I invite you to join me in prayer: God, I repent for all the times I have made excuses for the guilty, overlooked guilt, or blamed the innocent. I repent for all of the things I am guilty of (pause and listen to God; mention anything that He brings to mind). Thank you, Jesus, that your blood covers me and I am forgiven! God would you please show me how to walk in your justice. Show me how to do justice. Help me to steer clear of ungodly judgments. I acknowledge that I am not the judge but God, you are. And God, you have given your people the responsibility to carry out justice, please show us how to do that according to your ways and not our own. God, would you raise up leaders in this nation that will uphold justice. Thank you, Jesus. Amen!

1 Kings 8:32 "Then hear in heaven and act and judge your servants, condemning the wicked by bringing his way on his own head and justifying the righteous by giving him according to his righteousness."

Ask, Seek, Knock

I want to share with you a tremendous insight my husband had when listening to the Word. Luke 11:9-10 (AMP) says, "So I say to you, Ask and keep on asking and it shall be given you; seek and keep on seeking and you shall find; knock and keep on knocking and the door shall be opened to you. For everyone who asks and keeps on asking receives; and he who seeks and keeps on seeking finds; and to him who knocks and keeps on knocking, the door shall be opened." God revealed that He was intentional in the order He put things in. Ask, seek, knock. And keep on asking, seeking, and knocking.

The key is to realize that God put these in a certain order for a purpose. We are to ask first, then seek, then knock. I often get them out of order. The tendency is to seek all over everywhere and when we can't find, then we ask God. And how often we ask God and get discouraged when we still can't find the answer or the answer doesn't come soon enough. Sometimes going to God seems to be a lesson in frustration. Even when we have done the perseverance part, I wonder if frustration continues because we do not realize there is an order to things.

God designed for us to ask him first. And we need to come asking with expectation of His goodness. We are to come as a child to a perfect Father who wants to hear what we have to say. According to Luke 11:13, Father God knows how to give good gifts to His children. We must also surrender our motives so that they are pure (James 4:3). God is a good Father and will not give us what is not good for us.

Then we need to begin seeking for where and how He will answer. God can speak in any number of ways. He can speak to us directly, through dreams, through circumstances, or through others. Sometimes I am led to a book, a teaching video/podcast, or to call a friend. Holy Spirit leads us in our search. The Holy Spirit is a good gift (Luke 11:13) so that we are not all alone, abandoned to our own resources. We want to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. He will direct our steps to the answer.

Finally, we knock on that door. What I personally like to do is say, "Yes, Lord!" even before I know what I am saying yes to. We do this as an act of faith to honor Father God. We give our full surrender not based on the what but on the who. We surrender completely to the One True God, and therefore we surrender to His answer. We surrender to His solution. We surrender to His way of doing things. Then we step out in faith to go forward through whatever door He opens. We keep our eyes on Him, for He is the one to direct our steps. 

I invite you to join me in prayer: God, I repent for getting things out of order. I repent for looking in all the wrong places instead of coming to you first. I repent for asking with wrong motives. I repent for giving up too soon. God, I come before you now asking to know you better. I ask for your grace to know and understand your ways. I come to you asking for what I need. I ask you to purify my motives so that what I ask for is in alignment with your will. God, I agree to seek you and only you with everything that is in me. I agree to knock on your door of grace and mercy. And I agree to walk through the door that you open. I thank you, God, that your door is always wide open to receive me! Thank you, Heavenly Father, that you give me more of your Holy Spirit. Thank you, God, that you are able to do immeasurably more than I could ever ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).

Love Our Enemies...Really?

I have heard it taught that people are not our enemy. The devil is our enemy. I agree that the devil is our enemy. But if people are never our enemy, then why did Jesus teach us to love our enemies? He is not asking us to love the devil. An enemy is someone who is against us, opposes us, or is hostile towards us. When we have an enemy encounter, our human nature gets defensive. Our human nature doesn’t feel very loving. And yet, Jesus calls us to love them.

So how then, do we love our enemies? Why would God ask us to do something that is so impossible? I believe it is because he wants to draw us more deeply into himself. What is impossible for us is possible with God. God is good at loving his enemies. He loved us when we were his enemy (Romans 5:10). We are only able to accomplish loving our enemies when we go so deeply into God’s love for us that we are secure in His love. Then we are able to love others together as a team. And then we are free. For some of us, that process can take some time. 

It is important to note, that just because you choose to love your enemy does not mean they will cease being your enemy. They still have free will to choose whether they are for you or against you. Choosing to love someone does not necessarily result in having a reconciled relationship. Reconciliation requires repentance. Love doesn’t require anything of the other person. Love is a condition of the heart. When we choose to love, that love dispels the darkness and our hearts are washed clean.

I invite you to join me in prayer: Father God, I understand that you want me to love my enemies. I also realize that I cannot do that in my own strength. I need your help. You are very good at loving your enemies. You loved me when I was your enemy. Love is who you are! Make me like you. Please fill me full to overflowing with Your love that I may have more of Your love to offer others when I do not have enough of my own. Would you please help me love those who betray me. Please help me love those who reject me. Please help me love those who come against me, speak against me and lead others to also be against me. May your holy love flow through me. For in this I will have complete freedom. Thank you, God!

Limits are Irrelevant

If we want to land in the place of truth and freedom, we have to learn to see Truth above the facts. So often we focus on the facts. And there are times when they are actually irrelevant. We tend to focus on our limits, our inadequacies and unworthiness. We can accurately assess an impossibility. But the Good News is that it doesn't matter. Our inadequacies don't matter. Our unworthiness doesn't matter. When we focus on our limits we tend to shut down.

The Good News is that those facts are irrelevant. God created this world out of nothing. He is capable of making something out of nothing. And he is our source. We are not our own source. So focusing on our limits and on what we cannot do is focusing on the irrelevant. When we bring our limits before God, amazing things can happen.

I was once stuck on the top of a 14er. (For those of you not from Colorado, that means I was stuck on the top of a 14,000 foot mountain.) It went from sunshiny to a lightning and hailstorm in a matter of minutes. Long story short, the drop in temperature combined with wet and tired legs (that were really not in good enough shape to do that hike!) resulted in my legs locking up. I could hardly move. I was with my kids who refused to leave me and we needed to get off the mountain for safety sake. I did everything I could think of. I massaged my legs, I prayed over my legs, I declared the truth of God over my legs, I took authority and commanded my legs, I blessed my legs. And I think I made up a few other things in desperation. I was desperate as a mom to get my kids off the mountain but I could only inch along way too slowly. It was a dangerous situation. We were in trouble. I cried out to God acknowledging my limits and lifting up to him my very accurate assessment of the impossible. It was his to solve. My only hope was in him. And that is when God brought to mind that Elijah ran for 40 days. I instantly knew what God was saying and I took off running in faith. I ran all the way to tree line without stopping! Impossible! But I did it!

"Jesus looked at them intently and said, 'Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.'" (Matthew 19:26 NLT)

The key is to get our focus off of our very real limits. Off of our very real weaknesses. And get our focus on a very real God. A God who does the impossible!

 

I invite you to pray with me. God please forgive me for all the times that I focused on myself. I focused on my limits. I focused on my inadequacies, unworthiness, failures, and lack of understanding. I now lay it all down at the foot of the cross. I choose to trust you! I choose to have eyes for you, God! I agree to keep my focus on you. You are my source. You have unlimited resources for me. You are my help in times of need! You are able! Thank you, God!

It's a Long Journey

Does it feel like your journey to freedom takes forever? Does it feel like it will never end?

"And the Lord your God will clear away these nations before you little by little; you will not be able to put an end to them quickly, lest the wild beasts grow too numerous for you." (Deuteronomy 7:22, NAS) 

My prayer has been to possess all of the land that God has given me. A task that will not be done overnight. It is a journey. And the enemy makes sure there are many obstacles along the way—using people and circumstances. We will need to defeat giants and clear out wild beasts. Tear down works of the devil. Align hearts, mindsets and belief systems with the One True God. There is a lot of work to do.

We will not have victory in our own strength. This is not something we do for God. It will take the mighty power of the One True God at work within us. We are called to partner with God and fight alongside him with his power and his strength. 

So let us encourage each other along the way! Hang in there for the journey. It is worth it because we get more of God. More of his plan for our life. We get our destiny! If you keep going, you will get there!

I invite you to pray with me. God, I want to fully possess the land you have given me; the freedom that Christ died to give me. I can only do that with your help. I choose to not give up. I choose to trust you. I choose to partner with you. Please give me your wisdom, strategy and strength. I receive it and thank you for it! Thank you, God, that you help me get more free every day!

Coming Out In Order To Go In

This is one of my favorite scriptures. "And He brought us out from there in order to bring us in, to give us the land which He had sworn to our fathers." (Deuteronomy 6:23, NAS)

If there is going to be movement in the direction God wants to take us in, then there will be a coming out or away from something. God will bring us out of situations that hold us in bondage or are toxic to us. Even though that journey may be very painful and we may not understand. When we cling to him through the journey we will end up taking the quickest route into what he has for us. And he will bring us into the fullness of our destiny. Into the fullness of his goodness. Into closer relationship with him, doing what he built us for. And doing it with him and not just for him.

I invite you to pray with me. Lord, I agree with you to come out of everything that is not of you, that keeps me in bondage, that tears me down, and holds me back from your promises. I agree to go forward with you into the fullness of the destiny you have for me. Please help me along the journey to not give up when it's hard but to cling to you always. Thank you that you will never leave me nor forsake me. Thank you, God, for bringing me out in order to take me in!

We all carry something of God

I'm stepping out on a new journey. A journey that has been prophesied to me for years but always seemed to loom in my future. God is saying the time is now. So I welcome you to come along with me on my adventure. This adventure looks like doing my best to put into words what God speaks to my heart. It was a bit overwhelming to think about where to start. Then God, in His goodness, spoke the following to my heart.

We all carry something of Him.
That is really profound when you think about it.
We need to know that we carry something of Him in order to really engage it and walk in it. We all carry something of God that others need. Others need what you carry. And it's ok to need what those around you carry.

The key is in the acknowledgement. Acknowledge that you carry a part of God. Even if you can't quite articulate what it is--that's ok. Begin by just showing up. Fully you. Fully knowing that God put a part of Himself in you that will bless those around you.

If you are like me, then you have experienced the enemy doing all he can to shut you down. Our enemy wants us to think that we have nothing to offer. It's because he knows that the part of God that we carry is dangerous to his kingdom of destruction. Meaning, when we show up knowing that we carry a part of God--even if we don't know exactly what it is--we are advancing the kingdom of God and doing damage to the kingdom of darkness. That is, personally, my heart's desire.

I invite you to pray with me.
Lord, I agree that I carry a part of you. I agree that I carry something significant. I carry something that others need. I say "yes" to you, God. I will show up and let your light shine through me!