Transparency

This month has been an incredible month of both blessings and curses. The blessings have been "wow" moments for sure. You know the kind... where you don't even have the tip of your pinky in the situation, but then boom... it just springs upon you. Those kind of God's blessings are the best kind... perhaps they are the only true, genuine blessings -- untainted by human hands.

Now the curses. They have been unreal, the Twilight Zone kind of unreal. I understand I do not stand against any person, but a spirit that would love nothing more than to knock me down and eliminate me off the playing field. Permit me because this must be stated: that will not happen! And not because of me, but because of Him.

After several hits this month, timed of course on the heels of God's blessings, I absolutely confess the natural man in me wanted to crawl into bed and pull the sheet over me. And do you know... that is exactly what I did, but it was with the full knowledge I was landing in Papa's big lap, His arms surrounding me and the beat of His heart in my ear.

On the night of the last great hit, I put myself to bed. I would love to say I drifted off in peaceful slumber, but I did not. I laid in Papa's arms waiting for any word of hope from Him. The last time on the clock that I recall was 4:17 am. At some point I drifted off. What happened when I finally found sleep is stunning to me. One of the most vivid, lengthy dreams I have ever had lit my awareness.

I shared the dream with an elder sister of mine the following day whose spiritual antenna is both high and sharp. She's been in my life for nearly two decades. She shared her impression: "the diamond....made me think of the deposit in your life that has come through times of pressure and testing. You were guarding it. And the wristwatch, your time, of course." There was much aggression in the dream to take both the diamond and my time from me, but the attempts failed. Praise GOD, they failed!

God's protective nature leaves me in a constant state of awe. It's not about me... it's not about what I can or can not do... it is WHOLLY what HE purposes to do, and that He aggressively and successfully protects without apology.

When God spoke Joy In The Morning into my heart many years ago now, He gave me a promise: "I, the LORD, am its keeper; I water it every moment. So that no one will damage it, I guard it night and day." Isa 27: 3

I have never seen JITM as mine. I never asked for it. I wasn't the one who dreamed it up. No, it was given to me to steward, but I never lose sight of the fact that it is His to do whatever He wills.

I have been accused of being many things in recent years, but my eyes are opened to see not the deliverer of the accusations, but the source of the accusations. Never forget the enemy uses people, often those closest to us, in an effort to stop us. I have developed tough skin... not insensitive skin... but tough skin. I'm able to take a lot, (often wishing this weren't the case!)... hand the pain of it to Jesus... and keep going. Why? Because He overtly enables me to cut the enemy off at every turn in my consciousness.

You've got to know who you are in Christ. It's not an option if you are going to successfully walk out your purpose because there are going to be many many attempts to get you to question who you are, what you are doing, why you are doing it, and how you are doing it. The nature of man is NOT for you, so don't expect applause if you truly are doing God's will, not even from your siblings in Christ. Jesus didn't get applause, so don't be foolish to think you will. Fully expect stumbling blocks and stones to be pitched in your path though. Jesus knew these elements well, and so will you if you are walking to please God and NOT men! But if you are firmly rooted in Him, all those voices turn to nothing but mere wind that may ruffle your leaves, but they won't knock you to the ground. Eventually the wind gets turned up to greater intensities in ever increasing efforts to stop your advances, but again nothing holds like roots in Christ. Nothing. They have held me thus far, and to those roots alone do I presently look to hold me where God has me.

Courage up, dear ones. I am a living testimony, with focus of purpose and confidence in Him, of His ability to sustain through some really hard hits. Make no mistake, confidence rattles people... and the enemy. As another dear friend pointed out recently, if we are in God's will, we should rejoice when trouble hits because it is a clear indicator the enemy is not happy. While I do not like the trouble he stirs up, I am fully confident that to a far greater measure he's not going to like the trouble God stirs up through this willing vessel. It's not the confrontation that thrills me, but rather the conviction of holding fast to Him and His precepts.

I pray most earnestly that God's Body wakes up to the confidence that is available to those rooted in Christ ... a confidence that rattles the enemy to pieces.

Apart from Him, I can do nothing -- but with Him, I might just change the world..... and it scares the enemy to death that I actually believe such a thing!

Are you rattling him today? Or is he rattling you? One thing is for sure; it's one way or the other...

Loving you,
Deborah