False Summits

False Summits 

Have you ever hiked a BIG mountain?  Or ridden your bike a very long distance?  Or perhaps you ran a marathon or half marathon, an experience that is not on my to-do list.  Then you must know the feeling of a journey that evolved into a grueling, painful and long trudge.  At some point you see the end in sight....”I can do this!” Just a few more steps, around the bend, or just over that next hill, but then the sinking disappointment when you realize it was a false summit!  and somewhere in your being you must find the strength, courage, and hope to talk yourself into enduring the pain of the journey again.  It has become much longer than you anticipated.    

Those feelings of hitting a false summit are fresh for me this week.  Last Saturday, unprepared and not well equipped, I hiked and summited the highest peak in Colorado, Mt Elbert, at 14,482’ in elevation.  Just when my group of 4 were estimating the time remaining until we rejoiced at the tippy-top, we realized we were looking at a false summit - a counterfeit, the wrong one... again!   

The wrong one.... AGAIN?!  Now I am talking about meeting yet another counterfeit to the person you believe God is bringing into your life, the long awaited desire of your heart, your dream.  I know that feeling all too well, and it recently happened to two of my friends (a male friend and a female friend, but not interested in each other.) They were both exhilarated with excitement, believing that God had finally answered their prayers for a marriage partner!   The disappointment is crushing when you realize someone you’ve met, and begun opening your heart to is just another false summit.  Then the disappointment turns into anger with God to varying degrees.  But he can take it.  

Just like reaching the false summit I endured last weekend, I’ve known that same feeling when another potential man, who was perfect on paper and in my imagination, dissolves into an illusion.  “God, I don’t know if I can go any further!  I don’t know if I can meet one more counterfeit to the man I hope to marry!”   

BUT GOD!  He has created us with an amazing ability to rebound, to pick ourselves up and hope again!  To find the strength and courage to hike another 400’ in elevation to the real summit, even if it takes much longer than is comfortable.  He didn’t say it would be comfortable, He said that He is faithful, and He will never leave us or forsake us.  

I encourage you to hope today, and tomorrow, because God is good, and He IS faithful!  My male friend - well he recently met a girl that is a much better fit for him than the last crazy-counterfeit!  

Some of the verses I was speaking (declaring!) on our big mountain adventure might be just the refreshing words you need to continue on your journey to your dream of a Kingdom Marriage.  Oh, but first the lyrics to “Climb Every Mountain”, which I was singing it as I hiked, but I did not know how perfect the words are for our quest!  We are waiting for the dream that will require all the love we can give for as long as we live!  

"Climb every mountain Search high and low Follow every byway 

Every path you know 

Climb every mountain
Ford every stream
Follow every rainbow
Till you find your dream

A dream that will need
All the love you can give
Every day of your life
For as long as you live” 

“Righteousness will go before Him,
And shall make His footsteps our pathway.” 
And shall make His footsteps our pathway.”  (Psalm 85:13 NKJV)

“For the vision is yet for an appointed time and it hastens to the end [fulfillment]; it will not deceive or disappoint. Though it tarry, wait [earnestly] for it, because it will surely come; it will not be behindhand on its appointed day.”  (Habakkuk 2:3 Amplified)

 "The Lord God is my Strength, my personal bravery, and my invincible army; He makes my feet like hinds’ feet and will make me to walk [not to stand still in terror, but to walk] and make [spiritual] progress upon my high places [of trouble, suffering, or responsibility]!”  (Habakkuk 3:19 Amplified)

Take the next step!  God’s promises will be fulfilled!!

AMEN!  [so be it!]”  

Expecting to be amazed ~

Barbara

© Barbara Nelson – 2012

God Delights in Prosperity!

“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”  Jeremiah 33:3 

Today I was looking back at a post from last summer, to pray for a friend, and decided to share it again with you.   

Fear......I shared with you my recent entanglement with fear last week, and fear is not a one-day blog topic.  There so many fears affecting those of us who desire a great marriage, and even within marriages. Fear of lack of provision is one of the mountains that is often a hindrance in the way of a marriage relationship, and financial stress is the leading cause of divorce.  I don’t need to tell you that financial stress and fear is rampant right now, but how does that affect those of us who desire marriage, and is it slowing the process of meeting others to build healthy relationships?  

Financial struggles or concerns tempt us to take our eyes off of our Jehova Jireh, The Lord Provides, and succumb to fear.  

Recently I was expressing my financial fears, and my friend Debi said, “Do not focus on the lack, but look at the promises of God, and the Lord who Provides!”  Praying and declaring God’s Word and promises helps us to take our eyes off of the lack of relationships, or the lack of finances, and set our faces like a flint in the direction of the future and hope that God has promised.  

“The Word of God is not simply a story book, history book, or religious book.  God’s Word is creative power!  That power is still in the Word, but for it to work for you it must be released by being spoken in faith.  Unfortunately, most people are speaking words of fear and failure, speaking often of the depressed economy, lack of jobs, and shortage of finances.  They are saying what they have and having what they say.   

I challenge you to change what you are speaking and use your words to bring God’s provision into your life.  By speaking and confessing these scriptures daily, faith will be created in your heart and you will begin to see God’s creative power change the circumstances of your life.”  
Charles Capps “God’s Creative Power for Finances

The declarations today are taken directly from the Charles Capps booklet mentioned above.  Speak these scriptures over your life, and the life of the men (your future husband) called to Kingdom Marriages.  Make these confessions daily until faith comes. 

Declarations -

• God, Your Word says that whatever I bind on earth is bound in heaven and whatever I loose on earth is loosed in heaven.  Therefore with the authority of Your Word, I bind every force that has set itself against my financial prosperity (and the financial prosperity of the men called to Kingdom marriages, including my future husband!)  I HERBY DECLARE ALL CURSES AGAINST ME NULL, VOID , AND HARMLESS!  I AM REDEEMED FROM THE CURSE OF POVERTY!  I AM FREE FROM OPPRESSION!  I now loose the abundance of God and all that rightfully belongs to me now comes to me under grace in a perfect way.  

• I am filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.  His will is my prosperity (Col 1:19)

• God delights in my prosperity.  He gives me power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant on the earth. (Deut. 8:18, 11:12)

• I immediately respond in faith to the guidance of the Holy Spirit within me.  I am always in the right place at the right time because my steps are ordered of the Lord.  (Psalm 37:23)

• God is the unfailing, unlimited source of my supply.  My financial income now increases as the blessings of the Lord over take me.  (Deut. 28:2)

• As I give, it is given unto me, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over. (Luke 6:38)  

• I honor the Lord with my substance and the first-fruits of my increase.  My barns are filled with plenty, and my presses burst forth with new wine. (Proverbs 3:9-10)  

• I am like a tree planted by rives of water.  I bring forth fruit in my season, my leaf shall not wither, and whatever I do will prosper.  The grace of God even makes my mistakes to prosper. (Psalm 1:3)  

• The blessing of the Lord makes me truly rich, and He adds no sorrow with it. (Proverbs 10:22)  

• The Lord rebukes the devourer for my sake, and no weapon that is formed against my finances will prosper.  All obstacles and hindrances (mountains) to my financial prosperity are now dissolved.  (Mal 3:10-11, Isaiah 54:17)

• My mind is renewed by the Word of God; therefore, I forbid thoughts of failure and defeat to inhabit my mind. (Eph 4:23)

• I am filled with the wisdom of God, and I am led to make wise and prosperous financial decisions.  The Spirit of God guides me into all truth regarding my financial affairs.  (John 16:13)  

• The Lord causes my thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and so my plans are established and succeed.  (Proverbs 16:3 Amp.)  

• There is no lack; for my God supplies all my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.(Phil 4:19)  

• The Lord has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant, and Abraham's blessings are mine. (Ps 35:27, Gal 3:14) 

AMEN!  [so be it!]”  

Expecting to be amazed ~

Barbara

© Barbara Nelson – 2012

Miss Wiggy Takes a Hike!

This past weekend I attended a BBQ with a small group of friends, several of us not married, some had been once before.  As my friend Jenny and I reflected on the lovely evening, I realized that there is so much FEAR driving, or rather paralyzing Christians who are hoping to have a wonderful Godly marriage!   

• Fear of rejection
• Fear that our “people-picker” will pick the wrong person, again!  
• Fear of falling off the seemingly very narrow path of purity
• Fear of failure!
• Fear of another chunk of their heart being ripped out. 
• Fear of....  

I heard somewhere that “Do not Fear”, or “Do not be afraid” (“fear not” etc.) is in the bible 365 times, and it is a message God is speaking loudly to me these days.  Sometimes God has a “still small voice”, but other times He makes sure you don’t miss His point.  You’ve had this experience too, and for me it started with awareness and a question, “Do I have fear about this potential relationship and man?”  hmmmm... fear?   My bookclub/bible-study was talking about it (see below); then the presenter at a business meeting was telling me (and everyone else) to deal with my fear - and do something that scares me every day; then my bathroom Oswald Chambers said, DO NOT FEAR; and even the sales book I opened said, “How to deal with your fears.”   

“OK! I hear You God!”

My relationship fears surfaced recently like an irritating rash!  

The good news?  I met a wonderful man on Christian Mingle 2 months ago!  From my perspective, I believe God had us on a slow path of getting to know each other to allow my fears to surface, so that I could see the real source, surrender them again to the Lord, and ask for His healing Love to wash them away.  

And surface they did!  Did you know that texting a conversation does not always go well?  And there is A LOT of room for misunderstanding?  As the weekend began, a few text messages were exchanged that I interpreted incorrectly, and suddenly my fears triggered my deepest insecurity, 

        and voila! 

I transformed into “Wiggy-Girl” 

Bridget Jones - a classic Wiggy-Girl

In hindsight, Saturday’s episode of Wiggy-Girl was hilarious, but at the time, it was SO not funny.  I was almost in tears (but trying not to cry because I was putting my mascara on and had to rush to a meeting), because I completely misunderstood the text conversation.  

Wiggy is a term my friend Jeanie and I use when we fall into the pit of insecurity, and we simply get “wiggy.”  We need our mutual support to talk each other off of the ledge of doing or saying something that would be detrimental to our persona of the faith-filled woman of God, temporarily sabotaging our relationships.  Thankfully my wigginess did not push the nice man completely away, and by the end of the weekend, I received a “rose” from this bachelor.  Not a literal rose, but the “I pick you rose.”  Yes, there were other contenders for the bachelor’s attention, which was not helping the whole fear and insecurity situation, but God knew what I needed to walk through before beginning a new relationship.  

While the Bachelor was camping, and my texting under control, I invited God to show me the root of my fears.  I realized that the anticipated feeling and fear of rejection was  very familiar, I was leaning into it, and I had to pray myself out of that comfort zone!   It was familiar, therefore somewhat comfortable, but that feeling was not the truth.  

Coincidentally my bible study just finished reading the Beth Moore book, "So Long Insecurity".  The last chapter sums up the book quite well:  

TRUST GOD!
Plain and simple.  Not easy, mind you, but basic and uncomplicated.  You don’t always have to hash it all out.  Sometimes you can make a single swift decision.  As Christ said to a wavering disciple you just have to make up your splintered mind to ‘stop doubting and believe’ (John 20:27).  Believe that He loves you and has you covered and takes every one of your hits as if they were aimed at His own skin.  Get down to the bottom of what frightens you, and then pitch it to Him like a hot potato.  Let’s freeze on those three words tucked into the middle of the previous sentence for a minute:   

What frightens you? 

Whenever you get hit by a wave of insecurity, the wind driving it is always fear.  This is true whether the flare-up is monumental or comparatively mild.  The moment you’re cognizant of an outbreak of insecurity, learn to check your heart for what you’re afraid of.  If you’re honest with yourself, you’ll rarely come away from that diagnostic test empty-handed.   

Learn to instantly identify it.  Trade it in for TRUST [in God.] 

“[She will have NO FEAR of bad news; [her] heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.  [Her] heart is SECURE, [she] will have no fear; in the end [she] will look in triumph on [her] foes.”  (Psalm 112:7-8)

God bless you with His perfect peace today, and may you be set free from your Wiggy-Girl today!  

AND - do something that you scares you regarding finding love, and a new relationship!  

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

AMEN!  [so be it!]”  

Expecting to be amazed ~

Barbara

© Barbara Nelson – 2012

Double for your Trouble! 

One of the first things I saw this morning was on Facebook, and it was the perfect encouragement for this new day.  We are beginning a new month, and I really need the hope of new beginnings!  Don’t you?  We can shake off the dust of our yesterdays, and know that there are amazing possibilities from this moment forward!

There are days when I feel my hope wane & drain.  I can entertain my weariness from waiting, and disappointment follows knocking at my door.  Those two (weariness and disappointment) pretend to be comforting “friends”, but they are just trying to get us all de-railed again. 

Lynda, a very perceptive intercessor always has an encouraging word, and recently she said, “I know the old season is over, and the new is beginning.  Now is the time for the breakthrough!  and we are going to begin to see the answers to the prayers we have been praying for years.”  

We need a double portion of hope today, it is a new day, a new month and a new beginning!!  Let's send disappointment and weariness back to the pit from where they came.  

The definition for HOPE in my Spirit Filled Life bible is worth sharing with you today:  

Hebrew Tiqvah; Strong’s #8615; Hope; expectation; something yearned for and anticipated eagerly; something for which one waits.  Tiqvah comes from the verb qavah, meaning “to wait for” or “to look hopefully” in a particular direction.  Its original meaning was “to stretch like a rope.”  Tiqvah occurs 33 times, in Josh 2:18, 21, it is translated “line” or “cord”; Rahab was instructed to tie a scarlet tiqvah (cord or rope) in her window as her hope for rescue.  Yahweh Himself is the hope of the godly (Psalm 71:5).  In Hosea 2:15, God’s blessing on His land will transform the Valley of Achor (“trouble”) into the “door of hope.”  

I share with you some of my favorite scriptures to declare.  The first was given to me by a “funny” old man, on a plane to Argentina, just before landing.  I have held on to it ever since.  

Isaiah 61:7

“Instead of shame and dishonor,       you will enjoy a double share of honor.    You will possess a double portion of prosperity in your land,       and everlasting joy will be yours.”  NLV 

“Because you got a double dose of trouble    and more than your share of contempt,Your inheritance in the land will be doubled    and your joy go on forever.”  The Message

Zechariah 9

“12Return to the stronghold [of security and prosperity], you prisoners of hope; even today do I declare that I will restore double your former prosperity to you.”  Amplified

 “...I promise this very day
      that I will repay two blessings for each of your troubles.”  NLV

16And the Lord their God will save them on that day as the flock of His people, for they shall be as the [precious] jewels of a crown, lifted high over and shining glitteringly upon His land.

    17For how great is God's goodness and how great is His beauty! And how great [He will make Israel's] goodliness and [Israel's] beauty! Grain shall make the young men thrive and fresh wine the maidens.

“17 How wonderful and beautiful they will be!
      The young men will thrive on abundant grain,
      and the young women will flourish on new wine.”  NLV

Declarations:  

Thank You Father God for reminding us of Your faithfulness; and for sending true friends just at the time we need to hear a word of hope.  Thank You God, that YOU are HOPE!  Please send us, and the men called to Kingdom Marriages Your messengers or messages of hope today - a day of new beginnings!  

• We declare that we have returned to the stronghold of security and prosperity, for we are prisoners of HOPE!  

• We agree with the declaration of the LORD God, that we will be repaid double for all of our troubles!  Two blessings for each of our troubles!  

• Jesus, You are the Door of Hope in the Valley of Trouble (Hosea 2:15)

• We declare that instead of shame and contempt, we will have double honor!

• We declare a double portion return, the double restoration of our inheritance, of everything that has been stolen, or everything we forfeited in the past season.  

• We declare that everlasting JOY is ours! 

• We declare the Lord our God will save us, be faithful to us, and we will be as the precious jewels of a crown - for a wife of valor is the crown of her husband.

• We declare that we shine glitteringly!  We Shine, Shimmer and Glow! (the Message)

• How great is God’s goodness, and how great is His beauty!  

• For we as men and women called to Kingdom marriages will be wonderful and beautiful!  The men will thrive on abundant grain (prosperity!), and the women will  flourish on NEW Wine!   

AMEN!  [so be it!]”  

Expecting to be amazed ~

Barbara

© Barbara Nelson – 2012