Unclaimed Territory

“And now, Lord, what do I wait for and expect?

My hope and expectation are in You”
Psalm 39:7
Amplified Bible

I am a Wife, a Mother, and a Grandmother. These are my primary roles in life. I am also a Sister, a Grand daughter, a Daughter in Law, and a Friend. I am fulfilled by every one of these roles that make up an important part of who I am in life. However, lately there has been a “sounding” in my heart that I am more than these.

I am also a woman with dreams of my own. I have spent several years standing beside my Husband as he made his dreams into a reality. I have spent countless hours talking and counseling others in order to help them “see” who they really are. I have loved and cared for both the old and the young in my life, and that continues to this day.


I have tried to fulfill each and every “role” in my life to the best of my ability. I have always understood that the Lord “places” me into certain roles, and then He takes me out of those roles and proceeds to place me into others.


I know that I am serving Him in each of these capacities, and I have always desired to please Him. I sincerely pray that I have.


However, today I am excited to say that I know that I am more than these roles in my life. I am a woman with dreams of my own. I love feeling the strength and clarity in those words as I say them. They are fairly new to me. I have thought them in different ways, but I have never “owned” them as I do today. This has been “unclaimed” territory in my life up until very recently.

You see, all the time that I was serving others, and helping them with their dreams, the Lord was helping me to see who it is that He has made me to be. Through all of the circumstances in our life, He continues to show us and to teach us certain things. All along He was showing me the things that I needed to see in myself, in order to accomplish all that He had placed inside of my heart. I believe that even now, He is in the process of showing you the things in your life that you will be in need of, also.


Through all of the circumstances in my life, the Lord has patiently taught me, and He continues to do this. It would take me too long to tell you all of the things that the Lord has taught me through all of these different circumstances. The one thing that rings so clearly in my heart is that I am more than all of my experiences in life. I am His child, and He gave me a purpose. He gave me a purpose all of my own. He also placed a dream of my own into my heart and very recently He has shown me that He has given me the courage and determination that it takes, to go after those dreams.


What is it in your own life that could be called “unclaimed” territory? What are your talents? What are the dreams that you have kept hidden in your own heart? What are the things in your life and in your heart that you wish that you had more time to do? What is it that you have always secretly hoped to accomplish?


We all have dreams. For some of us, they have remained hidden. There have been lots of things that we have needed to do for others in our lives that have seemed to hold us back from them. Well, I am here to tell you that those dreams have not been hidden from the Lord. Not only does He know that those dreams are there, but in reality, He is the One that has placed them there!


Before you were even born, the Lord purposed certain things for your life. He had a plan. He gave you dreams. He has also given you the desire to fulfill those dreams. There have been many times when I believed that those dreams inside of me were gone. The truth is that they were not. The truth is that the Lord had been cultivating those dreams inside of me and I believe that He is doing the same with you. He knows exactly what you will need in order to make those dreams come true in your life. He is equipping you with those things, even as I write.

The Lord never does anything in a hurry. He takes all of the time that He needs, in order to properly prepare you for what is ahead. He sees every twist and every turn that you may encounter, and he places inside of you every single thing that you will need to maneuver through each one of them. He is extremely thorough in His care for you and there is nothing that can surprise Him. He is also good.

Today, I encourage each one of you to dream. Take your dreams to the Lord. Talk to Him about your dreams. Consult Him about what it is that is in your heart. You may just find out that He already knows all about those things. You may just find out that He has been waiting for you to come to Him all along. I believe that you will find that He wants to help you to not only claim, but to build upon, all of that unclaimed territory in your life. I also believe that you will be absolutely amazed at what you and He can and will accomplish together.


Written by Beverley A. Napier

Can We Really Change Ourselves?

Devotional for January 6

 It’s a new year. That splendid beginning and fresh start of a whole new me.


How can I change something for this coming year when I can’t even change it for a day? Am I supposed to change? Are you going to change this year? Really, how will you accomplish that? Will you take a movie psychologist’s advice (from “What About Bob?”) And plan on taking baby steps? Will you pick up a phrase, or mantra, to remind yourself to not do your usual? Sayings like “What Would Jesus Do?” or “Just do the next right thing!” or “Do hard things!” or perhaps a scripture that captures the essence of your goal?


How many of the traditional goals do you think of pursuing:


• exercise for the sake of your health and/or looks;


• quit smoking; give up…candy, soda, eating out, credit cards, a relationship that you know is bad for you;


• get organized…at the office, at home, in your closet;


• forgive your brother;


• cook more meals;


• go to church;


• join a bible study;


• buy less stuff;


• call your mother;


• talk to your spouse;


• watch less television;


• pray.


The list is endless. We have so many things in this world to pursue: optimum health, things, relationships, popularity, approval and acceptance. All things which we believe contribute to our well-being. I know I believe that, or at least I must, if I honestly pay attention to what I am concerned with and worry about.


In Proverbs 23:7 we read that “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” Honest inventory of our hearts: here we come. Can we know the whole truth about ourselves? Or are we so protective of our feelings -that we need God to search our hearts for us?


Jeremiah 17:9-10 (The Message)

"The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful,
a puzzle that no one can figure out.

But I, God, search the heart

and examine the mind.

I get to the heart of the human.

I get to the root of things.

I treat them as they really are,

not as they pretend to be."

Since I was old enough to understand the resolution process I have attempted to change me without significant results. Any changes for the better have come as a result of the truth of God watering my well-guarded heart. Sometimes I didn’t like what was being preached or taught. Lots of times I was nodding my head, saying to myself, yes, I know that, let’s move on.


It was by this boring repetition that my heart full of resentment, pain and grief began to have areas moist enough for love, patience and kindness to grow. It was choosing to allow the good seeds to grow, and with even more difficulty letting go of the weeds that were choking the life out of me - that brought lasting change.


Can we really change ourselves? Perhaps in some ways, but in the eyes of heaven, the change that needs to happen within can only take place by allowing God’s truth in, holding onto it, allowing it to sink in and do its work.


Deuteronomy 30:6 (NLT)


The Lord your God will change your heart and the hearts of all your descendants, so that you will love him with all your heart and soul and so you may live!


Dear Lord, thank You for a new year, Your promises and Your unchanging Word. In Jesus name, amen.


Written by Mary M. Wilkins

Our Great Comforter

I am so encouraged to be a believer and a part of the body of Christ. I am realizing more and more each day how much we as brothers and sisters in the Lord need each other. My mother recently passed away. It has been amazing to myself and my family of all the comfort and prayers and love that have been poured into us since her death.

The scripture out of 2 Corinthians 1:4 says "who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." This particular passage has really come alive to me. Because the Lord has given me immense comfort during the time of my mother's passing, I too am able to give back to others much comfort through the Lord that has been given onto me.

I have had a greater understanding on how God orchestrates His word during our times of tribulation. It is wonderful to see how God's word is activated and works in each of our lifes!

God has comforted myself and my family beyond measure and for that I am so very grateful.

Blessings,

Written by Sandy

Light Yoke

Devotional for January 4

At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth,

because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent,
and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good
in thy sight. All things are delivered unto me of my Father:

 and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father,

save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. 

 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart:

and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

Matthew 11:25-29

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Jesus shows us that meekness is not a mere contemplative virtue; it is maintaining peace and patience in the midst of pelting provocations. In II Corinthians Paul realizes that the meek and gentle approach can easily appear as weakness to those unfamiliar with Jesus' example, so he calls it "the meekness . . . of Christ." True meekness is always measured by Christ's meekness. His humility, patience, and total submission of His own will to the will of the Father exemplifies meekness.

submitted by Annie

WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Ruth Elliott is a lovely Christian woman who has a heart to reach children. She longs to see them engage in Godly and loving behavior and to grow into healthy successful adults. Ruth has created a website called "gomommygo.com". The site has valuable tips and tools for those seeking wisdom and advice in the realm of child training. Ruth has seven children of her own and is an accomplished professional cartoonist.

As I listened to Ruth speak on a recent television show, the thought came to me that as Christians we should all be concerned for the younger generation. As Scripture tells us, we are all members of The Body of Christ and, as such, we should care for one another. I Corinthians 12:25,26 "This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other equally. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad." (NLT) There are many families today who are struggling spiritually, physically, emotionally, socially, and financially. We can reach out and make a difference in the lives of all children. Teaching a Sunday school class, volunteering in a youth group, or even being a school mentor are some of the ways we can influence children in a positive manner.

In the Book of Mark Jesus admonishes His disciples to welcome the little ones rather than reject them. "One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so He could touch them and bless them, but the disciples told them not to bother Him. But when Jesus saw what was happening, He was very displeased with His disciples. He said to them, 'Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I assure you, anyone who doesn't have their kind of faith will never get into the Kingdom of God.' Then He took the children into His arms and placed His hands on their heads and blessed them." Mark 10:13-16 (NLT) So instead of throwing up our hands in despair and contempt over a froward younger generation, we can get involved at some level and make a difference. Taking time to talk to or play with the child of a neighbor, friend or relative can go a long way in favorably shaping their character. Certainly we can all pray daily for families. This would be time well invested to make our future society a better place.


Written by C.F.

A "PHILIPPIANS 4" NEW YEAR

Devotional for Sunday, January 2, 2011

Well, we are already into the new year. The past year and all that happened in it is behind us, good and/or bad. Many have made New Year's resolutions to do or not do various things, and perhaps even broken some of those resolutions already! There are some things we may feel we know will happen this year, and there are other things that may come totally unexpectedly. Some of those things may bring great fear or turmoil, others great joy and peace. There is no way to know everything that God has in store for us.
However, we do know that God will be with us through it all and that He will guard and protect us from spiritual harm and will work all things for our good. We just need to stand firm in him, and not try to struggle free from his loving arms.

"Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!" Philippians 4:1

While at times it may be difficult, we can always rejoice in what God has done and is doing in our lives, remembering that He gives all of us the most glorious gift of all - eternal life in heaven with him, through his son, Jesus Christ - no matter what happens in this world.

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" Philippians 4:4

We then can share this good news with others we meet, but always with love and compassion for them, wherever they are in their walk with the Lord.

"Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near." Philippians 4:5

And when we come upon those difficult times in our lives, we can remember to turn to God and pray, telling him our concerns, our wants and desires, even as we praise and thank him in gratitude for what he has already done for us. This will allow his peace to calm our anxious hearts.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

Then we can set our thoughts and actions on good and healthy things, and be content with wherever we are in life, knowing God has it all in control and gives us the strength to continue on, no matter what the circumstances.

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me - put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you... for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:8,9,11b-13.

So in this New Year may we give thanks and praise in every circumstance, and turn all our troubles over to God. He answers our prayers and gives us peace, not because of any worthiness within ourselves, but because of his love for us in Christ Jesus.

"And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen." Philippians 4:19-20.

Have a happy and blessed new year!

Written by Jan Andersen

Inception

Devotional for 1/1/11

“Inception’s impossible. You can always trace it to the origin of the idea.” Well, I beg to differ. My daughter bought us the movie “Inception” for Christmas. We’ve already watched it twice. The premise is based on the subconscious. Using futuristic technology, a group of individuals goes into a person’s dreams to steal their ingenious ideas, their business plans, combinations to safes, etc. OK, so they’re a group of thieves, point is, it’s a scary thought having someone navigate around in your mind discovering and stealing the things you keep secret. But since the science isn’t possible, and even the devil himself cannot read the human mind, there’s no need to become overwhelmed with paranoia that our secrets might become “extracted”, which is the term they use for their thievery. Only God knows what we’re thinking unless we choose to share it.

I did, however, think it ironic that the movie portrays the concept of extraction as the possibility and the concept of inception as the impossibility…or I suppose it was more like an “almost” impossibility. It seems to me that it should be the other way around. Inception is the idea that by going into a dreamer’s dream you can implant an idea into the subject’s subconscious without them knowing that you or anyone else put it there. Therefore, the dreamer awakes believing it was their own original idea.

Now, every good story has a problem to solve and eventually the story’s wrapped up by solving that problem. Well, in this movie, the problem is presented when a victim of these thieves becomes the client challenging this group of physically skilled brainiacs to accomplish inception (after he’s been convinced that they’re well adept at extraction of course.) The first reaction of one is that inception is impossible followed by the main character accepting the challenge despite the doubts of his colleague.

As I said, I found it ironic, because I don’t doubt inception is possible. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think it’s possible to go into someone’s dreams, but I know for a fact that it’s possible to psychologically manipulate someone into believing and following an idea that they themselves believed was their own, and it can all be done wide awake. In fact, inception’s scarier than extraction and we’re all susceptible to it…usually being unaware of its occurrence. But I suppose it wouldn’t be true inception unless we were unaware of it.

As Joyce Meyer’s would say, the mind is a battlefield. If we were to really think about it, our minds are always under attack, by society, our own fleshly vulnerabilities, and especially by the enemy of our souls. In fact, the more I think about this and ask the Lord to bring the truth to my mind, the more I realize that there’s never a moment when Satan and/or his army of fallen angels are not attempting to perform inception on us. But there was another aspect to this movie that I thought was fascinating. Its called “projections”.

Projections take form as anyone other than the dreamer in the dream. They are people known and unknown, they’re out in crowded public areas, they’re innocent bystanders…or not so innocent bystanders. They appear to be doing their own thing, usually minding their own business, but they’re actually projections of the dreamer’s subconscious. So when the subconscious senses an intruder such as an outsider who has come into the dream attempting to perform either an extraction or an inception, these apparent insignificant people in the crowd become suspicious of and hostile toward the intruder.

As the story unfolded before me, I wondered how great it would be if we did that every time Satan attempted to incept our minds. But even better than that was how they added one more factor to this battlefield in the subconscious…the ability to train these projections to fight and to fight with skill and a determination to destroy. That way, when an intruder is sensed, the projections don’t just act defensively, but offensively. They become a well-trained military force on call guarding and protecting from enemies.

Now that’s more like it! And it’s not even far-fetched! The Word of God speaks of our ability to guard our minds and take every thought captive, placed under the authority of Christ and brought to obedience. We’re able to do this because of the helmet of salvation, because of the whole armor of God, because of who we are in Christ. We even have the resource necessary to create a fine-tuned, well-trained military force.

Watching this movie, and seeing the parallels of what I know to be God’s truth, I was reminded how important it is to stay in the Word, constantly putting my mind through training exercises, so I’ll be able to recognize and destroy any intruders who attempt to incept my subconscious.

Put on the whole armor of God,
so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Ephesians 6:11

…we destroy arguments and every proud obstacle raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ.
We are ready to punish every disobedience when your obedience is complete.
2 Corinthians 10:4b-6



Written by Amie Spruiell