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Emancipate Yourselves From Mental Slavery

Jesus said He came to set the captives free but what if the jailer is me.

In solitary of my own devising,

Deadbolt locked not fully realizing this 4 x 4 x 4 was built by my own mind.

With the way of escape not easy to find.

For each thought draws me deeper still.

Sitting.

Wondering.

Trying to figure out how I ended up in this place. Thoughts so base.

Fell for the trick. Believed the lie.

You’re too fat.

You’re too thin.

Your teeth are jacked up.

Your lips are too big.

You don’t know enough.

You don’t have enough.

You’ll never be enough.

Says the voice of the enemy.

But inside I hear the whisper.

Emancipate Yourselves From Mental Slavery

Deeper still in the recesses of my mind, deeper still I peer into the dark and find…

LIGHT!

“Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery,” Marley sings.

Be transformed by the renewing of the mind and walk in the freedom Christ brings.

Old things have passed away all things have become new.

In the image of my Maker FREE to be:

Beautiful and flawed

Right and wrong

Stellar today and so/so tomorrow.

Jesus came to set the captives free. He came to liberate you and me.

Allow the light of truth to flood your heart. You are created by the GREAT I AM and as such you ARE AMAZING!

Just the way you are.

No ties that bind the mind.

Come on out.

BE

FREE

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound”Isaiah 61:1

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!

Happy to connect with these friends sharing the Good News Chasing Community, Grace & Truth

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Free Falling

Gravity pulling, pulling, pulling the body straight down. At a swift pace, free fall ensues and the body plunges deeper, deeper and deeper into the black abyss. Never scared. In fact, quite freeing. Liberating.

 

I was about eight then. It was a recurring dream of mine for years to come. Almost nightly I’d fall free into inky oblivion.

 

But those are the things of dreams. Fast forward to the adult who becomes rigid, somewhat inflexible and seemingly thrives in order. The adult who manages her life in 15-minute increments and leaves no room for spontaneity. No freedom to coast, even in dreams. Control is the order of the day.

 

But in comes a new dream. A dream of flying. While the free fall is but a wisp of a memory, the flying dreams are fresh, new, invigorating, and exciting. What a stark contrast to the rigid one in real life. In the dreams she is FREE. Soaring on wings as eagles, she glides gracefully over valley and deep crevasses. From the ground she begins to pump her arms then as if propelled by rocket boots, she shoots straight into the air. Dip, twist, turn, and pivot. Slicing through the air. And it all feels so real.

 

Then the Lord calls to her. He says, “Come out of the box you’ve been hiding in. I see you daughter”. Slightly cautious and somewhat afraid she unfurls her contorted limbs and stretches out of the box.

 

But life has her feeling on edge. The pressures and demands of fullfilling so many roles, being so many things to so many people. Called to a higher calling in the Lord. Feeling, Lord if you ask for one more thing, I’ll fall. Lord, I’m right on the edge. I’m at the precipice and I don’t want to fall into the craggy rocks below.

 

But the Lord says, “Trust Me! Fall.”

 

She is usually one to obey. But this time fear and apprehension keep her locked it in place. Free fall? Umm…no thank you. Like the Flying Wallendas sailing through the air with no safety net? No, that won’t be me.  Where’s the harness? Where’s the safety net?  Where are my spotters? What’s the likelihood of an accident? I need the details. I need concrete information.  Again he whispers, “Have Faith.”

 

Oh how faithful is HE. She has a vision, a waking one this time. So akin to the flying dreams yet different. This time the Lord takes her to a HIGH place. He tells her to free fall. He takes her back to the time when she came out of the box and He revealed a new element in the scene. When she comes out of the box, from her back unfurls gigantic, iridescent wings. At full height they are nearly 10 feet tall with a massive wingspan.

 

Now back to that precipice. Together we step off the ledge…..AND

 

I do it again.

 

I smother the vision before I give it permission to unfold.

 

Afraid to use what I’ve been given. Afraid even though I’ve clearly seen that I’ve been endowed to take flight. Then the message continues to track me down.

 

[bctt tweet=”Unless you’re willing to fall, you risk not fulfilling your potential.”]

 

free falling

 

I read it in a book.

I read it over and over in the word.

He brings the vision back into my mind.

I see it on a sign I drive past.

 

fall into God

 

I get new revelation on what the wings are for (Looking forward to sharing more on that in a future post).

 

Earlier this year He was calling me deeper.

 

Now He’s calling me higher.

 

Until I give my own wings an opportunity to get some practice, He’s carrying me on His.

 

You have seen what I did to the Egyptians. You know how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.

Exodus 19:4

 

But soon, very soon, I’ll take the bold step. From that precarious perch, high in the sky, I’ll step off the ledge and take flight.

 

Free Falling

 

But confident because I KNOW I have wings.

 

But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:31

 

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!

 

Feature Image Photo Credit

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Free To Be {A Spoken Word Poem}

Free To Be {A Spoken Word Poem}

 

Authentic.

 

Real.

 

Transparent.

 

What’s apparent is that we can’t recognize real. Buried in Sheol like the “Los 33”. Trapped under layers and layers of fraudulent fabrication. Self-adorned, one dimensional, wash and shrink flea market finds.

 

New realities created.

 

New identities established.

 

Fake ID by way of your Gravatar, your avatar has become the new you. This carefully guarded new persona is shallow at best and when put to the test will prove defective. That plastic armor does not guard but suffocates. Check the warning label on your grocery store plastic bag.

 

Choking out your gifts, snuffing out what makes you uniquely you.

 

While your spirit smothers, your souls smolders and the soot and ash render you unrecognizable.

 

But when you KNOW that your identity cannot be shaped by:

LIKES

COMMENTS

SHARES

FOLLOWS

FRIENDING

UNFRIENDING

THUMBS UP

THUMBS DOWN

HEARTS

 

You are unrestricted and unshackled. Like the grotesque beings removing their outer casings at the dawn of A Brand New Day, you are free to give rise to your true self. No longer caged, the bird sings and I know why.

 

Delivered from confinement, mind, body and spirit come into alignment. With jet propulsion, rocket boosters thrust, power ignites and takes flight.

 

The course is set. Charting to free.

 

You are free to BE.

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Does God Want You To Have Fun?

Ok, sometimes, actually most times I think I’m just a bit too serious. My life necessitates it; lots to do for lots of people. This requires me to have laser focus and to carry out affairs in militaristic fashion. Then couple that with my A-Type personality, perfectionist nature and being a borderline Pharisee, leaves a sister little room to even think about fun, recreation or pleasurable activities.

 

The Pharisee in me thinks, “My God is a God of order. He is a God of rules. Just get the work done. Maybe you’ll have time for fun later”. But then God dropped this in my spirit, “Your denial of pleasure wasn’t imposed by me. It was self-imposed. Lighten up and have a little fun.”

 

Can it be? Does God want you to have fun?

 

I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;

I refused my heart no pleasure.

my heart took delight in all my labor,

and this was the reward for all my toil.

Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done

and what I had toiled to achieve,

everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;

nothing was gained under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 2:10-11

 

My heart’s cry is to not meaninglessly toil, in an effort to serve the Lord and obey Him, yet do so with joy. I do carry out my work cheerfully as unto God. Still, in my working, living, moving and doing I am a vibrant BEING who should have fun BE-ing. It’s not as if I’m trying to imbibe in the pleasures of the world such as riotous living, I’m merely talking about granting myself permission to do things that are pleasurable. This has been a constant struggle for me. You can read more about that here. But God is helping me by continuing to reveal His truth. And He is showing me that fun; joy and delight are all close to His heart. He is showing me that my family would be blessed if I allowed myself to have more fun.

 

Jesus said in John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

 

Life more abundantly sounds fun and lively to me, not stiff and always so business like. Let me just stick a pin here and say, I do have lots of fun with my children. They think I’m silly and funny. I like to make jokes with them, do silly dances and I always threaten to embarrass them at school with my funny antics; it’s allowing myself to have fun, be joyous and experience pleasure in things that are just for Tyra that presents a problem for me.

 

Does God want us to have fun?

 

Delight yourself also in the Lord,

And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:4

 

Again, seems to me like God wants holy, righteous, delight, and joy and for us to have fun that is rooted in Him.

 

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 16:11

 

God Has Fun

 

I can only imagine God creating man and creating the heavens and the earth. Sure, it was serious business, but to play in the dirt and create man ….Mmm that must have been at least a little fun. Children love having fun playing in the dirt ’til this day. God himself delights in you. He also works in us to will and to do for His good pleasure.

 

God Created Us With Pleasure Sensors

God gave us our senses to relate to the beautiful, wonderful world He created. The pleasure sensors allow us to actively engage with Him and with others.

 

God Encourages Us To Have Fun

While the Word cautions us against riotous living, we also see many examples in the Word of people engaging in pleasurable activities. From David dancing undignified to feasts and celebrations, folks were having a good time. When the prodigal son came home they killed the fatted calf and proceed to have a PAR-TAY!!! God encourages fellowship among believers. So should I feel bad if I want to enjoy an evening out with a girlfriend sharing laughs and having fun?

 

God has granted me permission for pleasure. And step-by-step I’m giving myself permission to accept it. Last year I went on a week vacation with my husband, our 1st time away, just the 2 of us in 12 years. We hadn’t been away since before we had our 1st born. Before going I really wrestled with the decision to go. Even up to the week before I had guilt about leaving my children to do something fun. I had crazy, twisted thoughts like, “A good mother doesn’t abandon her children”. What?! But I know these thoughts stem from my childhood. But I thank God for walking me through the process to free me. And indeed that vacation with the Hubs was one of the best experiences in my life.

 

So I’ve declared that this is the summer of fun! I am granting myself permission for pleasure. I will go out to dinner with a friend just for the sake of laughs and fun and not feel guilty about it. I will go to a concert and dance and sing.

 

And right after I made this declaration to myself, my 6 year old daughter asked me randomly out of the blue, “Mommy what do you like to do for fun?’ I was so taken aback since I’d just gone through this whole dialogue with the Lord about this. Then I had to think on it for a while. I’ve denied myself fun pleasurable activities so much, I couldn’t quickly think of what I DO like to do for fun.

 

And wouldn’t you know, after making this declaration, I received a phone call. A friend has invited me to an all-day Jazz Fest. Oh what fun! But my 1st thought, “Oh, I can’t go.” But no, It’s a new day. I’m going AND I’ve given myself permission to be excited about it and to have fun. Thank you Lord for permission to LIVE FULLY!

 

A merry heart does good, like medicine

But a broken spirit dries the bones.

Proverbs 17:22

 

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!

Happy to connect with friends at Life Giving Linkup Purposeful Faith Women  With Intention Dance With Jesus Grace and Truth

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Are You Willing To Uncover?

Cover up

 

Hide

 

Mask

 

The shame.

 

The regret.

 

I had layered the shame beneath rock, sand, clay and topsoil then topped all that off with a bed of leaves. And can one ever really cover up? Trying to put a fig leaf on to cover shame actually makes one stand out all the more. In fact some of the decisions that I’ve regretted have been buried so deep, I had actually forgotten about them. While my conscious mind had forgotten about them, the harboring still lingers in the subconscious thus affects the mind, body and spirit.

 

Shame can be described as feelings of guilt, regret or sadness because you feel you’ve done something wrong. On occasion I tell myself you’re a failure for:

 

~Not doing better in college. Academically I’ve always had the ability to excel but there were times I didn’t live up to my potential. When I look at my college transcript I am so grieved by it. It’s got a load of A’s…then it’s also got D’s. Even after being out of college for many years, looking at it grieves me.

 

~Not living up to expectations. “The next Little Oprah” “Most Promising New Comer To The Field of Public Relations” Oh the promise…But what’s been the outcome?

 

~Entertaining mindless relationships with guys while in college. My father taught me better. Why didn’t I listen?

 

~Wasting time chastising my children when I know the days are short and I ought to embrace the now moment.

 

Then turning this shame over in my head leads to regret and causes unfruitful self-talk.

 

~If you had done better in college you would have gotten a better job, making more money and your family would be better off today.

 

~You’re a failure. You could have become someone great, someone with influence, making an impact in the world but you’re not.

 

~As a parent, are you ever gonna get it right?

 

STOP!

 

Put on the mind of Christ.

 

I am currently on The Surrender Fast (click here for details) and last week I was challenged to surrender regret so that I can move forward. I was given specific suggestions for how to uncover hidden regret. So I commenced to mining the field of my heart.

 

Let me tell you, when you go digging, you are bound to find something. But in the digging and turning over of hardened ground, the process is not easy. Your shovel may hit hardened earth, boulders and more. But I resolved to keep digging, keep mining. Layer by layer I began to EXPOSE the regrets, EXPOSE the shame.

 

Light permeates the dark.

 

After the shame and regret were unearthed, they were washed in the light of His word. I am a blood washed child of God and have been cleansed and healed.

 

Bless the Lord, O my soul;

And all that is within me, bless His holy name!

Bless the Lord, O my soul,

And forget not all His benefits:

Who forgives all your iniquities,

Who heals all your diseases,

Who redeems your life from destruction,

Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,

Who satisfies your mouth with good things,

So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Psalm 103:1-5

 

No need for regret because I am not ashamed.

 

I sought the Lord, and He heard me,

And delivered me from all my fears.

They looked to Him and were radiant,

And their faces were not ashamed. Psalm 34:4-5

 

It’s not like God couldn’t see my shame and regret all the while, He was just waiting for me to acknowledge it then uncover it so He could heal me.

 

Part of the uncovering required me to confess to another person. My most immediate thought was, okay I can do that. But when I began to actually consider what I would say and how much I’d have to disclose and began thinking what the other person would think about me, I nearly talked myself out of it. But God has a way of giving confirmation.

 

I was sitting in a meeting next to someone and the very issue I wanted to confess was one she spoke about quite passionately that night. Each word she uttered was a nudge for me to uncover. In the same week 3 different bloggers I follow were ALL talking about shame. And one of them was so transparent in disclosing her shame that her courage emboldened me to do the same.

 

It was a painful week fraught with many emotions but glory be to God in the highest. After I uncovered, the spirit of God shone brightly on those dark recesses of my heart. My mind, body and spirit were renewed and I’m dancing and singing:

 

“Freedom, Freedom, Freedom, Freedom

No more shackles,

No more chains,

No more bondage,

I’m free….YEAH!

Hallelujah!”

 

I have been washed. I have been cleansed. The blood of Jesus presents me without spot or wrinkle. I feel lighter to continuing pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling.

 

What do you need to dig up and uncover so that you can move forward uninhibited?

Do you play the tape in your head of what you could have, would have or should have done?

Are you willing to uncover?

 

Feel free to share in this sacred space so that I can join you in prayer. God is compassionate and will subdue your iniquities. Walk in your healing and freedom today.

 

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!

 

Photo Credit

Happy to connect with friends @ Purposeful Faith Titus 2sDay Dance With Jesus Equipping Godly Women

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