He is Not a Man

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ~ Ephesians 6:10-11 NIV

Recently, our family has endured many attacks. They’re like little dogs nipping at your ankles, causing your ankles to bleed overtime. The physical pain creates a wound in your mind and heart, leading you to want to avoid those dogs at all costs. Yesterday, when the enemy was reminding me of recent “dog bites,” Holy Spirit whispered, “He is not a man.” In other words, the Attacker is not a person or group of people, but Satan himself.  Daniel 10:1-14 explains that we’re in spiritual warfare.

How do you win spiritual warfare while enduring a physical affront? Sing it • Silence it • See it • Say it.

Sing it: Worship. Throughout the Bible, the trumpeters or worship leaders were out front, rallying the troops, headed for war. Keeping God’s praise on your lips opens your heart to knowing His.

Silence it: Hold your tongue. Proverbs 18:21 says the tongue has the power of life and death. Pray that your words would be always with grace, seasoned with salt, and spoken only as God directs.

See it: Pray for enlightened eyes. We don’t often see the truth or know the best way to deal with our physical needs in a spiritual battle. But Holy Spirit can give us a Spirit of wisdom and discernment (enlightened eyes), helping us know what we need to do physically—like setting up healthy boundaries or changing a habit—while also directing us through this spiritual battlefield.

Say it: Speak God’s Word. Ephesians 6:10-20 tells us to dress in the full armor of God, taking up the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, enabling us to defeat the enemy and advance God’s Kingdom.

Whatever you’re facing today, remember that people are not your enemy—Satan is—but Jesus has given us the victory! That is a reason to celebrate, even in the midst of battle.

©Heather Potts 2016

A Gathering of Flowers, part 3

No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering. ~ Hebrews 12:22 NLT

Most people don’t know that when I was in high school I wrote and tried to publish two Science-Fiction novels. The rejection letters all said the same thing: “Not original enough.” It’d been done before; they didn’t need me to do it again. That rejection hurt and I never tried my hand at Sci-Fi again. It was a good decade before I’d even post anything on a blog. The devil thought he’d beaten me; he thought he had the victory. The devil was wrong!

Over the course of the last 10-15 years, God has been strategically surrounding me with people who’ve been encouraging me in my writing. Though I’ve allowed God to lead me to write more transparently, I often battle the fear that says, “The world has enough writers; why do they need you?” But God’s Word reminds me, “Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame,” (Isaiah 50:7 NIV).

A friend recently said she believed God was calling all His writers; no, there aren’t enough in the world. I believe that extends to all artists. How often does a single picture, song, poem, book, devotional, etc. move you? The handful of artists that are seen today can’t expose the whole world to what God wants to share with them. He needs YOU! In order to make the sweet aroma of Christ stronger, God needs ALL His flowers. A Gathering of Flowers is a collection of creativity, beauty, and fragrance gathered together for one purpose: to share God with the world. If God has placed a dance, poem, book, drawing, speech, or song in your heart, won’t you let Him use it to reach His people?

©Heather Potts 2016

A Gathering of Flowers Part 2

“In that coming day,” says the LORD, “I will gather together those who are lame, those who have been exiles, and those whom I have filled with grief. Those who are weak will survive as a remnant; those who were exiles will become a strong nation. Then I, the LORD, will rule from Jerusalem as their king forever.” ~ Micah 4:6-7 NLT

One day, our friend stopped by and as soon as he got out of his car, he ran over to our ditch and said, “Do you know what this is?” Since we are not plant people, we had no clue what he was seeing—though we wanted to know what could possibly be so exciting in our ditch. “It’s Milkweed!” he exclaimed. Milkweed is where Monarch Butterflies lay their eggs. Our friend dug the Milkweed from the ditch and replanted it in our butterfly garden.

Sometimes we find ourselves in the ditches of life—through our choices or through circumstances beyond our control—and God is waiting to see what we’ll do. We each have the choice to give up and die or thrive and encourage others to do the same. God is watching the fields, valleys, and ditches. He’s looking for those whose circumstances are bleak, but don’t allow it to overtake them. Instead, they find the nutrients and richness of their surroundings and utilize them in order to stand firm when others wilt and die. God then pulls them out and replants them into larger gardens where they can continue to thrive, making the whole garden stronger, healthier, and more beautiful.

If you’ve been feeling a lot like that Milkweed, something many overlook and disregard, take heart! Father God sees you as precious and He is gathering you in order to replant you so you’ll grow stronger and shine brilliantly.

©Heather Potts 2016