Tell Me Your Story

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TKAN-nAsu8

My Story ~ Big Daddy Weave

 

 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ~ Matthew 11:28 NKJV

 

After talking with other women, I’ve realized that we’re all struggling to find our “drive” again: to keep our houses in order, exercise, meal plan, get together, and/or study our Bibles. The enemy was cunning and convinced us all it was a “just me” scenario. We each blamed different things, but after learning the truth, it’s obviously a spiritual attack. Fortunately, we have the “recipe” to win: fight this spirit with an opposite spirit.

 

About 6 years ago, I struggled to remain in the sanctuary of our church. Though nothing had changed, everything seemed to scream at me to leave. When I took my struggle to my pastor, he told me to begin worshipping Jesus before I even began my walk toward the sanctuary. He said the only way to fight this kind of attack was with an opposite spirit. After two Sundays of doing it, I never had that issue again.

 

How do we approach this attack? If unrest is the issue, then rest is the answer. Not sleeping but resting in the arms of Jesus. We get back to that place by falling in love, again.

 

Tell me your story. When and how did you fall in love with Jesus? Which verses drew you to His heart? Even if you fell away, what drew to Him, again? Was it a worship song that reminded you of His love and faithfulness? Whatever it was, go back to it. Spend time just enjoying those songs, verses, and time with your Savior, again.

 

You fight hell fire with Holy fire, unrest with rest, dryness with refreshing springs, and anger with love. This is a fight, one that Jesus has equipped you to win. If you don’t know where to start, then tell me your story. When did you fall in love with Jesus?

©Heather Potts 2022

Where Do You Find Security?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoL2W9MuA9k

Peace ~ We the Kingdom

 

But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord… ~ Jeremiah 17:7 NIVUK

 

The other day, one of my nieces tried to help Elizabeth clean the top of her dresser. Because it’s become her treasure trove, Elizabeth cried when anyone suggested throwing away anything. The incident reminded me of a time, when I was about Elizabeth’s age, that several of my treasures were found in the garbage. After a sewage backup, I remember discovering boxes of my things at the curb. I was hurt and angry at my parents for throwing away my things. I was a kid and didn’t understand that things couldn’t just be cleaned and returned to the house. All I knew was that it happened, and I had no control to stop it.

 

Many of the people we see as heroes are those who suffered experiences outside of their control. Though the experiences affected them, they didn’t stay in a place of hurt and didn’t let “victim” become their identity.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. ~ 2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV

The overwhelming desire to wallow in the muck of the things that happened to them died when they surrendered their hearts to Jesus, as it is with us when we surrender. The draw to dwell on the past continues to lose influence as we surrender more of our hearts and minds to Jesus.

 

At some point in life, we’ve all lost things, whether physical or relational. Loss tears at our sense of security, which comes from God’s design, that only He can fill. Trying to fill it with anything else leaves us feeling empty and alone.

This is what the Lord says: ‘Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord. That person will… dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.’ ~ Jeremiah 17:5-6 NIVUK

When we tire of what the world cannot guarantee and get to a place of surrender, the “cursed” one becomes “blessed.”

‘But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water… It does not fear when heat comes; … It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.’ ~ Jeremiah 17:7-8 NIVUK

 

If you’ve been living in the “parched places” in any area of your life, it’s time to surrender it to God. Trade in the salt lands for a life planted by the Living Water and watch as that area begins to bear fruit.

©Heather Potts 2022  

He Can pt. 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dH0PmaKxOtA

Too Good to Not Believe ~ Cody Carnes

 

“Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” ~ 2 Kings 6:16 NIVUK

 

I love how 2 Kings 6 sets the stage for God to move in your life, as it relays two stories where people faced overwhelming and seemingly impossible scenarios. In the first story, an iron axe-head fell hopelessly to the bottom of the Jordan River, (v.5). And in the second, horses, chariots, and a strong force surrounded the city, (vv.14-15). In both instances, someone panicked. Wouldn’t you?

 

However, panic is just the outward appearance of the underlying doubt that’s crept into our minds. When I was 11, I doubted God answered prayers, because my present circumstance wasn’t turning out the way I prayed it would, tainting my trust in God. At the time, my parents had recently divorced (though I wanted them to remarry), and my young and hurting mind couldn’t accept that the God of the past—who’d performed miracles—was the same in the present and the future.

 

But just as God “showed up” to help an axe-borrower and a panicked servant, He showed up in my life, too. God caused the axe-head to float, allowing the borrower to retrieve it. He opened the servant’s eyes to see the hills full of horses and chariots of fire, all of which were on the servant’s side. And He allowed me, at 19-years-old, to realize that what I’d needed all along was Him.

 

Over the years, I’ve seen God move mightily. I’ve known 3 couples who divorced, surrendered their hearts to Jesus, and then recommitted to, and remarried, their spouses. I’ve experienced my own healings and have known others to be healed. I’ve seen addicts turn from smoking, drugs, and pornography after they prayed, and never turn back. I’ve seen the hopeless find hope, dead marriages thrive, and money literally show up in the mail when it was most needed. In each circumstance, though the miracle sparked the hope, it was the Miracle Worker who walked each person through their hard times to victory.

 

If you’re struggling with doubt because God hasn’t come through how or when you wanted, don’t panic. As the prophet said, “Those who are with us” [God and His angel armies] “are more than those who are with them” [the enemy]. God is with you. And though your miracle might be to change your heart and not your circumstance, He is still the faithful God who can do the impossible and will always be with you.

©Heather Potts 2022

He Can

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtKBkpbOLPE

Yes He Can ~ CAIN

 

As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron axe-head fell into the water. ‘Oh no, my lord!’ he cried out. ‘It was borrowed!’ ~ 2 Kings 6:5 NIVUK

 

2 Kings 6:1-6 tell the story of a group of prophets in a building project by the Jordan. Not too long after they begin, one man encounters some problems when his axe head falls into the water. 1) The axe-head was iron. Iron wouldn’t have been cheap in those days. 2) It fell into the water. The Jordan’s depth runs anywhere from 6.5’ to over 100’ deep. And something that heavy would have gone straight to the bottom. 3) It was borrowed. And it was expected to be returned, (or replaced). With the cost of iron and its current location, the man feared he’d be able to do neither.

 

The solution seemed impossible. When was the last time you faced something that seemed impossible? Maybe you’re facing a health or financial issue that’s been harder, lasted longer, and cost more than you ever expected. Perhaps a relational struggle has consumed or devastated your life. These aren’t world-gripping problems, but they’ve certainly gripped your world, as it did the man who lost the axe-head. But instead of panicking, we need to be like Elisha who remembered, we serve an unstoppable God who can do the impossible. Elisha asked the man where the iron axe-head fell. “When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it there, and made the iron float,” (2 Kings 6:6 NIVUK). Hopefully you passed enough science to know it takes a miracle to make iron float.

 

In a world where God can do miracles, we often doubt, because we’ve forgotten God’s Name. Over the generations, God’s expressed His Name multiple ways, but it was to Moses that He shared a huge revelation: “I AM WHO I AM,” meaning, “I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE,”  as the God who always lives and is always with His people, (Exodus 3:14).

 

God desires a relationship with us, not just because of what He can do for us, but He wants us to really know Him and for us to be known by Him. Today, if you’re struggling because your circumstances seem impossible to solve or overcome, come to the Father who promises to always be with you, even when you don’t understand His ways or timing. Remember, this is the same God who parted the Red Sea, caused an axe-head to float, gave His Son’s life in exchange for yours, and promises to always walk with you because He can, and because He desires a relationship with you.

©Heather Potts 2022