Leave Room for God to Move

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryD3D9X2myk

God is in this Story ~ Katy Nichole & Big Daddy Weave

 

Hey, friend. Mind if I sit by you? I see that worried look on your face. I get it; I’ve been worried about some things, too. But Holy Spirit has been talking with me and I wanted to share it with you.

 

The Bible says, “Be anxious for nothing,” – a simple, yet difficult command. After some prayer, I realized that I have “liked” worrying, because it gave me a sense of power and control in circumstances where I had none. What Holy Spirit showed me is that I actually had a lot of power, but I gave it over to the enemy by worrying, instead of praying.

 

The rest of Philippians 4:6 tells us what to do with all of those anxious thoughts: By prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Honestly, I’m pretty good at talking to God—both crying and whining, at times—but I’m usually pretty bad at doing so with thanksgiving. Because I wondered why it was so important to pray with thanksgiving, I looked up the meaning. “With” is a Greek preposition that means, “in the midst of, amid,” (Blueletterbible.org). And “thanksgiving” is giving thanks for God’s blessings. When we’re thanking God, we’re remembering all that He’s already done for us, the crazy and amazing ways He’s come through for us in the past. When we’re focusing on that, all the worries fall by the wayside and the possibilities in God begin to open before us. Those are the things we want power behind and want to give life to by speaking them out of our mouths.

 

Proverbs says we have the power of life and death in our tongues. I know that when I worry, there is nothing fruitful or life-giving coming out of my mouth. But when I’m worshipping, praising, and thanking God, that’s when power is ignited!

 

Father, I pray for my friend. There is so much going on – so many unknowns, and fear is waiting to consume my friend. But Lord, You are the God of angel armies. You are the God of miracles. You heal the broken hearted, break bondages—including all types of addictions—and restore relationships. You heal diseases and breathe Your life into that which was dead. You are the Great I AM and nothing is too hard for the Lord, my God! Father, thank you that You are moving in my friend’s situation. Please bring peace and joy to my friend’s heart and mind. Lord, please give my friend clarity of thought. Thank you that we have the mind of Christ and can operate in His wisdom and ability. Thank you, Father, for working behind the scenes in my friend’s situation—working out every detail for my friend’s good and Your glory. Holy Spirit, please be with my friend. Guide each step in Your wisdom. Bring to mind all promises from God to encourage my friend. Lord, I ask for continued blessings, protection, and provision for my friend—far above all we can think, ask, or imagine. Lord, help my friend to see all that’s possible in You! And Lord, I pray for those who are watching my friend’s life and situation. I pray that they’d be in awe of how You answer our prayers. I pray that many would come to fear and follow the Lord because of the mighty works You have done and are doing in my friend’s life. I pray all these things in the mighty name of Jesus, Amen.

 

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ~ Philippians 4:6 NIV

 

©Heather Potts 2023

The Gift 2

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6xSOMdt_2g

Only You ~ David Crowder Band

 

“Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown...” ~ Luke 7:47 NIV

 

I remember seeing the picture someone had taken of my friend during worship, with the caption: If you understood my past, you’d understand my praise. Knowing part of her story, I could better appreciate her freedom in worship. Her story, like so many others, was one of awe and gratitude for the One who rescued and restored her life from the pit.

 

A story similar to King David’s of dancing before the Lord, was the woman who wept and poured perfume on Jesus’ feet, as they both longed to praise the One who is worthy of all praise! After entering the house of the pharisee, the woman sought out Jesus to worship Him both kissing and anointing His feet with her expensive perfume. Obviously uncomfortable by her display, onlookers scoffed at her. But her focus was solely on Jesus, as her overwhelming desire was to share her gift of worship with her Lord.

 

She was the first of many who would come to Jesus, aware of their brokenness, longing to worship Him in freedom. Carrying a heavy, emotional load, I slipped into a pit class on campus during a Campus Crusade for Christ worship service. Though I don’t remember their names or faces, I’ll always remember that night. I was struck by the passion the worship team had as they sang to the Lord. Then, as if in response to my thoughts, the worship leader said, “We’re no different than you. We’re just worshipping God in the front.” His words were just the invitation I needed, and I told God, “I want what he has—I want that passion in my heart.”

 

Like the woman kissing Jesus’ feet, my friend in the picture, and King David, we all have the opportunity to worship God with our whole being. When we remember our own testimony, the story of how God—in His infinite love for us—found us in the muck and mire and rescued us from it, pulling us out, cleaning us off, and causing us to shine in the radiance of His presence, we can't help but worship. Just like the woman who worshipped at Jesus’ feet, fully unhindered worship is our response to His overwhelming love.

 

The next time you enter His presence, ask God to show you—and to remove—anything that’s holding you back from unashamedly worshiping Him with your whole life.

©Heather Potts 2021

The Gift

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvafDio5MrM

With Everything ~ Hillsong UNITED

 

David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the Lord with all his might. ~ 2 Samuel 6:14 NIV

 

I don’t remember how old I was the first time I saw her dancing. In front of the whole church, my mom poured out her heart in dance before the Lord. My grandma also loved Jesus with her whole heart. She would often sit at her piano and praise Him. Joyfully they shared their love of Jesus with everyone. They worshipped Jesus through dance and music as a gift to Him, simply because He was their Lord. 

 

Because of all the Lord had done for him, David danced before the Lord. 2 Samuel 6 says, “David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating with all their might before the Lord, with songs and with harps, lyres, tambourines, sistrums and cymbals… David…danced before the Lord with all his might, while he and the entire house of Israel brought the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets,” (vv.5, 14-15 NIV).

 

Whatever our method, we’re called to worship the Lord with all our might, with our whole lives. But the devil despises our worship of the Lord. He longs to choke it out with the worries and cares of the world, including the disapproving opinions of others—whether real or perceived. Sadly, we often let the fear of man outweigh our fear of the Lord, restraining our worship rather than letting it freely flow. But God tells us to remember that we’re worshipping before an audience of One. That’s exactly what David said to Michal when she scoffed at David’s display in front of others. He said, “It was before the Lord… I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes,” (2 Samuel 6:20-22 NIV).

 

Whether you sing or dance, paint or write, play, pray, or praise, be like David and worship with all your might before the Lord!

©Heather Potts 2021

My Strength & Song

 

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

Strength ~ Melissa Helser & Cageless Birds | 18 Inch Journey Live Worship Moment

 

Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; For the Lord God is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation. ~ Isaiah 12:2 NASB1995

 

On Thursday evening, I received word that my dear friend, Andrea, who’s been battling cancer off and on for over a decade, had seizures again last week. The doctors said they’ve done everything they can for her and feel her body is just tired of fighting, so hospice has been called. I will not lie; the news came as a blow and shock. Regardless of how bad things have looked, God’s always stepped in, in mighty ways. But hearing that they were giving up left me struggling for words. Nevertheless, I went to God and He reminded me to trust and not be afraid, because He is my strength and song.

 

Why am I telling you this and sharing her story? Because we’re all battling something, and we need the reminder that there is hope and help. Regardless of the battle, the solution is the same: Jesus!

 

Isaiah 12:2 says the Lord is our strength, which reminds me of a young child dancing on her daddy’s feet. You are that young child, invited to stand on your Daddy’s feet. We are called, not to stand in our own strength, but to take each step in His! The verse also says that He is our song. There are numerous scriptures of singing praises to God. The one that stands out the most to me is Psalm 149:6-9, which says that praising God takes the chains off you and puts them around the enemy. The imagery reminds me of a story Joyce Meyer told, in Battlefield of the Mind, of a man who’d been sick for many years. He’d been praying to God for healing, but was about to give up, because he was still sick. Then God gave him a vision, showing that a messenger of Satan was sent to speak lies to the man. But when the man spoke the Word of God, a sword and a flame came out of the man’s mouth to attack the messenger.

 

There is power in our praising and strength in our God! Father, I ask that You would continue to strengthen us. Lord, I pray for healing for Andrea and all of us. Lord, as Jesus sent out all doubters from the house before he healed the girl who was thought to be dead, we banish all doubt from our minds and our homes! Let only praise be heard in our houses and on our lips. Father, I thank you that You are our strength and our song, and we will win our battles in You! In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen!

©Heather Potts 2020

Directionally Challenged

…To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness…
~ Isaiah 61:3 NKJV

I’ve always felt directionally challenged. Please don’t tell me to “head North.” Chances are, I don’t have a clue which way you mean. I am, however, visual. If you tell me to go three stoplights and turn left by the McDonald’s, there’s a better chance I’ll find you. But directions aren’t just for finding your way on a map. Directions are necessary for life, which I realized in greater depth after studying Isaiah 61:3.

Ashes: a symbol of mourning, but also represent falsehood and deception

Beauty: an ornament, like a tiara or a crown covered in jewels, and a marker of authority

The oil of joy: oil of gladness, ointment used at banquets; symbol of fruitfulness

Mourning: walking with your head cast down

Garment of praise: clothed by a song of praise or hymn

Spirit of heaviness: a spirit of failing, weakness, a wick burning with a flame almost gone out, a spirit broken down, depression

This scripture is directional. When looking up to heaven, we’re walking boldly, adorned with a crown of beauty and the oil of gladness. But when we look too much in any other direction, we become directionally challenged. We forget we are King’s kids, made in His likeness and image, able to ask for help and better directions when we don’t know the way.

Maybe, like me, you’ve confused your map challenges with being directionally challenged. Maybe you’ve even believed the lie that you’re lost and you don’t know how to find your way. It’s time to dust off the ashes and break the chains of heaviness. We have been given a covering of praise, a jeweled crown, and a marker of authority. It’s there, even now. We’ve been so consumed with “finding the way,” that we’ve forgotten that we walk with the One who IS the Way, the Truth, and the Life. You’re not directionally challenged. In Him, you are found!

©Heather Potts 2017

Testimony

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony… ~ Revelation 12:11 NKJV

For the past several weeks, life’s been testing us: Brad’s been sick, the girls have been waking me most nights, Savannah’s been fighting getting dressed, Elizabeth’s been chewing the binding off our books, and to top it all off, I’ve been seeing lightning flashes in my field of vision. Concerning the latter, I consulted a friend who told me to get it checked out. Fortunately, the optometrist didn’t see anything, but was concerned about the lightning and sent me to a retinal specialist. I was calm upon leaving the optometrist’s office, but became anxious when the time came to see the specialist.

After numbing and dilating my eyes, they had me watch a video explaining retinal tearing and detachment. The fear and anxiety were high! But I said, “No! I don’t have a spirit of fear. I have a spirit of a sound mind!” I was OK in the exam room until the doctor said he needed to push on my eyes with a Q-Tip. The right eye hurt so badly. I jumped at the pain, every muscle tightening. But when he switched to the left eye, something amazing happened: I heard a choir of angels singing boldly, “Oh praise the Name of the Lord our God. Oh praise His Name, forevermore. For endless days, we will sing Your praise. Oh Lord, oh Lord, our God!” It was so powerful and triumphant that I hardly noticed as the doctor pushed on my left eye. He said there’s nothing wrong with my eyes—he thinks (maybe) something to do with migraines, but he’s not sure and wants to check my eyes again in a month.

This was such a huge praise experience, I just HAD to share it with you! Revelations reminds us that our enemy is overcome by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of OUR testimony. My prayer is that this testimony encourages and helps you remember that we will overcome!

©Heather Potts 2017

Rollercoasters

I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!

If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,

even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.

~ Psalm 139:7, 9-10 NLT

You know those people who, while riding rollercoasters, throw their hands up, laugh, and seem to really be enjoying the ride? I’m not that person. But somehow, I got talked into riding the Cheetah at Busch Gardens. A friend convinced me that this ride didn’t feel at all like a rollercoaster and I’d like it. The ride was everything I expected… It was smooth, fast, and SCARY! I screamed and cried the WHOLE ride, and continued to cry and shake when it was over.

Recently, I was talking with a friend and likened my life to that of a rollercoaster: fast, out of my control, and filled with lots of turns and drops. I wanted life to feel more like a smooth cruise down a lazy river. But that’s not reality. And truly, we’re much stronger now than we’ve ever been.

So why the fear? The sudden curves tend to catch me off guard. But through my dependence upon and closeness with Christ, I’m better able to be like the other rollercoaster riders: throwing my hands in the air, relinquishing my control, and laughing, remembering that through Christ we have the victory and He will bring us through this, too.

If, like me, you’ve been looking for a way off the rollercoaster of your life, then it’s time we change our perspective. Christ came so we could have life to the fullest, which include victory and laughter. I’ve discovered the closer I draw to Christ, I’m purposefully throwing my hands up in joy and praise, laughing as I realize I was never in control of anything.

©Heather Potts 2016

Yet Praise

But I will hope continually,
And will praise You yet more and more.

~ Psalm 71:14 NKJV

The enemy’s hope in beating us down is to feed into our fears and get us to question God’s faithfulness. Once we begin to question Him, the enemy again comes after us in hopes that we’ll doubt that God will come through this time. And once we begin to doubt, the enemy condemns us for doubting. And he tries to get us into an endless cycle of fear, doubt, and condemnation.

There are days of victory and triumph, but then there are seasons of testing, trial, and refinement. In those seasons, that’s when the enemy peppers us with his seeds of doubt and fear, in hopes we’ll say, “Though God came through before, I don’t see Him moving this time…Can He really get us out of this situation?” Our family has been under heavy fire for a full year and some days it’s all we can do to come before our Father and say, “We need You!” But when we do, His Spirit encourages us and we can say, “I’ll yet praise You.”

Yet is used to emphasize a comparative: Though what’s desired is not what’s seen, I’ll yet, moreover, still do this.

Yet I still dare to hope
when I remember this:

The faithful love of the LORD never ends!

His mercies never cease.

Great is his faithfulness;
his mercies begin afresh each morning.

I say to myself, “The LORD is my inheritance;
therefore, I will hope in him!”

~ Lamentations 3:21-24 NLT

Though it’s been a hard road and one I definitely would not have chosen, I have seen more miracles and an outpouring of God’s faithfulness and blessings this past year than I think I’ve seen in my whole life.

If you’re finding it hard to breathe, press in to Father God and ask Him to encourage your heart. And when the enemy comes knocking tell him, “Though what’s happening hurts, I will praise my God yet more and more because His faithful love never ends!”

©Heather Potts 2016

Not for the Fainthearted

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. ~ John 10:10 NASB

War is not for the faint of heart but for the armed.  With great intensity and mighty power this war will be won—this trial overcome—through worship, prayer, faith and courage to believe as we keep moving forward.

God spoke this truth to me over a year ago, when we were standing face-to-face with the possibility of Brad’s second open-heart surgery.  It turned out to be a “reading” error, in that someone hadn’t properly read the notes of his first heart surgery when comparing them to his most recent tests.  We were beyond relieved that he didn’t need surgery!

As I have prepared for today—for this C-Section and the birth of our daughter—I’m reminded that “War is not for the faint of heart but for the armed.”  Am I at war?  According to John 10:10, the enemy is always plotting against us, looking for ways to steal from us, and ever at work trying to destroy us.  But we have the Lord on our side and He has prepared us!  He has given us the tools that we need, surrounded us with friends who lift us up in prayer, and given us His Comforter and Counselor.

Brad & I have packed, but more than that, we have prayed and have taken communion, standing firm in our faith knowing that our God is Mighty and Powerful and has never let us down.  We trust that He has gone before us and prepared the hands of the surgeon, as well as the hearts and minds of all those who will come in contact and care for us during our stay.  He has given us restful sleep before our “big day,” and has given us peace in our hearts and minds.  He even arranged for the perfect care for Savannah so that we could concentrate on the immediate needs of Elizabeth before we all come home to be together. 

I’m betting today you are not preparing to give birth to a child, but maybe to a dream.  Or maybe today, you are squashing fears that the enemy has used time and time again to try to stop you from living out the dream that the Lord has placed in you.  Whatever it is, God always goes before His people so that they may have life abundantly.  Trust in your God today.  Cry out to Him and ask for His provision and protection as you continue to make your way forward, remembering that war is not for the faint of heart but the armed.

Father, thank you that we never have to walk alone.  Thank you for sending Your Comforter and Counselor.  Thank you that you always go before us, preparing the way for us.  We love and trust you, Lord.  In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.

©Heather Potts 2014

The Ah-Ha Moment

Ever had one?  It’s when all that’s been going on around you and the things that have happened and have been said to you make sense.  Mine was the other day.

In the midst of all the craziness and the trials we are facing, God said to me, “Don’t make this about you.”  What do you say to that?!  When I asked Him what He meant, I was met with silence.

God has been preparing us to face these trials for some time.  First, He led us to pray for Him to move MIGHTILY.  That’s not to say that the only way God can move is through or after trials, nor that God causes trials.  But God, being omniscient, knew the trials were coming, so He began to prepare us for victory over them.  He gave us a desire for something far greater than ourselves and then led us to read books and hear sermons about overcoming and victory over trials.  He reminded us that this is war and when—not if—we overcome, He gets all the glory.

One night, after a long week, I was being beaten up pretty badly.  The enemy was pouncing upon me, blow after blow.  And when I thought about reaching out for help, the enemy told me that to reach out was weak and I should be able to handle it on my own.  But then I remembered the picture of Moses being helped by his friends.  With Moses’ hands lifted up, the enemy was defeated and when they dropped, the enemy began to win.  And when Moses couldn’t do it on his own, two of his friends came, each holding up one of Moses’ hands, (see Exodus 17:11-13).  So at midnight, I asked my friends to pray for me, because I didn’t feel I had the strength to do it for myself.  And they did!

And after that came my ah-ha moment.  God spoke to me through one of my beautiful friends.  She said, “God is using this time to stretch you into a woman who depends on her faith in Him to get her through.”  God showed me that it’s not about my strength or my ability to get it done.  This time that we are in is about seeking and praying and praising.

God moves mightily when we believe mightily.

War is not for the faint of heart, but for the armed.  We arm ourselves through seeking and praying and praising.

With great intensity and mighty power, this war will be one—this trial overcome—through worship, prayer, faith, and courage to believe!

The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]. ~ James 5:16 AMP