With You

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91KliTa1ksY

Through All of It ~ Colton Dixon

But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you. ~ John 14:26 AMPC

I want to tell you about my dream. I was playing on the playground and Jesus was there. He caught me at the bottom of the slide, and even when I jumped off the monkey bars. He smiled at me and said He loved me and even that He liked me. ~ Elizabeth, age 5

Doesn't it give you peace to know you're not in it, alone?

Shortly after we moved to Wisconsin, I took a survey which listed a series of events that could happen in life. Each event was given a value. The events included changes in job, health, family size, where you lived, etc. The total values of events within a year affected your mental, emotional, and physical health. Because of all the major changes at that time, I scored pretty high. While it was good to see how the changes were affecting my life, they didn’t have the final say.

There have been many changes and challenges throughout my life. But in each season, I had the opportunity to realize that I’m not in this alone. Just as God gave Elizabeth a gift by sending Jesus to play with her and reassure her of His love, He sends the Helper—Holy Spirit—to walk daily with us. Today’s verse describes Holy Spirit as our Comforter, Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, and Strengthener.

What challenges, changes, or other life events—either good or bad—are you facing, today? God wants to walk closely with you and have you walk closely with Him. Regardless of what you’re facing, ask God how He wants to step into your circumstances and what He wants to be for you in your current life events. Remember, it was God’s design to send you Holy Spirit: your Comforter, Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, and Strengthener.

©Heather Potts 2019

Determined

Because the Sovereign LORD helps me,
I will not be disgraced.
Therefore, I have set my face like a stone,
determined to do his will.
And I know that I will not be put to shame.

~ Isaiah 50:7 NLT

Isaiah 50:4 is a scripture I hold close to my heart. It reminds me that these are God’s Words, which He teaches me, and then enables me to share with His people as an encouragement and light to them. But I put so much of myself into my writing that the enemy tries to make it all about me—what will people think about me; what might they discover about me. And the enemy tries to trap me in a painful place—in the places that people experience but never want to speak about, for fear that the darkness will suddenly rise up and overtake them.

But my God whispers to my heart and He says, “You are not your past. You will not be humiliated. You will not be put to shame. Your history is a part of My story for My Glory.” Over and over, He reminds me that I am His and He holds me gently and securely in His righteous right hand. Therefore, I will set my face like flint, like stone, determined to do His will. I will not allow the enemy to come between me and God’s calling anymore. I will stand up to the enemy and the darkness and declare, “DON’T YOU DARE!!! I am healed, whole, and a teacher for the living God. You will not stop me, nor force me back. I will stand my ground and keep pressing forward. I am a daughter of the King and a warrior for His Name! And you, Satan, are under my feet!”

You are not your past—not the things that happened to you or the things you’ve done. You have been crucified with Christ, so you no longer live. Christ lives in you and your life is lived by faith through the Son of God, (Galatians 2:20). If the enemy is working so hard to keep you in a place of condemnation and fear, aren’t you curious as to why? What is he afraid will happen if you stand up and speak out?

©Heather Potts 2016

Racing Stripes

Growing up on the YMCA swim team meant swim meets every weekend and hundreds of bored kids waiting for their next heat. So we entertained ourselves… We gave ourselves racing stripes, writing “Eat My Wake” and other cheers on our legs with black magic marker.  Racing stripes were originally applied to race cars to help the driver realign his spun-out car.  During my semester of rest, God gave me several scriptures to realign my focus on Him when my mind felt like it was spinning out of control.  But my two main scriptures or racing stripes were Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” and Hebrews 12:1-2, “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus.”

Running is hard work!  My legs would hurt, my feet would ache, my arms would feel tired because I was often pushing one or both girls in our double stroller.  But through it all, I would strap on my racing stripes, keep my “finish line” fixed ever before me in my mind and push through.  Whether I was physically running a route, or just running to be closer to my God, to know my Father in a deeper, more intimate way, my racing stripes kept me focused, and allowed me to “throw off” everything that tried to stop me.

What are some of the things that are trying to stop you from pursuing your Father and His purposes for your life?  Strap on your racing stripes—your promises from Father God—and run hard, straight into His loving embrace!

© Heather Potts 2016