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

Obvious

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened… ~ Ephesians 1:17-18 NIV

Likely you’ve seen the “memories” feature on Facebook of posts and pictures from years past.  On January 6, 2014 I’d made the comment that we were about to see our first pictures of baby Caleb… For years, I didn’t want kids because I didn’t want my kids to relive my childhood.  But then in 2010, God spoke to Brad and said we were going to have a son and we were to name him Caleb.  After we had Savannah, we naturally assumed the next pregnancy meant Caleb was “on the way.” But when we were in the ultrasound, something was missing…and the ultrasound tech had to point out the obvious three times to assure me it was, in fact, a girl.

I was distraught.  I had been so certain we were having Caleb…

We drove to our girls’ godparents’ house, as they were eagerly awaiting the pictures and the report. Nichole gave me a hug and said, “She’s beautiful.” Sean, seeing that I was upset, said, “It was always a girl. God didn’t just change the baby to a girl today.” And there it was. It was so obvious but I’d missed it. But I wouldn’t miss it again! When we got home that night, I prayed and asked God to tell me all about my little girl, her name and who He had called her to be. My faithful Father said her name is Elizabeth, which means “fullness or abundance of God.” And our lives have been forever blessed by our Elizabeth Joy!

What are the obvious things—the blessings—that you’ve been missing and losing sight of because you’ve been consumed by other things? Pray for the Spirit of wisdom and discernment, that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened and you would see all that He wants to show you.

©Heather Potts 2016