Undeserved

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91hHw1YPqxE

Communion ~ (feat. Steffany Gretzinger & Brandon Lake) Maverick City

 

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, ~ 1 Corinthians 11:23 NIV

 

As I stood before the Table, this was the first time I’d had a hard time approaching and partaking. As I stood there, staring at the Elements, I heard Holy Spirit say, “You are under the impression that you’ve ever deserved this. It’s always been undeserved.” The word undeserved hung in the air. It wrapped all around me and sat on me. But it wasn’t heavy. Quite the contrary, it was entirely freeing.

 

un·de·served. Un- meaning, “not,” and -ed indicating past tense, left only deserve. What I discovered helped me understand why it was so freeing. De- is a preposition, meaning, “from…out of,” and finally, serve comes from Middle English, Old French, and Latin, all words being equivalent to “slave,” (dictionary.com). Undeserved, therefore, is not-from-slavery. It can’t be earned. That’s what makes it grace.

 

Though I was welcome at the Lord’s Table, as His Bride, from the first time I put my faith and trust in Him, it was 15 years ago that I heard Him call me there. In 2007, I was suffering from pain, and it wasn’t getting better. One morning at church, I received prayer for healing. During the prayer, Holy Spirit spoke to me about receiving healing from the Lord’s Table. He said, “When you take the Bread, see My flesh bonding with your flesh, healing your flesh. When you take the Cup, see My blood flowing through your blood, washing away every sickness and disease.” It’s been 15 years, and His words have never left me. Though I am not always good at utilizing this beautiful and precious gift, I’ve never, before, hesitated to eat at His Table.

 

Prior to now, any pain or sickness I’d experienced was something that happened to me, not due to my own stupidity. And that’s how the devil got me. It was easier to believe the lie that previous times of healing were “deserved” because they weren’t my own fault. This time, however, I didn’t deserve healing, nor to even ask for it, because I’d made a dumb choice. That’s when the Lord stepped in and called me back to His Table. Standing there, staring at the Elements, a few words from the Lord, and everything changed.

 

It's not deserved. It can’t be earned. And that is what makes it grace.

©Heather Potts 2022

Hope in Darkness

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIS0ToE3Pl8

I Exalt Thee ~ Jesus Image Worship

 

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” ~ Jeremiah 29:11 NLT

 

The message in Jeremiah 29:11 is one of hope for a dark season. But what many of us don’t realize is that it wasn’t given on Monday and then by Friday, everything was sunshine and bubbles. The message of hope, in this verse, was meant to light the path down a long, dark tunnel that lasted several more decades. That’s exactly why God sends messages of hope. He knows that we’ll need His promises to endure our long, dark seasons—some lasting longer than others, and all lasting much longer than we’d like.

 

Yesterday, we heard that a friend is very sick. Even though this sickness appeared suddenly, God wasn’t surprised. The same is true in our darkest moments and toughest days: they may take us by surprise, but God knew they were coming and planned strength and encouragement for us in these times.

 

When the battle is raging, fears are mounting, winds are howling, and the lion is roaring, it can often feel like this season is you against all of them. But after tightening the Belt of Truth, taking up the Sword of the Spirit in one hand and the Shield of Faith in the other, standing firm upon God’s promise, knowing Holy Spirit is with you, and God’s angel armies are your rearguard, you suddenly realize it’s US against them!

 

Regardless of the length or darkness of your season, remember that God is with you. He’s surrounding you and He’s giving you the encouragement and promises you’ll need to persevere.

©Heather Potts 2020

No Fear in the Flood

https://youtu.be/2uYiHiJTN6Y

My Feet are on the Rock ~ I AM THEY 

...When the enemy comes in like a flood... ~ Isaiah 59:19 NKJV

Has your life been flooded by the enemy, lately? We've had multiple illnesses since Christmas and now the flu. When everyone is sick, or not able to work to care for sick kids, you start to feel alone. The enemy goes to great lengths to isolate, and ultimately destroy, us. When we're too sick to attend church, life groups, and school, we become isolated, which makes us easier prey.

But when you're in Christ Jesus, you're not alone. "The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves…" (Zephaniah 3:17 NIV). Though the enemy floods your life with hardships, remember Who is by your side. "In every circumstance, even when the enemy comes in like a flood, you will know that your best friend is a Lion and you need have no fear," (Cooke, Graham. "The Kind Intentions of God." The Soaking Compendium. 2019).

Isaiah 59:19 doesn't end with the enemy's attack, but with the Lord's victory: "When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will put him to flight." You're not alone in this fight. The Lord is with you: He rejoices over you with singing, quiets you with His love, refreshes your soul, forgives all your sins, heals all your diseases, redeems your life from the pit, crowns you with love and compassion, and satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s, (Zephaniah 3:17; Psalm 23:3; Psalm 103:3-5).

Remember, when the enemy comes in like a flood, Victory is already on your side and His Name is Jesus!

©Heather Potts 2020

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

Posture to Receive

 [looking away from all that will distract us and] focusing our eyes on Jesus, who is the Author and Perfecter of faith… Just consider and meditate on Him… ~ Hebrews 12:2-3 AMP

Sick babies.

Sick and/or worn down parents.

Little to no sleep.

Exhaustion has given way to…anxiety…and worry that tonight will be like the previous two: awakened every hour…

And at 10:33 tonight I find myself asking my Father, “Why?” And He stirs worship—a need for worship—in my heart. As the music sweeps over me, I hear the lyrics, “Would you come and tear down the boxes that I have tried to put You in / Let love come teach me who You are again /…/ Come and do whatever You want to,” (In Over My Head, Jenn Johnson). As the music crescendos into the climax, I can feel Holy Spirit rush into the room and crash over me.

Control. All my life, I’ve liked control. But God told me to let go. During a recent fast, God showed me I have been holding on to too many things too tightly. And He said it was cutting off my life’s supply. He showed me that a clenched hand can neither give nor receive life. He reminded me of when I would choke on water while swimming as a child. When choking, you’re instructed to raise your hands above your head, which opens up your airways to receive oxygen, to receive life. The same is true in spiritual matters. When we lift our hands in surrender, turning over control to Jesus, we have finally put ourselves in a posture to receive from our Father.

Let Go. In his book, Circle Maker, Mark Batterson said, “If you seek answers, you won’t find them, but if you seek God, the answers will find you…You need to let go and let God…by resisting the temptation to manufacture your own answers to your own prayers,” (65). Trust and surrender go hand in hand. If I never let go, I can never expect to be amazed by all the ways God wants to answer my prayers.

If, like me, you’ve found yourself holding on to things you need to let go of, simply lift your hands in surrender to Him. Breathe His life in deeply, fill your lungs fully, and exhale slowly. Now rest and receive from Him.

©Heather Potts 2017