THE FREEDOM OF SEEING OURSELVES THROUGH GOD’S EYES

July 7, 2018 1:51 am , 2 Comments ,

God speaks to me so often through the lyrics in songs. I hear His voice in my heart the clearest in the morning time. This morning, I was lying in bed pondering a dream I had in my sleep and the lyrics to a song came to my mind shortly after I was awakened.

As I was lying there, the lyrics kept flooding into my mind four or five times: “I can see clearly now, the rain is gone.”

I knew God was trying to give a message to me, so a little while later I found the song and listened to it online. As I played the song, I was squealing like a child and shouting in victory because I knew precisely what Christ was trying to convey to my heart.

Michael had prayed some extra powerful prayers over me during the past few days. He prayed and asked God to break the power of the critical words of people. He boldly prayed that the words could never again impact my spirit and would fall off of me for eternity. In the moment my husband prayed for me, I shouted, “I AM FREE.”

A pattern in my life had begun as a young girl of allowing the negative words of people to discourage me and hold me back from the destiny God has for my life.

Years ago, I bought a book for my son when he was small and it ministered to my soul deeply. “You Are Special” by Max Lucado is a children’s book with a powerful message. I read it countless times to my son and even read it for myself multiple times. The story has a message about not allowing the “marks” of those around us to determine what we believe about ourselves. The point of the book is to learn to see ourselves as our maker sees us. What others think of us simply does not matter.

Throughout my life, I had been praying for God to help me not to allow negative words of others to impact me and I had made huge progress through the years as I pressed into Christ through prayer. However, even with the God-confidence I had gained, there was a tendency for me to return to old thought patterns. I had a place in my heart that needed Christ’s divine healing to get free of this pattern eternally. Amazingly, Christ touched my heart powerfully on July 4th, on a day that celebrates independence.

My “Declaration of Independence” in my heart was made official on July 4, 2018. “I am free from the untrue words people have spoken about me, I know who I am in Christ, and the criticisms of others will never again affect me.”

I can truly see clearly now. I can see clearly who I am and who God created me to be. Christ cleared all of the dark clouds out of my way so that I can live continually in the beauty of His light and glory. The pain of my past is gone forever. I’m not looking back.

Freedom in Christ is amazing. He came to set the captives free and bind up the hurts of the brokenhearted (Isaiah 61:1).

Christ is the healer of broken hearts and He helps us see the obstacles in our way. He pushes away the darkness and gives us bright, sun-shiny days. He takes away bad feelings and heals our pain. He gives us beautiful rainbows when the rain is gone. He gives us confidence to know we are going to make it to our destiny and He helps us see ourselves through His eyes.

 Hallelujah.

 

Posted in: Stories of Faith , Tagged: , ,

A PRAYER FOR SPIRITUAL AWAKENING IN AMERICA

July 4, 2018 8:44 pm , 2 Comments ,

Many years ago, I began feeling very burdened in my spirit for America and the direction it was heading. I sensed the only answer to our problems would be a great movement of the Holy Spirit and a true spiritual awakening in the lives of multitudes of people.

As I prayed, I began to envision a map of the United States with flames around it and bright light coming out of it.

It felt as though God was saying: The U.S. is called to be the light of the world.

The thought of our country being the light of the world brought so much excitement to my soul. It gave me a fiery passion to pray for an outpouring of the Spirit that would change the atmosphere of America and ultimately impact the world with Christ’s glory and light.

In Matthew 3:11, we are told that John the Baptist was preaching a message and saying: “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Just as I envisioned the flames of fire around the map of America, I imagined the flames of the Holy Spirit consuming millions of souls and drawing them into the kingdom of God.

I wrote the following prayer in June, 2011. I want to share it again and hope you all will join me in praying passionately for the greatest outpouring of the Holy Spirit the world has ever seen.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for Your unfailing love, for the way You continually pour out Your mercy and grace. Thank You for what You are doing in the body of Christ. Oh how beautiful it is. I feel it in my spirit: REVIVAL is about to break out in a huge way in the body of believers in our nation. Keep pouring Your Spirit into the hearts of countless people. We (the body of Christ) want more of You. We want You to work in and through us in unimaginable ways. We want thousands upon thousands to be saved in our cities due to the massive outpouring of Your Spirit. We are waiting for You with great expectation to do mighty things in our nation and in our world.

I have visions of people falling at Your feet, weeping in repentance, craving Your love, wanting more of Your Holy Spirit. Please show the world who You are. Show every hurting person Your radical love. Speak to the hearts of all the people who call You, “LORD.” Let every believer know You deeply and intimately. Raise us up to be the church You want for us to be. Make us ready for Christ’s return, without a blemish or stain. Let us be a church who loves You wholeheartedly and loves each other perfectly. Let each follower of You be so focused on You that we would not look to each other, but only to You. Let Your perfect unity and love rule in the hearts of all Your followers. We are ready to see You do great and marvelous things in our cities. We love You with all our strength and we pray in Christ’s name. Amen.

“’AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,’ God says, ‘THAT I WILL POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT ON ALL MANKIND; AND YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY, AND YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS, AND YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS.” Acts 2:17′”

Happy 4th of July!

 

Posted in: Prayers , Tagged: , , ,

THE DIVINE PURPOSE OF PAIN

July 2, 2018 12:19 am , Leave a Comment ,

Pain is a universal problem in the world. There is not a way to make it through this life without experiencing losses and struggles. I do not believe God causes pain, but He lovingly takes our painful experiences and turns them into something beautiful as we trust Him wholeheartedly. Depending on our perspective, the pain we experience in life can be the fuel to catapult us into our greatest purpose for living.

In the past, my family went through some very difficult financial challenges due to my husband’s failed businesses and job losses, yet my soul rejoices over all of it. Christ supernaturally carried us through every difficulty. He abundantly restored our finances with a new career for my husband, and we grew closer to God’s heart as a result of the desperate times of our past. I would happily do it all over again because of the eternal treasures my family and I gained in the midst of those painful hardships.

On a day of volunteering at a ministry that provides food to people in need, I was able to see clearly how God uses pain in our lives.

The rest of the story is posted over at DaySpring’s (in)courage . Please click on the link below to read, The Purpose of Pain, a story I wrote in 2014.

The Purpose of Pain

Posted in: Stories of Faith , Tagged: , , , , ,

THE GIFT OF THE FATHER’S LOVE

June 16, 2018 8:21 pm , Leave a Comment ,

There is a place inside every person’s heart that needs the love of a father. As humans, we are wired for needing a father’s love and encouragement. Yet, due to death, divorce, deployment, and many other reasons, not everyone has a good father present in their lives. When that need for a father goes unmet, it can cause deep pain in the soul.

Thankfully, our heavenly Father loves us perfectly and He promises never to abandon us. In Hebrews 13:5 it says: “God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ ” A tangible sense of our heavenly Father’s presence can be felt continually as we press into Him through repentance and prayer. As we draw near to God, His love has the power to heal broken hearts and take away our pain.

Through every hard challenge, God has walked along side me and revealed Himself as a GOOD FATHER. I remember a time I felt weak and restless as I was facing a challenge that seemed impossible to overcome.

With tears rolling down my cheeks, I bowed down at the feet of the Father. I cried out for strength. I prayed, “Father, the obstacles on the path laid out for me feel too big.” His warm embrace enveloped my heart as His love washed over me. His Spirit soothed my soul and the sweetness of His presence encircled me profoundly. In my heart, I could imagine Him whispering words of encouragement.

Child, nothing is too big for Me. I’ll never ask you to do more than I created you for. Rest in Me. Rest in My love, rest in knowing there is nothing I’ll ask of you that will ever be too big. My grace is sufficient for you. In your weakness, My strength is made perfect. Arise my child. Let me put a new song in your heart. Let My love lift you up and carry you.

As His love permeated me with warmth, my soul was restored in an instant. He breathed new life into my spirit and strengthened me. Joy replaced the tears. Peace covered me and made me ready to begin a new day with a new song in my heart—a song of joy for celebrating the love I had found in my Father’s arms.

With the fatherly love of God and His strength—life is made beautiful. He carries those who completely depend on Him. 

May you feel the heavenly Father’s love every day and may He meet the unmet expectations that your earthly father may not have been able to fulfill. Whether you have a good earthly father or not, you can enjoy the priceless gift of God’s perfect love and rest in knowing that a daddy’s love flows from the compassionate heart of our Father in Heaven.

“He is like a father to us, tender and sympathetic to those who reverence Him. “ Psalm 103:13

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for loving us with a perfect, fatherly love. Thank You for bringing healing to our hearts in the places we’ve been wounded. Please help us look to You moment to moment for every need we have. Help us to rest in Your presence and know that You will never leave us, nor forsake us. Help us look to You always as our provider, our nurturer, and our protector. Please fill the hearts of every earthly father with Your love so that they can be conduits of Your amazing grace to their children and grandchildren. We pray in Christ’s name. Amen.

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!

Grace and peace to you,

Amy

 

Posted in: Devotions , Tagged: , ,

A LIFE WELL LIVED

June 10, 2018 5:15 pm , Leave a Comment ,

Emotions flooded my heart as I was leaving the park where a garden had been placed in honor of my treasured friend, Lori, who passed to her eternal home seven months ago. Lori’s family created a gorgeous flower garden and dedicated it this weekend in memory of their beloved wife, mom, daughter, and sister.

Heaven gained an amazing soul in 2017, and all who knew Lori lost a one-of-a-kind treasure. During the months since Lori’s death, I’ve pondered how she impacted me.

Lori was a childhood friend whom I was out of touch with for a season until we reconnected through social media in recent years. Lori was one of the first girls I met when I moved from Florida to Georgia in the sixth grade. As the new girl at school, I was given a heaven-sent blessing in becoming friends with Lori. I have precious memories of spending time with her when she was a giggly girl. We enjoyed fun times of laughter together, going to the lake, and hanging out at my house as grammar school girls.  Lori is in the photo below at my 12th birthday celebration.

During our first year of high school, I was inspired by Lori’s love of books. She was smart, but what stood out the most about Lori was her pure heart. She held a strength and wisdom that many do not possess until later in life. She was steady, loyal, kind, and she did not have a need to try to be popular or cool.

Lori obviously had a close connection with God from an early age and she had a genuine concern about others. The love she drew from her close relationship with Christ overflowed out of her heart onto the lives of every person she met.

After attending several years in high school with Lori, I moved to another school and rarely saw her anymore. Then following our high school years, I briefly reconnected with Lori and she wrote some letters to me while she was away at college. Lori’s kindhearted, caring heart was obvious even in her written letters. During that season of corresponding through letters, I was married, settling into a new home and somehow our correspondence fell away.

With our lives changing due to marriage, our friendship slipped away and we did not stay connected as friends for several decades. Thankfully in our forties, Lori found me on Facebook and reached out to me with a very loving message. It felt like a miracle to reconnect with her. After we reconnected, I wrote the following message: “As I look back over my life, you were truly one of the sweetest friends I’ve ever had. I’m thankful to the Lord for reconnecting us.” The words I wrote to Lori are true—she was indeed one of the sweetest friends ever. I’m incredibly grateful to have had a soul like hers touch my life.

Choosing from all of Lori’s strengths, I believe it was her consistent, steadfast devotion to Christ throughout her life that made her such a beautiful soul. In the midst of her excruciating battle of fighting cancer, Lori drew closer to Christ instead of turning away from Him in her suffering. She leaned on Christ with a heart filled with faith and her devoutness to Him was revealed in every aspect of her existence. Lori was faithful and she was a Proverbs 31 woman in every sense of the word.

Christ has used Lori’s death as a catalyst for me to walk with a fierce determination for living a life fully set a part for the glory of God. It’s as though her death is propelling me into my destiny and giving me an even more fiery passion to share about the redeeming love of Christ with as many people as possible.

When it’s all said and done, nothing else matters more than loving Christ and loving people. Love is truly what this world needs more than anything else. Lori loved well and lived her life well as she loved others deeply, pouring out herself into the lives of many. Her legacy is truly one defined by Christ’s love.

We are all simply passing through this earth for a short time and we get one shot at leaving an eternal impact on the world. The Bible says in James 4:14: “You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”

With Christ’s help, we can all live with a singleness of heart all the days of our lives. May these words about my childhood friend touch your heart and prompt you to live with purpose—to build a lasting legacy of love with the life you’ve been given.

Lori will forever be in my heart and her impact will last for eternity.

Lori Stovall LaPlatney

    August 8, 1965 – November 11, 2017

Posted in: Legacy , Tagged: , , , ,

RESURRECTION JOY

April 1, 2018 1:51 pm , Leave a Comment ,

Joy exudes from within the souls of those who know that Jesus Christ is the resurrected son of God and those who have experienced His transforming love. Christ is the greatest gift to mankind and His resurrection is the reason we can live abundantly even in the midst of a chaotic world.

The resurrection power that raised Christ from the dead is able to lift us out of the pits of despair as we place our trust in Him. Christ is truly the only one who has the power to rid our hearts from addictions, anxiety, bitterness, depression, fear, worry, and every other burdensome thing. In Christ, true abundant life exists because he sets our hearts free and releases us into the heavenly places where no darkness can abide.

On this Resurrection Sunday, I can imagine Jesus whispering words of love and grace to the world.

I am risen! Celebrate My resurrection. Come live fully in Me every moment of every day. Don’t give one thought to the difficulties of life on Earth. You can rest in knowing these are light and momentary troubles compared to the glory of Heaven. Keep your eyes fixed on Me and on eternal things not seen. As you live in Me, you will rise up on eagles’ wings and soar continually. Don’t be afraid of anything I ask you to do. Simply obey Me. Live in the fullness of My joy. Shout to the world of My goodness. Glorify My name so that those in need of Me will know the truth of who I am. Let this day be a day of new beginnings—a day to rejoice in My perfect love for you. My heart longs for you, My beloved bride. I am coming back for you and will live with you for all eternity. Come with Me to high places and never stop singing praises over all you have found in the gift of the cross.

He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. Matthew 28:6

For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 

Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run and not get tired. They will walk and not become weary. Isaiah 40:31

You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy. In Your right hand there are pleasures forever. Psalm 16:11

The Lord GOD is my strength, and He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, and makes me walk on my high places. Habakkuk 3:19 

Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. Revelation 22:12

May you experience Christ’s resurrection power in every area of your life and be filled to overflowing with resurrection joy.

Beloved Jesus,

We adore You and we are in awe of the sacrifice You made for us. Thank You for paying the penalty for all of our sins. Thank You for giving Your life so that we can live freely and eternally. Help us to experience Your resurrection power every day in miraculous ways. Let us receive all the gifts You have for our lives and help us to live as recipients of Your amazing grace every day. Help us to share Your love with those around us and invite others into a life-giving relationship with You. We love You with all our hearts and we pray in Your name, Christ. Amen.

Grace and peace to you,

Amy

 

 

 

 

Posted in: Devotions, Holidays , Tagged: , , , ,

A FATHER ANOINTING TO PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD

March 16, 2018 2:35 pm , Leave a Comment ,

I was awakened yesterday morning with a feeling of excitement for the biblical prophetic times we’re living in. Immediately after I opened my eyes, I thought, “These are exciting days!” Then the lyrics to a song flooded into my heart. “These are the days of Elijah, declaring the word of the Lord. And these are the days of Your servant Moses, righteousness being restored.” Before my feet were on the floor, I sensed the Lord nudging me to share a prophetic dream I had in 2011.

In July of 2011, I had a dream while sleeping and I knew it was pertinent for the Church of Jesus Christ. Shortly after that, I wrote the details of the dream and recorded the words the Lord was saying about the dream.

In the beginning of my dream, I was sitting next to my husband in a church service. We were away from our hometown and visiting a church. The preacher was a prominent man of God and he began singing a beautiful song by Nat King Cole. He was singing the words, “That’s why it’s incredible that someone so unforgettable thinks that I am unforgettable, too.” My husband began weeping while the preacher was singing these words. I glanced at him and noticed that a young man in his early twenties to his left was beginning to weep. Then almost simultaneously, an older gentleman to the left of the young man was weeping, too. It was obvious to me that the older man was the father of the younger man. I had never seen anything like this in church before. My husband and the father and son were all three leaning on each other, weeping tears, and very overcome by the Spirit. I lifted my hands toward HEAVEN and began to worship the Lord. I felt the anointing power of God like I had never experienced before. I heard clearly in my spirit these words from God: “I am pouring out a father anointing.”  As I stood there in awe, the words from Malachi 4:6 dropped into my spirit: “He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers…” The dream ended abruptly after I heard those words from the book of Malachi.

Immediately, I was awakened from my sleep and I was compelled to share the dream with my husband, Michael. He was already awake, so I walked into the other room to find him. Tears welled up in his eyes as I shared the details of the dream. I told Michael I believed the father anointing in my dream is going to be what God uses to propel the great spiritual awakening that would ultimately lead to the greatest harvest of souls we’ve ever known in the history of the Church.

As Michael listened to my words, he had an epiphany of words to share with me. He began speaking powerfully about the need of a father anointing to be released.

On that July day nearly seven years ago, Michael said: “I believe a need for a true father will be what nudges people to turn to the Lord. Since World War II, the family has been under extreme attack—especially the men and fathers.  Because of all the men that were lost, a void has been in the lives of many people. Hundreds of thousands of fathers died in the war around the world.  Also, since WWII, the industrial age has taken fathers away from the family. Dads used to work on farms, close to home. Since the 1960s, the media has downgraded the role of the father. Fatherhood is what this generation lacks more than anything else. More than fifty percent of couples end up divorced, leaving many children without a father in their lives. What is this generation lacking? They are lacking the love of a father. They have a desire for a God that would be their FATHER.”

Michael’s words were eloquent and powerful. Our generation does, indeed, need the love of their HEAVENLY FATHER.

The father anointing (Elijah anointing) is the same anointing that we read about in the book of Luke. Luke shared the story of when John the Baptist was in his mother’s womb about to be born. This anointing will be what ushers in the second coming of Christ, just as Luke describes this anointing that was preparing the way of our Lord’s birth.

Luke 1:11-17 says, “Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.  And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

In my dream, I believe the prominent man of God symbolized a spiritual father who was communicating God’s unfailing love by singing the love song by Nat King Cole. When he began singing, my husband began to weep as a result of a revelation of God’s love and he was receiving a deep inner healing from a wound inflicted by his earthly father. The father and son sitting next to him began weeping because they were experiencing the release of the father anointing and as a result, healing began in their relationship.

The fact that we were away from home, visiting a church in the dream, symbolized that the Lord will pour out this anointing in unusual ways, not through the traditional ways we would normally expect.

Today, the movie “I Can Only Imagine” is being released. I believe it is being released strategically on 3/16 as a symbol of John 3:16.  The entire world desperately needs to know that God so loved the world that He gave His only son so that people would not have to perish and can have everlasting life by believing in Him for salvation.

I have not seen the movie, but I watched the trailer and discovered it’s about a father and son. It’s a powerful story of forgiveness and redemption experienced through the unconditional love of Christ.

I feel in my spirit there is something very crucial about fathers and sons and daughters reconciling. I see a connection between the reconciling of father/child relationships being the catalyst for releasing great power and the Elijah (father) anointing.

Perhaps the release of this movie is a sign that God will begin turning the hearts of the children to their fathers and the hearts of the fathers to their children. The prophet, Malachi, revealed that God would send the spirit of Elijah before the Lord returns or else our land will be cursed.

“See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.” Malachi 4:5-6

We are in a very critical season, and the CHURCH needs to pray for a father anointing to be released now. The hurting young people in our nation desperately need to be told they are loved and cherished as sons and daughters of God.

Let’s pray that millions of people will trust God and experience His fatherly love.

As we pray, I believe the spiritual awakening will begin intensifying greatly. Out of this father anointing, I believe countless spiritual fathers will rise up to minister to the younger generations. The spiritual fathers will point them to God as their HEAVENLY FATHER, and help them forgive their earthly fathers for their transgressions.

I believe with all my heart that the second coming of Christ is closer than we realize, and it’s time to begin preparing the way of the Lord.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for Your perfect love and grace that You have given us through Your son, Jesus Christ. Thank You that we are living in the most exciting time known to mankind. Please draw men and women into Your fatherly arms. Heal their hearts and souls during the coming days, months, and years. Release the father anointing and prepare the body of Christ to minister to people wherever we get the opportunity in our communities. I trust You to bring forth miracles in unfathomable ways and I stand in awe of what You are doing on the earth.  Let us rise up as spiritual fathers and mothers and be used mightily to assist You in bringing countless souls into Your kingdom. Thank You, Father. I pray in Christ’s name.

Posted in: Prophetic Dreams, Prophetic Words , Tagged: , ,

THE PERFECT LOVE

February 14, 2018 6:23 pm , Leave a Comment ,

The greatest love story of all time is the story of Jesus Christ and His gift to mankind. Christ died an agonizing death for us, so that we can be set free from the bondage of sin and live eternally. Jesus came so that we may have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10).

There’s no other love that can satisfy the soul as completely as Christ’s love.

Whatever is happening in your life today, I pray you will know you are treasured by God and I hope you find fulfillment in His perfect love.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for Your perfect love. Help us to be strengthened with the power of Your Holy Spirit. Let us be rooted and grounded in Christ’s love. Help us to comprehend the depth of the love of Christ and let us be filled up with the fullness of God. Let our souls be completely satisfied in Christ alone. We pray in Christ’s name.

“For this reason I bow my knees before the FATHER, from whom every family in Heaven and on Earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.” 

Ephesians 3:14-19 

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

Grace and peace to you,

Amy

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Posted in: Holidays, Prayers , Tagged: , , ,

LOVE NEVER FAILS

February 13, 2018 5:09 pm , Leave a Comment ,

To love and to be loved are the two greatest things we can experience in this life. I felt warmth all around me when I heard these beautiful words spoken during a wedding toast once. There is truly nothing that compares to the fulfillment of loving someone deeply and experiencing their love in return.

I am continually being challenged in my ability to love perfectly and unconditionally. Loving others when they’re kind to me is not a hard thing. The difficulty comes in repaying unkindness with kind deeds. If we only show love when we are treated kindly, then why do we need Christ?

Marriage gives us the perfect opportunity to practice showing true Christ-like love.

I believe God loves bringing together complete opposites; this is what He did in my marriage to Michael. It’s kind of funny when I think about how totally opposite we are. My husband is an introvert. I am an extrovert. He is a morning person. I am a night person. He is a reserved, more serious person. I am a free-spirited person. He is a ‘plan every detail’ kind of person. I am a ‘go with the flow’ kind of person. He is more of a spender. I am more of a saver. He is more laid back about housekeeping. I am the ‘keep everything in its place’ kind of person.

The list of the differences in our God-given personalities could go on and on, without even mentioning the natural differences there are in men and women.

There’s a reason we said, “For better or for worse,” in our marriage vows. When two people come together with completely opposite natures, there will be friction. There is no way to get around it. One time, I heard someone say they preferred to have a mate with a similar personality to theirs. For me, it would be totally boring to spend the rest of my life with someone like myself. I have no doubt that Michael was made for me, but knowing we were made for each other doesn’t keep us from being tested in our ability to truly love one another.

The marriage relationship is the most powerful way to live out our Christianity. As husband and wife, we are bonded like no other bond.

Many years ago, when God began healing our marriage and tearing down the walls between us, a deep level of spiritual and emotional intimacy began growing in our relationship. We began sharing our deepest fears, our hurts, and our wildest dreams with each other. We laid out our most valuable treasures to share with the other, trusting that they would be delicately treated. There is no one on the earth that knows me more intimately than my husband.

It has been a beautiful thing. As the depth of our marriage has grown, so has the cost. Our ability to hurt each other is much greater now. When we were holding tightly onto the deepest parts of our souls, it was safer. There wasn’t so much at stake.

Now, my husband holds the most valuable part of me in his hand: my heart. I have given all of it to him, not small parts. He has it all. The only ONE who exceeds this bond is Christ. It is my bond with Christ that has allowed me to open my heart fully to my husband.

Without Christ’s love, I would have to keep my heart guarded and protected, living in mediocrity. I did that for many years. I lived and loved halfheartedly. I was too busy trying to protect myself from hurt to really love the way I know Christ intends for me to. The cost was too high for me. I knew that if I dared to love as Christ loves, I could end up getting hurt; therefore, I didn’t take many risks.

Things started changing when I allowed Christ to begin healing the wounded places in my heart. As He healed each wound, a piece of the protective shield that surrounded my heart began breaking away. I began opening myself to my husband in ways I never had before. I began letting him see my bare soul.

I consciously made a decision to love with all my strength no matter what the cost might be. It’s not as easy as it sounds. My unguarded heart is vulnerable and when hurt is inflicted, it can go deep. Loving hard, loving fully means hurting sometimes. That’s part of it.

The marriage relationship is the place that love is tested the most. The closeness in the relationship forces us to face our differences. The only other option is to grow apart, living together in the same house. What’s the point in that? We did not get married to be roommates. We got married to remain soul-mates and best friends.

I remember a pivotal time in my marriage that changed how I related to Michael. He had hurt my feelings, and I was having a hard time letting it go. I just kept thinking, “I have a right to feel this way.” My flesh was demanding its way. I wanted my husband to apologize. Instead of loving him unconditionally, I allowed a wall to go up between us. The protective barriers were creeping back around my heart.

I had an option; I could either keep waiting on him to make it right or I could let go of my hurt and be the initiator of the reconciliation. It’s so much easier to wait, let him approach me, and let him admit his wrong. It feels better that way.

After contemplating my choices for a while, I ended up in my secluded place with the Lord, praying softly. “Lord Jesus, what would You do in the situation I am in?”

Christ immediately whispered His words to me. Love him, expecting nothing in return. His words hit me in my spirit like a ton of bricks tumbling down around me.

My mind was bombarded with thoughts. How can I do this? Everything in me wants something in return.

The Lord flooded my thoughts with a Bible verse I had memorized as a young girl. I remembered the words of Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”

As I pondered the words of Philippians 4:13, I felt Christ’s Spirit nudging me to read 1 Corinthians 13, even though I had read it countless times throughout my life. I sensed God asking me to read it in the Living Bible translation. I went into our office, pulled my old Bible off the bookshelf, and began reading the beautiful scriptures about love.

“Love is very patient, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly ever notice when others do it wrong. It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out. If you love someone you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost. You will always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and always stand your ground in defending him.” Corinthians 13:4-7

By the time I got to the end, I was weeping. I asked the Lord to forgive me for the mistake I had made. I had gotten so caught up in what wrong had been inflicted on me that it was all I could see. Since that day, I have prayed often for the Lord to allow me to continually be an instrument of His unconditional love.

Letting go of hurt is difficult. Loving someone regardless of the hurt that may have been imposed is hard. It means I have to die to my desires to be heard and die to my desires to be understood. It means putting others’ feelings before mine.

Loving unconditionally is sacrificial. Mother Teresa’s words echo in my soul, reminding me to keep pressing on in this journey of unconditional love. She said, “I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.”

I want to love with no boundaries, take every risk possible, and love at all costs. The awards are amazing. The irony in all of this is that when I hold back from loving purely, I am sabotaging my chances for the deep connection my spirit is craving. At times, I still get caught up in the belief that holding back will protect me from hurt. In reality, when I hold back on love, I am hurting myself more and I miss out on a fulfilling marriage relationship.

When I dive in, loving my husband as fully as I possibly can, the desires of my heart are fulfilled. Each time I take a risk, it hurts at the moment to deny my own needs, but in the long run my marriage is blessed beyond measure; the romantic love returns, the passion comes alive, and our relationship flourishes.

God made no mistake when he chose Michael for me. He knew my weaknesses needed to be my husband’s strengths and that my strengths needed to be his weaknesses. We need each other. This is what oneness is about (Genesis 2:24).

Loving unconditionally is a process that takes a lifetime to learn.

It’s amazing—this thing called love. There is no greater power than the power of love. It’s worth the risk. It’s worth the tears. It’s worth diving in as deep as you can go…because no matter what, love never fails.

“Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away.”

1 Corinthians 13:8

This post has been updated from a piece originally written in 2008. Today, I am thanking Christ for the miracles He’s done in my marriage.

 

 

 

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TRUSTING CHRIST WHEN LIFE IS HARD

February 10, 2018 11:29 pm , Leave a Comment ,

Walking with Christ is the securest place to be when life is filled with hard challenges. It’s through a close relationship with Him that we can find perfect peace and hear His guiding voice in our hearts. The more we sit still and seek Christ through prayer, the more we can discern the direction He is leading us.

The Lord promises us that He will make firm the steps of those who delight in Him and He will uphold us with His hand.

When we turn to Christ in our hard moments, we can rest in His love, walk with confidence, and know He has us in the palms of His hands.

No matter what you may be facing today, Christ has good plans for you. Lean into Him when you’re afraid or hurting. He will strengthen you. You can trust Him because He is perfectly trustworthy.

“The LORD makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.”

Psalm 37:23-24

Beloved Jesus,

Thank You for Your amazing love. Thank You for being our rock and rescuer. Help us when we stumble and keep us from falling into the darkness in the world. Give us strength when we are weak. May You always keep us in the palms of Your hands and lift us up daily. I pray in Your name, Christ. Amen.

I hope you enjoy my new favorite song by Aaron Cole. May Christ’s peace flood your soul and may you dance in the hard moments of life. 

Grace and peace to you,

Amy

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