Muse Enraptured

Hearing Test

2011-10-22T20:22:00.000-07:00

Lately everything that I thought God was speaking to me about hasn’t worked out. Something God has reminded me of (or maybe I’m not even hearing that correctly) is remember what he’s spoken. The last main thing God spoke to me about was go to Australia, disciple, teach, learn, and grow. Then he has said “be still and allow me to heal you.” Next he said “I am going to use you to bring about change.” And after that, “I am going to use you to speak.” Now comes the heavy weight on my heart drawn towards Compassion and Mercy ministries. I thought that was coming up soon, but maybe I was wrong.

I have felt called to Australia, I have fallen in love with it here and now I have to go back to the states. I ask myself “Why?” I don’t understand why I’m going back especially since I don’t feel called back to the states. It has sent me reeling in confusion and wondering if I’ve heard wrong this entire time. A lot of people even tell me “Lisa, you’re probably not listening.” I don’t understand how I’m not…this isn’t about getting my way, it’s about trying to be obedient to me about what I thought God last spoken. I’ve asked for confirmation, but instead I wait. What am I doing wrong?

A lot of painful things have been happening lately that have filled me with doubt even more so. I feel like my faith is being tested so much, like I’m a giant rubber band and I feel like I’m about to break. It’s a scary feeling wondering if you’re going to lose it. I’m not ashamed to admit I have doubts, we all do. It’s where we go with those doubts. I’m tired of hearing so many voices telling me what I’m meant to do when all I want to do is hear from God. But I feel like I can’t even do that. God please help me.

I feel like I’m partially deaf taking a hearing test. I suppose it’s a good thing trying to figure out what’s blocking my hearing so I can get it fixed. I just don’t like not being able to see what it is. I could use some prayer and encouragement. At least I know certain things I’m meant to do right now. And that’s go back to Seattle, be with my family, and wait patiently. I’m going to miss you Australia.

Great Faith

2011-10-13T03:09:00.000-07:00

"I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the Lord. They will be My people, and I will be their God." Jeremiah 24:7

Great faith is born nowhere else but in the presence of God. There is only one way we can know that God is who He says He is, and that is by knowing God. The more we know God, the more we will believe Him. And the more we choose to believe Him, the more we will get to know Him. This is the cycle that replaces "believe little, see little; believe less, see less." The know-believe cycle is the one we want to be pedaling for the rest of our days! The way that we birth faith is by knowing the One we believe, then we walk our faith by believing the One we know. -Beth Moore

The State of Into Me See (Intimacy)

2011-10-10T18:46:00.000-07:00

The longer I live in this world the more I realize that society today knows very little about real love and relationships. If not just by sight, statistics show terrifying percentages of divorces and a string of casualties along the way. Do you realize that in western culture, now over half of marriages end in divorce? OVER HALF! The percentage is closely reaching 60%! We live in a culture where children of divorce are becoming more normal. And what’s even scarier is that the current generation might become completely use to the fact that divorce is normal. Well guess what? It’s not normal!

Marriage was created as this beautiful example of God’s love and commitment for us that we as humans can outwardly display in the world. It is a covenant, not a contract, designed for intimacy to be expressed without shame or condemnation. It’s a journey where two people can come against all odds and grow together, change together, and love each other unconditionally along the way. The world is at the point where it’s telling us it’s impossible for two people to stay committed to each other their entire lives. Evidence is showing us that people change in a relationship and grow apart.

Marriage vows that couples recite saying “I take you to be my (wife/husband), to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; and I promise to be faithful to you until death parts us” might as well say something else. When feelings get hurt couples withdraw from each other physically. They don’t “have” and “hold” each other. When the going gets tough and it’s a series of bad things constantly happening in the relationship most couples want to throw in the towel. It makes them question whether they’re compatible, whether they made a mistake, or didn’t really know the person they were getting involved with. When finances are a mess, when a spouse loses their job, when a second mortgage has to be considered, when an investment goes bust, when money is foolishly and selfishly spent…where does that put a marriage? When your spouse constantly gets sick, has a weak immune system, constantly gets migraines, struggles with depression, is diagnosed with cancer, or suffers a massive injury…where does that place your heart? When your needs aren’t being met and when all you want is to be held and you are rejected by your partner…where are you going to look to have your needs met?

I’m sure you’re heard it said; “Love is a choice”. Well guess what, that saying couldn’t be more true. But the question is, “Why are people making the wrong choice?” If we simple chose to check our motives, search our hearts and serve one another full heartedly even when we don’t FEEL like it, how amazing could a relationship be! And I’m not just talking marriage! I’m talking friendships, a bond between sisters, brothers, mother and daughter, father and son, a dating relationship, or marriage. Any area where we can connect with another human being is a chance to express real love. How are we going to make the right choice to show someone that they are worth it whether they’re deserving of real love or not?

We need to lay down our rights! It’s not about us! It’s not about how we feel, what we can get, what we can hold onto, how we can control, etc. Again, love is treating someone with value and freedom whether they deserve it or not. All of us are screw-up’s and imperfect and NONE of us really deserve to be forgiven and loved unconditionally but that’s the love God gives us and that’s the love we should give one another. So if we can’t even treat our family the right way, is that showing us an area we need to grow in our understanding of what love is? If we can’t treat our friends the right way, expect them to keep us first, get jealous if there attention isn’t solely on you, take and not give, isn’t that a massive red flag that we’ve got something wrong? And if we can’t treat our family or friends in the correct way, how on earth can you expect to get involved in a romantic relationship and expect it to go well if you know nothing about what love really is? If something is off in our family, our friendships, our dating relationships, our marriage then it’s time to go back to the foundation. How is your relationship with God going?

Going back to the basics means learning how to love God. When we love God, when we go to him for our identity, our purpose, have him show us how to love in the correct way and it trickles down into all our relationships. It’s like a healing balm and the glue that holds everything together. When our relationship with God is out of whack, all our relationships suffer because of it. Know why? Because we forget to forgive, to be understanding, to be patient, to be kind, to be enduring, to be faithful, and all the things that we need to be to express love.

Sometimes our relationship with our parents can be great and all our friendships are amazing as well. But as soon as we start dating someone that’s when we’re flagged that we have another area of growth in understanding what real love is. Why? Because that is when we are most vulnerable and also a time to check our hearts real motives. Most of us enter in a romantic relationship because it feels good. It feels amazing to be pursued, to be understood, to have someone want to spend time with you and show you your worth. But isn’t that a time where we can express to the other person what they’re truly worth? Not just a time to receive but to give? It seems like as soon as there is a challenge or a time we are vulnerable and have our feelings hurt suddenly the doubt comes in. Can I see myself with this person? Can I trust this person? There are certain things that annoy me about them…can I handle it? If we can’t be tolerant and forgiving of each others imperfections then, how can we expect to handle being married?

And if you’re already married and over the honeymoon phase and suddenly the things you once thought were cute are now annoying, are you wondering if you were just blinded before? That you are with someone you aren’t compatible with? That you made the wrong choice and that you see other married couples around you and they seem to have it together when you feel like your marriage is falling apart? Are you looking at your single friends in envy thinking how lucky they are that they aren’t responsible to someone else? Are you frustrated that the intimacy in your relationship seems to be flat and because of hurt feelings you don’t want to draw close to your partner?

Do you know what? We live in a “ME” culture today. Where we don’t want to have responsibilities unless it benefits us and makes us feel good. We don’t want to give unless we receive. And you know what? It makes sense that divorce rates are so high. Because people have given up because their needs aren’t being met. Well guess what, whoever you’re with, whatever kind of relationship you’re in, that person will NEVER meet all your needs! God meets our needs! God brings amazing people in our lives when we’re in need! When I’m hurting and someone offers me a hug or a listening ear, I am reminded of God’s provision for that need. That’s why when we focus on loving God he shows us that we’re valuable. When we see that we’re valuable and created with a purpose, we see that in others too! Check it out “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-21

To love someone unconditionally means that you love the person exactly as they are, exactly as they were before, and exactly as they will be in the future – because people change all the time, so if you love the person, you will love them even if they become someone that can be challenging to be with. Love is not about you or your pleasure or your amusement. It’s not about what you get out of it or what the other person can give to you. You do not “own” anyone. It’s not about you feeling ‘proud’ to be with someone who always agrees with everything you say and do and never does anything you disagree with. Unconditional love means that the person can just live their life exactly as they choose and you will always be there for them no matter what.

Are you having a hard time loving unconditionally? I’d encourage you to go back to your relationship with God and see what’s missing. Because I guarantee, it’s starts there!

Thanks God for the reminder. I needed it. Help me to be able to love others as you do.

Proverbs 10:12
Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs.

Proverbs 17:9
Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends.

Song of Solomon 8:6
Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame.

Song of Solomon 8:7
Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned.

John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

1 Corinthians 13:1-3
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

1 Corinthians 13:4–8a
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails ...

Ephesians 5:25
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.

1 Peter 4:8
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

1 John 3:16
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

1 John 3:18
Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

‎'God loves you as you are and not as you should be. Do you believe this? He LOVES you, beyond worthiness and unworthiness, beyond fidelity and infidelity. He loves you in the morning sun and the evening rain. He loves you without caution, regret, boundary, limit, or breaking point.' - Brennan Manning

Was Jesus Genuine?

2011-09-21T23:04:00.000-07:00

I have been pondering a lot on what Jesus’ attitude was towards others. Every single time I reflect on his character I come away so amazed at how incredible he is! I think so often Christians get accused of not being genuine because there is no possible way to be so loving towards others without a selfish motive behind the scenes. When we look at Jesus we see that it is possible. He wasn’t without emotions. He himself was tempted. But even with emotions and the temptation to sin he did not. This shows me that walking in the opposite spirit isn't about not being genuine; it’s about doing the right thing and putting the other person above your feelings. That is the love Christ has called us to.

1 Peter 2:20-25“But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his steps. He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate, when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree; so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”

Roots and the Woeful Seven

2011-09-14T21:29:00.000-07:00

Recently I have been thinking about things in my life that are rooted deep within me to the point that I can’t see what’s below the surface. Often, when I’m free I suddenly find myself frustrated because something comes along and I find myself facing something that I didn’t see before. As we know, roots run deep and all we see is what’s coming out the surface. Just like a tree, we know if the roots are healthy based off of what the actual tree looks like. But say if there are things appearing that aren’t healthy, we know there is something wrong going on underground. Roots are used to draw life up out of the ground into the rest of the whole tree. If the roots are sucking all the life out of the ground, the tree withers because it getting too much water. Or if the roots are trying to find water that doesn’t exist, the tree once again withers from a lack of life.

A new way I’ve thought of what roots can exist within a human is to compare it to the seven deadly sins. And what is even more interesting is looking at the Latin words for the sins and also synonym for their meanings. It gives a lot more depth into what can really go on inside of a person and why it’s so harmful.

The 7 Deadly sins

-ira (wrath), uncontrolled feelings of hatred and anger, a manifestation of impatience, revenge, vengeance. A "love of justice perverted to revenge and spite".

-avaritia (avarice/greed), like lust and gluttony it is a sin of excess. It’s most basic definition is the pursuit of wealth and status. Avarice explains things like disloyalty, betrayal, bribery, manipulation, etc.

-acedia/socordia (discouragement/sloth), the failure to utilize ones talents and gifts, an absence or insufficiency of love

-superbia (pride) identified as a desire to be more important or attractive than others, failing to acknowledge the good work of others, and excessive love of self, a desire to compete with God.

-luxuria (lechary/lust), excessive thoughts or desires of a sexual nature but also excessive love of others that renders love of God as secondary.

-invidia (envy), an insatiable desire, resentment of others.

-gula (gluttony), the over consumption of anything to the point of waste. Withholding from the needy.

In the book of proverbs King Solomon lists six things God hates and the seventh, that he absolutely detests. These are

· A proud look.

· A lying tongue.

· Hands that shed innocent blood.

· A heart that devises wicked plots.

· Feet that are swift to run into mischief.

· A deceitful witness that utters lies.

· Him that sows discord among brethren.

It can seem really overwhelming that these are all things that we struggle with. When there is a root inside of us, it isn’t something that is completely removed right away. God gives us grace and complete forgiveness from all sin in our life yet the roots still remain and are still in a process of being uprooted from us. It takes a lifetime of refining to draw something so deep within us out. In those refining times we can feel so much shame and condemnation for having those roots to begin with. But the truth is, every single human being has them. Some of them might be more hidden from view, or some of them might have had a lot of progress in the area of healing while others are still withering your life. But isn’t it good to know that at least they’re being dealth with? It’s not even a process of us having to deal with them but rather to be obedient and love God. Here take a look at this;

“Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s” Chronicles 20:15

I read this verse and the word “discouraged” stood out to me. A synonym for “discouraged” is “demoralization.” When I look at that word there is just a yucky feeling it places inside of you. There is nothing worse than seeing someone demoralized, humiliated and stripped down. I believe that this is exactly what Satan does to us. He figured out who we are, finds out what we fear most that we are, and also what we fear most that we cannot do then sets out to confirm it.

Don’t mistake God’s refining for demoralization. It’s an easy mistake to make.

Birdy - Skinny Love

2011-09-09T03:18:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favourite songs. The Bon Iver version will always be my favourite but I wanted to post the lyrics and video of the cover by Birdie.

Come on skinny love just last the year
Pour a little salt we were never here
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my
Staring at the sink of blood and crushed veneer

I tell my love to wreck it all
Cut out all the ropes and let me fall
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my
Right in the moment this order's tall

I told you to be patient
I told you to be fine
I told you to be balanced
I told you to be kind
In the morning I'll be with you
But it will be a different "kind"
I'll be holding all the tickets
And you'll be owning all the fines

Come on skinny love what happened here
Suckle on the hope in lite brassiere
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my
Sullen load is full; so slow on the split

I told you to be patient
I told you to be fine
I told you to be balanced
I told you to be kind
Now all your love is wasted?
Then who the hell was I?
Now I'm breaking at the britches
And at the end of all your lines

Who will love you?
Who will fight?
Who will fall far behind?