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He is Good

The land was wet with the moisture of a previous rain. Blades of spring grass lush with life carpeted the rolling hills in a sea of emerald green. Trees splashed the mountain sides like jade gems. A translucent double rainbow bright like polychromatic flowers formed a crescent behind misty rain clouds. The rising sun shone and cast brilliant light over the hills that spilled down the mountains like gold paint. Everything was alive, lavish, delightful.

Creation sang like an echo of eternity. “He is good.” Everything He is displays goodness. How wonderfully creation reflects your glory. It shows what Moses discovered when You revealed yourself as good. His face shone and He trembled not to climb up the mountain that boomed with power because He knew the heart behind the power…good. Transcendent thoughts bloom in my mind from the beauty of your creation. Is this what your kingdom is like? Your kingdom of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit?

I smile as I realize…you offer eternal beauty in the hearts of men. You bring amazing comfort with the breath of your Spirit. Heaven has come to earth in those who are fully yielded to you. This is a matter of trust, this is an invitation to surrender. Seeing your goodness causes me to trust and rest on your shoulder.

I can yield, I can bow, because You are eternal beauty defined. I can surrender because You are light where there is no shadow and every good and perfect gift comes from your hand. –James 1:17.

~If you’ve enjoyed this short devotion, check out my book Visions of Celestial Love. It’s filled with mini devotions just like this one. Enjoy a cup of coffee, a pumpkin spice latte or a cup of herbal tea as you savor each moment with Father.

“Ashley presents us with a true cornucopia of modern psalms, personal testimonies, and short stories. She has set out to reveal and unravel some of the most complex heart issues mankind faces in our quest of understanding what true intimacy with God really looks like. Prepare to have your soul massaged and worked on as you read Visions of Celestial Love.” — Jeremy Minard, Founder of Servant King Apparel, Active US Navy

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Responsibility is Freedom

“Responsibility is freedom.”

His words defused my bad temper like a whiff of warm steam meeting winter’s wind. My frustrations melted like butter smeared across baking bread.

Suddenly, I knew God was talking to me.

You see, only moments ago I was boiling with frustration at my bunny Charity.

I had been trying to potty train her for weeks and she was taking longer than expected to learn this “simple thing.” (Yes, you can potty train rabbits. It’s fairly easy actually).

Normally, I was very patient with her but I had grown tired of micromanaging her every time I let her out of her cage. Whenever I took her out of her cage, I would have to stop her from biting on furniture. I would have to pick up her poo and scrub her pee out of the carpet. I would have to stop her from digging into the rugs or chewing on the curtains, pillows and walls. (Yes, bunnies are pretty destructive creatures. But their adorableness makes up for it).

I wanted her to hop around the house because it gave her such joy. And it pleased me to see her happy and skipping around. She would dash from corner to corner and leap like a mountain goat. Her whimsical motions bubbled joy.

Because I loved her, I didn’t want her to be locked up in the cage. That was not my heart’s desire for her. But every time I let her out of the cage, her pleasure came at my expense. Her freedom was WORK for me!

Finally, after several minutes of frustration one day, I picked her up and placed her in the cage. I locked it shut and in my anger, I proceeded to give her a lecture (completely ignoring the fact that bunnies do not speak English). With my hands on my hips I fussed, “you know, if you would just poop and pee where I’ve been showing you, you could be out of that cage. If you wouldn’t chew on things you weren’t supposed to, then you could hop around this house all day and hardly EVER have to be in your cage. I would let you out all the time! This entire house could be yours freely if you would just grow up!”

That’s when God spoke to me. He came like a Father in loving correction (Proverbs 3:12).

His voice was full of healing truth, “I feel the same way about you Ashley like you do your rabbit.”

My breath caught.

“Father?”

“Responsibility is freedom. I love it when you are able to be free in my house because it gives you pleasure. But I have to follow behind you and clean up your messes.”  

I understood immediately what He meant. After all, I had just been through it with Charity (and suddenly, I was feeling more sympathetic toward her).

Now obviously I don’t scratch on walls, poop everywhere or bite on furniture like Charity does, but the analogy was cohesive to my reality during that time. I was attending Bible college, working as a prayer minister and my husband was about to start pastoring a home church. God was opening up his house to us in amazing ways…but He was saddened because He couldn’t allow me to roam freely in his home (at least not without a lot of tedious micromanagement).

“Everyone cries for freedom and desires to be free. However, most of us who cry for freedom do not understand freedom, or the nature of liberty. It is a tragic reality that we do not understand the qualifications of true freedom. True freedom demands great responsibility, accountability, a spirit of stewardship, maturity, wisdom and character.” –Dr. Myles Monroe, The Burden of Freedom

You see, as children of God, our Father wants us to play freely in his house. He wants us to enjoy every aspect of our inheritance as his child. He wants us to know that the God who owns the earth, sky, heavens, and all the gold and diamonds is our Daddy. He wants us to fully enjoy our life. He wants us to experience the abundant life Jesus died and rose again for us to have.

In God’s house, there are many mansions (John 14:2). In each mansion, we can guess there are rooms. In all of His rooms there are pleasures unspeakable because his presence is there (Psalm 16:11). As a child of God, you have been given the inheritance of Jesus Christ. (Romans 8:17). You were put in Christ and Christ was put in you (1 Corinthians 1:30 and 1 Corinthians 6:17). You automatically became royalty when you were born again (1 Peter 2:9). And the noun “royalty” always denotes a kingdom.

Did you know that you are a part of a kingdom? A heavenly kingdom that exists (and is very active) even on earth? God delights in giving you the kingdom (Luke 12:32). You are his precious child in whom He delights and loves. Like any loving father, God wants you to enjoy his house because it’s meant to be your home.

As with all royalty, you and I have great privilege but we also have great responsibility. In order for us to enjoy the freedoms of ruling and reigning in life through Jesus Christ we need to be mature. I am not talking about the free gift of salvation here but delegated leadership. We need to grow up by conforming to the image of Jesus Christ through grace (Romans 8:29). This growing up has looked a lot like embracing truth for me. It’s looked a lot like serving others and using my gifts and talents to encourage the body of Christ. It’s been a lot of bowing my knees to God in true worship by exalting his Word above my feelings and the philosophies of the world.

This maturing has yielded the most peace, blessing and immense joy in my heart. I can now walk through more rooms in my Father’s house without child-like “supervision.” Although I haven’t walked through all the rooms, I have much more freedom than I used to. And because of God’s grace and powerful transformation in my soul, I have now been placed in a small position of “government” in His kingdom (Isaiah 9:6). It is a huge thing to be entrusted by God to “tend his sheep.” (John 21:16). Tending the sheep for me has been one of the final rounded turns in the circle of godly love (1 John 4:6-13). The things that were once dreams in my heart are coming to reality.

My prayer for you is that you will embrace the process of growth in Christ. I pray that you will enjoy ruling and reigning in the area of jurisdiction that your heavenly Father wants to give to you. I pray you realize that you were predestined unto good works that God had in mind before you were born (Ephesians 2:10). I pray that you will see all your desires fulfilled by unifying yourself with Jesus and that this will not only bring you immense joy but draw your heart closer to Him. I pray that you will walk in the authority and power of the kingdom of heaven. May the earth see Jesus through you. May the world be blessed by the work of your hands. May the God of all hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope (Romans 15:13). May you never be lost in despair or darkness, but may the Light of the world (Jesus) shine upon you like the blazing morning sun. May all that’s ashes in your life be turned to beauty. May you recognize the royal robe of favor and sonship that has been donned on you through Jesus. And may you run your race to win. In Jesus name, amen. I’m cheering you on!

If you find yourself in need of some clarity on what your purpose is or if you know your God-purpose but don’t know how to reach it, I am a certified Christian Life Coach. I would love to partner with you on your journey to greater freedom. The King of Heaven is your Father and He has made you to display the splendor and majesty of heaven because you carry his image. More importantly, He loves you with an everlasting love and calls you to Himself. His plans for you are only good. He is not against you but for you (Romans 8:31). He never thinks ill of you. His thoughts toward you are precious and kind (Psalm 139:17).

Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.  Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.  This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.  Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.  Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.  He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. –Ephesians 4:11-16

I’m proud to announce that Charity is potty-trained now!
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Mineral Salt Reminder

How can you love God until you know how much He’s saved you from? How can you truly become an intimate receiver of the healing love of God?

I exhaled and my chest relaxed. Warm soothing water lapped at my waist and steam lifted creating an aromatic bath of citrus and Himalayan salt incense. I didn’t realize until then, that I had been holding in my breath. It had been a long 13 hour day.

My mind drifted and I began to play quietly in the water. I waved my hands around under the comforting waters in lackadaisical motions. I wondered why Father asked me to take a bath instead of a shower? I almost refused to obey Him after surviving a long day.

Have you ever been so tired and weary that you didn’t even want to do the necessary and most menial things in life? Things like, brush your teeth or put on your pajamas? Well, my friend, you are not alone.

“Why should I take a bath Father when I can just take a quick shower?” I whined like the toddlers I worked with, “all I want to do is shower and sleep.”

I was at my wits end. I didn’t want to be up anymore. I just wanted sleep.

But God knew I needed peace instead.

As the stress of the day began to lift off of my body as lightly as the mineral salt steam from the water, my thoughts cleared.

My to do list began to evaporate, my breaths deepened. I drank in the air around me in large refreshing gulps. Sweet air filled my lungs.

I became aware of my body, particularly my legs which stretched out before me. I swirled my hands around and enjoyed staring at them through the clear water. Becoming a little girl, I cupped my hands together between my legs. I enjoyed the smooth way the water made my hands look.

I began to lift my cupped hands until they were out of the water. I studied the terrain of my hands and inhaled the fragrance of mineral scents.

My eyes slightly flickered as the water began to drip through the cracks of my fingers. For some reason this both surprised me and displeased me. An unconscious mindset of control slowly began to surface. I dipped my hands back into the water.

After cupping another handful, I pressed my hands together more tightly and squeezed my fingers. My effort was strenuous and borderline painful. After several seconds of trying to prevent the water from dripping down, I gave up. God spoke to me in that moment.

“No matter how hard you squeeze your hands together, you will not be able to prevent the water from slipping out.“

Has God ever spoken to you and within one sentence you received a whole message?

I knew He had come for my soul.

I knew He was petitioning me to receive saving grace.

For the true Christian faith is to remain in the grace that saved you. Everything is by grace through faith. (Colossians 2:6-10)

I knew there was a secret place within me that sought to save myself and be my own strength. The undercurrent of stress that I had been feeling throughout the day, until now, was an obvious indicator.

I felt a sore place deep inside being pricked and my heart-rate rose. A dull pain came and with it an unsuspecting panic. My breaths came sharply and quickly.

The true poverty of man is not recognizing their deep need. Until you stop trying to save yourself …how can you truly glory with joy and worship Jesus?

In that moment I was reminded of the weeping prophet Jeremiah. I felt his tears and realized they weren’t really his…but God’s. Jeremiah was smitten in his heart with the passionate, pure and fiercely devoted love of God for his bride. He had leaned into the fabric of God’s soul so entirely, that he began to feel His pain.

I remembered how God began to reminisce with as much affection as heartbreak on His bride. And He asked with tears choking his voice, “what did I do?! What fault did your fathers find in Me that they have turned from Me and followed after other gods?” (Jeremiah 2:5)

I felt a lump begin to rise to my throat in the tub. I knew I had been drinking from my own cistern and it was leaving me deprived and poisoned.

I remembered that God cried that his people refused to take from Him what He wanted to freely offer…rivers of living water. Everlasting life. Abundant life. Life that was truly rich, lush and healing. His heart tore that they were dying from trusting in the works of their own clay hands. He wept for them, because like me, their wells could never hold the water that they needed to sustain their lives. They were dying and it was of their own making. It was because of their own pride.

“for my people have committed two evils:
they have forsaken me,
    the fountain of living waters,
and hewed out cisterns for themselves,
    broken cisterns that can hold no water.” (Jeremiah 2:13)

Have you ever tried so hard to lay hold onto something you craved, only to have it slip through your fingers?

I realized that Israel had tried so hard to recreate something that God had already made perfect. They wanted to be strength for themselves when He was their strength. They attempted to hold water for themselves when He is the source of everlasting water. He had perfect water for them. Cool water. Refreshing water. Rejuvenating water. Eternal water. There was a never ending supply of water.

But for some reason they put more faith and more trust in the power of their own flesh— despite the fact that God provided water for them from a rock as they sojourned in the desert. He supernaturally gushed water from a rock and divinely fed them in the wilderness for forty years.

But they did not believe that they were the apple of his eyes even though He had shown it time and time again. They did not trust that He loved them with a sacrificial love. They did not believe that He did and always had their best interest at heart.

Without believing the love of God you cannot trust Him.

No matter how hard you try. No matter how strong your grip is…the water will still slip through the cracks of your fingers.

You cannot try hard enough. It will only produce striving, and with it frustration.

Stop.

Relax.

Breathe.

Be.

Dip your fingers in the bath water with me. And realize, that Jesus is the tub that you’re sitting in.

He’s the Lord of more than enough. He’s the well of Living Water.

What areas in your life are you trying to perfect when Jesus has already finished it?

If you have any stress in your life, it’s a clear indicator that you are striving somewhere within.

I invite you to join me in opening up to God so that He can fill you.

I admit, I have not completely stopped striving. But I am learning to go to Him and let Him provide for me. We don’t have to be perfect. We just have to allow ourselves to be perfectly His.

He is our perfection.

He is our strength.

He is our source.

~If you’ve enjoyed this short devotion, check out my book Visions of Celestial Love. It’s filled with mini devotions just like this one. Enjoy a cup of coffee, a pumpkin spice latte or a cup of herbal tea as you savor each moment with Father.

Top photo by bruce mars from Pexels

“Ashley presents us with a true cornucopia of modern psalms, personal testimonies, and short stories. She has set out to reveal and unravel some of the most complex heart issues mankind faces in our quest of understanding what true intimacy with God really looks like. Prepare to have your soul massaged and worked on as you read Visions of Celestial Love.” — Jeremy Minard, Founder of Servant King Apparel, Active US Navy

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Rest and Receive

Are you weary, carrying a heavy burden? Come to me. I will refresh your life, for I am your oasis. Simply join your life with mine. Learn my ways and you’ll discover that I’m gentle, humble, easy to please. You will find refreshment and rest in me. For all that I require of you will be pleasant and easy to bear. -Matthew 11:28-30 TPT

He calls the soul to rest and receive at the table of intimacy.

Let Him feed you with grace, for it is good nourishment for your heart.

He longs to serve you true riches, the bread of eternal life.

Let Him wash you with the aromatic waters of mercy.

He yearns for the fabric of your being to be so potent with His mercy that the air in your lungs becomes like sweet incense–constantly reminding you that your sins are gone forever.

Let Him heal you with love.

He desires that you be made whole and complete through His love. His compassions are kindled together for you.

Let Him free you with truth.

His truth is like the sun. Just as the sun causes all things on earth to exist and allows us to see, so His truth does the same. Only His truth shines from the heart and gives life to the soul, body and the lives of those around you.

Everything good and life-giving comes from His hands. He loved you enough to die for you.

He rose again and forever makes intercession for you at the Father’s right hand.

No detail in your life, no burden in your soul goes unnoticed. His eyes are constantly on you.

Because, He cares deeply for you ❤️

~For more information on my recently published book, Visions of Celestial Love, click here.

“When I read Visions of Celestial Love, it is as if I am brought down to my knees to worship. What the Holy Spirit has done in and through Ashley, He is doing also in me. What a wonderful experience. It is very rich. Thank you for sharing the treasure.”—Riko Suci Alam, CEO of Ligar Jaya and owner of Clove Garden hotel in Bandung Indonesia. 

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Drifting Leaves, Drifting Thoughts

Right now, I just want a pumpkin spice latte (with real pumpkin puree), an electric blanket and my authoring buddy…my laptop. I’m thankful I have at least one of those.

It’s an early crisp morning in October. My favorite season has come. Autumn. As the weather cools my soul becomes warm in the glow of this solstice. It’s as if my heart catches on to the last rays of sunshine like a candle being lit by a match. I long to unearth the scents that make up my being as a candle does when it is flamed. The perfume of Christ in me mingles with my own recreated heart like clove and cinnamon in a coffee shop. I am perfumed with joy and peace.

Like the deciduous leaves that radiate ruby red, tangy orange and honey yellow, I realize that even in death, there is life. Fall has amazed me with its paradoxical differences: death, life, richness, reserve, copiousness, and hibernation.

For farmers, this is the season of reaping everything they’ve sown. It’s a season of abundance, like the day before the Sabbath for them…they gather double what they need (Leviticus 25). I always imagine the husbandry wiping their perspiring foreheads with broad smiles on their bronzed faces. All the labor and work they put in has paid off. Now is their time of holy jubilee. Profuseness that produces rest. I look at Fall this way too.

Except for the trees, Fall is the time to release the leaves that absorbed sunshine for them. Fall is the season to shed their beautiful garments in one last glimmering bang. As their cloaks transform into sunny hued tones, they drift away from their once secure branches. Fall is the season for storing, preserving and releasing all unnecessary weights. It’s a transitional time.

I love the way the leaves rustle and then float away in the frigid breeze. Wafts of something celestial awakens my heart even as I crunch my boots on the quilted patterned earth.

This Fall brings me the soft reminder that because of Jesus’s death, I have new life. Because He emptied Himself of His divinity and became a man (Philippians 2:7), I have been graced with the Holy Spirit (Heaven’s presence in me). The trees begin to look like gnarled crosses to my hazel eyes. The leaves on the ground become a showmanship of all the false and flashy garments of works-righteousness that I used to wear. I learn to let go of self-effort and embrace the rugged cross. My heart sees the cross as the beginning place of birth. One life was exchanged for another. And I’ve heard from Messianic Jews that Jesus was known to be crucified in Autumn…not in winter (how factual this is, I’m not sure).

May this Fall bring you the sweet potency of Christ’s eternal love and sacrifice for you. May this Fall bring an abundance of life in your heart (John 10:10) even as you die to the lies of religion that shielded your nakedness and shame. God’s love will cloak you in new light and new birth. There is nothing like releasing our burdens to Him, only to have Him give us weightless life and freedom. May your soul be wrapped in the garments of heaven’s pure joy and the sugary water of hope. Like trees trust in their leaves to photosynthesis…. I pray you trust in the true sunshine of Christ to produce the food of peace in your mind and heart.

~If you were blessed by this blog, you will probably enjoy my book Visions of Celestial Love. You can find more about it on my Books page, or on amazon. God bless you!

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A Heavenly Lesson: Take Time for Intimacy

~A vision that I was given when I was a teenager and first filled with the Holy Spirit.

He offered me something to eat as I was reading, studying and writing down the Word of God. The countryside smelled of sugar and dust. Months ago, I had been taken to this cottage of a mountain of honey hay as delicate as a moth’s hair. I would stay here until the next Jubilee with this angel of light. He asked me to call him Offer or Promise.

            I imagined rain from translucent azure waters falling through the roof and creating pools and rivers of glowing water in the house. The hay outside, moved like ripples in the wind and made waves of gold with every sweet, wistful breeze. This mountain was the only amber one. All the others were lush jade green. Often during sunsets, the ones in the distance paled into a lavender purple made rosy with the hue and heat of the setting sun. These mountains seemed as soft as mist.

            I looked up from my work at Promise. His sculpted hand held out a pearly saucer with a tea-size emerald bowl on top. The bowl was filled with a white, pasty looking substance. Promise or Offer was beautiful and tall with long hair that shone like silver in the sun. His hair appeared as gentle as silk. His eyes were as majestic as thousands of mountains that touched the sky. Yet, his eyes were kinder than a mother’s love and deep with mystery. He often wore layers of clothes, all made for the flow of the wind. Today he wore a deep pine green robe with the floral words of heaven etched on the sleeves and hem.

            I took the food with a smile as “thanks” and set it on the polished wooden table. He observed my writings and circled around the table before sitting down. I felt celestial water below my feet. It lapped over my toes and was as soothing as spa water, but when I looked down, all I saw was the white carpet. I didn’t ask Offer what was going on. Things like that always happened here. Taking up a spoon, I dipped it in the pasty white substance.

            “It is food and drink.” Offer said.

I opened my mouth and ate. It was light, like fat-free yogurt and it liquefied in my mouth as if it were whipped cream. It reminded me of a flaky pie crust sugared with cinnamon and ginger. It was dissolvable because of the thinness. It slid down my throat like a light mist and it seemed to dissolve into nothingness in my stomach. Because of this, I took a big spoonful and stuffed it in my mouth before taking another one.

            “Easy.” Offer said.

            I looked at him.

            “Go slow, it is filling you,” he continued.

            I knew his words were true, but it surely didn’t feel like it.

            “You sons and daughters of men take in too much too quickly before you are ready. It fills you, I promise.”

            He folded his hands together and then quietly stood. Again, he circled me. This time slower than the last. I saw his eyes peer at my work again which rested beside the Bible.

            “Think of it as reading the Word of God. You must go slowly. You must digest what you read and wait for full comprehension from Adoni before you continue. Most people read much too much too quickly and then claim they know the Word of God. They form their own opinions about it, or they listen to the incorrect, hasty interpretations of others because they have not studied. They have not relied on the Ruach Hakodesh to open their eyes of understanding. In this too they become worshippers of themselves as they rely more on their mind than the mind of the Spirit. Or they choose to become wedding guests instead of the Bride at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Intimacy takes time…a life time.”

            His words were as pure as ice forming from a water cave in the arctic. “What are you saying Promise?” I asked.

            “Read it to draw closer to Him.”

            “I…thought I was.”

            “You wrote three chapters.”

            “I’ve been here for hours. Are you saying three chapters is too much?”

            He nodded.

            “How much longer will I be here? All this must get done before that.”

            “What is that to you? That “longer” you speak of? He is in the past, the present and the future. How then can this thing you know as time exist? Only He exist and He fills all.”

            Promise saw that I failed to comprehend. He sighed slightly and smiled fondly at me. Somehow his visage assured me that all would be well.

            “Our Lord will give you enough time. In the same way as He supplied enough manna for the Israelites, His chosen ones, to eat in the wilderness everyday…He will supply you enough time. No more and no less dear one. Just keep drawing near to Him with all your heart. Remember to soar, enjoy and cherish every moment. Allow yourself to be put in all the way, in every experience.”

            I believe I understood and nodded.

            “Yahweh is not looking for quantity. He is looking for quality. A small diamond is worth more than a hundred tons of fool’s gold.”

…to be continued.

~If you’ve enjoyed this allegory, you may like my book Visions of Celestial Love. It is full of lessons that God has taught me since I first surrendered to Him. These lessons often look like “word pictures” for me. And remember, above all He wants intimacy with you. He wants your heart. He longs to sup with you in the secret place. <3

Top image by Quang Nguyen vinh from Pixabay. I chose this photo because the sun is shinning behind these men and their feet are standing on a mountain of salt. It reminded me of what Jesus said when He called us, “the salt and light of the world.” -Matthew 5:13-16.

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Proverbs 31

“There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all!” – Proverbs 31:29 NLT

One of the greatest compliments my husband has ever given me was comparing me to the Proverbs 31 woman.

I used to hate that woman.

I thought she was an impossible standard. The far-fetched, wishful thinking of Solomon’s mother. Now, I realize that I only “hated” her because I secretly wanted to be her but felt hopelessly inadequate. She was pie in the sky, a pipe-dream.

I still remember the night Stephen and I swung out of dad’s truck. It was in winter and the wind whipped at our hair as we headed into the grocery store. He peered at me as I strode forward with determination to be in and out of there “as quickly as possible.”

“You’re like the Proverbs 31 woman.” He said.

I was startled and slowed my pace. At first, I wondered if it was a joke. But I knew Stephen. I knew he didn’t speak frivolously.

“Really?” I prodded unbelieving.

“Yes,” he answered directly. He then went on to tell me the reasons why.

Recently, this woman that I once “hated” has come up again almost a year later. This time not to haunt me, but to encourage and compliment me.

Listening to the voice of truth has often been like this for me. At first, the truth can come across as harsh and hateful but really the very core of truth is unconditional love.

When God’s truth meets your ears, do you hear love or hate?

The truth of God is meant to do one thing…set you forever free. Selfless love will always risk being persecuted or hated by the one it is trying to help. True love risks because love is more concerned about the person it is trying to reach. God’s love speaks to you, to give you wings above the storm. His truth is brighter than the sun. His truth is honey to the heart and strength to the soul.

I used to live in a perpetual state of victimhood. If anything in life seemed too hard, I would spiral into a rancid stew of self-pity. In our second year of marriage, Stephen came home from work to find me in such a stew.

I was sprawled out on our bed…my head muffled between my arm and pillow. A flow of tears trailed down my cheeks and spotted the pillow and my sleeves. I was in a dark cloud of “why me?”

Stephen unlopped his laptop bag and set it down in the corner. He sat at the edge of the bed and put a large comforting hand on my shoulder before rubbing.

I shuffled his touch away and turned my head. I secretly wanted his pity but didn’t want to make it so obvious.

He asked me what was wrong and I told him.

He was quiet for a moment and then said something that made me want to smack him across the face. He gave me the truth instead of sugar-coating me with a poisonous lie.

“Is that all?” he asked.

“What?!” I questioned, incredulously.

“Ashley, I love you but I don’t feel sorry for you and I won’t. I have compassion on you but not pity.”

I’m pretty sure I flipped around and glared at him.

His visage was calm, his body unmoving.

“You’re not a victim! And I won’t treat you like one. You’re the head and not the tail, above only and not beneath. God calls you a victor. He’s already given you victory in Jesus over this.”

He bent over to meet me at eye level. His cold blue eyes were serious and compassionate. After about a five-minute lecture, he left me in the room to go relax.

I thought he was the most insensitive, cruel creature that existed.

He doesn’t love me.

I was sure if he did, then he would meet my emotional needs by “loving on me.” Surely, he could have at least considered my excuses (I mean reasons) for being in the sorrowful state that I was. No, instead he knocked them all down with scripture of all things!

I hid in the room for almost an hour, trying to defuse my temper and come up with a reason why he was wrong. So wrong.

Looking back, I realize he did love on me! He loved me in the greatest possible way. He gave me the truth to light my path. He didn’t coddle the lies that I was believing, rather he exposed them. But because these lies felt like a part of me, I thought he was attacking me instead of what was hurting me.

I know it can be difficult sometimes when we hear the truth.

It may not come in the way we want it. It may not even seem true. But I encourage you that those who love you the deepest will speak the truth to you. They will risk your backlash, they will risk offending you, they will risk your misunderstanding because they want to see you free. They love you enough to not protect themselves from you.

God loves you so much that he will attack every lie that’s holding you in bondage. He will come after every self-sabotaging habit. He sent His Son (who was full of grace and truth) not to judge the world but to save the world. The truth always saves. At the risk of the greatest possible pain and public shame, Jesus spoke the truth.

He sits in Heaven with permanent marks on his wrists and a stab wound to the side, because he loves us. He loved us enough to point us back to God.

The book of Proverbs tells us repeatedly that the main distinction between the wise and foolish was their response to the truth. The foolish will attack or reject the voice of truth. The wise will thank the person who spoke truth over them and then begin to apply that truth to their life.  

Because of God’s truth, I now have three businesses. I chose to cast off my victim mentality and believe that I could do all things through Christ. I chose to forgive those who hurt me. I chose to forgive myself. Because of God’s truth, I have been elevated in ways that would have never happened if I held unto those lies. I feel like I’m walking in the way of my destiny. I’m living in my dreams. I feel fulfilled and satisfied. My life is extremely blessed!

My hands are more busy now than they have ever been. Yet, my work is blessed. My work is gratifying because Jesus has shown me how to co-labor with Him. My work not only profits myself, but my family and even people around the world. I have received so many praise reports and “thank you’s” from people that I didn’t even think I touched. I can look back after a long day and wipe the sweat off my brow with a smile. I smile as the sun sets because I know the fruit of this labor will last into eternity. I smile because grace is pouring upon my head and shoulders like fragrant water from heaven. I smile because, I’m finally learning to lay down my life to find it.

~I pray God speaks the truth to you today that will set you free. I pray you live out all your God-dreams, not out of selfish gratification, but through an intimate connection with Jesus. I pray you discover that you are the cream of the crop, more than a conqueror and beloved of God. I pray you stretch your arms out wide and welcome the warm sunshine of truth. I pray all darkness flees from your soul as lies are dismantled and exposed. I pray you take off and soar like an eagle above every storm in life. I pray you know the incredible joy and peace that comes from being loved on by God, from loving yourself, and then loving Him enough to choose His ways above your own. You were made to fly. Your life has eternal weight. You are a treasure worth the blood of Jesus. You are a co-laborer with Christ. You are a queen and priest in Him. No bondage or darkness is greater than Christ in you. Nothing can separate you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. God has a hope and a future just for you!

~For information on my Life Coaching services, click here. <3 We are better together!

Top photo by Rebrand Cities from Pexels

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Early Dust of Fellowship

~Dear God, thank you for loving me, and for guiding me, for creating time for me to spend with You. For touching my hands and moving my heart

Have you ever sat blissed out from the rich and loving voice of God?

My heart takes flight, my eyes water from His grace.

Oh, to feel His soft touch waking you up to fellowship.

To be broken and then healed after His arms hold you. After Jesus cleans and washes you inside from His glowing light.

Oh, to see the haze of golden love.

Oh, to look out the window and see the white sparkling fog kiss this grassy land.

The ocean carrying peace.

Oh, to hear the beat of His worship-playing drums.

To be His child, found in His heart.

What a blessing to hear The Truth.

To be dearly loved by The Way, and The Life.

I can hear the voices and the music of worship floating and surrounding me on the outside, taking me, then seeping into me and ringing inside of me.

What joy it is to fall on my knees.

This love is unexplainable.

I have no worries.

I feel no fear in His presence.

Two words from Him are more than a thousand from a lover.

What seed has He planted inside of me? It has grown into a fruit-bearing tree that sees a constant gauzy sunrise. The deep colors of plump fruit hang and grow on it; raspberry, orange, peach, and red-colored fruit glisten in His light. Jesus creates fog that collects into drops of water on its green leaves, and then drips to a moist, rich soil, so lush with life.

What waterfall of blessings is this I see in the distance, behind purple mountains warmed by Life?

Its waters pour from Heaven, from the throne of Almighty God. Blue waters of every blessing He has given me fall like fountain water.

Why do my arms lift effortlessly?

They feel His touch and an offering is being given. How can such a love exist?

I’ve been taken away.

I’ve been divinely called and so have you.

Here I rest.

Here I lay.

Here I eat of His Word, of His fruit.

Here I abide in Christ.

Here I stroll through Heaven.

Here I visit the tabernacle, His home.

Here I climb Mount Zion.

Here I hear the angels’ praise. Their celestial voices powerful, beautiful, yet they meet my ears with a calming hum.

Here I twirl with praise like ripples, I move with the current of everlasting love. I touch the golden-colored flowers; I study the blue of the sky.

I am delivered a pen and paper to surrender, to share this incredible Love with anyone who’ll listen.

He longs to take you here.

To create this land inside of you.

Search deep inside your Spirit.

You can see it.

You can feel it.

You can taste it.

Maybe differently, but you do.

It rocks your heart and opens your senses.

He fulfills you like no one or nothing ever could.

Seconds with Him are worth more than a lifetime of wealth.

Our God reins, forever His kingdom stands! My feet have never caressed such soft coco-colored soil as they have in this land. My eyes have never gazed upon something more beautiful.

Have you ever sat blissed out from the rich and loving voice of God?

My heart has been made into the house of Jesus.

~This devotional was taken from my book Visions of Celestial Love. To find out more about it, visit the Purchasable Goody page. To buy a copy, click here. <3

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Becoming His Imitator

~Written by Stephen McClelland. For more free teachings, visit his website by clicking here. Be greatly blessed and encouraged!

A very famous and rich man was going to die with no heirs. He knew his end would come soon, but he still had some time. Wanting to entrust his fortune and his great work to someone who would do good things with it he set out to find several capable individuals that had the potential to successfully manage his great fortune. He found four.

He sent each of them invitations to come and learn from him. Plain white paper within plain white envelopes. “My time is short. Please come and learn from me. I will sustain you and your family during your studies. Upon my death it must be that someone will assume my responsibilities.”

The first man received the letter. He spat and mocked the rich man’s word’s. “He lord’s his wealth over others even in his death. What arrogance he displays by thinking my contributions are not good and just without his instructions. I will not go. If he is a good man let his great wealth be distributed equally to all men and let them decide what is good for themselves.”

This man was ignorant, a word which comes from Greek, meaning to be without proper knowledge. He made incorrect assumptions on the intentions of the offer and of the character of the man offering. The rich man had selected him because of his good works and had intended to increase his understanding and ability to enrich the lives of others in a way far more valuable than simply giving them money.

The second man received the letter with joy. He wrote back, “While I mourn your end, we all must die. Nevertheless I applaud your life and generosity toward myself and others. Regretfully, important matters require my attention and I will not be able to attend to your instruction. If you have found me capable I would still accept your fortune and with it do my best to fulfill your wishes.”

The rich man crossed out his name. This man was an idiot, from the Greek word which means to be unlearned or without instruction. He could not have fulfilled the desire and responsibilities without proximity. Without instruction, how could he understand the purpose, the justifications, the motives, the passion, the proven methods? How could he take the place of a man without knowing the man whose place he would be taking?

The third and fourth man accepted the invitation and moved their families to be with the rich man. They lived together, ate together, traveled together, etc. The rich man spent every remaining day of his life pouring into them everything he knew. He considered his greatest riches to be that which he had inside him. His character, his wisdom, and his desire to serve others. He died leaving these to the two men, as well as all his earthly possessions.

The third man proved to be inobservant. He rejected some of the rich man’s teachings, preferring his own character and wisdom to that which he had learned. He proved unfruitful in fulfilling his position despite having knowledge and instruction. He chose not to follow another and to follow himself.

The fourth man was ridiculed by many for being an imitator of the rich man. “You act just like him. You’re trying to talk just like he talked; do you even try to walk just like him too? If we asked you your name, would you use his instead of your own?” But the fourth man didn’t care. He felt honored to be chosen. He was happy to live the rest of his life in the manner requested. The rich man had given him so much and this was all that he had asked for in return. He considered it the most wonderful bargain.

Have you not known of the goodness of Jesus? Then you are truly ignorant.

Have you accepted His invitation but are still unaware of how He instructed His followers to live? Then by the purest definition, you’re an idiot. Someone who has not been taught.

Have you been learning about Him but haven’t really applied it to your life? Another way to call someone inobservant is to call them a fool. The wisdom of proverbs says that a wise man will hear instruction and do it and become wiser still, while a fool will reject instruction and go his own way.

Finally, the word imitate actually comes from the Greek word for disciple. Are you trying to imitate Jesus, to be his disciple? It is also true that you might be ridiculed for it. Even the term “Christian” itself shows this. It means “little Christ” and was originally used as a way of mocking disciples because they were behaving like Christ Himself behaved.

Jesus preached the kingdom, and repentance. Jesus cast out devils and healed the sick. Jesus was connected with His Father in heaven and empowered by the Holy Spirit on earth. Didn’t His disciples also have and do these things?

Brothers and sisters, stop being students of Christ only. With love let me say: you were called to be imitators also.

Image by Adam Derewecki from Pixabay

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Seeing Jesus

~Written by: Stephen McClelland. For free sermons and resources you can visit his ministerial website by clicking here <3 Be most blessed!

This morning I was reading in Romans where Paul compared Jesus to Adam. By one man’s transgression many were made sinners, and in the same way the obedience of one man, Jesus, many would be made righteous.

It reminded me of the things that the Lord had shown me comparing the ministries of Moses and Elijah to Jesus. Jesus had compared Himself to Jonah and Solomon, saying that one greater than them was here.

So I asked for more.

Lord if the Old Testament is filled with types and shadows, how does Jesus mirror and outperform Joseph?

Now in some ways it’s obvious, but I still asked.

He answered! In answering He connected a lot of things that I had never thought of or heard preached.

——

Joseph was his father’s favorite son. His brothers resented and rejected him, even more-so because he spoke of them bowing to serve him. He had dreams of even his parents bowing down to serve him.

To get rid of him and to redistribute their father’s favor among them, his brethren sold him to foreigners. He was falsely accused and judgement was executed against him. After being put in prison, he was quickly put in charge of it. Nothing happened in the prison without his knowledge and oversight.

Eventually he was delivered from prison and seated next to Pharaoh. Pharaoh said that Joseph would be ruler over his house. Pharaoh would be greater only in the throne. Everyone was made to bow before Joseph.

He became the savior of Egypt, and then the savior of all the surrounding nations. Finally, when Jacob and his sons saw their own lack, Joseph became the savior of the very brethren that rejected him. He told them what they had meant for his harm, God in His greatness had worked for their good.

—–

Jesus was the Father’s favorite. His brethren resented and rejected Him. They hated Him even more because He was presented as the Messiah, the one whom they were to bow down and serve. Jesus responded to the critics asking them why David prophesied of the Messiah, calling him Lord, if the Messiah was to be one of David’s sons. That’s the direct equivalent of Joseph’s second dream.

In their jealousy they gave him over to foreigners. They begged the Romans to get rid of Him. He was found not guilty of any crimes but executed anyway. Then Jesus showed up in the underworld, the prison where the dead were awaiting final judgement. The moment He arrived He took over. He took the keys of death, hell, and the grave.

Three days later He came fully alive out of prison of the dead. He ascended to heaven where He was seated at the right hand of God the Father. The Father has given Jesus all authority in heaven and in earth. He rules the whole house. God the Father is greater in name only, as Jesus is God the Word, and has been from the beginning. Jesus being in the form of God considered it not robbery to be equal with God. At His name every knee will bow, those in heaven, those in earth, and those under the earth.

He has become the savior to the Romans that put Him in the prison of death. He has become the savior of all nations on earth. Scripture speaks of a time where all Israel will return and receive this great salvation. Caiaphas prophesied by the Holy Spirit that it would be expedient for one man to suffer so that whole nation wouldn’t perish. Caiaphas was one of the ones that resented Jesus and worked to have Him killed. What they had meant for evil, God in His greatness has worked for the good of all men forever.

—–

If you are lacking the substance of life you need to seek out this Jesus. He holds the keys to the storehouses of heaven.

Joseph distributed grain out of Egypt’s barns to the hungry. Jesus distributes Himself because He is the bread of life.

Joseph was given an Egyptian name: Zaphnath-Paaneah which means “Treasury of the glorious rest.”

Jesus said, “Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Jesus is the glorious rest. He opens up heaven’s treasury to all those that seek Him.

What are you waiting for?

Top image by Free-Photos from Pixabay