The Naked Place

Genesis 3:6-10 

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. And they heard the sound of the Lord walking in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?" So he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself."

Of course in modern day we do not sew together leaves to hide ourselves, but the principle is still alive today. When we do or experience things that we are ashamed of we hide behind our smiles, designer clothes, titles, jobs, etc... Even though we know our God already knows and sees all we still tend to try to "hide" those things we are ashamed of. We are afraid to be naked before our God because being naked means admitting our mistakes, pain, anguish, despair, and failure. We are afraid of the vulnerability our nakedness implies. When someone is naked, everything about their body is exposed. That is how God desires us to appear before Him.  Not physically naked, but emotionally and spiritually bare so that He can get to the root of our issues and heal us from the inside out. 

It's time for us to stop hiding behind our culture, education, money, designer clothing, nice homes, children, spouses, etc... and admit to our God that we are in need of His expert assistance to deal with the issues of our hearts. When we do not allow Him to clean our wounds properly, they do not heal properly. Just as a natural wound becomes infected when it is not properly cleaned, so does your heart. Our hearts have to be purged of every negative word ever spoken over our lives. We have to remain open before our King to allow Him to operate on the broken areas of our life. Our experiences catapult us toward our destiny and purpose when we allow Him access to every part of our being, but when we limit His access by hiding behind stuff, positions, and titles those same experiences begin to hold us captive.

God desires to make everything work together for our good, but He can only use what you allow Him to use. Before He can use it, you have to allow Him access so that He can help you process it properly. Yield to Him. Disrobe before Him (lay aside everything you use to cover your issues). Give Him every part of you so that He may free you and use you for His original intentions. Allow Him to take you back to whole place you were originally created to live in. The shame no longer belongs to you. Jesus took it away when He died on the cross. Give all of your issues over to Him so that you can live in total dominion in every area of your life!

Where Are YOU Shining YOUR Light?

 

 

 

If you walk outside at the brightest point of the day when the sun is completely unobstructed and turn on a flashlight, will that flashlight produce light?  Sure it will.  Will that light help you to see any better than you already do?  That's doubtful since it is already bright outside.  The light of the sun will more than likely prevent you from seeing the light that is being produced by the flashlight.



Now wait until its dark outside, a night where the cloud are blocking the moon so very little light is being produced from the sky, go back outside and turn on the exact same flashlight.  Will that same light help you to see better than you already do?  Yes!  Why, because you have now turned the light on in a dark place.  There are no other light sources competing for the spotlight (that will preach all by itself, but I won't go there in this post)

Matthew 5:16 tells us to let our lights shine before others that they may see our good deeds and glorify our Father in heaven.

If we are only around places that are already filled with light (places where other Christians are gathered together), will our light still shine?  Yes, but like the flashlight, it won't help anyone to see our Father any better, because its already daylight in those places.  Instead, we should step into dark places, so that our light can be seen and draw people to the source of our light... Jesus Christ.  Have you ever watched insects buzz around a light at night?  They are drawn to the light.  During the day that same light can remain on, but there won't be any bugs around it.  Why?  Because the sun is out so there is light everywhere.  The single bulb gets losts in the sea of light being produced by the sun. The bulb no longer stands out!

To truly have an impact on our dark world, we (those of us that carry the light of the Lord on the inside of us) must begin to go into the dark places so that those that do not know Him, can become drawn to His light!  You are the representation of heaven on the earth.  If you aren't going into the dark places to allow your light to shine, those places will remain forever dark with no guidance into the light of life.

WHAT ARE YOU REALLY FEELING?

 

 

 

One of the 1^st things I tell every client I sit down with is that I’m not interested in talking about their anger.  Anger is the easiest emotion to feel because it does not require vulnerability or emotional nakedness.  It is a modern day fig leaf of sorts.  Just as Adam and Eve hid their nakedness from God behind fig leaves that they had sewn together, people often hide their pain, disappointment, rejection, fear, etc… behind a wall of anger.  When I’m angry I feel charged.  I feel like I could just run through who ever made me upset.  I don’t feel vulnerable at all.  I don’t feel scared. In fact, the person that I’m angry at should be the one that’s afraid.  Anger is the shield that helps protect our feelings….or is it?

I think anger is an excuse to remain a coward… YES, I said it!  When you constantly chose to become angry and lash out rather than deal with what is really bothering you, what you are really saying is, “I’m scared to let this person know I cared enough to be hurt.”, “I’m embarrassed to let you know how I really feel because I’m afraid you’ll view me differently.”, or “I’m afraid to let you see the real me.”

It takes a tremendous amount of courage to stand emotionally naked and let people see the truth behind your anger.  Are you really angry at the checkout girl that yelled at you, or are you expressing anger as a way to hide the hurt you felt from the verbal abuse of someone else?  As someone that formerly had an extremely bad temper, I have to constantly check the roots behind my emotions.  It’s not an easy process, but its one I am committed to.  I want to remain emotionally honest, not just with others, but with myself as well.  If there are triggers that cause me to become angry, I need to investigate those and seek God for healing in that area.  It’s okay to get angry, but it’s not okay to stay that way.  It’s also not okay to live as someone who angers easily.  Show me someone that can go from zero to one hundred over the least little thing and I’ll show you someone that has some deep pain that needs to be dealt with.

Stop taking the easy way out! Be courageous enough to deal with the real emotions!

No More Road Trips In Pintos!

 

 

One of the most beautiful things about humans is our ability to make choices. We are not purely driven by instinct, we can follow our hearts. The difficult thing about following your heart is sometimes the heart wants people/things that are not good for you. That’s where God's gift of free will comes into play. You can choose to connect with people that are going nowhere and taking you with them, or you can choose to let go of those people and connect with those that will help to propel you into your destiny. Choosing to remain connected to those that hurt, mislead, abuse, and misuse you and expecting to reach your full potential in life is like getting in a beat up 1970 Pinto and attempting to drive from coast to coast. It was a BAD idea to start with and you'll be lucky if you get five miles down the road! On the other hand, when your heart leads you to people/things that are in God's perfect will for your life, you must be willing to step out on faith and accept them. Examine your choices.....Is your heart leading you closer to Him, or further away? Do you choose what is right because it’s the right thing to do, or do you only do the right thing when there is an audience? Better choices= a BETTER LIFE! Stop being afraid of the big blessings.....step out and GO GET IT! -No more road trips in Pintos....they get you nowhere!!!

You Can Still Fight!!!

As a youngster it did not take very much to provoke me into a fight.  I fought with my ugly words first, and if the foe did not back down, there were two powerful fists waiting for some action!  As I grew in life and in God I did my very best to stop fighting.  The physical part came easy, but it took a while to tame this tongue of mine.  Truth be told, I'm still working on it, but it is nothing whatsoever like it once was.  And I truly believe that when I do maintain control of this tongue, God is pleased with the way I fight.

Some get confused when I talk about fighting and God being pleased in the same sentence.  There was a time when I was also confused on this point.  I thought being a Christian meant not fighting anymore.  I metaphorically laid down and allowed, people, life, and the enemy to just beat up on me.  I hid the fighter inside of me, and allowed this timid person (that I still don't know) to come over me.  I did that until I got tired of being sad, hurt, and feeling all alone.  At that point, the woman that I was created to be stood up on the inside of me and said, "NOT ANOTHER DAY"!!!

I refused to be mishandled, misused, and mistreated.  I refused to lay down...I absolutely would not do it...not for another second!!!  I began to fight with the God given gift that I have been ordained to use.... MY PRAISE!  Praise in a weapon of warfare, it is a weapon of mass destruction!  It is the catch all end all in spiritual battles!  Every battle must first be won in the spirit realm before you can win in the natural.  Now, when opposition comes I go immediately to my weapon!  There are different levels of praise that fit each battle.  I just choose the level needed to win the battle.  I have heard too many Christians say, "he(the enemy) may have won the battle, but he didn't win the war".. NO, FORGET THAT!!!  THAT JOKER GETS NOTHING!!!!  He gets no victory over my life!  ALL I DO IS WIN, WIN, WIN no matter what!!!  When sad thoughts come, I praise!  When someone says or does something to try to hurt me, I praise!  When it looks like all hope is lost, I praise...because I know the outcome...I WIN!  My future is bright!  I fight with my weapon of praise and the situation turns around faster than I ever thought it would!

If you don't believe me, try it!  Really try it....try God for yourself!  Use your gift of praise when it seems all hell has broken loose in your life. Watch carefully and see what God does on your behalf!  Its time out for scared timid Saints... its time to fight like your life depends on it because guess what?  It does!!!!

 If the bible tells us that the angels do battle in the heavens, what do you think they are battling over?  When the messenger angel was going to deliver the message to Daniel, he got held up in battle and Michael (an angel of war) had to go to his aid.  If you have been praying about something and have not seen your answer....ask God to dispatch more angels on your behalf and while you are waiting.....FIGHT!

Open your mouth and shout unto God with the voice of triumph (Psalm 47:1)!  Praise Him with the timbrel and dance (Psalm 150:4)! The only way you lose any battle is if you never fight.

Its time to sop fighting dirty, and start fighting with the weapons given to us by the Almighty!  I am a living witness, when you take EVERYTHING to Him, He perfects EVERYTHING concerning you!  I have witnessed what an active prayer life combined with an active PRAISE LIFE will produce!  If you aren't sure whether or not you fight dirty, please see definition below.

Love you all,

Otescia

Dirty Fighting = Using physical violence or mean, hateful, hurtful, degrading, and discouraging words to willfully and intentionally make your point or obtain the object of your desire at the emotional or physical expense of your opponent

Watch YOUR Mouth!!!

2 Timothy 2:22-26

The Message (MSG)

^22-26 Run away from infantile indulgence. Run after mature righteousness—faith, love, peace—joining those who are in honest and serious prayer before God. Refuse to get involved in inane discussions; they always end up in fights. God’s servant must not be argumentative, but a gentle listener and a teacher who keeps cool, working firmly but patiently with those who refuse to obey. You never know how or when God might sober them up with a change of heart and a turning to the truth, enabling them to escape the Devil’s trap, where they are caught and held captive, forced to run his errands.

When I went through my divorce I decided being divorced meant I never had to argue again.  I refused to go into another marriage filled with those types of emotions.  Even though I said those things to myself, it took the Lord stepping in and speaking directly to me for me to really get it!  He first brought the most gentle, supportive, and loving soul into my life…my husband. When the Lord revealed to me that Lyndell was my husband He gave me some very specific instructions.  One of which was, “You must get control of your mouth.  He will not tolerate you speaking to him any kind of way, he hates arguing”.  Its one thing for a person to demand your respect, it’s another when the Lord tells you to give it!  Because let’s face it, speaking to each other properly is a form of respect.  I must confess this has been an easier area for me to watch my mouth because my husband ALWAYS speaks to me out of love and respect.

(Side Note: the saying, “make-up sex is the best sex” is dysfunctional!!!!!  What makes this more enjoyable is the raw passion the two parties share.  In the interest of saving you both a lot of frustration and/or painful words, I urge you to find a better, healthier way to express your passion and keep the spice in your marriage!)

The hard part for me has been learning to speak to others with respect even when they do not do so with me.  The scripture did not say only refrain from arguments when the other person is nice to you!  We must always conduct ourselves according to this passage no matter how rude or unpolite the other person is.  I will be the first person to confess  I don’t always pass the test, but I continue trying and with God's help I getting much better. 

When the Lord spoke to me about Lyndell I had no idea the above scripture even existed.  When I came across the scripture one day in my personal study time, I realized this not arguing thing went well beyond my marriage.  It’s His will for us to be “a gentle listener and a teacher that keeps our cool”!  That means even though you may be right, there is still a correct way to present what you are trying to teach the other person.  Who listens when they are being belittled, yelled at, or ridiculed?   Instead of listening to what you are saying (teaching), they go on the defense and now neither of you are listening!  Another thing to remember is, you are a living witness!  Everything you say and do reflects your walk with Christ.  Arguing with people affects your witness.  Will they hear you when you try to share the love of God if you just cussed them out yesterday? Will the unbelieving spouse come to Jesus if you are constantly yelling and fussing? Can you pass the test of not being argumentative?  Is it more important for you to express your emotions, or for you to show Jesus to a dying world?!?! 

We have to become better at showing His presence on the inside of us.  We are His ambassadors here in the earth.  When people see us, they have to see the love of Jesus.  If we are arguing, Jesus is not being seen in us.  Together, we can change this world!  We can make a difference in the lives of those that are lost, but it starts with watching what we say and how we say it!

Love you all,

Otescia

It Gets Even Better!

A couple of weeks ago, my (very profound and awesome) Pastor was teaching during bible study and he mentioned a scripture that really stuck out to me.  It was not a scripture that I had never heard before, but in that moment it became alive for me in a way that felt brand new!

Haggai 2:1-9 (Message)
On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the Word of God came through the prophet Haggai: “Tell Governor Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and High Priest Joshua son of Jehozadak and all the people: ‘Is there anyone here who saw the Temple the way it used to be, all glorious? And what do you see now? Not much, right?
^4-5 “‘So get to work, Zerubbabel!’—God is speaking.
“‘Get to work, Joshua son of Jehozadak—high priest!’
“‘Get to work, all you people!’—God is speaking.
“‘Yes, get to work! For I am with you.’ The God-of-the-Angel-Armies is speaking! ‘Put into action the word I covenanted with you when you left Egypt. I’m living and breathing among you right now. Don’t be timid. Don’t hold back.’

^6-7 “This is what God-of-the-Angel-Armies said: ‘Before you know it, I will shake up sky and earth, ocean and fields. And I’ll shake down all the godless nations. They’ll bring bushels of wealth and I will fill this Temple with splendor.’ God-of-the-Angel-Armies says so.

⁸ ‘I own the silver,
I own the gold.’
Decree of God-of-the-Angel-Armies.

⁹ “‘This Temple is going to end up far better than it started out, a glorious beginning but an even more glorious finish: a place in which I will hand out wholeness and holiness.’ Decree of God-of-the-Angel-Armies.”

The 9th verse in the KJV is the well known scripture I mentioned, "The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts."

For anyone that has ever had to start your life over, experienced what seemed to be a major setback, or an extremely painful loss, I want you to read these next few lines VERY CAREFULLY!

Think back to what you feel was the best time of your life.  Go ahead..... you have permission to really think on it.  Remember how happy you felt?  Remember how well you were doing?  Relish that good feeling for just a moment.

Now look at today.  Are you in a "not very much" stage?  Do you wonder why God would bless you so, and then allow you to lose it...especially through no fault of your own?  Seems unfair, huh?  I know...I've been there.  I wondered how God could allow my marriage to fail when I worshipped Him so completely and did everything in my power to please Him and Him alone.  I'm not claiming I was perfect, but I had a heart that loved God, so I did the very best I could to walk uprightly before Him.  Yet, I lived through a long and HARD "not very much" season.

Now, its VERY easy to get depressed when going through a "not very much season", BUT if you continue reading, God assures us that this season is but for a moment! (re-read verses 4-9)

IT IS TIME TO GET TO WORK! GOD IS SPEAKING!  PUT INTO ACTION THE PROMISES HE WHISPERED TO YOU WHEN HE DELIVERED YOU OUT OF YOUR MISERABLE PLACE!!!

Before you know it, God will shake up your surroundings!  He will give you wealth! He already owns it all anyway!  That good place you thought about a moment ago will not be able to compare to glory of the place you are about to walk into!  After all He has already done for you, think about how much greater He is going to have to do to top what He has already done!  You shall have a glorious ending and God will grant you wholeness and holiness!!! 

I don't know about anyone else, but I get excited everytime I think on this!  God has done some miraculous things for me in the past, but the best miracles are in front of me!  My longing for former glory is over, today I press towards tomorrow's glory, and tomorrow I will press towards the following day's glory!  Everyday is a new opportunity to move closer to my glorious destiny!  Make today the last day you long for the old (house, man/woman, job, car, etc...)!  Your future holds more promise than your past ever could!  Stop dreaming of what could have been, and start expecting what is to come!  You can't drive forward looking at what's behind you!  Likewise, you can't expect to LIVE in your future glory while yearning for what was only meant to be for a season!

Otescia R. Johnson