Unseen

 

Happy Thursday friends,

I've been struggling a little bit lately, so I thought I'd write it out.  :)

I've gone from election night blues to a righteous anger to a dull ache.  I'm trying to stay in focus and in touch with the Lord, and He has been good - dropping some really incredible resources in front of me.

...and I've been learning so much.

...but still.  Sigh.

Anyone else feeling it too?

I'm feeling like a drug addict not knowing where to get the next hit.  I loved my Fox News "bookends" for years now.

Fox & Friends in the morning while I got ready and then, Tucker and Sean before bed.  It was the perfect good morning and end cap to my days.

(I've never cared much for the news folks in the middle.  My apologies if you do, I just never did...)

So now that Fox News has gone all CNN and MSDNC on us (the Christian, Conservative Right), I'm off in a new realm...

...and it's left me feeling empty in my morning routine - as I said above - like a drug addict with no stash and not sure where to find one.

Fast forward to this morning and my no-news, no-Fox & Friends blues.

I decided it was time to fill in the void with Jesus.  I could watch some YouTube videos people have been sending me of Rabbis and Preachers or I could watch Unashamed by the Robinson family.  Instead, I decided I just needed to PRAISE.

So that's what I did.

"Alexa, play PRAISE and WORSHIP."  My Pastor, Louie Giglio, always says, "When you are down and out, just turn on Praise and Worship music; it's amazing what it can do for your soul and your Spirit."

Listening to that music this morning was great, and it helped lift my spirits just as it was intended to do.

As I drove to work, I asked God to provide guidance today - whether from a friend at work or a reading He would lay in my path.

(I so love when God shows up specifically.)

Below is what he gave me, from my daily Levi Lusko reading.  I love it because (for me anyway) it specifically addresses how I feel about the current election process going on in our Country.

So many people praying and asking for God's direction, protection, and healing - and yet, we all know there is so much more to the story than we can actually, physically see.

God is the BIGGEST, the most POWERFUL, and the most MIGHTY.  He can see things we cannot see, and in times of desperation, like now, we must remember that and lean into the shelter He gives.

Hidden In Plain Sight

The human eye sees more than you realize—much more than you can actually process. For instance, when you look up at the stars, you are technically looking at all of them; you just can’t perceive all you are seeing. I can prove it to you. A telescope or other lens just magnifies and brings into focus what you are already looking at, what is there all along. Even in the daytime, the stars are right in front of you, hidden in plain sight. The reason you can’t make out what you are seeing is because of distance and interference. So it is spiritually.

You must not rely on the naked eye. What you think you see is not all that is there. There are unseen things. Spiritual things. Eternal things. You must learn to see life through the eyes of a Lion. Doing so is to utilize the telescope of faith, which will not only allow you to perceive the invisible—it will give you the strength to do the impossible.

Proverbs 28:1 says, "The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion."

2 Cor 5:7 says, "For we live by faith, not sight."

Great verses to remember during a time in our Country's battle for righteousness, protection, and healing.

Remember friends, our battle is not over.  We still have a lot of fight left to save and protect our Country.  Keep praying, keep studying, and stay on guard.

The enemy roams back and forth ready to devour.  We must be ready to defend.

Stand strong Patriots, and don't let the funks overtake you, as I learned this morning.  Together, we have the Lord in this fight with us!

Levi Lusko: Occupy!

 USE WHAT YOU GOT

I'm still making my way through the new Levi Lusko devotional, "take back your life."  

Every now and then, he just hits it out of the ballpark.  One thing I especially love is that Levi is a big Disney and Marvel fan.

The devotion I read today included a reference to Iron Man 3, and how Tony Stark's autopilot malfunctioned and he eventually crash landed in Tennessee.  We later see Tony dragging his Iron Man suit behind him as he walked through snow-covered hills.

A stark (no pun intended) reminder that the suit was supposed to carry Tony, not the other way around.

Fast forward a paragraph or two, and we have Levi making a comparison to us and Christ:

"So many Christians are struggling to pull what should propel them, trying to fight the battles of this life with their own strength, waging war according to the flesh.  Don't make that error!  Stay in the suit.  Jesus is not something to carry like a religious trinket or a good-luck charm; He is a risen Lord who will carry you.  Call for fire support, and when God makes the ground shake with energy, be ready to occupy the territory he has cleared."

 I love that line, "...and when God makes the ground shake with energy..."

I can't tell you how many times I have not been ready to occupy the territory God cleared.  But with the image of Tony Stark now burning into my memory, I think I will be.

Are you ready for some ground shaking?  Let's commit these verses to memory together this week and get ourselves prepared for what God has in store:

2 Cor. 10:3-5, "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.  For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ."

Happy Thursday y'all.  Leave me some Marvel analogies below.  I'd love to hear what you got! 

Levi Lusko: Swipe Right

 

Good morning friends.

Just wanted to share a new Bible Study (to me) from Levi Lusko on YouVersion (the Bible app).  

I've just read Day 1, and already it seems pertinent to some issues I have in my own family.  If you are curious about relationships and their effects on our lives and how we can affect others, I encourage you to start this study with us.

You can find it by visiting the YouVersion app and searching for Levi Lusko study plans.  (For me, it was the second one in the list.)

Good reminder from today's lesson:

"Now yells louder, but later lasts longer." 

(In other words, don't make your decisions based on NOW.  Make them based on LATER.) 

Happy Wednesday y'all!

Levi Lusko: The Nearest Lion

 

Good morning friends.  Such a great devotion from Levi Lusko this morning in, "take back your life."  (Seriously, if you don't have this devotional yet, make sure you run and get it!  Anything from Levi is so good!)

Today, Levi talks about facing your fears and how sometimes running AWAY from something scary can actually be a bad thing and keep you from something wonderful God has in store for you.  Listen to what he says,

"...you must not let fear play a part in your decision-making.  You can't ignore fear, but you can't let it control you.  True bravery isn't feeling no fear.  It's being afraid and moving forward anyway.

...running toward the roar can be excruciating, and there are no guarantees.  When you live a life of faith, there are going to be questions that have no answers, because for there to be faith, there has to be mystery.  That's just life in the deep end.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained."

Keep Levi's prayer in mind as you go through today and face your daily fears,

"Father, I declare today that my heart will not fear, and even in the face of it, I will rise up in confidence.  Turning back feels easier, but I'm believing that charging forward in your strength will lead me to my destiny.  Amen." 

I love that.  I am committing to moving forward in the face of fear to make life better and to see what God has in store.  What about you?

Leave us a comment below telling us how you are going to face your fears and see what God has in store for you!  I can't wait to hear your stories!

Happy Monday!

 

Levi Lusko: The Right Time

 

I love Day 21 from Levi Lusko's book, "take back your life."  It's all about compounding interest and how the little things eventually add up.

We can let the bad things add up or we can let the good things add up.  Every decision we make is like a domino falling.

Our choices eventually accumulate.

Switch out of your routine of bad habits and advance in the war to win - one baby step at a time.  Your journey has to start somewhere.

Here is Levi's prayer for us all:

"Father, bring me to a place of dissatisfaction in the mundane.  Shake me out of my settled routine so I can experience the refreshment that comes from walking with, and relying on, you.  I am willing to give up what I want so I can get what I need.  Amen."

Leave me a comment and let me know how you are going to take one right step today.

Happy Friday y'all!

 

Expectancy

What are you excited for? 

Hardships

 

So true.

And usually...when you are delivered THROUGH them, the greatest blessing lies on the other side!

Good words this morning found in John 11 and a gentle reminder from Levi Lusko!

Levi Lusko: Bread and Circuses Prayer

 

Today's lesson - don't be distracted by the bread and circuses.

When we take our focus off things that matter and put them on things that won't last long, we become distracted and open ourselves up for attack.

Keep those spiritual lens focused!  God will give you the wisdom and strength you need!

Levi Lusko: If God Didn't Give it To You

 

"Prayer:  Father, rid me of my insecurity, inadequacy, and inferiority mentality.  Help me stay fresh, stay humble, and take risks over and over again." - Levi Lusko, take your life back 

*This post contains an affiliate link.  If you click on the link and make a purchase, Amazon will donate a small proceed to help support this website.  Thank you!

Morning Musings: Levi Lusko on Masks & Knowing Who You Really Are

 

Still reading Levi's book every morning and still finding gems like this one.  Here's a few things I noted from today's reading.  I hope they encourage you as much as they did me!

• Luke 12:2, "You can't keep your true self hidden forever; before long, you'll be exposed.  You can't hide behind a religious mask forever; sooner or later, the mask will slip and your true face will be known."
  
  
• God's blessings are not determined by OUR behavior!  God's blessings come FIRST, completely undeserved.  This is what changes our behavior.  We call this GRACE.
  
  
• We can't numb emotions.  When we numb NEGATIVE emotions, we also numb POSITIVE emotions.
  
  
• When we put on a mask in hopes of finding acceptance, people can't love who they don't know.  
  
  
• People get to know the MASK, not the real you.
  
  
• Masks keep us from receiving God's blessings!
  
  
• God can't use who you WISH you were; He uses who we REALLY are!
  
  
• It is all about what GOD thinks, not what I think!
  
  
• WHAT YOU WEAR TO OBTAIN, YOU MUST WEAR TO RETAIN!
  
  
• You don't need approval from ANYONE because the only likes that matter are from HEAVEN - and they are already yours!
  
  
• Prayer:  "God give me the strength to live an unmasked life."
  
  
• Points to Ponder:  My mask might be impressive but it's NOTHING compared to the fearfully and wonderfully made AUTHENTIC me that GOD MADE IN HIS IMAGE.

Levi Lusko Debuts New 40-Day Devotional

 

I love Levi Lusko.  I have enjoyed his speaking and preaching ever since he came to Passion City Church in Atlanta, my home church, a few years ago.  It was the first time I heard him speak.

Levi has a passion for life and, more importantly, the Gospel that few of us possess.  I mean that in the best way possible - he has boundless energy and a way of presenting the Gospel in a way that is exciting and yet obtainable all at the same time.

In case you haven't met Levi yet, let me tell you a little bit about him:  Levi Lusko is the founder and lead pastor of Fresh Life Church, located in Montana, Wyoming, Oregon, and Utah. He is the bestselling author of Through the Eyes of a Lion, Swipe Right, and I Declare War.  Levi also travels the world speaking about Jesus.  He and his wife, Jennie, have one son, Lennox, and four daughters: Alivia, Daisy, Clover, and Lenya, who is in heaven.

Levi and his wife Jennie have been through a lot in life.  If you have not read, "Through the Eyes of a Lion," you really must.  It is not until you read this book that you can fully understand the place where Levi and his wife now stand and how God has crafted and carried them to this point.

That's why I was so excited to find out that Levi was (finally) releasing a devotional book.  Levi has never written a devotional book before, and I was ready to dive in when it arrived*.

Let's start with the actual book itself - the physical appearance.  I love the look of this book.  As you can see from the image above, the book has a solid black cover with skinny-type font letters that resemble someone writing on a blackboard.  Inside, the pages are a nonglossy, rougher paper, which I actually really like.  The chapter beginning and ending pages are adorned with hand drawn images which add to the fun and artsy feel I can imagine Levi scribbling down or drawing while writing this book.

And speaking of chapters, let's digest how this new and nontraditional devotional is laid out.  I say nontraditional because the book is laid out and flows much like Levi himself -- often untraditional yet inviting us in to sit - captivated at what he is saying, leaning in to learn more about ourselves, our walk, and our Savior.

Each chapter starts out with a traditional devotional.  Where this new book deviates from tradition is what comes next.  Most devotionals are short.  A page or two at the most.  Levi's tend to be a bit longer.  Each day's devotional ends with a prayer and a set of questions to help you understand the day's teachings and how you can apply them to your life.

The publisher describes Levi's book this way:

"In Take Back Your Life, a blend of bestselling books Through the Eyes of a Lion and I Declare War, join Levi Lusko on an interactive journey to take back your life. With biblical truth and perspective, this step-by-step journaling process will help you:

• get out of your own way by learning to think right so you can live right
  
  
• find purpose by discovering that God will do great things with your imperfect progress
  
  
• learn that your pain is not an obstacle to being used by God but an opportunity to be used like never before.

Take Back Your Life is such a refreshing book!  So many times, we just read our devotion and then check it off our list.  Some devotions do have prayers at the end of them, but the questions in this book make it great for self-study, group studies, or an accountability partner.

Thank you Levi for releasing a devotional.  I've added your book to my morning routine of  Bible reading, and I enjoy the new twist it gives that special time.  So happy to add this book to my growing Christian book library!

If you would like to learn more about Levi's book, visit the Take Back website or it may be purchased through Amazon.

*Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255:  “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”):  Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC and HCCP for providing this prize for the giveaway and review.  Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation.  I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.