Lately, I’ve felt compelled to dig into the book of Ephesians. I armed myself with multiple versions, a notebook, and my favorite colored pens. After digesting the first chapter, I had to ask you, my readers…
Have you ever?
Have you ever felt chosen? wanted? pursued?
The truth is, no matter how you’ve felt, you are all of those things!!
You are Chosen! You are Wanted! You are Pursued!
In Ephesians 1, the Holy Spirit assures us that before the very foundations of the world, before Adam and Eve listened to lies, before sin became the norm, God designed a plan to restore our relationship with Him!
ALL OF US! Please don’t miss the ALL!* God knew what you were going to be like before your first breath. He knew about my struggles before I was formed. He knew the good, the bad, and the ugly about all of His creations before Adam and Eve opened their eyes.
Yet, He wants to have a relationship with us! He delights in us! You see, the same love He has for Jesus, He has for ALL of us. He longs to have relationship with each and every person He created. We are His kids, made in His image!
Through the sacrifice of Jesus, we are adopted and restored as His very own. He has co-seated us in the Heavens with Jesus! This is just a taste of what we are invited to participate in! Dig into Ephesians 1 for yourself! Ask the Lord to stir a hunger for a deeper relationship with Him.
Have you ever wondered if God is proud of you? As parents, we tend to tell our kids that we are proud of them for working hard, accomplishing a goal, or making wise choices. Agreed? As children of the Heavenly King, it makes sense that we’d want Him to be proud of our choices and efforts, right?
A quick dive into the Word of God reveals the following:
When God created man, He looked at His creations and said, “They are very good.” (Genesis 1:26-27)
We are to “walk” through life in a way that is pleasing to God. (I Thessalonians 4:1)
We have right-standing before God in Jesus. (II Corinthians 5:21)
God loves us with an everlasting love. (Jeremiah 31:3)
He declares that He delights in us. (Isaiah 62:4)
Our Father will lift us up if we choose to walk in humility (I Peter 5:6-7)
He rejoices over us with gladness and singing. (Zephaniah 3:17)
We are blessed when we give praise to the Lord. (Psalm 89:15)
So, I don’t know if God is proud of you and me. But I do know this….
We are blessed when we choose His ways!
He loves us deeply and unconditionally because we are made in His image!
The righteousness of Jesus covers us giving us access to His presence!
When we love Him, walk in obedience, and love others, He is pleased with us!
He adores us and rejoices over us!
Let those thoughts roll around in your spirit! Your Daddy delights in you! Why wouldn’t we want to live in a way that lights up His face with a smile?
Relationships… they can be a tremendous blessing or a massive challenge. Sometimes, they are both!
This Sunday, my pastor taught on “How to Get Along with People1.” He focused on three fundamental components needed to get along with others within our homes, workplaces, and even long distance: Respect, Humility, and Communication.
This three components are not mutually exclusive. You cannot have respect without authentic humility; you cannot have open communication without respect; and humility is required for true communication! As I processed the teaching and Scriptures2 we focused on, I was challenged to examine various relationships and to be purposeful about making some adjustments! Here are a few of the thoughts that rose in my spirit…
Relationship is the heartbeat of the Father, not just our relationship with Him, but also our relationships with others.
I find that I’m not that different than most Americans, when we communicate with others, we are comfortable declaring our thoughts and opinions to all who will listen. But the minute that others express differing opinions, we lift invisible fingers to plug our ears. How we handle this common dilemma varies depending on our level of respect and humility.
As believers, we are more prone to err in the area of humility. Pastor Eric outlined three components of humility: quietness, speaking the truth in love, and strength demonstrated through patience. I’d like to add two more components of humility: being willing to admit when we are wrong and maintaining a teachable heart. Because we have the mind of Christ, our tendency is to believe that our thinking is correct… correct in spiritual matters, personal matters, financial matters, and political matters. But humility will help us remember that perfect revelation and understanding is not available this side of Heaven. We are learning, growing, applying, and maturing each and every day, if we maintain a teachable heart!
If you are struggling in personal or professional relationships, please take some time to listen to Pastor Eric Lehmann’s teaching. I know it will encourage (and challenge) you!
2Scripture references: Ephesians 5:21, Romans 13:1, Matthew 7:1-2, Romans 14:13, Luke 6:27,31, Mark 12:31, I Thessalonians 4:11-12, Ephesians 4:15, I Corinthians 13:4, James 1:19-20, Proverbs 15:1, 16:15, Romans 12:10, Philippians 4:13, I Corinthians 2:16
“Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
This quote packs a serious punch! One right to the gut and one that challenges us as believers. Meditate on the truth that MLK Jr. shares… it reflects the heart of the Father. Micah 6:8 states: “He {God} has shown you, O mortal {you and me}, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walkhumbly with your God.
Jesus seconds this expectation when He declares His passionate expectation: Love the Lord with all of our being AND love others as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-39).
The POWER: We are empowered by the Holy Spirit to be Truth carriers, wonder-workers, agents of justice, and disciple-makers.
The LOVE: It’s love that paves the way for His Truth and His power to effectively impact our realm of influence! When His heart beats in us, we reflect His attitude, His motives, and His compassionate mercy to those around us.
The bottom line: We have no authority in situations where we refuse to demonstrate love (I Corinthians 13). But, love empowered by truth produces healing and growth!
Live Loved,
Note: This article was originally published here on August 31, 2021
This month, the Lord has protected loved ones from not one, but two, falling branches that could have potentially killed them. Not only that, but He protected us from a potential house fire resulting from a clogged dryer vent. How many other things has the Lord protected us from this week of which we are not even aware?
Psalm 91 tells us that God has given His angels charge over us. Isaiah 54:17 tells us that no weapon formed against us will prosper. Daily, Andy and I purposefully use our authority in the spirit realm to declare protection in the name of Jesus and to release protecting and warring angels to surround our family, church family, schools, and friends.
Consider this: The tax refund you expect drops into your savings account. That provision is of no benefit to you unless you decide to appropriate it by making a purchase or paying a bill. Jesus shed His blood on our behalf to provide forgiveness, healing, and protection (that’s provision). It’s our responsibility to tap into His provision (that’s appropriation)! Make no mistake, there is an evil plan at work against you and me. John 10 clearly states that Satan has a goal to kill us, steal from us, and completely destroy us! BUT JESUS!
Our position in Christ provides us authority (read Ephesians 1) in the spirit realm. We must appropriate or apply that authority in our lives daily. Will bad things still happen? Well… do we still live in a fallen world? Of course. (Matthew 5:45 tells us that it rains on the righteous and unrighteous.) However, we can rest in the knowledge that when we come boldly before His throne, request His protection, and release His angels, He will protect us from known and unknown dangers and be with us when the hard things do come into our lives. He is faithful!
Need some encouragement to speak it out? Listen to this song: Champion by Dante Bowe
I was minding my own business when one of those songs came on. You know the ones, you haven’t heard it in 15 or 20 years, but suddenly you’re singing along with it like it’s a current hit. If you’re like me, you surprise yourself with how well you remember the words! (And often they aren’t the most uplifting lyrics.) Your mind may even flick to a memory that includes that song or the car you were driving in when it was a top ten hit.
Lyrics and tunes… for centuries the art of music has impacted the world; for decades (a few anyway!) it has impacted mine. Music has the ability to calm, agitate, uplift, restore, celebrate, annoy, and unite. Research has shown that listening to music can reduce anxiety, blood pressure, and pain as well as improve sleep quality, mood, mental alertness, and memory.1 There’s power in music; there’s power in lyrics.
Music has never been more readily available than it is today. Literally, music is a tool at our fingertips that can be used as a melancholy, pity party tune or a stand tall, dig deep anthem.
What soundtracks do you have on repeat?
“Lyrics don’t matter.” I’ve heard this more times than I can count. But I beg to differ. Remember that song you haven’t heard for 15 years but you remember the words? Me too. Lyrics do matter and they stick in your mind for much longer than you’d imagine. When you find yourself in challenging circumstances, when you are feeling at your wit’s end, when you feel like no one else knows how you feel, music will draw you in… and it will either lift you up or drag you down.
Today our worship team sang an oldie but a goodie: Your Love Never Fails by Jesus Culture. As I sang along, the lyrics flowed out of me with such boldness, joy, and peace! My confidence came from 2 sources:
I have lived through a few things and have seen God come through on my behalf!
I recognized the lyrics as simply a poetic reassembling of the Truth found in God’s Word.
Take a few minutes and listen in: Your Love Never Fails. Listen and lean into the lyrical Truths found in this song2:
Nothing can separate (Romans 8:31-39) Even if I ran away (Psalm 139:7-12) Your love never fails (I John 4:7, I Corinthians 13:8)
I know I still make mistakes (Romans 3:23, Romans 2:4) But You have new mercies for me every day (Lamentations 3:22-233) Your love never fails
You stay the same through the ages (Hebrews 13:8) Your love never changes (James 1:17) There may be pain in the night But joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5)
And when the oceans rage I don’t have to be afraid (Psalm 112:7, Isaiah 43:1-2) Because I know that You love me (I John 4:10) Your love never fails
‘Cause You make all things work together for my good (Romans 8:28) You make all things work together for my good2
Personally, I find that music has helped heal my heart, rejuvenate my faith, and put a spring in my step when I desperately needed it. Instrumental songs have their place and provide a soothing backdrop for me when in work mode. However, songs filled with lyrics of truth affirm my confidence in a faithful God and open the door for intimacy with my Heavenly Father. Other songs simply bring joy and reminders that the world still has a lot of good in it! Either way, I get to choose the soundtracks that roll around in my head, heart, car, and home!
If you’re reading this, you are old enough to make your own choices regarding what you will listen to. Choose wisely! Choose well for your soul, choose well for the other listeners in your home. Be encouraged to fill your heart and mind with music that uplifts and lyrics that inspire!
Live Loved,
P.S. If you enjoyed this, please share on social media and include your favorite uplifting song! 🙂
Hearing that a precious young woman, a family friend, had been sexually assaulted. As I listened to the story unfold, my chest ached with the knowledge of the painful blow that had been dealt, physically and emotionally, to this dear girl and her family too. Aware of the need, I asked if counseling was in the works. Thankfully, it was; however, she had requested a non-Christian counselor because she didn’t want to be “preached at” instead of counseled. This perception of Christians, coming from a young lady who had been raised a believer, deeply grieved my heart.
I asked the Lord, “Why?” “Why do Christians… literally “Christ-like” people… have such a bad reputation in many people’s minds?” Almost immediately, I felt Him say, “My people do not understand that mercy triumphs over judgment.”
Whether we are believers or not, it’s so easy to judge. We look at the car someone drives, the clothes they wear, the way they wear them, the bag they carry, the job they work, the hairstyle they sport, the words they speak… and we judge, sometimes rightly, sometimes not. But when we choose to make judgments, we are setting ourselves up as unauthorized judges instead of effective ambassadors of Kingdom love.
Let’s look at these two versions of James 2:12-13 for deeper perspective on God’s desire for His people.
So speak, and so act, as those who are to be judged by the law of freedom. For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment. NASB
So we must both speak and act in every respect like those who are destined to be tried by the perfect law of liberty, and remember that judgment is merciless for the one who judges others without mercy. So by showing mercy you take dominion over judgment! TPT
You and I as believers are judged by the law of freedom. Are you familiar with the law of freedom? This is the law that sets us free: It is the law of love! Matthew 22:37-40 tells us that all the laws are summed up in these two: Love the Lord your God and love your neighbor as yourself! We learn more about the law of love in I John 4:17: Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world [Carriers of love!].18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. (emphasis mine)
When Jesus walked the earth, the people weren’t afraid of Him because love and mercy exuded from Him! He set an amazing example for us! He demonstrated mercy over judgment in His encounters even though He had the right to judge!
When the adulteress woman sat before Him, He was merciful.
When a cheating tax collector sought His company, He was merciful.
When an unclean woman touched His clothing, He was merciful.
When approached by the lame, the blind, the wounded, the possessed, Jesus showed mercy!
Consider Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman in John 4. Even though He spoke about “all she had done,” she did not feel condemned, but rather she felt known! She was drawn to His mercy and compassion and the result was many in the village believed! What power when we choose mercy over judgment!
Judgment Vs. Mercy!! Who Will Win?
You enter a room and there’s a jug of milk spilled on the floor… as it glugs out you get to choose: judgment or mercy. Judgment demands to know who knocked the milk over, why it happened, and who’s going to pay for it. On the contrary, mercy jumps into action, helps to clean up the mess, and comes up with ways to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Mercy doesn’t negate consequences, but offers a compassionate shoulder to lean on while journeying through the consequences.
Judgment assumes guilt, mercy offers grace
Judgment looks to blame, mercy looks to set things right
Judgment looks at the actions, mercy looks past the actions to the person
Judgment looks at the past, mercy looks at the future
Judgment focuses on the mess; mercy helps clean the mess up
James declares the winner when He states: Mercy Triumphs over judgment!
Jesus judged by the law that sets us free! How can we do any less?
If we choose to judge by the law of Moses, that’s the law we will also be judged by. I sure don’t want to be judged under the law of Moses, but rather the law of freedom!
The world is filled with self-righteous, self-appointed judges. Jesus gave His life so that we could be judged by the law of freedom! You and I as carriers of His Spirit must be agents of mercy in our interactions with others. It is the Father’s desire that we be Kingdom ambassadors demonstrating a love that casts out fear of judgment and paves the way for the law of His love!
Jesus stated that His mark on our life would be demonstrated in our love towards one another (John 13:35). This is the reputation that needs to be associated with Christians: a reputation of truth wrapped in compassion, mercy, and love! A people who are willing to help clean up messes and value redemption! This is the type of love that will lead others to the Father.
When our agenda is to demonstrate the heart of the Father, all of Heaven will back us up!
I’m so thankful that mercy triumphs over judgment in the Kingdom of God!
I’ve stated from the get-go of this series that joy is an inside job. People and circumstances can make us happy… temporarily. But we cannot rely on people and circumstances to keep us happy for the long haul.
And yet, healthy, authentic relationships are definitely a source of joy!
What is a healthy, authentic relationship? One way to determine what is healthy and authentic is to think about what it is not. Here are some symptoms of unhealthy relationships:
Tiptoeing on eggshells: You are always worried about what you say and do around this person because they are easily offended or upset.
High maintenance: This relationship is characterized by one person always NEEDING something or depending on the other to make them happy.
Volatile and/or abusive: One person is tightly wound feeling their emotions intensely and struggling to manage the extremes.
Co-dependent: Unhealthy, destructive habits or addictions are excused and rationalized in this friendship.
Fluctuating friend: This person is your friend on some days and not on others. You may only hear from them when they can benefit from you or your skills.
Two faced: Can we call this person a friend really? They talk about you to others and others to you.
Ear-tickler: This friendship is characterized by friends that only say what the other wants to hear or thinks they need to hear, whether it’s the truth or not.
Discontented: This relationship includes a friend who is just not happy, not with life, not with you. They want you to change, but no matter what you do, it’s never enough.
Narcissistic: This person is only a friend to themselves. There really is no one else of value in their world; life is all about them, their opinions, their stories, their ideas.
I’m sure you can think of a few other less-than-desirable-friend traits. There’s a very good chance that some of these descriptions made you think of some people in your life. Me too… I’m not saying cut them off, though you may need to distance yourself to find some health and joy in your life. It’s important to understand the value of boundaries in every relationship, but especially in ones that are not fulfilling. There’s a reason that some relationships are considered toxic; like a poison, they destroy parts of your heart and wellbeing. Those relationships will feel empty and leave you hungering for deeper more fulfilling relationships.
So, what IS a healthy, authentic relationship? One that reflects these traits:
Encouraging and uplifting
Honest, even when it hurts
Fulfilling for both friends
Open to constructive criticism
Life-giving instead of draining
Puts the needs of the other above their own
Equal give and take on multiple levels (conversation, paying for coffee, sharing skillsets)
Relationship trumps being right: Agree to disagree respectfully
Spiritually and mentally stimulating
Those types of friends are more challenging to find, but they’re out there! Keep looking! On the journey to establish these life-giving relationships, you will take some detours and hit a few potholes, but when you find them, you will know blessing!
Participating in mutually healthy relationships and experiencing the blessing of authenticity is a pathway to joy! You get to be the real you and loved for it! Your friend gets to be real too and you love them for it! You are able to share your thoughts, ideas, opinions, and dreams in a safe place and so does your cohort! When you start to veer of the path in one way or another, your friend gently steers you right and you do the same with their best interests in mind.
These friendships are truly an incredible source of joy!
Here are some words of wisdom on friends: “The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray.” Proverbs 12:26
“A man who has friends must himself be friendly” Proverbs 18:24a
“Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” Proverbs 27:6
“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17
“Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits.'” I Corinthians 15:33
“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion…. If one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him.” Ecclesiastes 4:9,10,12a
My prayer for you today is that you already have some quality relationships in your life. Grow them! Invest in them! However, if you are lacking the healthy, authentic relationships described above, I pray that you will ask the Lord to lead you to people who will bring life to you and vice versa.
Note: Healthy relationships are often hard to establish if you are functioning out of woundedness. When we’ve experienced pain, betrayal, or warped friendships, we tend to put up walls to protect our hearts. The result is that we isolate ourselves in an effort to avoid pain. Though understandable, this is unhealthy and will make establishing healthy relationships difficult. If you find yourself in this place, I encourage you to do two things: Seek counseling that promotes healing AND think of one trustworthy person in your life and purposely be the kind of friend you need. Both of these actions will lay a foundation for authentic, healthy friendships that will be a source of joy!
You don’t need to look far to see it. It’s running rampant on the internet… Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, in news articles, and most definitely in the comment section off all of the above. Hate, anger, disrespect, name-calling, accusations, insults, character defamation, sarcasm, hate. I think if people could snarl and spit nails over social media, we’d see that too!
Internet anonymity seems to bring out the inner hulk in too many of us!
It’s not okay! It is one thing to have strong feelings and opinions, it’s another thing to attack people because their beliefs differ from ours. It’s not okay to call people names because they disagree with you and me. It’s not okay, to defame their intelligence because they don’t see things our way. It’s not okay to “scream” insults with our keyboards while telling our children to “sprinkle kindness like confetti” and “don’t be a bully.”
The more comfortable that people (including us) become with verbally destroying one another on social media, the more readily it will manifest in person! Think about it, the rioters who are looting and destroying… Do you think this is their first go-around with attacking others? I’m not going out on a limb to say, “No way!” They’ve done it online already if not in person, but they now feel that world events make it socially acceptable to take it to another level regardless of the consequences.
How do we manage to ask a whole nation of social media experts to hold up, think carefully, choose a better pathway? I wish I knew. But we have to start somewhere.
Somewhere is here: #wipeouthate Wednesday.
#Wipeouthate Wednesdays is a chance for us to remember that we are more alike than different! I can wax eloquent here in listing the gazillion ways we are alike! But for brevity, here are some biggies:
We love
We want to be loved
We feel pain
We hurt others
We seek happiness
We work to achieve goals
We want freedom
We appreciate respect
We have values and beliefs
We have melanin in our skin, hair, and eyes
We prefer health over sickness
We prefer life over death
We love
#Wipeouthate Wednesdays for Social Media means: NO to: political posts, hot topic or current debate posts, conspiracy posts, accusation posts, or even face mask posts! (No rude comments either.) YES to: encouraging words, kind thoughts, celebrations, positive artistic expression, hopeful ideas, and cute pet pictures! (Lots of positive comments too!)
Think about it… choosing to set aside the things that divide us and focus on the things that unite us??? That’s like a gooey, warm stream of salted caramel sauce pouring over vanilla bean ice cream! Let’s do this!
You cannot have faith without hope. You cannot have hope without faith!
Think about it… these two are inextricably entwined. The very nature of having faith inspires hope! All is not lost, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
The very nature of hope requires that you have faith… faith that what you are presently enduring is temporal, good things are coming!
Faith is a belief, or confidence, in something or someone. Hope is an expectation of better.
Faith and hope pair up to create a pathway to joy! I’ve experienced this over and over in my life. Whether you value faith or not, I cannot share pathways to joy with you without spending time sharing how faith has impacted my journey.
A popular song in worship these days is called The Goodness of God. This song deeply moves me. It celebrates God’s goodness amidst all my ups and downs: life and death, hurts and healings, gains and losses, success and failures. I can’t help but sing with abandonment:
“All my life you have been faithful, All my life you’ve been so, so good, With every breath that I am able, I’m gonna sing of the goodness of God!”1
You might read that and think, “Joy, you have no idea what I’ve experienced. I can’t possibly sing those lines and believe it.” You’re right, I don’t know what you’ve been through. You may be still dealing with dredges of pain that I can’t imagine. Even if I’ve experienced what you have, your journey is your own.
Let me share how I’m able to declare that God has been faithful to me in spite of painful times. It’s in the lyrics: “With my life laid down, I surrender now, I give you everything.”1 You see, I choose to submit everything I’ve experienced, the difficult things I’ve endured, to the Lord and His purposes. This is where faith and hope come in!
I have faith that God will cause everything to work together for my good because I love Him and have an amazing destiny! (Romans 8:28)
I have hope that God can bring good out of what the enemy designed for evil in my circumstances! (Jeremiah 29:11, Genesis 50:20)
It’s all about perspective. When we set our difficult journey within the framework of divine goodness, we can believe that our lives are a tapestry in which the threads of all we experience are woven together to create a masterpiece of beauty called our life.
“But Joy, how can this loving God allow terrible things to happen to us?” This valid question has been asked through the centuries. People have written books on it.2 I will not attempt to answer it here, but will share this simple truth: humans have free will to choose their actions! When God created Adam and Eve, He said, “Let them have dominion over the earth.” He gave us the opportunity to govern ourselves (as well as animals and nature). Why didn’t God stop Eve from talking to satan or eating the fruit that was off limits? If He had, would she have had free will? Nope… He would have overridden His own law by stopping her free will.
So, why do terrible things happen in the world? Because you and I, as well as all the people who affect us, have free will.
This is why faith is important! When we have faith that He is a good God that loves us, we invite Him into our lives and circumstances and give Him permission to intervene on our behalf! It doesn’t mean we have life without pain or sickness, but it does mean that He will cause goodness to be the theme of our lives! That is faith that breeds unstoppable hope, resulting in incredible joy!
Let me go a bit deeper… I don’t just have faith in God… I TRUST God! I trust that He has good plans for me. I trust that He created me amazing. I trust that He loves my family more than I can imagine. I trust that He will never leave me or abandon me. I trust that His Word is true! I trust Him as a Father and Friend. There are times that my journey has been unbearable, yet I’ve come through on the other side! He has proven Himself to me over and over! What joy I have found in my faith! Hope rises up in me when I meditate on His goodness!
If you haven’t considered yourself a person of faith, this may have been a difficult read for you. I hope that you will explore the Word of God and ask Him to show up in your circumstances! I pray that you will encounter His goodness and come to know that He has been there all along, crying with you in the painful times, sharing your laughter, and celebrating your successes.
I would love to pray with you if you want to start your faith journey or need encouragement in it. Drop me a comment with your email and I will connect with you!
Live loved,
1Lyrics from Goodness of God, Bethel Music, Written by Jenn Johnson / Ed Cash / Jason Ingram / Ben Fielding / Brian Johnson
2Where is God When it Hurts? Philip Yancey, When Bad Things Happen to Good People by Harold S. Kushner are two books you can explore.
