Snow White

Sometimes I think about my past and wonder if I made the right decisions or if I could have done things differently. These thoughts never lead me anywhere. Today I suddenly realized that I am asking the wrong question! It is like trying to play Poker when the game being played is Up and Down the River. The rules I am trying to play by don't apply at all to Life As God Intended It. He is playing a completely different ball game, in a different league called HOLY. And all He touches become holy.

My job is not to find out if I did right or wrong, but my job is to embrace my past and forgive myself, bring the grace of God to every situation, let Him embrace me in my brokenness, know that He loves me through all of it and keep myself in his love from now on. Because if I decide that I have done the right things - then I get prideful. And if I think I have failed - I loose heart. I need to know that I am accepted through everything and change my focus from myself and my achievements or failures and to God. It's not about me!

This applies to the way I think about other people as well. As human beings we tend to compare ourselves with others and compete with each other. We are constantly valuing and judging every action and behavior in ourselves and others. This might seem to be a good thing but is actually leading to death!

Just like Snow White ate the poisonous apple and fell dead down, we will die when we eat the fruit of judging ourselves or others. Nothing good comes out of it. Even though it might look beautiful, like Snow White, dead in her glass coffin, still stunningly beautiful, everything outwardly looking perfect, but without life.

The dwarfs that carried her coffin away stumbled on a rock in the road and the piece of apple, stuck in her throat, came flying out. The next moment Snow White sat up in the coffin, alive, and the prince was there kissing her.

This reminded me of the verse in the Bible (1 Cor 1:23) that says:

"we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles"

The cross of Christ is and always will be offensive - to our own flesh, our mind and rational thinking. We constantly need to turn around and humble ourselves and receive his love and goodness again. We cannot deserve or earn anything from God. He gives because He is good, not because of us. He gives us the kisses of His Spirit, right on our lips, so quick to criticize, like U2 is singing in their song Yahweh:

God is good

Bill Johnson, Redding, California, is one of the most brilliant teachers right now, and he puts it out there so clearly: God is good! Don't forget! He is absolutely good all the time. And He wants to heal! Are you able to believe it? Jesus was the exact representation of the Father. Is there any concept you have of God that you cannot substantiate or prove in the life of Crist? If there is - you need to change the way you think.

IHOP webstream

I have been enjoying watching the web stream from IHOP, the International House of Prayer, in Kansas City the last few days. God is on the move there in a mighty way! It started on November 11, when the Spirit took over a class at their university and the class continued for more than 15 hours. The word spread quickly, and over 2,000 people spontaneously gathered in the auditorium from all over the Kansas City area, as deliverance and physical healings increased. The meeting continued well past midnight. Recognizing that the Spirit was moving, the leadership of IHOPU canceled all classes for the next few days so that they could gather to receive all that the Spirit wanted to do.

Many people are being set free from addictions, shame, depression, and every sort of emotional pain. We are also witnessing an increase of physical healings, as God is touching and restoring bodies inside the building, as well as healing people watching via the webstream.

Watch for yourself (7 - 1pm Eastern time)

One little lady in the dirt

One little lady in the dirt
Loving children, loving God one day at a time

God said: "Stop and love"

And he also told me:
"Everything you do is holy unto me"

When I am holding a child it is holy, holy, holy

When I am walking...
When I am sweeping the floor it is holy

The Lord said:
“Let me in to everything”
Everything we do is for him!

I pray every waken moment of the day
It is like breathing to me
Praying and breathing are the same thing

Just abide in him
The more you abide in him
And you feel his love
And you let him show you who you are:

"You are not an orphan"

No one is an orphan
Then you start feeling this fullness
That comes from living inside his heart
and you are just happy

Heidi Baker, missionary in Mocambique, (5:22 - 6:52) in this amazing video clip:

Through heaven's eyes

God speaks well of us and he is actually honoring us. It can be very surprising sometimes, when we tend to focus on our mistakes and failures, and we believe that God will do the same thing, for sure. We know that he knows everything and will be able to pick up on bad things in us that we weren't even aware of. That might be true, but it is a gross misconception about the nature of God. He is not like that! He is not interested in pulling us down, but the opposite! He wants to lift us up! Like nobody else he can find something good and praiseworthy in the most broken vessel!

Think about Sarah in the Bible, Abraham's wife. She talks Abraham into "helping God" by producing an offspring with the servant girl, Hagar, (Gen 16:1-3). Later on, she is laughing when she hears the promise about having a son in her old age, and then she denies that she was laughing (Gen 18:10-15). And once Ishmael grows up she is filled with jealousy and makes Abraham send them off into the wilderness (Gen 21).

Now, to me, that is not what I spontaneously would call a great woman of faith. But to God, it is. He doesn't keep count of our shortcomings. In the famous 11th chapter of Hebrews where some of the great Heroes of Faith are listed, sure enough, Sarah is listed as one of them. (Hebrews 11:11)

God certainly does not see as man sees,

for man looks on the outward appearance,
but the Lord looks on the heart.

1 Sam 16:7


We need to learn to have a heavenly perspective as well!

When I feel like "I have done nothing in my life worth honoring", God might call me a "brave young woman". When I feel like I cannot take part in the party of life because "I am not worthy" and "I don't know how to dance", God will make sure to send people into my life to invite me in over and over and he will tell me: "You must learn to join the dance".


This video clip from the Prince of Egypt illustrates it all beautifully.
The priest Jethro in this video is just like I am imagining Father God, right now: big, huggable, loud but gentle, dancing with his children, inviting us to the party.