Category Archives: Hope

Prophetically Speaking, Your Time is NOW!

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Well, (Gulp!) here I go: I will be (attempting ) Live Streaming tomorrow as I preach at a Multi Cultural, Multi Lingual Church in Upstate NY- and I will be preaching in Spanish AND English for the first time, and then getting translated into CREOLE!! This is a momentous occasion, for many reasons. And one of the reasons has to do with Something spoken to me in my Past, having to do with my Future, which Today is about to happen! If that sounds a bit confusing, welcome to the world of the prophetic.

First, I share this turning point in my life both boldly and humbly at the same time- because I am not proficient in Spanish at all. I’d say I have a conversational ease in Spanish of a toddler lol. It’s been years since I’ve spoken it as a second language when I studied in Spain. And even then I struggled with the pronunciation and the somewhat awkward lisping dialect. But with the help of my son and some great tools online for translation, I figured out how to fully translate my sermon and am ready to preach it in this multi cultural setting.

An International Speaking Ministry??

Years ago I had several different people come up to me and prophetically give me words about being a spokesperson for the Lord and an International Speaker. At that time I was mainly teaching Women’s Bible Studies and speaking at Women’s Retreats. The audience was sometimes a bit multi cultural but at no time did I venture into teaching or preaching in any language other than English. There was nothing “international” about those events I did.

But I began to realize, over the years that I’ve done mainly speaking at Churches and Retreats in the Northeast, that I don’t have to passively wait till that prophetic word comes to pass. That maybe God wants me to participate proactively in seeing that word come to pass. That maybe we need to call forth the dreams we’ve had from God and start stepping into them- as awkwardly and bumbling as we may be attempting to do.

START SMALL…BUT DON’T STAY SILENT

I’m sharing this scary adventure to encourage anyone wanting to step out in Faith and do something for the Name of Jesus and for the millions of people that He loves and wants to reach. He wants to reach them where they are, in their language they understand.

And I want to do my part – even if I’m fumbling and misspronouncing words- because I’ve got a Savior who sees my heart, and cares about my motive more than He cares about my method. He also cares about His Word and His Words, being fulfilled in our lives.

Prophetically, it’s a miracle the way God works it out and causes something spoken long ago to come to pass. But prophetic words also require an act of faith on our part, our cooperation, our voice, and even our footsteps – as we walk into the unknown, ready to partner with God in doing surprising and scary and yet effective missions of love, all for the glory of God.

Thoughts of Peace.. When You Have None of Your Own

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I’ve never been one for sending “good thoughts” to someone who is in crisis. You ‘ve seen the comments on a Social Media Post where someone is sharing their devastating situation they’re in and well intentioned subscribers are commenting “sending positive thoughts your way!” When you’re in the throes of a major crisis, “religious” or not, you want powerful prayers sent up on your behalf, not mere fluffy good thoughts.

Our Nation is in deep turmoil and breakdown. You may be in a crisis of some sort yourself. But I would propose ironically, that you DO need though, not only prayers sent up on your behalf, but you also need some stabilizing and prophetic THOUGHTS OF PEACE when you have none of your own.

Thoughts- as in the kind of thoughts that God thinks towards you, expressed in Jeremiah 29:11:

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.“

There’s an awful lot of demonic and evil thinking that’s going on in our Nation lately- and many are not sure where these downright evil thoughts and agendas are coming from. Evil thoughts lead to evil plans which leads to a host of evil plans or an “agenda”. Freedoms have been trampled on, protective borders have been broken through, food sources have been targeted and tainted, questions abound as to what’s safe, and on and on. That’s an obvious assessment of whats been happening these last couple years in our country, some would say.

But the next statement I’m going to make is not an obvious one: If you’ve never cared about, or desired to be in one, or if you never believed they even existed, you are now in a spiritual war. (And perhaps unwittingly in another kind of war as well. But we’re not addressing that in this post).

It’s a battlefield out there, every day. And in your home as well- if you’re reading or watching any kind of news sources and updates and factual reporting which has managed to get through to you. It’s an onslaught for your mind to take in. It’s affecting your spirit, your emotions, your physical well being. Every time you hear about another explosion or derailment or contamination or health scare or shut down of any sort, your mind is trying to take that all in, at the same time that you’ve got the job to somehow stay cool, calm, and collected.

What thoughts are running through your mind every time you hear or read of something frightening? For most of us, it’s: I can’t believe this is happening! What happened to our country? Who’s going to fix this? Can this be fixed? What’s really the truth behind this? and…How much worse is this going to get??

These obviously are NOT thoughts of peace. And I’m not going to propose you need to quickly and mindlessly recite some magic mantra of “Everything will be ok, Everything will be ok” .

There is NO Peace in just words themselves. BUT THERE IS PEACE AND POWER IN THE ONE WHO UTTERS THESE WORDS TO US!

And when God speaks about knowing the thoughts and plans that He is thinking towards us, we need to understand that whatever God thinks about and plans on, manifests and becomes real. His thoughts are intentional, they are directional, and they result and culminate in new life, new miracles, new hope, and new ways in the wilderness, and a way out of the wilderness.

Here’s we we get prophetic- as in speaking forth the truth, speaking what is true even when it doesn’t look true, speaking the words of God by faith even though our heart is racing. This is where we speak to that mountain and tell it to be moved, just as Jesus instructed:

 “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.” Matt 17:20

“But Lauren, Jesus said we have to speak to the mountain. What does that have to do with thoughts? ” you ask? You’re absolutely right- we need to speak to impossible situations with the authority God gives us.

BUT MORE THAN SPEAKING TO THAT MOUNTAIN, WE NEED TO HAVE THE RIGHT THOUGHTS ABOUT IT FIRST! Because the Bible tells us that out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth SPEAKS! What you’re thinking about, what you’ve stayed quiet about out of fear, what your heart is in turmoil about- all that leads to what will come out of your mouth…and what won’t come out of your mouth. Will you address that mountain before you or will you stay quiet and forfeit your authority to address it ?

Your words have power, yes, but your thoughts deep down inside are busy concluding things and rendering important decisions and convictions. This is the arena of Faith which gives unction to our prophetic declarations, proclamations and prayers. Simmer all day long on circuitous anxious and paralyzing thoughts and you’ll pray prayers of pleading and desperation. Its almost a form of mental torment to get caught in pleading and begging like that. God does not intend that for His children!

But stabilize your thoughts on what God says and promises, and bring those fears to Him, exchange those anxious thoughts for HIS thoughts on the matter, and receive from His Word your words of intercession and proclamations of peace that you have the right to utter- well then everything changes.

Some days I have no thoughts of peace , of my own. I can wake up and realize I’ve been battling anxious thoughts in my dreams and I wake up to more bad news in the world, and my own honest thoughts as I look with bleary eyes about me, are: This is bad. This is pure evil. Everywhere I look. If I stay with those thoughts, my actions and my prayers that day are going to be ineffective in helping to bring anything good or godly into my life, or my corner of the world.

But when I don’t have any powerful, life changing, thoughts of peace of my own, I turn to God. I say “Holy Spirit, what are you thinking here?” I want God to permeate not only my thoughts, but my thought patterns. I want my thoughts to be super charged by His Word and by the prophetic unction of Holy Spirit.

Then my thoughts will be not only thoughts of peace and shalom that I can bask in, just like David who had a feast prepared for him by God, in the presence of his enemies- but I can DO something with those thoughts! They will lead me into productive prayer. They will lead me into speaking supernatural peace over volatile situations, and these thoughts of mine bathed in His Word and His comforting presence, will cause me to speak out and speak up, to bind and to loose what is needed, and to speak to any mountain looming in front of me which tries to intimidate me.

“Move, Mountain!” I speak in Jesus name. And I mean what I’m thinking when I say this!

So have no fear. For fear shall not torment your thought life. I break that off in Jesus Name. I speak the Powerful Peace of God to you today. Take a moment to think about that. Bask in that thought of how much God loves you that He would send His Son Jesus to be the sacrifice for your sins. And that God continually prepares plans for good for you, for your life, because He’s thinking not only of you, He is thinking His powerful good thoughts towards you every day. That’s the overflow of His heart.

Receive that! In Jesus’ name.

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If You’re Feeling Empty

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Sometimes, the times when you feel the most alone, are the times when God is freeing you up of false support systems so that you can fully come to sense His presence, His power, His love for you, above all else.

This past year I’ve seen the truth of this in a whole new way. At first it felt rather bleak, when things, dreams, and people got whittled out of my life. Then it got quiet. Distractions were few. God was persistent in letting me know there are few people who genuinely have your back and also have the power to lead you forward anyhow, so He repeatedly hinted that it might be best for me to get used to this new cozy relationship He wanted to have with me. So I finally responded with, “Okay, let’s do this then, God.” I didn’t have much left to lose, and I wasn’t expecting a lot. Maybe a bit of insight or some needed wisdom.

But then God blew me away this past year, in how He Himself made up for every lost and every broken thing in my life. 

Maybe you’re at a point of loss right now. The closed doors you’ve experienced in relationships or opportunities have been devastating, and you might be wondering where God is, in all that.

That’s what happened to Naomi, in the book of Ruth. Widowed and grieving over the loss of her two sons, she finds herself returning to her home town, with one daughter in law who refuses to leave her side– a daughter in law named Ruth, who had suffered loss too, but had not lost faith in the God of Israel that she had come to trust in.

And when Naomi utters how broken she feels and how she thinks God’s hand has gone out against her, she was speaking that all the while that Love was leading her home to Bethlehem, house of bread– and the place where important, life changing, prophetic fulfillment was about to take place in her life. Where a great filling up was about to take place, and literally spill over in generations to come.

You may feel empty right now, but God wants you to know, He’s looking to FILL you up….to overflowing. You don’t even have to be able to see how God could do such a thing. You just need to know that He CAN and that He WILL. Just open your eyes, and open your heart to Him as well. You may be in a scarcity mindset, but God operates so opposite of that. He’s waiting for you to take just a step closer to Him, open your eyes a little wider,  and discover that He knows how to redeem every last and every lost thing in your life.

“Do you not perceive it?  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:19

Something beautiful is about to rise from the ashes of your past.

Because Your Redeemer LIVES.

 

A Message of Hope From the Manger

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The farmhouse is only half decorated.  We put up a lot of twinkle lights: on the fireplace mantel, sprawled across the buffet, outside on the front porch, and on the Christmas tree, but that’s the bulk of my decorating. Twinkling lights everywhere kind of make up for the lack of other decorations, in my mind. (Also a fire crackling in the fireplace. And hot cocoa in pretty mugs. That’s perfect decorating, right there.)

Oh, and I also got a wreath from Trader Joe’s and put it on the smokehouse outside (which everyone thinks is an outhouse building, when they first drive into the farm.) While we were at Trader Joe’s, the cashier saw my daughter and I in deliberation over a new brand of cookies. I wasn’t sure I wanted to get them.

He opened the canister and  said, “Go ahead, try them out first.” The two senior ladies checking out behind me heard the cashier’s words and came over to peek at the cookies. I motioned them to join in and we had an impromptu tea party, right then and there, courtesy of Trader Joe’s. Honestly, the generosity and cheerfulness of the place was so heart warming. My daughter and I walked out of there, wheeling our full cart, and singing “Joy to the World, the Lord has Come” at the top of our voice.

I so love Christmas. But I’m already eagerly anticipating New Year’s Day, the day of fresh beginnings and new resolutions.

It’s actually because of what we celebrate on Christmas Day, that I do look forward to what comes next. It’s not just the birth of the Savior, but His overcoming life He lived- and lives through us today- that we celebrate. And emulate.

And here’s His trajectory:

From the humble manger—> to influencing the whole wide world.

So don’t despise the day of small beginnings, Zachary 4:10 tells us. You can add to that,  Don’t despise the day of:

  • humble beginnings
  • insignificant beginnings
  • troubled beginnings

Do you know the opposite of the word despise? It’s

Those are all the words we need to apply to our humble beginning, our shaky start we made to any dream we felt called to. And it’s never too late to get back in the saddle of any dream we had set aside, out of discouragement, and start moving forward with it again.

If we don’t despise Jesus’ birth in the lowly manger (but instead we respect and cherish that scene), then we shouldn’t despise ourselves or our own humble, meager beginning…of anything.

That start of your dream? That shaky beginning you made when you went back to school? That relationship you wanted to build on the solid ground of integrity and love? Don’t despise it. Don’t disparage yourself or hang your head down in shame. Don’t kick yourself, or let anyone else kick you, if you’re down or not on track– because you’re not out of the running, friend. It’s not too late.

It’s time to accept your past, cherish that dream you have, that calling to help and give back, that desire to love again. And respect yourself, your humble beginning; and respect the process that is at work.

We go from strength to strength, Scripture tells us. From the manger, then out to impact a whole wide world.

I’ve got a big dream– with a humble, seemingly insignificant beginning. And you do too.

Pick that broken dream back up and get on with what you know you want your life to be about.  Forget how much you stumbled about in the beginning, how you missed connections or lost your way.

Move forward with God leading you, from the place of the manger scene, and out to the whole wide world.

Post Mountain Top Pep Talk on FEAR & ANXIETY

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If you’ve recently made a breakthrough in your life, but now you’re struggling with fear or anxiety, I’ve got a pep talk for you that will cause you to stand up straight and march on!

I’ve recently spoken at 2 Women’s Retreats here in the Northeast and I can tell you that the women in this region are still strong, still kicking, and that we don’t go down without a fight. And that even if we go down, we come back up …because

NOTHING CAN KEEP YOU DOWN!

Sometimes after you’ve heard an invigorating talk and you’re ready to implement some new strategies in your life or determined to break an unhealthy pattern in your life, you get all fired up…only to get cooled down by criticism or naysayers, problems that balloon into obstacles, or just that old enemy of your soul who doesn’t want to see you break FREE.

So here is your Post Mountain Top Pep Talk, for any who need shoring up; for any who experienced a recent revelation and now things are a bit murky and gray:

  • You are not going back into a state of fear or anxiety. You’re done with that gripping attack on your mind, that lie that you are at risk, at a disadvantage, or that you are no match for the problems or challenges you face. That kind of feeling of panic comes from forgetting that not only is God for you, but He Will COME THROUGH FOR YOU EVERY TIME. Just remember, the way God comes through is never the way we thought He would. He’ll use a variety of interesting circumstances and people to reach out to us and pull us up to a place where we can stand on solid ground. When a scary situation occurs and your initial reaction is complete fear, remind yourself that God won’t drop you, and God won’t leave you. Remind yourself that the biggest battle is to keep your trust in HIM alone, so that your mind won’t become a playground for Anxiety and Panic to run about freely.
  • You’ve got a Sound Mind. The soundest of all minds respects God, experiences and knows His love day by day, trusts fully in Him, and can respond to Him in love- not out of fear or dread.  A sound Mind is clear, settled, and at rest. It’s at rest because it is set on God’s unlimited power and on the truth of God’s pure motives towards you– He wants you to be at peace. So accept the peace. Embrace it. Because what you dwell on is going to become more real to you!
  • When you go through the Valley of Disaster, just remember you are not going to live there permanently. You are just traveling THROUGH it.  And that you are going through it with God at your side. And He’s out in front. And He’s behind you as well. You’re covered. He’s like a Seal Team x 7. What’s more, He can work all things together for good, and can transform your trouble into a time of Hope. And Hope is not a light feathery thing– it’s an anchor for your soul!! 1 Corinthians 13 tells us that the alpha team of Faith, Hope and Love outlast anything.
  • Lastly, if you’re going to have an expectation of anything, which is a type of faith, have an expectation that GOOD is ahead. Have godly convictions that line up with God’s Word. Jer 29:11 says He has good plans for us. So we should learn to expect good from God and not dread what’s ahead! Dreading things is looking forward but only “seeing” bad things coming down the road. When you dread the future, you are anticipating and expecting negative things and literally experiencing the fear of them happening– before they’ve happened. Proverbs 11:23 tells us that the expectation or the hope of the righteous is only good! Dreading is a type of reverse Faith. Hebrews 11:1 tells us that we should have our Faith (confident assurance) in God and have the certainty that what we are hoping for is waiting for us. Is God’s good plan waiting for you– or is it a life of misery and hopelessness waiting for you? 

Let me shout out the answer to that last question: Nothing but God’s good plan is waiting for you. His peace, his path of abundant resources and abundant grace, are in His hands and those hands are stretched out to you today.

He’s saying, “I’m a Big God. I’m bigger than your fears. My heart is bigger than the heart of those who want to bring you down. My plan for your life is bigger than the plan you would have for your life. And my plan is for your GOOD. So, yes, I’m a Big God, a capable God, a powerful God. But I’m a Loving God too. Merciful and Compassionate and Strong and Wise. I’m telling you, you’re safe, with Me.”

As the song goes, He’s the God on the mountain, and the God in any valley you might walk through. I’ve found Him to be completely trustworthy. And because of that, I’m finding myself….Fearless and FREE.

Come join me on this journey.

The Secret To A Stable Family Foundation

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Want to know the Secret to having a Stable Healthy Family? It takes more than Love!

In the healthiest of families, there are certain spiritual elements at work helping to create a functional environment of warmth, connection and joy. Obviously, love is the foundational principle of every family. But if love is the foundation and you don’t build any walls or put a roof on your house, you’ll be exposed to the elements and your family won’t be warm, safe and secure.

1 Corinthians 13 is known as the Love chapter, but it ends with this powerful truth: “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.” Besides love, faith and hope are instrumental in bringing daily encouragement and perspective to your family.

The Spiritual Temperature Of Your Family: Faith

Faith is seen in a family that has rock-solid convictions. And while you cannot force your children to believe in God, you, as the parents, can demonstrate what real faith is.

Having faith in God does not mean you don’t battle doubts, experience stress or always behave perfectly. But if the parents set the tone in the family and show what faith in action looks like, you will see your children respond. This kind of faith is contagious and emboldening.

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”  —Hebrews 11:1

Radical faith is not doing crazy things, but actually staying sane and solid in Christ in a crazy world. If you maintain the spiritual temperature in your home at the setting of faith, your kids will be able to question out loud, expressing their doubts and feelings, and you as the parent will have the opportunity to open Scripture and talk about their concerns, showing your resilient faith in a God who never changes. There will be a growing confidence in your family as a result of growing faith.

The Anchor Of Your Family: Hope

Most family members know all about the anticipation of presents on key celebrations such as birthdays and Christmas. Everyone looks forward to that. But that same anticipation of God is a key element of hope.

When we are hopeful, we learn to anticipate God’s work in our family. Especially during trying seasons of stress, teenage turbulence or health scares, it’s important to maintain this attitude of hope. When your hope is in the Lord as a family unit, you will take turns encouraging each other through the trying times.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”  —1 Peter 1:3

Every family benefits from knowing their foundation is solid and lasting. Be hopeful always in the Lord. Have faith in God and your confidence as a family will grow. Love will be the foundation that stands the test of time.

You can build your family on these timeless truths and celebrate them daily as a family that will not fail.

 

Read more articles at Believe at Christian Mingle

This Is My Story: The Power Of Your Testimony!

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Many Christians have had the blessing of being raised in godly, loving homes with plenty of Sunday school and church meetings. Their lives can look nicely packaged and clean, while yours, as a new believer with a rough background, looks like you’ve come from a war zone. But never underestimate the power of your story, no matter how much you’ve had to overcome.

Your testimony is all about the tests you’ve gone through and the faithfulness of God to bring you through them. It’s not just about what you’ve had to overcome, but how God entered into your story. What God did for you, He will do for others. And it’s time to share your story.

Don’t Be Ashamed Of Your Past

No matter how painful or dysfunctional your past is, remember that all of us can say, “There, but for the grace of God, go I.” If you have pretty serious “offenses” in your past, they are not any better or worse than the sins and mistakes of anyone else’s past in the eyes of God.

The Bible tells us that we all have come short of the glory of God. But likewise, we all have received grace upon grace from Him. Lift up your eyes when you share your testimony of where you come from, knowing that God redeems every one of our lives from the pit. Never be ashamed of the power of God’s provision to take a painful past and give it a promising future. That’s your testimony and you’re sticking to it.

Don’t Share Every Detail

Be discreet with certain details of your story, as they would affect others involved in your past or as it might affect you in your future. This may seem like I’m negating what I shared in point #1. But there is a wisdom and a timing in sharing graphic and troubling scenes from your past.

Know that there’s a price to pay with your testimony once you go public. Are you ready to start talking about certain painful turning points in your life? How will your sharing of these stories affect any others who were part of your past? Is sharing specific details of your past even necessary? If you’re not comfortable getting into specifics, you can discreetly share things in whatever measure of candidness you feel is appropriate.

Look For Those Who Need Your Story

Of course, you are not ashamed of what God has done in your life. And we all have a testimony of sorts, because we all have a yesterday when we were not what we are today, because of the grace of God. But being willing to share your testimony also can involve being willing to get before certain segments of the population that specifically could benefit from your story of His intervention in your life.

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More Than Chills and Signs: How To Experience God’s Presence

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Here’s the good news for those of you who have gotten frustrated in your walk with God because you don’t feel you are disciplined enough: growing in your faith is not just about discipline.

I’ve spent over 40 years pursuing a relationship with God that certainly involved what some call the main “spiritual disciplines” of prayer, Bible study, accountability and fellowship. There’s no doubt that these are crucial for a healthy walk with the Lord. But as I look back on some key turning points in my spiritual walk, there were definitely times when I was just spiritually needy and emotionally desperate – and I experienced God’s life-changing powerful presence.

More than giving us chills and supernatural signs, God wants to meet our deepest emotional needs in an encounter with Him. While you can’t build your faith on feelings alone, they nonetheless are part of experiencing God’s presence. Emotional hunger and honest expression of your feelings can ignite a wave of spiritual renewal.

Be Hungry For God

Be open to God “showing up” in times when you desperately need Him.

I remember one pivotal moment in my life when this occurred. I was coming home from my junior year of study abroad in Spain. It had been a long year, exciting but also lonely, and I had battled anxiety and anorexia. I was feeling very vulnerable as I sat in the airport in Madrid, hungrily reading a devotional my mother had sent me.

The airport speakers were broadcasting all these songs in Spanish and I was reading my devotional in English when all of a sudden something amazing occurred: just as I was reading the words about how God is like a bridge over troubled waters, the American song “Bridge Over Troubled Waters” breaks through the loudspeakers.

I raised my eyes to the speakers, incredulous that God was speaking to me in literally my own language! I heard the message loud and clear that God was saying: “Lauren, I am with you, everywhere, and always.” Tears streamed down, and joy and hope welled up in me. I can remember and actually “feel” that experience, even to this day.

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(Continue reading this article at Christian Mingle Believe)