My Face is Hot

I don't know if I've ever been more passionate about a blog post as I am about this one. I understand, this may be lengthy for some, but I encourage you to grab some coffee or tea and take time for us to sit together and have a little cyber chat! God is calling you! If none of the following personally applies to you, you will be able to use it to free others!

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (Matthew 6:33, NKJV)

What are "all these things"? Everything you will ever need, according to His riches in Heaven! (Philippians 4:19)

I consistently find it almost comical when someone makes the following comments to me:

• "I don't go to church because churches are full of hypocrites." 
• "I left that church because the pastor thought he was better than me and never invited me to his/her house."
• "I quit church altogether because usher So-n-So never let me hang out with her cool group." 
• "Oh I'm going to church, no one will ever stop me! But while I'm there, I am NOT talking to x, y, and z, because I saw on their Instagram where they went to the spa and did not invite me!" (Ok, okay, I totally made that last one up.)

Or when someone uses Facebook to gig another person by making posts such as:

• "No wonder people don't go to church given the way the church treats people.” 
• Or pastors/pastor's kids/worship team leaders/Sunday school teachers, etc, etc, etc, gouge people by posting all the troubles and woes of being a servant of the church and how no one "outside the ministry" understands except those inside the ministry.

In my above statement, I referred to these things as "almost comical”. Because it would be comical if it weren't so true.

I thank God for my "off beat" sense of humor. I use to try and hide it. I use to try to be like "Sister Mary Perfectness" and have a perfect soft voice, perfect facial expressions, and always perfectly say…in a singy songy voice, “God bless you", with a perfect fake smile plastered on my face. Yuk. Yuk. Yuk.

But one day, God delivered me from all that. It was spoken over me, “You are different. I made you different. I made you different by my own design.” And then, in my Bible, I found out, I am what I am by the grace of God (1 Corinthians 15:0) and laughter is good like a medicine (Proverbs 17:22). After all that, it was, “Katy! Bar the door!"

Talk about "let my people go”!  

Talk about “FREEDOM"! 

Thank you Mel Gibson and Braveheart! 

I want all ya’ll to stand up. 
Stand up…yes, that means you. 
Now…say, no….shout….I AM FREE! 

I AM FREE! 

I AM WHAT I AM 

BY THE GRACE OF GOD! 

I AM FREE TO BE EVERYTHING GOD HAS CALLED ME TO BE!

I AM FREE FROM MYSELF!

If we were in a conference, I’d make us all paint up our faces like Mel Gibson Braveheart style, run around the room (or maybe the whole town), and shout, “I AM FREE!!!” 

OH…trust me, 

YES, I most certainly would!

I can already tell, some of you are snickering and some are scoffing, saying….”Well, I don’t DO stuff like that…I……am, more like...the quiet type.” Well, I know people well enough to know, if I were in a room with all of you and said, “I will give the top ten loudest people in here a thousand dollars each…suffice it to say, you’d all the sudden, get loud! C’on, free yourself. If the Son sets you free, you are free indeed!

Shortly after learning about who God created me to be, I soon learned, God’s grace mixes with His gift in me (that whole off beat sense of humor thing I was talking about) and "allows me” the ear of people from many different walks of life. God protects me by using that sense of humor to make people laugh so I can tell them what is on His heart and so they can hear, instead of getting mad and beating me up. 

Alright, all that said... 

People have told me, “Church people shouldn’t act that way, they KNOW better.” My response is, "Hey, we’ve all known better and done things we shouldn’t have done. Who are you trying to fool?"

When people tell me, "I don't go to church because churches are full of hypocrites." My response is, "Oh, ok, but you go to the bar every weekend because there are no hypocrites there and because people at the bars treat people any better than people in the church?” 

I’ve been told, "I quit church altogether because Greeter So-n-So never let me hang out with her cool group." Hey, we all get left out of fun stuff. First, thank God for deliverance, because the spa day (or whatever day) may not be as much fun as it appears. Secondly, maybe the spa wasn’t your assignment for the day. Today, Joel Osteen posted on his Facebook…"God puts people in our path on purpose so we can be a blessing to them. Every morning we should say, “God, show me my assignment today.” Were you hot and bothered about not being at the spa and missed your assignment? Boom. Maybe your assignment was to minister to God, maybe He misses you and wants to commune with you and the only way for Him to do that is to lock down your social calendar. Just a thought.

Moving right along. When people “in the ministry” want to discuss all their troubles and woes of being a servant of the church and how no one "outside the ministry" understands except those inside the ministry…my response is…”Oh come on! Do you people really sit around and tell each other this stuff? And Hebrews 4:15”

Others have told me, “I don’t go to church because there are just no miracles like there were when I was a kid.” To that I say, then you are missing it because “we” do see miracles today! Blind eyes see, deaf ears hear, finances supernaturally multiply! I personally (while being under the invitation of a pastor to photograph his miracle service) was on stage and witnessed a little 10 year old girl (literally two feet away from me) who was deaf from birth who didn't have a hole in her ear, supernaturally, get a hole in her ear and hear for the first time in her life! And tears ran down her beautiful little face…and tears ran down my face too. She could hear the pastor whisper from standing behind her!  I've personally witnessed a man, who could hardly walk with a cane, throw away said cane, and run back and forth across the platform. Some of us are "getting it”. What are we “getting”? The powerful force of walking in love! Do not get left behind! Are we perfect in it? Nope. But we are getting it!

Honestly, it doesn’t matter what people say/do. I mean, it does and feelings get hurt. What I am trying to say is, regardless of the situation du jour, Jesus already told us, “offense will come”. So, please bear with me, (and pray for me, because my face is hot right now) as I say, "Let us all just grow up and be about the Father's business.” (Luke 2:49, Ephesians 5:1, 10:30) If we love him, we will keep his commands! (John 14:23), we will not forsake the assembly (Hebrews 10:25), and we will love one another (John 15:12)!

We are commanded to "seek FIRST HIS kingdom” (Matthew 6:33) and there's really good reason for that! We are always seeking something. If we are not seeking His kingdom first, we are seeking our kingdom first and our kingdom changes with the waves of the wind and will get us tossed all over the place! (Ephesians 4:14) Who wants that??

We really have to grow up and stop all the poor excuses. We have to force the issue with ourselves and put the rubber to the road. So…tomorrow, let’s just get up, go to church, and love one another. Let’s ask not what God and the church can do for us but what we can do for God and the church! Thank you Mr. Kennedy. 

Mr. Rodney King once said, “Can't we all just get along?" I couple that with, “Can't we all just get real, grow up, and do what God has called us to do?” At minimum, we are called to love!

A lot of us stand in church buildings across the globe and we "call forth" full church houses from the north, south, east and west. We call forth revival in our land. We call for our country to repent and turn from wicked ways. We all want the glory. We all call forth the glory. Please pay close attention when I say, Dude. The glory abides in our love for one another.” You want the glory? Then love. When we love, glory (and everything else good, healing/wholeness/prosperity/miracles) are present!

There comes a time to grow up. I love babies. I am all about the babies. But what justice would I do, what honor and glory would I give to my Father, if I created spiritual cripples who couldn't "wipe their own noses" after 20 years of pew warming? My role as a parent, biological and otherwise, is to "work myself out of a job”. To "train up a child” (biological and otherwise) in such a way, they crawl, walk, and then run-run-run their own race! I never stop mentoring but I most definitely stop diapering.    

Listen, people are led to leave churches, I get that. People get saved in a church, grow up and step out into their own ministries. I understand that. The church experiences divorce. People get divorced and one party is "granted sole custody" of the current church in the decree. I get that. There is a church for everybody and everybody for a church. That is not what I'm referring to. What I am referring to is, if you leave a church, you best be making sure God is the one moving you and insure it is not your flesh that is moving you. Otherwise it could be catastrophic, for you. As well as those who may be caused to stumble. (Luke 17:1) 

God has a perfect plan for our lives (Jeremiah 29:11); however, the devil has an evil plan for our lives. The devil wants to kill us (John 10:10). If he can’t kill us “in the natural”, he's just as happy to kill God’s perfect plan for our lives. Bro Terry Mize recently said, “It matters where you go to church.” And that is hardcore factual statement.  It matters to be in the church God has called us to. 

So, if you've left a church because your flesh told you to, I encourage you today, go back and clean up the mess. *Whiny voice alert* "But everyone there is mad at me." Big woo. This isn't about everyone. This is about you and doing what you Father has called you to do where He called you to do it. This is about obedience.

"Coming in for a landing.” If someone comes to you with a situation, if you can't turn them to the Word of God, please...don’t turn them anywhere. Immediately stop the conversation and refer them to their pastor or someone who you know will give them godly counsel. Because the moment, we cannot turn someone and counsel them with the Word of God, we just became unqualified to counsel them.

My middle child just told me, “If every pork chop were perfect, we wouldn’t have hotdogs.” As much as I dislike hot dogs, that statement will preach.

Thank God we (church folk and otherwise) are not called to be perfect; otherwise, I would never "make it".  If we were all perfect in our love walk, no one would have a need for our perfect God. All would turn to those who are perfect, living by sight and not by faith positioning ourselves to be unpleasing to God. (Hebrews 11:6) 

Sometimes, there is a very fine line between those "in the church" and those "out". True "we" are in this world but not of it; however, "we" ALL are progressing through it, from glory to glory. Becoming more and more like Him, PRAISE GOD! (2 Corinthians 3:18) Let us be known as a people who push and pull each other and not a people who trample one another. 

Start right now. Make a plan to go to church tomorrow with a clean slate, completely independent of what everyone else says and does, including those in your household. Living afflicted with the speck and the plank syndrome will only keep you sick. (Matthew 7:3-5) We must continue to be transformed, continue renewing our minds, and keep no record of wrongs. (Romans 12:2, 1 Corinthians 13:5) And most importantly, love. (John 13:34) 

God please forgive me for all the times I've played a part in the above goofy, irresponsible, petty, whiny junk. Thank You for leading me to Light. Thank You for teaching me, love is truly always, always the answer. Thank You for changing me, glory to glory, and making me more like Jesus every day! I pray a supernatural revelation for each and every reader right now, I thank You in advance for repentance, change, forgiveness, and for making us more and more like Jesus as we further and further submit our spirits to Your Holy Spirit, all for Your glory!

Big Doofuss!

Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. (Matthew 18:21, NKJV)

Last week, Mike and I planned an interisland trip, partly business, partly leisure. We scheduled our sitter who just happens to be the best sitter in the world, thank you Julie, we love and appreciate you! Everything was all set and ready to roll and we were so excited.

We had an early plane to catch and had a lot to get done before we left for the day so our house was buzzing. It was crunch time and right before I walked out the door, Mike made a negative comment under his breath, which by the way is one of my hugest pet peeves…ever. If he is going to say something, I say belt it from the rooftop! Well, not from the rooftop, but I’m sure you get the idea.

I took a slow…deep…breath, determined to ignore what he mumbled, and determined to overcome the temptation to scream, “WHAT DID YOU SAY?!” I was home free...almost…when all of the sudden my middle child decided to loudly proclaim what he said!

That's about the time I heard Pastor Larry in my head repeatedly saying, "Choose not to be offended. Choose not to be offended. CHOOOOOSE NOT TO BE OFFENDED." I wanted to scream, "SHUT UP PASTOR LARRY!" But I couldn't because that would be like telling my dad to shut up and I just can't do that no matter how loud my flesh screams!

I remained silent. No, despite popular belief, that is not an impossibility. We were driving down the road and I quietly tried to put on my bracelet which it is a tiny bit too short so I generally ask Mike to help me. But this day, I was determined to do it by myself! He saw me struggling and calmly said, "Do you want me to help you with that?" I softly answered, "No" but he knew what I was thinking. I was thinking, "No! I never want you to help me with anything, ever again!"

That's about the time, I…again…heard Pastor Larry repeatedly saying, "Choose not to be offended. Choose not to be offended. CHOOOOOSE NOT TO BE OFFENDED." Please refer to the previous “Pastor Larry” paragraph.

As we quietly drove down the road and this mental war waged, Mike finally said, "Your eyes are so beautiful, sometimes you remind me of an Egyptian Queen." At which time I wanted to roll my eyes in the back of my head and scream, "OH SHUT UP YOU BIG DOOFUSS!" And, for good measure, also add scriptural reasons why a “compliment” of comparing my eyes to an Egyptian queen’s eyes were totally unbiblical! I didn’t know how, but for a split second I was going to use my phone to research the subject and prove my point!

But...alas…I didn't…for many reasons.

One of which, even though he used bad judgement and made a mistake…he is still the authority placed in my life…by God. I believe God called him to be my husband, this includes imperfections. God didn't give me a "mistake loophole". God has never told me, "Mike is your authority as long as he never makes a mistake." As a result, the way I respond to Mike is between me and God. Mike is affected by how I treat him; however, I answer to God for how I treat him. I chose life over death. (Deuteronomy 30:19)

Secondly, I didn’t want my girls to see me respond to their father (the authority God placed in their life) with disrespect.

So...I purposefully laughed...I laughed really hard! Then he laughed! Then my girls laughed!
(Nehemiah 8:10, Ecclesiastes 3:1,4, Proverbs 15:15, Proverbs 17:22)

See, I had two choices.

1. Break the Cycle of Offense (or)
2. Continue the Cycle of Offense

“you must make the decision that regardless of how you feel, you are not going to be offended”, Dr. Larry Ollison, Breaking the Cycle of Offense (www.faithman.org)

I felt like smacking him...but, I’ve read the book…twice. I continue to refer back to it when needed. Personally, I believe there should be an app for that! The book is life changing when the principles are applied.

• Get it.
• Read it.
• Apply it.

You will be glad you did!

What is Your Good Report for Today?

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8, NLT)

We are so excited to be gearing up for our next giveaway! Other than the Bible, there is one book that completely changes my life. Please notice, I said, "changes" because I keep re-reading it! 

Breaking the Cycle of Offense by Dr. Larry Ollison. 

You can check out the details at this link. 

http://www.walkonthewaterbooks.com/wowbooks/index.php?l=product_detail&p=2

Since this life changing book is one of my all time favorites, we are giving away a signed copy in the month of October! 

In order to participate in our free drawing, all you have to do is post a good report on our Facebook page and then "share" your post from Whatsoever Things are of Good Report's wall from now until September 30th. Please use this link to find our Facebook Wall.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Whatsoever-Things-are-of-Good-Report/123471901011836

Each "good report post" and "share" gets another entry in the drawing. Only one post (entry) per day is accepted. Please help us increase our likes and share this post! 

We will announce our winner on Oct 1st!  

What is your good report for today?

Freedom Impact Statement

Just believe. (Luke 8:50)

A very dear friend just told me about an experience she had with God. During study and prayer time, she surrendered herself to God and told Him she would do anything He wanted her to do. She explained how she could physically feel His anointing by means of heat and tingling come on her hands, feet, and in her mouth. God had a word for her through me, she will go places for Him, touch people for Him, and say things for Him. 

She is very excited about her experience but explained she couldn't share the experience with "just anyone" because sometimes others cannot believe what she feels physically. 

Jennie Crowell, one of my instructors at Life Christian Universities and one of my closest friends, taught on this subject during one of my LCU classes. She explained, we are not in a position to refuse to believe someone else's experience with God, we were not there. And "it is a very good idea to protect that anointing and that precious intimate experience with God".

Just because some can't believe an experience doesn't make the experience any less true. Are we to say how our Heavenly Father moves on or through someone else? Does He communicate with each of us using the same technique every time? 

Do we as parents communicate with our children in the same manner every time? Or, do we spend enough time with each of them to communicate in a way that is most effective to them as an individual? Do we minister to them individually, communicating in such a way to effectively reach them as individuals? How much more does God, our perfect Father, communicate with each of us as individuals?

God has blessed me with three phenomenal girls. I have been stretched by parenthood having to learn many ways to relate to them that ministers to them. I communicate with one through words of affirmation, another through quality time, and another through physical touch. Thank you Dr. Gary Chapman and The 5 Love Languages.

We must not be so wrapped up in our own understanding of how God communicates with others or we could miss an opportunity to be ministered to or minister to others. Had I totally closed off my mind to the experience my friend told me, I would have missed God's opportunity to speak through me to her. If I decide, based on her experience, she's too far out there for me and then God wants to use her to bless me, it may be very difficult for me to receive from her. Solely based on my own limitations and through a self imposed filter. 

Here is what I call my, "Freedom Impact Statement". No one is 100% completely correct 100% of the time, except Him. In some cases, we have to be as smart as a cow, eat the hay, and spit out the sticks. But we canot be so concerned with the sticks that we miss out on the hay. 

We cannot become so familiar with someone, seeing them in the "natural" and all their quirks...hey, we all got 'em...or what we perceive as quirks in them...that we cheat ourselves out of a blessing. For example, Dr. Larry Ollison once taught on a husband's authority in the home. Just because a husband may have left his dirty clothes on the floor does not dilute the authority and anointing placed in and on him by God. 

This may seem irrelevant but it is pertinent. My friend surrendered herself to God and received direction. While some beg God and receive no direction. As a child of God, we are not begging God to move on our behalf. (1 John 1:12, 13) He has already blessed us with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3). He offered up His own Son. (Romans 8:32) After offering up His own Son, there is nothing else to withhold. He freely gives us all things. 

Just believe. 

Light Be!

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” {1 Peter 2:9}

In 2010, I was given a gift from Pastor Melissa Harris. It was her book, Streams of Living Color: The Light of His Glory. Some of us are a little slower than others, and it takes a bit longer for information to sink in. I had read the book. I enjoyed the book. I did what she recommended in the book. 1 Samuel 15:22 speaks of obedience. There have been so many times in my life when I have been blessed because of obedience…even when I didn’t truly understand why I was doing what I was doing. I highly suggest obedience to godly counsel, even if your brain (soul) is not completely wrapped around what you are doing.

In Streams of Living Color, she writes about speaking “Light be” into situations. From her book, I gained the knowledge that speaking “Light be” meant more than what was apparent on a surface level...and more than I could wrap my head around at the time. Even so, I was obedient in speaking “Light be” into situations as she suggested in her book...although my head had not caught up with my heart.

Fast forward to almost a year later. I was sitting in a church service where the pastor was preaching a message that should’ve brought the house down. The message was great. He was preaching with great passion. And something hit me. I wasn’t able to respond as I should have responded, because I didn’t “get” what the pastor was attempting to relay to us. It occurred to me the pastor was preaching the message from the place of experience with God! I didn’t know what "it" meant exactly, but I wanted “it” because I could tell by the pastor’s passion in preaching the message, the pastor had “it.” I prayed, “Oh God, my Father, please bring me to the place where I understand the pastor’s "passion.” 

Less than a month later, on August 14, 2011 (3 days after Pastor Melissa's birthday)- after close to a year of  confessing and speaking and declaring, “Light be!”…Light came into in my life! Light went from head knowledge to heart knowledge and now Light IS!

That Sunday morning, we had almost made it to church on time, praise the LORD! On the way to church, my husband and I had shared some “intense fellowship” in the car. My youngest had thrown a tantrum in the parking lot because I refused to give her gum…after previously using ice and my finger nail to scrape her gum off my new car seat just a few weeks before. I found myself thinking what I had thought so many times before. Why did I even come to church today?

Yet, there I was in worship service, trying to shake off the events of my morning and having a really hard time doing it. My youngest was still pouting over my refusal to allow her to chew gum. I don’t even want to know what my countenance looked like to everyone around me! I just closed my eyes and tried to worship. My mind was in a battle flipping back and forth between what had happened that morning and where I was trying to “go” (worship). 

God brought to my remembrance the time years ago when I was walking with my kids and dog, and another dog didn’t like my dog being so close to his yard. The two began a dog fight…barking back and forth, but not going to do anything more than bark at one another. In that situation, God spoke to my heart and said “There will be many dog fights, but keep your focus on me.” Knowing that, I determined that I would worship no matter what. I closed my eyes and lifted my hands...and I felt a yank from one of my kids on one side. I shooed her away. I was determined to worship God! About three seconds later…the kid on my other side yanked on my clothes and I shooed her away, too. I figured that since we were in a church house full of people, someone in there could handle my kids, or they could just handle themselves long enough for me to praise my King!

In pressing through, God gave me a vision. At the time, I believed the vision was only for me. In it, I was walking in a dark tunnel on train tracks. At the end of the tunnel was Light. 

Not a light, The Light. 

In the vision, I started running to The Light. 

It wasn’t a small flashlight. 

It wasn’t a headlight from a train, like you would see in movies. 

It was The Light. 

His Marvelous Light! 

The Light that changes peoples lives, heals bodies, mends broken hearts, restores financial peace, breaks all bondage, and renews our vision to the point where we have more than we can ask or think! I ran toward The Light, and I was changed forever. 

At that point I remember sitting down in my seat. A woman in our congregation had a word from the Lord, and once she started speaking…it hit me, the vision is not just for me, but for The Church! I walked to the front of the sanctuary, thinking I was in control and composed, as I was most of the time. We were sitting in the back, you know…where we would be safe from any of the “stuff” that goes on at church sometimes. Don't get me wrong. We were always blessed when someone was set free and laughed or cried uncontrollably, or yielded to whatever God was doing with them. We just didn’t want any of “it” to spill over onto us. After all, like I was saying, I’m quiet and reserved and very controlled.

The truth was, to even lift my hands in service was like a total "free for all" in my head! When I reached the front, the Pastor handed me the microphone and everything was going well. He patted me on my shoulder and LIGHT BURST FORTH! I couldn’t even speak, I was frozen- and could feel myself falling on the pastor! My head was screaming, “Get off the pastor!” I squeaked, “I knew this was coming.” Earlier that week, a friend had just spoken over me that God was going to touch me as He never had before. 

I said, “Wooooooooooo.” He answered, “Woo is right.” When he said that, I burst into laughter that exceeded any laugh I'd had before. Okay, I’ve seen people laugh uncontrollably and be “drunk in the Spirit.” And I had decided that whatever God wants to do with them…that’s fine, but that’s just not for me. Ha ha ha! I laughed and I laughed and I laughed. Then his wife touched me, and in retrospect, she was probably trying to get me off her husband! (Of whom my husband later said, “You should’ve seen Pastor, he didn’t know what to do with you!”) I said, “Yeah, I didn’t know what to do with me either!” As soon as she touched me, it was as if electricity grabbed ahold of me and I shook. It felt like a convulsion. I’m not sure how long it lasted, it seemed like maybe 3 or 4 seconds, then it stopped and I told them of the vision I'd had.

Once I told the vision, I opened my eyes and looked out among the congregation and I could see from some of their faces that they didn’t get it. They didn’t “get” the awesomeness of God's Light! The Spirit of God came over me, along with the feeling that I had to wake them up. I began to run back and forth, shouting, “Get up! Get up! It’s The Light! You gotta get IN The Light!” I still was fighting a battle in my head, thinking “Stop screaming at these people, most of which you don’t even know!” But as the Lord overshadowed me that day, people all over the church began to gladly receive what God had for them.

You see, when He calls you into HIS marvelously Beautiful Light, you won’t even care who thinks what about your behavior. When God sets you free from yourself, you are free indeed!