The Spacious Room: Recent Episodes
wendy parker
Join me, Wendy Parker in The Spacious Room, where everything of God finds its proper place, in Him without crowding. Colossians 1:18-20
Have you ever shared a struggle with someone and while you're sharing you suddenly hear the words coming from your own lips are the lies you've been telling yourself? Lies. Hmmm, regardless how small they may seem, they tend to drip out of our mouths like a leaky tap. The fact that you've been happily doing your thing, minding your own business and keeping your head down, should give the enemy now room to start pestering you. And yet, he doesn't need much more than a sliver of a gap in your armour to get into your thinking that sends you spiralling down a rabbit hole of lies.
Where have the enemy's lies left you unravelled?
Don't miss today's episode, as I'm going to be bringing a helping of truth to dispel the lies you're telling yourself.
What have you started to rebuild but stopped the 'great work' out of fear and discouragement?
Plans and proposals aren't what gets the enemy rattled. All our 'I'm gonna do's...' and 'I'm planning to's...' are not enough for the enemy to raise even one of his eyebrows let alone break out in a cold sweat. However, when all his intimidation tactics don't succeed and nothing he does causes you to down tools, it renews your dedication and strengthens your hands. And when the enemy sees you rebuilding regardless, that's when he sits up and takes notice of your progress report.
Need a bit of resolute resolve? Then join me today in the Spacious Room!
We can develop a habit of hiding from others rather than a habit of hiding in God. But what happens when you've been singled out by God and He says, "This is the one" and after you've been anointed you feel left out, looked over, devalued, and discarded? What then?
Do you keep hiding, never finding the boldness and courage to step into your destiny?
Or, do you develop a habit of hiding in God while spending time hiding in the darkness of the caves?
David did. He developed a habit of hiding in God that helped him to step up and step into his destiny.
Do we stick with the strategic strategy of God in our prayers and wait on His perfect timing. or do we take matters into our own hands?
You see, the tempation comes when God promised to come to our rescue and He ends up being a no-show. It can be disappointing, to say the least. However, our lack of obedience is really a lack of trust in seeing God come through with a miracle. It's not that God isn't going to show up for us, He totally will, but it's when we find ourselves in the conundum of being between a rock and a hard place in the waiting, this is where we decide if we're going to trust God's timing for our miracle or take matters into our own hands. And, if we chose the latter, it can lead to our undoing.
Feel like you've missed the memo on your calling? Tired of getting distracted and confused as to where to go in the next phase of your journey? Perhaps it is because you've been too busy chasing donkeys.
Well don't worry, you're not alone. Before Saul became the first king of Israel, he was busy chasing donkeys. That was until he met the prophet, Samuel, and then everything changed.
Our posture is important to God. If our external posture has been bent out of shape becasue of all our try-hard, people-pleasing, performance-based striving, then perhaps an internal check up is needed. Transformation starts with our internal posture and the renewing of our minds. The Apostle Paul tallks about the transforming power of the gospel and how the renewing of our mind is the key to a life that relies on God rather than ourselves. In today's episode, I share two tips on how to straighten up our internal posture that will help us not feel the pain of doing everything in our own strength.
Feeling flat today? A little joyless and unmotivated?
Well, on today's episode, I share three ways that will help restore your joy. Three top tips that the Enemy does not want you to excerise in your faith! So, if you're pumping up those balloons and getting ready to throw a self-pity party becasue you've allowed the Enemy to steal your joy, then put down that balloon inflater and join me in the SPACIOUS ROOM!
To set a miracle in motion we sometimes need the right person, the right place, and the right time to all come into alinement. Offering to water ten thristy camels in the nautral did not look like a miracle at all, but the supernatural power of God set a miracle in motion for Rebekah that changed her life forever.
Struggling with doubt? Allowing that inner critic to gnaw away at your confidence and have the last say on your calling? Don't worry, you're not alone in your struggle because even prophets can get a little worn down and weary in what they've been called to do.
If there is a fire in your bones and you're finding that the enemy is trying to snuff out those flames, then listen in to my episode today.
When we view God as our biggest fan we become the centre of attention and not Him. If we continue in this thinking then a disconnection of the lines in whose will is going to be done in our relationship with God finds us drawing our own conclusions.
On today's episode I share how we can flip this script and show you how to become God's biggest fan.
As a gift to you, dear listener, I have released this special BONUS BIRTHDAY Episode of the Spacious Room to celebrate my birthday this week!
In this power-packed episode I talk about how being a slightly ridiculous woman helps in those moments when you need to stand on the hillside and fight and pray. Whether it's for your own kids, or someone's else's, if they've lost their passion for God, stepped away from church or let their faith die because of deep wounding, then this special bonus birthday episode is for you!
As the saying goes, ‘Practice makes perfect’ but practice can never make anything perfect.
We live in a flawed, imperfect world and practice and perfection cannot coexist because one will inevitably cancel out the other. Perfect is about avoiding mistakes in the process of practice and the sense that everything needs to be perfect before we even think about the practice causes this tension on the inside of us that only creates more fear.
Because who knows, with an open heart that opens your passion too wide and too deep is a scary place to be and that is a line the struggling perfectionist within us is not willing to cross.
Does fear stop you from living with an open heart so it opens up your passion?
The trouble with us doing all the clearing out is we cannot keep it up. Clearing out every piece of clutter, each thing we believe is collateral damage from our past and fixing ourselves up won’t last. Instead of allowing God’s extravagant love to get rid of and keep what He deems necessary and essential in our lives.
Trusting.
With all our controlling, managing, and fixing we view God as an uncontrolled, untameable, wild horse that we need to break in so we can trust Him. But deep down we know we cannot break God in so He becomes more manageable and more compliant.
So, what do we do? Well, we decide to pull our carts on our own.
Remember those ‘Magic Eye’ pictures that were all the rage back in the 1990s? The optical illusion caused people to go cross-eyed while staring blankly at a random patterned poster until they suddenly shouted, “I’ve got it! Look, see the giraffe!” as they excitedly pointed at the patterned picture to others who couldn’t see the giraffe or whatever else it was that was hidden in the picture. The trend was all about making the invisible visible, and the trick to seeing the hidden image was to hold the image close to you and let your eyes stay focused on the random pattern.
However, to see the hidden picture within the patterned image our eyes needed to change they needed to relax and adjust.
It’s the same with our relationship with God. Making the invisible visible is only revealed when our something changes, we relax, and our eyes adjust.
‘She has plan’ could perhaps be the title for the whole of Proverbs 31. Reading about this truly excellent woman can get women all stressed and anxious because we compare and measure her against our own short comings, failings, and inadequacies. But the dreaded Proverbs 31 woman who seems linger over us, the one who has her life all wrapped up in a neat, little package tied up with a big, red bow.
However, if we dig a little deeper and see the Proverbs woman, who is worth more than rubies, we discover a woman of character because she chooses to stick to her plan. We see her wisdom is the result of trusting and knowing who God is and then outworking all that into her life in response to His character.
Each step of her plan follows God’s instruction. There is no space in her plan for fear or worry, or doubts to gain any traction. She focus’s all her energy on the plan as she considers and plants, inspires, and moves, rises, and makes, equips, and spins, reaches, and extends. She’s always choosing wisely and carefully because she is directed by the plan. And because her plan is always pointing to the One who knows the end from the beginning she is safe.
Bells ringing out are a representation to celebrate endings and new beginnings. The sound of bells has been a long-held tradition to ring in the new year.
But with all our busyness, our time with God seems shorter, more hurried, and more frenzied than before. The sound of bells that once rang loudly as they announced our intention to enter God’s presence and not want to leave the holy place for quite some time now have the hollow ring of needing to know all the answers quickly rather than just sitting still with theAnswer.
Will we choose to intentionally, and purposefully put God first before our to-do lists? Will He be able to hear the sound of bells as we enter into His presence once again?
Joy is possibly one of the most understated emotions that we are equipped with in our spiritual weaponry as it is far more powerful than we first believe. It’s why the enemy fires little poisonous darts, piercing the protective membrane around this precious emotion we call ‘joy’ instead of the large arrow tips which normally assail our faith.
So, what are we to do about it?
Well, girl, it’s time to dig your heels in!
When there is a war to wage and a kingdom to win, each woman brings the same thing to the battle, a feminine heart. I know what you’re thinking, how could a nurturing spirit filled with love and kindness stop the enemy in his tracks? How could the tenderness of a mother’s heart win a war? Proverbs 31:35 reminds us that we are,‘clothed in strength and dignity’ When the enemy hurls intimidating accusations at us. When he tries to disempower and render us incompetent. When the enemy whispers that you are, “No one special” in his mocking tone across the battlefield, something is birthed inside of you. A strength that knows there is a war to wage and a kingdom to win. And it is that strength, dear friend, that captures God’s attention...
How often are we willing to go into the desolate wastelands to pray when we become popular? How many times has the backcountry beckoned us to come away from the crowds and fill our cups up to overflowing with God’s presence?
Spending time with God cultivates a deep relationship with Him. It’s where our identity is secured, our calling is clarified and our cup is filled so we are able to pour ourselves out onto others. We cannot give out if there is nothing to give out from.
It's time to fill up your cup!
What does your next courageous step look like?
It’s different for everyone but the chasm we must cross still looks the same - Scary. That enormous gap, that gigantic step, the massive move you need to make between where you would like to be and where you are always feels way too wild, too crazy, too wide, and too far to position ourselves into. Perhaps today, it’s time to simply take one step toward what you were born to do?
Yeah, that’s it, just one little step forward that’s going to help you to stop walking around in circles because you’ve been too busy admiring, comparing, measuring, and wondering what everyone else is doing.
Don’t you think it’s time to stop letting last season’s mistakes hold you captive and start walking toward next season’s freedom?
All it takes is the next courageous step!
The posture of a bull elk when he’s polishing his antlers is one of distraction. His whole focus is to shine up his antlers to impress.
With their eyes closed, busily making sure every part of their points is polished and rubbed, distracted by all his busyness, this becomes the good part of the hunter’s story when he retells it to his friends.
However, this is not the good part of the story for the elk, in fact, it’s the bad part. I know what it feels like to be wounded by the hunter, Satan. I became so distracted by all my bothered and anxious, performance-based polishing that I became too afraid to change my posture and position just in case people thought less of me.
But I got tired of being struck by the hunter’s arrows time and time again and decided to stop running. To be honest, I have so many bad parts in my story but this was the good part because I learned to change my posture and position so I could sit at the feet of Jesus.
Wounds make us hide our true selves, and if we don’t allow Jesus to deal with them properly then we can’t live out an authentic life.
The great news is that Jesus doesn’t leave you in those moments of shame as fear causes you to pick at the scabs covering your wounds. As with Peter, Jesus dealt with the shame attached to the wounds of Peter’s guilt because he had denied His saviour.
Jesus sat right in Peter’s pain, and Jesus will sit with you too in those moments as He reveals His scars to you. The scars that have declared victory over death and pain, over shame and trauma, over humiliation and abandonment, over abuse and betrayal. The scars that heal every wound Satan has inflicted upon you so you can trust Jesus with your future completely.
Where has shame stopped you from owning your story?
Did you know that an elk’s anklebones make a distinct sound when they walk? These sounds are the primary means of communication and engagement with other elks as the sounds of their anklebones cracking and popping are a way of communicating that another elk is approaching from behind. These familiar sounds are so important for an elk to listen out for because if they follow unfamiliar sounds that seem strange and different then their curiosity about what is approaching from behind will lead to the unfortunate event of having their heads mounted on a hunter’s trophy wall.
Our wounds reveal that in this world we do indeed experience trouble and times of testing. However, we have a choice to either listen to the unfamiliar ‘sounds’ of the hunter, Satan or do we put our elk hooves into the shoes that bring peace and run toward its melody. Jesus offers us the peace which is in Him so it will be in you and give us great confidence.
Has your faith become insecure and unsteady because you’ve listened to the unfamiliar sounds of the hunter?
Did you know that elks like to wallow in mud?
A wallowing hole is created by a bull elk finding a pool of water, digging into the ground with his hooves and antlers to push up the dirt, urinating into it and then rolling in it. As gross as this may sound, wallowing attracts other elks and it’s the bull elk’s way of sending a clear message to all cows letting them know that his pheromone–soaked, perfumed coat along with his bugle calls mean he’s ready for action as the rutting season approaches.
Like the bull elk, we too can wallow in the mud of our past offenses. We roll around and around in the muddy, repugnant odour of every infraction and wrongdoing covering ourselves in the stench of what other people have done to us, hoping to gain a harem of followers that becomes a herd.
However, I have found that the more I keep surrendering my brokenness to Jesus, the more the strong emotions attached to my wounds fade into scars because of the scars found on the hands and feet of Jesus that rescued me from wallowing in the mud.
Blood trailing is when a bow hunter or a rifle hunter will track an elk, wound it, and then chase it through the forest until he finds it and kills it. Its classic hunter versus beast as the hunter looks for blood marks left on trees and tracks on the forest floor left by the elk so the hunter knows which way it ran.
I’m sure you’ve got some wounds, and just like a human hunter who finds an elk to wound, Satan is hellbent on hunting you down and firing his arrows or bullets into your most vulnerable places to wound you too. The sting from your wounds that have left a blood trail for the hunter to follow, wounds from your past whenever you’ve felt abandoned, or rejected is the blood trail Satan follows.
My friend and I were having coffee together a couple of weeks ago and during the conversation, she said, “I cannot wait to hold your new book in my hands and listen for the ‘crack’ as I open up the first page and start reading it.” Unbeknown to my friend, she had put words to the images I had in my head of the top of an oil jar being ‘cracked’ open as I recalled the still, small voice that had whispered to me when I was praying one morning that my debut book, ‘Wounded and on the Run: How the worst pain can lead you into your greatest calling’ which is released this Friday, October 7th would reach many broken-hearted souls that so desperately needed the soothing, healing oil of Gilead running down from each page, pouring its healing balm into someone’s wounding as they ‘cracked’ opened the first page.
Kings and Queens can be seen as being born into a privileged life, however, according to the Apostle Paul, we as believers are destined to be adopted as God’s children through the sacrificial life of Jesus. ‘He destined us to be adopted as His children through the covenant Jesus the Anointed inaugurated in His sacrificial life…With immense pleasure, He laid out His intentions through Jesus, a plan that will climax when the time is right as He returns to create order and unity – both in heaven and on earth – when all things are brought together under the Anointed’s royal rule. In Him, we stand to inherit even more. As His heirs, we are predestined to play a key role in his unfolding purpose of energising everything to conform to His will.’ [Ephesians 1:4-11]
The lies from our enemy keep trying to kill, steal, and destroy our identity, authority, and confidence in who we are and whose we are in Christ, this sabotages our thinking, so we never see ourselves as heirs to the royal inheritance in which Jesus gave His life for.
Time to leave your beggars cloak behind and step into your royal inheritance!
Kings and Queens can be seen as being born into a privileged life, however, according to the Apostle Paul, we as believers are destined to be adopted as God’s children through the sacrificial life of Jesus. ‘He destined us to be adopted as His children through the covenant Jesus the Anointed inaugurated in His sacrificial life…With immense pleasure, He laid out His intentions through Jesus, a plan that will climax when the time is right as He returns to create order and unity – both in heaven and on earth – when all things are brought together under the Anointed’s royal rule. In Him, we stand to inherit even more. As His heirs, we are predestined to play a key role in his unfolding purpose of energising everything to conform to His will.’ [Ephesians 1:4-11]
The lies from our enemy keep trying to kill, steal, and destroy our identity, authority, and confidence in who we are and whose we are in Christ, this sabotages our thinking, so we never see ourselves as heirs to the royal inheritance in which Jesus gave His life for.
Time to leave your beggars cloak behind and step into your royal inheritance!
I will live unafraid. Hmmm, it says it right there at the end of Psalm 4, the poetry of God reminding the ones who feel afraid, anxious, out of control or discouraged to stop fussing, to stop controlling outcomes. To remember that God is our champion defender and to live unafraid, no matter what happens. ‘Now, because of you, Lord, I will lie down in peace and sleep comes at once, for no matter what happens, I will live unafraid!’ Psalm 4:8 [TPT]
No matter what happens? And this is where we flinch and hesitate. We mistake peace and sleep that the Lord offers in that verse, the slumber He promises in return for our surrender as hibernation, as shrinking back because the ‘no matter what happens’ part sounds risky business.
It sounds too dangerous a path to follow. Right?
I will live unafraid. Hmmm, it says it right there at the end of Psalm 4, the poetry of God reminding the ones who feel afraid, anxious, out of control or discouraged to stop fussing, to stop controlling outcomes. To remember that God is our champion defender and to live unafraid, no matter what happens. ‘Now, because of you, Lord, I will lie down in peace and sleep comes at once, for no matter what happens, I will live unafraid!’ Psalm 4:8 [TPT]
No matter what happens? And this is where we flinch and hesitate. We mistake peace and sleep that the Lord offers in that verse, the slumber He promises in return for our surrender as hibernation, as shrinking back because the ‘no matter what happens’ part sounds risky business.
It sounds too dangerous a path to follow. Right?
“What do you see?” asks God to the reluctant prophet, Jeremiah. Jeremiah tells God that he sees an ordinary almond tree. This ordinary sight starts a chain reaction of events that leads Jeremiah into his vocation and calling. God had already chosen Jeremiah as His prophet to ‘speak My word to the nations.’ (Jeremiah 1:5) This is where Jeremiah tries to talk God out of the calling He had chosen for him by telling God that He’s got the wrong guy because of his lack of credentials and how he is too young and inexperienced for the massive task ahead of him.
What about you dear, creative friend? Has God shown you an ordinary sight for an extraordinary message? Something that reveals heavenly eternal truths through the ordinary. However, like the prophet, Jeremiah, you’ve listed a number of excuses that let God know He is mistaken, that He’s chosen the wrong person for the job.
“What do you see?” asks God to the reluctant prophet, Jeremiah. Jeremiah tells God that he sees an ordinary almond tree. This ordinary sight starts a chain reaction of events that leads Jeremiah into his vocation and calling. God had already chosen Jeremiah as His prophet to ‘speak My word to the nations.’ (Jeremiah 1:5) This is where Jeremiah tries to talk God out of the calling He had chosen for him by telling God that He’s got the wrong guy because of his lack of credentials and how he is too young and inexperienced for the massive task ahead of him.
What about you dear, creative friend? Has God shown you an ordinary sight for an extraordinary message? Something that reveals heavenly eternal truths through the ordinary. However, like the prophet, Jeremiah, you’ve listed a number of excuses that let God know He is mistaken, that He’s chosen the wrong person for the job.
What is it that moves you with compassion? What motivates you enough to see God do something great through you? What do you feel creates a motion that motivates you toward action? When we’re moved enough to try something new, create something different, to be compassionate about something that we feel needs to change, why is it that fear suddenly rears its ugly head?
So, you hit the pause button and put a cap on all that kindness, empathy, and compassion enthusiastically bubbling up on the inside of you to help others because you’ve believed the lie that you’re just not enough.
Psalm 31:7-8 reminds us that God hasn’t handed us over. ‘I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul. You have not handed me over to the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place.’ Let that truth sink into the depths of your soul. ‘You have not handed me over to the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place.’ Satan wants to keep your thinking contained. He needs you cramped up and restricted because, like Eve, if we knew how much authority we have over him, he’d have nothing on us.
The gravity of God’s love for us goes far beyond the moon and back because He gave His only Son so we could have the hope of our salvation. Amazingly, God created the universe with every syllable from His mouth. Yet, He still loves humans higher, deeper, and wider than all the cosmic stars put together because, unlike the universe, we get to have a relationship with Him. When we pause and remember the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross as we take the elements of communion, we acknowledge the power communion holds over death and darkness.
How can we properly love again? Eden is lost, gone, stolen from us. The garden we once communed in with God was exposed to a lie that turned our joy, peace, patience, kind-heartedness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control into shame, disappointment, abandonment, and grief. The freedom we once walked in as we communed with God was destroyed by a cunning serpent, who hatched a plan to kill any hope we had of a fruitful life the moment he saw we’d been made in God’s image, fashioned according to His likeness, and given authority over all the earth (Genesis 1:26).
But God had a plan the serpent wasn’t counting on. A plan to help us to come out from our hiding place that helps guide us how to properly love so we can love others properly.
In Luke chapter 5, we read about Peter, who had fished all night and didn’t catch a thing. So, Jesus asks to borrow Peter’s boat as a pulpit so he can teach the crowd. Maybe Peter felt like giving up trying to fish for anything?
However, he did what Jesus asked and to his astonishment, he was called to something much bigger than himself.
There are some observations in this story that can help you out when you feel stuck. When you’ve fished all night and didn’t catch a thing it leaves you wondering if you’ve missed the boat to your calling.
Feel like you’ve fished all night?
Maybe God is asking you to throw out your net again but you’re afraid because you are fearful that He won’t provide for you?
However, there is nothing fishy about God's promises.
Remember when you were a kid and your mum told you that if you didn’t clear your plate you wouldn’t get dessert? And remember that feeling of smugness you felt when you did clear your plate and got dessert but your sibling didn’t because they’d left all that yummy, delicious kale on the plate? Yeah, good times. Right?
Some wise soul once said, “If we want to live a full, attentive life to God and others we need to clear our plates.” Wise words indeed. But how do we clear our overfull plates when we’re overstuffed on busyness and we’re not able to live that full, attentive life to God and others? How do we enjoy the good, sweet part that becomes the reward for clearing our plates?
The problem isn’t that we wouldn’t gladly clear our plates from all our busyness, we just don’t know how to.
If you’re struggling to clear your plate and want to live a full, attentive life to God and others, here are two suggestions…
Last week I shared in The Scarlet Thread Part One, how the shameful wounds from our past can cause us to feel unqualified from having any kind of relationship with God. However, all He is looking for is obedience and total dependence on Him so we can live in victory and freedom from our past. I talked about, Rahab, a prostitute in the Old Testament, whom God selected to play a pivotal role in the story of how Joshua conquered the city of Jericho and this scarlet woman was led to the scarlet thread, propelling her toward her future that changed her life forever. So, this week we will move into the New Testament and pick up the scarlet thread in Mark chapter 5.
The heading Bible scholars have used in the text is, ‘A dead girl and a sick woman’ as the writer, Mark, joins these two women together by a common thread. Each story is about uncleanliness, but on a deeper level, each miracle is about a person recognising the power of Jesus because they chose to follow the scarlet thread.
We tend to view the great heroes of the Bible as people whom we’ll never measure up to because we feel too broken, too wounded, and too damaged to ever be used by God.
Wounded people can believe the lie in their heads that tells them, “Sure, God used those people, but me? Ha! Not a chance!” However, nobody is ever too broken, too wounded, or too damaged to find the path and follow the scarlet thread that leads to freedom and victory over past wounds.
God views people differently from how the world views people. You’ll be shocked to know that God used the most unlikely heroes in most of the Bible stories we read. The people whom no one would expect God to use or ever choose. But that’s the thing about God, He just looks out for willing hearts who will just be obedient and have total dependence on Him.
Still not convinced that you qualify? Let’s find the path together and pick up the scarlet thread today in the SPACIOUS ROOM.
Why is it we believe that Jesus waits for us to have it altogether before we feel worthy enough to tell others about Him?
Why do we fall for the lies our enemy whispers that we are just too wounded, too broken to lead people to Jesus?
And while we’re here, why is it that some believers pass through this life making an idol out of the book of Revelation and the conspiracies surrounding end times, making their excuses that the world has too much ugliness in it.
So, they remind other believer’s that there’s no point helping a broken world because heaven is where we’re headed, and it’ll be pretty when we get there. Yes, heaven is sure gonna be pretty when we get there, but the reason Jesus wants us to remember His death and resurrection is because as we pass through this life, it won’t be pretty along the way.
Ever wonder what Moses was thinking when he realised there was an ocean between the past of Egypt and the future of the Promised Land?
We need to understand that as we move forward into the dreams God has for us, there will always be a Pharaoh chasing us down from our past and an ocean standing in the way of our future.
Today, if all you see is an ocean between the past and the promise, you need to start trusting God who can still use what’s in your hands to part the waves.
Gracefully broken. Sounds poetic, right? But what if being gracefully broken means that we have to go through the testing fire first? A fire that proves us, perfects us, and makes us holy so we can become beautifully, elegantly, and gracefully broken for others to experience God’s goodness, kindness, and compassion.
I wonder, what fire of affliction are you going through today?
Could it be possible that the testing fire that is gracefully breaking us could help us to come out better than we were before?
The word ‘matador’ means ‘killer’ and the enemy is in the business of stealing, killing, and destroying your purpose and calling (John 10:10). Know this dear discontented bull, that you’ve been taking actions that have caused Satan to change up his tactics. He has quietly observed your endless searching through your social media accounts.
Scrolling…scrolling…scrolling…comparing…comparing… comparing, and he’s realised that a little discontentment and a good sprinkle of frustration is what’s needed to conceal his weapon that has been formed against you underneath his red blanket to make you lose your focus because of distraction and discontentment.
So, how do you fight back when the enemy brings out his red blanket and starts waving it around, so it disorientates, distracts, and causes discontent within you?
What’s the secret and the weapons you can use to realise the red blanket of the enemy is designed as a distraction that conceals the real weapon which he has formed against you?
Numbing the connection to our feelings of self-worth and status with our busyness can be a way of avoiding the pain and discomfort that endlessly circle our thoughts.
We’re so afraid that if we stop moving and pause for just a moment, the issues that we’ve tried to keep hidden will be exposed for all to see. But what if in our hopelessness we dared to reach out to Jesus? What if we were able to brush the hem of Jesus’ garment with our faith, causing Him to stop?
What if His flow of redeeming blood could mend our broken hearts and heal our wounds so we could live our lives wholeheartedly for Him?
Last week I shared in, This Is How I Fight My Battles – Part 1 how worship is a powerful weapon when we are struggling with fear, doubt, and worries during the midnight hour. Raising battle-scarred hands not only helps set you free but others can be set free too as we found out in the story of Paul and Silas in Acts chapter 16.
But what if that surrender, that posture of worship could be found in another weapon that your enemy doesn’t want you to know about?
What if remembering something that your enemy would rather you forget is how you fight your battles?
In Acts chapter 16, we find Paul, and Silas. Deemed as rebel-rousing troublemakers by the Roman officials, these worshippers have been flogged and are now facing their darkest hour in the most secure part of the prison.
The noises the other prisoners heard from Paul and Silas were not from their moaning and groaning, even though they had been flogged within an inch of their lives. They were using worship as a weapon to push back the darkness, raising their black and blue arms in victory instead of defeat and surrendering to their circumstances.
They knew that this was how they needed to fight their battles.
All our lives tell a story to pass on to future generations.
Remembering what God has brought you through, every trial, every struggle, and every difficult moment and of course, not forgetting all those amazing answers to prayer and each miracle you've seen come to pass are all so important in developing an unshaken and unshakable faith when things in our lives become a little shaky.
A cupbearer was a high-ranking official whose job it was to taste the wine that was going to be served to the royal table just incase it was poisoned.
This is the one little moment we can so easily skip when reading the story of Nehemiah, found in the Old Testament. This minor detail that so often gets overlooked is important to remember because before he became a rebuilder and restorer of walls, Nehemiah was the cupbearer to a king. A different kind of person who was willing to lay down his life for another.
Trust, confidence, influence. Not normally the tools we associate with builders.
Someone once said, “I can no longer go on basing my faith on what’s right for others or what feels good. I must find out once and for all what God’s truth is for me in my own life. But how do I go about that?”
I believe this is where I had gone wrong for so many years. Because I had been basing my faith on what was right for others for so long, comparing how much sunlight, how much water and what soil they were planted in, I found the leaves of my own faith start to shrivel up and curl.
My cluster of buds could no longer flower because I was so busy looking for God’s truth in other people’s pots, so desperate to flower like they did, that I realised that if I wanted to bloom in my own pot, I was going to need God’s grace.
So, how do we tap into this grace and bloom where we find ourselves planted?
Have you ever had an “aha” moment when you look back and you remember that it wasn’t necessarily always the big, grand decisions you made that led to where you are now, but the small decisions, the ones you intentionally, deliberately, and wilfully made every day that brought the greatest gain and changed the narrative of your story?
We all have turning points scattered throughout our lives, intersections that shape our journey. But what if I told you as you stand at this crossroads there is a cross in the road that can become your turning point?
Have you stopped trusting God with your future?
To be completely honest with you, I had stopped trusting God the other week. I found myself questioning what I was doing and wondering whether God was going to be with me in every step I was taking. I found my train of thought that had run along the tracks of my faith for so long, now had come to a grinding halt, and I thought to myself, "Is this sudden stop necessary?"
Are sudden stops necessary in your faith journey? They are if you've stopped trusting God with your future.
Can you believe that the creativity of our mighty God saw us in His mind's eye even before He created us from the dust of the ground and the rib from Adam's side?
And as He formed and fashioned us in our mother's womb, He placed creativity in every one of us.
Still not convinced you're creative? Well, let me help you our a little...
I today's episode, I share the story of Samson and how he positioned himself before God, even though he had no strength, even though he couldn't (literally) see, he became an overcomer of his circumstances.
Each day we get an opportunity to focus on the purposes of God in our lives even though we can feel as though our strength has gone and we cannot see how it's all going to work out.
Like Samson, regardless of how many obstacles the enemy puts in our way we can still trust God to help us through our circumstances and bring about the purpose for our life even when we cannot see.
In today's episode, I share two epic stories found in the Old Testament that started out quietly. Each story involves the volume of a courageous women who was a quiet achiever. Two wounded women with not much to offer understood that no loud achievement birthed from their own strength was going to get God's attention. Turning the volume up on their faith required silent, heartfelt prayers that moved God with compassion.
Sometimes to see our breakthrough, we don't need to get louder to get God's attention we just need to become quiet to see the miracles happen.
Endless quotes on Pinterest tell us to, “Be true to yourself” but what does that mean?
In Genesis 1:27 we are reminded that we are created in God’s image. He made man in His image, so we reflected Him. However, Adam and Eve were deceived and ate the fruit that the serpent enticed them with, causing a chasm, a broken relationship with God.
Man, who bears His image, now looks in a fragmented mirror that distorts his reflection. And as we look into the mirror, we try to recapture those true self moments when man felt close to God and walked with Him in the garden. We reflect when we enjoyed His connection when we longed for His communion.
In this episode discover that connection again.
Welcome to my 100th episode!
You are invited...
And in this week's special 100th celebration episode I share the power of an invitation.
Invitation's make us feel valued, seen and loved. They let you know that someone wants to share a special moment or event with you.
In John chapter 4 we read about a women at Jacob's well who has possibly forgotten what it feels like to receive an invitation because she carries her shameful past to the well along with her water pot. However, Jesus offers her an invitation that stirs something more than the water inside the well, His invitation stirs the Samaritan woman's heart until she accepts Jesus' offer of living water.
So, you've decided this year you're going to throw caution to the wind. say to hell with fear and follow God with the plan for your life? Wonderful!
However, you're making sure you include a clause in the contract with God before you sign on the dotted line because you're no fool, right? You want a second plan if you don't mind, a plan "B" thank you very much, just in case the first plan doesn't quite work out.
So, you've answered the call to adventure, stepped out in faith and told fear to go take a hike? But the steep and winding path toward your dream that was lit up in the first few steps so you could read each signpost along the path now seems to have suddenly gone dark.
Questions start to circle in your head, "Did I really hear from God?" "Am I going in the right direction?"
Don't worry, in this week's episode we'll be looking at the story of Ruth and how she didn't let her dogged determination get derailed!
In this week's episode I share that whatever dreams and plans God has placed in your heart, know that you're big enough to fulfil them. Fear whispers that you're just too small for the task, too insignificant to make a difference.
If there's a chance that the dream God gave to you will develop into something real, then satan will poach, plunder and pilfer your potential until your dreams and plans are forgotten.
Don't allow the enemy to shut down your potential and rob you of your dreams!
In today's episode, if we are to learn anything in the passage of 1 Samuel 16:1, it's this; we need to live expectantly as believers and look toward the future. Learning from the past is very different to living in it. We cannot allow ourselves to get caught up in the former things God's done, else we'll stagnate in our vision and eventually our faith.
Why does Jesus say in Matthew 6:34 that we are not to worry about tomorrow? Because when we worry about all our tomorrows and not allow them to take care of themselves, there's a real risk we won't feel like we're in control anymore. But that's the whole point Jesus is trying to make. When we let go of worrying about our tomorrow, it helps us to live in the freedom Jesus died for and live out a better tomorrow.
The ironic thing about playing games is that when we're playing, we cannot allow ourselves to become vulnerable enough to admit that we didn't read the instructions properly. We didn't take the time to careful go through how it all works, so we help Satan out by adding on our own rules to something that God never said.
We pray and we listen. We position ourselves to hear the voice of God. When we let the voice of God build our dreams, they take on new contours and curves, which in turn, creates something beautiful and good over our chaos, over our circumstances and ultimately, over our lives.
How close are you to God right now? Close enough to hear His voice in the breeze? Don't let fear keep you in the cave, take a walk up the mountainside like Elijah, and stand in God's presence because He wants to speak to you, He wants to help you to follow the last instruction.
In today's episode, I share how it can be sad when mindsets and beliefs seal the door to the wonderful mysteries of God. Fear can lock up treasures the Bible holds within its pages, as the invitation to discover its truth is denied.
However, access is ours for the taking when we approach God's heart with the right attitude.
I can so relate to J.R.R.Tolkien's character, Bilbo Baggins of Bag-End. This unlikely hero preferred the snug comforts of a safe existence rather than the adventure he was called to go on.
In today's episode, I share some dangerous business about callings, adventures and leaving our safety nets that only require one qualification - a willing heart.
In today's episode, I share how the drain of navigating a pandemic for almost two years to the restrictions that have followed and the disappointments of plans not happening have all taken a toll on even the strongest of faith-filled followers.
But this is where our enemy prowls around like a lion on the battlefield, looking for every opportunity to take out the weary, disheartened soldier who feels that they are tired of fighting the good fight.
So, how do we keep our strength up in these challenging times and continue to fight the good fight?
Have you ever been in a conversation with a true storyteller at a Christmas party?
They seem to arrest everyone's attention when they throw into the story the line, "But then something happened..." And as everyone gathers around him, leaning in slack-jawed over their cups of eggnog, marvelling at the enchanted words pouring from the gifted communicator's lips they listen in to how the story will end.
But what if the "then something happened" moment in your story wasn't what you were hoping for? What then?
In today's episode, I'll help you discover how God's overpowering love and kindness can help heal your "something happened" moments this Christmas.
We build our walls so it keeps Him out. Walls made from bricks of all our disappointments. They say that time heals all wounds. Right? I used to believe that too. I was a disappointed disciple who stood at the cross from a safe distance.
At least I thought it was safe...
Your dream will not come to pass without some Spiritual warfare. Taking back the ground that the enemy has claimed will require the lump of metal which is the start of your dream to be forged and tempered so it can be used in the battles. For you to make a significant impact for God, you have to let the blacksmith do his work so you can faithfully and obediently yield to the process.
In today's episode, I share how there are no guarantees in this life. But, regardless of how messy, dishevelled, or mistaken ridden the plan looks, God has a perfect plan for your life. All you need to do is stick to it!
God has been preparing you for something. And this world needs you; we need you and certainly, God needs you to stop missing your cue. Because isn't it high time you quit hiding behind the safety of the curtains and start acting out your role so that it helps someone else?
As the saying goes, "hard work never killed anyone but why take the risk?"
You may smile, but success does not come unless we decide to prioritise the steps that will lead us toward our dreams. However, each step is a 'maybe step' and fear can stop dreamers from stepping out.
In today's episode, I share a thought around Ecclesiastes 11:4-6 that talks about sowing seeds and finding worthwhile things to do because you just never know whether this step, that step, or maybe both steps will be the final step to your dream!
Why is it that we feel we have to wait for three angelic visitations before we even dare to step into our dreams and act on the command God impressed upon our hearts?
In today's episode, I share how we downplay our ambitions as Christians and are sometimes too afraid to say our dreams out loud. This is exactly what the enemy wants so that it hinders our progress.
Perhaps it's time to let the villain see the glint of metal that is the double-edged sword? The weapon you've brought along to the battle to remind him of the promises God has spoken over your life.
And just like that, it happens...
In today's episode, I share how we need to stop running away from God and choose to commit to His plan rather than our own.
So, why not catch your breath for just a moment and let God wipe away the dirt from your tear-stained face as He leans in a whispers to you, "Now let's do it together"
This season of lockdowns and restrictions has brought with it some challenges and frustrations.
In today's episode, I share how it can be so easy for us to shelve the promises and prophesies that God has spoken over us. However, there is a heavenly library that is just waiting for you to take a walk down its pearlescent corridors, and 'check out' the dusty books that are filled with your unfulfilled promises.
The serpent had one goal in mind, to plant the grit of a half-truth into man's thinking that would change the relationship between himself and God.
In today's episode, I share how God's victorious plan of His Son, Jesus, covered the "irritant" our sins with His mercy, grace, goodness, and kindness by paying the ultimate price.
Ever find when we face difficulties and we're feeling overwhelmed we tend to pray for relief?
In today's episode, I share how John and Peter didn't pray for God to fix everything and to make it good again in Acts chapter 4. Instead, they prayed for courageous confidence that was bound to ruffle a few feathers!
In today's episode, I share how even though we find ourselves living in a fallen world, it is still our primary mission to represent a God who is love through our words and actions. Each time you choose to love as the best response, you're taking back the ground that the enemy wants to claim.
When we choose love, it helps show others the message of JESUS. A message of reconciliation that heals, restores, and resurrects.
This September marks a milestone for our family. It's been 20 years since we grasped the promise of a better life the travel posters offered, thus propelling us to leave our familiar surroundings of England and move to the Great Southern land called, Australia.
In today's episode, listen to how I discovered a life of true freedom that no travel poster could ever offer, and a faith that was restored through the trials and triumphs over the past 20 years.
As we stay safe in the confines of our homes during lockdown, have you noticed that our routines have gotten all out of whack? No longer can we be trusted with a good rhythm of work and play because the space that framed our forty-hour working week before this pandemic started, now has blurred lines and no time for a break.
In today's episode, I'll help you to come off the 'conveyor belt' and teach you how to take a real Sabbath Rest.
What next step is God wanting you to take right now? Experience reminds you that the last time you decided to leave the play-it-safer bench and step up onto the playing field, you got hit in the head with a ball of all manner of heartbreaks.
God never called you to be a benchwarmer believer!
In today's episode, I'll teach you how God sends provision (manna) to you on the playing field, that will help sustain and keep you moving forward into the adventure God has for you!
Do you know that every time you look in the mirror, you're seeing a reversed version of yourself? I know, this mind-blowing piece of useless information comes as no surprise to you my clever little friend.
But what if I said that same clever mind of yours has been so bombarded by lies about who you are that what you're seeing is a reversed version of how God sees you.
Sorry, sorry, sorry...
Let's face it, we all have a past, right?
But if you keep looking back your vision for a better future will become so distorted that you will end up not only apologising for every mistake you've ever made, but you'll be apologising for who you are.
Don't apologise for it!
Whenever I read about the woman who had suffered 12 years from a condition that left her unclean and an outcast in Mark chapter 5, I become emotional. I identify with how she's feeling.
But one touch of the hem of Jesus' robe can heal and make you whole again.
If you've been searching for a redemption's kiss, then look no further...
Alright, let's get down to brass tacks, shall we? We've missed something in the parable of the prodigal. Although this story is about the son who was lost and then found again, I think Jesus revealed something more in this parable. Something that has been hidden in plain sight. Something about cat's and their pyjamas...
What if I told you it started long before you got there? What if I told you that Satan schemed and plotted and hatched a plan to take you out long before you got there?
If you find yourself hiding "there" behind your past mistakes then today's episode is for you.
Did you know that you are far less dangerous to Satan when you have no strength left to fight him? Mark 12:30 reminds us to 'love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.'
Sure, we love God with our heart, soul and mind but what about our strength so we can endure the unendurable?
In my fourth conversation in this series, I'm excited to introduce you to my friend, writer, blogger and speaker, Tamika Spaulding.
Tamika shares that even in the chaos of life we can learn to hold our peace.
It's no good pretending. I see you hiding in that winepress, too afraid to step out into your dream. Perhaps you feel like a failure because you've screwed up way too many times for God to ever use you.
In today's Spacious Room episode, I'll share:
- How Gideon went from winepress to warrior
- Why doubt - stepping out in faith- doubt - stepping out in faith is the path of a dreamer
- Why your narrative needs to change from "I have HAD a dream" to "I HAVE a dream"
I know I get it, life is safer and far less alarming when we have all our ducks in a row, but that's not how God wants us to live. So, if you feel like you're stuck in the winepress and you don't know how life can get better, then today's episode is for you!
Do you find supermarket flowers either look like they've been ran over by the delivery truck, or they've just crawled three days through the Australian outback looking for water? No one wants to buy into half-dead, depleted flower displays that have no longevity, right? So, why do we think people will buy into church if we look the same?
In todays episode of The Spacious Room podcast, I'll share how purposely planted people:
- Look after their seed
- Do not allow the darkness and dirt to stop them from reaching upwards and onwards
- How they chose the good soil and use the right fertiliser to keep themselves staying healthy
If you feel your spiritual life could do with a little TLC, then this podcast is for you!
As this pandemic continues across the world, we find we are living in a less desirable alternative to what life looked like a year and a half ago. However, it's in times like this I find the book of Revelation becomes a fresh commission to ingest into my Spiritual life by reminding me that no matter what circumstances surround me and no matter what happens, Satan's time is limited.
In today's Spacious Room podcast, you'll discover that the book of Revelation is not the scary monster under the bed but rather a wonderful reminder that God is sovereign and He promises to take care of you, no matter what happens.
Today I'm joined by author and blogger, Steph Penny, as I continue my 'Wounded And On The Run Conversations'.
Steph is convinced in the power of story and unpacks the deep issues that surround childlessness. Sharing insights from her new book, Surviving Childlessness: Faith and Furbabies with honesty and vulnerability, Steph shares in this encouraging and uplifting episode,
- Why childless couples feel like they don't fit into any church boxes
- The common myths that surround childlessness
- Understanding a childless friend or loved one is grieving with their loss
- How to support people who are dealing with childlessness
- What NOT to say to a woman who is suffering childlessness
If you've been treated like a "weirdo" because of childlessness, I hope and pray this episode will start you on a journey that can heal your wounds.
Have you found when you've needed healing from wounding, especially church wounding, religion chooses to pass you by? Today, I am unpacking on The Spacious Room podcast, how the Good Samaritan put his differences aside and chose to help heal an undeserving man by pouring wine into his wounds.
In this episode, I'll share:
- The plot twist Jesus creates in the parable
- Why helping to heal wounds costs more than religion is willing to pay
- What Jesus did so His wine could be poured into our wounding.
Whether you've been robbed, beaten or stripped by the bandit, Satan, Jesus cares about you and He wants to pour His wine into your wounds that will bring healing.
Disappointments can blind you from pursuing your calling and if we choose to stay on the boat of our setbacks, stubbornly casting our nets out into our old ways of living, hoping to catch something, anything to fill the holes of loss and regret, then we will miss Jesus when He's wanting us to get out of the boat and start living in the calling He has for us.
Failure and quitting are two different things, but the trouble is we merge these two concepts into one. If you've stopped shooting arrows to see a victory in your life, then it means you've stopped trusting God. In today's episode learn how not to be like King Jehoash, who gave up too soon and didn't see a full victory in 2 Kings chapter 13 because he stopped shooting his arrows into the void.
We are called to serve Jesus with our whole lives, however, our commitment and passion to serve can lead us down the rocky and perilous path of comparison and resentment. There is no doubt that Martha loved Jesus, but her undoing came when she focused on the 'doing for' Jesus rather than 'being with' Jesus.
In today's episode, you'll discover the cure for a try-hard life that stops you being rubbed the wrong way.
Your body needs fuel to stay warm in the cooler months, but what about your faith? If you have found the temperature has dropped in your faith, this week's episode teaches you how to ask for the two things you'll need to keep the fire of the Holy Spirit burning within you before the winter blows in.
How do you find God in your mess? Today, in my Wounded And On The Run Conversations, we are unpacking how you can heal from the deep wounding which comes from rejection with Generosity Guy, Kieran Johnson.
Kieran is the State Manager in Western Australia and South Australia for Opportunity International Australia, an organisation that is ending poverty one family and one community at a time.
Kieran's motivation comes by helping people discover how to live a generous life. However, Kieran has had his share of personal heartache, and his story is one of courage and generosity even in the face of adversity.
In this episode, Kieran shares:
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his story of the breakdown of his first marriage
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how he found God even in the mess
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how he pushed through the moments of wanting to run from church
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how the generosity of friends helped him heal
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how God can rewrite your story
Whatever your story, God wants to meet you in your mess and help you move forward. He is so generous and faithful and longs to heal your wounds by turning them into valuable scars.
You can connect with Kieran on Instagram at generosity.guy and on FaceBook, Kieran Johnson - The Generosity Guy.
Elks like to wallow in mud to cool off and keep away pesky flies. However, this is the first place a hunter looks for an elk to blood trail. In the same way, to be free from anymore wounding, we need to stop wallowing in our past hurts and let god heal our wounds.
Did you know that an elk's anklebones make a distinct sound when they walk? This fancy footwork is the primary means of their communication. Jesus made communication a priority with His disciples during His three-year ministry because He wanted them to understand the 'sound' of the kingdom of God and the 'sound' of the hunter, Satan. Like the disciples, we too need to listen out for unfamiliar sounds within church leadership because the 'sound' of offence comes only in whispers and mummers, that poke and prod the unprotected areas of your faith.
Why are we so afraid to show people our wounds? Keeping our brokenness under wraps makes sure our pots are perfect. However this isn't what God wants. God loves cracked pots and He wants to place His transcendent character in us so that His love shines through. If we, as believers, carry around the death and suffering of Jesus, why do we try so desperately to fill up the cracks in our pots?
"Who told you you were naked?" Clothes not only hide our nakedness, they also reveal our identity. When the soldiers cast lots in the Easter story for the seamless tunic Jesus had worn, it represented His holiness and righteousness. Jesus' death on the cross took back everything the serpent stole from us in the Garden of Eden and covered us once and for all.
Today I'm chatting with my good friend, Leonie Schlosser about overcoming church hurts and wounding. Leonie shares some of her struggles about feeling seen and included and how the rejection from other believers effected her faith. However, through the power of grace and forgiveness she was able to stop running and let Jesus use these experiences to see other Christians who are struggling in this area. This healthy conversation around a subject that isn't always spoken about in church circles sheds light where there has been only darkness. If you find yourself running away from church or have felt rejected and misunderstood, then today's podcast is for you.
Mistakes...we've all made them and we find ourselves going into damage control just to minimise the effects they've had on us. However, what if you turned damage control on its head and saw it as controlled damage by the hunter, and he's using it just so you will keep on running...
In this week's episode discover how to stop the controlled damage on your faith and see that God is bigger than your mistakes!
An elk's wheat-coloured coat camouflages them from hunters. Like the elk, we too like to blend into this world so we don't get hunted by Satan. But blending in is no longer an option. The plain brown wrapper that once covered you can no longer hide you in the shadows, not now you've come into the light of God's kingdom. Since saying "yes" to Jesus, your surroundings have changed and now the hunter, Satan, sees you and he's ready to strike his first arrow. However, he may have permission to 'sift you like wheat' but Jesus has prayed for you so that through the sifting, your faith will become finer and more useful to God's kingdom.
Being brave and stepping into your calling isn't always easy, it's a hustle, and there will be uncomfortable moments and times of uncertainty as you press into what God has placed in the core of your soul. Like the woman who poured out her expensive oil over Jesus as a lavish gesture of devotion, I too have given up a year's wages to show my devotion to a king.
Did you know that Northern American bull elk's have an amazing ability to run for many miles when wounded? Known as blood trailing, a hunter will track down the elk, kill it, and mount its head on his trophy wall. Through studying the elk, I've come to realise that Christians can run for many miles when wounded by a hunter. I know because I ran for almost thirty years. The hunter's name is, Satan, and he will wound a person so badly that they leave a blood trail for him to follow. If you want to stop running and let Jesus heal your wounds, then this podcast is for you...
People often say they don't care what people wear. However, what if you wore your bikini to church and your suit and tie to the beach? What then? Our clothes can either help us to fit in our make us stand out. In today's episode, I help you to stitch a new garment using the scarlet thread of love that shines a light for the next generation.
Hebrews 4:12 talks about the word of God being sharper than a double-edged sword. If we are to fight with our swords when the enemy comes to the battle with his powerless, plastic gun, time after time, we have to make sure our double-edged sword is sharp and ready for action!
Sharpen your sword today in my podcast!
Distractions. We feel them throughout our day. We tell ourselves every morning that we're going to stay focused. However, after feeling like we've been pushed around all day by cool gadgets that notify us with bleeps, tings, bells, and whistles, we're just needing a quiet place to gather our thoughts and spend time with God...
Find a quiet place today in The Spacious Room!
Imagine if you woke up one day and said goodbye to the need of approval? Admit it, you'd feel totally liberated! In this week's episode, I share how being a recovering people-pleaser myself, I have learned from Paul's writings in Galatians 1:10 that if we want to say goodbye to the approval of men, we have to stop spinning the wheels and do what pleases God.
There is something about a woman's soul that nurtures, protects and fights for what's right. In this week's episode, I share how a tower of mothers, who are united in faith for a common cause, help the next generation to know their identity in Christ. A strong pillar that goes around God's 'house' turning on lights, dispelling the unwelcome shadows that have crept in under the cover of darkness. A tower of mothers who are able to reach into the darkness of this world and shine God's light.
Whether you're a cleaner, a car sales man, or sweep roads for a living, you have significant influence as a believer. Your enemy wants to steal your influence, so in this week's episode I teach you how to create an atmosphere for God to work in.
The Invitation is a powerful thing. Connecting one person to another. In this week's episode, I invite the fearful heart, the hidden heart, and the wounded heart to join me in accepting an invitation to the banquet in Luke chapter 14.
Remember the 1941 classic Disney movie, "Dumbo" ? It's about a little elephant who was ridiculed. However, through it all he learned how to fly. In this week's podcast I'm talking about the elephant in the room that the world laughs at. It's name? The Church.
When life gives you lemons don't be so quick to make lemonade from them. Matthew 6:24 teaches us that it's healthy to embrace the suck, and leave your worries and tomorrows in God's hands.
Don't become paralysed in the moment and turn into a pillar of salt like Lot's wife in Genesis chapter 19, otherwise the fateful turn will be the death of your dream!
Have you been paralysed in the moment? You’ve been brave and stepped out in faith to where God’s leading you, but now you’re not so sure, now you’re unsettled and disorganised. You find yourself looking back at what you’ve left behind because it’s hard to leave everything you’ve ever known.
Today on my podcast I'm chatting with Darcy McKenna, co-founder and director of Bizsites. Darcy talks about how he and his friend, Jye, started a digital marketing company two years ago and have been amazed with how God has blessed their business. Being only 22 years old and owning his own company, Darcy shares his passion and drive on how to succeed in the marketplace.
If you have been knocking on every door trying to find the right room for your dream to come forth, then today's special Christmas message is for you! 🙂
Don't get discouraged by the "NO" of each innkeeper you've encountered. They're just in your story to help you find the right room for the promise God gave you to be birthed!
In Greek folklore, the Phoenix is a bird that dies in the combustion of flames and is reborn from the ashes.
Listen to my podcast today about the transforming fire of God which helps you to rise up from the ashes!
It has been said that, “True ministry is used for the benefit of others” If we want to know the meaning of ministry leadership, then we may need to exchange the face cloth of service for a bigger servant's towel.
Join me in The Spacious Room today as I chat with Erin Freitas, founder and owner of Loving Them Wholly Whole Food Products. Erin talks about her struggles as a teenager with food, and why she started a business during a pandemic. Listen as Erin guides you in how to make guilt-free food choices even in this Christmas season!
Are you struggling in your faith today?
A minstrel was a poet or musician who entertained noble households in medieval times by playing their instruments to assist in divine worship.
Make sure you listen into my podcast today because this episode is not to be missed!
During this pandemic we have all been able to slow down and breathe again which has given us time to pause and reflect on why we do the things we do. 🤔
In this week’s podcast, I share how this season has helped me to lose my religion and get closer to an inside-out, upside down King.📚
Are you struggling in your faith today?
A minstrel was a poet or musician who entertained noble households in medieval times by playing their instruments to assist in divine worship.
Make sure you listen into my podcast today because this episode is not to be missed!
"Liar, liar, pants on fire!" Remember that little saying we used to call someone out when we were kids? During this uncertain season we can let out thoughts unravel if we don't stay alert to the devil's schemes. John 8:44 reminds us that Satan is a liar and he is the father of lies. So, why do we fall for the enemy's labyrinth of lies?
So, you've been going along quite nicely in your faith walk these past few months and then all of a sudden, BOOM! God has asked you to do something. Something you're not keen on. Something that creates fear, making you want to run. Don't worry, you're in good company because the prophet Jonah's attitude stunk as much as the whale's gut he'd been sitting in for three days. We want change and we want to BE the change. So, why do we resist God when he asks us to change? Maybe like Jonah, it's time you got out of the whale.
I’m so excited to introduce you to my friend, Gui Freitas who is a singer/songwriter.🤩
I’ll be chatting with Gui today about how he struggled to find his fit in Church life, the creative process of songwriting and what inspired him to write an album about the Holocaust survivors
Make sure you listen into my podcast today ‘How to Bring Creativity Into Your Christian Life’ with Gui Freitas because this episode is not to be missed!📌
“Don’t bury your dreams, they are too precious, give them to Jesus. Do everything you can do and believe that our Lord will do what you cannot do.” - Gui Freitas
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We all want to feel like we belong. A sense that we are accepted for who we truly are is really important to our health and well-being. Building tables is all about letting the outsider know that "there is a seat for you" A place which is set aside where people can take off their bad-reputation, rejection-from-others, performance-based, I-have-it-all-together masks and rest in the comfort of a table of acceptance.
So, you want to quit? You've questioned, hesitated and rationalised what your dream is going to look like, and you've started stepping into what God has called you to do. However, you're completely exhausted and you've just about reached breaking point. Just like a Navy SEAL, you're about ready to ring the bell, announcing to everyone you want to "volunteer out". But here's the kicker, dear friend. If you ring the bell now then your dream will be just a dream. So, don't ever, ever ring the bell!
Why is it when we step out in faith we find ourselves looking back at what was? We let fear call the shots which in turn sabotages the future God has planned for us. I find my self doing this a lot lately, now that I have stepped out into what God has called me to do. However, if we keep relying on ourselves we'll never trust God to lead us into His 'You' direction. Stir your faith today and listen to this Episode!
Conspiracy theories, fear, panic and an attitude of lack have all surfaced throughout this pandemic. It feels as though we've entered an eternal winter. However, like the two ordinary Hobbits, Frodo and Sam, in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, we can learn courage, ingenuity and steadfastness in this testing trial and not let the darkness overwhelm us. Don't wait for favourable winds to plant something during this season. It's time to re-new, re-set, re-ignite and re-claim new opportunities and to leave behind your eternal winter and spring forth into spring!
God is doing some serious remodelling within all of us during this pandemic season. So, where have you changed during this season? In what area of your life have you seen God do the most progress? Gleaning from Luke 15, the story of the prodigal son, I'll show you how our Father wants us to take off the mindset of a beggar and come home to Him.
Details, smeetails. Are they really that important when it comes to your big dream? In this week's podcast, I'm going to give you 3 details from the story of blind Bartimaeus in Mark chapter 10 which will help you get some momentum behind that dream of yours!
Life can lead us down some long and winding paths. The path we choose can either lead us to somewhere new, around in a circle or towards a dead-end. Psalm 139 talks about the 'Any Path' and 'The Path'. The key to choosing the right path is all in the invitation, and this week I'm inviting you to join with me in discovering the narrow, wooden doorway that leads us to 'The Way' and into God's everlasting, glorious ways.
Have you ever felt a sense of incompleteness? Are you tired of singing the same old song? Well, these prompts that you are sensing come right after that feeling when you know you've outgrown something. Maybe, just maybe it's time to sing a better song.
I'm quite sure we have all now felt the sting of the 'slight pause' during this pandemic season. However, some people decide that it's just not worth the fight and see this comma as a full stop. Listen up! Situations and circumstances may look bleak right now but hold on because this season is just a comma, and not a full stop!
This week's episode is going to awaken the sedated tiger within you and turn your 'meow' into a ROAR!
Before you can fight Goliath, you'll need to learn how to defeat the lion and the bear first so God can propel you into your destiny.
What if we stopped being so 'wowed' by the greatness of each Bible hero and started focusing on the character and passion it took for them to step into greatness instead?
The journey we face now is to cultivate the vertical relationship we have with God which will then lead to a horizontal relationship with each other.
This episode is about how an entire community of artisans built something that firstly required a willing heart.
This episode is about how we are not created to create things isolated from everyone else.
If you want to live out your purpose and calling, then staying small is never going to be part of the plan.
Turning wildernesses into paradises requires an authentic, effortless, transparent faith to help re-build some walls. Are you up for it?
Do you feel the growing pains of an old dream stirring in your soul again? Maybe it's time to lay down your plan and listen to God's everything-better plan for you and your dreams!
So, you're a hot mess and you need to fix something, right? It's okay because with God's help it is totally fixable!
If you've ever found yourself standing at the empty tomb of a dead dream, then this Podcast is for you!
We all have to deal with disappointments. So, this week I'm going to teach you how Peter's 'water-walking' adventure will help you step out of your boat, walk through your disappointments and into your dreams and calling!
We all hate doing laundry, right? Maybe your stained clothing needs some Divine intervention so you can be dressed for success!
Distractions can disorder your well-meaning intentions with God. Here is the No.1 thing you need to do to help you get back on track.