Agree With God

Ok.  I know this is not a popular topic.  Avoiding pain, of any kind, is a basic human motivation.  So, I understand if just the mention of this topic causes most of you to “runaway!”  (Sorry, can’t help but think of a segment in the movie, “Monty Python.”)

But some of you are fully aware that the pain of rejection is something you have indeed suffered, are suffering, or continue suffer.  You understand how it has affected you and driven you in various aspects of your life.

It is to you I address this post.  Read to the end…. there may be a free gift for you!

The Lord has impressed upon me recently just how significant this issue is and how it affects relationships, choices we make in our work, and endeavors we choose or don’t choose.  And thus, I am currently working on a project about the pain of rejection and how it directs our lives - positively and negatively.

Would you take just a few minutes and jot down some notes to me as to how it has affected you?  Would you mind sharing a story, a choice, and event where you have seen yourself do something or not in order to avoid the pain of rejection, or maybe how you reject yourself, or how you have tried to compensate for the pain?

For example,  because of being abused, abandoned, and rejected often as a child, I was motivated to become a lawyer.  Seems positive, right?  But once I had achieved my goal, I felt very depressed, rather than satisfied.   Why?  Because I was largely motivated to become a lawyer by my need to prove my worth and secure my future.  I wanted to be esteemed and wanted.

Well, I was esteemed, alright.  But I felt less wanted than ever!  People are scared of attorneys!  Girlfriends thought I was superior to them.  Guys thought I was too smart for them.  And on top of it, in the geographic area I lived in, being Asian, especially a smart Asian, was not a desirable trait.

The desire to avoid and compensate for the pain of rejection caused me to seek this career, but instead of being free of it, I added even more. (Thankfully God rescued me and showed me over many years, His love, esteem, and security that never fades and is in constant operation!)

Another example.  My husband has a business where he must invoice for services rendered.  For a long time we could not understand why he didn’t bill his clients on time, charge for the full extent of his work, or invoice at all!  Eventually the Lord shed light on it:  Gene perceived that the bill was a reflection of his worth.  If there was any challenge to his bill, which does happen in service businesses, it tapped into a hidden fear that he was not actually worth the money he charged.  This pain of feeling worth-less was enough to (subconsciously) keep or delay him from the billing process.  Of course, God pointed this out for Gene’s victory, but seeing and accepting this dynamic was not all that easy!

These are just 2 ways we have seen our choices affected by the pain of rejection.  There are so many more that relate to our relationships, our ministry, what we expect from life, God, and ourselves.

How about you?  Would you share with me how the pain of rejection has affected you and your choices in live?  Do you desire to be free and victorious of it as well?  In what ways are you already?

And here is the free gift part ….. share your story, and receive a $7 gift card to your favorite coffee shop, restaurant, or department store!   You can send me an email privately, or you can add your story here!

Thanks so much!!

Cheers!

Maryann

Another Java, Jammies, and Jesus entry….

Dear Friends,

Lately I’ve been struggling with this whole message of favor.  I mean, I know God put it on my heart, and has been continually, relentlessly causing me to understand favor, see favor, appropriate favor… and yet… there’s this voice that haunts me that says, “You’re making too big a thing about this favor…”, or “You’re being self serving,” or…. “Nobody really cares, Maryann… it’s just a message for you.”

And so, I went to the Lord about it today.  “What do you say,” I asked?  “What do you want me to do with this emphasis?  Is it important to the Body or is it just something to help me with long standing insecurities?”

Then during our Java, jammies, and Jesus time, I asked my husband what he thought.  And his answer was, “I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel.” (Ps 16:7)

Hmmmm….. “Has He given you counsel, Maryann?”  Yes…. yes, He has.

And why is that not enough?  It should have been, but it wasn’t it.

God, however, in His favor and mercy, knew that…. so while checking out the calendar for our son’s school, (totally random activity!) I came across Bill Johnson’s (his school pastor) message entitled, “Favor like Jesus.”

Oh, wow.  Set up by God, again!!

Here is the link for those of you who would like to experience a Bill Johnson message:

Favor of Jesus

Anyway… around 30 minutes into the message, Bill gives an encouraging prophetic word to his church and viewing audience stating that over the next 10 years, God will be adding a supernatural power to our COVERT  ministry… the ministry of wisdom and discernment.

Businesses, schools, and the marketplace will all need God’s supernatural wisdom.  The world needs millions of Daniels positioned to dream dreams, interpret them, provide visions, and prophecies to those in need.

But… and here’s the really encouraging part to me…. those who are positioned in places of favor, who understand and know favor, who appropriate, release, and increase in favor, will be those who bless their spheres of influence with this amazing wisdom and discernment our Most High wants to give.

FAVOR IS A BIG DEAL!

And the other encouraging part to me…. in order to gain wisdom and discernment, we need to be in constant intimacy with God, abiding in His love, with Him having open access to our hearts and minds!

INTIMACY IS A BIG DEAL!

So, I see His work in me… and mine here… Intimacy with God is not about 5, 10 or even 30 minutes in the morning to get our day blessed or refueled, as helpful as that is!  It is the condition of our hearts - that always permissive, united, and conscious awareness of the presence of the Almighty, speaking continually to us, and us always open to hearing His soothing, and yet exciting voice.

I am renewed in my mission.  I am compelled to passionately pursue Him, His face, and His love for me, not just because of the marvelous peace it brings to my soul, but also because it is the link to bringing it to all He brings within my path.

Knowing He favors me has been life changing.  I actually feel good about myself, because I KNOW He feels good about me!  My confidence level has soared! My ability to know what to do in various situations has skyrocketed.  My anticipation of favorable outcomes no matter where I go or what I am involved with brings incredible joy.  It is an awesome way to live, and oh, am I grateful.

If you struggle with favor, with confidence in God and yourself, with moving forward in life with the things God has told you, please let me know.  If I can help, I would love to.  Intimacy increases your understanding of and appropriation of favor… it is so good, because He is!

I thank you all for sticking with me this past year…. I love you…

Are you feeling an increase of comprehension yet?  Is God revealing His favor and fullness in you in greater measure?  Or do you still feel a tad stuck? Email me or comment!  We’d love to help or revel in your joy!

Is the favor of God having a significant impact in your life?  Would you like to see it to an even greater degree?  Would you take a few minutes to write about it?

From Java, Jammies, and Jesus……comment here!  Do  you comprehend the importance of being the sparkle in God’s eyes?  How has it impacted your life?

Do you struggle with it and question it’s validiity?  Ask away!

In this issue of Java, Jammies, and Jesus, I wrote about the wise old strategic approach to investing:  diversification.

But, when it comes to our salvation, not just eternal, but daily, is that really the best approach?

I’d love to read your comments!  You know what to do!

Yes, now that you know that…. so what?  As discussed in this edition of Java, Jammies, and Jesus - knowing that is meant to encourage us to….. drum roll please…. COME NEAR BEFORE HIM!

Please enter your comments, questions, or experiences below!  Do you have regular face to face times with Him?  Do you want to but feel thwarted?

What did you think of this morning’s edition of Java, Jammies, and Jesus?  Did you get to meditate on those verses?  Did you hear or feel anything? Has God shown you anything?  Love to hear it!  Comment below!

Good morning and welcome to another edition of Java, Jammies, and Jesus!

Often I will get a word from the Lord that is not just for me, but for others as well,  a word that I am supposed to share.

But quite frankly, I don’t always do it.

Maybe I hesitate at times because I still have a little apprehension that you all might think that I’m a tad loony because I say God speaks to me.

Other times, I might drawback because I fear you thinking, “Who is she to say, ‘God told me’”?

And still other times, the message is so simple that, for a split second, I worry, “Well, Lord….. who doesn’t know that?”

This is one of those times.

But here it is, from God to you: “Life is simple. I have only 2 requirements. Love Me and love others as you love yourself.”

That’s it.

Now maybe you would like to have some insider info as to what the Lord and I were discussing before I received that reassuring message.

Why did He say that to me? You’d be right if you thought it didn’t just come out of nowhere.

Well, when I got up this morning, I came to our meeting spot with a number of concerns that had had their way with me over the past couple of nights, disturbing my sleep.

I call it the collision of the concerns … you know, when there are too many that they just collide with each other creating confusion and unwanted negative energy.

Some of the concerns were obvious, in your face ones, like what the heck is going on in our world and the economy? And Wall Street???

Arghhhh…!!

Others were related to some devastating tragedies that our friends are experiencing.

Still others were more personal related to self imposed deadlines and the feeling of too much to do with too little time, our youngest son, yes, the “baby”, being 3000 miles away at school, or financial demands being greater in this season than usual.

Nothing out of the ordinary. Just life, or so it seems.

In thinking about these concerns, I was tempted to think too much about what I should or could do about them.

I thought I needed wisdom, strategies, and an action plan. And maybe I do need them, but when concerns are colliding at a blinding speed, those precious things are hard to come by!

And so, I began to tell the Lord about it and affirm His majesty and glory for me and others.

And just then, making a path through the noise in my brain, the Lord with His words, carved a way deep into my heart and mind saying,”Life is simple. I have only 2 requirements. Love Me and love others as you love yourself.”

Somehow in that instant it was clear to me what I must do: Just sit back and Rest in His love. Fill up on His love. Bask in it, revel in it, appreciate it, and bathe in it. Don’t go anywhere, do anything, attend to anyone until I feel satisfied, at peace, and happy. When I feel the smile on my face, I know I’m there.

Yes, contrary to what is going on in the world and the people and situations with which I am involved, I feel deeply within, that all … is ….  indeed …. well. The muscles in my neck relax, my breathing evens, and in the midst of the turmoil, I have found a restful pond in which to float, held up effortlessly by natural buoyancy.

The abundance I feel is tangible.

Don’t worry. Be happy. I couldn’t make that happen myself, but God can…. and did!

Like every other morning, all I had to do was show up, share, listen, agree, and receive.

I realized, once again, at that moment, that we are not victims of the circumstances. We are always meant to be victors.

I realized that while I feel helpless, in reality I can do something about Wall St. and even the economy at large, something powerful and effective:

I can pray, trusting Him to work all things together for good.

I realized that I can rest in His love and know that I and my family are well cared for and will continue to be. He will lead us in whatever personal decisions we need to make.

I realized that in His love I have an abundance of time, energy, and creativity to do whatever I really need to do.

In His love I can count on Him protecting, guiding, and enriching us, our son, and our friends.

In His love there is more financial provision than the vaults of Knoxville, and He delights in providing for us.

So, like old Alfred E. Neuman used to say, “What? Me worry????”

Have a great day! And oh, if you have a moment,  I’d love to hear your comments!

Cheers!

Maryann

In an earlier issue of Java, Jammies, and Jesus, I wrote about that sneaky, deceptive, and often debilitating thing called DOUBT. As I said, I was unaware that it was doubt that I was battling. But yay, the Lord who knows me best, brought it to light with his laser like revelation, and so, armed with that warfare intelligence, I could give it the boot!

I was amazed to see that ridding myself of doubt, at least in this particular area, was not so much like hand to hand combat, as it was simply drawing a line in the sand and shouting to my old nemesis, “You shall not cross!”

Since then it has been such a pleasure to live life without the added weight and fogginess of doubt! I love the increased clarity, energy, and focus!

So, would you like to hear God’s solution to doubt? I asked Him one day, and He gave it to me straight:

“Have faith in Me. Confidence is your key.”

Whoa. That’s it? Ah, yes. That’s it.
Every have one of those I should have had a V-8 moments?

Now, I don’t know about you, but when someone tells me to “Just have faith,” when I’m struggling with an issue, I am quite tempted to smack them. The words feel like platitudes, and not very helpful ones either.

But when God says it, there’s an accompanying ray of light, an elevation in my soul, a breath of fresh air that seems to come upon me. Is it that way with you, too?

So when He said, “Have faith in Me. Confidence is your key,” I felt immediately soothed and encouraged. I was reminded of a time in the past when I was stressing about one of my kids.

She had this thing she did that often got her in trouble with people and work against her and her desire for strong, close friendships. I would see her frustrated and upset on many occasions, and so, being the good mom that I tried to be, I would “help” her not do that thing. I would attempt to teach her better, more productive ways to respond and react.

And yet, here she was, in her teens, after years of my careful instruction, and STILL!!

In my anxiety, frustration, and deep sense of helplessness, I projected out a lonely, unhappy life for my dear child. (By the way, as understandable as that is, and I know you do it, too… it is definitely NOT FAITH!)

Eventually, I quit my stewing and made the wise decision to go to the Lord. “Lord, what more do you want me to do???” I whined.

Quietly, calmly, He simply stated, “Have faith in Me.”

Sigh. “Yes, Lord, I know and I do. BUT….. what do you want me to DO???”

To which He responded, with a cheerful smile on His face, “Maryann, the BEST thing you can DO, is have faith in Me.”

In a flash, I realized that having faith in Him, is a DOING. This was a pivotal point in my relationship with God and my relationship with my daughter. At once, I made a quality, wholehearted decision to do just that, HAVE FAITH IN GOD.

This decision thus opened the door to CONFIDENCE!

I became confident, rather than doubtful, about many things, especially as it relates to all my children. I am confident that He loves them more than I. I am confident that He is indeed working in them, even when I don’t see it, and even when I see evidence to the contrary.

I am confident that His plan for them is good and prosperous. I am confident that He is able to get through to them in ways I cannot. I am confident about that for which He has created them – love, acceptance, significance, purpose and meaning, success.

I am confident that they are sons and daughters of a King and will reign in life with Him. I am confident that He will protect them, even during times when they make mistakes and are choosing to not walk in concert with Him. (Yes, I know this is an especially hard one.)

Does that mean I am always confident? Heck, no! But when I fall off the rock of assurance, I know where to go and what to do…. Climb back on.

Since then I have had great peace about my children. I try and control them less (old habit die hard), and I enjoy them more.

When I see they are in a pickle, the Lord has taught me to speak favor, blessing, righteousness, love and honor over them instead of fret.

I have desired to see them with His eyes rather than through eyes of fear and worry, and the Father has honored my desire. It’s a much better way for us all to live together.

On top of that, I have even seen supernatural occurrences from doing so!

And yet, as confident as I am about our kids, I am not so confident in other areas. But like with my kids, I must decide to have faith in Him about these other things as well.

Listen, if you are struggling – there is a simple, yet powerful solution: Ask God. (You are spending quality time being with and seeking Him, right?) He will be more than happy to reveal a block for you. He’s all about your freedom!

Once you see it, toss it! Say NO! Stomp your foot and give it the boot!

Then embrace the truth (find out what it is if you don’t know!!), whether it is about God, yourself, or your circumstances. And remember, view all of life through the filter of Love!

In closing, I want to share with you a famous quote that the Lord gave me through my husband. This has definitely aided me in my commitment to have faith and doubt not and stand strong in the face of opposition. Here it is, a gift to you:

“DAMN THE TORPEDOS! FULL SPEED AHEAD!”

With great pleasure and cheer,

Maryann

PS

In our journey through this life, there is much we still do not know with certainty about God, His love for us, and what it means. Of some things, we are still ignorant. But there is much each of us does know, and yet, we still do not believe.

We may know that God is a healer, that He has the power to heal, and the word says that by His stripes we are healed. However, we may not think that healing is for US, for NOW, or in this situation or that.

We judge the word of God by our experiences or whatever the teaching is we are currently listening to. In my coaching practice, of the many reasons why a person may be stalled or hindered in their various callings, businesses, ministries, confusion as to what they can expect from God is one of the biggies.

But we must not be confused about this: We are meant to reign in this life, with Christ! And what does it take to reign? Rom 5:17 says we need to RECEIVE an abundance of grace AND the gift of righteousness. Grace is God’s enabling power, divine favor, and His divine influence in our hearts. Righteousness gives us the RIGHT to go before Him, ask of Him, and receive all He has for us. We need to know that, agree with it, believe it, and then say, “Yes! This is mine! You said it, Lord. I receive it!”

We may be confused about what we should be doing in life, about which direction to go, or how to handle a particular situation, but we need not be unsure that we are to reign in this life with Christ!

This belief and attitude carries great confidence. From that place we can go out and approach our lives with clarity, focus, and assurance, regardless of evidence to the contrary, people opposing you, or fiery darts thrown by the enemy. Raise us that shield of faith!

My husband and I were recently talking about famous quotes by war heroes that displayed greatness in the face of immense and terrible obstacles. One I particularly liked and has become my new mantra, “DAMN THE TORPEDOS! FULL STEAM AHEAD.”

I leave you with that!

Have an awesome day!