If you're following this blog and wondering why I haven't posted since July, it's because I created a new blog in October. Check it out and feel free to follow it: isaiah68living.blogspot.com.
I wish you all peace, grace and blessings regardless of circumstance or season.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
The Inner Courts of His Heart
On Friday night at KC, I worshiped from a new place. It was a strange, but good, time. It wasn't some super strong encounter, nor was it a place of feeling distant from the Father. It was just being. Right there. Right then. With Him. A lot of the time during worship, I was perfectly aware of everything that was going on around me but also did not feel like I was present there, that I was somewhere else completely. At the end of John's sermon, he prayed for us to see and ask the Father where we were. When I asked, He told me, "You are hidden in Me." Through the rest of the night, He showed me what that meant:
Other than literally being hidden right now in Him, He told me that I am in the Inner Courts of His Heart. From the Inner Courts, I am in a place of peace and security. It's like the eye of a hurricane, the calm in the middle of so much, where everything can be seen and heard, but it is peaceful and restful at the center. I can see things through His eyes. I have everything available to me, but the supernatural things that I have witnessed and experienced a lot in the past year are not as necessary right now. They are available and not gone from my identity in Him, but they are not something that is crucial for my season. Right now, in these Inner Courts, He has me in a place of rest where I do not have to do anything to receive from Him. My quiet time has continued to be different as well. I get in the Word, I hear His voice but there is such a sweetness and a romancing and an easy pursuit of me by Him that it is very little "work" from me.
These were some of the journaled thoughts as I went to sleep a few nights ago:
"In the Inner Courts of His heart right now. It is such a place of rest. I don't need to worry about or strive for anything, just to be doted on and loved by Him. It not a dry season either. But a deep season. Roots. Deep cultivation and growth. A new aspect. A new time and season. Preparation, like a bride before her wedding prepares for hours with her sisters, which are a time of excitement. But those moments just before she walks through the doors and down the isle, she stands in a stillness. A quiet time with her Dad before He gives her away. He tells her she is beautiful, and He reflects on the woman she has grown into. They will still have the whole isle to walk down before He gives her to be joined with her husband, but these are the last moments that they have for just them. Nobody else is around. No shrills of excitement or doubt or anxiousness. Just peaceful rest, holding onto each others' arms as the doors are about to open and she is about to see her husband as he sees her for the first time as his bride. Those the the moments I am treasuring now. A stillness of adoration and love. Mmmm.. So good."
It's such a personal and intimate time right now with the Lord. He's asking for my attention just before a time when so much will happen and change in my life. He called me back to ASP a couple of weeks ago, after I had believed we had closed the ASP-door together. After not being able to come to a place of rest with it, I found myself utterly distracted as I did a reading for one of my classes. I kept feeling the nudge towards doing ASP. It freaked me out and the Lord revealed that I was the one now pushing against ASP. He revealed to me how and why I was pushing back against ASP. Then He said, "I want to redeem this for you." It blew me away. I am so excited to see all that He does this summer because let's be real.. He is a really good Redeemer.. I mean, He is THE Redeemer. I just can feel Him at work in my life right now, setting up and doing things that are going to be incredible. I feel at rest in a place of complete victory. The enemy has no access to attack me. Though he my try, it takes just one thought of reminder of where I am seated to knock away the attack and rest in how He has made me and where I am right now and what He says versus what the world may say. It's like the calm before the storm, but the storm is not one of those dreaded ones, it is an anticipated and long-awaited storm. It's not a call for rain, but a declaration of the rain that is coming. It is a beautiful place to be. Welcome to the Inner Courts of His Heart.
Other than literally being hidden right now in Him, He told me that I am in the Inner Courts of His Heart. From the Inner Courts, I am in a place of peace and security. It's like the eye of a hurricane, the calm in the middle of so much, where everything can be seen and heard, but it is peaceful and restful at the center. I can see things through His eyes. I have everything available to me, but the supernatural things that I have witnessed and experienced a lot in the past year are not as necessary right now. They are available and not gone from my identity in Him, but they are not something that is crucial for my season. Right now, in these Inner Courts, He has me in a place of rest where I do not have to do anything to receive from Him. My quiet time has continued to be different as well. I get in the Word, I hear His voice but there is such a sweetness and a romancing and an easy pursuit of me by Him that it is very little "work" from me.
These were some of the journaled thoughts as I went to sleep a few nights ago:
"In the Inner Courts of His heart right now. It is such a place of rest. I don't need to worry about or strive for anything, just to be doted on and loved by Him. It not a dry season either. But a deep season. Roots. Deep cultivation and growth. A new aspect. A new time and season. Preparation, like a bride before her wedding prepares for hours with her sisters, which are a time of excitement. But those moments just before she walks through the doors and down the isle, she stands in a stillness. A quiet time with her Dad before He gives her away. He tells her she is beautiful, and He reflects on the woman she has grown into. They will still have the whole isle to walk down before He gives her to be joined with her husband, but these are the last moments that they have for just them. Nobody else is around. No shrills of excitement or doubt or anxiousness. Just peaceful rest, holding onto each others' arms as the doors are about to open and she is about to see her husband as he sees her for the first time as his bride. Those the the moments I am treasuring now. A stillness of adoration and love. Mmmm.. So good."
It's such a personal and intimate time right now with the Lord. He's asking for my attention just before a time when so much will happen and change in my life. He called me back to ASP a couple of weeks ago, after I had believed we had closed the ASP-door together. After not being able to come to a place of rest with it, I found myself utterly distracted as I did a reading for one of my classes. I kept feeling the nudge towards doing ASP. It freaked me out and the Lord revealed that I was the one now pushing against ASP. He revealed to me how and why I was pushing back against ASP. Then He said, "I want to redeem this for you." It blew me away. I am so excited to see all that He does this summer because let's be real.. He is a really good Redeemer.. I mean, He is THE Redeemer. I just can feel Him at work in my life right now, setting up and doing things that are going to be incredible. I feel at rest in a place of complete victory. The enemy has no access to attack me. Though he my try, it takes just one thought of reminder of where I am seated to knock away the attack and rest in how He has made me and where I am right now and what He says versus what the world may say. It's like the calm before the storm, but the storm is not one of those dreaded ones, it is an anticipated and long-awaited storm. It's not a call for rain, but a declaration of the rain that is coming. It is a beautiful place to be. Welcome to the Inner Courts of His Heart.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Short 'n' Sweet
Yeah, this has nothing to do with Valentine's Day, although my time with Jesus this morning was sweet, and He continues to reveal who I am to me. He's so gracious.
Nope, this post is solely for the purpose of sharing a quote. It could not be more applicable to my prayer and daily life. It speaks for itself and brings such a renewed hope to promises Abba makes to me that I can't see happening.
"God has a funny [and/or amazing] way of making a road block on a major highway look like a gentle curve."
In a few of the promises yet fulfilled in my life, I feel God beckoning me closer and closer to seeing around that major roadblock and realizing it was just a gentle curve. New hope and mercies every morning. Praise God. Also, praise Him for the beautiful sunny and warm day He has made today. There is such a sweetness and romance to it. He made it just for me, too. He's quite a romantic. haha. Have a blessed day! May He and those around you embrace and surround you with love.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
The Meaning of Optimism
So this week is set-up week, and so far it has gone pretty well. It's been kinda strange. I don't know how to describe it. I think I just have been really thirsty for the Lord and haven't really gotten as fed as I would desire. If you could pray for me for that, I would greatly appreciate it. I am currently working on my staff bio to hang up in our center, and as I was working on it, I looked up pictures of my bio from last year to get ideas of what to put on mine and I rediscovered this personal statement I had come up with. It was super encouraging to me and just filled me with joy because I still truly believe this:
"I am an optimistic person. I believe that tomorrow has the potential to be a great day; that all people are good at heart, no matter what the world has shown them; that everything happens for a reason - the bad is just an opportunity to learn and grow; that a person can accomplish anything they set their mind to; that one person has the potential to change the world and that that may result from a simple smile; most importantly, I believe in love. I believe in true love. I believe that there can and is one person for everyone. I truly believe that "all you need is love."
So good. And completely what I believe. I would add to that that rainy days are days to reflect and let the bad wash away. That getting lost is only an opportunity to see something new and appreciate the little things in life, as well as teach patience in a world that moves too fast. That there is no greater joy than the laugh of a small child. That the Lord holds each of us in the palm of His hand and that even our littlest concern is of greatest concern and He so desires for us to have the desires of our hearts. That He knows the color of our hearts because He painted them perfectly and that there is no greater thrill seeking, yet fulfilling adventure in life than following the Lord with reckless abandonment wherever He leads you.
Anyways, that is where I am at right now. I think that the time I have put in reflecting on that statement and adding to it has been some of the most meaningful personal time I have taken in the past couple of days. I hope that it was as encouraging for you to read as it was for me. I hope that parts of it may speak to some of your beliefs or challenge you to think from a new point of view.
Love, prayers, and blessings to all of you!
Chelsea
"I am an optimistic person. I believe that tomorrow has the potential to be a great day; that all people are good at heart, no matter what the world has shown them; that everything happens for a reason - the bad is just an opportunity to learn and grow; that a person can accomplish anything they set their mind to; that one person has the potential to change the world and that that may result from a simple smile; most importantly, I believe in love. I believe in true love. I believe that there can and is one person for everyone. I truly believe that "all you need is love."
So good. And completely what I believe. I would add to that that rainy days are days to reflect and let the bad wash away. That getting lost is only an opportunity to see something new and appreciate the little things in life, as well as teach patience in a world that moves too fast. That there is no greater joy than the laugh of a small child. That the Lord holds each of us in the palm of His hand and that even our littlest concern is of greatest concern and He so desires for us to have the desires of our hearts. That He knows the color of our hearts because He painted them perfectly and that there is no greater thrill seeking, yet fulfilling adventure in life than following the Lord with reckless abandonment wherever He leads you.
Anyways, that is where I am at right now. I think that the time I have put in reflecting on that statement and adding to it has been some of the most meaningful personal time I have taken in the past couple of days. I hope that it was as encouraging for you to read as it was for me. I hope that parts of it may speak to some of your beliefs or challenge you to think from a new point of view.
Love, prayers, and blessings to all of you!
Chelsea
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