Dynamic Life and Power

Beloved, I am teaching you to do all things from this place of Love. This is impossible for the flesh, but possible for the spirit made alive in Christ! You have a choice about how you respond in every situation - from the flesh or from the spirit. The flesh has enjoyed rulership - or at least shared reign - for too long now, but dead flesh cannot lead you anywhere except the grave! 

Your spirit is coming alive more fully each day - it is already fully alive, but it is waking up to that life! Let your spirit take the lead!

Beloved, it is for FREEDOM that I have set you free! I am thrilled that you are finally realising what this means on a consistent level. I see your sorrow that it has taken your whole lifetime as a Christian, soaked in a Christian environment to realise this experientially! But, My Darling, I say to you as Nehemiah and Ezra said to the people as they wept to hear the Law read: "Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength."

My godly sorrow leads you to repentance, but you are never to set up camp there. You move straight out into the wide open fields of My Grace in rejoicing and celebration! 

"Beloved ones, God has called us to live a life of freedom in the Holy Spirit...Freedom means that we become so completely free of self-indulgence that we become servants of one another, expressing love in all we do. For love completes the laws of God. All of the Law can be summarised in one grand statement: 

"Demonstrate love to your neighbour, even as you care for and love yourself."

...As you yield freely and fully to the dynamic life and power of the Holy Spirit, you will abandon the cravings of your self-life. For your self-life craves the things that offend the Holy Spirit and hinder him from living free within you! And the Holy Spirit's intense cravings hinder your old self-life from dominating you! The Holy Spirit is the only One who defeats the cravings of your natural life...But when you are brought into the full freedom of the Spirit of Grace, you will no longer be living under the dominion of the law, but soaring above it!" (Galatians 5:13-18, TPT)

"But the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit within you is divine love in all its various expressions. This love is revealed through:
Joy that overflows,
Peace that subdues,
Patience that endures,
Kindness in action,
A life full of virtue,
Faith that prevails,
Gentleness of heart, and
Strength of spirit.
Never set the law above these qualities, for they are meant to be limitless." (Galatians 5:22-23, TPT)

A Declaration Song

The Dance of Love

Verse 1:

You replace my pain with treasure, Lord

With gems so precious and rare

You place them in settings of silver and gold

And you weave them into my hair. 

Chorus:

You give me joy for mourning, Lord, 

You give me joy and grace.

You give me joy for mourning, Lord 

And you dance me all over the place.

Verse 2:

You replace my rags with royal robes

Of brilliant colours and light

You clothe me in Strength and Dignity

So I can dance with all my might

Verse 3:

You replace my drab, monotonous grey

With vibrant colour as we dance through my days

You take my bitter and whinging heart 

And exchange it for a heart full of praise!

Bridge 1:

You dance, you dance with me

You lead me in this dance of love.

You set your love on me

And call me to the places above. 

Verse 4:

You replace my tears with laughter, Lord

With mirth and hilarity

You open my mind to Truth and we laugh

At the lies of the enemy!

Verse 5:

You replace my natural human sight

With faith-filled heavenly view

When I look at my circumstances now

I see not what they are, but what you can do!

Verse 6:

You replace my shrinking with confidence

Your perfect Love casts out every fear

The barren season is over and gone,

Behold a new day dawns bright and clear! 

Bridge 2:

You dance, you dance with me

You teach me how to move with grace

You set your love on me

In You, I have found my true place. 

I have given you a new song! I have put the words in your mouth, words of revelation and Truth. This is a declaration song! Sing it in praise and thankfulness, even (especially) on the days you are not "feeling it". 

I am the fulfillment of Isaiah 61, I came to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour!

"to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion - to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified." (Isaiah 61:2-3)

"They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord...their life shall be like a well-watered garden, and they shall languish no more. Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance...I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them and give them gladness for sorrow." (Jeremiah 31:12-13)

Do Not Dare Not To Dare!

"Horse, draw near. Nearer still, my son. Do not dare not to dare. Touch me. Smell me. Here are my paws, here is my tail, these are my whiskers. I am a true Beast." (C.S. Lewis, Aslan speaking to Bree in "A Horse and His Boy")

Beloved, I bid you draw near; nearer still! Do not dare not to dare! These words are ringing in your soul. 

Today is a day for celebration, Beloved! We have much to celebrate, for you are making progress. It is My Joy to celebrate progress! You have moved into a new season. Instead of just looking for an opportunity to spend time with Me, you are aware of My Presence throughout the day. Instead of just making an appointment with Me and keeping it, we are restless Lovers, constantly aware of each others' presence and longing to get away to enjoy each other fully in private. So many secret looks, so many longing glances, so many whispered desires and stolen kisses. You no longer have to write your time with Me on your to-do list. You no longer have to sit and wait on Me for My words, for you are bursting with them! When you finally get away with Me to our secret garden, they come pouring out! All the words I have whispered to you in your sleep, in the crazy busy moments, even in the shower. You are bursting with urgency and joy to get these words down!!  

"I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." (Psalm 119:11)

Listen, Dear Heart! This is not just an admonishment to memorise Scripture, though that is a wonderful thing to do. There is a deeper Truth here. I AM the Word - Living and Active! It is I, Myself, that you hide in your heart. It is I, Myself, who guides you away from sin. 

Get this, My Precious! You do not need to feel guilty about this joyful restlessness, this longing awareness of My Presence and desire for more of Me...this is what you have been asking Me for for years! You are living your dream! And your chronic illness has been used by Me to help bring you to this place!! Ha!! Joy, Beloved! Laugh with Me!

So as you sit and help your son build Lego and give him your "full attention", you need not feel guilt that your heart is restlessly longing after Me! My Presence cannot divide your attention or detract from your presence, it can only enhance your ability to be fully present! I can whisper Truth to you, put words in your mouth for him, love him through you, far more than if you were not longing after Me! Ha ha!! 

I am doing a transformational work in you, Beloved, from the inside-out! It does not happen in the way you expect. I love to spring surprises on you. Ha! Suddenly all those worries seem ludicrous!! Let's laugh at some of them together...

"I need to do better at parenting." Ha ha! Beloved, just be with Me and let Me parent through you. 

"I need to feel better before I can reach out to others." Ha ha!! Beloved, just be with Me and let others see this journey you are on - who wouldn't want this? It is I who draw people to Myself, I will reach out through you. 

"I need to figure out how to journey back to health." Ha ha!! Ummm, hello?? Divine Healer here! Just be with Me and let Me heal you. I am healing you. 

It is all about My Presence, Sweet Heart. I am pruning off all distraction that would disrupt the flow of My Presence in your life, and cultivating habits that increase flow of My Presence in your life. I am the Divine Gardener, but it is your obedience that is allowing Me to do this. I have wanted to do this for years. I have invited you to this by asking you to give up certain distractions for many years, but you were never ready. It is only the rough circumstances of the past two years that have brought you to a place of readiness, Beloved. How you wish you had obeyed and accepted the invitation sooner! 

But do not grieve about this, Beloved! Today is a day for celebrating, a day for joy and laughter! 

Draw near, nearer still! Do not dare not to dare! 

Easy and Joyful

I lead you in this dance, Beloved. You know how good and how easy it is to dance well in the arms of a skilled dancer and gentle leader. Surrender to My leading and all striving will cease. This is your tool for breakthrough, My Precious One! Lean into My arms, and I will sweep you around the floor, and through the difficult moments, with such joy rising in your spirit. 

I can dance you through brain fog. I can dance you through debilitating fatigue. I can dance you through migraines. I can dance you through homework and children's tantrums and fights and whinging. I can dance you through stressful morning routines and double drop-offs so that it feels easy and joyful! 

As you follow My lead, the tension will leave your body, you will relax, and I will show you new things. My dance can turn the drab, grey days into full-colour. It will create opportunities for you to connect with your kids and your husband in ways you long for. 

Dance with Me, Beloved!

Here in the River

Here in the River, your spirit is free to be One with Me! You sense the complete freedom from stress, the utter joy as your spirit dives into the depths of the River of Life, twirling, swimming, leaping and twisting. 

This is rest, Beloved. Rest is not passive, lying around all day. This is active rest. This is the rest that restores your spirit and your body. This is the rest you crave every day. And here it is, constantly available to you. 

I hear you ask Me, "Do you like me?" Yes! Beloved, I delight in your presence! That joy you feel as you dance in the River - My Spirit takes the same joy in you! Yes, really! 

This place of active rest holds the greatest adventures you can imagine. This is the source of your energy and strength, here in My River of Life. My Presence! This is what is missing from your daily routine...diving into the River. 

Moses did not believe what I said about him. He did not trust that I could speak through him. He had thoughts in his head about himself that I did not have about him - he sold himself short of what I had for him, and it cost him later. 

You cannot afford to have thoughts in your head about yourself that I do not think about you. Reject those thoughts as lies from the enemy of your soul!

I Am There

"When I said, 'My foot is slipping!' your love, O Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me your consolation brought joy to my soul." Psalm 94:18-19

It is not My plan to keep you on the brink of anxiety or panic! Just waiting for the next bout of bad news! That is not abundant life! My desire is to see you living in My joy each and every day!

In My Presence is fullness of joy! (Psalm 16:11) Fullness! It fills you to the brim and then spills out to everyone you meet! You do not need to dwell in a place of sorrow, grieving that which seems lost! This is an attempt to protect your heart from future pain. Let it go, Beloved, dance with Me in a wild dance of joyful anticipation. Your daughter is fearfully and wonderfully made, and I delight in her beauty! Don't hold back in doing the same!

Do not fear the strong emotions she already evokes in you. Do not fear the journey I am taking you on. I give you beauty for ashes, joy for mourning, praise instead of despair. (Isaiah 61:3) This beautiful exchange is always available to you as you dwell in My Presence. In Me, you can smile through tears, laugh in the midst of sorrow and be joyful in affliction. There is no guilt in this. I am big enough to contain simultaneous and seemingly contradictory emotions. 

Do not get hung up on externals. Whether your early experiences with her take place primarily in your home or in a hospital ward...I am there! I am able to transform a sterile intensive care unit into a place of beauty by My Presence, which you carry with you! 

Whether you get to hold her close from day one or not - I am there. Though your experience will be different from the last two new babies, it will be no less precious! You will experience moments of intense beauty that are made even more precious by the uniqueness. Trust Me in this. Let go of your fear, and let yourself look forward with excitement. She is so worth it! My Truth is irrefutable, My Hope is boundless - not constrained by mere circumstances. Let Me set your heart free to soar on wings like an eagle. 

Tactical Retreat

When other people's poor choices or bad behaviour elicit a strong emotional response in you - anger, hurt, frustration- you need to retreat into My Presence. Not this internal foot-stomping, "What am I supposed to do now?" crying and whinging plea to Me. I mean really retreat into My Presence.

In My Presence is fullness of joy - yes, even when you are seething mad or blindingly hurt! Lean into My Presence, not seeking a quick-fix solution to how to respond; but just to restore your soul and refresh your spirit. When your loving-kindness has run dry, you need to drink deep from the one Source of true Loving-kindness. 

When you are stuck in the anger or hurt and call out to Me, asking how to respond, you are not actually in a position to hear what I say. Your ears are closed, even though you sense you desperately need an answer. I AM your answer.

When you retreat into My Presence, you are choosing to die to self and letting My Spirit live through you. The actual words you choose to respond with are not as important as who you are when you respond - the old, sinful self; or the Spirit-renewed, Christ-living-in-you self.

This process of retreating into My Presence to refresh your spirit and restore your soul before responding seems somewhat impractical to you, because it takes time as well as mental and physical space. But you need to start somewhere! As you practise this, it will become quicker, automatic even. But right now, you need the time and space. 

As you carry My Presence back into the situation that you are dealing with, you still may not know how the problem will be resolved. Let My Presence shift the atmosphere of your heart, and be surprised by the results! Try this now, dear one!

Fullness of Joy

Psalm 16

When you feel like you can't breathe, step back into My Presence. It is an expanse of Grace in which you can truly breathe, and find space to be. This is the rest I call you to. 

You can enter this rest any time you like! I have bought you eternal access, through My life blood, My death and resurrection. You honour Me when you make use of the access that I've paid so dearly for. Do not hold back because you feel you don't deserve it - this dishonours Me! It is already bought and paid for!

There is a storm raging around you, and you are feeling buffeted and tossed about. Lean back into My Presence - you are completely safe here. I AM your refuge, your shelter, your strong tower. Fear has no power to hurt you here. Lean into Me, and breathe. Find rest for your soul here, dear one. Rest, and be refreshed.  

You have no reason to fear, though the storm rages wildly about you and shows no sign of letting up. You are held secure in My Love. "The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms." (Deuteronomy 33:27) You are enveloped by My Presence. You do not need to leave. You do not need to step out again into the storm, unprotected. Carry My Presence with you, dear one. 

This is the secret to joy-filled, victorious living - I am making known to you the path of life...that in My Presence there is FULLNESS OF JOY! (Psalm 16:11) As you carry My Presence with you, you are not ruled by your circumstances. Your feelings dictate your demeanor no longer! You will not be shaken, because I AM always before you and at your right hand. (Psalm 16:8) You can rest secure, your heart can be glad and your whole being rejoice, for in My Presence is fullness of joy. FULLNESS OF JOY, dear heart, FULLNESS OF JOY!