LIVING LIFE INSIDE OUT UNVEILED LIVING
A deeper look at Romans 12 and how God wants to bring out the best in us.
Only 13% of the US population reads the Bible daily
BATTLE CRY FOR OUR CHILDREN
As I look around at what is going on around us and in our children's lives, whether they are still at home or adults, as mine are, I see the enemy trying to fast track deceit, lies, and division in their lives. And guest what? That makes this mom furious!
Week after week I hear story after story from friends of how their children are choosing to walk away from God and dive deep into the ways of this world, believing all the lies that have been placed before them, thinking this is the path to their freedom and joy I promise you this, at first, it may ' appear ' to look glorious! Like everything they always longed for, but once you get deep into sin, it devours you and puts you on a track of slow death without you ever realizing it That's how the enemy works He knows how to lure you He knows what you like, what you want, what you desire, and just as he tried to tempt Jesus in the dessert at his weakest point as it says in Luke 4:1-13 knowing full well what could be the potential 'temptations' that Jesus could've succumbed too, especially after having fasted 40 days and being incredibly weak But my friend, he didn't cave in.
Have you ever thought why? Yes, he is Jesus, but there's so much more to grasp What was his secret? HE KNEW GOD'S WORD.
If this is what he used at his weakest point to fight the enemy, than THIS is what we must use in our battle for our children.
The enemy cannot stand against the word of the Lord.
Back when I was 19 years old I learned the power of God's word that I hadn't experienced up to that point I was working the night shift at a nursing home in Springfield, MO I was dating my exhusband at the time while he was attending bible school at Central Bible College I shared the house with another girl a little older than I was that also worked at the same nursing home This home was her childhood home where her mom and younger sister once lived It didn't take long for me to notice something was not right in that home. Being a christian and deeply loving the Lord, I felt in my spirit that something wasn't right in the spiritual realm. I had never felt anything like that before until I moved into that home I lived in the master bedroom and it was the only room that I sensed peace and calm but the moment I would leave that room, whether eating dinner in the dining area, or sitting in the living room, I felt like something was watching me. It was, what I felt, a demonic presence in that home
Over the course of a few months, strange things began happening like, walking footsteps over the house as if someone were up in the basement walking back and forth Banging on my window outside throughout the day - I would even be standing by the window waiting to catch who it might be, and when the banging would happen, no one would be standing there
BATTLE CRY FOR OUR CHILDREN
Times where I would be sitting at the dining room table eating dinner before work and looking down the hallway and saying outloud, "I know you are down the hall looking at me " It was the enemy without a doubt. But having never encountered the enemy in this way, I wasn't fully sure of what to do. I talked this over with my ex-husband (boyfriend at the time) where many nights he would stay on the phone with me while I slept because it was creating a lot of fear within me At first, he didn't fully believe me but then one particular evening he was over at the house when all the sudden, he started hearing those footsteps walking across the house Knowing there wasn't anyone else there but us, he finally believed
One particular day as I was talking to my mom, which back then, was a rare occasion being that my parents were missionaries in Spain so a long distance phone call for 20 minutes could cost $70! I mentioned to her what I was experiencing in this home and immediately she told me, "Tracee, you need to anoint that house with oil and pray the blood of Jesus over it " She gave me the tools I needed to fight whatever was looming in that homeOne thing I want to add is there was one particular bedroom I could never walk in. The door remained shut all the time and when I would be in the kitchen area looking down the hallway, the presence that I would sense starring at me was always by that door So I knew something was up with that particular bedroom!
But I didn't have the courage to walk in and find out That is, until my mom gave me the tools I needed to fight this in the spiritual realm And that I did!
I grabbed my vegetable oil from the kitchen and began anointing that entire house with it while praying the blood of Jesus over that house and rebuking the
enemy! Guess what happened? That demonic spirit that was looming over the entire household VANISHED! that day forward, I never heard footsteps again, banging on my window, or that evil presence looming by that closed bedroom door On a rare occasion where my roommate happened to be home when I was, I began asking her if she had ever felt something was 'there' in that home She didn't have a strong christian background so I tried to communicate in a way she would understand. She told me that on several occasions she would feel this presence come over her body and it felt as if it were strangling her to the point where she was so gripped with fear she couldn't even yell out for help She felt like it was a demonic presence but didn't know what to do But from there, she mentioned that those experiences had completely stopped. That was my moment to share with her how I prayed over the house and why I believed she was no longer having those encounters!
Out of my curiosity, I asked her about the bedroom that neither of us ever walked in She told me that room was her sister's growing up who was now in college I asked her if she had ever dealt with any occult type things and her response dumbfounded me While living there she had gotten into Satan worship! In that moment, courage rose over me and I looked at my roommate and said, "We are going into that bedroom!" "No, we can't!" she responded I was no longer afraid
Having given that tool that my mother told me and realizing what the power of Jesus can do, I wasn't afraid to walk into the enemy ' s territory! We walked in and my jaw dropped.Every kind of Satanic paraphernalia, symbols, books, etc was all over that room I opened up the closet, and saw bags worth of books on satanic worship and witchcraft
BATTLE CRY FOR OUR CHILDREN
I grabbed black trash bags and started throwing it all away! We filled up two large trash bags full. My roommate was afraid her sister would get mad if she found out and my honest response was, "I don't care if she does, she can come to me!"
How do we fight for our children?
What is happening in the lives of our children is way beyond finding the normal remedies to help them Had I not taken the action to pray over that house and anoint it with oil, the enemies presence would have remained in that home AND, it would have continued to grip me with fear making me feel as if I were helpless and could do nothing!!!! Ah, but that is a lie from the pit of hell. The enemies greatest tool in our lives is to try and grip us with fear If he can keep us in that place, we won't be able to fight back, and that is what WE MUST DO! Our children are being torn up with this very fear, depression, anxiety, anger, remorse, division, and temptations greater than anything we ' ve ever experienced in our entire lives And that is not something we can fight in the physical
We MUST DIVE INTO THE SPIRITUAL REALM and begin to FIGHT ON BEHALF OF OUR CHILDREN.
This isn't easy praying or simple prayers of, "Jesus save my child,' and leaving it at that This is warfare. This is putting on the daily armor of God and going into battle every single day! And if we do not dive into this spiritual warfare, the enemy will keep hounding at our children because it's a battle over their souls! And I'm talking for eternity!!
Just as my mom gave me that powerful resource of using God's Word that particular night and anointing that house with oil and praying the blood of Jesus allthroughout, that is what stopped the enemy ' s activity in that home. By using these same resources is what will stop the
enemy in his tracks over the lives of our children I promise you this, this type of warfare will not make him happy. And that is fine by me! Because this mama is not happy that the enemy is fighting as hard as he can to get our children. Not on my watch
If God is for us, then who can be against us?
(Romans 8:31) NO ONE!!
So how do we start this battle? By using the greatest weapon of all
THE POWER OF GOD'S WORD
In this spiritual challenge, maybe your faith feels weak and your unbelief is overtaking your heart and mind. May I encourage you as you dig into God's word and pray it over your children, I promise that you will see the Lord move! This battle will take time and it won't be easy, but stand faithful and believe that God's promises are true.
I wanted to share a prayer (using scripture) I prayed today in my 'battle time' and I want to share it with you It comes from the book, Winning the Mind Wars, by Steve Berger It's important that as we dive into a deeper realm with the Lord that we first clean out any unbelief or offenses we may have in our own lives
This type of warfare requires complete and utter faith in the Lord to perform miracles beyond anything we have ever seen before. As I prayed this prayer, I was convicted realizing that there are times in my life where I allow the negativity of what is happening around me to fill me with defeat and despair, failing to see life through the lens of faith, for it is impossible to please God without faith. We must believe in the power of God's word We must believe in the power of prayer and reaching into the heavenliness on behalf of our lives, our spouses, and that of our children We must begin put on the full armor of God, daily It first starts with us.
THE PRAYER
Father, I recognize that my walk with you is not based on sight, but by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7)
Thank you that you live in me and that my faith is grounded in your love, which has been expressed by laying your life down for me. (Galatians 2:20)
I understand that without faith it is impossible to please you, and that you reward those who draw near to you, believe in you and diligently seek you (Hebrews 11:6)
As a follower of Jesus, I repent for where I have lived and walked in unbelief, not embracing your character, words, ways and promises (Hebrews 3:12-19)
I repent of my skepticism which has blinded me from seeing your hand at work in and around my life (Mark 16:12-14)
I repent of my pessimism and negativity, not recognizing your awesome ability to intervene and redeem any circumstance for my good and your glory (Psalm 78:19-20)
I repent for my critical attitude and I ask you to forgive me for fault finding and using my words to tear others down (Romans 14:10, 12)
I repent for grumbling, murmuring and complaining, which was revealed my littleness of faith in your divine ability to come through for me (Psalm 106:21, 24-25)
I repent for giving my life over to anxiety and worry, not referencing your intimate care and concern for me as my Father in heaven. (Philippians 4:6-7)
I repent for picking up offenses, and not recognizing that in the midst of what's going on, that you may very well be establishing your purposes (Matthew 13:53-57)
I recommit this day to walk in faith in Jesus, being assured within of things hope for, while waking with conviction of things I don't see but know to be true from your Word (Hebrews 11:1-3)
I determine by your grace to trust the Lord with all my heart, not leaning on my own understanding, but rather bringing you in to everything I do, knowing that you'll make my paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Teach me how to wield the shield of faith so I can withstand and extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one (Ephesians 6:13, 16)
I embrace afresh your desire to walk with me each day, to answer my mountain-moving prayers, and to do great works through my life for your purposes and glory (Matthew 17:20; John 14:12)
With all this in mind, in the all-powerful name of Jesus, I renounce and break the stronghold of unbelief, and all of its various expressions, in my life and OVER MY FAMILY for GENERATIONS TO COME I fully embrace faith and trust, and invite you to firmly establish them in my life, that Jesus might be revealed and glorified in a great way, both in and through me AMEN!
From the book, Winning the Mind Wars, Steve Berger
HeartTalkwithTracee
Starting this June, I began a series called, Why Should I Read the Bible? I have felt so deeply compelled after hearing story after story of what many friends are battling including the state our society is in, the deepest tug in my core being reflecting our need for more of the word of God in our lives. If you haven't noticed, our culture is making the greatest attempt to push God out of our lives, and out of our nation.
Little did I know when I began this 3 weeks series that Barna, one of the leading christian research groups in America would come out with the latest results as to the state of Christianity in our nation and the percentage of people reading the Bible (for more results regarding this go to their website ). 13% of those asked stated they read the Bible every day while 14% said they read it several times a week. I am preaching to the choir here. I have had seasons in my life where I've dug in deep and devoured God's Word, and I have had seasons where I came up with every excuse under the sun why I didn't have time to read the Bible every single day.
The conviction within me is saying, "Stop what you are doing and run to the Word." We have become so accustomed to a world full of clutter and noise that it has created an atmosphere of short attention spans, busier than ever schedules, and more stressed out beings going through the in and outs of our daily lives. We make every attempt to fill up the gaps of our life with another series, or the swipe of a phone upward keeping our brains in a numb state of mind, that we don't realize that our inward life is slowly fading away. The light that needs to shine brightly within us is barely flickering for anyone to see. There is only one way to change that. God's Word. My heart tells me that in the days to come, there will be more alarming things across this world that will take place, and if we do not dig into God's word greater than we have ever done before, we will wither from within.
My friend, this world needs Jesus. Until our last breath, that is our greatest commandment. Will you join me?
'We are moving into a very different culture where people are saying, ‘I don’t want the Bible, I don’t want God, and I don’t want the church.’” But even though our culture does not want the Bible, God, or the church, it is important for followers of Jesus to remain faithful.As fewer people share our theological and worldview commitments, Christians will need courage that was not required of recent generations of believers."
Taken from FRC Blog - New Barna Research
Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.
(Jeremiah 17:7-8)
Feeling vulnerable and timid, I walked into a room followed by a long concrete wall in Central Assembly of God where nightly children's services for kids like me, a missionary kid, were being held Not being used to the 'American' way of living life, having spent the past 3 1/2 years in Canary Islands, now thrust back into the American culture felt extremely unfamiliar to me But something about that evening tugged at my heart. I had heard the story of Jesus as young as my toddler years growing up in the home of a Pastor/Missionary and I am sure I raised my hand for many altar calls but not fully understanding the depth of what it really meant. That is, until that night. I couldn't understand what was going on inside of me. It was as if someone was beckoning my heart. The longer I waited, the more my heart pounded until I finally had enough courage to
raise my hand in response to the call, "Does anyone in this room want to know Jesus?" I knew that was me. I knew Jesus was right there in that moment, asking me to follow Him The moment I prayed and asked Jesus to come into my life, a well of tears came pouring out of me. For what felt like hours, I poured out my little 9 year old heart to Jesus, wanting Him to have every part of my life I knew my life was no longer my own, but I was a child of God. Every night for the remainder of that week I found myself on my knees, tears falling down my cheeks, completely surrendering my life to the Lord and whatever He would have for me in this lifetime Not a clue what all this life would bring my way, but that was the very beginning of learning to live life inside out, me and Jesus.
Living Life Inside Out
A DEEPER LOOK INTO ROMANS 12
Living Life the Jesus Way
At the tender age of 9, I would've never been able to know what my future held but in my feeble human attempt, living the Jesus way has been at the core of my being since that tender moment June of 1979 when Jesus revealed himself to me in such a tender and life changing way It has been a journey of learning and growing, using the Bible as a map learning to live life Jesus' way. Not always easy, having made many mistakes along the way, but, yet, if you have learned by now as I have, God's faithfulness to us is without end. He isn't sitting on His throne with a notebook in hand checking off all the times we mess up. I cannot tell you how thankful I am He is not that way. That is one of the key things that propels me with hope as I walk through this life, learning, growing, falling flat on my face, getting back up again. With Jesus we will always have hope. Where else can you find that in this world? It simply doesn't exist.
What does it mean to live life inside out?
The way we live on the 'outside' is actually a reflection of our heart on the inside By looking on the inside will help us better navigate the decisions we're making on the outside It helps us answer questions like, "Why do I keep struggling with the same issues, over and over?" or, "Why do I feel constant pressure to be someone I am not?" or, "I have no purpose in this life " Maybe you have a sense of anger that wells up within you from time to time and it leaves you perplexed and confused because you aren't the typical 'angry' type I could list a complete chapter on every potential thought or issue that we face or think of at some point in our life When things arise out of us in this way, we have to stop and take a look inside to determine what's really going on outside of our lives If we find things aren't matching up to how the Lord is asking us to live, then it's time to dig in deeper and find out what's going on within us Whatever comes in, will come out Remember when you were a kid and you discovered what a magnifying glass can do? It blows everything up, out of proportion That is what living inside out is: put the magnifying glass on your heart to reveal the most intricate deepest things you are carrying And I don't care how messy or ugly it is in there, God can handle every single bit of it And that's what He wants from us All of it When we can get to the deepest core of who we are and begin to allow Him to re-construct our hearts, who we are, how we think, what we say and do, that is the road that leads to living life the Jesus way. Inside out.
This is how it works. The revelation that I have discovered in my own life is, I find the more I surround myself in God's word, the more my spirit is lifted, my countenance changes, my outlook and perspective about life shifts, my vision becomes clearer, my determination grows, my faith explodes, courage becomes secondhand, and my joy becomes more contagious. When I get wrapped up in the busyness of life and don't make the time to read and study God's word, the opposite occurs My anxiety and stress levels increase, my hope begins to deflect through the lens of fear and uncertainty, and my thoughts become more difficult to manage as things from my past will start to creep in and make me feel worthless and without purpose in life
How do we change our heart? Using Romans 12 as a template will help us keep our perspective and the positioning of our heart in the proper place where God intended us to be You may not realize this fully but the more of God we choose to put into our hearts, the less the battle that we face within will be It doesn't mean we will not have trials and tribulations in this world we live in, but, it gives us a greater navigation from within when we have God's Word embellished into every aspect of who we are When we know more of who He is, we will know more of who we are Why would I say that? Because we are created in HIS image We didn't come from nothing We came from HIM This is explained in vs 3 in the MSG, "The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him "
This Jesus and you life was never about what you can do for Him. It's always been about what He does for us. He gave us this life. He gave us the air we breathe. He purposed us to live our days walking with Him.
I have to stop and say this - don't you find it interesting that we get lost in the trap that Jesus won't love us if we don't do such-and-such for Him or maybe the lie that He could never love us because of the polluted things we've done throughout our lifetime? What God would want that? Where do you think that lie comes from? You got it! The enemy of our soul The only way we fight those lies is by increasing the amount of Jesus we put into our hearts because the more He is within us, the more He will come out through us. And the more He comes out through us, the more powerful resources we have to fight the constant lies of the enemy and the greater the light we shine to those around us.
Can you see how much turmoil we add to our lives by simple doing the complete opposite of what God is asking of us? I do. We think the Bible is a book of rules and regulations but it's quite the opposite. It's God's wisdom and unfailing love in giving us the template to living a life of freedom, joy, peace, and the greatest love we will taste and see!! It's like the parent reminding their child to not run out into the road because the parent knows that if their child did, they would get devastatingly hurt or even killed The same goes with our Heavenly Father - He knows all and is trying to tap into our heart with revelation and life changing words of wisdom
Where do we start? We start by making baby steps to gain the mind of Christ This is a lifetime adventure commitment, with many curvy roads ahead, but it's the very google search we've been looking for that has an eternal reaction
Using Romans 12:1-2, creates the template that we can use to begin this living-inside-out way of life that God so desires for us to live It's a life surrounded by His protection, His covering, and His provision
"So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life— your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you."
As I recently shared in my Heart Talk - Living Life Inside Out, I broke down this portion of scripture below in hopes that this will help you and myself included, to live out this daily life with Jesus.
#1: Give everything in your life to God.
Take your life Everything in it Your sleeping, eating, going to work, marriage, friendships, church-life, everything that you're involved in and PLACE IF BEFORE THE LORD as an offering Even before you do that, God says he will help you Do not withhold anything Give it all, even what's in your closet that you don't want others to see. Give it all to him.
#2: Embrace what God does for you.
Embrace means to hold onto, support, accept willingly and enthusiastically. Let go of everything that holds you back. Release your anxiety, your fears, your worries. Place them at his feet and embrace what God wants to do for you. It's the very best thing you can do for him and the very best thing you can do for yourself. Those are his words not mine - the very best thing you can do for him is to embrace what he's doing for you
#3: Do not fit in with the culture around you. Do not become so well adjusted to this culture that you fit in There is a difference between dark and light Let your light shine If your daily environment doesn't embrace the God-loving person you are, change it Don't fit into this culture where no one knows you're a Jesus lover If you are, your life will speak on your behalf before you ever speak a word
#4: Fix your attention on God.
To fix your attention on something means to fasten securely in a particular position or to decide or settle on something These are God-given instructions of what the Lord is telling us to do in order to live a freedom-living and anxiety free life Fix your eyes on Jesus and keep them there no matter what the cost The more you engage in him, the more clearer your focus will be in your journey
#5: You will be changed from the inside out.
God is the only one that can renew our minds To walk away from anxiety we must choose to re-wire how we think God so graciously tells us that as we fix our eyes on him, HE will change us from the inside out Lay back in him and rest, he's got you surrounded Allow him to do the inner work that no one else can
Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also Matthew 6:21
#6: Be ready to recognize what He wants from you and quickly respond to it. On your mark, get set, go! It's not if, but when, and when God speaks to you, act on it Paul says, "quickly!" Don't ponder or scratch your head, or even call your bestie Act Do it quickly When you stay close to the Lord you'll have ZERO doubt what he wants from you This is part of him changing you from the inside out
#7: The culture around you will always drag you down. The mainstream culture does not value who you are, what your God-given dreams are, nor will they be there for you in every season of life All they'll do is drag you down to their level of immaturity Stay focused, keep your eyes upward, focus on God and the truth of his word and who he says you are
#8: God brings out the best in you. Who greater is there than God to bring out the very best in who he made you to be He knew you in your mother's womb and knew the exact destiny he created you for He knows your weaknesses, your worries, your strengths, and your fears Allow him to bring out what you, yourself don't even know you have in you because he has marked you with his glory You are his masterpiece
#9: God develops maturity in you.
As you grow closer to the Lord, your maturity in him and in your life will blossom When you come in contact with your creator, the very being that knows every single part of your make-up, how could we not mature and become all that he ever created us to be. And in our maturity and growth, the things of this world will slowly start falling by the wayside. How you think, react, respond. Everything is changed when you stay saturated in God's presence.
How can you apply Romans 12:1-2 to your daily life?
LIVING LIFE INSIDE OUT
SCRIPTURE FOR DAILY INSPIRATION
So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life and place it before God as an offering Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him Don’t become so welladjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking Instead, fix your attention on God You ll be changed from the inside out Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you
I’m speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you Living then as every one of you does in pure grace it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God No God brings it all to you The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us not by what we are and what we do for him.
Romans 12:1-3