Knowing your significance within a relationship

We all say the words "I love you" It's almost become a casual thing to say in our culture. Lately I have been thinking about that phrase and the depth of it. I've been careful to only say it sincerely. By saying "I love you" so often it can lose significance. I feel like you should not only tell the one's that you love that you love them but also tell them why. I'm not saying that you love a person based on works that they've done for you. I'm saying there are things about them that God has put in them that play a significant role in your life. If you say something like, "I love you...I love you because your smile changes the atmosphere around me." Saying things like that reaffirms their identity. You remind them that their smile is not just an ordinary smile but it's a smile with a purpose. Letting someone know the significant role that they play in your life keeps them in alignment with their destiny. If people see that they make a difference just by smiling they will think "Wow if I can make a difference in someone's life just by smiling I wonder what else I can do!" By calling out what you love about someone you are calling them deeper into their destiny. Now I'm not saying you always have to have an explanation after you say I love you but just think about it more before you say it. Let them know that you mean it. Think of the power of those words. How those words can change someone's world. Anyone can say I love you. Be the one that lifts someone up with love. People need to know that love is real. Love the way that you want to be loved and they will see the sincerity in your eyes. I love each of my friends dearly but all in different ways. They bring different things out in me. They all teach me something different and beautiful. They are all significant and amazing to me. More importantly they are significant and amazing to the Father.

It's time to return home

So last week I started Bethel School of Worship and all I can say is Thank you to Him! It has been amazing and it has only begun. I am being surrounded by my hero's in the ministry. I'm getting to learn and receive from them. I'm able to access breakthrough through them. Dreams that seemed even too impossible to dream are coming true. I had no idea that the Lord was planning to radically change me. I can't even describe what He has done and is doing. All I can do is thank Him. Entering into His presence through thankfulness is the best way to go. When you don't know what else to do just thank Him!

Something He showed me today was that His throne room is my home. I can lay my feet on His chair. I can relax and be myself in His presence. His throne was never meant to be something to fear. We are the ones that brought the fear not Him. He always wanted it to be a place where we can hang out with Him. He walked around the Garden of Eden (His throne room) with Adam and Eve. Talking with them and just hanging out with them. It wasn't until Adam and Eve ate the apple that it stopped being that way. It wasn't until we let the things of this world change our mindset from being free children of God to being captives. We let the enemy deceive us in thinking we were no longer allowed in our house. His throne room is our house! Jesus died for us to give us back the keys to our front door. To take off the jaded lenses that we allowed the enemy to put over our eyes. Do you notice...Jesus died. He died! So that we could live the life our Daddy always wanted us to live! Jesus literally couldn't live with the reality of us living in captivity!

Just like in Genesis He wanted His throne room to be a place where we were not ashamed, a place where we felt safe and secure. He wants that now! His whole goal in creating us was so that we could experience His love and majesty. It's time for the church to return to Papa! To return to Daddy God! It's time to return home! To allow all the skewed views the world has given us to fall away. To let His love rush over us like the wind filling every broken place in our soul. He just wants His children. That's all. There's no strings attached, no conditions. He just wants you! He wants to give you all that you've been longing for. Everything that has been taken from you He wants to restore. He doesn't want to leave you broken and bruised. He wants to lift you up to be mighty warriors. He just wants to love on you. You don't have to do ANYTHING!!! He just wants to love on you! Ask Him to just love on you! You will never be the same! Once you experience His love you will see that He always has had you in mind! He hasn't forgotten you. You're not too broken to fix. You are perfect in His eyes!

Just say "Love on me show me your love. I want to see you as the daddy you really are. Open my eyes to see your goodness!" He knows the things that hurt you. He feels them with you. His heart breaks when yours is breaking. Lean into Him and let Him mend those broken places. Brokenness is a beautiful thing when you give it to Him because He takes something that seems only dark and twisted and makes into something to be celebrated. He turns loss into victory!! Ask Him to turn your loss into victory! You will be forever changed!

Blessings!

Anne Christian

Directly to the Throne Room...

I was thinking earlier today...what if no matter what situation we were in or what decision we were trying to make we decided to go directly to the Throne room? Meaning into the presence of Jesus. Wouldn't the outcome be better? That way we don't end up wallowing in self-pity or worry or anything else the enemy tries to throw at us. Wouldn't it be better to figure out life's complications in the safety of the shadow of His wings? Psalm 62:5-8 says, "Find rest, O my soul in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God, He is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge. God wants us to pour out our hearts to Him no matter how big or small our worry is, he wants to hear about it! With Him confusion fades and understanding begins to flow! Just like that verse says we can find rest in Him! No matter what we are facing if we just go directly to Him with it, it won't seem like such a big deal because He is bigger than anything and everything! He is stronger than anything and everything!

So next time you are in a complicated situation or have to make a big decision go directly to the throne room! Turn on some worship tunes and soak in His presence if you can't find words to say. Instead of going to get that pint of ice-cream or like me a bag of oreos! :) You won't gain weight and your problems will be much easier to solve! Sound like a win-win solution? I think so!

Blessings my friends! May you find rest in the refuge of our sweet warrior Daddy Jesus!

Anne Christian

What if we started acting like the Bride?

I ask this question in the context of What if we as the children of God started acting like the bride to our bridegroom Jesus? I asked the question "Why do we not act like the bride?" What I felt the Lord say to me was we don't act like the bride because of the disappointments we have faced preparing to be brides/grooms in the natural. We prepare to be married to someone and it either doesn't work out at all or we get married and it somehow falls apart. Those disappointments in the natural have caused a hinderance for us in becoming the Bride in the spiritual, the bride of Jesus.

More than normal I have been preparing for my future husband. Now Jesus was nailed to the cross for our sins but it wasn't until he was glorified...raised from the dead and taken up to the Father that we were able to consider the enemy to be defeated. It wasn't until He was glorified that we were able to gain freedom from the bondage that our sins held us under. God showed me that, that is the same when it comes to being a bride. You have to become His bride (in the spiritual) before you can become a strong bride/groom to your future mate (in the natural). Once you become married to Christ you become glorified. And from the time you become His bride and when you become a bride/groom in the natural is a period of glorification. During that in between He enables you/prepares you to become the perfect fit for your future husband/wife! Why does that glorification process have to happen in order to have an amazing marriage? Because our covenant with Jesus is the perfect example of marriage. Jesus is the perfect example of the perfect mate so it's only logical to think that by ultimately being married to Him will make us have better marriages in the natural. Because He is our role model. He is the one that came up with the idea of marriage. Starting with the One who is the definition of love is the only way to find the love we're looking for here on earth. He will teach you how to have the marriage spoken of in 1 corinthians 13:4! It is possible to have a love like that! Your bridegroom is longing for you to come to Him so that you may know what it really means to love not just a fling but the real deal! :) Go to Him ask Him all the questions you have a see what happens! You will be amazed!

Blessings!

Anne Christian

Embrace the encouragement! Embrace the compliments!

So I've realized that lately when I receive words of encouragement or compliments I act a bit bashful. Like I don't deserve to get that kind of encouragement or compliment. But that is completely the wrong thinking. In fact if you feel like you are unworthy of any good thing then that is a lie from the enemy. I just keep hearing the Lord say "Yes it's true! Believe it!" As people we tend to judge ourselves more harshly than we do anything else. Christian's especially have troubles receiving compliments because we feel that if we embrace compliments we are somehow taking the Glory from Him but that is completely false!

He gets glory from us and through us! We were created to be awesome so why do we not believe it when people tell us so? It's because we still live under the mindset of a sinner. We need to enter the mindset of a saint. We are the redeemed! He made us worthy! He made us awesome when He died on the cross. What we do matters. We matter. We make a difference. I know that sometimes when I have had a bad day and someone encourages or compliments me I think "If only they new what I was saying earlier today they wouldn't be saying that." But the thing is the Lord is reminding us through the people that encourage and compliment us that no matter what we are still awesome and He still loves us and is still proud of us!

We are going to mess up, no doubt. But that is why we have Jesus! He cleans up the mess! Not to say that we should intentionally do the wrong things. He is not just a free pass to do whatever we want but that's a new topic entirely :) He is so full of grace and love. More than we know. Every time we condemn ourselves He is saying the opposite! Whenever someone encourages us they are declaring out our identity in Christ. God is reminding us "Hey this is who you are! Don't forget that you are kind of a big deal!" :) God sent His son to die for us so that we may approach His throne in confidence. Fear should not even be in our vocabulary. We have nothing to fear for His perfect love takes it all away! Tell Him your fears! Sort it out with Him! Let Him show you that you really have nothing to be afraid of!

So embrace the encouragement! Embrace the compliments! Believe it! Declare it out!