Dreams, Visions and God’s Armour

This morning as I walked into town to run a few errands, this song came on (see below) which I hadn’t heard for a while.  It was perfectly timed and was a great reminder that Jesus is the head of our lives and Church – He calls the shots – and He will lead us to where we are needed to be.

This morning, I had a dream that I asked a male friend… How to do I say this?!?… It’s a little embarrassing – please don’t judge me!! … I asked him, if he would sleep with me so I could have another baby.  (There I said it.)  I also added in, that he didn’t have to be a part of the babies life – if he didn’t want to.  It was a no strings attached kind of scenario. (Now, I also want to add in that I didn’t actually know this friend in real life and nor have I actually thought about this.  So, this concept of asking a friend was new and strange to me.)  Now, if Hollywood is anything to go by – we know how this scenario could play out – one falls in love with the other or both do or it takes a nasty turn – however that may look – and that is also subject to your imagination.  You could say this dream is about my underlying desire to have another baby – but obviously, being single and out of wedlock, it is basically impossible at the moment.  However, if I was desperate enough to make this happen, I could potentially do anything from IVF to adoption or asking a friend for help in this department.  But this dream isn’t just about my underlying desires coming to the surface – it was highlighting something else.

The understanding that I came to – was highlighting our underlying desires and how we can take matters into our own hands rather than submitting our desires to God and trusting Him with them.   It also highlighted that if God is not in something – we can make a proper mess of a situation, and a situation which may be been avoided had it first been handed over to God and our focus returned to him.

“Trust in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your ways to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this:

He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways; when they carry out their wicked schemes.” (Psalm 37:4-7 NIV)

And:

“Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Colossians 3:2)

And:

“But first seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)

Seek the kingdom of God – seek Jesus – set your mind on things above – not of things on the earth – you are in the world but you are not of the world and from there the desires of your heart will be added to you.

Pray and believe you already have it – do not doubt.

Be still before the Lord and wait.  The world is loud, busy and fast – but remember you are in the world and not of the world – therefore it is ok to be still and wait patiently.  Don’t worry about or compare yourself to others who are succeeding in their ways because they have taken matters into their own hands, but – wait patiently for the Lord and trust He will give you all you need/desire in His time not yours.

His timing is always perfect.

His timing is always perfect.

His timing is always perfect.

All of this is a reminder to reset our gaze and (re)focus onto things above us, to the kingdom, and with Jesus.  As the song says (below), “I’ll go anywhere – anywhere you call me to, as long as I am with you… you are the captain of my soul…”  Jesus is the alpha and the omega – He is the begining and the end and He will lead us to where we need to be in his time.

Jesus is the head of the army. He is the light and the love we carry into the darkness.  We are the warriors He leads into and through a battle.

“We are the young, we are the bold, we are the fearless, we are the strong, we are the brave, we are the dreamers, we are the ones who carry love into the darkness.   We have a fire burning inside, nothing can stop us…”

These lyrics induced a strong vision, a vision which I have had before – and perhaps this was a reminder… I saw an army of warriors in (God’s) armour in a march with a lead-warrior at the front carrying a staff with white banner/ flag which flew high above everyone else. It flapped in the wind over the warriors heads.  This flag was carried into battle and it was carried in a victory march.

Jesus is the warrior and He is the regal flag which flies high above everyone else.  He is there in your battle and He is there in your victory.  He walks in front of you, behind you and beside you and with you.  In your battle, you are not alone and it is already won – for the one who has gone ahead of you has already overcome the world.

I feel, this is a reminder that we must continue to submit ourselves to the Lord, submit our desires to him – realign our focus to Jesus and the Kingdom and be ready to carry his love to where He calls us to be.  And trust that while we are putting Jesus first and going into battle with him (whatever our battle is at the time), in our selflessness, the desires of our hearts will be added to us in his time.

The Armor of God

 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. (Ephesians 6:10-18 NIV)

May God’s peace be with you and may he continue to protect you.  Stay safe. Until next time, God willing – W.A.R on with praise and prayer. Xx

Elizabeth New

(Nov. 2020)

 

 

 

Video repost: Know your role. (Bishop T.D Jakes)

I haven’t posted for awhile due to being busy with work and starting a new job – by the grace and swiftness (is that a word?!?) of God – which also came with it’s own set of challenges, which may be saved for another story for another day.  I recently ‘stumbled’ or was led to this sermon on YouTube and felt it needed to be shared on this platform.  This sermon delves into so much, one thing being: knowing your role – knowing that you have a God given set of talents/skills and attributes – that will be different from the person next to you.  And knowing that sometimes their abilities will look better than yours but being ok with it.  The world is competitive and we will compare ourselves to others (and perhaps this is also exaccerbated by media/social media too)- and if we allow it, this comparitive/competitive nature will drag us down.

For me, this message was timely – perfectly timed actually – as it touched on themes that I had been grappling with and presenting to God in prayer through writing.  You could say, this message was an answer to prayer!!  I love how He moves and will provide us with what we need, when we need it.

God is good.

So…. I don’t think I can post this without a little context of what God has been sharing me – in building up my confidence for this new job.  A few weeks ago, I recieved a call offering a new job – completely out of the blue.  I had 24 hrs to think about it which really, is no time at all.  I said yes, however I felt pressured to say yes – as I mentioned it to work colleagues as I felt I needed to talk it through with someone.  I sent an email the same afternoon accepting the offer – and I was due to start the following Monday.  It was complete whirl-wind decision and it was frought with emotion – as I actually liked my current job, the people I worked with – it was a tight knit team – and I knew this wasn’t going to be the same in the next job.

In hindsight, I was being prepared for this decision – as the weekend prior to getting the call – I had written something during prayer, led by the Holy Spirit that said to – “keep doing what you’re doing and you will know when it is time to move on.”  I remembered this word – and knew I was meant to move on to this new job but my mind was resistant to accepting and catching up to this – perhaps because it happened so quickly and I did not have the time to process this call to move on.  So, I attended the orientation day – and was completely overwhelmed by all the information and expectations as a new graduate nurse on the ward.  I left thinking: ‘I can’t do this – it’s all too much – too much responsibility.  I feel like I know nothing.  I have a piece of paper that says I have a degree in nursing but I feel like I know absolutely nothing at all.  I am not equipped for this.’

The truth is, I am and was eqipped for this – a path was being made for this moment.  I can remeber, days before getting the phone call, looking out the lounge room window and looking down into town at the hospital (we live on a hilly part of town) and wondering: ‘when will I be there (at the hospital)?’  … It may have happened sooner than I expected, but it was about God’s timing.

Honestly, it took me a couple of weeks to adjust to this sudden change.  My son became sick at the end of my first week and I had also freaked out and wondered if I could change my mind and say no to this new role.  In short, I was allowed some time off to be with my son while he was sick – which was exactly what I needed too.  God’s hand was all over this situation and displayed through my manager and her grace in allowing this time and space.  In this down time, I seeked God in prayer and through writing.  It was revealed to me on several occassions that this was where I was needed to be – even though it may not be where I wanted to be.  But it was where God wanted me to be – to shine His light into the darkness.

This theme of being a light in the darkness kept coming up – even when I’d approach him in prayer the following day and present him with the same sense of dread.  It was revealed to me again, that I may not be there for long (or as long as I expect) but all I am required is to rise to this moment, shine and go – leave at the end of the shift.  Do what I have to do, shine God’s light in a way that only I can do it – with my authenticity and then go.

I feel this theme connects to this sermon (below) in knowing your role.  I may feel like I know nothing – but I won’t know until I am properly on the floor and finished the orientation shifts –  of what I know and don’t know.  I also know, nursing is a team environment – so, I will never fully be on my own and will be able to draw on others experience and knowlege – and I am ok with that.  I didn’t get this role on my own, I was called into and brought up and into it by God.  I know I am meant to be there for a season – however long or short that season may be – I’ll do what I have to do –  ‘shine and leave’.  In this season, I’ll listen and empathise with patients, I’ll be gentle and kind especially as I change dressings and clease tender wounds.  I’ll rise to conversations and banter if time permits it and allow space for a laugh to be shared at the bedspace.  I will care for the person and value them as a person while they may be at their most vulnerable. (The heart of Jesus and the love for all people is right in the middle of all of that.  God’s light.)

Having said that, I know I am making an impact with the people I am caring for – as one elderly lady said, as I was taking her blood pressure:

“Do you know what you are, dear?”

“No, what’s that?”

“You are the three D’s.”

“The three D’s – what’s that?”

“You are delightful, delicious and de-lovely!”

“Oh! (Laughs slightly) That’s so lovely and kind of you to say!!”  Her comment made me chuckle a little – more because I didn’t expect it and hadn’t heard anyone use all those words together for awhile. It certainly made my day a little brighter and I would have easily returned her sentiment.

I felt all of this needed to be passed on – remember to shine your light and go.  I don’t know what you have been called into – but where ever you are, you are meant to be there for this season.  All you need to do is shine your light (that is Jesus and the love of God) into the darkness – in a way that only you can do it and then go.

Arise, shine and go.

May God bless you and keep you!

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16 ESV).

 

 

Until next time, God willing, W.A.R on with praise and prayer.

 

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Author: Elizabeth New

Copyright (C) 2020