Happy Forth of July Weekend. I hope you have been enjoying the sunshine and extra time to breathe, aside from the hustle and bustle of life. I had a few moments to myself yesterday and decided to take a break from my computer to “rest”.

If you have been here for any amount of time you know that “resting” is not something I am great at. The Lord has been purposefully beating me over the head with the concept of rest and sabbath for two years and counting and I am still learning. So - here is a transparent confession, laced in truth, tied up with a free Bible study. lean in, Im sure you will see yourself in-between the letters below.
 
I closed my laptop and picked up the remote, determined to “rest”. I could hear the words of so many well-meaning people echoing in my head "You just need to shut your brain off for awhile…"  “You will tire out from all this stuff if you don't just do something normal .. ”
So I scrolled through movies on Paramount and decided on “Legally Blonde”  ..that feels normal.. maybe I can just watch this and chill for a minute…

I was maybe 7-10 minutes in and got up to do another load of laundry. While I was transferring the clothes I found myself singing my favorite worship songs, forced myself back on the couch and shut off the movie. I clicked back over to YouTube and started to search for the song that was rolling over in my spirit. Then the Lord said to me so softly
I never intended for you to rest outside of me

I let out a sigh of relief.
For some reason I had bought into the rhetoric that In order to truly rest I needed to do something mindless. But try as I might, it never worked (this instance with Legally Blonde was the second time I tried this week,,,) and it just left me feeling more agitated. This gentle reminder from the Lord brought me back to center.

I came back to what Abiding and Resting, what Sabbath truly is.
and it is actually time AWAY from everything else, and intentional time WITH the Father.

not the opposite. 
 
So don't shame yourself if you loathe spending time in mindless hobbies and long for more of the presence of God, that my friend is how you were created.
And if you haven't set aside some time to rest in His presence, I'd encourage you to. It refills us in such a holy way. 
 
and get this – a few hours after my “resting” I went to a friend's pool party. While we were there another sweet friend fell. As I rushed over to her I began to pray and speak peace and healing over her. I was quickly reminded that my intentional resting and refiling earlier was SO needed. And a few hours later I was pouring it all out on a piece of concrete as we waited on the paramedics.
What if I wouldn't have listened to the nudge and I would have let my brain rule (rather than my spirit) ? I surely wouldn't have had hot coals on the altar. 
 
We never know what is around the corner,
but the Lord does.
And we must abide with Him continually, so that we can be his vessels in this broken world.

So today let's say our prayers a little different,

Lord – Let us rest in you, continually abiding in your will and in your way.
Let everywhere we go be a divine appointment, we are past time for pointless gatherings and passive relationships. Let us have our heart postured in continuous rest because we are anchored in you.
Let the fire on our altar never run out, because we never know who and when will need your oil to flow through us. 
 
So Here's to Resting, to Fireworks, To Continuous Oil and Friendships that Sharpen

PS - I have a free Bible study called "to Abide" on the App, you can take a peek here 

xo -Crystal

"Make Room"

While I was out ministering this past weekend the Lord gave me a vision & prophetic word for one of the women. As I was praying today about what to share he brought that back to me and then took me even deeper into the word. I feel he has two simple words for you today. and so much depth to it –
Make Room. 
 
In the Vision I saw an auditorium with maaannyy seats. There were people filling about ¼ of the seats in total and the Lord told me to look again. This time as I looked out over the auditorium I saw angels sitting in every one of the “empty” seats. 
 
The Lord went on to talk to me about the importance of making room for Him, even when all signs point to “this is a silly idea”.
Whether he fills our space with things we can see, or things unseen we must trust that as we move in obedience he is taking care of everything else.
The result isn't up to us – but the making room is.  
The “success” isn't up to us – but the moving in obedience is.
Our measure of success is based on things we can see, when in reality God is doing much more in the unseen realm. 
 
This all brings me to a story of a woman in 2 Kings Ch 4 who determined to make a room for Elisha the prophet. She made a place for him to dwell anytime he was in the area. Her making room for the presence ended up getting her a blessing she didn't ask for -

13 Through Gehazi Elisha said, “You’ve gone far beyond the call of duty in taking care of us; what can we do for you? Do you have a request we can bring to the king or to the commander of the army?”
She replied, “Nothing. I’m secure and satisfied in my family.”
14 Elisha conferred with Gehazi: “There’s got to be something we can do for her. But what?”
Gehazi said, “Well, she has no son, and her husband is an old man.”
15 “Call her in,” said Elisha. He called her and she stood at the open door.
16 Elisha said to her, “This time next year you’re going to be nursing an infant son.”
“O my master, O Holy Man,” she said, “don’t play games with me, teasing me with such fantasies!”
17 The woman conceived. A year later, just as Elisha had said, she had a son.
 
Have you ever been there? We make room for the presence of God and we surrender and we end up being mantled with things we never saw coming.
Because the presence of God is life giving, it is self-propelling and always advancing the Kingdom.
There is no way we can immerse ourselves in the Glory and in the Presence of God and stay stagnant, only focused on ourselves. 
 
This woman makes room, gets a blessing beyond what she could have imagined.
But then life happens.
And the promise she once woke up to every day - was dead.

But from the way we read the story, the woman was unfazed. She laid her dead promise in the room she made for the prophet, and went out to get the man of God.  

Friends - Hear what the Spirit is saying to. you today - Leave your dead promise in the presence of God, resurrection is on the way. 
Even if it's a promise / dream / ministry / relationship / business that was never your idea, but it was thrust upon you. 

God has enough, because He is enough.
The outcome is His responsibility, all we need to be concerned with is the obedience.
All we need to do is Make Room, and God will do the filling.

What does this mean for you today?
Make a room to meet with him (make a secret place of prayer)
Make room for Him to move (take your hands off it, and call on Jesus) 

Listen to how this story ends …
20 The servant took him in his arms and carried him to his mother. He lay on her lap until noon and died.
21 She took him up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, shut him in alone, and left.
22 She then called her husband, “Get me a servant and a donkey so I can go to the Holy Man; I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
…
32-35 Elisha entered the house and found the boy stretched out on the bed dead. He went into the room and locked the door—just the two of them in the room—and prayed to God. He then got into bed with the boy and covered him with his body, mouth on mouth, eyes on eyes, hands on hands. As he was stretched out over him like that, the boy’s body became warm. Elisha got up and paced back and forth in the room. Then he went back and stretched himself upon the boy again. The boy started sneezing—seven times he sneezed!—and opened his eyes.
36 He called Gehazi and said, “Get the Shunammite woman in here!” He called her and she came in.
Elisha said, “Embrace your son!”
37 She fell at Elisha’s feet, face to the ground in reverent awe. Then she embraced her son and went out with him.
 
Make Room.
Leave your dead promise in the presence, resurrection is coming.
The oil of obedience will flow.
God will uphold His end of the promise.
and just like David said - "I've never seen the righteous forsaken, or His seed begging bread."
 
Pressing in with you,

Lean in, this one is important.
Not every voice that speaks to you is the Holy Ghost.
The enemy has a voice too.
And he has his own plan for you.
For everything God Jehovah uniquely creates, the enemy develops a cunning counterfeit.
Discernment is the key.
Knowing the Heart of the Father is essential.

I had a dream that troubled me.

In this dream I was praying for someone I knew and there was a demon speaking into her left ear. As I prayed, the demon talked to her and she began to speak out loud what the demon was speaking to her. The people standing around us in this dream began to shout with excitement once the woman started to repeat the language of the demon.
They thought she was prophesying via the Holy Ghost -- but she was parroting a language of demons.

now before you get all up in arms this is not an anti-speaking-in-tongues post. I am very much for tongues-- this is a wake up call to the church to know the difference between parroting and prophesying. Now -- back to my dream. 

Like I said, the people were excited at this language coming from her mouth but I continued to press in and pray, not paying attention to the false-tonugues and not paying attention to the people who were void of discernment. I pushed in the spirit and prayed with all my might, hand on her belly and everything.
Then it shifted
It broke.
Fire fell and the demon left that was speaking in to her ear and her language shifted to a pure flow of the holy ghost.

Here is the kicker - the people watching couldn't tell the difference in the demonic and the Holy Ghost. The looked for what sounded right, the looked for outward manifestations and emotionalism.

Guys, listen - if we aren't careful we will cheer people on to bondage.
We must be in tune with the Holy Spirit and pray UNTIL freedom breaks through.
Enough patty cake prayers.
Enough allowing the enemy to make a mockery of God's beautiful gift to the Church.
Enough with assuming fruit is evidence of consecration. Because let's face it -- both Hagar and Sarah got pregnant, but only one of them carried the covenant.
Carry the fire -- the demons hate it.
Carry pure waters -- the thirsty will find the Father and never thirst again.

Don't follow hype, Look for holiness.
Don't listen to the loudest voice in the room, listen to the voice of your Father. Know his heart by reading His word and spending time at His feet.
And lastly, let us never be found parroting the demonic. Let us never partner with the whispers of demons to shout them out and mask them as righteous.

Pray until it breaks.
Will the real remnant please stand up?

"You're in the final hours of Labor"
.
I know you are tired.
I know it feels like everything that has built you in one season has somehow left you stranded in this season.
I know you find yourself healing from things you didn't realized needed healed.  
I see you.
He sees you.
.
I see you faithfully plowing ahead, refusing to be sidelined by offense and distracted by the noise.
You are sowing in times of famine, looking ahead to the promise of a future harvest.
I see you come to the secret place nearly crawling from exhaustion. You pour your heart out at His feet like worship and surrender over and over again.
No one ever said pioneering would be easy, but I don't think they warned us of the weariness that comes while doing well.
or maybe they did- we just didn't grasp it.
.
In my prayer room the Lord whispered "You are in the Final Hours of Labor" and I wept. I was thankful for a light at the end of the tunnel but simultaneously knew the pushing was on the horizon.
.
I went back to my L&D nursing brain and began to picture a Momma on the verge of delivery.
What would I say to her?
What would I do?
.
I would tell her -- Rest. Rest Momma, Don't move. Take deep breaths, think of the promise you are about to hold and let your body do the work.
.
I would know within myself that if the Mom needed her position changed to help the promise make it into a better birthing position I would readjust her.
I would watch the monitor to ensure the promise wasn't compromised and I would put a sign on the door - "Mother Resting, see nurse before entering"
I would do all I could to preserve her peace and her rest, because I knew birth, pushing was imminent.
.
I believe that is a message for many of us today.
You are in the final hours of Labor.
You will feel the shifting of things around you, but remain at peace.
Keep your rest.
Guard your heart.
Do not resist the shifting of situations around you, you arebeing cradled in the palm of God and He will bring this things forth.
.
In the moments before delivery in this time of resting I encourage the husband to take a nap, or to go take a walk so the Momma can rest. I remove distractions and noise.
Are you hearing what the spirit is saying?
The birth is coming.
The release is coming.
But remember -
In these final moments of "rest" there are massive changes happening inside the body of a woman.
I will spare you the details, but I need you to know that REST is not UNPRODUCTIVE.
It is actually very, very, productive.
.
But often times the body cannot rest so that it can progress when the mind is worried and anxious.
.
So if you are asking the Lord today "How do I rest and make progress at the same time" understand that this is only possible in the palm of His hand. It is a posture of our heart and a trust in the Master that even when we cannot see it, He is working.
.
And before you know it, the spirit will be nudging you
"Wake up Child of Zion - It is time to push. It is time to bring it forth"
.
You are in the final hours of labor
.
#TheSpiritualMidwife #CKM

Years ago I had a vision of a tree in prayer during the hardest season of my life to date.
Recently I saw the same tree -- but this time something was different.  
I needed the encouragement, and I think you do too -- so lean in.

Seasons have changed

I know - You've heard this before.
So much that you are almost numb to the idea that things might actually get better. But humor me for a moment, and listen, because I believe that what the Lord is showing me, actually applies to many of you as well.

Remember that hard season I was telling you about?
I was crying out to the Lord on my prayer room floor asking for some type of peek into the spirit realm in regards to what I was experiencing in my life. Everything was being stripped away in the natural. I gave up positions, friendships seemed to vanish, but I knew I was following the Lord. However if you would have looked at me from the outside, you might guess otherwise.

I went into this vision and I saw a tree. It was skinny, and tall and it was covered with marks made in the bark by a sharp knife. They were gauges in the bark where branches used to be, or heck - even buds that wanted to one day be a branch. As I looked at all these marks in the bark my heart hurt and I had compassion on this tree, it had took a beating.
The Spirit of the Lord spoke to me and said "This is you" ...
Suddenly I realized I was witnessing a real-life-pruning.
Everything was stripped away from this tree, just like I was experiencing in the natural.
But as my heart was aching watching this scene the Lord spoke  "Look again" He said, and my vision changed.
It panned down.
I saw the root system of this tree and it was connected to a stream of the purest water I have ever seen. Then the Lord began to encourage me. I knew I would see fruit again. My the tree of my life would mature, it would experience pruning but it would also bear forth much fruit because it would endure the cutting away... because of the root system.

Trees remind us of the reality of seasons. 
The need for a planting of the seed, the first season of growth hidden under the ground in obscurity. The springing forth of visible life, the harvesting of fruit, and pruning away of weeds, overgrowth and unhealthy branches, the cutting back of strong branches to produce even stronger branches. The inability to grow in harsh conditions and the need for rest and a reset. God functions in time and seasons. Yet, his eternal perspective keeps up moving from glory to glory, knowing that in every up and down he is pulling us closer to His heart, and His purpose in our life. 

Now -this time as I saw the tree it looked much different.
Where gauges were previously I now saw fruit and branches. A large tree trunk replaced the skinny beaten tree that was once there and the Lord took me inside the tree once again. "This is you, take a look..." He said as He nudged me closer.
Before the tree was frail and pulling water in desperation from the roots that were attached to a stream of pure water. (someone say "amen" for the life giving fountain that is Jesus!)
Now this tree was full even in the trunk of the pure water, it was robust and full of life. The bark looked like it had weathered storm after storm and where some might see scars of past seasons I saw resilience and wisdom. As I leaned in to observe the water inside the tree I heard laughter. I felt a flood of joy and the most peace.. it has to be what heaven must feel like.
whew.

Now - I am not telling you this to toot my horn - lord knows we don't need any more of that in the church today.
but I am telling you this to show you proof that seasons DO change.

Fruit DOES come

Harvest DOES exist

Joy DOES come in the morning

when we ABIDE in Jesus, we WILL overcome!

You may have had season after season of a cutting away.
But if you keep your roots secure in Jesus, pulling from the life giving fountain, from the well that never runs dry - You WILL see restoration, revival and renewing.

God's word does not fail.
So no matter what season you are in, and what tree in the above words you identify with -have hope in Jesus, friend.

He will see you through.
He will refine you, but He will bring you thru the Fire and you wont even smell like smoke. 

"Who Let The Dogs Out?"

The enemy is all bark and no bite when the Spirit of the Lord is for you! But thats doesn't mean he is going to shut his big mouth anytime soon.

Dogs have been invading my dreams lately, and their spiritual presence has a meaning far deeper than what meets the eye.
Personally, in my dreams when "barking dogs" show up I know there is about to be a rise of religious spirits and gossip. Sometimes in these dreams the Lord also reveals who will succumb to being a mouthpiece for the enemy in this way and it allows me to guard my heart in a more purposeful way.
Paul marries together religious spirits and dogs in Philippians 3:2 if you want to dive deeper.

You know those funny memes that float around the internet saying 'you cannot hide anything from your prophetic friends?'  It's true! The Lord is out here exposing plots and ploys of the enemy days before they show up in the natural and I am SO thankful for His insight.
However it is important to note that the Lord doesn't just show us things, to show us. He shows us so that we can fight in the spirit in a way that works. Because remember, we aren't battling personalities - we are battling principalities. 

There is something interesting about these barking dogs tho.
When they show up in my dreams they are contained in some way.
Whether on a leash, unable to walk on the patio, stuck behind a fence, etc.
These dogs do not have full reign and unrestricted access.
They do however BARK, very loudly.
I will be honest and tell you that in the last 9 out of 10 dreams when these dogs are barking I go outside to look at all the noise and see what is going on. Once I realize it is just a noisy dog I go back inside and shut the door, refusing to listen to them any longer.
In one dream I even downplayed the noise from the dogs to other people in the dream, trying to get them to not to pay attention.

While I am thankful that in these dreams the enemy is tethered, I am asking the Lord to help me take a new stance. I no longer want to go outside and LOOK at the barking dogs.
And I don't want you to either.

I want us to hear the dogs barking while we are minding our own ministry/family-business and refuse to give those dogs even one moment of our attention.

I want us to be so consumed in the glory, I want us to be so caught up in heavenly places, I want us to be so surrendered at the feet of Jesus that the barking dogs just become background noise that never commands our attention.  
I want us to be so deep in the wells of revival that the sound of yapping religious spirits doesn't turn our gaze from the assignment of Heaven.

There must be a shift.

The spirit of religion was alive and well when Jesus roamed this Earth and it bucked up against everything He did.
The spirit of religion called Jesus the prince of the devils. They were mad that he was out setting people free without following their religious man-made protocols.
The spirit of religion crucified the very son of God made flesh because it could not stand the anointing.
And if you and I carry this same anointing, why do we expect it to be any different?

It is the design of heaven for the anointing to break every yoke - even religious ones.
even if the people think you will have to pry it out of their cold dead hands first.

Carry the fire anyway.

Let the dogs bark, and burn brighter than ever before.

Jesus is coming back, soon.
And he isn't coming back after a pew-sitting-religious-luke-warm bride.
He is coming back after a bride on fire ? walking in the very covering of Heaven, setting the captive free and preparing the way of the Lord.

So go ahead - find the old song from 2001 by Baha Men called "Who Let the Dogs Out" and remind Satan that he can bark all he wants to, he can use whatever mouthpiece piece of flesh that yields itsself to gossip and discord that he wants to -- you are still going to make hell nervous all the day long because you were bought with a price -- and God isn't going to waste his investment on you.
You will pioneering the narrow path.
You will blaze a trail of fire in the wilderness.
You will stand by the Sea like Moses leading a captive generation into the promised land.

There is no time for anything less.
No matter who let the dogs out.  

Toiling All Night

I can imagine that everyone knows the Biblical account of Simon and the fisherman staying up all night trying to catch fish with no luck.

As I have been studying the miracles of Jesus I have been seeing more than I ever have before. See Simon owed a debt he couldn’t pay and was desperate to pay the debt off and did all he could in the natural to catch fish in order to sell them to pay towards his debt. Yet to no avail the sun comes up in the morning and they decide to wrap up their nets because they have been toiling all night and nada, nothing. No change in their situation. As Simon stands on the boat in disgust, he encounters a man who tells him that all he has to do is what he tells him to do and he will get all the fish he needs. Sitting in his turmoil he can’t even fathom listening to what he refers to as “the teacher” because he’s been out here all night and he’s getting nowhere. He’s been hearing about this Messiah for so long and well He’s never showed up. He’s tired of waiting for Him to come.

As his friends try to encourage him to just cast the net to the other side he does reluctantly and stood there for a minute to see -- yeah I knew nothing would happen. See?
Then out of nowhere the net is so full it’s pulling down the boat. The shame of his unbelief before the son of God caused him to fall to the ground and tell Jesus just to go away from him. Yet in Jesus fashion He tells him to trust and follow Him. That He gets sees his heart.

Can you imagine you’re in so much trouble and you’ve toiled all night and this man shows up and the sheer pleasure in Jesus face that I can imagine when He sees the joy in the fisherman’s faces and then the forgiveness in Simon’s heart for his unbelief. I love to picture this. Jesus being full of joy and happiness at keeping His word.

The sheer joy that fills our savior when we have discounted His power to deliver us and discounted His ability to do something out of our control. I can see His face now when we get it and when we get to see His goodness come through. The Bible tells us that it’s the Father’s good pleasure to give unto His children. Yes, that’s ALL His children and that includes you.
To trust our savior is to trust Him when we’ve toiled all night and nothing seems to change. When we’ve done all the things within our own abilities and yet nothing.

Trusting with faith the size of a mustard seed. You know that everything is already in the mustard seed to grow the mustard plant. All you must do is it tend to it. You don’t need to add anything to the actual mustard seed to make it grow to what it’s meant to me. Just like faith of a mustard seed all we have to do it tend to it. When we’ve stayed up all night sitting with our nets off the side of the boat and sunrise comes and nothing has changed it’s possible you just need a shift in your thinking, direction or aim. See Simon still got the fish in His unbelief because God loves to prove Himself to His children. Yet how much more can God do when our faith meets His ability?

Can you see it, you have a mustard seed faith and you exchange that for a miracle, a healing, a family members addiction broken, a Financial breakthrough or a generational curse broken off your life? It’s such a small thing He is asking in exchange but, yet we continue to sit on the side of the boat in unbelief or some kind of doubt because you’ve had to wait. See Simon got himself in the trouble he was in but God still wanted to show him His great power.

It doesn’t matter what you’re waiting on God to move in because if you can take that measure of faith and exchange it for what you need you shall receive and reap a harvest. We are all dealt the same measure of faith so I can’t get any more or have any less. It’s not about obtaining more faith it’s about accessing what He’s already given you. Take that seed of faith and trust that He has you and knows the end from the beginning and nothing has taken Him by surprise.
He knew Simon’s debt and bad dealings and He knew they weren’t going to catch a single fish because He had to bring Simon to a place where He had to see for Himself who He was. Maybe you just need to try Him and see He is real.

Trust Him today with the net you’re throwing out and maybe you’re in a mess you created well look to Simon for encouragement and if you’re not casting the net in the right direction wait till the sun rises and ask Him where to throw the net. He knows how to work for you. Some waver in what they believe based off facts. Facts and faith don’t mix well. God knew you would be right here at this exact time and He’s not shocked and as for me I want to see that smile on His face when He sees I really believe Him in the worst of the storms in my life.

See you’ve prayed all night
You’ve held on with all your might
You’ve possibly doubted
You’ve wanted to call it quits and toss the net aside

But once again trust Him and take Him at His word. He will come to your boat and show you just what to do and prove Himself one more time.

Once Simon repents of His unbelief Jesus says now I’m giving you the increase and now I’m going to make you fishers of men. Promoted right then and there to the greatest calling of all time, to win the lost. Your faith brings more anointing, and God then begins to trust you with more because He knows your trust Him for the next hard thing. Take what you are going through as the lessons that God is allowing you to learn, in order to call you higher.

Thanks to Simon for showing us a retentive heart who said I once doubted you were coming but forgive me for my unbelief. Then thanks be to God for showing us His great and mighty power. Thankful for the all-night toiling that proved His faithfulness time and time again.

Written by: Natalie Hafer CKM Board member 

"You are not alone"
A phrase I was pulled to tell a sweet soul in the prayer line at church last night, that ministered to me at the same time. You see, I have been through quite a year. 2022 has been a year of --the refining fire. Friend circles have shifted, church families have transformed, a best friend went on to Glory with no forewarning, Our family is adjusting to being one of 5 rather than 4, This ministry is growing amidst working full time, My husband purchased a business -- there has been change on every angle.I have learned so much that I hope to share in a more lengthy way later (a book, nonetheless!) I want to talk to you today about the treasure of friendship, and the enemy of loneliness.

Yesterday was a weird day for me - let me just be honest.
I found myself after getting home from morning service, looking out the window in my kitchen. All I could seem to hear in the spirit was.... noise. static. interference.
I wouldn't describe this as a dry season, or even a wilderness. In fact the Lord has been lavishing His promise and blessings over my life in a way that has humbled me. It has just been .. noisy since October. But the last 2-3 weeks have bene the most intense and I did what I preach against -- I pulled away.

I pulled back from the very people God placed in my corner to lift me up.

Have you ever done that?
Life gets heavy, the enemy gets loud and rather than reaching out to say "Can you pray for me? I am having a rough day" you automatically assume that you will be a burden and that you should put on your big girl panties and deal with it.
While I am CERTAINLY an advocate for standing up for yourself and putting the enemy in his place, all the while refusing to invite others to your pity party, sometimes you need people to bind together in agreement to help you push back the enemy.

That is the sweet thing (in my opinion) about this life we live. Everything we are walking out in the physical is a direct reflection of the spirits in operation in the (mostly) unseen realm. I mean y'all.. We had a healing and deliverance service last night at church and let me tell you .. the spirit realm was active, awake and the enemy was trying desperately to latch on to people but he could not stand up against the anointing, against believers binding together in unity and power and giving the Holy Ghost free reign to move how he wants.

I think it is interesting that when the church needs to have a deliverance service, when people need healing, we don't instruct them to come to church and hide in a corner, pray to yourself and then go home. nope.
we say COME to the house of God, Let your request be made known to heaven, let seasoned saints who walk in consecration and authority lay hands on you, submit to the Holy Ghost and press in prayer until your breakthrough breaks through!

There is power in agreement.

Which also means there is power in Godly friendship.

Which also means that if the enemy can convince you that you need to retreat, keep your mouth shut and not tell anyone you need prayer - he will. Because he knows that when your friends begin to pray for you, when you agree and bind and loose... He HAS to go.

If satan can repeat to you that you are alone, you will not reach out.
If satan can convince you that you are a burden - you will not reach out.
If you are wounded from the last friend who stabbed you in the heart - you will not reach out.

Satan wants to keep you CONVINCED that you are alone, and drowning in hurt and betrayal. But I am exposing him today and reminding you that you are NOT alone, and that you WILL go to the Father to heal your heart in the way that it needs.

There are more for you than against you.

This world needs you. I need you. Jesus needs you to be his hands and feet to this lost world.
If there is still breath in your lungs, there is purpose in your life.

you are not alone.
do not push out the very people God sent to pull you out.

Father,
I thank you for this lesson and reminder on Godly friendships and their eternal value. Thank you for providing us relationship as a kingdom tool that we can use to dismantle darkness, and unloose those who are bound. Thank you for giving us a voice that we can use to call out when we are feeling defeated and tired. Thank you for strength from heaven, thank you for being near to the broken hearted. And thank you thank when we go through the fire, we will NOT be burned - or even smell of smoke..
In Jesus name,
Amen

PS - Looking for a free Bible study on Biblical friendship and our purpose? Check it out here

I heard a religious leader say something today that made my heart ache. The more I have pondered and prayed the more The Lord has revealed to me the perfect balance of the Gospel. When we skew our beliefs too far in one way, neglecting the other it becomes a disastrous recipe.

The leader said that the miracle of Jesus' sacrifice allowed for the blood to cover all our sins if we just believe, no matter what we do, we are covered - forever.

To announce the power of the blood is beautiful, but to paint it in such a way that leaves the believer (the recipient) unmoved to consecrate themselves makes a mockery of the cross.
See Romans chapter 6 for proof

On the surface that sounds just fine. But when we think of that being spoken to the masses, we insinuate that after we accept salvation we must do nothing else.

I love Grace.
I love Consecration.
God created both, and intends on both to be a part of the life of a believer.

We shouldn't be so focused on grace that we loose sight of a set apart life.
And we shouldn't be so focused on consecration that we forget the absolute necessity of grace, and the mere fact that without it we would be nowhere.

Truly, I have found that when someone really discovers Jesus they lose a desire for this world and consecration is birthed. Though it may be a gradual onset, a desire to be close to Jesus no matter the cost is now at the center of their lives. A few days ago this same topic led me to record a podcast discussing the epidemic of Salvation Experiences and actually being born again.

Listen -  I am not sitting here judging the hearts of mankind, I am looking at the fruit.  
Which we are biblically instructed to do, by the way. 

So I suppose, In summary my heart is resting in the beautiful balance of taking the WHOLE word of God, digesting all of it, and allowing it to transform us. From the inside out.
And Lord help us,  that when we have a chance to speak into a microphone to a mass of people, let our words speak of your power to not only cover but transform.

Chat soon!
Forever being molded,
Crystal 

Ever picked up a rock and felt the pure weight of it in your hand? Often times rocks that aren't very big in size certainly hold their own when it comes to weight.

In John Chapter 8 we read of a women caught sinning, a woman caught in the very act of adultery. She was brought to Jesus and they were demanding something be done. They wanted her dead - stoned to be exact. There is much to this story, we could talk about the life that led this woman to wear a scarlet letter, we could talk about the religious folk who were intent on getting Jesus to mess up ... but for now we will just focus on the stone.

I recently had an event at my house. I invited women of all ages to come over, eat and fellowship. I have always asked the Lord to invade every event we do - we have enough things to do to fill our calendar. So if I am hosting something, I want it to be spiritually worth your time. The gals all took a seat in my living, many sat on the floor as we were packed like sardines in here. They were a captive audience as my board member, Miss Jennifer, handed out smooth, small, weighty stones. She wrote on it "those without sin ....". The girls talked of how the stone looked small, but it weighed more than they'd think.

Isn't that just like sin?

It looks small, but the wages of it.... the weight of it...

Satan is the deceiver. Just like in the garden he gets you to doubt the word of God by shifting a few things and before you know it you are further than you thought you'd be.
Before you know it you are doubting things you knew to be true.
before you know it you are drinking that, smoking that, going there ...
Satan only shows you a snippet. He appeals to your flesh, He preys on your weakness.
And when you take the bait - Just like a fishing rod he hooks you into deception and then a mountain of condemnation and more sin is heaped onto your plate.
Hear me today friends... Satan will NEVER show you the full picture.

Think about it- If he showed Eve the full picture, banished from the garden, walking in shame, no more strolls with God in the cool of the day, pain during childbirth, toiling the ground to get food, killing the animals, bloodshed, her son murdering her other son ...
She would have NEVER taken a bite of that beautiful delicious apple.
She would have said - It ain't worth it. The weight of that disobedience isn't worth my relationship with God.

The wages of sin is death - no matter how you shake it.
We must avoid being enticed by the enemy.

And how do we do that? We submit to God, resist the Devil and then he will flee.

Now - back to the stones.

Those stone were heavy. They were intended to kill her.
see the correlation? sin is intended to kill you. She wasn't thinking about death when she was in the bed of adultery. She was fulfilling the lust of the flesh, but she opened a door to the enemy of her soul.

But here is the beautiful part - Jesus didn't pick up the stone to kill her.
He looked at the crowd and said, any of you totally innocent? Free from sin? Then you can throw the first stone. and Noone was able to ... Noone except Jesus.
And Jesus offered her grace.
But what did he say?

Go and sin no more

When you are blessed enough to be met with Grace and forgiveness you are instructed to go and sin no more. Not to live under a waterfall of grace while you embrace the hand of the enemy who is trying to kill your influence, steal your purpose and possess your soul.
you flee from the wages of sin.
you flee from the sin.
and we accept the grace of Jesus, the only one able to cast the judgment is the one covering our sins.
Glory!

The next time you see a stone I pray you are reminded of two things... the weight of sin, and the weight someone feels when you attempt to cast a stone.

Be blessed friends!
Chat soon,
xo -Crystal 

Did you know that you are called to be a bread basket?
its okay - stick with me - I'm going somewhere...

The Lord has been calling me to His feet for years, I mean... years.
Asking me to purposefully sit at His feet with no other agenda than to Hear HIS heart, and to unload mine. Thankfully my stubborn self finally started listening a few months ago.
I wait for my house to go to sleep, brew some Passionfruit Tea, grab my favorite blanket and head to the basement. The Lord unloads revelation for me here, and Its what I love bring you on the app

I have been telling the Lord that I'm not sure how I made it day to day without this gleaning.
How in the world did I make it before without this intentional time in His presence? My mind becomes renewed and faith is recharged - there is nothing like it.
And until last night .. I thought this prayer time was all about me.

well - news flash.
The lord showed me that it isn't. In fact, it's never just about us.

Are we gleaning what we desperately need from our prayer time with Jesus? You betcha.
But we are getting SO much more.
We are fine tuning our dial to the frequency of heaven.
We are filling our basket with bread.

Bread for our children. Bread for those who are hurting. Bread for those desperate for a word from heaven. Bread for the world, Bread for the church.

How much bread is in your basket?

If a friend came to you and needed you to touch heaven for them, could you do it?

ouch - I know. I am hitting where it hurts today. But it is time we evaluate our ability to access the throne. 

I believe the Lord desires us to be walking in such an interchange with him that we do not doubt that God will speak through us when a friend comes requesting prayer.
We should have such an expectation for God to move  when we pray.
I am tired of patty-cake-prayers that do not produce results.

We are baskets holding the bread of life for a starving generation.
But how much bread is in your basket?

Do you only have enough for yourself? Are you barley eating enough of the bread of life, barley drinking enough living water for you to make it another day?
Or are you overflowing?

Is your soul so satisfied from your trips to the well that when you pass someone hurting you are driven to touch heaven right then?

Friend - You have what it takes. You are enough.
The sacrifice of Jesus has bought you a ticket to paradise, but it has given you an all access pass to abundant life HERE on the Earth.

Maybe you are reading this and saying - Crystal, that sounds great and all. But I dont feel very satisfied, my life isn't overflowing - I am drowning in lack, despair and heaviness.

And I would have to tell you that you have come to the right place.
Because I will simply point you to the only thing that can help ... Jesus.
Go ahead, bow those knees , clasp those hands and ask Him to help you live the life He has designed for you.
And now its time for you to get to work filling your basket.
Surely the world is looking in your basket, do they see an invitation to drink of the living water? DO they see your access to the well that won't run dry?

When we go to the word of God, when we pray... it's not just to fill us.
its to flow through us.

If I dont spend time on my knees with my face in the carpet praying, I have nothing to give.
If I dont force my flesh to shut it, and make my eyes read the word that transforms my mind, I have nothing to give.
I cannot afford for my basket to be empty.
You cannot afford for your cup to be dry.

You need it.
They need it.
I need it.
Heaven needs it.

yup - heaven needs it.
God moves through people to fulfill his purpose on the Earth. He is looking, are you?

Lord, 
Help us to be baskets full of bread and wells full of water for a generation that is starving for truth. Draw us to our prayer closets, give us wisdom and revelation. Holy Spirit burn within us! We do not want to be a church that is lacking. You have called us a spotless and victorious bride, help us to live a life that reflects your goodness. Call your people to prayer. Compel us to tell our co-worker, friends and family of your goodness. 
In Jesus name, 
Amen