Intercessory Prayer: Mantle of Esther

(Excuse the "roughness" of the following teaching...these are the notes I used when speaking to our intercessory group)

Let me start by saying that you all are extremely valuable to Don and I and our family...and it dosn't stop there. Whatever we have accomplished in terms of success or breakthrough is because of prayer. And because of your prayer we credit you. Your sacrifice and your devotion is not ignored and unseen. Although I know that none of you want your "crown" to be here in the earthly form....I still want to tell you thank you. We do not take lightly what you do and what God is doing through you. 

Luke 16:12 If you have not been faithful with what belongs to someone else, who will give you what is your own? 

You are guardians and carriers of the ministry of both Mercy Gate as well as for your pastor's. Your faithfulness is seen and felt. Answered prayers and conversions are the direct results of your obedience and time. Your actions, behavior, attitudes are all a direct reflection of our ministry. We are very closely connected. And I truly believe that God is going to bless each of you mightily. 

Esther Mantle

Now I do know this: that most Pastor's have a love/hate relationship with their intercessors. I hear the term you as: flighty, flaky, nuts, their head is in the clouds, strange, weird etc. There does seem to be a disconnect sometimes where people of prayer are not fully understood. "they always have a word" or a "dream". Ha. Well there needs to be balance in all of these areas with the intercessors and with the pastors. I really feel that this anxiety that most pastor's feel is because of past experiences with their intercessors. (ex. Dance showing spiritual birthing process, Tambourines by children, Flag flying in the church, Words given at inappropriate times) Intercessors are creative and expressive people! The problems we experienced as well as our fellow pastor's;  were from the ignorance and lack of experience in how to handle those situations. There is a time and place for the noise, the flags and interpretive dance and the revelations. 

One of the biggest issues we run into is pride. (Don told me that he touched on that when he spoke to you guys last month.) He talked about servant leadership and having a humble spirit. All that we are are servants to the people....you may call me pastor's wife or Don pastor but we are in fact humble workers for the kingdom. WE should never forget that we are not doing this for a title, for a position or for people to see us or for self exaltation. When we hit that platform or when we get on our knees...we need to be reminded of our positions. 

The enemy surely knows what buttons to push to get some of us to trail off in the wrong direction. You have seen pastor's preach and then find our they were in moral sin and failure....how can that happen? How could he be annointed and hear from God while he is doing THAT? Well...the same can happen with an intercessor. They can pray and hear things from the throne room of God but not be in the right place. You can actually "hear" what you want to hear and function in a role in your own talent and annointing for a time...but it will be lifted eventually. What could happen with an intercessor is that they get a word or a picture of what should happen and present it to the leadership but if they don't do what they want them to do then they start praying prayers of manipulation and develop a haughty spirit that they may know more than the leadership, know more  about the direction of the church. Trust me....we have seen this happen over and over again.

Just like me having a best friend in the church can prove to be quite hairy....telling intercessors all the details on something can cause them to lose respect for authority or for the pastor. Everyone has differing opinions on direction and plans but God gave Pastor the vision. Before you know it they are bringing a group to another church because they don't like "the direction". Our group is not going to do that. We are not going to allow each other to go astray. 

You need to be accountable to your leader....Annette. if you find yourself feeling like you know more then her or that you don't even want to listen to what she has to say or how she is saying it....welll....that is a sign of pride that leads to the Jezebel spirit...which is just a spirit that uproots authority. You need to hold each other accountable with your attitudes, words, talking about people. Gossip runs rampant in prayer groups. One person "feels" something about somebody and before you know it you are telling each other "in prayer" of course what you think is going on. 

We need to all be like Esther. She is a remarkable illustration of intercession. She intervened in a dangerous situation for her people (the Jews) with the King and it resulted in deliverance and victory. She stood against two realms...the natural and the supernatural. In her own power there is no way Esther could have had the outcome she had. She demonstrated an attitude of humility and reverance that can be the difference between intercession that fails and intercession that triumphs. 

"Esther demonstrated an attitude of humility and reverance that can be the difference between intercession that fails and intercession that triumphs."

 And we all know what happened to Queen Vashti....she refused to obey the king when summoned. She got so wrapped up in "who she was" and with all her attendants and fanfare she lost all respect and forgot about the authority the king actually had. She was wrapped up in her own selfish desires and giftings...that led to her downfall. She was dethroned and is still heralded as the first independent minded feminist. Some say that she was a bad example for all the households in the Kingdom...because she rebelled others rebelled against their husbands as well. Just like Vashti we NEVER want to FORGET who we are...we certainly do not want to cause confusion or trump any pastorly authority as well in the house of God because we may cause others to stumble. We may have a title and we may have some power but the King gave it to us and He can also take it away. 

When God calls us it is because of he awesome sovereignty. He has decided what He wants done and He is calling his faithful and beloved. He does not set office hours and like the ER...it's open 24 hours a day. He is looking for availability no matter the costs. 

Esther was one of many ladies summonded to the King's palace. She was caught up in something beyond her control. I often wonder what her life plans were...did she have a boyfriend? and now found herself in this situatuion? Whatever was going on in her life...she set it aside...she reordered her priorities and gave way to the purposes of the Kingdom. 

Hegai prepares Esther for her meeting with the King. She was already nice to look at. The training would be demanding but she needed to be found pleasing to the King. She had 12 months of beauty treatments...six months of oil of myrhh and six with perfumes and cosmetics and 7 attendants to help her. This truly is a time of patient preparation for ministry. Myrrh suggests death and 1 Corinthians 15:31 says; "I die every day for the cause of christ".  Our own ambitions and desires need to die before going before the King and we need a group of people to keep us be accountable to that. 

Esther was called the tenth month of the 7th year of the King's reign. It wasn't a full 12! We might be called to intercession but feel "not ready" or inadequate but we must trust and not rely on ourselves but only on His presence, guidance and power of the Holy Spirit. The intercessors primary concern is to please the Lord. When that prevails, the power and blessings of heaven are released on Earth.

The King loved Esther more than all the other women and she won grace and favor in his sight so much that He placed the royal crown on her head and made her his queen. The King was so happy that he declared a remission of taxes and distributed gifts with royal generosity. (Eshter 2:17-18)  The Church's first calling is to behave like a bride....the best thing we can do for the World is please God. Esther did not storm around the palace with shrill opinions and moral directives in regards to the administration.....the Church should be a blessing to the World and the Kingdom and she then in turn pleases and delights God. When God is pleased we get His attention and can then change cities and regions with His nod.

Esther approaches the King and asks him to a banquet and the King asks her for her wishes...she never even has to hint or ask him first. When we are in communion with our King He doesn't have to coax the petition out of us, we have entered into a most holy place. But a good intercessor knows that timing is everything and while Esther did not immediately tell the King; things were being worked out behind the scenes. Esther does not strive against the evil one but her strategy is to expose Haman in the presence of the King...not just in front of others...Intercessors are aware of evil but know that how we  deal with evil is not how the King will deal with it. Amazingly enough in the story, before Esther can even tell the King what she wants the King remembers something from the past and unsettles Haman's scheme. God never forgets, does he? He has so arranged the ministry of prayer that events and promises from the past shall be recited before him. 

Without Esther lifting a finger....Haman stumbles. Blind faith is at work here....sometimes we are tempted to work things out ourselves in the natural realm but we could mess up the perfectly orchestrated supernatural set up. It actually turns into what seems like a movie out of Hollywood. Haman has to announce favor and distinction and honor to Mordecai....the man he was just planning to kill!  

Sometimes we are tempted to work things out ourselves in the natural realm but we could mess up the perfectly orchestrated supernatural set up.

The banquet comes around the Haman's plot is revealed and the King gets very angry. Meanwhile Haman begs Esther for his life. When the king returned into the room he sees Haman falling on the couch next to the Queen. It is amazing the deals that the enemy will try to strike with you when He realizes the authority that you carry. But Esther spoke with Mercy to the King always out of compassion and love and not with anger or threats. She maintained her composure....she truly was graceful and knew how to walk with a crown.

Esther and Mordecai took over every deed and every job formerly controlled by Haman in the Kingdom. The ministry of intercesseion participates in the release of Christ's authority.....Mordecai sat outside the gates in sack cloth and ashes untl Esther's intercession prevailed. 

 We need to prepare ourselves for "such a time as this". We all have a past and varied backgrounds but we have been hand picked by the King and we are royalty. He sees greatness in each of us even if we think we are insignificant and without talent. We need brave women who are willing to draw close to HIM and form themselves in a place of quiet power where His kingdom is being exalted. I desire the mantle of Esther and know that with prayer and unity and keeping our focus on HIM there isn't anything that we cannot do. 

You are Graciously Adorned!

❤Jonna

Bum, Tramp or Hobo

I learned something very interesting today from one of my patients...there is a big difference between a Hobo, Tramp & a Bum. Mind you; this man was definitely homeless and had a grocery cart full of items that he wanted to cart around the Emergency Room. His emergency was that it was cold and he was hungry. But he told the triage nurse that he was having chest pain. After working him up and he knew he was being admitted for observation he began to open up.

He said that there is a large misunderstanding on the streets regarding homes people. He says that some treat every person sleeping outside the same and that just isn't the case. This man was very interesting and I enjoyed the few hours I spent with him. Although he did eat four sandwiches and numerous cartons of milk!

He told me that Hobos travel around in different areas and towns looking for work. They carry their belongings everywhere they go and are hard workers. They just do not have a home. They are the ones that usually have fell on hard times and now can't seem to get back to normal life. 

Tramps travel all around from city to city but they don't look for work. They look for the best spots to beg for money. They are the ones that are known to steal or barter to survive. They are the tough ones that you have to really look out for. They are the people who usually are hiding from the law. They will never have an identification card on them. 

Last but not least there are Bums. Now they do not travel and they do not look for work...they just beg. They usually are ill or have some type of impairment that hinders them from traveling. These are the ones that are always hanging around. They won't steal and they won't barter. They will just ask for a handout. These are the ones that are usually addicted to alcohol or drugs. 

I asked my patient which one he was and he said: "It just depends on what day it is".  Ha. 

That is life at Ben Taub Hospital for you. 

Adjust that Crown

Jonna

Blesson

Whatever that you are in the middle of today...I'm hoping you can see the BLESSON. It's the blessing that you eventually see after going through a life lesson. The key here is expectation...having faith in God and his plan and trusting Him as you go through it knowing something great is just around the corner. When you can smile while going through the worst time of your life is the greatest testimony of Christ you can ever have.

"26-28 Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good." Romans 8:26-28 The Message

I'm not talking about being fake and I am definitely not talking about being afraid to speak about your circumstances because "they might just come to pass". I am talking about the still, quiet spirit of peace that comes when you know your God has got your back and He will equip you and sustain you and give you the strength to do just what His words says you can do. Bring on the Blessons!



Adjust that Crown,


Jonna

What a friend we have in Jesus

Friendships can be SOOOOO very complicated because after all; we are just human beings and can't help but be imperfect and emotionally unsteady at times. Nonetheless, there is someone I know who can be the perfect friend even when I stink at it and forget to talk, listen or even think about him; he doesn't snub me or talk down to me...He is always there forgiving me and understanding.

Jesus is faithful, so kind, and loving. He sees us just as we are and loves us despite the flaws. When it seems everyone else is busy it is so good to know that I can call on him. There is freedom in knowing that there is nothing I can do to cause Jesus to want to halt our relationship. His Word assures me of that! Jesus has loved me with an everlasting love that is not dependent on my employment, my financial status, my outer beauty, my sense of humor, my behavior or performance. Even when my circumstances change, Jesus remains faithful, true, and constant. Never too busy for one of his own, he talks to me, imparts wisdom and is always glad to hear my voice. He is the best friend anyone could ever have.

13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.          John 15:13-15

What a friend we have in Jesus! Oh, that we would be more like Him in our own friendships. Selah! Now THAT is something that I need to work on...



Adjust that Crown!

Jonna
















Jonna

I want to be called GOOD!

I have always loved the story about the Good Samaritan and it has made me always want to be the person that helps. How in the world can someone be hurt and beat up on the side of the road and people not help them? Luke 10:25-37 tells the story about a Samaritan, Priest and a Levite who saw a person in need. The only difference in their perspectives was the fact that one chose to stoop while the others only stopped, looked

and then went on their way.

Now if someone is in the ditch and you are walking down the road; surely you are going to see them and stop to assess the situation. Then depending on what your schedule or day is like; you will determine just how involved you are going to get. Now I know that ALL of us has done this sometime or another. We have thought about helping someone and then dismissed it because it sounded way to energy-consuming and we just didn't have "time for that". Helping people can be really hard work and it may take you way beyond your comfort zone and cause you to have to cancel some plans and reschedule some rest or spend some money or even share a meal.

I think that the priest and the levite didn't want any "interruptions" to their day and I think that they stopped but talked through it and decided to walk on. Possibly their schedule was so full that they couldn't be late or that they thought the situation was way beyond what they thought they could handle. Many times we ask God to give us opportunities to serve and minister but when presented we doubt our capabilities or we aren't sure what to say or do and end of kicking ourselves later because of the wasted opportunity.

Each of these men had the same ability to help out but only one made the effort. You don't hear the story told in the Bible as the "Good Priest" or the "Good Levite"...but you see the title that we have given to the Samaritan as "Good". The Samaritan not only stopped but went "over to him" and stooped down and bandaged him, picked him up and carried him to a ride, to food, to shelter and to restoration. He not only gave of his time but also gave of his treasure.

Jesus sacrificed much for us and he stopped when he saw us in great need and went WAY out of his way toward us, he stooped under a cross and carried it far to provide for our every need and gave us a way to restoration. May we never forget that we were once in the ditch with no hope but someone saved us so that we would go into the highways and byways and do the same for others. Because one day what will matter most to us all is when God says, "well done my GOOD and faithful servant." Now that is something to think about.

Adjust that Crown!

Jonna

SPAM!

What images do you get when you hear the word, Spam? I tend to think of the "loaf of mystery meat" that is packaged in a can that you have stored away somewhere in case of a nuclear war or something. Also spam is a word used for "junk mail" that comes from an outside source without your consent. I have to sift through what is legitamate or not everytime I check my email! I didn't ask for these people to send me anything and how did they get my email address anyway? And let us not get on the subject of the pop up ads.....

Persistent distractions are something that we have to deal with on a daily basis. Just like going through my email I have to be diligent to "unsubscribe" to the things that I don't want to be a part of. I have to change my settings on my computer to make sure that these unwanted and pesky ads do not just "jump out" unwelcome, unwanted and uncensored. My Firewall has to be updated periodically to protect me from new security threats, bugs and viruses that can harm my computer or allow someone to steal identity and personal information that is vital and important to me.

Firewall defined: a system that isolates another in order to prevent unauthorized access.
Like our computers, our firewalls of Faith need a little diagnostic tune up. Of course that doesn't mean we need to be reading the bible for hours at a time. Focusing daily on a scripture, reading a devotional, a moment of quiet prayer or singing your favorite praise song can do a lot of good to adjust your attitude "settings." Daily firewall tune ups are the true secret weapons to winning our everyday battles. 

 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2

The enemies pesky spam will try to trip you up, tug on your broken heart or even poke at your deepest insecurity. But we have something that he lacks and it is a firewall of Faith. In fact, our firewall is his Kryptonite. God will protect whom he loves from the unwanted, unwelcome and uncensored if we let Him.

“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble and deliver him and honor him. Psalm 91:14-15

Adjust that Crown, 

Jonna

Goodness and Mercy

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life." This is a fact as indisputable as it is encouraging, and therefore a heavenly verily, or "surely" is set as a seal upon it. This sentence may be read, "only goodness and mercy," for there shall be unmingled mercy in our history. These twin guardian angels will always be with me at my back and my beck. Just as when great princes go abroad they must not go unattended, so it is with the believer. Goodness and mercy follow him always "all the days of his life" the black days as well as the bright days, the days of fasting as well as the days of feasting, the dreary days of winter as well as the bright days of summer. Goodness supplies our needs, and mercy blots out our sins. "And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever." "A servant abideth not in the house for ever, but the son abideth ever." While I am here I will be a child at home with my God; the whole world shall be his house to me; and when I ascend into the upper chamber, I shall not change my company, nor even change the house; I shall only go to dwell in the upper storey of the house of the Lord for ever." 

 ---Charles Spurgeon regarding Psalms 23

Wow...need I say more? I so love the insight of Charles Spurgeon and love to see his thoughts on various topics and scriptures especially regarding the Psalms. I remember as a child we had a painting of two small children in the dark walking and the atmosphere looked scary and bleak but in the background was a angel with her wings spread out like a mother hen would be protecting her chicks. I always loved to look at that picture and smile. So many times in life we find ourselves in precarious situations and we "feel" so lonely but if only our physical eyes would be opened to what was truly going on in the spiritual world...we would FREAK out.

In this scripture of Psalms 23:6 I so claim the thought of two constant companions...goodness and mercy. If these two are following me all the days of my life...how can I go wrong? I want  the Goodness and the Mercy of God to always be at my "back and my beck". Now I had to look up "beck" and I was thinking it meant the "front" of me but actually it means to be "at my beck and call...at my summoning or beckoning". WOW.  I got excited! So goodness and mercy is just a call away! Not only will they make sure that goodness and mercy is backing me up in all I do but that if I find myself in a quandry needing some help that it is just a call away! Also the word "follow" in Hebrew means to 'pursue as if a hunter tracks his pray'.....this furthers that thought process that we are NEVER EVER going to get very far from HIM...he will always know where we are at! 

Just as royalty is never in a situation "unattended" we the children of the King have protectors who look after us. They make sure that we are safe and experience favor as well as have access to any resource that we need. We have the 'seal' of "surely" that I picture as a big ball of wax that is finalized with a stamping of a ring of royalty...representing an order or a final order! We aren't just inhabitants of a house but we are going to live in the upper chambers of a palace where we DWELL forever as only kings/queens or prince/princess live....peasants and servants would abide in the basement/dungeon areas. 

Short prayer: Father, thank you for forgiving me of my sins and giving me goodness and mercy with a new batch available every morning! Thank you for dying in my place to give me eternal life. Help me to show goodness and mercy to everyone I know and meet and to freely give it away just as it has been given to me. I want to live a life of obedience that makes you smile. Thank you for never giving up on me and having so much confidence in who I am that you have already prepared a place for me. I love you and thank you for the opportunity to represent you.  In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen. 


Adjust that Crown!

Jonna

It's ALL about JESUS

One Sunday morning Praise and Worship started up and it was one of my favorite songs....ahhhhh....I am not a great singer at all but I LOVE to sing and especially a GREAT Song! As the song started I heard a very odd sound and I turned a little towards what I thought was the origin but didn't see anything odd. But I continued to hear a very weird-pitched moaning sound and I turned around again to look for the child who was horribly hurt or the animal that was surely dying and then I realized....it was the man directly behind me that I had never seen before! He had his eyes closed and mouth WIDE open showing every tooth and was singing soooooo  LOUD that I couldn't even hear myself. I thought, "My God. Someone stop this madness! The Bible says to make a joyful noise but this is just torture!"

I know that this sounds very selfish. But I couldn't sing at all. All I could think about was this man who had the worst voice that I have EVER heard in my entire life. Surely he could hear himself and know that he was keeping people from entering into worship, right? I mean, the entire song was destroyed and to make matters worse...it was my favorite Jesus Culture song. I even nudged Don, who seemed unphased from the major distraction and he looked at me strangely and shook his head as if to say that he didn't hear it. UGH. I tried to close my eyes and focus on the rest of the worship service but to no avail. My entire head was filled with the man whose voice should be in the Guinness World record book!

Finally worship was over and my ears were ringing and I actually had a headache from the event! But while Don was preaching someone walked up and handed me a note; it was a scrawling hand-written note that was barely legible and in short said,

"Please pray for me. I am going through some stuff. I have had thoughts of not wanting to live. My family and I are are not doing well and my wife has left me and I haven't been able to see my children. Today is hard for me since it is Father's Day and I don't feel like a good dad. I really enjoyed praise and worship at Mercy Gate. It encouraged me more than anything that God loves me and that is really all I needed today. Thank you, _____" 

After getting that note I texted the person who handed it to me and asked who it was from and their response shocked me, "it was from some guy who was sitting right behind you this morning." I quickly texted the person back to find him; after turning to see that he was gone, but they said that he already had left. My heart sank and I felt a cold sweat form on my forehead and for the rest of the service I was in a different world. I just remember looking at Don while he preached and only registering his mouth moving as he spoke but I did not hear a thing.  All I could think about was my horrible selfishness earlier that morning while a person was hurting within my arms reach on the second row of this great church.

Wow...did conviction hit my heart! We forget that it isn't about the music, the words or what our worship even sounds like. It isn't for us at all...it is about our Creator. James 4:6, 10 tells us,"God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up". Our worship to God is a very humble and reverent action and if our minds aren't in that mode then we aren't truly worshipping. We have to get rid of the distractions that WE allow to enter our heads and FOCUS only on Him...that is true worship. We all have different kinds of distractions and everyone's worship looks and sounds so differently. But Frank worshipped that morning with all his being and made a connection with his God and I believe that he came to our church that one Sunday just to teach ME a lesson. (side note: You see...you can be the Pastor's wife of a great church, the Leader of the Year or the seemingly most devout Christian but daily we ALL have issues that need to be dealt with. You just have to be real enough to admit them so other's can learn.)

Short prayer: "God forgive me of my proud attitudes and thoughts. It truly is all about you. Thank you for not giving up on me despite my selfish preferences and opinions. Help my eyes to be open to others and their needs and to have compassion and act in love despite my own comfort. Please continue to create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me. Because Father this church thing is really just ALL about you and what you are doing in OTHER'S lives through me."



Don't Judge Meeeeee... Adjust YOUR Crown :))


Jonna

*Lessons from a Pimple

Have you ever had a pimple or blemish on your face and you felt like it was as big as a golf ball? You are so self-conscious about it that everyone you have conversation with you either point it out or draw attention to it inadvertantly by trying to cover it up with your hair or your hand? Ha. Okaaaay.....I am the ONLY vain one! It is really a funny thing how we perceive things sometimes.

One day at work I felt so self conscious about a zit. I had "took care" of before work and could hardly believe that a 43 year old could still break out on a regular basis. UGH. But while I worked I could feel pain and a throbbing sensation on my face and I knew that it was "growing". I was working the trauma area in the emergency room and was no where near a mirror and no time to take a bathroom break!  I would periodically touch it and it felt so huge and I began to visualize in my mind this pulsating and disgusting growth that surely everyone was talking about! I pointed it out to my co-worker and she said, "what blemish? I don't see one. Just a red mark." I was astounded that she would just blatently say that just to be nice and not be HONEST with me when I knew that she had to be mortified to be working next to someone who needed to go fix her face.

Finally I was able to take a break and made a mad dash to the mirror. I was SO shocked when what I saw was not a white mountainous pimple of disgust but rather a flat red bump that actually didn't look bad at all! I couldn't believe it! It felt, according to my finger SO very large and I just couldn't understand it. I laughed out loud at myself and about how silly I had been to have worried while I talked to doctors, patients and other staff about urgent matters of life or death while wondering secretly what they might of thought of my blemish and I even thought their eyes had wandered to where it was; when in reality...there was nothing there! How dumb!

My how we "feel" things sometimes and it is just a big distraction. We stress about little things that people may think about and for what? It is a big waste of time and resources. Sometimes we let our feelings blow things out of proportion and it effects our relationships and the way that we feel about ourselves. We perceive that people are talking or looking at us when in fact that is the farthest things from their minds. Our emotions can wreck us. It can get us so side tracked that we miss that someone is needing us or that God is directing us or opening a door for us but we are so consumed with this "thought of ourselves" that we are not able to actually SEE what is truly going on with anyone else.

 “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”     2 Cor 10:5

Don't let silliness get in the way of you being who you are called to be. Get your focus off yourself and what your not or what you think you should be. Maybe it is in our imperfections that He wants to use us the most...because that is when we have to rely on Him more and not lean on our own abilities. 

Short prayer: "God please...I have learned my lesson...no more emotional zit moments for me! I pray that everyday I take my eyes off of SELF and put it where it should be...ON YOU and the people you set in my path. Amen." 

You Are Graciously Adorned!

❤Jonna

Judgement VS Discernment: a delicate balance

When you judge someone, You hurt as well as the person you are judging.  When you judge, it is usually because you feel emotional about someone or something, what they represent or what you feel they have done either to you or someone else. The feelings you posess literally propel your thoughts into action.  Vocalized judgments additionally effect the reality around you, and around others and usually not in a very positive way. 

Now all judgments are not bad.  There is a constructive side to the discrimination that judgments have to offer, and that is what might be called discernment. The primary difference between discernment and judgment is emotion. Judgment holds a frozen emotion based upon a past painful experience and discernment does not.  Discernment lives more in the present and of course is usually guided by the Holy Spirit; whether it be naturally occuring or spiritually occuring.

The need to recognize and celebrate differences is natural and necessary because we are all different! We talk in unique ways and of course look differenct according to our race, backgrounds, socio-economic status and how we were raised. We need to be aware of each other's differences. What I think is totally appropriate; others may not think it is...according to their perspective and culture based on experiences. All pitt bull dogs may not be dangerous, but certainly I will walk on the other side of the road to avoid one...based on my experiences and yes ...judgements.  Where judgement tend to separate, discernments are meant to unify.

Many women get hung up over being "judgemental or critical" and feel really bad about themselves because of it. But what they actually are experiencing is natural discernment. In life most females are really good at this whether christian or not! It is just how we function...we are analytical and that is just how we are made unfortunately. We can size a person up in an instant and by their clothes, how they talk and think we know everything about them! ha. BUT God grants a higher level of discernment that is not physical or natural but spiritual and is given for the sake of protecting the body of Christ. 

God gives us this spiritual gifting of discernment to HELP and PROTECT people and the church as a whole. So how can we know that we are in the natural or in the spirit when we have thoughts or feelings about people or situations? Now that is a great question! 

You can ask yourself these questions: 

1. Do I love the person any less because of what I see? 
2. Do I take any pleasure in seeing this fault?
3. Do I feel superior when I see them?
4. Do I have a desire to point out the fault?
5. Do I feel eager to see God "punish" them?
6. Do I personally "write them off" as being unworthy of any ministry or usefulness?
7. Do I avoid them?
8. Do I look forward to them being exposed?
9. Do I find it hard to pray for them in a positive way?
10. Do I find this revelation about them exciting to me personally?

If you possess two or more of these thoughts then there is a strong indication that you have a judging spirit and are just functioning in the natural. Now the discernment may be correct but the negative attitudes are not and this is what makes the knowledge quite dangerous. The critcal spirit can actually TWIST the truth and make it a negative thing in your life; especially if you share it with others....well....let's just say you could make a REALLY big mess...ask me how I know!

Spiritual discernment is a very powerful thing and we receive this information as a "wake up call" and what we do with it can determine life or death. Discernment should spur us on to a great desire to pray for these people or situations to help them overcome. It is working out in the spirit and using the supernatural gifts as a war for others. It is interceding and loving people WAY beyond ourselves and then seeing it working out in the natural. If God has laid a person on your heart and you have been given divine revelation then you need to stop talking about it to others and start praying. God didn't give it to you to talk about....it is for you to ponder on only in the spirit. Don't try to figure it out...it is just a snippet....a glimpse into the supernatural. What you need to do is war in the spirit with it. Then when it is time the Holy Spirit will aways direct you to an authority figure such as the pastor to talk with him about it. Then with this guidance you can agree together what is to be done with the information given. 

Adjust that Crown!

Jonna

Happy Mother's Day!

One of my favorite memories of Mother's Day doesn't involve an awesome gift or even a perfect day. In fact I worked harder that one Sunday than any other holiday EVER but the memories and the thought and effort put into trying to please me is one that still warms my heart.

Corey was 4 and Trey was 5 years old and as Don left for church he said to me, "Now Jonna...the boys are downstairs and they are making you breakfast in bed so please just stay here. I don't want you to ruin the suprise they are working on for you." My eyes got wide and Don said, "Don't worry. They aren't cooking anything. They are fine. I have been supervising them." So I laid back on the pillow and waited for this great Mother's Day surprise!

Well finally a few minutes later I hear giggling and noise at the bottom of the stairs. There is much discussion going on and I can hear Trey trying to tell Corey to be careful and to walk up the stairs slower. Corey is saying, "I am Trey. Leave me alone!" Yes brotherly love was occuring. ha. Then I hear a noise and Corey starts crying. Trey runs up the stairs as I am getting out of bed and he tells me, "Mom...get back in bed! We are bringing you breakfast! It is a suprise!" Trey's eyes are full of excitement and I slowly do as he says but am concerned about Corey. Trey says, "Oh he is just being a baby." So after a few more minutes I finally see Trey and Corey walk into my bedroom with a breakfast tray.

They bring it over to me and with giant, sweet smiles sing, "Happy Mother's Day to You" just like the birthday song is sang. It was really sweet and drug on and on and finally ended with a very high note that was hilarious. Then I looked down at my hand crafted breakfast. They had made me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with some potato chips and some chocolate milk. Unfortunately during the trip up the stairs the chocolate milk had spilled out of the glass and there was just a little bit left. The sandwich was half soggy and had dirt and cat hair on it...apparently it and the chips went down the stairs as well. UGH. It looked so nasty! Trey and Corey both said at once, "Mom! We want you to eat your breakfast! Aren't you excited? It was a surprise!!! We made this just for you!" With much fear and intrepidation I took a bite out of the hairy and dirty sandwich that looked like it came from a scary movie. Oh my it tasted worse than it looked. I think they used half of the container of peanut butter on the sandwich and I don't think the crunch I bit into was peanut butter! Yikes! (I think I my stairs really needed a good vacuuming)

As I managed to smile and quickly swallow that bite of food that morning and acting like it was amazing.... I realized that the sparkle and gleam in my boys eyes were all I needed. I could care less if I got a card or a gift that day. My boys LOVE me and got up early, went out of their way to do something for ME....and that in itself was worth more than anything else I could think of. I gave both of them big hugs and they cuddled with me in bed for a while and thankfully did not make me eat anymore of that dreadful sandwich! ha

Later when I made it to the stairs I noticed a nightmare-ish trail of chocolate milk that started at about 1/2 way up the stairs and had managed to drip all the way down. I could tell that they used about the whole bottle of hershey's syrup to make 8 ounces of chocolate milk for me....the stain was VERY dark and it was on very light carpet. It took me many hours and lots of different chemicals and scrubbing to finally get the carpet looking decent again! OH Happy Mother's Day to me!

No matter how little or how much we are celebrated today; that does not determine our worth or our value as a Mom. And you cannot equate that with how much your children love you either. Every season in life is different and has it's pros and cons as well as it's ups and downs. The problem is that our expectations can sometimes be so very high that we become disappointed in the moment. When my kids were small they made me things with their own hands and were so excited to do things for me. Now that they are older they easily just go buy me things from my "wish list" at my favorite boutique and probably don't think twice about it. People may look at what I got for mother's day and wish that they got it as well. But what they don't realize is that I wish I was getting a smudgy handprint picture or a flower picked lovingly from the neighbor's yard......or breakfast in bed made with little hands that just want to do their best. Now of course...I NEVER want to get a stain on my carpet like that EVER AGAIN. LOL.

Cherish the moments in your life today and don't compare them with others because you will miss the fact that the "disaster" that occured on what was supossed to be your "special day" will in fact be one of your very favorite memories of the love that your children has for you....and that memory is priceless.


Adjust that Crown,

Jonna

Gelotology

The study of laughter and humor and the effects on the body is called Gelotology. (that kind of makes me laugh) Who knew that one belly laugh burns about 3.5 calories! Well if my math is correct I would need to have about 200 good belly laughs to have a really great workout!! Maybe if I work on my laughter more I can finally ditch that gym commitment....hmmmmmmm.

Proverbs 17:22 "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine but a broken spirit drieth up the bones."


I don't know about you but dry bones doesn't sound like a good thing! And if a healthy person laughs 100 to 400 times a day then I need to get busy! I need to stop taking things so seriously!!!

Have you ever had that exhausted feeling after a good laugh? You know, the one where your side hurts, your eyes water, you can't catch your breath, your find yourself snorting and your body's totally spent? Well according to some studies a good giggle can do some pretty wonderful things!

Unfortunately -- watching funny movies all day long won't lead to perfect health (in fact, being a couch potato will do more harm than good especially while holding a bag of cheetos), but remembering that laughter has powerful benefits should get you to smiling.  :))

Laughter decreases stress, help us cope with tough situations, it can improve your blood pressure, helps manage pain, amps your social skills, reduces aggression and boosts your immune system! So the Bible definitely knew what it was talking about when it said it was like a medicine! Now of course it doesn't cure all ailments in life BUT it definitely helps a healthy lifetstyle be better. B cells (used to fight infections) and T cells (attacks viruses and manages immune responses) respond positively to laughter! These are just one of the MANY different responses the body has in response to a good LOL!

Now I know that there are inappropriate times to laugh and no one really wants to be laughed at BUT we have got to stop taking our lives so seriously and start seeing things in a lighter way. You have got to find someone that you can be silly and crazy with and just laugh. We all need to learn to laugh at ourselves as well. We can all do some pretty incredibly funny things and lets not have so much pride that we can't just admit that we tripped and fell. It IS funny! Share it and help someone else's immune system! I think I am responsible for some pretty healthy people out there....ha

Adjust that crown!

Jonna

Sketches

If someone were to sketch you without seeing you but by your own description of yourself...what would it look like compared to what others would say about you? This is a very interesting video and hopefully it will make you stop and think before you tell others or think too much about your perceived flaws. Women especially are so hard on themselves (me included) and we seem to mirror what others have told us or focus on one very small insignificant negative and of course make it so much bigger. This video is a must-watch :)) Remember who's kid you are and adjust that crown! --Jonna

Dormancy

Dormancy - a state of quiet (but possibly temporary) inaction; "the volcano erupted after centuries of dormancy", the state of being inactive for a season. I absolutely LOVE tulips and it is amazing to see what they come from. Have you ever seen their bulbs? They are dry, brown, rough and just plain ugly and the process reminds me of the hard shelled chrysalis of a butterfly. In time and in the proper conditions and season, a beautiful flower will emerge. Fortunately though bulbs in their dormant stage are tough and are actually called storehouses, but still they must be handled properly for them to mature and flower as they should. Tulip bulbs are just stored potential and are so very attune to the environment around them. Bulbs have to have a certain amount of cold weather to trigger a bio-chemical process that causes them to bloom. If the weather is unusually warm too soon then the flower may bloom too soon and if it is cold too long then they will not flower until much later. It is so amazing that something so small and insignificant in our own eyes has been made with such ingenuity. In the word there is a scripture that is one of my favorites:

26 Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds. 27 "Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? 28 All this time and money wasted on fashion - do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, 29 but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them. 30 "If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers - most of which are never even seen - don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? 31 What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. 32People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. 33 Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. 34 "Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes."                                                         Matthew 6:26-34

There are a few lessons here to be learned. First, Like a tulip we cannot look at someone or a situation and think we know what is going on, because there is a dormancy period that we all go through before we bloom and you don't know if they are about to sprout! God is working on all of us and we are all in different seasons of growing and in changing environments. Secondly, Don't get upset at time factors because you want to be flowering and thriving at just the right time in your life. That time frame may not be what we understand or want but we have to trust the one that made us. We have so many factors that can hinder us or enhance us and we want to be in tune to what God's timing is. If we get too anxious we might bloom too soon and not last because the cold season isn't over.  Thirdly, like a beautiful tulip we may be gorgeous and colorful and find the next day we are ugly and rough due to our  circumstances...just know that you need to embrace the dormancy stage of your life. Tulips are just flowering for a few weeks and then go right back to a rest stage to store up energy. There are times to be quiet and still and to not be in the forefront..that is when we are working on the next phase of our lives and for the next step God is going to lead us to. 

Flowers are wonderful creations I believe were made for us to enjoy so don't forget that you were also created to be enjoyed by the CREATOR....the one that thinks you are GORGEOUS no matter what stage of life you are in. 


Adjust that Crown!

Jonna

Loving the Unlovable

Today was a somewhat challenging day at work filled with helping intoxicated and drug addicted people get back on their feet and matching them with available resources including bus passes, shelters, clothing and of course food. The problem lies that as they begin to sober up they are angry....mainly at themselves for relapsing, spending all their money or being ticketed for various things...but they take it out on the one helping them. I was called about every name imaginable and was threatened in many different ways just by HELPING them. I would say that at one point I wanted to give a few of them " a piece of my mind"! After all, I deserve respect, right? I mean...I earned my RN license and I have authority here to do what I want. In a moment I can call the police over to escort these people off the property...they better not mess with me!

As one patient began to act out because she wasn't getting the attention or the medications she wanted she started tearing out her very-tightly knotted and very dirty weave out of her head and throwing the pieces on the floor....I began to laugh and I could not stop. Now...I know that it does not sound very professional BUT I felt like I was losing it. The lady (who was not in her right mind) said, "You think your better than me? I see you laughing at me. I am not crazy....I just don't have anybody or anything. Just because I am homeless doesn't mean I don't deserve respect."

Well those words rang true to my heart. I wasn't loving these people, I was looking down on them. I was judging them by their smells, their dirty clothes and bad behavior. Perhaps Jesus' teaching to "love your neighbor as yourself" (Mark 12: 31, NIV) is one of the absolutely hardest ones to grasp. Sure, that seems easy enough—until you really think about what it means. He didn't say "like" them. He said "love" them. And you don't get to pick who your "neighbor" is...It's everyone around you whom you might come in contact with.....even at work.

I'm thinking Jesus' expectations were a tad bit too high. I mean, can you truly love someone like you love yourself? The neat thing is that he wasn't in the heavens just commanding us to do this...he was here on earth experiencing it. At the Last Supper, Jesus was in the same room with a bunch of betrayers and he knew it and what he did was wash their feet. Wow...kinda a hard thing to do, huh? These guys didn't deserve his love and respect but he loved them anyway. Jesus didn't pretend....he actually served them.

Serving gives us an easy way to see how we should love. It's not just some mushy emotion but an action. When you serve someone it has a way of changing the way you see them. If you are trying to really help someone with your whole heart then it's very hard to think they're worthless. You are giving them everything you have. Serving is getting your wants, desires, titles or agendas you have for yourself and putting it on the back-burner for someone else with a spirit of humility and respect. But of course none of this is possible in our own abilities....it takes the Holy Spirit to strengthen us and give us that supernatural ability and that is accomplished by drawing near to God. Love will flow out of us naturally because we are His vessel.


Loving someone doesn’t mean we have to agree with them or their choices. Loving someone means we hope our actions on their behalf work for their benefit, to build them up, maybe even change their bad attitudes or help them to become easier to love and most importantly, that they learn to be a little more like Christ themselves. Of course they may not respond or do anything to show appreciation for what we have done. In fact they may reject everything we try to do for them making us want to just throw in the towel in frustration. But we know that God never gave up on us so we are never going to give up on people.....because they are all in fact our brothers and sisters and no one EVER should EVER give up on family!

Adjust that crown,

Jonna

Keep Swimming Around!

      Two  frogs fell into a deep cream bowl,

One was an optimistic soul.

But the other took a gloomy view,

"I shall drown," he said "and so will you."

So with a last despairing cry,

He closed his eyes and said his "Good-byes."

But the other frog with a merry grin,

Said "I can't get out, but I WON'T give in!"

So he swam around until his strength was spent.

For bravely trying,  the frog thought, 

"I will at least die being content."

So on he swam until it would seem.

His struggles began to churn the cream.

On top of the butter at last he stopped,

And out of the bowl he happily hopped.

What's the message here? It's easily found.

If you can't get out - keep swimming around!

                                          ~Author Unknown

This is just one of my all time favorite poems. My husband used this in a sermon illustration once and it is just endearing! It is funny how at times we actually think that we aren't going to make it out of a situation or hard time. God loves us and wants to help us but we have to be WILLING to work towards our blessing or toward our unanswered prayers. We cannot just sit by when things get a little tough and throw up our hands in despair. Timing is everything and sometimes the hardest of the times is right when the "storm" of our lives are about to break.  Having perserverance and enduring the struggle WILL get you somewhere and despite what other's around you say or do...you bravely keep on swimming because you will in time come out....ON TOP!

Adjust that Crown, 

Jonna