Latest / Armed Anchored Adorned / Bring Him what you have
Transcript
- Armed Anchored & Adorned: Welcome, hello, hello, hello. Welcome, welcome, welcome. I'm so glad to be here. I'm so glad I've missed this space. I ha I have taken some time to just recalibrate and get get some things a little more clarified. I've been I started a new little venture of baking and I have been having a lot of fun with that. I have missed this this space. So thank you Lord for this space. And I'm really glad you're here. Pray with me. Lord, thank you. Thank you for calling us right here, right now. Help us to clear the space of our hearts and our minds and allow it to become fertile soil for you to come and take root in us. Get me out of the way. I would I I lay myself down for your holy purpose, for your words, not mine. Give give these hearts and ears listening. A holy discernment. And a a supernatural wisdom and clarity that can only come from you and an awareness of your your presence. Thank you, Lord. It is such a gift to us. Let us not miss it. Correct me in any way that I am that I am wrong, that I am stepping outside of your Your heart. I want to be aligned with you and you alone. Thank you for the ways that you speak and draw us to you. We want more of you and less of us, less of this world. We humbly come before you, ready to hear you. In Jesus' name, amen. So this has been stirring in me for a while. And I'm not gonna lie, I have been very distracted and very very focused on many other things, but this particular space in in my thought. process, my my talking with the Lord, my awareness of this message that He's been speaking to me over and over and over again. It has not left. So I'm here to share with you. And I'm really glad. Thank you for being here. so years ago my husband and I were in a really, really rough space. Like it was it was not good. It was not good. You know, marriage is marriage. It it it's hard. But this was a particularly deeply hard place for both of us. And we found ourselves in counseling. Thank you, Jesus. We found an amazing counselor that loved the Lord and we have so many phrases that we have gleaned from our time with him. Totally saved our marriage. And if you are there, let me just let me just pause for a moment. If you are there in your marriage The Lord is with you. The Lord sees you. He cares. I'm praying with you. Keep bringing it before the Lord. Keep bringing it before the Lord. He will answer. He will answer. It may not look the way you want it to look, but he will answer. Reach out to me. I will pray with you. And my heart hurts with you. It is it is very hard. But this particular season, we were in counseling, and one time we were in one of our sessions, and my husband said something to me that or just said something in general that I did not agree with. I'm sure someone here can relate to that. And so I loaded up with breath. I was just like and I was like loading up my whole body and like crossing my leg and getting ready to like face him and respond. And our counselor looked at me and was like, totally saw what was like probably knew what was gonna come out of my mouth and was like interrupted me and he said, How can you make that about him? Talking to Vince and talking about Vince. And I was just like I like I so I closed my mouth, I exhaled, and I was like, Well, I don't know, because that's not what I was about to do. That was not about him, it was about what I was thinking about him. So I'm sure, I'm sure someone here can relate to that as well. that That was a wonderful moment of self-awareness for me of just okay. Okay. I do make things more about me than I think I do, than I want to, then it was just a good cleansing awareness, awakening awareness moment for me. I don't even remember what he said or what I was gonna say. Like that I don't remember that. Heart, but so let's fast forward to I honestly don't even remember the timeline, but I was I don't know if I was listening to a sermon or reading something, but the Lord drew me to the place in scripture, it's Matthew 14, where Jesus is about to feed the 5,000, where know, the disciples are like, Send them away, they they need to go somewhere to go get some food. Like they're we don't have what they need. Why didn't I wear my glasses? So in Matthew fourteen fifteen. When it was evening, his disciples came to him, disciples came to Jesus, saying, This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitude away that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food. Like woo. We got nothing for him, you know? Tell me, Jesus. But Jesus said to them, They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat. And they said to him, We only have five loaves and two fish. And he said, Bring them here to me. Then he commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass, and he took the five loaves and the two fish, looking up to heaven, he blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples gave to the multitudes so they were so they all ate and were filled, and they took up the twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained. Now those who had eaten were were about five thousand men, besides women and children. So he it was more than five thousand. This this part of scripture may be super familiar to you, or it may be the first time you've ever heard it. Anywhere or anywhere in between. So often. I have found myself. sitting in that space of I I I don't have what they need. I like send them away. They don't have any they don't need to go and Jesus is like they don't need to go away. Bring it to me. He said His he says to them, Bring me what you have. Bring me what you have. this this just Is such a cool space in scripture to me a reminder of what what I bring to the table, whatever it is I have, it's never enough. It's never ever enough. Without him, it's never enough. This is such a cool place to remind myself of. I gotta bring it to him. So and you're you're like, Well, when am I ever gonna need to feed five thousand people? I don't know. Maybe tomorrow. I have no idea. However And may maybe you're like, I know exactly what the Lord's saying right now in this. But like w what what is what is it that you feel like isn't enough? What is it you're like I I can't all I have is two fish. I have two fish and and five loaves. Like what am I gonna do with that? you're not wrong. You're not wrong. It's not enough. We gotta bring it to him. There's been times where I've I've had an idea or I've had just something stirring in me and I'll get in my head like an excuse or a a a lie straight from the enemy that's like you can't do that And I'm like, Well You're right, I can't. Unless I bring it to him. Unless I bring it to him. If I am connected with my Holy Father, that's all I need. I'm gonna bring him my two fish. And he's gonna make it enough. Without me making it about him, I I don't have enough. It's not enough. I got I got two smelly fish. I have to make it about him. I have to bring it to him and say I that's all I got, Lord. And that's when he gets to have the glory. And it's like, how can I make it about him? Capital H the Lord. How can I make this about him? Lord, here's what I have. Lord, you see where I'm at. Here's my day. My day is full, but I need you. I have I have these 10 minutes. First thing in the morning. He's like, bring it to me. Bring it to me. Bring it to me. Put it in my hands. He will make it enough. I I have five dollars, Lord. I have five dollars and here's what I need to do with it. I here's what I need. He knows what our needs are. He's not always gonna turn it into ten dollars, but he's going to he's gonna make it enough when we make it about him, when we bring it to him. Everything is better in his hands. It's incredible what he can do with what we have. What are your gifts? What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? Bring them to him. What are your dreams? What what are what's the the ideas that are stirring in you? What are your issues? Where do you feel like you're Lord, I I have nothing. I I have no ideas. Lord, I have no direction. Lord, I have no time. Lord, I have no energy. Bring it to him. Bring me what you have. His actual word. That that phrase, bring me what you have, is what stirs in my heart. The actual scripture he says in my version Bring them here to me. Bring them here to me. Whatever them is, bring them here to me. Your worries, your dreams. Your heartache, your broken places, bring them here to me, he says. He wants to do something beautiful with it. It may not look like the beauty that you would draw and paint and choose. But I promise it's better in his hands. It is better in his hands. So bring it to him. Ask yourself, how can I make this about him? How can you make this about Jesus? How can you make this about the Lord? Lord, my body is is feeling this heaviness. Lord, I'm I'm experiencing Bring what you have. Bring it to Him. Lord, I have this pain. Lord, I have this fear. Lord, I have this. Fill in that blank. Bring it to him. Bring it to him. He has an answer. And I I I I'm not promising it's gonna be the answer you're hoping and praying for, but it will be an answer. He always answers. Sometimes it's yes, sometimes it's no, sometimes it's wait a minute. Wait on the Lord, trust in the Lord. He wants to draw you to himself and create more trust and hope and peace in the waiting. I've experienced all of that. So bring in what you have. What is it? Share it with me. I'd love to know. Like what what is it that you're like? I wanna grow closer to the Lord, but I don't have enough time. What what what do you have? What are your two loaves and or what are your two fish in loaves? Five loaves. What do got? Just bring it to him. He sees you, he knows. What is it that you have? And actually I think it today's my actual birthday and I'll make a big deal. But it does help me. I don't know. D does anybody else do this? like six months before my birthday, I tack on the the next year so that when I actually get here, I'm not like, my gosh, it's here. I'm like, I'm already I've been that for six months. I'm totally cool with that number. up until now. It's that's that's the way I've been rolling with that. Anybody else weird and do that? so I've shared with you that I go on a retreat every other month. It's a 24-hour period and I have a wonderful woman that just pours in and just just encourages and pours in and shares her heart and love of Jesus. And she did this with us, I think it was the beginning of this year, I think. But she gave us all a tape measure. Okay. So this is I went and bought some more because I just thought it was such a cool thing. So here's my tape measure. And I on one side is inches and mine only goes to sixty inches. So we're flipping it over to centimeters because We're living past sixty in Jesus' name. So my centimeters goes to 150 and in Jesus' name I'm also not living to 150. So she did this little exercise with us and she's like, I want you to mark off. Your current age. So So I'm here. This is my current age. 48. I'm scared. I've been 48 for six months. So 48. And then she's like, okay, so so you've you've done this part of life. You've done this part. Commit that to the Lord and thank him, give him thanks and bring him what you have. Like Lord, I trust you that here's my two loaves and our two fish and five loaves. And I commit that to you, and that part that is finished. We have we have already completed this. And then she had us mark our projected. life and I accept whatever number the Lord gives me. But I threw out 88. I don't know why. But I did. And I look at it and I'm like, okay. So here's that. Lord, I want to bring that to you. I want to make this about you. I want this last whatever however long it's gonna be. I want this to be for you. I want this, I wanna bring this to you every single day. I wanna commit it to you. It's been a really great visual and a wonderful reminder to me and several others that I do life with. And we just kinda look at it like, okay. So I've I've done this part and I've got potentially this. I mean, maybe maybe this. Let's see, where am I where am I over here? Okay, no, I'm not a hundred and eleven. No ma'am. Mm mm. No, mm mm. if the Lord wants me here a hundred, this is like. Lord, I want to bring you glory. Lord, I want to make this about you. And then I think about like all that's after. Like this is exciting too. The like this goes on and on and on and on. Like eternity is so much longer than we could possibly ask think or imagine. I I wanna I want it all to be about you, Lord. I want to make it about you because when I make it about me, I make a big old mess. Like whatever was about to come out of my mouth in that counseling session was probably not going to be helpful. It may have been true parts of it. But probably I was gonna make a mess. And I know the difference, like I know he asked me, how can I make that about my husband? But I needed to make it I I I need I needed to remove myself. I need to not be so self focused sometimes. I wanna be I wanna be aware. I wanna be aware of how I can make this my life more about him and how he wants me to love those around me better. Better than I did yesterday. So this was just a fun little exercise for me. And actually what I did was I had, I forgot I had done this and had it right here. I had taken one of them and cut up, I I cut it up and I made it into. like a a bookmark that goes in my it goes in my Bible. And it's just a little reminder of like and I I wrote on it all for you. To me, those are anchors, those are things that will draw me back to, okay, wait a minute. Let's really think about eternal living, walking in the spirit rather than the flesh. And that's all through scripture. That's the the Lord wants to free us of living for what we're seeing and what we're feeling and living for self. That's that's not where we experience true freedom, true peace. It's very, very, very hard. But this is one of those things that we can do that draws us back to what are we here for? What are we here for? Let me bring this to you, Lord. Let me put this in your hands and remind myself. This isn't about me. I want to make this more about you. it was a very helpful gift for me to draw my eyes and heart back to what am I doing here? So What is it? What is it that you feel like? What what are your two fish and loaves right now? Five loaves? What what are they? What's in your hands? What do you have? Bring them to him. Is it your body? Your marriage? Your parenting. It's not enough in your hands. It's not. The real power is when it's in his hands and he will lead you. A friend of mine just redirected me in such a powerful way. The scripture Proverbs three, five, trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Acknowledge him in all your ways, and he will direct your path. You have to, if you want the direction of the Lord, you have to acknowledge that he's right here right now. He has his hands open, like, bring it to me. Bring it to me. What what are what are we holding back? Like what do we actually think is better in our hands? What what is it that You need him to do a miracle to to multiply. What is it? I'd love to hear. Reach out. Let me know. Lord, thank you. Thank you for whatever time that you give us. It is a gift and we we bring it to you. We put it in your hands. However however long you have us here. Help us to make it about you. Forgive us for the moments where we make it about us and make a mess. Thank you, Lord, for being so gracious and gentle and big and mighty. Thank you for being stronger than us. Thank you for knowing exactly what our hearts and souls really need. Draw us to you. We want what you want. Remind us of that. I ask a holy blessing over every set of ears and every single heart that is listening right here and right now. Thank you. Awaken them. Awaken them to your presence. Soften hearts, remove any scales. And draw them to you as your precious, precious child. them hear your voice calling to them tenderly, lovingly. Thank you. Thank you that that's your father heart. And awaken us to the places where we have been withholding anything from you. You are so good. And we are yours. In Jesus' mighty name, amen. Thanks for being here. gosh, what's for dinner? you know what's so funny? I it like I said, it's my birthday and if my husband's been asking me, What do you want to do for your birthday? What do you want to do for your birthday? Well, I He and I about to take a trip, and you know, we're kind of trying to save some dollars. So I'm like, I don't need anything special. But we still have to eat dinner. So I kind of went and got some steaks and some sweet potatoes and some Brussels sprouts. How do you make Brussels sprouts? And he's going to make it all. I went and got it. And he got it all. And ooh, what is I would love to know what is your favorite. birthday dessert. Like when it's when it's only that you that get to pick. You're like, ooh, what do I want? Like, what what's that dessert that you're like, I want that, your favorite. We call that DST in my house. I think I told you that. my big kids when Luke was really little, my big kids would spell dessert after dinner and be like, Hey mom, can we have D S S C R T? They would say their S's really quick. D S S C R T. They would spell it right, but and then they would go and say yes or no. But when they would go and get it and come back and he's like Aunt DST, my little one, because teenager's toddler. He couldn't spell yet. And he he was like caught on relatively quickly. He wanted DST. So that's what we call dessert now. So what is your favorite? Like what is your favorite DST? I have a couple different ones. But right now from Publix, the fruit tart. yeah. Especially because I can't. I could make it, but it's not as good. Like I love their fruit tart. So good. It's got a little layer of chocolate, but not too much chocolate. Some light fruit and a good cookie crust. Mm-hmm. Used to be Apple Betty. I still love that. But I kind of love that I don't make this, so I can just go pick it up and it feels a little special. So, and don't get me wrong, I'll love me some chocolate chip cookies. Those are my favorites. But I think I will probably have already had a chocolate chip cookie today. So got me the fruit tart. So what is your favorite birthday dessert or D S D? And I just thank you so much for being here. Thanks for your support here and growing with me, learning and allowing me to just share my heart and It's such a cool fun place. I love I love this space. Have an amazing day. Love y'all. Bye.