Restoring Dreams

I'm reading Bill Johnson's Dreaming with God and it's such a relevant message.  Across the board I'm seeing women realize they were created for purpose.  God gave them dreams and for too long, the true defeated one has robbed us of those dreams.

Restoration is another message I see happening and with dreams, I think it means God takes back what was stolen and returns us to the place where His dreams are.  Not our dreams, His.  The dreams He formed within us when we were in the womb.  I am loving what I'm seeing.  There are grandmothers learning ballet or taking art classes, moms writing books, no matter the age they are embracing what's been inside them all along.

Can you relate to that?  Does redeeming dreams mean anything to you?  Restoration?

Years ago I remembered an interview with NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr.  As soon as he was born I'm guessing his destiny was sealed just by his name.  When his father died, the pressure was all the more apparent.  For the business, he had to drive, meet contract expectations, and do all the things a professional race car driver does.
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Thing is, I saw his eyes light up when he talked about a life far removed from the bright lights and fast tracks.  He admitted (at the time) that he'd love to just go down the street to an auto shop and change oil.  Even if it was minimum wage.

This from a multi million dollar brand.  He's not just a man, he's a business.  Yet his dream would be (again, at the time of the interview) to walk away and tinker with cars.

Chances are your name isn't Trump or Earnhardt and you aren't tied to the family business.  What's your dream?  Are you living it?  Can you feel the dream budding forth within you?  Tell us about it if you're comfortable.  We love comments.

photo by photobucket

 Julie Arduini is a writer and speaker residing in NE Ohio with her husband and two children.  Her first published fiction work is included in Delivered by the Peculiar People Postcard Project.  To see her complete writing and speaking resume, please visit her at her website.

Lessons Learned from Jill Austin's Dancing with Destiny

I'm nearing the end of the late Jill Austin's Dancing with Destiny.
 
This chapter is about strategies for soliders, key things as a praying person you can ask for and know God will equip you for the unseen battle called intercession.

This chapter deserves a book of its own. I took a course on this subject because I've always had a sensitive ear for God and would be a step or two ahead of others. For years I felt it was a curse because few could relate to me or me them. Researching this topic and really praying on it helped me see being a messenger for God's kingdom is a blessing.

But like Spiderman, it also requires great responsibility.

I think we are very close to the place where the word prophecy isn't so scary or abused as it used to be. The phrase "thus saith the Lord" was beyond worn out and sometimes applied during wrong times. Sometimes people meant harm, and most of the time, they didn't. They were simply acting without guidance and were like me when I turn on the supermax hose on the car wash.

Out of control.

Jill makes an excellent point I need to take seriously, because I haven't been. I want to be an effective vessel for Him and that means the things of this world can't appeal to me or have a hold on me more than Christ does. One of my issues is gossip. I love news and I love reading. And more often than not I find my browser heading in a direction that seems like news, but it's gossip.

My choices put a black eye on the incredible things God could do if I was giving Him clear access. So if you are someone that stands in the gap in the name of Christ in prayer, don't forget to pray for yourself. Ask God to open your eyes and ears not only to His ways and what He has for others, but what He's seeing in you. What convicts me might not be a conviction for you.

For some, I know great people of prayer very solid in Christ who watch "R" movies. I just can't. The last movie I remember was John Travolta's Face/Off. That movie was well written and acted but I felt such evil my spirit was out of whack for days. Sometimes there are even PG-13 movies I have to walk away from. But that's my conviction, and you need to ask God for yours.

A lot of people struggle finding the balance between what to say when God gives them something, and when to be quiet. I tell people my life is about trial and error, mostly error. If I see something, as Jill wrote, like a flower, I'll wait on it, pray about it.

If I get that "burn in my belly" I've learned for me, I'll probably be speaking about it. I keep praying and when the time comes, that burn is out of control. I just know. But I refuse to use the words, thus saith the Lord. If God gives me a message it's for His glory and for the person to seek Him for the rest of the answer. I don't make generic promises, but if I sense something, and I've got that burn, I'll share it---and tell them to go to God with it for more. That way it isn't about me and I'm not making fleshy promises.

Sometimes I get a whole lot of information, downloads I call them, and I'd blab it all over the place. Yea, don't do that. Again, after prayer I came to realize that information was His sacred time with me to give me prayer directive. Some people aren't willing to hear the things I couldn't wait to share about them or a loved one. Finally I'm pretty much to the point that when I have a sense about something, I go to Him first. I'm starting to see things unfold that I had an inkling about, but I knew it was not for me to say, just pray on. It's so much sweeter when I do things His way.

That's the base of the chapter. If you think messengers of God are brilliant, perfect people, take a look in the Bible. Jonah was pretty rebellious when it came to obedience. Jeremiah was the "weeping prophet". I can relate to him. Often after a move of God that I prayed about to some degree, I'm emotionally wiped and I cry my eyes out. I've learned to not schedule a lot when I sense such a move coming, because I won't be with it and I know it.

Again, trial and error. God is gracious and He's not expecting you to know it all. In fact, you never will because then He's not necessary. If you say too much or too little, let God know you goofed and you don't want to repeat it. If your heart is pure, you'll get plenty of other opportunities.

 Julie Arduini is a writer and speaker residing in NE Ohio with her husband and two children.  Her first published fiction work is included in Delivered by the Peculiar People Postcard Project.  To see her complete writing and speaking resume, please visit her at her website.

The Negative "-ion" Series

We continue to scratch our heads when we look and see the readers that visit here and where they come from. We're not here as often as we like but we are so grateful for you. We truly just our three moms who are navigating deeper waters of Christian faith...by faith. We're willing to let God use us in spite of us.

This is the case with today's post. I have no idea why He's downloading to my heart, but I am so grateful and wanting to be a good steward with what He gives. A month or so ago a series of events hit around me and I was in prayer tying to piece them all together.

God let me know there is a common denominator: deception. As a whole we're believing a lie and the lie is that we are the defeated one. The Lord is loving on His kids letting them know it's not so. Deception is just a word, a negative word that has -ion on the end. The thing is, He's ready to exchange those negative -ions for positive ones.

So the first download He gave me was getting rid of deception. Embrace the truth that the real defeated one is not you. It's the true defeated one, satan. He's desperate and talk about a recession, now there is an organization on a failing budget. The defeated one has to use cheap tricks because it's all he can afford. So the negative -ion words I will share are ones the defeated one has been using on us because they used to work. In Jesus' name, we're done with those words, choices, and beliefs. We're instead embracing the + -ion words.

So if you fell for something or someone in 2009 or earlier that left you thinking how on Earth did I fall for that deception? You're not alone. You're not alone if you've spent a season or more thinking you are the defeated one. You aren't. You are a celebration. A Child of Christ. A miracle, a wonder. His delight.

I hope this touches your heart. I'll be sharing more of these thoughts here. If you want a sneak peek, I invite you to find me on Facebook. I have a group called Julie Arduini: The Surrendered Scribe where I send the -ion messages once a week to them first. I'm also sharing those messages at The Cypress Times.

Have a wonderful week living it out in celebration!


Julie Arduini is a writer and speaker residing in NE Ohio with her husband and two children.  Her first published fiction work is included in Delivered by the Peculiar People Postcard Project.  To see her complete writing and speaking resume, please visit her at her website.