Jana Spicka and Women Getting Real Ministries
Posts tagged desires
Loving What God Loves
Mar 5th
It never fails. After an event as powerful as Unhindered 2012, I began to unpack the car, my heart, and my notes. “Ah” comes the familiar sigh, as my eyes glanced over the post-it notes I used as speaking cues.
“I forgot that verse.”
“Oh I didn’t show that slide.”
“Wow Lord, I didn’t tell them that story of how You came through for us.”
I had coffee with Chuck this afternoon and ran down the list of what “I didn’t say.” I wasn’t sad or disappointed. I didn’t feel shame. I was just stating the facts. And yet…
“What did I talk about?” I asked him laughing, recalling the Spirit’s mighty presence surrounding the women. Chuck’s blue eyes and response burned right through me. “You told them exactly what God wanted them to hear!”
(Lord, thank you for this redeemed co-heir, partner, coach, friend and husband.)
“Well then, I just need to write out the rest of what I left out then.” And he ardently agreed.
It matters because God is telling a powerful story. When you registered for the UE, you weren’t connecting to me. You were responding to the Spirit of the Living God. So for the next several days, let’s see what else He has to pour out.
Today the pressing topic is God’s utter satisfaction in you. I heard from women afterwards, and even on my team, the concern and fear that God is displeased, disappointed, frustrated, or “tired of my sh#@!” When the presence of the Lord is so strong, we often see our shortcomings, deficits, ruts and rebellions all the more clearly. But God.
It is God’s glory that exposes, overshadows, and covers our human-ness. It is His glory that stirs something in us to ache for “farther up and farther in.” And it is our inward groan for “more” that should be our greatest encouragement.
The only reason we long for someone’s total embrace of our true selves, total acceptance of our good and bad sides, total filling of a perfect love, and total forgiveness for the seen and unseen sin, is because deep inside we suspect we are more than we appear. God is not like us, but we are made in His image and our spirits hunger for the reality of Him. Dead people don’t worry about sin. “The love of Christ compels” us to be like Him.
We have an internal hard drive that runs best when we are living out of His embrace, acceptance, fullness and forgiveness. So if our enemy can convince us or distract us by believing less, desiring less, enjoying less, then he has us right where he wants us: Doubting the Love of God.
The best thing you can claim today is God’s perfect, joyful, continuous, unconditional delight in you. Not because of who you are, but because of Whose you are.
The Infinite God of Endless Delight.
A Great Light
Dec 10th
I was adding ornaments to my tree this morning. I had to laugh. They look like miniature disco balls. But they also looked liked mosaics. Broken shards delicately placed together to form a whole new piece of art. And when the little white Christmas lights hit them, “Voila!”
Sparkles. Colors. Reflections bouncing everywhere. Grabbing color from the tree and other nearby ornaments, it became so much more in the light.
You were made to reflect the light. Not be the center or source of light, but close enough to reflect and bounce and dare I say it, dance in the light.
No wonder then that Jesus is called the great light that has come into the world. No wonder the darkness can not overcome Him. No wonder we look and feel so much better when we are close to Him. He came so we could reflect Him. Brilliantly, beautifullly, eternally.
And just as an exclamation point to this thought, I came back to the tree a little later in the morning and the sun was shining on the tree…talk about glowing!
So shine baby, shine.
“Blessed is the people who know the joyful sound;
they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of Thy countenance.” Psalm 89:15
Remind me…
Nov 10th
Remind me who I am.
This has been a week of loving reminders. God created or stirred, from all directions, a message of loving determination. His determination to show me love. From butterflies (in November?), to emailed heart photos, to texts with prophetic scripture, to even a powerful dream through another person, God has been ardently, annoyingly, persistently pursing me. Why annoyingly? Because when I am mad, or whining, or feeling sorry for myself, His acts of affections draw me out of my drama. And sometimes, sadly, I want to STAY in my drama. At least it feels that way. But finally His love broke through. His continued reminders of past promises and His faithfulness today, His repeating of my pet name, His beauty for my ashes, these God touches broke down my walls.
My heart opened again and I breathed in His intimate tenderness. Oddly enough the whining and self pity slipped away. They can’t stand in the face of His grace. It truly is “His kindness that leads us to repentance.” Here is the kicker…Right before I got ready to teach the WGR class, my friend handed me card, sheepishly. “He told me me to give you this, ” she said.
On one side it read: He told me to “remind you.”
On the other side were words to a song. I began reading them and casually dismissed them, ‘Oh, this is a Bethany Dillon song.’ But as I kept reading, a sob caught in my throat. I quickly left the room and went to the hall so I could cry in private.
In a moment I was transported back in time. I could see the sun, and feel the wind off the beach as I re-read them. The written words were my words. Or rather, His words.
You sing over me, You sing over me
You wave your hands and dance around
Sing of dreams, desires all over me
washing, rolling, wondering over me
There’s no love better than yours
It was a song we had written together a year before. And the over-arching message of that beach trip was His delight. Could I, would I be willing to do life with the only measure being His delight? It was the perfect touch after a hard week of questions and hurting.
How beautiful is our God?
I am putting the song below for your listening. Read the lyrics and soak in the truths. They are for you too. And my take-aways this week, among many, are listen and DO the prompting of God. Every one of these touches came from people who thought they were crazy to reach out. But God used them to help me. Finally, receive. Look, believe, receive the beauty, the tenderness, the truths of God. They surround us always. “There’s no love better than yours.”
My Pleasure
Here I am. Waiting. Listening
Wanting to feel your Holy touch
Need to hear your words flood my soul
Feel your pleasure Lord
There’s no sound, better than yours.
Here I am. Hungry, Eager.
Believing that you’re smiling too
Glad that I’ve come to be with you
You love to hear my voice
there’s no sound better than worship
You sing over me, You sing over me
You wave your hands and dance around
Sing of dreams, desires all over me
washing, rolling, wondering over me
There’s no love better than yours
We’re here again. Mingling. Meshing.
Loving the oneness of two
Drink in the wonder of You
I love your presence Lord
There’s no pleasure better
than yours
Jana Spicka, Real.Life Worship CD
Women Getting Real Weekly Class
Apr 5th
This is a great place to go deeper into relationship with Jesus and other women. Both seem scary we know. But this is a place where we talk about real life topics and look for God to show up in the middle of our lives. 
The class is for all ages and does not require perfect attendance. Or homework.
Join us in person at Fellowship Church on Middlebrook Pike, Knoxville,TN every Tuesday night from 7:00pm – 9:00pm (childcare is provided for those who register).
For specific details around the class please feel free to email us at info@womengettingreal.com.
We meet three weeks on and one week off. Dates of class are listed below. We are planning to Livestream at least once month. So stay tuned for those details. Be sure to sign up for RSS or Facebook alerts so you don’t miss out on “Monday Snack Time with Jana”, its a weekly vlog.
Class Dates for Spring Semester 2011: April 5, 19, 26; May 3, 17, 24, 31
(new class location coming soon, stay tuned for details)
To hear audio from classes up until now check out our archived classes
It Leads Only to Evil
Dec 30th
Talk about a wake up call. I was reading Psalm 37 and although I have read this Psalm a hundred times, I saw a line I had never seen. But first a little background. I was stressed out, striving and sick about it. I needed help and wanted answers, NOW! Guess what? God doesn’t always have “NOW” on His clock, so I was really upset. I went to the scripture for comfort, for perspective. And sure enough Psalm 37 delivered both.
”Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Delight yourself in the Lord
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him and he will do this:
He will make your righteousness
shine like the dawn
the justice of your cause like
the noonday sun.
So rich is the word of God. Trust, delight, commit, shine. He will do this. The next passage is about being still and waiting patiently for Him. Yes, it was a comfort. It was a God perspective that I needed.
But then came the cold water splashing in my face. “Do not fret — it leads only to evil.”
Just look at those words. Say them out loud. Do not fret. It LEADS only to evil. It leads ONLY to evil. It leads only to EVIL. I have never considered it before, but it’s true. Fretting leads to gossip, manipulation, deception, stealing, striving, quitting, settling, doubting, coping, addiction, etc.
This is not what God wants for us. Honestly it is not what we want for us but it is what our minds lead us to if we are not centered on trusting God. He promises us rest and hope, “For the Lord upholds him with His hand.”
Focus on the face of God and not on the circumstances. Allow yourself to feel His hands holding you instead of wringing your own. Be mindful of your mind. Ask the Lord to keep you.