Jana Spicka and Women Getting Real Ministries
Posts tagged Holy Spirit
Be Loved
Feb 14th
Wanted to turn our hearts to the Heart of God today. Regardless of the outcome of your earthly Valentine’s Day, soak on these truths…
Your Maker is your Husband (Isaiah 54:5)
He rescued you because He delights in you (Psalm 18:19)
Let Him kiss you with the kisses of His mouth
For your love is is more delightful than wine (Song of Songs 1: 2)
Never will I leave you or forsake you. (Hebrews 13:5)
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!”
Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life. (Revelation 22: 17)
Happy Valentine’s Day.
From your One True Love
Annual Marriage Retreat
Feb 3rd
Our annual marriage retreat is scheduled for February 3 – 5, 2012. Register today!
Do you wonder if there are ways to connect more deeply with your mate? Do you long for more intimate connections on every level, emotionally, physically, spiritually? Well so does the Lord. He longs for the two of you to experience intimacy with Him and each other.
This retreat is a time to explore ways to make that connection real.
Whether you are barely speaking, or deeply in love, the intention of this retreat is to help us connect our marriage to God’s heart. Every year the material is different, but the desire is the same, to grow more in love with God and each other.
With all that pulls against you and your marriage, this time away is a chance to discover new ways, new habits, new beginnings that help you grow closer together.
“Perfect love casts out fear.” We want to learn how to live in this place for a lifetime.
To hear a testimony from a previous attendee check out the video
Retreat price includes two nights lodging in private suites, 4 meals and teaching sessions.
Retreat will be held at Smokey Mountain Christian Village.
Seeing, and Speaking, Truth
Jan 6th
Charis and I were watching a football game with Chuck and of course being bombarded with the ads as well. There were two ads that continued to repeat in the same order every couple of minutes. Then it hit me.
“Charis, watch this ad. What is the guy doing?” I asked. She proceeded to tell me how he “thinks he is all cool, and doing all that rapping and talking about how good he is because of his shoes. And he got all those different colors. He doesn’t need so many pairs.”
“Do shoes make you cool?” I asked.
“No mom, but that’s all he’s talking about. ”
“Okay now watch this one.” We sat in silence watching the ad, again, but this time focused on its message even though both ads had already washed over us at least four times before. Pay attention to what you are soaking in.
“Charis do you see the difference between these two men? One is about the outside appearance. He is saying, what I wear makes me cool. It’s all about him, what he gets, what he wants. But this second ad is about a man who is giving to others. It is about him being strong and brave because he is serving others. His value is on the inside pouring out.”
Oh, the difference between sports shoes and the Marines. But in a two-minute time capsule the great war was revealed. It’s not the argument surrounding materialism vs the military. Those are secondary opinions. It is the war of shallow self focus vs a surrendered life of sacrifice. When we think we have to own, or wear, or look on the outside a certain way, to feel right on the inside, we have been deceived by our enemy. It’s that simple.
Our worth is who we are in God, to God, through God. It is the truth we possess on the inside that creates our strength, power, beauty, love. Indeed our worth.
You know this. You just unwrapped Christmas presents. Regardless of the wrapping, you judged the gift by what was IN the box. Not the paper and bows.
You are the dwelling place of the The Most High God. No pair of sneakers will substitute for, or add to, this great gift inside you. And honestly, nothing will satisfy our aching hearts like His presence. Are we seeing, and speaking, this truth to ourselves and the next generation?
Every time we turn our hearts toward heaven, every time we breathe a prayer of thanks, or ask in faith, we are strengthened to live inside out. May it be so.
“They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.” Romans 1:25
First Things First
Nov 29th
Since the beginning of November, God has been bringing the story of two fish and five loaves ( John 6) around and around. From different perspectives and places, He just keeps teaching and revealing. And the bottom line: give thanks and believe.
Don’t look at the circumstances: 5,000 people needing to be fed (15,000 if you count women and children). Don’t look at what you’ve got in your hand: two fish and five loaves. Look at Who you are with. The Son of the Most High God.
And what does He do? He looks to heaven and gives thanks for what God is about to do. Then as calmly as can be, the disciples began distributing. And they just kept on distributing. There were 12 baskets of leftovers. Not 12 cups. Twelve baskets. This is after everyone has had their fill. There was no Black Friday stampeding here. Everyone had enough and there were leftovers even.
Who is this God, who is this Jesus, who is this Spirit that can impact our natural world with their supernatural power? The same God that is with you today.
Don’t look at the crowds or your meager offering. Look to heaven, give thanks and then do what He has told you to do. He is faithful.
Here are some pearls from Abiding Glory on Sunday about gratitude that God has been expanding for me.
1) “Kingdom protocol is first “God, thank you” then please.” ” Jesus always thanked God first before He asked anything. We are instructed to “enter his courts with thanksgiving” then we proceed to the inner courts for petitions. This is a weighty concept but will change your faith life and your prayer life.
2) “Gratitude is never invisible or silent.” I love this. It is not enough to be thankful, you must express it. To God, to others. We often expect God and other people to “know” we are grateful. But both you and the other person are blessed when you tell them, show them you are thankful. Already this week, I have been very conscious about expressing my thanks to Him and those who bless me.
3) “Gratitude sustains joy and blessing. Without it, you soon begin to take your blessing for granted.“ Ouch. This one hits way too close to home. Everything we have is a gift from God. EVERYTHING. Be sure to sit in a posture of thanks rather than “I deserve this.”
4) “Gratitude begins where my sense of entitlement ends.” It is hard to be thankful and be demanding at the same time. We are consumed in our country, and the Church, with our rights, our privileges. When “you owe me” turns into “I am so blessed,” things shift in our soul.
5) “Grateful people can find a blessing, enlarge a blessing or create a blessing in almost any circumstance.” I don’t know about you, but I want this to be my life motto. Because the opposite affect scares me to death: Negative people can miss a blessing, minimize a blessing and destroy a blessing in almost any circumstance.
Let us be the people who remember the goodness of our God. Look to Him. Give thanks. Live in His blessing.
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