pRINCESS WHO CREATES
Obedience is better than sacrifice…. At church we have been in the book of Hosea. Hosea is a hard book to read but what I love is the course correction of the Lord. Hearing the Israelites' mistakes and learning from them to take heed in my own life. Our pastor cross referenced the verse 1 Samuel 15:22 where we get “To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams” and that made me think. What is heeding? Why is this “heeding” better than the fat of rams, and what does the fat of rams represent? To understand this better, context is huge, application is even better, and a touch of my own revelation from God. The Israelites were deep in sin and they were okay with it, they were knowingly rebelling and choosing what they knew in their conscience was wrong. (they seared their conscience from God). But what I want to chat about today is how the Lord has shown me my own rebellion to Him in my life and that though the rebellion of God’s chosen people may seem long, and reap unwanted consequences, His peoples
Remnants will always endure. We are His chosen people, His royal priesthood, because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. We have an eternal inheritance and relationship available to us because of Jesus.
Getting back to the point, heeding means to pay attention to or take notice of. So we’re to take heed is better than the fat of rams, the significance of the rams is because it was a religious ritual to cleanse and atone for one's sins. Or in other words “taking notice or paying attention is better than sacrificing a bloodshed for yourself(sins). Instead of an eye for an eye, Jesus paid the price, His blood was sacrificed once and for ALL SO NO MORE SACRIFICES HAD TO BE MADE. Now what do we do with that? We do the one thing God desires for us… MAKE HIM KNOWN…and yes, the pastor said the verse that has begun this stillness journey for me. Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God, I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth”.
WHICH IS FULL CIRCLE because, I have gone through 1 long season with a bunch of Missouri weather mixed in the pot. It was Fall, but I experienced rain, snow, hail, tornados, floods, winds, hot days, cold days ... .The season was of stillness; God was plainly and clearly telling me to be still and know Him and now I can say in reflection. I was like the Israelites in Hosea. I was ignoring what I knew was right, and rebelled. Not in the physical sense of battle but in the spiritual realm of my heart. My heart was torn, in the physical I pressed on and finished my bodybuilding prep, but in the spiritual I neglected relationships that were supporting and encouraging me the entire time. I’ve come to realize, learn and implement in my walk of life(slowly/recently)...if something you’re doing is depleting you, and is taking time and energy away from His Kingdom Building, it’s going to sear your conscience. (This is not to say that God can’t work this around for His good, WHICH HE DID AND CAN)(It was my arena at that time in my life, where I was witnessing in the world of bodybuilding, however I exited the stage for the last time having been asked what will you do next? I responded “I’m going to retire and see where the Lord takes me”. Finishing and following through with that prep was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It not only brought on depression, it brought on a Pharisee heart, it brought on false identities about my image, it brought on hurt relationships…but by the Grace of God, my relationship and knowledge of Him never changed. I got really disappointed and discouraged based on my lack of knowledge of the enemy’s tactics, and lack of knowledge of my identity and who God calls me. I am His Princess Who Creates. I create things for His Kingdom. I create what I want that does not yet exist the way I see/want them to. I’ve created a business to coach and help individuals the way I would want to be helped in my fitness and health journey. I created a podcasts to talk about the correlation of faith and fitness radical revelation I was experiencing. I created a faith and fitness retreat because I wanted the fellowship and community of sisters in Christ and to exalt God wherever we go.
I say all this because the rebellion stage can be harmful. But never regretful, I thank God for the things and events that I experienced that have pushed me closer into His arms. Call it twisted but I call it perspective “adversity is for you, not against you”. As Napoleon Hill, a successful Christian businessman is famously quoted “Every adversity contains within it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.”. Romans 8:28 comes to mind “and we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Some of the moments in this season I felt like Job, but I do pride myself in saying that I never rejected God, because I have fear of God…not fear like I’m afraid for my life, but fear as in I KNOW A LITTLE BIT ABOUT LOT OF HOW BIG MY GOD IS. He is everything. He is everywhere. He is our Father, calling us out of our rebellion so He can call us according to His purpose. I do not regret the life I have lived up until this point. I believe all the rebellion in turn was a beautiful puzzle for God to piece together for ME to see how GOOD IS TRULY IS! Hebrews 12:11 says “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” Righteousness and peace. Righteousness is our identity and peace in knowing your identity.
“This isn’t a call to be quiet, it’s a command to stop fighting. “Be still” means to stop the frantic activity, to let go, and to put down your weapons. Why? Because God’s in control.” As I read this, it’s hitting the nail on the head, I was in fight mode. Striving to stay alive with the demands I PUT ON MYSELF. And I’ve learned that we have to be still enough to where we can hear God’s still small whisper. God is an intimate God, He’s not pulling out the megaphone at Walmart and calling us to the front of the store…He’s honoring, respectful and intimate. “It’s not about us, it's about God. When we neglect to be still we can start building our own kingdoms and make everything about us. That path leads to a faulty foundation. When we place God in his proper place and recognize it’s his kingdom, then we will find peace… even if the world is falling apart.”
My last prep did exactly that, I did that, I was selfish. Today selfishness is the most deceptive sin in my opinion. I say all this as a revelation of “IT'S ABOUT GOD”! GOD IS SHOWING UP AND HE USES VESSELS TO DO SO. HE USES NATURE TO DO SO. So Father, I now know Your greatest desire is to be known, help us Father as we journey through these earthly lives, building up eternal treasures that we glorify You and make You known wherever we go in Jesus Name Amen !
Selah Shalom