New Clothing

Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to live in the days when you had personal attendants and another would dress you? In many of the novels I enjoy, often the man or lady of the house has a maid or servant who will help them get dressed or change clothes. That seems so foreign to me - kind of embarrassing - I think I can dress myself thank you very much!
Yet this morning in my time with the Lord, I was reading in Judges 6 and verse 34 so hit me,(AMP) "But the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon with Himself and took possession of him."

That stopped me in my tracks... I so want the Lord to clothe me, but do I allow Him to? Or do I just say, I can do it myself. And what kind of clothing do I wear compared to what the Spirit of the Lord would put on me? Here are some of my discoveries as the Lord began speaking to my heart....

God, I need your Spirit to clothe me. This clothing - is it that I'm to "get dressed" or is it that you "dress me"? "But the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon with Himself and took possession of him." It is you Lord who will clothe me - dress me!

Then He said to me, "Doreen, it is in spending time with me that you will be clothed. Take the time needed with me - do not hurry! To dress you in Myself will take time - do not hurry Me. As I clothe you, I am changing the used, old things you have worn now for far too long and put on fresh, new, sturdy and beautiful things that will reflect My clothing, My glory."

Then He took me through the process of changing clothes - getting dressed - being changed. First the outer garments need to come off. Those things that we use to cover up, or only allow others to see. What might your outer garment be? To take off this outer layer will mean that you have to allow God to take off the very things that you've used to survive or use to look like you've got it all together, the garments we let others see that hides the real person underneath.

As that outer layer comes off then the inner layer is exposed. But there too, the Lord wants to take off and change the old T-shirt, stockings, long johns... the layers that you've used to keep yourself warm and covered. What might this middle layer be for you? For me, they are the things that I've learned and worn for so long....they're good, but God wants to give me new things that are refreshing. He wants to fit me with a new revelation of Him and give me a fresh word that will deepen our relationship together. (It take allowing some intimacy to have another dress you). Not just a used old T-shirt, but a new beautiful blouse that will show His handiwork in dressing me.

Then there is that under layer - those items that cover the most private and intimate parts of you. So often we don't ever strip down to these "item" in our life and heart. We just keep them all covered up. It is time to remove them - take off the things no one ever sees and allow the Spirit of the Lord to clothe you with new intimacy, new garments. He is so gentle and loving that His garments He wants to dress you in, will protect and comfort the very things in your life that are so personal and private. He is about to nurture you once again in His coverings for you. He said to me here, "Doreen, I put onto you in this undergarment place - all of who I am. This is what I want to cover you with. It is Me that is the foundation of every other layer of you. As you are clothed in new intimacy with me, then the middle layer can be put back on that gives beauty and warmth and the ability for you to shine forth as My Spirit covers you with new freshness and comfort that others will notice and be drawn to. And once the under and middle garments are changed, and you're wearing My new clothing, then the outer layer can go back on and no longer will it be hiding what's in your heart, who you are. But now, you are changed, dressed in My Spirit and all will see Me because your under, middle and outer garments are all Mine - love, joy, peace, righteousness, holiness. For the Fruit of My Spirit is your clothing - all of who I am!"

Will you allow Him to clothe you and take possession of you today? To change you?

Lord, in the next few days, weeks, months and years - all of my life Lord, continually clothe me in Your Spirit. Change me out of the things that I've been wearing and adorn me in Your garments! I love you Lord and only want to wear what You have designed for me and clothed me in. And I pray also Lord, that those who read this may allow you to clothe them as well - taking off what covers them and putting on all of who You are! In Jesus' Name - Amen!

Writings from Life Through...To A Shout of Joy

The Spirit Within

This flesh we carry around, our bodies, are only tents or "clothing" for our spirits - who we really are. But not only does Christ affect our spirits, but also our mortal bodies. Romans 8:11 NLT says, "The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as He raised Christ from the dead, He will give life to your mortal body by this same Spirit living within you." I don't know about you, but that excites me! Even my body will benefit from the Holy Spirit living in me. It will be strengthened, revitalized, healed, sustained and given life by the same power that raised Christ from the dead! Hallelujah! Not only that, but our attitudes, mindsets, actions, words, everything pertaining to our lives will be empowered. If we will let Him, He will affect our entire being. Yes, you can live life differently than you have been. You're not destined to live a hopeless life filled with despair, regret, fear, stress, burdens, depression or anything else the enemy would want to destroy your with. But God! Because of His great love for you, gives you abundant life, full of His presence, peace, joy, strength, goodness, mercy and grace. Thank you Lord!

See you next week!!

Falling Leaf

In the early hours of this morning I was thinking about the falling leaves of this changing Autumn season. As the weather gets colder and the snow has come early - which by the way, seeing snow on green, gold and red leaves is a breathtaking sight... that's not something that you get to see everyday - beautiful! - the leaves are now falling. It's a very exciting yet somewhat sad event, since as the beauty of the different colors leave the trees and fall to the ground, there becomes bare branches and a vast amout of damp, golden brown, yellow and red to rake up from your yard. And yet without them falling from the trees, there would be no new growth or life in the spring. I remember as a girl we had about 3 acres to rake in the fall. It was a lot of work, but in the middle of the work, we always had a lot of fun jumping into the pile of leaves we'd worked so hard to rake, always to find leaves in our hair and jacket sleves or collars... it was like the leaves were falling from us! This is Josiah having a great time in our leaves!!

It makes me wonder... what needs to fall from my life? Or from yours in order for new growth to occur. Is there discontent that needs to fall off? Or maybe unforgiveness? Does business need to fall off the "tree" of your life? What is in your life that has bound you? (Judges 15:12) Sampson's enemies said they had come to bind him and give him into the hands of the Philistines - Or as Colossians 3:8-9 put it, what about... putting them all aside: (let them fall off your tree), anger, wrath, malice, slander and abusive speech from your mouth. Without letting these types of things fall off our hearts, minds, attitudes, and emotions, there will never be room for the new things that God want's to do in our lives. That's not something we can do on our own, but as Samson found out in vs 14, the Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily so that his bonds dropped from his hands .... The Holy Spirit will cause the bonds to fall and the new things listed in Colossians 3:10-15... true knowledge as ones chosen of God, holy, beloved, putting on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiving each other, love, unity, peace, and being thankful to grow in your life.

The new can not come unless the old falls off - that's the wonder and creation of the seasons! Ask God today, what needs to fall from your life so that He can grow in you the beauty of new life - new leaves!

Writings from Life Through...To A Shout of Joy

Casting off Wrong/Negative Thougts

When I first began this book I called this chapter "Exfoliating Wrong/Negative Thoughts" It's a little comical, but I knew that at least the women readers would understand exactly what I was getting at. Think about your skin for just a moment. It is the dead, dry skin or oil and dirt that clogs your pores and causes blemishes. So you take a product that has little exfoliating beads in it, gently rub them on your skin, rinse it off, and all the dead, dry skin, oil and dirt have been exfoliated - cast off - and your face is clean.

This is the same thing that happens in our minds. Before we come to Christ (and even afterward, throughout our lives) our minds are saturated with worldly thoughts, pictures, experiences, communications, concepts, philosophies and teachings. All we hear or experience is recorded in our minds, and much of that information is "dead and dry" or "oily" full of gunk and dirt for it does not bring life, and can't, because those worldly things are not grounded in Christ. We need to learn how to exfoliate, or cast off, all those things...."

Have a wonderful week - enjoying the beautiful colors - fun of raking leaves - and allowing God to change you! I'd love to hear comments from you about what God may have shown you that needs to fall off. Be watching for our Life in Freedom e-newsletter. They come out every other month unless there's a new event to inform and invite you to .... I'll be starting the give-a-ways in the newsletters from now on.

See you next week

Living in His Joy and Strength!!

My Heart is Rejoicing

This morning I was sitting with the Lord and asked Him to speak to me, to lead me in His word - I so needed to hear from Him! As I sat there waiting, praying, I became desperate to connect with Him. To know that we were speaking together face to face. I have learned through the years that He is always there - even when I don't "feel" Him or "hear" Him, but you know how it is, there are times when tangibly experiencing His presence is so needed! This morning was one of those days for me.

And God knowing my need said to me, "Doreen, it is so good to be with you this morning! My heart is rejoicing, for this is My day, and I rejoice to be with you." Wow! What an amazing thing that we can cause the heart of God - GOD - to rejoice, just because of who we are! And I rejoiced along with Him and my heart was full and a smile even came to my face. It was a wonderful moment enjoying each other. Then I opened Isaiah 62 and began to read. I want to encourage you to read this today - but here are some of the words He spoke to my heart...

Is 62:1 "For Zion's sake (my sake, for your sake...) I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not keep quiet, until her righteousness goes forth like brightness, and her salvation like a torch that is burning." God is not about to be silent or quiet in our lives - and it is for our sake! Because He wants us to be sure of how He feels about us and how He sees us - and He's willing to tell everyone!

62:2b-4 "And you will be called by a new name which the mouth of the Lord will designate. You will also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. It will no longer be said to you, "Forsaken...Desolate", but you will be called, "My delight is in her"...for the Lord delights in you." Are you tired of feeling forsaken...desolate....then rejoice and receive the new name, beauty and delight that the Lord had declared for you - for...

62:5b "And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so your God will rejoice over you."

Writings from

Life Through...To A Shout of Joy

In His Image

No matter what was said to us or done to us by those in our lives or by strangers, there is good news! You and I are NOW new creations in Christ! We no longer have to live with the words spoken about us or over us. The blood of Jesus has taken away every stain, every curse and every sin from our lives! He has even given us a new name... The Lord loves you so much that He gave you a spiritual name - a new name. One that has never been misused, profaned, mocked, talked down about, and never yelled at. It is a name that is pure and righteous, one that is only known by the Holy One. It's a name that has only known love! His love for you is so great that He wants you to have a name without wounds, damage or pain for all eternity.

How exciting it will be to hear our name spoken for the very first time - face to face - by the One who loves us so much! Rejoice!!

I'd love to hear from you (post a comment below) about your hope for a new name or about what the Lord showed you in Isaiah 62. And I encourage you to share this blog with others. This week, I'll be giving away Susie Larson's book, The Uncommon Woman.... So email me at doreen@lifeinfreedom.org or post a comment on my blog to enter to win!

See you next week.

57 Blue - 57 Blue - Hike ..... Touchdown!!

All my life, because of the men in my life, I've been around football and have learned to be a fan. My dad is a Hall of Fame star for Clay High School Eagles, my Alma mater, played for Woody Hayes at Ohio State and was a head coach for many years for the Start Spartans in Toledo, OH. "Hi Dad - Go Bucks!!" This weekend, we actually got to watch, hoot, holler, cheer and groan for some of our favorite teams, the Sooners, (couldn't get the Buckeyes) Broncos & Cowboys, Packers & Vikings, and of course ... the Sartell Sabres - Go Si!! His game is tonight (7th Grade).

As I was thinking about what to write this week, I'm not sure why, but I thought...football. Crazy I know - but there are many things I see in this sport that come along side my desire to follow God and become stronger in my faith. For one, these guys go after that ball with everything they've got! Focused, strong, powerful, fighting...never giving up! All the while, having fun, encouraging their teammates and talking though the tough plays that didn't quite turn out the way they planned - getting back up and doing it again. While we were watching these games and some highlights, we scream with excitement as our team intercepted a pass or took the ball right out of the hands of the opponents and ran for the end zone! If you think about it, this is a great example for our faith. Living with the power and strength needed to go after God with everything we've got! But not only going after God - but also, intercepting the attacks of the enemy - totally taking the ball right out of his hands!

The other night, one of those attacks hit me again ... anxious fear. Jacob, our middle son, was sick and my mother's heart worried over him late at night. I couldn't sleep thinking, wondering, would he be okay as he slept. Fear began to pulsate in my chest and I actually heard in my mind ..."What if he doesn't wake up!" Well, that's enough of that! I know where that thought came from so I got up, prayed, battled, stood in faith - focused, strong, powerful, fighting ... never giving up until that "ball" was taken right out of the hands of Satan and I ran it back into my "end zone" - peace, calm and the assurance that all would be well. The Holy Spirit was right there with me, encouraging me, talking me through that tough night, helping me to pray and believe. I stood there amazed and brought to perfect peace knowing that He intercepted the enemies plan by interceding with me and the enemy was defeated! Awesome!

Writings From Life Through...To A Shout of Joy

The Battle for Joy

James 1:2 "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials;

knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance."

Hebrews 2:14 "...so that through death He might render powerless

him who had the power of death, that is, the devil."

Wow, Jesus Christ rendered the devil powerless the moment He died 2000 years ago! Yes, the one who comes to steal everything from us and destroy our health, relationships and finances, the one who will do anything he can to kill us or kill any chance we have for eternal life, he now is powerless in the life of a believer because of the death and resurrection of Jesus! There is nothing he can try to do to us that we cannot overcome or even nullify for "no weapon formed against you shall prosper." He may attempt to attack us but by no means is what he plans to do set in stone so that it must happen. He may form weapons to come after us, but the Word says they will not prosper in our life. No more does the devil have rule and reign over our lives. No more does he have power over us. We are the redeemed... "Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world." 1 John 4:4.

I'd love to hear from you!! Post a comment on my blog and enter a drawing to win a free autographed Life Through...To A Shout of Joy book.

See you next week!

Rain

I am posting very quickly today (sorry I know I missed Tuesday...) as I'm getting ready to go to Lake Geneva for the Women's Fall Retreat there. I'm very excited, yet a little nervous about my speaking there. I'm to share my Journey Story - just sharing from my life in story form - which is different from when I usually speak, more of a teaching and sermons style. But the Lord is moving me into other areas also, to learn, develop and to grow. And when we grow, do we not need the rain! Yes, we do...I know I do.

As it's raining this morning, I'm reminded about the Living Water that flows in me causing me to be washed, refreshed, renewed and revived. The Holy Spirit "rains" in our lives but often, we have the windows up - the doors shut - rain slickers are on, umbrellas overhead, and we end up not experiencing His gentle or sometime downpour of His water for our lives. Have you ever gone out and played in the rain? Maybe as a young child? I have, and it is one of the most silly, childlike, wonderfully fun I experienced as a girl!! It always made me giggle and "feel" joy.

Run out in the "rain" today... Open your windows in your heart! Open the doors to your spirit! And take off whatever "slicker" or umbrella you cover up with and go out...enjoy the rain of the presence of the Holy Spirit and be refreshed - experience the wonderful, childlike joy with Him!

More next week - Congratulations to Lin for winning the gift card!!