Hope Without Limits

There is a BIG difference between “being strong” and “being filled with strength”.  I was surprised to discover recently a very deep belief at my core of choosing control over Jesus to try to get my body to behave the way I want it to behave.  My head knew the right answers that Jesus is my strength, but my heart believed I am not enough as I am; I have to make myself more.  What do I mean by choosing control over Jesus?  Somehow I must manipulate myself to be something I am not.  Can you say “built-in exhaustion”?

Everywhere I have looked, literally, my Heavenly Father has been re-iterating this message to me.  For example – for 3 days in a row when I walked in the morning right next to my home there was a kite soaring in the sky.  Not so unusual, except that I never saw anyone flying this kite and it was always in the same place.  In the picture above, you can see it facing into the wind, high as you can imagine, its wings rustling as it soared.  Why was it soaring?  Because it was designed to be lifted up so that it could soar.  I realized that is the same for me. The only problem is,  I have been trying to soar and hold myself up by my own will power and strength.  My manufacturer never designed me to do that.  I was designed to be lifted up by the Holy Spirit.  My strength is to come from the Lord, from His presence from His joy.  All my will needs to do, is make the best choice = Jesus.

I want to encourage you that you were “manufactured” to soar as well.  How do I know that?

The Lord will give strength to His people;
The Lord will bless His people with peace
Psalm 29:11

Just like Jake Sully in Avatar is a new creature where the essence of who he is is put into a new body and he has to learn at first the basics of being this new creature; get rid of misconceptions about the Natvi and their god; which prepared him to learn how to fly and soar, the same is true for us.  We must learn “the basics” of being this new creature – the essence of who we are in dwelt with God, Himself; get rid of our misconceptions about ourselves and our Heavenly Father in order that we, too, can learn to soar.

Then we are able to encourage those around us when the enemy has come with the message that “he can take what he wants” that we, too, will send a message back.  Our lives are “our land” (Joshua 1:3 and Psalm 91:11-13). The enemy may look unconquerable to you, but take heart.  I KNOW both individually and collectively we have the Destroyer of every weapon formed against us (Isaiah 54:17) on our side and, we have been designed to be filled with strength beyond our own and to soar as we navigate the currents of the Holy Spirit. (Isaiah 40:31 & Psalm 103:5)

The collage below is paratroopers navigating the air currents to land precisely mid-field at at a Tennessee Titans game.  As I watched them so skillfully soar and navigate, my heart lept.  I could see the heart of my Heavenly Father being revealed to me in the natural.  His desire for each of us to be able to catch His Spirit, soar, navigate and land according to His plan for each of us.  I have no doubt these are the “manufacturer’s instructions” for you too!

(Click on the first photo for an easy to view slide show.)