LizChatter

The Holy Spirit has been preaching to me about how often prayer time centers around things that concern us which more times than not, has little or nothing to do with God being glorified and more to do with our comforts and earth-bound desires. Since God is concerned with the things that are about us, we can be concerned with the things which about Him. I sense that this is a healthy foundation for long-lasting relationships in any case, and with God most especially. It is not that He suffers from our poor attempt at a relationship with him, but our spirit will definitely suffer and in the long run so will our witness. Too many are unwittingly focused on how their relationship with God should benefit them; this is a sign that the pride of life has not been addressed in the heart of a believer. When one sees Him as worthy, despite earth-bound struggles, the focus is on His fame and His honor, on His glory... rather than on how our lives will benefit from a relationship w...

There is freedom just beyond the release.  Trust that God is going before you.  Know this, some things are ended to guard your life against disaster! I am becoming increasingly convinced that living life well is largely about being able to let go and move into new assignments without constantly looking back to grieve the end of a previous season.   Yesterday, as my team was in a deep discussion about plans on how to move ahead from an ended season, I received a personal revelation...  The heaviest pain comes when releasing isn't done quickly. Holding on too long certainly causes one to carry a load of responsibility that is not theirs to carry. I believe this occurs when a deep lack of trust is present.  There was a significant amount of time spent on unpacking that thought... I know from experience that correcting this kind of internal issue is not simple. It takes much more than just wanting to be better, it takes personal work - i...

Calling vs. Comfort When I think about comfort, I can't help but think about things/people/places that are familiar to me. In my comfort zone, I know what/who/where is in my future.  I guess knowing is something that represents "comfort" for me.   In my comfort zone, I don't have to worry about being without, left out, judged, or etc. In my comfort zone, I have a sense of control, a sense of knowing. Knowing is the ultimate place of comfort for me.   As I unpack the idea of comfort zones, I realize that there too are comfort zones within my spiritual life. In living life with God as my One Thing.  In my life, being comfortable looks like: Safety - knowing that there are plentiful resources to keep commitments Belonging - knowing that there is space for me in ministry Respect - knowing that the people will hear me and receive from me  So this list above isn't necessarily bad, right? Right. Are these things a hindrance? ...

These three little words are HUGE .   "T rust without borders" is such a challenging statement, at least for me.  It seems from the earliest memories in my experiences of interaction with 99.99% of humanity I've believed that borders are super necessary  and  trust is dangerous.  Trying to trace that issue backward, it seems that there are a number of things  that this could be attributed to: 1. Early childhood molestation by a family friend. 2. Controlling, angry authority figures.  3. Blah, blah, blah Like, everyone has a story. Right? Our stories include loss, betrayal, fear, and pain. The specifics may change but the trespasses are much the same.  Our stories are similar, so perhaps our need to increase in areas of trust is also similar. Or is this just is a major area of growth needed in my life? No, I think not.  I believe this easily applies to you as well.  There are three things...

What if the measure of success is not actually found in the usual suspects: "likes", "hearts", relationship status, "shares", followers, comments on your posts/blog/vlog, position, statistical outcomes, human interest, fame, wealth... What if God views obedience, simple (yet not always truly simple) obedience as real success? I believe someone needs to know this! No matter the messiness of current circumstances, keep with obedience; this is the undisputed champion of ways to bless God's heart. Thanks for stopping by. Love, Liz

  We all have opportunity to grow through trying times in life.   I've found the best way to stay optimistic while going through a difficult time is to view the situation as temporary - and it is temporary as long as we are cooperating with God. In fact, we stay static, stuck or stagnate in situations were we (perhaps due to shortsightedness) have become uncooperative with what God is doing.    Have a "season" mindset. Realize there is a purpose in the test, trial, and temptation. Much is accomplished in your cooperating with God!