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Don’t Tread On Me

Anyone feel like when 2020 first started it was to be their year? We celebrated and built this entire ideal in our heads of how great this year would be as if we were blowing up a balloon. And just like that with the smallest prick of a needle, we’ve deflated our expectations for our lives this year. We say things like, ” next year will be better”. In all honesty I am enjoying the memes that have come from 2020 as whole. However, with all this talk of the end times that is coming about–especially in the church– I can’t help but be an optimist. I almost wrote a blog 2 weeks ago referring to all this but I didn’t make the time. Nor was I ready to. My typical blogging process starts with something the Lord is teaching me, I ponder it, I pray about it. But there is always that final puzzle piece that puts the icing on the cake(and I don’t even like cake;) NO in all seriousness, the church is full of talk of the end times and how the Bible says that tribulations will occur, which I whole heartedly believe to be true. The Bible DOES talk about these things, and we as Christians should be aware of it. 

 

Although we’ve been in quarantine, my life has actually been MORE busy. Online schooling was pretty difficult for me to finish and I live on a farm, so the chores and daily work doesn’t stop. Anyways, I was talking with a friend the other day, and they were telling me how I just need to slow down and maybe pick and choose the different ministries and activities I am involved in. I admit I have thought of this before and in times I feel overwhelmed I’ve considered what things I could give up. But everytime I prayed about giving something up, the Lord told me “no, I’ve placed you here right now for a reason”. I understand there is a balance. We are called to be still and know that He is God- but He also calls us to serve. Now, even serving and doing good things can become a stumbling block for us and we can get so busy doing good we forget Jesus altogether, but we also have to be willing to sacrifice our time for the building of the Kingdom. Anyways, I know these things the Lord has told me to do right now and I held so tightly to that. But when I got home, the Lord had reminded me of the things He had been teaching me the last few weeks, AND He reminded me of the blog I did in January about my New Year’s REVOLUTION. There’s no way I could’ve known what the coming months were going to turn out like. But, I know that it’s what the Lord had wanted me to share. 

One of my favorite attributes of God is that He is unchanging. For me, a person who highly struggles with change, this is amazing. God is my rock. My constant. He is never changing. What He says in His word is still true today. God didn’t give me a vision of revival and suddenly change His mind when this COVID 19 hit. No, He knew this was all going to happen. Now, as I previously stated, I am an optimist. So for me, I kept thinking of all the good that was to come of this. Rumors of war were just busy bodied talk and politics was just politics. I continued to tell myself that none of that will happen. At least not in my lifetime. Eventually when the real end times hit then yea of course. But I was to live a rich and prosperous life. While optimism is a good thing, I clung to my stubborn positive thoughts rather than turning to see what God had to say about the whole thing. 

I heard Chris Tomlin say, “the church is not receding, but re seeding”. I absolutely loved this. Yes! Finally someone agrees with me that all this stuff going on in the world will bring about real change and there can be a positive side to it. I mean, lets be real here, people burning out in ministry got a break. People who needed to spend more time with family, got it. People wanting more time to spend in the Word, received it. But, the reality is, children who have abusive parents are now trapped with no where to turn. People are without work, forced to stay inside with nothing to do but drink. Suicide is up. Depression and anxiety is skyrocketing. There is real trouble and difficulty in the world. We look at statistics of COVID deaths and say it doesn’t add up, but how often do we only see numbers rather than real human souls. Souls who may not have had hope in Jesus. The world is breaking. The church is beginning to wonder if they’ll ever be able to return to normal services. There are so many unknowns, yet I do know this. God knows. He knows what we are facing. He knows that life can be scary, and hard, and downright unfair. But, He is patient. He is kind. He is constant.  

I was driving home today, and it finally hit me. The final piece to my puzzle. I had in my own head a picture of what I thought revival looked like. I pictured families come together, crazing worship sessions at church,  and the rest of the world accepting Christ left an right. I pictured Heaven on earth. So when suddenly life wasn’t turning out like I was hoping, I got discouraged. What I hadn’t realized, is that revival has many faces. While that doesn’t quite sound right, allow me to explain. The church in the middle east is growing like crazy. People are accepting Jesus and being bold and even killed for their faith. There is real change happening there even in the midst of chaos and severe tribulations. How is that not a revival? According to google, to revive is to restore to life or consciousness. Back in January I had prayed that the church would wake up. Perhaps this is that awakening. While it may not be my personal ideal with fireworks and rainbows, people are turning to Christ in their time of need. God had been answering this prayer and I didn’t even care to see it. One thing I have been very big on is living intentionally. We should be intentional about the ways in which we reach out to others. We should be intentional in the ways in which we communicate with and love. But in this living intentionally, I forgot one key thing. Living with expectation. Living with a hope and assurance so great that no matter what circumstances come our way, we know that God is going to show up to fight our battles. There is VICTORY found only in Jesus Christ and the work He did on that cross. In honor o this newly found expectation and knowledge that revival has many faces, I have named this post “don’t tread on me”. Because the Devil don’t tread on me when I’ve got the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the 1 and only Messiah to fight my battles. 

I’m almost done. I promise. If you’ve read this far, congrats! You’re the lucky winner of a list of some of my favorite songs right now. I am firm believer that music has the ability to motivate and speak when words simply aren’t enough. Below I have the link and I strongly encourage you to listen to these and pray about the ways in which you to can start living intentionally and with expectation. Lets start living in victory despite what the world says. Don’t forget the promises He has made to you. He hasn’t changed His mind. But sometimes, we just need a new perspective. Even if the world doesn’t go back to normal, even if the church becomes more persecuted, cling to Him. The more you look for Him to be apart of your life, the more you’re able to see all the times He has already showed up. So, from now on, when you wake up in the morning, grab your Bible and cup of coffee, standing firm and ready to conquer the world, tell the devil “don’t tread on me” because church, we ain’t got time for that. It’s planting season. 

 

Don’t Tread On Me (We The Kigdom)- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dowS2k2TS4

See a Victory- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEK6_rz26z0

Your Name is Power (Rend Collective)- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_H62gNjAYOs

Ain’t No Grave (Zach Winters)- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWeX8rfWaKs

You’ve Always Been (Unspoken)- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7vsjQo2NYY

Dead Man Walking (Jeremy Camp)- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pI8B_4f5dFQ

Wreckage (River Valley Youth)- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQ-tuVsoHuo

Psalm 98 (Shane and Shane)- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzX5d__td44

Thinking Outside of the Grave ( Master’s Voice)- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZsdLgVI8sc

Home (Zach Williams)- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxr4o7NvPTs

 

There’s a variety of music styles here so have some fun! If you are feeling like you could really use some prayer and support through all of this, please feel free to contact me!

2 Comments

  1. Awesime read Brooke!! I too am an optimist and have leaned into Jesus and the fact that this is all for a reason! Tha k you for a wonderful perspective this morning

  2. Thank you sweetheart for that wonderful uplifting message! Yes we should be optimistic and hopeful and watching for All the little ways God is showing up! We have to be reminded often that God works in miraculous ways and sometimes quietly. A still small voice, a whisper in our heart, the ability to think and preform in a way beyond our normal or natural abilities. So we do need to be paying attention to the things that might seem very insignificant and would probably go unnoticed without intentional observation. You get to the heart of the matter and express and explain thoughts So well!! Thank you for sharing your heart and insights with us. It helps us to be stirred And sifted and Encouraged to think and see beyond our own Thoughts and situations. I so appreciate you!! Love you dearly!!???? Gramma

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