Tag: soaking in his presence

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Soaking In His Presence, Literally.

I began to toss and turn at 3:30am, trying to make myself calm down enough so there was a chance I may get some rest before I left for Houston in the morning for a marriage retreat. I knew I needed rest. Not only was my body completely and utterly drained, but my mind was racing. Racing in a way it hadn’t raced in 2 years since I have been healed of mental illness. I knew this worry wasn’t from God.

Yes, I had 4 chapters to read, 3 assignments to complete, a 3 hour drive to Houston, and a marriage retreat to complete. Right then at that very moment, I had a restless mind thinking about the things I had to do later on in the week. *Breathe Tanja, breathe*

I casted all my worries of not being able to finish my homework by the deadlines and was STILL tossing and turning. I looked at my phone, now 4:30am.

Alright…

I need to de-stress myself. My best way of doing this is a candle-lit hot bath accompanied by a lavender bath bomb. I laid in the tub…at 4:30 in the morning and just closed my eyes, completely vulnerable in the midst of Abba’s presence and spoke, “Okay God, I know that I either need to pray for someone or I need to listen.”

“Listen…”

*I intently listened to what God had to say*

God: You need to do this more often…take care of yourself. You know that this anxiety and stress you have been feeling isn’t from me. You keep trying to rest in your own way. But the rest that your body and soul needs is found in me. Only me.

Me: But how am I supposed to get through right now? Am I supposed to stop doing all these things? I thought you called me to do them?

God: You know the saying you always say, “You can’t pour from an empty cup?”

Me: *sighs* Yes…

God: I would rather you take one class and give more to the women and youth you are leading. I will give you the strength till next semester. But rest in me, find your strength in me, and know that I am so proud of you.

All my anxiety seemed to dissipate into the heavenly realm as I soaked in God’s presence. I sat in the candle-lit bath surrounded with peace and plans to prosper.

God spoke a couple things to me:

  1. Stop trying to do thing in my own strength
  2. He can make even anxiety at 3:30am turn into something beautiful. (Literally Soaking in his presence)
  3. I need to have more of an ear to listen
  4. Take one class next semester
  5. I can only find true rest, in him
  6. He will give me strength to get through these next couple weeks
  7. He is proud of the seeds I’ve been planting
  8. Trust in him and his plan

I have not dealt with anxiety like that in 2 years. It was not from God, but he did turn it out for the good and used it for intimate time in his presence. We need to lay everything at his feet and trust in him and his plan. Even if it doesn’t line up with our “graduation date”, his plan is perfect. We can sleep 12 hours and still not be restored because the rest we need is found in him. During quiet time, sometimes we actually need to be quiet. God wants to speak into us. Even if we are struggling to get by, if we ask God for strength, he will give it to us. Last but not least, let us not grow weary in doing good. We will reap what we sow.

Even though I did not get much sleep before the marriage retreat, I wouldn’t of traded that time with God for sleep. I literally soaked in his presence & a supernatural peace came over me as I listened to what he had to say. I casted my cares upon him through prayer and he heard me and spoke.

Is there something you need to lay at his feet today? Or maybe you just need to listen and find rest in him. Either way, he is waiting to hear from you.

“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”-Galatians 6:9 NLT

“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.”-1 Peter 5:7 NLT

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
    do not depend on your own understanding.
 Seek his will in all you do,
    and he will show you which path to take.”-Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT

Philippians_4_7_07cd2ff0-2fb6-4745-bf7a-3ae26f662a3a_grande
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”-Philippians 4:6-7 NLT

 

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The Tail of A Lost Pup (See what I did there…)

Good morning everyone!

I hope everyone had a restful night, but if it was anything like the Lunney Household, it was anything but. (Not complaining…Let me tell you why!)

We left church around 9pm as it still rained and flooded the area. We came to a little dog in the road running around with a collar (no tag), wet and lost. My husband looked at me and of course I told him to put the little guy in the car! We brought him home and our puppy was, to say the least, having a puppy moment. Playing with her new friend or trying to establish dominance, I’m not really sure. Needless to say, we talked about what to do next. We called people who we thought could help and they told us to take him to the vet in the morning and see if he has a microchip. I posted all over facebook pages for lost pets and spouse pages wondering who could’ve lost their baby. This pupper is seriously the sweetest. We drove around the neighborhood searching for people who may have lost him, but came to another dead end. We opened the car door to bring him in and he dashed into the woods. (Yep, that really happened.) My husband and I prayed as we went to bed. He soon fell asleep and I began to pray to God, asking him to put protection over this little pupper that I found…and then lost. I prayed for God’s will to be done and for him to go home or for him to find safety. HERE’S WHERE IT GETS GOOD. My husband woke up this morning and opened the door to let our puppy and this little guy slept on our porch all night. Ughhh, my heart! I’m sure you are thinking a couple things…1.How did she lose a lost dog? 2. This poor puppy. & 3. Why is she telling me this?

Here is why…

During my quiet time Holy Spirit has revealed to me some things through this little guy. (So cool that he can use a puppy to bring revelation and a blog post to share with you all!)

We have all been this puppy. Searching for home. Searching for love, care, and protection. We all have been lost, myself included. How often do we choose being lost in the woods when God has provided us with everything we need? We settle for the woods because, well its adventurous and we don’t really know God when we first come to him. Our old life looks pretty appealing when God challenges us on our behaviors and worldly ways. (Or for this little pup, peeing on the laundry basket…) So we venture out in the woods, lost, “alone”, and searching for home. We can never be fulfilled unless it’s through our identity in Christ. We will continually search and even sometimes settle for less than what God has to offer, like the porch for instance.

Even if you were to get lost, fall off track, I know God still remains the same. The promises of his word tell me so!

“So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”-Deuteronomy 31:6

It took faith for this dog to show up on our porch this morning. He ran away from us, but something drew him back to our home. Was it the love we showed him while he was here for a brief moment? When you get a taste of what God, his pure,steadfast love…you don’t travel far into the woods before you realize what you needed was back where you just were. We didn’t need the puppy to clean up before he entered our home. God doesn’t need you to clean up before you ask him into your heart. He wants you as you are at this very moment.

I just posted a verse yesterday on Instagram and it’s really fitting for what has transpired over the past 24 hours.

“This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.”-Jeremiah 29:10-13

God doesn’t say we aren’t going to go through trails or tribulation’s. He promises us that he hears our prayers and that we will find him when we seek him wholeheartedly. He promises us plans to prosper. Plans to prosper doesn’t always line up with what we think is best. But often what we go through, is what shapes us into Christ-like character and puts us exactly where we need to be. Or for this lost pup, in a warm house out of the rain, snoozing on the floor.

Did God just use a dog to reveal all this to me? Yes, yes he did. That’s the cool thing about God. He will speak to you in ways that you will listen.

Lost-and-Found

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Giving Credit Where It’s Due

Recently, I’ve been hearing how “proud” people are of me and how much “I’ve changed”, how “different” I am, how much “healthier”, etc. I thank every single one of you for the kind words, but can I just say, it’s not me. It’s being in the Presence of God that has brought me to where I am today. Studying God’s word, speaking it over my life through prayer, applying it to my life, and praising God through every circumstance is what has gotten me here. Spending time with God has broke me free of baggage of the past, healed me of Bipolar Disorder, broke off the bondage of addiction, and brought me to know pure love. These are just some of the wonderful things. While I appreciate the compliments so much, please give credit where it is due. Don’t take my posts, blogs, and experiences at face value. Experience God for yourself.

Also, if you would like to watch a wonderful sermon today, I placed a link below:

The Most Important Lesson I Could Ever Teach-Francis Chan

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Walking With God Is Intentional

What do you go to for comfort when you’ve had a bad day? Food, your warm fuzzy blanket, a beer, a shopping spree at hobby lobby, your friends, the gym, even your spouse?

When something happens, who is the first person you want to talk to? Do you talk to Abba or do you call your spouse or best friend?

When you wake up in the morning, what is the very first thing you do? Do you talk to Abba and ask what is on his agenda? Do you spend time with him and put on your armor for the day?

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon [money, possessions, fame, status, or whatever is valued more than the Lord].”

‭‭MATTHEW‬ ‭6:24‬ ‭AM

What is taking away from your time with God? Are you putting anything before him?

Ask Holy Spirit to reveal it to you.

I often hear how “busy” we are and how we “don’t have time” for God. Walking with Christ is intentional and choosing him and his way should be apart of our life every single day. I don’t care if you ask him what kind of bread you should get, he is just happy to spend time with you.

When I first started walking with God… he wasn’t first in my life. My whole life and everything in it was completely out of wack. I chose many things, and people, that I thought would complete me. Things I thought would help fill the void that I constantly felt. But really, when we focus on him and die to ourself, is really when we start living.

“Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭9:23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

If you are trying to follow someone you don’t know, I can understand that it can be scary…

But, the only way to get to know him, just like anyone else, is by spending time with him. Once you focus on Abba, things begin to fall into place. Things you didn’t have strength to do, he gives you the strength for. He shows you what pure love is and how to love those who need it the most. He shows you the perfect plan for your life. God gives you purpose. If we could just stop, and really focus on what’s important, God, life here on earth would be so much better.

If I can just encourage you to dig a little deeper, or if you don’t know God at all to talk to him like he’s your best friend, I assure you that you won’t be disappointed.

“In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.” Jeremiah‬ ‭29:12-13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

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Why Is God Taking So Long!?

As I was preparing myself to be married and move to Louisiana, I knew God had a purpose for Brad & I at the church he had been attending. We had gotten conformation that this is the place Abba wanted us to be at. I had served in two ministries at The River while I resided in Michigan, The Awake Café (coffee bar) and The Nursery. I was unsure when I left what exactly what my plans were when I arrived here in Louisiana. I just knew that I wanted to follow God’s will, no matter what it entailed.

Brad and I continued to pray persistently…

Even when it felt like we were never going to get an answer, we knew even if we couldn’t see that things were being set up for us, they were, and that God would reveal to us his perfect plan in his perfect timing. We often thought, “Should we be doing something?”. We continued to ask Abba to prepare us for what he had already spoken over our life. We often sought out advice from elders to seek out wisdom. Waiting is hard at times, but we trusted Abba and his plan for our life.

I went through a lot of change and growth before arriving here. I endured many trials, including looking at surgery just two days before our wedding (NOT TODAY SATAN). I will write about that in a later post. What kept me going were Abba’s promises. Declaring them over myself and our life daily! We know as Children of God, we have authority! When we speak The Word of God, it moves mountains and shifts our focus on what is truly important, Abba!

God’s plan has been slowly revealing itself the longer we are here and let me tell you, it’s a lot bigger than I thought! I know that I can makes as many plans as I want, but his plan and purpose always prevails. “We humans keep brainstorming options and plans, but GOD ’s purpose prevails.-Proverbs‬ ‭19:21‬ ‭MSG‬‬

If you are in a season of waiting I encourage you to… “Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. Sing to him; yes, sing his praises. Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds. Exult in his holy name; rejoice, you who worship the Lord. Search for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him.-1 Chronicles‬ ‭16:8-11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Seek guidance and accept correction, this makes you wise! “Take good counsel and accept correction— that’s the way to live wisely and well.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭19:20‬ ‭MSG‬‬

Know that God has a time for everything!

“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.

Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.”

‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭3:1, 11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Read his word.

spend time with Abba, he loves you.

& DECLARE his word over your life.