This word, unity, has been stirring in my heart for many months now. Somedays, I hear it echo loudly, and then there are days it is only a whisper, but it keeps coming up.

And as surprising as it may seem, this word is misunderstood in many circles. I believe the reason that it is so misinterpreted is that the enemy knows the power of unity or agreement and wants to keep us (all people) divided.

It doesn’t matter the size of the division; it can be as in small circles of friends or big groups like businesses, communities, or even a Nation and everything in between.

1 Corinthians 1:10 NIV

I appeal to you, brothers and sister, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.

In this verse, Paul is saying that we need to pursue unity within the church of Christ intentionally. Do not give place to divisiveness or competition. Instead, honor others, seek to be like-minded (in our belief in the Messiah), and recognize Jesus as the common ground for unity.

I volunteer as a mentor at a local ministry, and the woman I was teaching was telling me how she went to a concert of a Christian artist. She said, “it is hard to explain, I was around a bunch of people I didn’t know, but it didn’t bother me. It was like we were friends or something. I was okay with them jumping up and down, and they were okay with me dancing. It was like we were  connected.”

That connection is the spirit of God that is in each of us. It is the Christ in our brothers in sisters that reaches out to the Christ in us. We are united in and through Him. It is a miracle of the indwelling of Christ. But that doesn’t mean we look, dress, or even talk the same way.

We each have a specific niche, talent, or “gifting” that might not be another person’s favorite ice cream flavor (per se). We might communicate a bit differently, or we might like to wear jeans when another wants to wear dress slacks. All of that doesn’t matter. We can still be unified.    

Unity, in Greek, means oneness.

Oneness is defined in Webster as a combination or ordering of parts in a literary or artistic production that constitutes a whole or promotes an undivided effect. 

Think of a jigsaw puzzle. Each piece of the puzzle has a different shape from the other, but it creates an image when interlocked together.  Whenever I have done a puzzle, I would become somewhat overwhelmed looking at all the pieces.  Thoughts like: Where do I even begin, or, It’s going to take me forever to put this together, would echo in my mind.

                We all can be overwhelmed when something looks too big to accomplish, right?

But once I begin to separate the border pieces, I would be able to figure out how to fit them together. Slowly finding the details, the task didn’t seem so overwhelming. The different random pieces of color start to blend. Then suddenly I see it! The picture the creator of the puzzle intended the result to look like.

I write all this out to say; we look different, we have different shapes and sizes, but if we can stop looking at our differences and come together, the results would be amazing. It might look a little intimidating. We might not know where to begin, but let’s step out of our comfort zones and connect.

There have been many things being exposed in the world we live in that are evil. So many fronts we need to begin to unite to protect the innocents of our children. We can not fight all of these things by ourselves. However, we can partner and interlock arms with individuals that have already begun to fight (Purple for parents of Indiana).  We can share with our friends and neighbors the things that are being taught to our youth in public schools. We cannot put our heads in the sand any longer.

A few days ago I experienced a very real heaviness on the people around me. It was so noticeable that I was instantly reminded of what Holy Spirit dropped in my heart back in 2018.

I was told; “Prime the Wells of Laughter.”

To prime a water well, so that the water can flow freely, you must pour water into it.

So, to prime the laughter up inside me, I had to laugh.

I know most people would say, what is there to laugh at, where is the joy?

I say: Look Up! Look past the darkness that seems to be taking control, and REMEMBER that darkness loses, defeated, done, FINISHED!

I know we all what to be updated on the issues of this country, and we should. But read, listen, watch through the lens of Jesus Christ!

In the movie, Short Circuit, they were trying to determine if the robot was alive. It wasn’t until the robot spontaneously laughed that they realized he was. Then the robot asked through his laughter; “I am alive, yes?”

Job 8:20-22 The Message “There’s no way that God will reject a good person, and there’s no way he will help a bad one. God will let you laugh again; you’ll raise the roof with shouts of joy, with your enemies thoroughly discredited, their house of cards collapsed.”

CHURCH ARE WE ALIVE! AND WE NEED TO LAUGH!

Holy Spirit I pray that you stir in the hearts of the believers and pour the victorious laughter from heaven into our mouths and let the Joy flow out!! And doing so, we become a bright light that dissipates the darkness, in Jesus’s name I pray, amen.

Do you know that old saying, ‘bury your head in the sand’ referring to denial?  I know full well about denial, and if you know anything about my story, you know that I pushed a part of my life so deep that I had a hard time believing it happened to me.

Yes, we use denial to protect ourselves, but we must find the strength inside to work through it. I mean, there has to come to a point when we need to face the thing that we fear, or it will control us.

But you may ask, what if we don’t know we are in denial? Yes, I understand that too. Again, if you know my story, the Lord had me on a journey in my healing. And I had to trust Him that it was going to be okay as we uncovered the layers of protection that I placed to safeguard my heart.  

We can be in denial about things, such as human trafficking.  Some might say what we hear, or read, is bogus and not reliable information. I mean, our culture isn’t that evil, is it?

I had a friend who doesn’t get sucked into the whirlwind of conversations that some people can consume themselves in. I trust her discernment in what she shares with me and know that it is probably something that I should take note of.

A few months back, she shared a video with me about the subject mentioned above. It was 30 mins long but I have to be honest, 15 minutes into it, I  had to turn it off. I was shocked by the information.

I had to move, get up walk away. Do anything to get my mind busy to silence the spoken words of evil exposed. I went to my bedroom to make the bed and gather dirty clothes to do laundry. And this was dropped in my heart: “Georgia, what are you doing?”

          I responded: “I can’t listen to that stuff anymore, Lord. I have to get busy and get things done around here.”

          The voice inside said: “You now know the truth, and you have responsibility.”

          I responded: “What can I possibly do about this issue?! I mean it so big and so dark! What can I do?”

          The voice inside: “What is it that you do?”

          “I intercede,” I said back.

          “Then that is what you do.”

So I did. My heart connected with Father God’s heart, and I prayed for that situation. I engaged my heart and my mind and saw my words. When I say see my words I mean to use my imagination to ‘see’ the angel armies coming to rescue these men, women, and children.

Ephesians 3:20-21

Now to him [God] who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his [Holy Spirit] power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

I understand there are many things in the world that we know in our hearts is wrong. We do not need to be a Christian, read the Bible, or go to church to know this.

But what do we do?

Close our eyes, pretend it’s not there?

No, we do what we do. If it is intercession, do it. If you have a testimony of how God has delivered you from drugs, share it with someone who struggles with addictions. If you have had physical healing, share your testimony, especially with someone who needs healing.

I once heard a sermon stating that the word “testimony” means “do it again” in Hebrew. When God does something for one person, it reveals his heart on the matter, and he wants to do it again.

So, please understand the power we have. We shouldn’t let the darkness of the world intimidate us. When we do it’s like saying that the darkness is above the name of Jesus, which is a lie from the pit of hell.  

Philippians 2:9-11

God exalted him to the highest place

    and gave him the name that is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,

    to the glory of God the Father.

It is January 1, 2021, and I will not lie; as I sit at my desk, I feel a bit unsettled. Looking at the prayer points prayed for our nation this past year, I realize that I have been positioned as a warrior in battle—praying for God’s will in heaven to be also on earth.  And there is nothing wrong with that, but I need to remind myself I am His child.

It wasn’t long ago that someone close to me said: “You know how when you aren’t feeling good, you want your mom? There is just something about curling up on mom’s couch that brings comfort.”

I understand what she was saying. That even though we are ‘grown-up,’ it is nice to have someone take care of us. I guess that is where I am at today. I am allowing myself to ‘be’ as a child.  Curled up in Papa’s lap and be still. No words need to be said; no action needs to be taken, just rest.

In this place of rest, I could sense Holy Spirit hover over me – ministering to my spirit [Romans 8:16]. Though I can not define all that is happening to me, I know He is molding me into the woman He created me to be, such a time as this.       

I have been listening to the recorded words that have been spoken and prayed over me. I know that there isn’t an expiration date on the promises of God.

Though, ten years ago if you knew me, you would have seen me frantically try to make these words come true in my life. But the wisdom that only comes with a journey like mine, I have learned it isn’t about me ‘making’ these things happen. It is more about making decisions with those promises in mind.  

I know this post has a different ‘tone’ than past new year’s day blogs. Instead of running 5 miles or going to the gym on the first day of the year to ‘set’ the pace for me, I have felt that God wanted me to be still [Psalm 46:10].

Yes, there is a 2021 budget to look over.  Diet and strength assessments to seriously evaluate. Goals to set and steps to get them accomplished. But today, I feel as if Papa God is saying; Georgia, curl up here with me and know that I have you in my hand. Watch me work; the appointed time has come.

I know that last year has been a year like no other for all of us. Today I want to encourage you to do as I have, rest. We each have been on a journey, not just this past year, but for many years. I promise nothing is wasted. God is restoring the years, threading all the wisdom we have collected together to bring us to his promises. 2021 will be a year of promises fulfilled! But also note; His ways are higher than our ways. In other words what we might ‘think’ those promises will look like might not be as HE sees it. Just know that GOD is working all things together for our good.

Romans 8:28 AMP

And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose.

Here is a prayer of mine [inspired by Psalm 102:12-13 TPT]. I want to encourage you to personalize and “see” it for yourself.

Sitting with you Papa, it is amazing that you want to spend time with me. You, O Lord, are the King overall, yet you hold me in your arms. Your love for me will be revealed to every generation of mine. They will say, look what God has done for her. I know you are about to rise and show your tender love to me. Your compassion and mercy will be poured out on my life – the appointed time as come for your prophetic promises to be fulfilled. How you see my life in heaven, let it so also be here on earth. All for your glory Lord, Amen.    

Happy New Year, everyone! Watch and see; God is about to move in our lives miraculously to bring His promises.    

I have family dear to my heart who lives in the south, where hurricanes are common. This season has been incredibly hard for the coastal states, and this young couple has had to evacuate more this year than they have had to in the combined years they lived there.

Each storm reported this season, I have attacked with my prayers and declarations, along with my praying church family. However, when my loved one texted or called with another report, my stance in prayer changed. I felt worn out, even discouraged. The business of my day distracted my heart from connecting in my prayer.

Holy Spirit quickly corrected me and dropped this in my heart; Your prayer needs full heart engagement. This isn’t the same battle; this is a new fight – and I need you to stand, as you have stood before. 

Our Nation is in a fight, my friends. And it is a fight that we have not experienced before. It may seem like a battle between red and blue, but it is much greater than that. We have all read the different blog writings, listened to youtube reports, and even glued ourselves to the many various commentaries. But we need to turn off the noise and focus our attention on the Thorne of God.

I get my feathers ruffled when I hear people of faith say, “Well, this world live in is just going to getting darker and darker [more evil].” Or, “God is in control; I leave it in HIS hands. He will give us the strength to endure.”  But what about Matthew 5:13-15?! What about our responsibility [Matthew 16:13-19]?! 

God has all authority, but he does not have control. This may surprise some of you, but if God had control over this world, he would be contradicting HIS word [giving us all free will], and God does not lie [Numbers 23:19].

Let me share a little story with you. My husband and I owned a piece of property with a house on it. We had the authority of this piece of land and all that was on it, including our home. One time my husband and I went on an 8-day road trip and told our youngest [who was 18 at the time] to keep things in order. We later learned that he chose to use his free will and throw a small party with friends his age. The beverage allowed in our house to drink should not have been consumed [prohibited because of their age].  Tell me, did we have control over our child’s free will?

So what is my point? Church, we need to quit putting all the responsibility on God’s plate. Yes, HE fights our battles, and our battles are won. But! We believers in the Gospel of Jesus Christ need to get off our smushy soft bottoms and stand [position ourselves to pray]! Let us fight as we are taught in scripture. 

2 Corinthians 10:3-6 TPT

 For although we live in the natural realm, we don’t wage a military campaign employing human weapons, using manipulation to achieve our aims. Instead, our spiritual weapons are energized with divine power to effectively dismantle the defenses behind which people hide. We can demolish every deceptive fantasy that opposes God and break through every arrogant attitude that is raised up in defiance of the true knowledge of God. We capture, like prisoners of war, every thought and insist that it bow in obedience to the Anointed One. Since we are armed with such dynamic weaponry, we stand ready to punish any trace of rebellion, as soon as you choose complete obedience.

We need to stop reading the script [repeating the reports] that has been written from the pit of hell and read our Holy Word of God. We need to anchor our identities in what scripture tells us who we are because of what Jesus did on the cross for us. It is much more than salvation, which alone is a priceless gift. 

Last Sunday evening, I had the opportunity to gather with prayer warriors to pray for our Nation [again, this isn’t about a person, it is about our Biblical beliefs and our Christan rights that are being challenged]. And I know beyond a doubt that the stance we took in the spirit the battle is won. It may not be seen with our physical eye- yet – but it is settled.  The evil plans have been judged.

If I allow the noise around me to convince me otherwise; question my authority [the blood-bought keys given to me, and question what kind of ‘victory’ was achieved at the cross, and that darkness wins], then I need to re-evaluate my heart before the Lord. And read my scriptures.

Church, we need to engage our hearts in our prayers. We need to stop asking others what we ‘think’ is going on around us and ask the one who sits on the Throne. We need to invite the Holy Spirit to work through our lives to be that light in the darkness, to be the salt of the world. Because if we lose our saltiness, what good are we? 

Matthew 5:13-16 TPT

“Your lives are like salt among the people. But if you, like salt, become bland, how can your ‘saltiness’ be restored? Flavorless salt is good for nothing and will be thrown out and trampled on by others. “Your lives light up the world. Let others see your light from a distance, for how can you hide a city that stands on a hilltop? And who would light a lamp and then hide it in an obscure place? Instead, it’s placed where everyone in the house can benefit from its light…