Tag: deep

Sunday Psalm: Cannonball

Karla Lees

the invitation is clear

jump in over my head

You await
my complete surrender
as I obey Your call

Deep calls to deep

and my spirit within me
leaps for joy
as my flesh cowers in fear
while I stand
at the edge of my reason,
yet longing to trust
myself fully
into Your hands

I take a deep breath
close my eyes
and jump

beyond comprehension
the deeper I fall
the closer I feel
to You
for You become my strength
encompassing me with love
& infusing me with new life
and hope

the splash from my
cannonball into Your Presence
releases more of You
about me
refreshing all in its wake
as wave after wave
crash over me

may I never
come out of the pool
of Your affection!

#SundayPsalm

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your true character

Karla Lees

You know that under pressure,

your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors.

Let it do its work…James 1:2-4 (MSG)

I find the character of Joseph echoes throughout this verse, not just because colors are mentioned.

When Joseph was sold by his brothers into slavery, his true character was forced out into the open, for he did not have the luxury of hiding from his owners. And God’s favor clearly rested on him as Joseph kept strong in the faith.  He was with him, despite all the ups & downs Joseph faced.

When the storms and chaos comes, the faith you have within comes to the surface.

  • Is your faith deeply rooted?
  • Easily pulled up with the first gust of wind?
  • Well soaked so it can withstand a dry season?

Our character is shown through the pressures of life.

May yours, and mine, be a reflection of the God we adore as we dig down deep for all He has for us in this life.

Like Joseph, may we depend on God alone as our foundation when our identity has been stripped away, our hearts broken, ad the road ahead unclear.

James-1-2

pressed to release His fragrance

Karla Lees

I am in a season of being pressed.

Not to be broken & destroyed, but so that I can release Him more fully within me & to those around me.

Maybe you can relate.

I had a glimpse another pressing season was headed my way with some words spoken a few weeks ago, and then I got clearer direction as I soaked & waited.

There are three books He is calling me to work through & bring what gets pressed in me to Him- either because it needs to go, or He is releasing it to flow.

The first is to press the past out of me and lead me to a deeper rest.

The second is to break out from the beliefs & ways I have hidden myself away, to lead me to deeper relationships.

The third is to press through into the full release of freedom He has for me, and to move into His stronghold, to make God my refuge in a way I have not yet experienced.

I am excited enough to want to jump up & down with excitement, and scared enough to want to toss my cookies, all rolled into one.

Can you relate?

I heard clearly today that on the other side of our deepest hurts is the greatest freedom where we are meant to roam.

I don’t want my fear & desire to stay the same to hold me back from all He has for me.

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The first book is Finding Spiritual Whitespace by Bonnie Gray.

I am so weary from trying to hold all my broken pieces together for so long.

God is calling me out of hiding and into wide open spaces of grace & rest unlike any I have known before.

The second book is Scary Close by Donald Miller.

I have read half of the first section, and it is truly scary close how much this book is already resonating within me.

The third book has not yet been released, and was written recently by a new sister and fellow writer Beth Kinder, called Stronghold.
(Remade Ministries)

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Freedom awaits, and the cage door is opening.

I plan on running through it, albeit with tears, headlong straight into the embracing arms of Jesus, Daddy & Spirit.

It is going to be rough trying to work full time while I am undergoing open heart & brain surgery, but He is reminding me He is more than enough for ALL my needs, and this is the time.

Are you ready to leap towards the flight of freedom &  or allow fear to keep you bound & tethered?

Join me.  Press in for what He has for you today, in this season.

A richer, deeper faith awaits, along with a new level of wholeness for your life.

He will release a new sense of His presence within us, and we will become a sweeter fragrant aroma as a result.

NOW is the time for freedom!

PS. I will be asking God each time i hang out with Him where i am meant to  work through that visit. Where to start, & where to stop.
An avid reader, I have a tendency to speed read, and He is wanting His words of freedom to soak in & take root as He uproots the weeds of my heart & mind.  Allowing Him to take the lead declares my belief I am safe in His hands, and willing to go wherever He leads.

Sunday Psalm: Ebb & Flow

Karla Lees

The river seems too deep, God
as I stand on the shore.
I hear You calling my name,
the one You gave me.
Part of me wants to jump in
while the other part
remains anchored
to the safety of the shore.
You know the struggle I face,
and You change the surface
of the water until all I can see
is Your reflection.
Again You ask me to come
with that voice of love, majesty and triumph that stirs my soul
to action, and the battle within
is decided when I take the steps that move me forward,
closer to
Your Presence
and where You want me to be.
The waves come crashing around me once I get deep enough that
turning back is not an option,
and I am carried off into
Your ocean of love.
As the soaking ebbs & flows
over me, again & again,
I feel like I am in a dream.
Discord sounds off to the distance and I open my eyes,
taking my gaze off Your face
as I do.
And I begin to sink.
Panic wells up as I struggle,
desperate to breathe,
crying out with
all that I am for rescue.
You are there,
with Your hand stretched down
to bring me up
to the safety of Your Presence.
You were always there,
in command of the wind, water, storms and waves.
I am the one who looked away,
never You.
I praise You for Your love, God.
Your ever present,
always for us,
never failing,
into eternity
amazing love.
I can trust in You,
even when the waves come crashing,
the storm sounds escalate
and I feel lost along the way.
My Rescue is
always with reach,
keeping me within arm’s length,
vigilant in His watch.
I can rest as the waters
cleanse me,
invigorate me
and lead me to the shore
where He is waiting.

#SundayPsalm
#singanewpsalm

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