Author: Laura Eve Harding

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. (Eph 3:16)

The chains of pride are strong and resist falling off of us unless we fight with Supernatural powers that are beyond us. If we don’t fight and allow it to hang around by giving ourselves pompous self-talk or by receiving flattery from others it will become a stronghold and keep us from experiencing God in BIG ways. Matthew 11 says, The Kingdom of God suffers harm and the violent take it by force. Do you fight for this and wrestle with God or do you just walk past it and dismiss the relevance because of your knowledge and the fact that you do not understand it? We are meant to not quit our hold without the blessing from God, just as Jacob wrestled with God in Genesis 32:26. My prayer this morning to the Lord is: ‘Bless me. Bless me indeed. Enlarge my territory.’

Jesus Himself spoke this of John the Baptist: “I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he is!” (Matt 11:11)

John did not take thought to the transitory cares of this life because he was so consumed with WHO Jesus was that it became his purpose to point others to Him not himself. He wanted people to focus on Jesus not on himself. And because of that Jesus said there was no one greater than him; in the understanding that he lived under which was the baptism of repentance. Yet Jesus said the least person in the Kingdom is greater than John. If we can grasp the understanding of the baptism of the Holy Spirit how much more of God and His Presence do we have the ability to enter into? The Kingdom of Heaven is at our fingertips and all we have to do is humble ourselves, say and believe less of me and more of you Jesus, and reach in faith for it because the violent take it by force (Matt 11:12). Not such force as we might imagine but by pleading with our Heavenly Father to humble us and give us the grace we need to enter that place of satisfaction, to fulfill the deepest parts of our being. We cannot live in regret. We cannot compare ourselves. We may have been in 1 place at one time in our lives and have wandered but Godly sorrow leads to repentance. We have to allow ourselves to feel truly sorry for missing God or maybe turning our backs on things He once revealed to us, and just GET UP and strive to enter into the Kingdom; deny ourselves, take up our cross daily and follow Him (Luke 9:23). The Kingdom of God is not a matter of meat or drink, neither is it expressed in mere words, its one of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom 14:17, 1 Cor 4:20). It involves signs and wonders that can only be explained by pointing to Jesus. Involving faith, healing – spiritual and physical, release from bondage, a change of heart and of life – a transformation that comes only by the WORD and the Spirit which makes us free. These show a lost and dying world that we serve a GREAT GOD.

John spent much time alone just him and God and he had a right perspective of life. It’s not about us its about HIM. Less of me and more of Him. Take the focus off me and turn it to Him, point others to Him. Don’t look at me, look at HIM. Because HE IS THE ANSWER. I don’t have the answers. HE DOES. Look to Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith.

Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes on not what is seen but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal (2 Cor 4:17).

In a checkout line at the store this morning a man struck up a conversation with me. He looked at the hoodie I was wearing and read the emblem ‘Bambi Lake Roscommon, MI’. He proceeded to tell me that he had property up near Houghton Lake. He said that when he gets up there he immediately steps out of his car and takes a deep breath of relief. Its a place to relax from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. I replied, “it’s beautiful up there. You know you’re definitely not in Waterford anymore when you get out there.” I walked out of the store with a trailing thought. Why is it that people long to get away from everyday life so often?

Now I don’t work a full time job and deal with the grind Monday thru Friday that most people do.  Earlier this year I did have the opportunity to step into that arena when I was hired to work in a medical office. The three months I spent doing the 8-5 rush went so fast its almost a blur to me. It did however give me enough experience to know what I wanted not to spend me life pursuing: money and vacations. I’m not knocking anyone that does work full time and earn vacation time off to enjoy. And I can appreciate my husband who does this and is a great provider. God has been so good to us.

God continues to point me to Scripture telling me to fix my eyes on things above not on things in this earth. Recently I had not one but two people point something out to me about myself that I never really put much thought to. I have a gift. God has given me the ability and constant desire to share Him with whomever He puts in my path. An evangelistic spirit my Grandpa called it. Almost anytime I am having a conversation with someone, in the forefront of my mind I think ‘how can I steer this conversation to God?’

Sometimes I imagine how people must view me. I don’t measure up according to the worlds standards. I am married and have been for almost 11 years (now 15 years). We do not have any children. And I’m not sure if we ever will. I do not hold a four year college degree. In my adults years I have steered away from ever finishing with one. I am an everyday person who does what is put before them. Currently I house clean and blog. If there’s anything I am passionate about it is getting people into the family of God and helping them to experience freedom through learning God’s Word.

I know God is always at work in and around our world. He’s always moving and inviting us believers to become involved with Him in His work wherever we are planted, everyday. I still feel like God has a call on my life to do something. And I’m not much but I am willing. It makes me think of the Scripture when Samuel was sent to pick out from Jesse’s boys which he would anoint to be the next king of Israel. As each of the seven eldest brothers passed in front of Samuel he could see they were great in stature, from all outward appearances looked distinguished enough for royalty. Though Samuel was not moved to appoint any of those men as the candidate. Finally he spoke up and Jesse mentioned of his youngest son who was a sheep herder. The Bible describes him as reddish in complexion and some versions speak directly about his beautiful eyes. To Jesse, David was from all outward appearances the least of his brothers. But from God’s perspective David had just what He was looking for lead His people. The Scriptures say, But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart (1 Sam 17:6, KJV).

Truly I wonder if this is true for myself. No I am not always right on. Sometimes my mind wanders and I don’t always do or say the right thing. But deep down I know what is right and what is wrong. I do my best to live up to what understanding God has given me. I know when I’ve wronged someone and I know better then to let it linger. I am very quick to make peace. Because number one, I know what its like to live in the state of unrest but also I know my relationship and communication with God hinges on this.

Sometimes I think I live too much in my head and not enough in reality. I do honestly love God more then anybody else in my life. I have learned that my life in the physical and spiritual realm relies heavily upon this. Jesus said his first and most important commandment was to love God with every fiber of our being, along with loving others as ourselves (Luke 10:27).

Check out my book A Life Redone:

https://www.authorhouse.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/464097-a-life-redone

The music we’re listening to has alot to do with what we believe. If we declare over and over something out loud because it’s a song lyric we start to believe it. It can work the same way with the Bible. Whatever we tell ourselves again and again becomes our truth. The bibsays Whatever a man thinks so is he.

My husband and I were in a restaurant yesterday and on the radio were all these songs from my high-school years. It made me believe they were aiming to get our generation to eat at their restaurant. Because we are the age with young families. Who doesn’t want to eat somewhere where they enjoy the atmosphere because of the music?

It just made me reflect on how powerful music really is. I recall listening to alot of angry musicians that spouted off evil lyrics and how it just added to my struggle and the stronghold of anger. It had a death grip on me and led me to make so many bad decisions because of the way I viewed my life.

Where’s your perspective coming from? Who’s influencing it? Are you stuck in your own mind, with perspectives that hold you captive? What is the answer for freedom? Jesus. He transforms you with His truth. You can say that I don’t know what I’m talking about but I am a testimony to God’s grace and it working. He’s changed my perspective immensely in 21 years. I’m not perfect and I’m still a work in progress but I’m along ways from where I was then.

Where are you headed and where will it end? I can tell you that your decisions have consequences. And you will suffer them here and hereafter if you don’t confess Jesus and believe in your heart that He died for your sins and He rose to conquer the enemy forever. (Romans 3:23,6:23,5:8,10:9-10)

Life is not all about meat and drink, nor about possessions, money and power. If that’s all you got you got an empty life and empty heart. Open yours to Him because He wants you a part of His Kingdom family forever. We must humble ourselves to receive Him. Then we will have someone to bring everything to. Especially when things happen in our lives or around us that we just don’t understand.

It’s amazing how many believers are blind to the fact that the Bible does say God disciplines those He loves and those He accepts as His children (Hebrews 12:7-8,10). He does this so that His children come to repentance and can be partakers of His holiness, in order to inherit the Kingdom benefits. Of course in chapter 12 of Hebrews, it begins by saying that we are to fix our eyes on Jesus and throw off the dead weight, for the love of anything in this world; for even ourselves and our own cares (v1-2). Because without holiness no one will see the Lord (v14). And without true repentance there’s no remission of sins. To truly repent means there’s an outward change of direction, which is evident in his life.

When Esau sold his birthright for a single meal he was rejected, even though he sought the blessing with tears (v17). The difference for Esau was that he was missing true repentance.  This passage indicates that we as believers can’t outwardly profess to believe in Jesus and know we are sinners yet not live changed lives or we will miss the eternal inheritance set aside for God’s people.

So are you changing and becoming holy or just stuck and on repeat with the same sin or remaining only in the same lessons that were learned years before? Are you learning new things about God and relating to God in new ways and keeping that attitude of true repentance? Or are you truly fighting the fight of faith and living as more than a conqueror through Christ? What’s your proof? Are u willing to give away your eternal inheritance or eternal rewards for pleasure down here or even because of your pride? The Christian life is a race, and the divine umpire is Jesus Christ. After the race is over for each believer, He will gather every member before the bema for the purpose of examining each one and giving the proper reward to each (blueletterbible.org).

Behold, I come quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown (Revelation 3:11).

This discipline He does so He doesn’t spew us out of His mouth. Just as God was knocking in laodicea church He is continually knocking on the doors of our hearts while we may be busy having church but we aren’t hearing Him. Are we convicted about things when God points things out to us? Is discipline pushing you to Him or pushing you to dig into your own strength and power? Are we opening up our hearts to Him? Are we changing or remaining the same?

According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it . . . Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become manifest; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and fire will try each one’s work, of what sort it is (1 Corinthians 3:10,12,13).

Don’t take yourself so seriously.

You’re not as BIG as you think.

If you don’t ask you’ll never receive.

Expect God to come through.

NEVER think anything you ask is too big for God because you’ll only get what you expect.

If you’re not getting what you ask for try asking in a different way. It’s obviously not a problem with our Maker, it has to be with you. It may be He’s trying to teach you and you’re not learning.

Ask for grace to learn and start asking for Him to help you think differently, the way He wants you to. Our thinking has alot to do with why we remain in the same place for so long.

The Bible says we’re humble to ourselves under God’s MIGHTY hand that in due time He will lift us up. ASK that due time be NOW in Jesus name!

Something I have been relearning lately is just this. I really have been learning the power of the enemy when I open a door to him with my thoughts. I give him much more power than I want to when I allow him to guide my thoughts. How do I know if he’s guiding my thoughts you might ask? If my thoughts aren’t lining up with the what the Word says then this is how I know. How can I see if this is true in my life? If I am experiencing things I ought not to be because I’m allowing my mind to wander. I do not control my thoughts, they control me. They lead my words outwardly and they veer my thoughts inwardly. What things am I experiencing that I do not want to be a part of my life? I do not want to make it easier for the enemy to steer my life by putting me out or make things harder for me. I need to fight back using the Word. I have seen many victories in my life because I’ve used the Word as God designed it to be; like a sword to pierce through the enemies plans for me by speaking it out loud or meditating upon it.

I have been proud and this has led me nowhere. I have had unforgiveness in my heart from my past. These things ought not to be. God says that I’m to humble myself under His Mighty Hand so that He can lift me up. I am to forgive as Christ has forgiven me. These things are in the Bible. If I’m walking in outright disobedience I’m gonna be stuck. But if I truly repent and seek wholeness from the Word I will find healing. I believe this is an answer for a really long battle I have faced; a physical battle that I can’t find an answer to why I still battle this. There is no physical answer. It’s Spiritual. I have opened a door that I ought not to. I am closing this now. I am believing for Supernatural healing that will not come otherwise.

I am telling the enemy to get out and binding up, casting out and closing any doors to any strongholds that have been opened because of these internal battles. I am done with making it easy for Satan to stomp all over me. I have dealt with a battle for too many years and I don’t want to waste anymore. My life is worth more than this.

Dear friends I hope this helps you to really consider if some of these struggles I share will make you see similar battles in your own life. I pray for FREEDOM for you.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil 4.7)

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” Jim Elliot

In an ‘all about me’ society this quote is a hard pill to swallow. Christ did not come to this earth for us to be so attentive to our own needs. We, myself included, have fought battles concerning our health. I do my best to not be so concerned and I find God’s grace is enough because He looks out for me when I put my total trust in Him.

When I woke up this morning, this Jim Elliot quote rang through my mind once as I was thinking about which doctor I should visit for a problem I’m having in my body. I was reading about different doctor philosophies and treatment when this thought came to me. This issue I’ve been having recently, has made me consider giving up an opportunity that was opened to me not too long ago. I have been stubborn in not wanting to give this up because I see the God-potential in it. And so I’ve been pushing through. The symptoms I had are now lessening however, I still want to see a physician once maybe twice to continue that healing longterm and to guard myself from experiencing this issue again.

I am reminded that I have been treated for an ongoing medical issue for 20 something years and there was a time when my existence was that issue. I had to live for that issue. Everything I did was dependent upon this medical issue. About 4 years ago God used people to wake me up from that spell. My eyes were opened and I saw my life did not have to be centered around this issue. I found that when I truly put my trust in the Lord regarding this that He did not fail me, even in my blind faith.

Since then I have had more revelation knowledge come to me recently from the Lord regarding this issue I’ve dealt with for a long time. And I believe that it’s been helping me alot.

The point of all this is to say Satan likes for us to be concerned with ourselves and our issues. It’s time believers that we turn our eyes to Jesus and trust Him with all our hearts. All we have to do is ask Him for answers and have an openness to receive those answers and they will come. And it will be like a breath of fresh air when we’re not concerned about ourselves so much.

I know we never go through anything that will not in the end work for our good and God’s glory. This may be for someone else’s good too because God will use it for the building-up of another for His glory as only He does.

Put on those rose-colored glasses and see your mission. Put your running shoes on and ready yourself so you can run the race marked out before you with perseverance, doing all things through Christ who gives you strength. Only then you will be more then a conqueror through Him who gives you strength and ultimately an overcomer.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Romans 12:1

Brothers and sisters in Christ we don’t do Spiritual things bc we are trying to check a list off but BC we need God to move. We pray fervently to a God who loves His children and like a good father won’t if u ask for a fish give you a snake instead. If we are evil and know how to give good gifts how much more will our Heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask Him (Matt 7.9-12). This means asking God not in a passive way but coming to Him and asking Him w a pure heart just like the widow came to the judge seeking justice (Luke 18.1-8). She came again and again until her request was granted. What do u need? How long have u been asking? Is your petitioning not working bc you’ve been persistent in your prayers? Try asking God differently. Ask Him to reveal the answer. He’s waiting bc He wants to answer bc He’s a GOOD FATHER.

Peel away the skin. Layer after layer. Go deeper into the fruit of the Gospel. Search for more of God. Receive the nourishment and revival that comes with it. That’s what He wants. He wants to be known by us. We have to search for Him with all our hearts in order to find Him (Jer 29:13).

In His Word He promises that there’s so much more that we can’t even begin to understand or see. His ways are higher than our ways, His thoughts higher than our thoughts (Is 55:8) We just have to really reach to see Him as He is in faith. The Bible is clear that we are to be humble because without humility we can’t see God. It’s so easy to fall into the trap of believing we see more when really we don’t because we’re proud. And then we really become blind to the whole truth about God and it stunts our growth. God is the One who has to give us eyes to see and ears to hear, making us useful to building up the Kingdom of God.

Seek the Lord while He may be found;
Call upon Him while He is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
And let him return to the Lord,
And He will have compassion on him,
And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon (Is 55:6-7).

Seeking God in humility means we have an inner knowledge of just how much we need Him; this allows Him to open our understanding to more of who He is. It becomes less about us and more about Him.

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a re-warder of those who diligently Him (Heb 11:6).

“I love those who love me;
And those who diligently seek me will find me” (Pro 8:17).
The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you (Ps 9:9-10).

Something that resonates in my inner man over and over again is: don’t take yourself so seriously.

Seek the Lord and live.. says Amos in his book. This means according to the Strong’s Concordance we seek Him to live literally or figuratively; to revive, to keep alive, nourish up, quicken, repair, be whole.. Habakkuk 2:4 says the enemy is puffed up and his desires are not right but the righteous person will live by faith.

Which are you walking by today? Your own understanding or by God’s revelation that has been revealed to your heart? How do you know? Do your actions or attitudes reflect that? Can you track how God has changed you over the last year or even the last six months? How much time do you give Him to reveal truths to you?
And He said to them, Be careful what you are hearing. The measure [of thought and study] you give [to the truth you hear] will be the measure [of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you–and more [besides] will be given to you who hear (Mark 4:24).

What benefits are you reaping from receiving God-knowledge in your heart? Sow to the Spirit today and shift your focus from yourself to God and His ways. Be blown away by His vastness and His love for you so you can bubble over with His love onto others no matter how they treat you.

Check out A Life Redone at:

https://www.authorhouse.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/464097-a-life-redone

Opportunity to teach Wednesday night. The Presence of God was there. Check it out