Rooted and Grounded in Love

Ephesians 3:17-20 (Amplified Version)
¹⁷ May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love,

¹⁸ That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God’s devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it];

¹⁹ [That you may really come] to know [practically, ^[a]through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses ^[b]mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] ^[c]unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and ^[d]become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!

²⁰ Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]—"

...
Jesus is showing me how to be rooted and grounded in His love because 
of the strength that comes from this place. As the Bride, we have the 
privilege of unlocking the secrets in His heart, encountering His 
emotions, and experiencing the Love His feels for us. In this place, 
we are not moved, not shaken, and not distracted.
This verse reminds me of something that happened a few months ago at 
my sister and brother-in-law's house. They wanted to landscape their 
front yard and asked me, my mom, and dad to help. My dad is so smart 
and planned all week to bring his tractor and a big chain to pull up 
the bushes. His tractor weighs 2 tons so he felt sure it would be 
strong enough to pull up a little bush. We soon realized we 
underestimated how hard it would be. He tied the large chain to the 
bush and the tractor wheels started spinning and the bush wouldn't 
budge. It even broke the chain. I was shocked because of it's size. He 
had to dig around the bush and break off some of the roots to get it 
to go anywhere. We started digging and realized that the roots were so 
fat and so long that it ran all the way across the yard. We could not even find the end. I had no clue roots could grow so deep. I was simply looking at the surface and would have never guessed how old the bush was. It had been there for a veryy long time for the roots to be that big. 

Then, it clicked!! Jesus wants me that 
rooted in His love where I become immoveable! The foundation has to be 
so secure and strong that my whole being is satisfied and dependent on 
His love. What a privilege that we can get to know the height, length, 
depth, and width of the intimate love of our Beloved. There is no 
better place to be than searching out the hidden riches of His love. The Greek meaning for Rooted is= become stable, and the meaning for grounded is=to lay a basis for, foundation, settle. If we have a worldly mindset, we can be easily shaken and persuaded by the slightest bit of emotion. But experiencing the FULLNESS of His love makes us stable and settled. He becomes the Peace of our heart. 

I found it interesting that the greek meaning for love in verse 17 says, "love feast, feast of charity". Being rooted and grounded in His love, means we are feasting in His presence and indulging ourselves in all the love He has to offer. Because I love love so much, it seems too good to be true that He would offer His creation this gift. As our position as the Bride, we get to feast on this love that FAR surpasses the knowledge of man. He is calling and wooing us to go deeper and deeper and deeper. It is a GLORY to search out the deep things of God (Proverbs 25:2) because the time it takes, makes the reward so much sweeter! 

Position and Partnership

One of the great things about knowing Jesus is a deep sense of purpose and revelation that is not like anything this world can offer. Knowing how Jesus feels about me and who I am to Him is something that has captured my attention. Christians talk about "Knowing who you are in Christ". I'm just now hitting the surface of what my position is in the Kingdom of Heaven. Kris Vallotton says "When you know who you are, is when you realize you were living below your nature-- living short of your potential." Position and perspective is everything in the Kingdom. 

I think I am so fascinated with the Bridal Paradigm (seeing through the lenses of Jesus as our Bridegroom and the church as the Bride) because of the position that it puts the people of God in. What more intimate metaphor than a marriage partner who shares dreams, secrets, and feelings. In John 15: 15 Jesus says "No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you." Jesus is waiting and wanting us to see the privilege of our position in Him. He doesn't want me to live as a servant who sits in the background not worthy of coming before Him. He wants to share with us secrets of the world. (Isaiah 45:2-4). Jesus last prayer in John 17:23, is about Jesus praying for the believers to be a people that is one with Him. He wants a confident Bride who knows the way Jesus feels about her. My mom said a profound thing the other day. We were talking about the new TV shows about weddings and how so many people make their wedding day more important than the marriage itself. She said "There is something about this generation that wants to be a bride." I thought "YES!!" That's it, the closer it gets to the second coming of Christ, the more the earth will be longing for a wedding. The world may not know that the true longing comes from a deep desire that has been put in us from the beginning. The marriage supper of the lamb in Revelation 19:7-9, describes the prepared Bride. She is pure and set apart. She [the church] is Ready to be presented to Jesus as an eternal life partner forever. 

While I was babysitting recently, I was helping a precious little 4 year old girl brush her teeth and get ready for bed. In her mind, she really does think is a princess :) She told me she only wears dresses (even to sleep in) because that is what princess' wear. As she was brushing her teeth she stopped and said, "Miss Brooke, I don't want to be a dentist lady when I go up, I want to be a Bride" As she pointed to the red towel beside her she said, "And I don't want my dress to be this color, I want it to be white!" Then she went on to ask what you wear when you date someone, if you wear white when your married.. haha! But I was stunned that this 4 year old had such desires in her heart. No one had to teach her to want to be a Bride. Jesus put a eternal desire in us for partnership. Knowing our position as a heavenly partner with Jesus makes us come alive. The world needs people who come alive and who are radically in love. People who are lovesick will not burn out when things get tough. When we don't know our position, we may see Jesus as a hard coach who motivates by fear of consequences or guilt. Jesus, our Beloved, motivates by Love (2 Corinthians 5:14). His love is the best motivator because we no longer have to try harder to overcome sin, we simply focus on enjoying God and our deepest desire for satisfaction is met! He feels joyful towards us. He is singing over us a happy song of delight. In this end time army, He is raising up those with furious love in their hearts to leave everything for the sake of love... 

The "Why" question

         It has been on my heart lately the issue of how we think of God. It reminds me of what A.W. Tozer says: "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." It is so important to think rightly about God.
        Satan has always questioned the goodness and credibility of God. In Genesis 3:1 Satan is talking to Adam and Eve and says.. "Did God really say..?" He starts by questioning the motives of God.
In a recent church service, we were singing "How Great is our God". As I was singing, I was thinking of some really tragic things that happened that week. I heard the lie that we often hear... "If God is so great, then WHY would He allow that to happen?" The devil tempts us with the "why" question to make us question the credibility of God. I recognized the sly deceitfulness of the enemy continuing to question the goodness and faithfulness of Jesus. It reminds me of the story of John the Baptist. He was sitting in prison wondering why Jesus was doing nothing to help him. In Matthew 11:2 he sends disciples to go and ask Jesus, "Are You the One who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" Does anyone else find that strange?? Why would John, who had just baptized Jesus in the Jordan, saw heaven open, the Spirit descend, and heard the voice of God, be asking this question?? Was he not fully convinced that Jesus was the Messiah when the he heard God audibly say "This is my Son, whom I love". Sometimes I think he is asking "Jesus, If You are really the Messiah then "why" would you leave me here? Why are You not coming to my rescue? Why is this happening?"
The disciples asked the "Why" question when they are in the boat during the storm. In Mark 4:38, the disciples wake Jesus up and say "Do You not care that we are perishing"? They were asking Jesus "why" He was doing nothing but sleeping. We start to question Jesus when we start thinking logically at the situation. Of course Jesus cared but He was more concerned with why they were afraid rather than trusting His faithfulness. I love that even in a storm we may can feel everything shaking around us but stay at rest with Jesus. That is our inheritance as the beloved.
        We may be tempted to question Jesus when we are hurting or afraid. We do not see God as "fair" when we do not get our way. We do not even know what "fair" means from His perspective. When I babysit and the child asked me if they just eat all the cookies in the cookies jar for dinner, of course my response is no because i know how sick they will be. I know the response that is soon to follow... "That's not fair!!!" Of course they do not think it is fair because of their perspective. They do not understand the big picture.
       We must not entertain questioning thoughts because it allows Satan a door of opportunity to bring resentment and bitterness in our life. Even in the death of a loved one, a sickness, or tragedy we can not afford to be offended with our Beloved Jesus. This is the only time in all of eternity that we can CHOOSE to say "yes" to God in the midst of a struggle or hardship. We can choose to trust Him instead of being offended with Him. He is not aggrivated that we do not understand, the same way i am not aggrivated that children do not understand cookies for dinner, but I have to trust that He is who He says He is.
1. He is Real and Alive
2. He is Good
3. He is Faithfulness
      Dwelling on what the Word says about Him, brings down every wrong mindset. He is good because He is God. Faith is the confidence in the goodness of God. We can choose to believe God is incredibly good no matter the circumstance. Thinking logically will not get us to that point, but having our minds set on things above gives us a supernatural mindset. If we continue to focus on the things we do not understand, there is only worry, stress, and a complete lack of trust. I have to focus on what I DO understand!...
His power is made perfect in weakenss -2 Corinthians 12:9
He has UNFAILING love forever- Isaiah 54:10
He does not change - Malachi 3:6
We have grace and mercy to help in time of need - Hebrews 4:16
The Lord is good and has good things planned for those who love Him -Deut. 8:7, Ps. 34:8, 84:11, Lamentations 3:25, Zechariah 9:17, 1 Tim. 4:4

Be instant in season, out of season..

I can't believe I have one more short week at camp. I have learned so much in so many different ways. My journal is just about full ha :) Im sure I can finish it this week!
On my last day off to explore random places in Mississippi, I decided to go to bonita lakes mall in Meridian. I soon found out why it was called that. There is a beautiful lake behind the mall with a park around it. I had no idea that it was there all long! After I got some shopping done, I got a chance to go for a walk around the lake and just enjoy the atmosphere. The sun was starting to go down and the scenery was very captivating. It was kind of humorous to me that i was by myself in another state walking in a random park and felt like a local just like everybody else. It was cool to feel the Lords presence right there in an unfamiliar place. He has taught me over and over again, that no matter where I am, He truly is always there. It sounds elementary because we hear it so much, but to actually feel Him in an unfamiliar place, make the revelation so much greater. In the good times and bad, He is omnipresent. I haven't traveled that much in my life so it was neat to experience what it feels like to have Him constantly by me in different areas. Even when i have been places alone this summer, I have not felt alone. It reminds me of a day last week when i asked one of the little girls what she was learning during their Bible study, she said "That Jesus is our light and we are never alone. We do not have to be afraid, because He is always there with us." Im thankful for pure hungry hearts! Simple revelations when you need them go a LONG ways! Leaning on Him and relying on Him for strength this summer has made me trust Him so much more. It is like building that history with God and getting to watch how reliable He is. In my head, I know He is strong but when I am so weak, seeing Him make me strong, changes my whole view of His strength. I appreciate it so much more.
He is showing me that in EVERY season, I can have joy and peace. No matter whats going on inside of me, He always has what I need in His hands. All I have to do is reach out and receive. "You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing." -Psalm 145:16 I love that He is constantly a giver. There is always enough with Jesus. He has a never ending cup of love that He lets me drink from whenever I am lonely, weary, and impatient. I am so incredibly greatful for his patience towards me this summer.
It reminds of the verse in 2 Timothy 4:2 -"Preach the word: Be instant in season, out of season."
The greek interpretation that the devotional, "Sparkling Gems", gives for this verse explains that it is saying, "Take a firm stand and revolve to stay at your post! Reguardless of whether times are good or bad, that is your post-your place of responsibility-so dig in, take a firm stand, and resolve that you are going to be faithful." No matter what season we may be in, God calls us to be faithful. I may not feel like staying at my post or taking my place of responsibility but He has called us to in the good times and bad. What you do while you wait, determines the outcome of the situation. He will be there in every season and be faithful til the end but it's our choice if we are going to remain consistent in every season of life.
Towards the end of my wallk, i noticed some people on another path along side the top of a hill. I couldnt see over the hill, i just saw them walking on top of it and i starting getting curious what was on the other side of them. So i decided to take a detour and follow. I found an amazing thing! This whole time i was thinking how beautiful the small lake was i was walking around, but I had no idea that just a few feet over the hill was a more beautiful river that was so much larger, more trees, less people, and no traffic around in site. I couldn't believe that just when i thought the scenery couldn't get better, it did! So i crossed over the road and spend the rest of the night on that side. It was like Jesus was saying, "Brooke, what you think is great, really is great, but I have so much more to show you. You haven't seen anything yet. I want you to cross over so i can take you to new places. You have to trust that Im always good and faithful and that I have plans to prosper you. Trust me with your hand and let me take you to higher places." Sometimes I think I can know better than Jesus and just want to stay in the place im in because It seems good. But He wants to take me deeper, to a place I can't even imagine. I feel like He is calling me to take risks with my dreams in order to get to places I can't get otherwise. He wants more for us than we want for ourselves. He was to do something big and do exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask or think!! (Eph 3:20). But that means being faithful in EVERY SEASON. Im learning though the travel may be hard, He always wants to take us from glory to glory! He has a purpose for every season, whether we can see it or not. It was a great date with Jesus! Even when I have a hard time trusting Him in every season, Im thankful He is so patient with me. He is a gentle Husband who always guides and never pushes.
Our last group of campers come Wednesday through Saturday, then the staff dinner Saturday night and home Sunday! yay!! Im excited to see friends and family very soon :)

From Weak to Warrior

Today on my day off i was able to enjoy sleep and just quietness :) I found a nice coffee shop in downtown Laurel and it's been so fun to relax and get to read and write for a little bit. I've been asking the Lord what He wants to teach me today and it's been like a download of information. He is always speaking, it's just my choice to have open ears to hear what the Spirit is saying. He lead me to Luke 21:1-4 first. It says:

"Looking up, Jesus saw the rich people putting their gifts into the treasury. And He saw also a poor widow putting in two mites. And He said, Truly I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them; for they all gave out of their abundance (their surplus); but she has contributed out of her lack and her want, putting in all that she had on which to live."

God does not define us by our weakness or our lack, but our willingness to allow Him to become our strength. He keeps reminding me that He does not see as the world sees. He just wants our BEST. Our best may not be want the world considers the best to be. Papa gave His very best sacrifice for me-His Son. Now it's my chance to endure, finish well, and give my very best the rest of this summer. Even when it's hard and I feel like i have no energy left, He requires my best. When we give our best, Jesus always makes up the difference. I love that!! When we are willing, He is strong in our weakness. He loves weak and desperate people, because He has room to be their strength.

I starting thinking about all the people in the Bible who were weak to the world but were made strong by the power of the Lord and were able to do supernatural things. He turned the weak into warriors for His Glory!
-Abraham and Sarah were barren and unable to have children yet was turned into the father of many nations.
-Moses said "I am slow to speech and have a heavy and awkward tongue", but God made him His mouth piece. In Deut. 34:7 it says "Moses was 120 years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor His strength gone".
-David was the youngest, smallest, just tended sheep, not even allowed to fight. As we know, the Lord gave Him strength to fight Goliath and made him a king.
-Esther was a Jewish orphan who saved her people from being killed by risking her own life. Her background did not let that stop her from being a strong warrior.
-Gideon was another example. In Judges 6:15-16 it says "Gideon said to Him, 'Oh Lord, how can i deliver Isreal? Behold, my clan is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the LEAST in my fathers house.' The Lord said to him, 'Surely I will be with you, and you shall smite the Midianites as one man.'" He hid from from the midianites and asked for two signs from the Lord because he was afraid. He was so afraid of the people that when God told him to tear down the altar of Baal, He did it at night so no one would see. God still affirmed him and was patient with his weakness. He saw the willingness of Gideons heart.

Our ability or circumstance does not have to determine our destiny!
In 1 Corinthians 9:22 it says "To the weak, I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.
He loves being strong in our weakness and making up the difference. He is saying, "If you just say 'yes' where you are now, i will take you where you want to be". I get frustrated with my struggles, my conpromises, and my inabilities, but the Lord is not calling me to be perfect, just willing. I love that He takes us where we are and transforms us into something we could never achieve alone. He loves giving beauty instead of ashes. If we will trade our insecurities and trust Him, He will do "exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think" (Eph. 3:20). I am praying for a transformed mind to not question His strength when He asked me to do something, but just rest in the confidence to know that my weakness is not weakness to Him, just an opportunity for Him to be strong. My ability does not determine my destiny. We serve a God who delights in doing the impossible. He loves transforming weak people into warriors!!
*Isaiah 40:29
*Joel 3:10
*Romans 8:26
*2 Cor. 12:10
*Hebrews 4:15

Identity

The Lord has been teaching me a lot about identity lately and it's something that i need to keep at the forefront of my mind. It is so important to truly know the way the Lord sees us and shut out the opinion of man. I have been praying for a new pair of glasses to see what Jesus sees. If I don't let the Lord define me each day, the world automatically will. He is showing me that it's my choice to decide what I want to believe about myself. Satan wants us to live in condemnation and fear of other people because he is so afraid of who we might become. He knows that if we really knew who we were in Christ, then we would stop listening to his lies and embrace Truth. He wants to delute the Truth as much as he can. It's so easy to listen to get caught up in comparing ourselves or constantly looking for approval, but God has not called us to live that kind of life. He wants a bride who know who she is because she knows who her God is. He wants to set our generation free of false identity. We don't have to look to the people around, the media, or anyone else to define us any more. The fastest way Satan can attack and tear someone apart is through their thoughts. Damon Thompson says "The warefare of your life is happening in your mind." What we think about is going to determine how we behave.
The other day I was cleaning the rooms that the campers stayed in after they left. I was cleaning the mirrors and I hear the Lord say, "What do you see?" and I stopped and thought about a few things going on in my heart for a minute. I can be hard on myself a lot of times trying to please people or live up to a standard that someone else has set. So i felt a little discouraged by my response to His question because Satan was reminding me of negative things. I asked the Lord what He saw and I felt Him say, "I see a jewel. I see a treasure." I was taken back by His words. It changes everything to know what He sees. It changed the whole attitude of my day. He is teaching me how important it is to stay in a place where His voice is the loudest thing in my ears. He wants to drown out all other lovers. He wants us to fling away every negative mindset, every lie, and every bit of condemnation. Knowing my identity in Him is the most freeing thing i can think of because lies just seem to fall off. When we feel not good enough, not pretty enough, not this or that, we have to know the source of those words are not from the Lord. When we know our Shepard, we recoginize His voice.
John 10:4- "And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."
I love this verse because it reminds me that Satan's lies should be so foreign to us that we immediately are able to distiguish lies from Truth. Jesus is never condeming. He is such a good Lover that longs for His bride to know exactly what He sees. He loves it when we get it and receive His affections.
Im so thankful for His Truth. We don't have to worry about comparing ourselves to anyone else because we are each His special treasure that He created. YOU ARE HIS PRIZED POSSESSION!

The Lord is teaching me that the weapon to fight false idenitity is the Word. Im learning the power in confessing the Word. When i think and speak truth about what He says about me, it changes my attitute and even how I see life.

Daily Identity Confessions!

• I am loved 1John 3:3
• I am accepted Ephesians 1:6
• I am a child of God John 1:12
• I am Jesus' friend John 15:14
• I am a joint heir with Jesus, sharing His inheritance with Him Romans 8:17
• I am united with God and one spirit with Him 1Corinthians 6:17
• I am a temple of God. His spirit and his life live in me 1 Corinthians 6:19
• I am a member of Christ's body. 1 Corinthians 12:27
• I am a Saint Ephesians 1:1
• I am complete in Jesus Christ Colossians 2:10
• I am free from condemnation Romans 8:1
• I am a new creation because I am in Christ 2Corinthians 5:17
•  I am God’s Workman ship Ephesians 2:10
• I have been bought with a price and belong to God. 1 cor. 6:19-20
• I am fearfully and wonderfully made Psalm 139:14

Extravagent Love

Today has been a great day!! I was able to get a day off from camp and just enjoy rest and some Brooke and Jesus time :) Things have been so busy with the biggest camps of the summer here that I enjoyed every minute of this day to rest.
I pulled out some of my old journals this morning and was just looking at how much the Lord has taught me in the last year. There is nothing better than having a personal history with God and see how He has been so faithful. He has been faithful to every single one of His promises. He has taught me so much about my identity and with that this year has come so many dreams. Even this summer, i feel like my dreams are expanding and He is putting new passions in my heart.
Being the summer of "first love", i think "pure love" is what follows. The Lord keeps bringing me back to the story of Mary at Bethany in Matthew 26. She poured out her whole future and life on Jesus. Her alabaster box is believed to be her dowry for her husband. The idea was that the dowry was split 3 ways. one-third was given to the bride's father and then two-thirds were given to the husband and his father. It was PURE nard, which meant that it was not mixed with other things and not contaminated with anything else. Mary was an extravagent lover because she understood the value of pouring her life on Jesus. When she poured her jar of precious ointment on Jesus feet and hair, she was saying "Jesus, YOU are now my future". Jesus loved her worship so much that he scolded those who thought it was a waste and said, "Why do you bother this woman? She has done a noble (praiseworthy and beautiful) thing to Me." (vs. 10)
The Lord is asking me for that pure love to be poured out. With these dreams of being a wife, mother, ministry, amoung other things, the Lord simply wants me to say "No matter what lies ahead, the only thing i know is that Your'e my future. You're my dreams. You have my heart." I want to say Yes to Him and offer Him pure love, not mixed with anything else. I cannot save anything for myself and try to plan things on my own. When I live a life poured out, He then can take control and lead me. Our lives should be a pure fragrance that is relased in the atmosphere that changes things. When we encountered the love the Lord has for us, it makes us fall deeper in love with Him. "We love, because He first loved us."
There is no greater joy than wasting our life on Jesus. He wants a people who will love Him extravagently!! That is my prayer and my desire is to give Him pure love.
Psalm 24:3-4 "Who shall go up into the mountain of the Lord? or who shall stand in His Holy Place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted himself up to falsehood or to what is false, nor sworn deceitfully."