Be Loved

Wanted to turn our hearts to the Heart of God today. Regardless of the outcome of your earthly Valentine’s Day, soak on these truths…

Your Maker is your Husband (Isaiah 54:5)

He rescued you because He delights in you (Psalm 18:19)

Let Him kiss you with the kisses of His mouth
For your love is is more delightful than wine (Song of Songs 1: 2)

Never will I leave you or forsake you.  (Hebrews 13:5)

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!”
Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life. (Revelation 22: 17)

Happy Valentine’s Day.
From your One True Love

Following You

In honor of Valentine’s Day and a momentous two year anniversary, I want to play you a song that is on the Real. Life. worship cd.

The two year anniversary marks one of our darkest seasons when Chuck and I were both stepping back to assess whether our marriage could be salvaged. We were separated and seeking the Lord for resurrection power. This morning, we prayed together with hearts full of gratitude that He indeed  had resurrected our lives out of the ashes.

What’s ironic is that I wrote this song in the first year of our marriage almost twenty years ago. I had no idea the prophetic word it would be over our lives.  God has done exactly what the lyrics say:  Burn us up/ melt us down/ create a gold that’s new.  I see that it is our following Jesus that has brought us to this point of gratefulness and joy.

I love Him. I love that He loves us so. Thank You, Lord, that You did not shy away from the heat of loving us. Amen.

Following You

Words and Melody by Jana Spicka
Guitar Framework by Roselynn Spicka

Acoustic Guitars: Stephanie Sapp

I’m following you through the fire
I’m following you through the fire
Of a burning churning love affair
I say you and you say me

We say you, me, you
It’s a fire of a lifetime
Of days turned  gray with age
and years of burning love

Stronger than rivers
Carving out canyons from stone
Stronger than tremors
Cracking the face of the earth
Greater than thunder
Rolling the passions of our souls

I’m following you through the fire
And I know we’re really scared
I’m following into the fire of hearts
and we’ll make a new home there

Burn us up and melt up down
and create a gold that’s new
It’s a fire of a lifetime
I will not shy away from the heat of loving you

Fire and flame
How we change
Past the pain
We shall rise above

Through days turned  gray with age
and years of burning love
Stronger than rivers
Carving out canyons from stone
Stronger than tremors
Cracking the face of the earth
Longer than mountains
Falling from the weight of time

Following you through fire
fire and flame

You’re My Beloved

It is so perfect that Valentine’s Day falls so quickly after the last Unhindered Encounter. Watching God literally sweep women out of their pews and off their feet is truly “supernatural.”

You heard Him clearly. You didn’t hear Him clearly. You are messed up. You are naked and exposed. You are confirmed and affirmed like never before. So I wanted to offer this bit of coaching for the “now what” phase we all enter.  The only thing I can tell you is let go. Let go. Continue letting go. I told a friend of mine this morning, “Just fall into His arms.”

When I get bound up in questions like, How do I look?, Is this right? Am I on track? — my eyes are still on me. It is a lot  like when you are learning how to dance; you watch your feet. But when you look at the face of the person you are dancing with, you let go of getting it just right. Look into His face. Sure you will stumble and step on His feet, but His arms steady you. Over time, you will begin to feel the rhythm of the music, the feeling of His embrace. If you will let yourself go,  you stop worrying about what your feet are doing because you just want to move to the music. Move to His music. And keep asking for more.

You know what I am going to do today? I’m going to make Him a Valentine card. I want my heart to be His. So I thought I would stretch and see what happens when I ask Him to be my Valentine.  Remember it is about the dancing, not the feet.

Just enjoy the process of discovery. He sure does. “I am my beloved’s and His desire is for me.”

Kisses from Jesus

Sure I know it is the day after Valentine’s Day and enough already, right? But God did this totally random thing at the retreat I was teaching this weekend and I wanted to share it.

I gave the women two chocolate kisses. I told them to eat one like they would normally do.  And most of them just chomped it down.  Then I asked them to take the next one and hold it in their mouths and really experience the chocolate, savour the taste, the texture. Their faces were a sea of enjoyment.

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” I said, “You just got a kiss from Jesus.”

I wish you could have been there to see the change in facial expressions: shock, awe, delight, disgust, disbelief. Where did I get this cockamamey idea?  Uhm, that would be the Bible.

“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—

for your love is more delightful than wine.

Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes;

your name is like perfume poured out.

No wonder the maidens love you!

Take me away with you—let us hurry!

Let the king bring me into his chambers.”

Song of Songs 1:2-4

What is a kiss anyway?  A sign of affection, connection, relationship.  But here is the distinctive: I only kiss people I love.  Sure there are different kinds of kisses. Little pecks and long lingers. But all are expressions of love. We humans didn’t make up that connection. This is a clue into the affections of God.

And, I don’t receive kisses from just anyone. You have to been in my circle of affection before you can enter into that realm with me.  The closer you go into my circle, the more intimate the kiss.

I wonder, do you savour your relationship with God, like enjoying a good piece of chocolate? Do you know you have a Royal Husband whose love is more delightful than wine?

Do you ever give yourself permission to simply enjoy God and be enjoyed by Him?

Isaiah 54 makes a scandalous statement. He declares our Maker is our Husband. Think about this. The implications are staggering. He is love. He is hope. Therefore, He is perfect in power, provision, love, affection, satisfaction, and companionship. He is able to meet every need of every woman, and every man.

Since the fall, both men and women have been trying to do life on their own, depending on self to provide and protect, define and value. Both sexes have been looking for the perfect mate to complete and satisfy their longings. All the while, we have had the Perfect Mate but we continue to look elsewhere, to lesser lovers, lesser gods.

Even with the status of current day marriages being so disappointing, we rarely allow ourselves to consider that we have a Spiritual Husband. Will you go there?

I am double doggin’ dare you to ask for a kiss from Jesus.  It may come as a song, a card, a word from someone, a scripture, or picture, but this I know — if you ask and watch, it will come.

Know where mine came from?  A parking lot.  I went out of my way to get to a store only to get there and it was closed. As I was walking back to the car, grumbling, I saw it.

A little red glittering heart. Wet from the rain, but waiting for me.

“Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.” Habakkuk 2:3