Hanukkah holds so many lessons for us, if you have never celebrated it as a Christian, you will find great life lessons in everything about the celebration.
One of the most important lessons is how to open your eyes to see that you have allowed things in that shouldn’t be there. We learn how to rekindle the lights, so we see into the dark, cobwebbed corners that have been defiled by those things we slowly allowed to creep in. Then we do a big sweep and rededicate ourselves to listen to the counsel of our good Father and start walking out our purpose again!
One of the most important lessons is how to open your eyes to see that you have allowed things in that shouldn’t be there. We learn how to rekindle the lights, so we see into the dark, cobwebbed corners that have been defiled by those things we slowly allowed to creep in. Then we do a big sweep and rededicate ourselves to listen to the counsel of our good Father and start walking out our purpose again!
Hanukkah comes from the Hebrew word Chanak which means dedication. It is a picture of being dedicated for a purpose. The purpose of the temple that they rededicated was a place to worship God! Your purpose as the current temple of the Holy Spirit is to do the same. You need to know your purpose if you are going to be dedicated to it!
In Acts 13:36, and Luke 7:30 the word used for purpose is the same word for counsel, (boule—boolay). The idea here is, if you listen to counsel, you will know your purpose! In Acts, we learn that when David had fulfilled God’s counsel (his purpose) he rested. But in Luke we learn that the Pharisees rejected God’s counsel by not getting baptized, and so they rejected their purpose.
When we listen to God’s counsel, He has pre-ordained and instructed us to walk in good works which he set up ahead of time for us. These good works fit right into the wheelhouse of the gifts and skills He gave us. (Romans 8:28, Ephesians 2:10). Following through on these good works shows us our purpose.
Go light yourself up with the oil of His presence, investigate the corners of your heart and mind to find the things that have creeped in that weren’t supposed to be there, do a thorough clean out, and rededicate your heart to be used for His purpose alone! The promise of Hanukkah is that no matter how dark it’s been, there is always enough of the oil of His presence to relight your lamp.
How do you express gratitude when you are in your darkest place, when you don’t feel it, when you haven’t seen the answer, and when nothing looks good right now?
There is so much heaviness in the world, but thankfulness is one of the best things we can do to transition our emotions out of fear, worry, and heaviness.
But don’t you need to feel thankful to express it?
This topic reminds me of Jonah when he had just been thrown into the ocean and then been swallowed by a fish and was sitting there in the stinky grossness of fish goo and darkness.
But don’t you need to feel thankful to express it?
This topic reminds me of Jonah when he had just been thrown into the ocean and then been swallowed by a fish and was sitting there in the stinky grossness of fish goo and darkness.
He had less reason to be thankful than almost anyone. He had been sent to a group of people he truly hated to tell them to repent. So he ran! He totally rebelled against God and was walking in the consequences of that.
But even amid the stinky, slimy, goo, he still said, “But I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving. That which I have vowed I will pay, salvation is from the Lord.” ~ Jonah 2:9
Immediately after this, God commanded the fish to spit him out on the land.
But even amid the stinky, slimy, goo, he still said, “But I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving. That which I have vowed I will pay, salvation is from the Lord.” ~ Jonah 2:9
Immediately after this, God commanded the fish to spit him out on the land.
His sacrifice of thanksgiving brought about a changed, repentant heart that set him free to be released from the darkness.
The Hebrew word thankful here is “Todah” which is a form of thanksgiving we give as a sacrifice when we are not seeing God’s hand. It is a different word than Yadah, which is the thanksgiving we give in response to seeing God’s goodness.
Yadah means to hold out your extended hand in worship, thanksgiving, and praise in response to what God has done. It is seeing His hand reaching to you, and you throw your hands back out to grab His in exchange.
Todah means we give thanks before we see the answer, when we trust He will do a miracle, but we haven’t experienced it yet. It is like offering to raise your hands in a sacrifice of praise and adoration when you don’t see a hand reaching to you.
That’s the answer, it is a sacrifice, a choice that you make. It is making a choice to not rely on feelings or what you can see with your eyes, and instead you rely on your faith and trust that He is more than capable of finding you wherever your dark place is.
This week, as you prepare for Thanksgiving, it is a good time to learn how to make every day an opportunity to be grateful no matter how you feel, no matter what you experience, knowing that the KING of KINGS loves you with an everlasting love and He can see you no matter where you are, and HE cares!
This week, as you prepare for Thanksgiving, it is a good time to learn how to make every day an opportunity to be grateful no matter how you feel, no matter what you experience, knowing that the KING of KINGS loves you with an everlasting love and He can see you no matter where you are, and HE cares!
It started yesterday with an assumption…
I assumed that if there were an empty dishwasher, that people would have a place other than the counter to put their dirty dishes.
I’m not sure why I assumed this, since I am getting up there in years, and it has never worked before. And we all know that doing the same thing but expecting a different result is not wise.
So when I woke up to a counter full of slimy, scummy, disgusting dishes that I then put in the dishwasher, the anxiety began to rise in me!
I assumed that if there were an empty dishwasher, that people would have a place other than the counter to put their dirty dishes.
I’m not sure why I assumed this, since I am getting up there in years, and it has never worked before. And we all know that doing the same thing but expecting a different result is not wise.
So when I woke up to a counter full of slimy, scummy, disgusting dishes that I then put in the dishwasher, the anxiety began to rise in me!
First, why was I even putting other people’s dishes in the washer? Because I was sick of asking other people to do it. And I was upset that they didn’t just do it when I have asked for the last 33 years every single day. But of course, they won’t do it, if I do it! Silly me! I know this but am so tired of the conversation that I end up doing it anyway.
Back to the anxiety… I was getting more and more angry about it this morning. I was about to blow, and I knew it!
So instead of blowing, I’ve learned a trick in the last years that has made a HUGE difference for how my days turn out.
I stop and ask myself, why is this making me so angry? What belief system do I have that is connected to my family not putting their dirty dishes in the dishwasher that then causes such extreme irritability?
Back to the anxiety… I was getting more and more angry about it this morning. I was about to blow, and I knew it!
So instead of blowing, I’ve learned a trick in the last years that has made a HUGE difference for how my days turn out.
I stop and ask myself, why is this making me so angry? What belief system do I have that is connected to my family not putting their dirty dishes in the dishwasher that then causes such extreme irritability?
The answer was, I believe that they think I am not as important as they are, that all I’m good for as a person is to clean up after them.
Since I clarified the belief system, then I could search for the memory that caused me to believe this… the memory was a time when I had asked so many times for people to put their dishes in, and no one was doing it. A time when I had 7 children at home, instead of the 2 that are here now, and so the house was always covered in dirty dishes. One day instead of using my brain and giving the task back to whom it belonged, I allowed the anxiety to rise so high that I smashed my favorite water bottle and then screamed at my son and told him it was his fault that I broke the water bottle because he made me so angry.
Yes, I knew I was being childish, yes, I knew it was my fault for not handling the situation correctly. Nothing good came from that day. And I still hold myself guilty over it, so I must not have received closure yet by apologizing appropriately and allowing the memory to be healed instead of stuffed.
Since I clarified the belief system, then I could search for the memory that caused me to believe this… the memory was a time when I had asked so many times for people to put their dishes in, and no one was doing it. A time when I had 7 children at home, instead of the 2 that are here now, and so the house was always covered in dirty dishes. One day instead of using my brain and giving the task back to whom it belonged, I allowed the anxiety to rise so high that I smashed my favorite water bottle and then screamed at my son and told him it was his fault that I broke the water bottle because he made me so angry.
Yes, I knew I was being childish, yes, I knew it was my fault for not handling the situation correctly. Nothing good came from that day. And I still hold myself guilty over it, so I must not have received closure yet by apologizing appropriately and allowing the memory to be healed instead of stuffed.
The next step after finding the belief system attached to the anxious response, then finding the memory that brought the belief, is to take an oil (in the case of anxiety, Ylang Ylang is a good one), smelling it deeply, speaking the truth, “My family loves me and believes I am valuable” and then dealing with the memory by going to the person I’ve hurt and apologizing appropriately.
When I do this every time some form of irritability or anxiety rises in me, then I don’t have the constant stress responses to irritating things.
See, the answer wasn’t just to ask them again to do their dishes, because the response came from a much deeper place than just dishes.
That is how we stuff things and make ourselves sick! When we just take our response at face value and don’t try to figure out why we respond they way we do, these feelings end up deep down inside our cells and lead to inflammation and sickness.
If you have stress responses, and need help figuring out how to find the belief, the memory, and then the proper response, go make an appointment on my website HERE for an Anointed to Soar session!
When I do this every time some form of irritability or anxiety rises in me, then I don’t have the constant stress responses to irritating things.
See, the answer wasn’t just to ask them again to do their dishes, because the response came from a much deeper place than just dishes.
That is how we stuff things and make ourselves sick! When we just take our response at face value and don’t try to figure out why we respond they way we do, these feelings end up deep down inside our cells and lead to inflammation and sickness.
If you have stress responses, and need help figuring out how to find the belief, the memory, and then the proper response, go make an appointment on my website HERE for an Anointed to Soar session!
Have you ever passed a truck on the highway, and as you were looking at it, you started drifting toward it? We are wired for our body to follow our head, and for our head to follow our eyes.
So if your eyes are focused on the truck beside you instead of the road in front of you, you will drift toward the truck!
The order of movement is eyes, then head, then body. Or, in other words, focus, then thoughts, then actions. All dancers and athletes know this, you must first put your eyes in the direction you’re moving, or you will fail miserably! When a dancer is spinning, she must keep her eyes focused ahead, or dizziness will set in that leads to a FALL!
If your eyes are looking behind you because you are regretting the past, brooding over mistakes, or wondering what you’ve missed, your head (thoughts, emotions, choices, and attitudes) will be focused on the past instead of moving forward. If your focus and thoughts are somewhere in the past, your day to day activities will not bring you to a desired goal. You can’t move forward if you are focused behind.
This doesn’t mean we don’t work through past trauma or wounds. It doesn’t mean we ignore mistakes, or stuff down emotions thinking we are taking our thoughts captive! We must take action to work through the trauma, forgive the wounds, learn from the mistakes! But once we have done the work, then it is time to change focus!
The same is true of making good choices. Some choices may have to be left behind as you keep your eyes focused on your goal. This doesn’t mean you are against that choice you are leaving behind; it means the other choice is better! If you are dividing your focus between the two, you will not move toward either.
So if your eyes are focused on the truck beside you instead of the road in front of you, you will drift toward the truck!
The order of movement is eyes, then head, then body. Or, in other words, focus, then thoughts, then actions. All dancers and athletes know this, you must first put your eyes in the direction you’re moving, or you will fail miserably! When a dancer is spinning, she must keep her eyes focused ahead, or dizziness will set in that leads to a FALL!
If your eyes are looking behind you because you are regretting the past, brooding over mistakes, or wondering what you’ve missed, your head (thoughts, emotions, choices, and attitudes) will be focused on the past instead of moving forward. If your focus and thoughts are somewhere in the past, your day to day activities will not bring you to a desired goal. You can’t move forward if you are focused behind.
This doesn’t mean we don’t work through past trauma or wounds. It doesn’t mean we ignore mistakes, or stuff down emotions thinking we are taking our thoughts captive! We must take action to work through the trauma, forgive the wounds, learn from the mistakes! But once we have done the work, then it is time to change focus!
The same is true of making good choices. Some choices may have to be left behind as you keep your eyes focused on your goal. This doesn’t mean you are against that choice you are leaving behind; it means the other choice is better! If you are dividing your focus between the two, you will not move toward either.
This might make boundaries necessary. Some people may not understand that you are not rejecting one choice, you are just putting the other choice in focus! Protect your choices and goals like a precious seed! Surround yourself with the waterers, move away from the tramplers for a time until your seed is firmly rooted. Then you will be strong to be a light to those who are so wounded that they desire to trample.
Here are the steps to moving forward:
2) Discern the direction you’re supposed to be going. What is supposed to be your current focus and plan.
3) Find the activities you are involved in that are hindering you from moving forward, figure out what can be set aside for a time. (This doesn’t include obligations to faith, family, friends, and self!)
4) Set your goals and intentions and write it everywhere! Remind yourself by writing it wherever you will see it! And tell people! This keeps it fresh in your mind.
5) Set a boundary. What will you do if something gets in the way of your goal? Have a protection plan in place and surround yourself with waterers (people who will encourage your dream).
6) Eyes forward, thoughts forward, body forward… and RUN!!!!
If your goal is to help others heal, check out this link HERE!
What if, when He was sharing His love with you, He was really saying, “As you wish!”? ~Matthew 7:11
What if, when He was serving you, that was how He showed His love for you? ~Mark 10:45
What if, when you thought he had left you or just didn’t love you, He was really out fighting bad guys on your behalf? ~Psalm 22:1-31
What if He would climb the cliffs of insanity to save you from the ones holding you captive? ~Psalm 139:7-12
What if His sword was more powerful than any other sword? ~Hebrews 4:12
What if He could overpower any giant just to get to you? ~Deuteronomy 31:6-8
What if He could out-maneuver any wise man and make him look like a fool just to save you? ~1 Corinthians 1:25
What if the world was like a fire swamp, but He was right by your side protecting you from the ROUS’s, pulling you out of the way of flame spurts, and going in after you when you get sucked up by lightening sand? ~Isaiah 43:2
What if the greatest hunter was after you, had tricked you, was holding you captive, and was trying to make you take vows to him, but instead He made him drop. his. sword!? ~Colossians 2:15
