Scoreboard!

A good friend of mine's son (let's call him Andy) is an excellent soccer player.  He's gifted, he's talented and he works really, really hard at it.  He began playing on local leagues as soon as he could run and boy howdy can this young man run!  Andy's on the high school team now - a key player leading their team to play stronger and more consistently than in several years.  You get the picture.  This guy is good.

 

At a recent game, the opponent (on Team B, for bad guys) directly facing Andy had a brilliant strategy to discourage him. Though Team B was losing and losing badly (9- 1), the player was hurling taunts endlessly at Andy.  "You're not playing very well."  "You're an embarrassment to your team."  "Your coach is mad at you." "Your coach is going to take you out."  On and on it went.  Andy's response?  He would say, "Scoreboard."  That was his only reply to his opponent.  Scoreboard.  Look at the scoreboard.  We are winning.  Your words don't change that reality and they won't change that reality.  I've got nothing to say to you.

 

Andy had to stay strong in the game.  He later confessed that staying in the truth was a battle. Rejecting the opponent's accusation and focusing on what was before him required both determination and stamina.

 

Sound familiar?

 

Our opponent is tireless at hurling accusations at us; at taunting us.  "You're not doing this very well." "You're an embarrassment to the Body of Christ." "God is mad at you."  "You're disqualified."  On and on it can go.  Our response is not to take in the accusation or even engage in the dialogue but just to say, "Look at the Cross".  Jesus has won it all.  For me.  I am in Him.  I am loved.  I am secure.  I am forgiven.  Always.  (THANK YOU,GOD!)

 

Or else, maybe the next time the enemy's accusation comes our way, we can just say, "Scoreboard!".

It's in the Details

Last weekend was a Captivating retreat up at Frontier Ranch in Buena Vista, Colorado.  It was, in every possible and impossible way, simply beautiful.  God is SO faithful!  Oh, how he loves it when his women pay such a cost in time, money, effort, battle...to gather to seek his heart.  And he comes!  He came gently, powerfully, heavily.  And he came intimately.

 

I'm just getting some stories in now...one woman whose favorite breakfast is french toast asked God if he would give her a special love gift of french toast for breakfast.  How she smiled Sunday morning when she came in to the dining room to plates overflowing with french toast.

 

Another woman was being wooed by Jesus to remember how close they had once been - how sweet their relationship - and inviting her back to his heart when we played her all time favorite worship song that held memories dear to her heart of her Lord.  A song she hadn't heard in years.  She wept. 

 

Actually, there are hundreds of stories.  Literally.  Women who so deeply longed to hear the voice of God in their spirit - and did.  Felt his deep affection.  Encountered his love.  Worshipped him with a passion, intimacy and sweetness they had never experienced before.  Will never be the same.

 

He came for me in heart rocks.  He's been wonderfully extravagant with them!  He even gave me a heart cloud with wings on either side of it!  I love how personal, how sweet his gifts to us are.

 

How is he coming to you?  Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to see and receive his loving pursuit - his intimate gifts, just for you.  He is a God of details.  :-)