Your Abundance Does Not Wither!

“Blessed is the man

     who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked

or stand in the way of sinners

     or sit in the seat of mockers.

But his delight is in the law of the Lord,

     and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water,

     which yields its fruit in season

and whose leaf does not wither.

     Whatever he does prospers. 

Not so the wicked!

     They are like chaff

     that the wind blows away.

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

     nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,

     but the way of the wicked will perish.”

- Psalm 1:1-6 NIV

What was your initial reaction to this scripture? A breath of power and esteem? A sigh of relief? An eye roll? A stir of annoyance?

More than likely depending on the day and what's going on in your life the reaction might be different. Most emphasis on this scripture is directed to be rooted in Christ, the stream of water. And how when you are then you will receive the prospering that is discussed. With that in mind, as a Christian you might have reacted in the positive manners, a breath of power or esteem or a sigh of relief. Even if this is the case, I still want to challenge you to go a little deeper with it! So keep reading. :)

But what if your reaction was on the other end? What if this scripture made you roll your eyes or it aggravated you? I want you to take a moment and ask yourself why. 

Are you ready for complete transparency?!

This morning when I read that I rolled my eyes. {Catch your breath! Yes, me, the one writing all of these blogs and praying for you, the one who loves Jesus with all my heart, - I rolled my eyes!!!} I am far from perfect and as much as I hate to admit it, my flesh gets the best of my mind sometimes. When I read that a Christian is like a tree planted by waters that will  prosper in whatever he does, I sent that through "a breeze through the trees"** of my thoughts and thought patterns that have been formed over the 24 years of my life. This morning followed the several days of the enemy attacking my thought life. So the trees this scripture breezed through were ones that were growing in toxicity; "humph, not me...", "not everything I do prospers", "I'm not good enough", and the list goes on.

Luckily, I have had wonderful mentors, pastors, and friends who have trained me since my spiritual birth to fight my flesh. They have taught me and walked with me through many of the spiritual growing pains I have faced. I have been raised well. 

Have you ever met a 20 something, spoiled brat who doesn't know what real work is? Have you ever met a 20 something who has been raised well, with a head on their shoulders, manners, and a great work ethic? You can immediately see the differences. The same goes for spiritual growth. Some have been raised well, others not so much. 

{{If you are a Christian who feels like you have not been raised well and you identify more with the 20 something brat, find strength and power in that there is still growing up to do. You're not stuck where you are, no matter how long you've been there.}}

Because of my spiritual upbringing I have been able to stand firm and not relinquish my thoughts and emotions to satan. So when I read that and rolled my eyes there was a spirit check. Why? Why was that my response? Also, God's nudging was there to push me from noticing a spirit check to discovering and shifting something in me. He opened my eyes to the rest of that verse.

"...which yields its fruit in season

and whose leaf does not wither."

First, the tree yields its fruit IN SEASON, not continuously. If you've been in church for very long you know that there are "seasons of life", this is a churchy term used to describe the ups and downs and ebbs and flows of life. This is not exclusive to Christians, but effects non believers too. So we Christians can become used to this term and look it over easily in scripture, while maintaining our pre-percieved ideas about whatever we just read. While I read that the tree will bear its fruit in season I still had in my head a tree will bear fruit constantly and continuously. But that is not what the Word says. There will be a time to "bear fruit", {another churchy term that means to see the payoffs of our hard work - apply that to whatever area of life you need to}, but there will also be a time when no fruit is seen.

Second, the leaf won't wither. When do leaves wither? Extreme circumstances, cold/hot, and in fall, the "season" of death and dormancy. So this tree is not exempt from the heat or from the cold, it is not exempt from the seasons of death and  dormancy. However, the tree will endure. The tree will continue to show signs of life, a leaf not withered. 

This is there promise that we have from the Lord. If we remain in Him, if we obey and meditate on His laws, we will not wither and we will bear fruit in the proper season. 

Through this scripture and others like it we are also promised that if we do not abide in the Lord, if we choose to "walk in the counsel of the wicked" and to make our selves at home there, then we will be like chaff; dried, dead, and useless. We will be tossed around by life, not able to grip anything. We will not truly live.

So, wherever you are, whatever you're going through, I pray that this message speaks to you. I pray that you hear your heavenly Father, your Rescuer, your Best Friend, calling out to you, encouraging you to walk with him. He has the water to provide for seasons, to keep you from withering away and to supply your fruit in the proper season.

Father, thank you that you care enough about us to encourage us and to prompt us to go deeper with you. Thank you for your provision and for giving us your best, no matter what life throws at us. Thank you for new life, for fruit, for steady stream, pouring into us constantly! Give us peace that goes beyond our circumstances and courage to stand firm in you! 

~Awaken Us~

Brenna Stanford

Young Living
Member # 2645436

P.S. So right after I had this moment with the Lord I read a post by one of my leaders. I'll share it below. Basically it was a post reminding us of how awesome and powerful these gifts of essential oils are. This particular one is a blend called Abundance. I have this, and actually had it in my purse. So I pulled it out and applied it topically and inhaled it directly. This gift from God paired with the reawakening of this scripture shifted my mind and spirit enough to kick satan's tricks out of my mind, refocus and walk in the abundance God has for me!

Post:

Seriously y'all. You need to use Abundance oil like water. No joke. It's the #secretsauce along with a train load of #hustle!!!

This essential oil has a powerful effect on your energy. If you are radiating the frequency of scarcity {poverty mindset}, it will be very difficult to move into a place of Abundance. Many people find this incredibly beneficial.

HOW DO YOU USE IT?
1. diffuse it during the day
2. diffuse it at night while you sleep
3. rub it on your feet
4. wear it like perfume
5. rub a drop on your phone (seriously)
6. rub a drop on your computer (yep)
7. put a drop on oily mail that you are sending out
8. put a drop in your wallet (no joke)
9. add a few drops to a spritzer with water and spritz yourself each day.
10. spritz the floor mats in your vehicle

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us. Ephesians 3:20

#ALLtheabundance #getyousome

**This is a phrase taken from Who Switched Off My Brain? by a Christian neuroscientist Caroline Leaf. I highly recommend you reading this book!

God's Ways are Higher than Ours. Where is He Leading You?

I want to ask you, what is the avenue that God is using or is trying to use in your life? If you would have told me 3 years ago that the ministry God was building through me was through a network marketing company I would have laughed in your face and wondered what type of drugs you were doing. I'm reminded of Isaiah 55:8-9, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts."

I hope that you find encouragement in this. It is truly in obeying God in the little things that leads to the "big" things.

{I apologize for the abrupt ending. 😬 And all the moms said amen! 🙏🏻 Thank you for your grace!}

I wouldn't be able to share this testimony of God's plan if I wouldn't have first said yes.

My first yes was in 2009 when I said yes to coming home after a LONG summer, on one condition, I had to go to church. My next yes came just a month or two later when I said yes to Jesus. All he wanted was for me to let him love me. After that came many other yeses, all of which took my on a new adventure of some sort. 

While the introduction of Young Living in my life wasn't anything "miraculous", it was God's hand in it after. The freedom from sickness that he brought my family. The subtle pulling on my heart deeper into this company. Then the Spirit speaking to me saying, "If you trust me. I will use this to bless you." Now I get to pray for and with so many people! I get to stand in front of them, representing and glorifying Christ in all of it!

There has been opposition along the way. Satan does not want God's love to be extended to people. Through this ministry it is happening! It goes so far beyond me, but I get to play a piece in it. Here is a video showing the bigger ministry.

So today, I want to ask you, where is God pulling your heart? Are you following Him? Part of my purpose is to help others follow God and where He is leading them. If there's anything I can pray with you about and for, comment below or send me an email. This is a safe place for us to seek God and let Him awaken purpose and passion into our lives.

Father, thank you for your goodness. Thank you that you have a purpose for each of us. We praise you because your ways are higher than ours and your thoughts are higher than our thoughts. We do not trust in our own understanding, but we stand firm in faith that you are leading us deeper into your heart. Make us aware of your presence in our moments today. Lead us through each one with fresh eyes for your purpose. In Jesus' name, Amen!

~Awaken Us~
Brenna Stanford

The Song We Sing

"Not to us, O Lord, not to us                          You who fear him, trust in the Lord-
     but to your name be the glory,                        he is their help and shield.
     because of your love and faithfulness.
                                                               The Lord remembers us and will bless us:
Why do the nations say,                                     He will bless the house of Israel,
     'Where is their God?'                                     he will bless the house of Aaron,
Our God is in Heaven;                                    he will bless those who fear the Lord -
     he does whatever pleases him.                       small and great alike.
But their idols are silver and gold,
     made by the hands of men.                        May the Lord make you increase,
They have mouths, but cannot speak,                 both you and your children.
     eyes, but cannot see;                                  May you be blessed by the Lord,
they have ears, but cannot hear,                           the Maker of heaven and earth.
     noses, but cannot smell;
they have hands, but cannot feel,                  The highest heavens belong to the Lord,
  feet, but cannot walk;                                        but the earth he has given to man.
  nor can they utter a sound with their throats.    It is not the dead who praise the Lord,
Those who make them will be like them,               those who go down to silence;
     and so will all who trust them.                  it is we who extol the Lord,
                                                                           both now and forevermore.
O house of Israel, trust in the Lord -
     he is their help and shield.                         Praise the Lord."
O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord -
     he is their help and shield.                         - Psalm 115 (NIV, 2005)

This Psalm, a song sang at the Passover meal to celebrate how God rescued His people. This song is meaningful and applicable to our lives today.

The first thing that is sung is that God's name will be glorified. This needs to be the heartbeat of our lives, the song that our lives sing. When you hear something like that, the heartbeat of your life, or the purpose for your life, what do you think of? So many of us jump to the big picture of our life, the sum of all of our moments. It is so easy to overlook the fact that the big picture of our life is the sum of our moments.

So if God being glorified is what the big picture of our lives needs to look like, it is also what our moments need to look like. Our moments need to sing God's glory.

Our challenge is to stay in the Word, so we can read and study and hear from the Lord and His instructions for us. Every day we are to wake up, praise Him, and ask the Spirit to fill our heart and mind.

Once we accept Jesus into our heart as savior, the Holy Spirit fills us and we are marked with Him. (Ephesians 1:13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,) So we aren't asking the Spirit to fill us because He left us. We are simply directing our mind and heart to acknowledge that everyday we need God. We are intentionally making ourselves aware of the Spirit and His presence in our life and our need for Him. This is how our moments will glorify God, when we are intentionally about listening for His guidance in our every moment.

The next portion of this song talks about the idols that others were worshiping. While in most areas today people aren't bowing down to a statue, people are bowing down to money, to status, to busyness, to mediocrity, and about a million other things. While I understand that it takes money to survive in this world, I want to help you understand that that does not mean that money is to be your first priority. The same goes for anything else you can fill in the blank with. We can spend a lot of time here and many blog posts here, but we aren't going to today. So I am leaving you with this, NO. THING. is to be in the first priority spot except for God, not your spouse, not your kids, not your job, not anything. That spot belongs ONLY to God. 

The answer for why, follows those verses, because God is our help and shield. God blesses us when we follow and obey Him. No matter who you are, the president or lowest of low, God blesses and loves you when you glorify Him.

>>>>>Side note here. We, humans, we are the ones who established a "rank" within ourselves. The only rank God gave was that we were to rule and reign over the earth. Our sin put everyone in these "brackets". So no matter who considers you what class, or how you even consider yourself, God is adamant in the Word about how He sees you; HIS CHILD. A child of the most high king. The one who created it all and the one in whom everything has its purpose. YOU BELONG TO HIM.

Challenge yourself to be aware of His presence and guidance and to let your moments, each one, bring glory to Him. I bet you will see some major blessings. If nothing else you will be more aware of the Spirit at work in your life, that alone is a blessing unlike any other! If you aren't sure how ask Him. After all, He is your daddy, your best friend, your number one supporter, He wants you to have all the goodness that you can!

Father, thank you for your love and faithfulness to us! Help us to sing your glory today in every moment! Show us just how you are with us. Lead us through each moment. May your Spirit equip us today! In Jesus' name, Amen!

~Awaken Us~

Brenna Stanford

P.S. I am going to be including little nuggets of ways that I have been able to enhance my prayer life, or area of life that these blogs pertain to. Today, I want to share with you the heart fill, the spirit fill! God wired me so that emotions play a big role in how I tick. One thing I have learned is that our limbic system affects our emotions, unlike words. I have been using Frankincense essential oil during my prayer time, and throughout my day. It has helped to stabilize my emotions so that I am more focused on my time with the Spirit, and His presence in my moments. 

Awaken to a Godly Life

“She weeps bitterly in the night, her tears are on her cheeks. There is no one to comfort her. The Lord has afflicted her because of her multitude of sins.” (Lamentations 1:2 & 5 paraphrased)

“But our weeping is because of this person or that situation!!”

We don’t ever gossip. Or lie. We never ever yell at our children or spouse...

You see all of these things are of our sinful nature. They sure don’t come from God. “For from within, out of a man’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23 All these evils come from inside and make a man unclean.” (Mark 7:21-23)

Our culture has watered down Christianity so much that we can be lulled to sleep by it. There is this notion that because we’re not murderers that we are good Christians. Today’s American Christianity accepts E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G!! “… those “extreme” things, are for the charismatic Christians or the missionaries…

Matthew 12:35 “ The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.” We are walking through our faith lethargically on the edge of sleep. Then we are wondering why our world gets turned upside down when the first storm comes. This is not how God tells us to live! God says, “above ALL else, GUARD YOUR HEART, for it is the wellspring of life.” (Proverbs 4:23)

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and godliness.” (2 Peter 1:3)

What is a godly life? (What do these things look like in your daily life?)

o Love the lord with all your heart, soul & mind (Matthew 22:38-40)

o Seek 1st the kingdom and his righteousness (Matthew 6:33)

o Obey “Grace did not save Noah, obedience did.”

Titus 3:1-2 “Remind the people to be subject to the rules and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.”

o Love others “and love others as yourself” 

o Love your enemies (Proverbs 25:22)

o Do everything for God (Colossians 3:23)

o Stop being a good modern American Christian & let God consume your life!

Ephesians 5 paints us a picture of what this looks: “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person – such a man is an idolater – has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.”

We can all get caught up in the do-do’s of life. Paul talks about fighting our sinful nature in Romans 7, but we must wake up and wage war against our flesh!

“Let us search out and examine our ways” (lamentations 3:40) If we can’t look in the mirror of our hearts and see this godly life, if what we see is our bitter weeping and continuous tears, there’s only one thing to do. We must “turn back to the Lord. Let us lift our hearts and hands to God in heaven.” (lamentations 3:40-41)

The good news is that “through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because his compassions do not fail. They are new every morning; Great is his faithfulness!” (Lamentations 3:22-23)

“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in him!” The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.” (Lamentations 3:24-25)

Luke 9:28-32 “…Jesus took Peter, John and James with him and went onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightening. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. … Peter and his companions were sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory…”

"when they became fully awake, they saw his glory"

It’s time to wake up! Now awaken & move!!

Beautiful Death

As I'm sitting out back having some quiet time in the word I get distracted by the sound of the water in the pond, the rustling of the leaves in the wind and all the wonderful sound that nature puts together!

I begin to think how beautiful fall is and hows it's my favorite time of the year. Then I wonder why? Outside of the the crazy heat leaving it seems a little morbid, everything is dying. The trees, the grass, the plants. All the animals are leaving.

But oh how beautiful!!!

Then it hit me, God is the only one who can make death beautiful!!! Fall. Everything is dying, but in such beauty!! The only beautiful death I've ever experienced has been those who God is the center of their lives. There's no doubt about their eternity. There's more happiness then sadness in their dying. They've gone HOME!!

Just as the trees, they haven't really died at all. In the spring the trees get a new beginning, a new chance at life. These people get an eternity of life, a much more wonderful life then they could ever dream of having here!!!

Just as in everything there's always an opposite. If there's a heaven, then there must be a hell. Those are the sad funerals, the ones when you aren't positive they're in heaven. You don't know if they had a relationship with the Savior. Please don't let that be you! Romans 10:9 says if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead then you will be saved. The old is gone and the new has come!!

Let your spring start this fall!! Let God make death beautiful in your life!!

~Awaken Us~
Brenna Stanford