Grace Spilled Over

Author Archives: Grace Spilled Over
- Full Circle
  
  Posted at 7:30 pm by Grace Spilled Over, on July 14, 2018
  Why did Adam and Eve get kicked out of the garden? You might be thinking, well duh, it’s because they sinned. But is that why they were thrown out of the garden? Look what it says in Genesis 3.
  
  Then the LORD God said, ‘Look, the human beings have become like us, knowing both good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever!’ So the LORD God banished them from the Garden of Eden . . . The LORD God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And He placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.” (Genesis 3.22-24)
  
  So let me ask the question again, why were Adam and Eve thrown out of the Garden of Eden?
  
  Because they had become like God knowing both good and evil. They had sinned and if they ate of the tree of life they would live forever. I don’t understand all the implications of sinful people eating of the tree of life but I do know it was enough to banish all humanity from the Garden of Eden, so there would be never be a remote chance of any of us eating of that tree.
  
  But the beautiful thing about this banishment is that it isn’t forever! For those who are victorious, through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we will one day be able to eat the fruit of the tree of life! Check out Revelation 2.7, “To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God.”
  
  At the beginning of the Bible we see the banishment and at the end we see the final restoration. Full circle.
  
  God loves to bring things full circle. He loves to take what was broken and make it new. He loves to take what sin has made ugly and turn it into something beautiful! He loves turning ashes into beauty. He is a restoring kind of God.
  
  We see it all throughout Scripture in the lives of His people – Job, Joseph, Paul (just to name a few).
  
  And I’ve seen this in my own life (maybe you have too) . . . I was born to missionary parents in Alaska. I loved it there, it was my home, my safe place. When I was around nine years old we moved from Alaska to California and my world fell apart. All I wanted to do was to go back “home”. As a young girl, I decided the best way to go back would be to become a missionary. I grew up with that hope in my heart until God brought me face to face with my true motivation and called me to surrender to His will and His way. I let go of my dream and began to pursue Him. And now forty years later, I’m finally carrying the love of Jesus to women all over the world. God has brought this hope in my heart full-circle.
  
  Being in the middle of the circle is the hard part. Trusting God when things don’t make sense. When He calls us to wait in the uncertainty. When it doesn’t look like He will restore. When it seems He will never bring healing. When it feels impossible.
  
  But it’s in the middle is where God does His most refining work.
  
  There’s a vast space of time between Genesis and Revelation and so it often is, in our circles.
  
  Don’t let go, don’t give up. God is at work, maybe you can’t see it but He is. Trust that He will bring your pain, your sorrow, your brokenness, into His full-circle restoration!
  We haven’t reached the promise. We haven’t tasted of the tree of life, but it is there waiting for us and one day . . . One day, for those who allow God to do His refining work and are victorious, we will eat of that tree and finally come full-circle!
  
  Spilling His grace,
  
  kristi
  Share this:
  Twitter
  Facebook
  Google
  Pinterest
  Like this:
  Like Loading...
  Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments
- Walking Among Giants
  
  Posted at 8:00 pm by Grace Spilled Over, on June 15, 2018
  Pictures a blurred to protect these women
  
  She almost fit under my arm, when standing side by side for a photograph. You wouldn’t know it by looking at her, but this tiny petite woman is a giant. She laughs and cries, struggles with insecurity and rejection, and worries about the safety of her family. But this simple ordinary woman has dared to say YES to God. She has said yes to living in a hostile environment, constantly on guard, so she can carry God’s light to Muslim women.
  She and her husband have sacrificed everything to follow the call. She lives in a poverty-stricken area, with little to no comfort. Dressing like those around her means she must cover her head and wear long sleeves in a very hot and humid climate.
  
  But her smallness didn’t keep me from looking up at her.
  
  And it wasn’t just one giant but many that I spent time with on this trip to Southeast Asia.
  It was an opportunity for these beautiful women to get away from the pressure cooker of life. To enjoy a little piece of heaven on earth. To set aside the cares and concerns of life, to uncover in more ways than one for a few short days. To experience a breath of fresh air.
  
  We laughed, we cried, we opened our hearts to one another and shared our struggles. They invited me into their circle, a stranger who just wanted to love on them, hold their hand and listen, pray with them and remind them of God’s passionate love for them.
  
  I walked among giants. Giants of the faith. Are they perfect – no! Do they struggle with sin? Yes! Does busyness tend to distract them? Always! But they are giants just the same. These spiritual giants have sacrificed ALL to walk in obedience with God. They carry the light into extreme darkness. Often, they are isolated and alone, in a community that rejects them and what they represent. They walk with care, never knowing if someone will report them. They worry for the safety of their children. And yet they continue on . . .
  
  They are real life Indiana Jones’ not looking for treasure but bringing THE TREASURE to broken and lost people.
  
  I felt humbled to be among them.
  
  Watching them so carefree; laughing, bantering with one another, dancing, worshipping God with their whole hearts – it was hard to imagine the oppression they live under day after day.
  
  My heart aches for them. And I can’t help but ask, “God, what am I willing to give for the cause of the gospel?”
  
  Radically following Jesus looks different for each of us. It doesn’t always mean we must sell everything, uproot our families and move to the other side of the world. But it does mean saying YES to God, whatever that might be.
  
  I learned this week you don’t have to be physically tall to be a giant! Because I walked among five-foot giants and it brought me to my knees.
  
  I want to love God like they love God. I want to worship Him like they worship Him. I want to be a giant.
  
  Spilling His Grace,
  
  -kristi
  Share this:
  Twitter
  Facebook
  Google
  Pinterest
  Like this:
  Like Loading...
  Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments
- The Treasure
  
  Posted at 2:20 am by Grace Spilled Over, on June 7, 2018
  I’ve recently been reading Primal, A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity by Mark Batterson. (By the way, I highly recommend the book.) In chapter five of the book, there is a paragraph that deeply resonated with me.
  
  The Bible was written over a span of fifteen hundred years by more than forty writers. God inspired kings and poets and prophets and shepherds. They wrote out of very different personalities in very different circumstances. Some wrote in the plush setting of a palace, while others etched their words during an island exile. Some wrote out of the agony of personal tragedy, while others wrote in the ecstasy of an epiphany. Written in three different languages on three different continents, there is no other book like the Bible. Despite the fact that it touches on thousands of complex subjects and controversial topics, it possesses a supernatural harmony from beginning to end. And it is omnirelevant to every person on the planet. -Mark Batterson
  
  As I’ve studied books and articles on cultural relevance and the importance of understanding cultural nuances and differences, it has deepened my Awe and Wonder at this amazing book God has given us.
  
  There is no other book ever written that can cross all cultures, all times and speaks so intimately to our human needs, like the Bible.
  
  This excites me and gives me the confidence that when I teach women how to study the Bible, it will speak to them in ways I never could. It will meet them where they are at and will speak as deeply to them as it has to me.
  
  A friend of mine, sent me this note: I feel like one of my best friends is the Christian, Indiana Jones! The amazing thing is that you are not searching for treasure, you are bringing the treasure.
  
  I don’t know about the Indiana Jones part, most of the time I don’t feel very brave or intrepid. It often seems like this mission is WAY-TO-BIG-FOR-ME and it is! But the beautiful part is I don’t carry my message but God’s. I don’t go alone, I go with Him. It’s His mission, His vision, His work! I just get to join with Him and carry this amazing treasure to the lost, the broken, the hurting.
  
  My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands. Tune your ears to wisdom and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver. Seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the LORD and you will gain knowledge of God. Proverbs 2.1-5
  
  God has given each one of us this incredible treasure!
  
  In this world of changing values and ideas, of brokenness and pain, of varying cultures and unsettling thoughts, the Bible remains strong and true. We can stand on its wisdom, rely on its truth and carry it with confidence into our changing times. It uplifts, challenges, corrects, meets us right where we’re at; whether we’re rich or poor, literate or illiterate, from Dubai or the slums of Nairobi and has the power to transform lives!
  
  What other book do you know that can do that?!
  
  It is an unending treasure to be explored and a road map to guide us in navigating this ever-changing world.
  
  Your instructions are more valuable to me than millions in gold and silver. Psalm 119.72
  
  May we never take for granted this treasure we hold. May we handle it with care and step confidently into this broken world as we carry His Truth!
  
  Spilling His Grace,
  
  kristi
  Share this:
  Twitter
  Facebook
  Google
  Pinterest
  Like this:
  Like Loading...
  Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment
- Just Passing Through . . .
  
  Posted at 7:51 pm by Grace Spilled Over, on May 3, 2018
  Her arm, shoulder and hand had tattoos. Her hair had this crazy bleached out streak in it, her style was definitely different than my own.
  
  And because of her differences, it was easy to assume she didn’t love Jesus like I loved Jesus.
  
  But that was just not so. Ashley loved Jesus with all her heart! And her love for Him spilled out onto those God brought across her path. The tattoos covering her body were Scripture she clung to. And in her short twenty-eight years she impacted the world for Christ in ways we probably will never know until we get to heaven.
  
  God called Ashley home just a few short weeks ago. Her absence leaves a gaping hole in our lives and we grieve because of our great loss. We grieve for the husband and daughter she left behind. We grieve for the experiences lost and the incredible way she served so many. How can we ever replace that? Our loss was heaven’s gain!
  
  But I refuse to call Ashley’s death a tragic accident. It’s easy to see it that way. One so young with so much living yet to do, suddenly gone. A family left behind. A daughter who will never have her mom pick out a prom dress with her. A husband with an empty space in his bed. Questions that seem to go unanswered.
  
  But it’s not tragic for Ashley! She is now living in the presence of the Savior she loved so dearly; more ALIVE than she has ever been. Dancing with Him, singing with Him and gazing on His face. She is HOME.
  
  But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for Him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like His own, using the same power with which He will bring everything under His control. Philippians 3.20
  
  It’s so easy to live like this life is all there is. To grab and cling to the here and now and forget that we don’t really belong here. This is just a stopping ground, a place to camp out until we reach our real home.
  
  Ashley lived in the knowledge that eternity was coming! She knew her hope was not in this life, that slips through our fingers like sand, but in the life to come. She lived with a confident hope that her last breath here would be her first breath in heaven. And it was!!
  
  I want to live this way! Totally sold out to Jesus. Holding nothing back. Making every moment count. I want to live. I want to laugh. And I want love like she did. Like Jesus calls me too. I want to remember this world is not my home, I’m just passing through . . .
  
  Spilling His grace,
  Share this:
  Twitter
  Facebook
  Google
  Pinterest
  Like this:
  Like Loading...
  Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment
- Burn Your Ships
  
  Posted at 8:16 pm by Grace Spilled Over, on April 9, 2018
  The story is told of a Spanish sailor named Cortez, who landed in the Americas. After landing, he ordered the ships to be burned. There was no going back. They were there to stay.
  
  How often do we make a decision to let go but still find ourselves clinging to the old way. Holding onto things “just in case” it doesn’t work out. Never fully committing. Never completely letting go.
  
  It’s the woman on a diet who holds onto her “fat pants” just in case.
  
  It’s the newly married man who keeps the number of an old girlfriend in his phone, just because.
  
  It’s the teenager who gets the answers to the test. She doesn’t intend to use it but just in case she hasn’t had time to study . . .
  
  It’s the betrayed friend who hangs onto the bitterness, justifying her right to hold onto it. It’s the father who refuses to forgive a wayward son because he’s done it one to many times before. . .
  
  Never really ALL IN.
  
  Recently I have found myself on this journey of letting go of a stronghold in my own life. And I’ve realized I can’t cling to the old if I truly want to move on. I’ve got to “Burn my Ships!”
  
  There’s no going back. No secret out. No straddling the fence. It has to be ALL or nothing.
  
  And then the fear sets in and the lies become louder than the truth. What if I fail? What if it really isn’t possible. If I “burn my ship” what will I have to fall back on if this doesn’t work?
  
  But in the fear, when we choose to trust, when we choose to listen to truth and let the lies fade into the background, we realize God is greater. God is bigger. God is enough.
  
  And He gives us the courage to “Burn our Ships” and live in the land of the free!
  
  Because this land of freedom is where you intend to STAY, what “ships” do you need to burn in your life today?
  
  Don’t wait. Burn your ship. Step out in faith. Make a clean break. God promises to meet you there.
  
  Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them. But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, “Salvation comes from the Lord.” Jonah 2.8-9
  
  Spilling His grace,
  
  kristi
  Share this:
  Twitter
  Facebook
  Google
  Pinterest
  Like this:
  Like Loading...
  Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments
- Living for the Applause of Nail-Scarred Hands
  
  Posted at 12:56 pm by Grace Spilled Over, on March 29, 2018
  As Easter approaches, my soul has never been more aware of the freedom I have in Christ because of His great sacrifice for me!
  
  For years I have had a stronghold in my life that has held me captive. I knew Jesus set me free, but I refused to step out of my chains and live free. I liked the security my chains gave me. I was comfortable with them. I was like a woman who refuses to leave her abusive husband because the unknown is just too scary. I know it sounds crazy. Oxymoronic even. Why would someone ever opt for chains when they could live a life of liberty?
  
  But that’s exactly what I have done for far too long.
  
  A few months ago, things came to a head and I knew I could no longer live the way I had been living. And so I began this journey of repentance and freedom. I didn’t know it would bring freedom at the time, I just knew I couldn’t live like I had been living. I was broken and undone.
  
  I was hesitant. I had been down this road before and it wasn’t pretty. I had failed. I was a failure at least that’s how I saw it. But God spoke deep into my heart and reminded me that I was made for more! He died to set me free from sin, not to wallow in it and remain in my mess. With Him ALL things are possible!
  
  One ordinary day, in this journey, I was challenged to come into God’s presence and sit with Him; with my fear, with my anger, with my frustration. Just to be. And while being, to picture Him sitting there next to me.
  
  The house was quiet. I sat at the end of my couch and pictured Christ sitting next to me. Sitting there I began to wonder what He looked like. Was He the Jesus of the Sunday School pictures I brought home each week as a kid? Did He have long hair? I realized I had no idea what He looked like but instead of staying there I began to think about what I would do if He were truly next to me.
  
  I knew immediately – I would hold His hand.
  
  So I held out my hand and pictured Jesus putting His hand in mine and when I did, I saw His nail-scarred hand! This visible reminder of His sacrifice for me! This sacrifice, at such great personal cost to Him, purchased my FREEDOM. And yet, I have continued to live in captivity. I have continued to dwell in my chains. I have continued to circle my mountain, instead of climbing to the heights!
  
  Once again I was broken and undone! How frivolous I have treated His lavish and costly gift. It was a sacred and holy moment as I felt God whisper gently into my brokenness.
  
  Jesus said in John 8.35, “So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.” I heard it loud and clear that day, “You are free Kristi, so be free!!”
  
  I no longer want to cheapen the sacrifice Jesus made for me by choosing to live bound up in my chains. I am free! And I am choosing to live free!
  
  “I want to live for the applause of those precious nail-scarred hands.” (Mark Batterson – The Lion Chaser Manifesto) Because nothing else matters more than Him.
  
  Thank You, Jesus – Hillsong
  
  Grace that flows like a river, washing over me.
  
  Fount of Heaven, love of Christ, overflow in me.
  
  Thank you, Jesus! You set me FREE. Christ my Savior, You rescued me.
  
  Take this life delivered, a vessel of Your love,
  
  Wholly now devoted, to see Your Kingdom come.
  
  Thank you, Jesus! You set me FREE. Christ my Savior, You rescued me.
  
  You’ve given me life. You’ve opened my eyes.
  
  I love You, Lord. I love you, Lord. You’ve entered my heart.
  
  You’ve set me apart. I love You, Lord. I love you, Lord.
  
  Thank you, Jesus. You set me free! Christ my Savior, You rescued me.
  
  Spilling His grace and LIVING for the applause of nail-scarred hands,
  
  kristi
  Share this:
  Twitter
  Facebook
  Google
  Pinterest
  Like this:
  Like Loading...
  Posted in Uncategorized | 5 Comments
- Welcome Home!
  
  Posted at 11:30 am by Grace Spilled Over, on March 12, 2018
  Friday morning bright and early, my husband and I arrived at the airport ready to head to Honduras for our first missions trip together. We checked in and dropped off our bags and turned to head towards security. It was then we saw a tiny little boy and his family walk through the sliding entrance doors. All but the little boy, had on bright blue t-shirts that said, “Make A Wish”. As this little boy walked in, a cheer rose up from a crowd of people all wearing Mickey Mouse ears and holding a banner. There must have been thirty to forty people, each one having braved the cold and crawled out of bed at an ungodly hour to greet this little boy and his family.
  
  As I watched the joy on that little boy’s face, the tears began to pour. I had to turn away or I would’ve been a blubbering mess.
  
  Later as I sat on the plane reflecting on what I had just had the privilege of witnessing, I couldn’t help but think of another welcome party that had happened just a day before this. I didn’t get to see it but I couldn’t help wondering what it must have been like when Billy Graham stepped into heaven.
  
  When the Lord welcomed him Home and said, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” Oh, what a beautiful moment that must have been. I wonder, were Moses and Daniel holding the banner? Were the angels singing? Was there a line of people waiting to greet him, anxious to tell him that they were there in part because of His obedience and servanthood? Were people dancing and praising God for this surrendered servant who had finally come HOME! Because I know for sure, it wouldn’t have been about Billy Graham. It would’ve been about God and his miraculous work in the heart and life of a man totally sold out to Jesus!
  
  Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1.10-11
  
  Oh, how I want to live a life of faithfulness to the end, like Billy Graham. To step into heaven and have Jesus meet me there with open arms and say, “Welcome home, my faithful servant, well done!”
  
  Mark Batterson says it well in the Lion Chaser Manifesto:
  
  Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death.
  Run to the roar.
  Set God-sized goals.
  Pursue God-given passions.
  Go after a dream that is destined to fail, without divine intervention.
  Stop pointing out problems, become part of the solution.
  Stop repeating the past. Start creating the future.
  Face your fears. Fight for your dreams.
  Grab opportunity by the mane and don’t let go!
  Live like today is the first day and last day of your life.
  Burn sinful bridges.
  Blaze new trails.
  Live for the applause of nail-scarred hands.
  Don’t let what’s wrong with you keep you from worshiping what’s right with God.
  Dare to fail.
  Dare to be different.
  Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away.
  Chase the Lion.
  
  Mark Batterson,(2016-09-06).
  Chase the Lion: If Your Dream Doesn’t Scare You, It’s Too Small.
  
  There is a saying in sports, “Leave it all on the field.” In other words put everything you have into the game and hold nothing back. That’s what I want to do with this life. To step into heaven, totally used up, having laid it all on the line with no regrets!
  
  Hearing those beautiful words, “Welcome Home!”
  
  Spilling His grace,
  
  kristi
  Share this:
  Twitter
  Facebook
  Google
  Pinterest
  Like this:
  Like Loading...
  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments
- Red-Light District
  
  Posted at 8:32 pm by Grace Spilled Over, on February 1, 2018
  It was a day of contrasts in a city in Southeast Asia. Of good versus evil. Of light and darkness. Of beauty and desperation. It was an afternoon spent with beautiful women living in abject poverty and yet finding life and love and hope in Jesus. It was an evening walking the narrow walled in streets of a red-light district, feeling the darkness swirling around us and witnessing the hopelessness, despair and depravity of life without God.
  
  We were unable to bring cameras, so I will attempt to paint a picture of all that I saw and experienced that evening.
  
  Venders were selling everything from street food to sticks of wood. The streets were filled with pedestrians, motorcycles, vintage yellow taxi’s and rickshaws powered by running men. We made our way gingerly around it all and paused to split our group up into threes to pray and walk the red-light district. It’s not a very safe place to be and my heart skipped a beat as our little group turned the corner and headed into the narrow walled in street. Incense from the many temples, the odor of many unwashed bodies and other smells accosted our senses.
  
  To say I was uncomfortable bordering on terrified, would be an understatement. I have never ever experienced anything like this before. But if I’ve learned anything from this new journey I’m on it is that God calls His children to carry His light into the pit of darkness. To face the enemy knowing HE has won the war.
  
  Knowing this doesn’t remove the pain of it. Knowing this doesn’t make it more comfortable or any easier. It feels like it is more than I can bare. It is more than I can take in and it shakes me to my core.
  
  Walking those streets, I was confronted with my apathy in regards to human trafficking. Honestly, I haven’t wanted to really expose myself to what is being done day after day to these precious souls. After all what can one human being really do? And what do I do with what I’ve seen? I can’t bear to think about what might be happening to young innocent girls in places like this. My selfish heart tells me life is so much more comfortable when I don’t expose myself to such evil.
  
  But God hasn’t called us, His children, to shy away from sin and darkness but to step into it bravely as we carry the torch of His brilliant light.
  
  And so we did.
  
  We walked the dirty, narrow streets with our inadequate prayers. Because really how do you pray for this dark overwhelming place of sin and degradation? Yes, I know there are no inadequate prayers but honestly that is how it felt in that moment. In that moment I couldn’t pray. I couldn’t think of anything because I was so overwhelmed with the enormity of the depravity and darkness that coiled around us.
  
  So I cried and prayed for God to break my heart for what breaks His.
  
  Why do I pray prayers like that? Because once again, I felt my heart crack into a thousand pieces as I looked on woman upon woman standing in doorway after doorway plying their wares. Heavily made up, robed in brilliant clothes hoping to attract a customer. They were like dolls in a shop – objects to be used and discarded at the owner’s convenience. This is the life these women have always known. They don’t know they’re loved and treasured by God. They don’t know they can be something more than an object in a window. They don’t know there is a better way. And the really heartbreaking part is most would never choose the better way, even if it were offered to them.
  
  It left me reeling and unsettled, uncomfortable and troubled. It was a restless night as I prayed and cried and brought this burden to my Father. How brokenhearted He must be to see what humankind has done to His beautiful gift of sex. How angry He must be that our beautiful sisters are treated as objects to be discarded never knowing His great love for them. How saddened He is that we the church have stuck our heads in the sand and pretended this doesn’t happen in our city. That we hesitate to step into the darkness to carry His light. That we choose to walk in apathy because it’s easier than facing into the darkness.
  
  I’m convicted and wrecked.
  
  I know I can no longer live with blinders on, no longer sit on the sidelines, no longer live uninformed. What this will look like, I truly have no idea but I do know He will be with me. He will be my shield and my rock in whom I can trust as I carry His light into the darkness.
  
  Spilling His grace,
  
  kristi
  Share this:
  Twitter
  Facebook
  Google
  Pinterest
  Like this:
  Like Loading...
  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments
- Fixed
  
  Posted at 9:40 pm by Grace Spilled Over, on January 10, 2018
  My heart can be so fickle. My attention span, short. My purpose of mind, capricious. I have a tendency to get side-tracked, to be unfocused, and am prone to giving in when my comfort is threatened.
  
  I hate admitting this but it’s true, especially in a specific area of my life that has been a stronghold for far too long. I have rationalized, justified and flat out refused to surrender this area of my life to God. Oh, I’ve tried! I’ve prayed! I’ve begged God to just wave His magic wand and set me free. After all isn’t that what He died for?
  
  But truthfully, I haven’t wanted to do the hard work of rooting this idol out of my life. I haven’t wanted to look deep into my heart and see the ugly. I haven’t wanted to surrender to the pain of the Surgeon’s knife. I can’t tell you how many times I have started with such good intentions and how quickly I’ve failed and given up. It’s just too hard. I love my comfort more. Sadly, “I want the warmth of the womb and not a new birth.” (Wilbur Rees, I’d Like to Buy $3 Worth of God Please)
  
  BUT, recently God has once again revisited this issue (let’s be honest, it’s SIN) in my life and I believe my heart is ready to look deep into the abyss and see the ugly.
  
  So we (God and I) have begun to explore this room in my heart that I have barred God from entering for years upon years . . .
  
  I have begun to see how this idol has enslaved me and how it’s kept me from living FREE. How it’s holding me back in my ministry. How it is affecting other areas of my life. And I have come to understand; I can’t do this without God!! Doing this without His strength and power is why I’ve tried and failed so many times in the past.
  
  As we have journeyed down into the dungeon of my soul I’ve found God so ever present. As we have looked at the darkness of my sin, I have found Him not condemning but illuminating. Whispering, “There’s a better way to live, Kristi. It’s what I died for . . . you’re no longer a slave but my daughter and you are FREE.
  
  Jesus said, “I tell you most solemnly that anyone who chooses a life of sin is trapped in a dead-end life and is, in fact, a slave. A slave is a transient, who can’t come and go at will. The Son, though, has an established position, the run of the house. So if the Son sets you free, you are free through and through. John 8.35-36 (MSG)
  
  Hebrews 12.2, says, “Fix your eyes on Jesus, the Pioneer and Perfector of our faith . . . “
  
  I love this! Jesus started this work in me and He will perfect it. What do I need to do? FIX my eyes on Him.
  
  Focused. Resolute. Intentional. Immovable. Anchored.
  
  It’s what will bring . . . Freedom. Victory. Fortitude.
  
  Yes, this is just the beginning, and yes there will be more difficult roads ahead but sticking with Jesus like glue, centering my heart and mind on Him, will set me FREE and allow God to shape my heart into His design instead of mine.
  
  This is my word for the year; FIXED! I’m stripping off the weights and sins that have held me captive (Hebrews 12.1) and fixing my eyes on Jesus who promises to do His good work in me and give me an Undivided Heart!
  
  Spilling His grace,
  
  kristi
  Share this:
  Twitter
  Facebook
  Google
  Pinterest
  Like this:
  Like Loading...
  Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments
- God’s Messengers
  
  Posted at 2:06 pm by Grace Spilled Over, on December 24, 2017
  As I reflected on the Christmas story this past week, my heart was drawn to the lowly shepherds. It was these lowest of the low, forgotten, marginalized and unseen shepherds whom God chose to share the greatest news the world had ever heard! God sent his messenger to these herdsman on the hillside to announce the birth of the Savior of the world and it wasn’t just one but many angels that joined with the messenger to praise God and bring hope to the world!
  
  I couldn’t help but see the parallel of this story to my story! No, I’m not saying I’m an angel. Just talk to my husband and kids and you’ll know that’s not true. But I am God’s messenger, chosen by Him to go to the cast-outs, the marginalized, the forgotten and unseen women of the world and the beautiful thing is . . . I’m not alone in this journey! I have a whole host of people who have joined with me in serving these desperate women.
  
  This message, brought by one angel would’ve been enough for the shepherds but when the host of angels joined him it added emphasis and power to the message. That’s what each of these members do when they pray for me, contribute financially and join with me. We are the Grace Tribe, spilling God’s grace and hope on the hurting and broken.
  
  We tell these marginalized women, they are valued, they are important, and they are loved! They are worth our prayers, our finances and whatever hardships there might be to share with them the Good News of a Savior!
  
  As we reflect on the greatest gift to mankind, let’s not forget that God first chose to share the Good News of Jesus’ birth with the ordinaries of this world!
  
  Merry Christmas!
  
  Spilling His grace,
  
  kristi
  Share this:
  Twitter
  Facebook
  Google
  Pinterest
  Like this:
  Like Loading...
  Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment
← Older posts
- A lover of Jesus first, a mom to four grown men and married to my best friend. A writer, speaker and amateur photographer armed with an i-phone, a travel geek, and a confessed tea snob. Crazy about finding kindred spirits in unlikely places and watching God transform a life. On staff with ReachGlobal and traveling the world empowering women with the gospel of Jesus.
- Follow Blog via Email
  
  Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.
  
  Join 1,316 other followers
- Follow Grace Spilled Over on WordPress.com
- change for CHANGE
- Blogs I Follow
- Social