secret place

What is Advent?

/ heatherhaley07 / Leave a comment

As a child, I can remember always being so confused about what “advent” was and how one celebrates it.  Let’s be honest, as an adult I have also struggled with what the true way of observing the Savior of the World’s arrival should look like to a follower.  A genuine, true, loyal follower of Christ should look different to the world every day, but what about during advent?

Advent is the season observed by most Christians as a time of expectant waiting and preparation for both the celebration of the nativity of Christ at Christmas and the return of Christ at the second coming.  It is most often observed December 1 – December 24, some even begin as early as November 30.  It does have a Latin foundation, adventus, meaning “coming”.  Historically, during this season, many would fast from meat, dairy or eggs as a sign of holiness and a time separated in devotion to Christ.  These days are to be a clear reflection of hope, joy, peace and love.

Would we ever consider that God is asking us to fast from our normal “celebratory” focuses in December in order to better claim these days in the intimacy of the Father?  What if our children walked away from the month of December having a better understanding of who Christ is and less knowledge about the cookies and cakes?  Can we even allow ourselves to think that He may desire a fast in the busiest seasons of eating all year?

These days should be days that we prepare our hearts to enterthis season.  What is the pre-advent?  These are the days where we make our focus on the Savior and begin to empty our hearts and minds of all the things that distracted us from the Christ.  In Titus 1:15, “to the pure, everything is pure.”  May we enter a new kind of purity with Jesus in these days of separation for holiness.

Pondering about how advent is best to fit into the daily walk of a Christian, I am paused on sharing any details.  These days of the Christian journey are shaped more by what men lead us to do in our followings than the Spirit of the Living God in His leadings.  In this day, instead of seeking what others are called to do in their “adventing”, today, seek the Lord and what He desires of us in our pilgrimage.

“Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life…… AND let your eyes look directly ahead ANDlet your gaze be fixed straight in front of you…. AND all your ways will be established.”  Provers 4:23, 25, 26b

Grand Teton Teepee – Clifton Haley Photography https://cliftonhaleyphoto.etsy.com

REVIEW: Prayers that Avail Much by Germaine Copeland

/ heatherhaley07 / Leave a comment

About three months ago, I was told about a book that could radically change my prayer life.  I had always heard about how important it is to pray God’s Word back to Him, but I had never truly grasped or understood exactly what that meant. I’ve desired a strong prayer life for as long as I can remember, but then again I never really wanted to do anything to get there.  You know, the desire to look like a swimsuit model but keep eating donuts mentality… that was me.  And the word was needs to be used loosely because I definitely still fall into that mentality from time to time.

So, I went and picked up the book.  Now, my first thought in picking up a book like this is to remind myself that it is not God’s Word…. but with this one, I had to slow down on that, because it literally is God’s Word put together to direct our prayers.

The goal is to “allow the Holy Spirit to make the Word a reality in your heart.”  When you are in God’s Word, you can never get enough.  When you pray God’s Word, He aligns your heart to His, your prayers to His, your will to His.

When desiring to grow your prayer life, I would add this book to your toolkit!

prayers that avail much

Hidden behind the cross….

/ heatherhaley07 / Leave a comment

So, on June 4, 2015, I decided to obey and create my prayer closet.  I did.  It was a beautiful display of actually doing what Matthew 6:6 says in going to your secret place.  I just always thought that was a figurative thing, until I made my secret place. That is my safe place.  It is my altar.  It is my hiding place.  When I cannot handle life and this world any longer, I go there.  There is no one there… well, One is there.  And that One is waiting for me every day.  Do I go in there on my knees every day?  No, I am afraid not.  Should I go in there on my knees every day?  Absolutely.

The past few weeks I have been struggling with life.  I know what I ought to be doing, but I just don’t…. ever been there?  Finally, when I was tired of trying to do things on my own, I went to the secret place.  My safe place.  My altar, to hide.

When I arrived, the Lord had already gone before me through the hands of my sweet baby girl.  Recently, we had purchased a little figurine that has a little girl praying.  We told her the figurine is hers, but we want to keep it in the secret place so that it stays safe.  As I crawled into my secret place, this is the first thing I saw.  She had strategically placed it between the cross and the nativity.  The back side of the girl figurine was propped up by the nativity and looked as though it was bowing to the cross.  This image brought me to my knees.

prayer room_behind the cross

No longer was this a picture of my precious daughter.  Now, it was a picture of me.  Nestled beautifully between my Saviour in His birth and my Saviour in His death.

Then it hit me.  That is where we all should be.  Hidden behind the cross.  We should all find ourselves placed strategically behind the cross.  The cross covers us.  The cross restores us.  The cross repairs us.  The cross represents us.  The cross protects us.  The cross forgives us and the cross helps us forgive others.  It is all based upon the cross.  All of our weakness, all of our strength is defined by the cross.  Our identity is in the cross.  Our fulfillment and life’s purpose is in the cross.  The cross is our everything.  Our very life line.  His blood that was shed on that cross covers a multitude of sins- ours and everyone else’s.  

Today, let the cross be enough.  In fact, today, let the cross be all there is.

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.  For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, GOD DID: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and acting as an offering for sin….  Romans 8:1-3