Category: Uncategorized

Freedom is not a Number

On By Heather HensonIn Devotionals, Life's Lessons, Personal Reflections, Sharing from my Journal, Uncategorized7 Comments

Why do we let our ‘size’ define us? 

“I’m a size 12”, says she. “I’m a size 16”, says another with a sigh. With a note of triumph, the vivacious one declares, “I’m a size 8!” Yet another remains silent, looking down as if present in the conversation, but absent having withdrawn to the familiar place of shame that screamed at her, “Not good enough; you’ll never measure up!” 

I remember when…

Perhaps it was about twenty years ago when I was about to step on to the scales to do the daily ‘weigh-in’. In that moment, it was like an inner-audible voice spoke to me saying…

“What are you going to do with the number? 

I didn’t feel condemned or judged; instead, the words came like a gentle refreshing wind into my soul imparting life and love wrapped up in joy and peace. Recognising Jesus’ voice, I chose to stop. And I asked a question of my own; “What do you mean?” 

He spoke again with such wisdom and tender compassion that I felt seen, heard, understood and utterly loved. “Well, if it’s lower than you thought, you’ll be happy. If it’s higher than you expected, you’ll be sad.” 

Until that moment, I had no idea how much the numbers on a set of scales had taken me captive. 

But Jesus is fully able—and wants to—lead captives into freedom! 

He is the One who sets the prisoners free, but there are times when God’s Spirit must help us to see that we are captive to something and want to be free.

And today? I haven’t chosen to weigh myself since that day. Each time I felt tempted, I turned to Jesus, surrendering the desire to him. And in the moment of a big breath—in and out—peace and life-giving rest occupied more of my mind as I chose to trust Jesus that it would be okay. 

I remember when…

In the hormonal changes of my late forties, in the space of a few weeks, my internal alarm bells began ringing ever more loudly. I was watching the lower half of my body balloon as the medication the doctor prescribed me took effect. 

My altered body image was tormenting me in the room of my mind where anxiety and fear ruled. The shouting, judgmental, condemning and brutal voices were daily becoming louder, more strident and horribly vicious. 

One morning as I examined myself—yet again—in front of the bathroom mirror, I heard a very fearful, critical and self-loathing part of me. She had emerged out of hiding in the shadows long enough to accuse me. Feeling an increasing sense of dark despair, as if all hope was being flushed down the toilet, it was in that moment when I heard a different voice inviting my attention. 

The voice was gentle and strong. The words I heard were ushered in by an-other-worldly calm and hope—again, somehow audibly, but on the inside; “Heather, this is the way to be free. Every time you examine yourself like this, turn your eyes to look at Jesus instead.” 

At first it wasn’t easy. At all. Breaking negative habits is like that. At first, on the road to freedom in this area of my life, while standing in front of the mirror, I even held my face—to gently but firmly switch my focus away from myself on to Jesus. Other times, I needed to intentionally move away from the mirror because now I recognised the imminent danger I was facing. 

In my mind I could see the monster gleefully waiting to pounce and grab me and swallow me whole like a predatory dragon shaking me this way and that, all the time sneering, “I told you so!”

But God...

Each and every time I chose to let the Holy Spirit help me to refocus on Jesus rather than fixating on myself and the ‘problem’—it gradually became easier to breathe and really live! 

The freedom—in Jesus—came for me before the doctor telephoned to say there was a concern about the medication and I must stop taking it. 

I remember when…

The Spirit of God our beloved Father said to me, “Shame is not your friend.”

Shame is not your friend.

I did not feel condemned or judged. His words, and even the tone of his voice, changed everything. It felt like Jesus, kneeling in front of me, gently lifted my chin to help me look up into his eyes. 

And what did I see?

Come with me. 

When we look into the face of Jesus who is the exact representation of God’s being, you and I see that he has the kindest eyes that twinkle like diamonds shining in the light; like the way the water sparkles when the sun shines on the ocean! 

My precious friend, come close to God and he will draw near to you because he loves you so much!

It is man—people—who look at our outward appearance. God looks at your heart and mine and he who calls us to “Come to (be with) Jesus!” just as we are without one plea, will never ever turn anyone away. 

Your real God-given identity is not found in a number. 

Your identity is not defined by what the world demands you are or who you should be. 

Your true identity is found in Jesus Christ alone. 

So, come to Jesus in a posture of abandoned surrender. His lavish love and the gift of his amazing grace will wash you clean of the life-draining heavy weariness of endlessly striving to be right—to measure up and be acceptable.

The Spirit of Jesus will work a divine exchange transfusion in you—cleansing you of sin and despair—making you whole and healed and filled with hope and peace from the inside out.

Set free to follow Jesus!  

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    Thanks Heather, this was such an important message for me to hear. The declaration of freedom that it proclaims is…

Home

On By Heather HensonIn Life's Lessons, Personal Reflections, Uncategorized1 Comment

So I’ve been thinking about home a lot lately. But where is my home? Is my home in Eltham in Australia? Is it in Athens in Greece? Or is it found in all of the places in which I’ve lived during my 58 years of life? Maybe home is where I was born…

What does ‘home’ mean to you? It might be a haven of security and belonging that even now draws you back to an atmosphere wherein love, peace and rest prevail. On the other hand, it might be somewhere you dread being even in the distant shadowy memories of long ago years shoved away in a dusty ‘don’t go there’ room in your mind.

I need home to be a haven where I get to relax having tuned out the cacophony of the voices in the world all clamouring to exert their influence on my mind.

After a day spent navigating my way through life with its accompanying intersections each demanding a decision (which way is the right way?) or deciding what to do about the roadblocks, detours and confusing one-way streets where my forward momentum seems somehow even temporarily threatened… I just want to go home!

But what if ‘home’ no longer feels like home?

What do I do? Where do I go?

Maybe the better question is, “To whom do I turn?”. I discovered long ago that I am a traveller on a sojourn passing through this world with all of its brokenness and beauty…

My real home is in Jesus in the heart of God—the great I Am who asked me to call Him “Daddy”.

So it doesn’t matter where I am in the world when I practice resting back into His presence. It doesn’t matter who I’m with… or not with. It doesn’t matter whether the language is different. It doesn’t matter.

It’s in God where my place of security and belonging rests. The guarantee of an eternity lived ‘at home’—one with Jesus where I am forever healed, forever content, forever fulfilled and satisfied, forever tuned in to the sound of heaven—is the beloved Holy Spirit who made His home in me when He drew me to Jesus.

That day when I believed what I was hearing within the hidden depths of my being—that Jesus loved me and wanted to make His home in me—that day when I said “yes” was the day that I found out where my real, forever home is…

No matter where I am in the world.

Heather Henson

20th July 2017

 

Ross and me

A journey with Stephen…

On By Heather HensonIn Devotionals, Monday Morning Minute, Personal Reflections, UncategorizedLeave a comment

So what is it, that the Father might be saying to us at a time such as this? It seems to me that it is as simple and as profound as a story of glory—the triumphant glory of God that has not been and will never be, extinguished by the darkness!

Imagine that you’re present—in this story recorded for us in the book of Acts 6-7. You are there living the journey with Stephen—working alongside him, helping him.

How exciting it was to be present that day when he was chosen by the community of Jesus-followers to serve them in the distribution of food to the widows of the Greek and Hebrew speaking believers? It was like you could feel the atmosphere was charged with the holiness and passion of God!

You had heard that Stephen had a reputation for being ‘a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit’. (Acts 6:5) and now you realised that Stephen was not just serving food to the people in need. Important though the task is, you have been recognising that it is never all about that. It is about relationship. Whenever authentic community is allowed to exist and is practised, God’s goodness and grace and mercy and compassion are on display for all to see! 

Whenever the Word of God speaks, you have been learning that we do well to listen. But not just to listen because it is when we believe God and put what we have heard into action that it becomes life… And life charged and empowered by the power of the Holy Spirit changes everything! 

You saw—sometimes through your tears—that through Stephen’s life in-action, God had gifts to give to the ‘little ones’ who are so easily forgotten—marginalised by a world locked in an insane struggle for power.

Now of course you remember… Jesus always honoured the people who the world rejected. He only did what he saw the Father doing! He never treated the vulnerable—the ‘lepers’ of society, the ‘invisible’ people like they were victims and expendable— people to sweep out of his way.

Their needs were (are) opportunities… opportunities for God to reveal his glory, his majesty, his goodness and his eternal loving-kindness  to the world who was (is) watching. 

You stood with Stephen as he along with his colleagues was prayed for and commissioned by the twelve apostles. Then in the days to come, you watched as a principle was displayed for all to see and understand: in the hands of the author of our lives, a job description becomes something infinitely more than anything imagined, planned or authored by man alone. 

You watched in amazement as Stephen—full of God’s grace and power—performed amazing miracles and signs among the people. You had learned from history so you were not really surprised that he attracted opposition. It came this time, in the form of a group of Jews from a local Synagogue. But do you know what the worst thing was? These men couldn’t stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke so they persuaded others to tell lies about him. 

It was awful! Of course, the people always did become enraged in an instant whenever they imagined the law of Moses and the holy Temple were being blasphemed but the speed with which you saw the religious leaders became involved was incredible. 

That day, you heard truth! The very words of Jesus (yes, you heard him speak them with your own ears) were twisted and used with malicious intent against Stephen. You sensed evil at work that day—invisibly and visibly—bent on stealing, killing and destroying…

But the wonder of what happened next! You watched in awe when you saw Stephen’s face became as bright as an angel’s with the glory of God shining upon him, within him, all around him. Everyone just stared at him in amazement, their mouths wide open!

It was then that the priest in-charge spoke. You turned, this time to stare at him as he arrogantly asked Stephen if the accusations levelled against him were true! The way he asked made you wonder if he had already made up his mind about the matter.

The way Stephen replied was amazing and reminded you of the words Jesus said about a time of great persecution ahead. He said, “You will be dragged into synagogues and prisons, and you will stand trial before kings and governors because you are my followers. But this will be your opportunity to tell them about me. So don’t worry in advance about how to answer the charges against you, for I will give you the right words and such wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to reply or refute you!” (Luke 21:12-15 NLT)

It looked to you like the religious leaders were pleased with what Stephen was saying… in fact it was like listening to the lesson for the day in the Synagogue. But all that changed when he pointed out to them that they were ‘heathen’ at heart and deaf to the truth! And then he asked if they were going to forever resist the Holy Spirit—which was what their ancestors did! 

Oh! He really gave it to them! The Truth would not be silenced! He said that their ancestors persecuted every one of the prophets that God sent to them but not only that, they even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One, the Messiah. He even told them that the Most High doesn’t live in temples made by human hands! After all, who amongst men could build God a resting place when heaven is his throne and earth is his footstool! 

You wondered… is it possible that the Temple and the traditions of the law of Moses had tragically somehow become a form of idolatry reinforced time and time again? Had this idolatry hardened—even encapsulated—their hearts to the Father of our beloved Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ? 

It seemed like the Father was giving these people whom he loved so much, another opportunity to repent of their sins and turn to Jesus in faith. But they would have none of it that day. The power of the ‘story’ was too strong in them and it was like they served it. Anyone perceived as a threat to their story was being treated as ‘the enemy’.  They chose that moment, to become infuriated by Stephen’s accusation. They could have chosen to turn to God—truly remorseful and repentant. They had a choice but sadly, you recognised, they had made this choice so often that it was like it now owned them.

You watched with awestruck wonder as Stephen—full of the Holy Spirit—gazed unwavering into heaven and saw the glory of God! He saw Jesus standing in the place of honour at God’s right hand. He testified to what he saw even in that moment, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honour at God’s right hand!” (Acts 7:55-56)

The speed and violence with which the engaged religious leaders grabbed Stephen was awful and terrifying! You watched with horror when men took up one stone after another and with a deadly force borne out of self-righteous fury, struck him again and again…

With tears streaming down your face, you watched as Stephen—innocent of the charges brought against him—prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Falling to his knees, he shouted, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!”  (Acts 7:59-60) 

And you remembered Jesus… 

Oh… and the triumphant glory light of God? One of the witnesses who stood in agreement to the killing of Stephen, was a young man known as Saul who was soon to find himself in the very centre of the focus of that same glory! 

Oh merciful and great I AM! Keep us from the folly of resisting your Holy Spirit! Help us to more fully surrender (by faith with joy and thanksgiving) to Jesus and experience true and lasting freedom to live in unfettered abandonment to your ways and to your will… No matter the cost of the opposition that we will attract! For Jesus sake! For your glory! 

(References: This story was taken from the Bible book of Acts chapters 6-7 NLT.)

The Joy of Creation

On By Heather HensonIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Imagine! The Creator of the universe is standing with you. Right beside you… to your right. He turns to you and with a twinkle in his eyes says, “Watch this…” 

Looking up into the night sky, you watch as he flings a star into space. His throw was amazing to watch. There was no sense of randomness or trying hard to get it right.

This was the Creator having fun. Enjoying himself! 

You watch as the Creator of the universe paints a picture on the easel of the dark canvas of the night sky. But this is no ordinary work of art. This is life. But this is not the ‘still life’ sort of art you have seen artists in the world work to copy from a model set before them.

No. This unique art exhibition created by him is living, vibrant and joyful—singing in worship to the Creator—the One who spoke it all into being. The One who sustains it all by the power of his word!

This masterpiece—set high in the heavens by the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—testifies to the brilliance and power and majesty and love of our Creator.

“Did you like that? he exclaims as he turns to you looking into your eyes! The energy and loving kindness, the sense of ancient wisdom there—you see all of this and more—somehow mixed in together in the limitless depths of his eyes.

You know you are looking in to the face of the eternal I AM who I AM. The Ancient of days. The Author of life—your life and mine.

Rich and satisfying. Abundant life!

Resting his hands on your shoulders, the Creator speaks to you with an intensity that has every part of your being quivering. You know that you cannot contain this energy that is even now building within you. You begin to wonder, “What will it take? What is going to happen to release this energy? Am I going to explode?”

Suddenly, Jesus lifts one hand from your shoulder and turning, he looks up once more into the night sky. “Look what I did with that energy! Look what was created through me! By me. For you. To point you to me. You cannot contain my power… relax into me and let it flow. Let it flow through you. My Spirit will guide its flow according to our Daddy’s plans. And remember—the plans… they are all about me!” 

For the glory of God!

Let us worship the Lord—our God! Ascribe greatness to the Creator immersed in the beauty of his holiness…. in the splendour and wonder of his majesty!

Love, problems, opportunities…

On By Heather HensonIn Monday Morning Minute, UncategorizedLeave a comment

What is written in blue (below) was something I wrote last week as I enjoyed time with God. It seemed like He was giving it to me as a gift. As Monday approached last week, it seemed right to share it in the ‘Monday Morning Minute’. Ross (my husband & MMM’s International Director) challenged me to ask God how it might be applied to our lives. I pray that as you read it, you’ll encounter the beloved Spirit of the Lord Jesus &… explore the Father’s heart.

I have loved you with an everlasting perfect love—untainted by the dust of the world. Pure & undefiled, this love brings life. This love has brought an end to the problem of sin & pain. This love builds up—it does not tear down.

My love is My character reflected & expressed in Jesus Christ. My love is good—all the time. My love has divine, eternal purpose. My love is like an oasis bringing hope & life in the desert. My love is a well watered garden that produces fruit in seasons & out of season. In my love there is no fear of lack, no anxiety of famine. I send My love to you & … I will perfect it in you. The world needs to know My good & perfect love.

My love sets you free—to be who I call you to be—for the glory of My beloved Son Jesus Christ. When you honour Jesus by recognising that He is My only begotten Son, righteous & holy, pure of heart… you honour Me.

Submit to the authority of Jesus in all things. In this way, you please Me. Through you, My joy will overflow & change atmospheres. Practice resting back into Jesus & you will be made whole by the work of My Spirit.

The process of you being made whole is a glorious one—enjoy it! I do!

What is our default ‘turn-to’ setting when we have a ‘problem’ in life? Some of us might want a problem-free life but what if God actually needs us to have a different mindset? What if He needs us to view our problems as ‘opportunities’? Opportunities inviting us to explore the Father’s heart in a new way. Opportunities where perfect love has a chance to flourish & drive out fear. Opportunities that are created where believing God & trusting Him displace doubts about who God is & wants to be for us. Opportunities to let God out of the ‘box’ & give Him the freedom to be God in, all around, through our lives. Opportunities…

I’ve noticed Jesus attaches the gift of a promise to each ‘problem’ that His Father permits to intersect with my life. Years ago, I was surprised by the voice of the Holy Spirit who seemed to say, “Heather, you’re an overcomer.” Of course He was giving me such a gift… being intentional, compassionate & eternally lovingly kind, my Daddy (God) needed me to be more than an ‘overcomer’ in Christ. Just as important as that is, He needed me to know & accept that I am who He says I am! The first step of this process becoming a reality was, by faith to receive His good gift.

Various ‘problems’ rose up to challenge His gift to me over the following year. But God was equipping me by His grace & goodness. Contrary to my former thought patterns, I began to exchange the (mindset) lie for the truth… “I’m an overcomer” & reflecting to God words like, “I will trust You. Thank You for making me an overcomer in Christ.”

By giving me a constructive, life-giving framework to which I could continually reference what was happening in & around me, the Spirit of Jesus helped me move through the problems in life rather than getting lost in them or disabled by them.

When you & I encounter a problem, it might be like arriving at a T-intersection on a road. We need make a decision & choose which direction we will take. Do we turn ‘left’ reacting as if we are orphans—all alone—not knowing who our Father is? Turning that way, we might find that fear, anxiety & worry have opened the door to other things like the need to be in control, relying on our own resources (or those of the world) & working to navigate a safe route through an unsafe land.

Or, do we intentionally choose to turn ‘right’ into the arms of our Father through faith in Jesus who has everything we will ever need (& is not reluctant or miserly in giving!). That would be like jumping into the River of Living Water in which we are gloriously out of our control & depth!

Submitted to the flow which is neither haphazard or without meaning, we are carried in & nurtured by the Water, whose Source never ends, will never be defeated, will never be overwhelmed & will never be taken by surprise. Nothing is impossible for HIM! Let us today & each new morning, surrender in trusting submission to the Lover of our souls.

Upon Him we can depend with certainty even in times that scream to us, “uncertainty’ ahead”.

Enjoying God—and the story of two birds.

On By Heather HensonIn Devotionals, Monday Morning Minute, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Walking along a beachside track with Ross last week, I was startled by a brief flash of dark colour & the sound of something nearby. Hearing the sound again, its source still eluded me. Quickening my step around the bend in the path, I was amused to see a bird running for the cover of a bush! 

Another day & another walk… This time it was on the cliffs high above the beach. Perched on the fence, I saw a young magpie watching our approach. Despite Ross’ sudden & inexplicable attempt to make it fly away, the bird settled back & focussed its attention on me! The pleasure I felt in the moment of interaction brought a deep bubbling-up sort of joy from within!   

These two experiences led me to think about what might characterise our relationship with God. He makes no secret of the fact that not only did He decide to adopt us into His own family through Jesus Christ but it gave Him great pleasure to do so. (Go to the Bible & explore the book of Ephesians Chapter one to find out more.) 

Imagine. Jesus (He exactly represents Father God) is walking towards you. Hearing His footsteps before you even see Him, you take flight running for cover. Hiding, your heart is beating with a sense of anxiety & fear accompanied by something else you can’t identify & you wonder why… Why did you hide from He who is Love—from He who does not condemn you but comes to save, heal & deliver you? 

Imagine again… Sitting on a fence, you watch as Jesus approaches you. Something just tried to scare you off but this time… you’re determined not to give way to fear, anxiety & worry. Watchful, you sit even while poised to take flight.

But peace has come near, the atmosphere has changed & your confidence & trust develops moment by moment. More settled now, you listen to the sound of His voice—He might even have something to give you. Even as you wait, you’re becoming bolder & more courageous as you take joy in soaking in the life-giving pleasure & delight He has in you! Yes, you!

The Spirit of Jesus—our God—is calling us! It is time. It’s time to plunge deeper into a true heart-to-heart intimate relationship with our majestic, powerful Father for whom nothing is impossible! In this place (in Him), competing forces vying for His rightful place in our lives melt away recognising their defeat!

It is impossible to live the ‘rich & satisfying, abundant’ life that Jesus said His purpose is to give us (see John 10:10b) if we are habitually running or hiding from His Presence. It’s time to come down off the ‘fences’ straddling the high places of life & the sea of God’s radical, life-changing love, grace & goodness. His ways. His Kingdom.  

Come on! Let us joyfully & courageously choose to surrender & submit (all things) to our God whose good thoughts towards us outnumber the grains of sand on the sea-shore! His plans for us are all about Jesus Christ… establishing the life of Christ in us for His glory! 

We are in the process of learning to authentically live a life of glorious obedience to Jesus who calls us not to worry about everyday life & whether we will have ‘enough’. He says (See Matthew 6:25-27—NLT), Look at the birds. They don’t work or harvest or store food in the barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to Him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

Let us joyfully, faithfully & courageously walk in a submitted, surrendered, trusting life of joyful obedience to partner with our God! Come on beloved of the Lord! Let us practice resting back into God, our Daddy—from this place of love—we lean forward & give out on life’s journey. Let us not give into intimidation or fear of that which belongs to the world because, the victorious Jesus Christ… He is our Lord! And empowered by the Holy Spirit, we will walk in His footsteps! 

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One step at a time…

On By Heather HensonIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

In every footstep of Jesus’ there is so much to explore!

So… I wonder what I will discover because it looks like I’ve just stepped into the next ‘footstep’. I’m glad I’m not by myself… I would most likely turn around and run in the opposite direction!