1. I am a temple of God.
I am a temple of God in the most amazing city in the world. I am a temple of God in the worst place in existence. The all powerful true and living God of the universe lives in me- everywhere I go. So, if I truly  (not just say I do, and not just think I do, but truly) get all my joy, peace, strength, and satisfaction from the Lord, then I should always be content at heart because the Lord is in me.

2. Changing my location doesn’t change my heart’s position.
Have you ever met a runner/quitter? Runners give up at the slightest signs of stress, and when they give up one thing and move on to the next, they still aren’t fulfilled or satisfied, so they run from that, too. The reason is that dissatisfied people are dissatisfied wherever they go. We love to say “if & when this happens, then I will finally have ____.” I give you permission to throw that thought out of the window. It’s usually more truthful that we will have ____ when we get our hearts right. Getting the heart right happens through simply seeking Jesus, making him our Lord and our every desire.

3. God has commissioned me here.
I know that God had a plan for my husband and I moving here. I can see his hand all over every step that he took to bring us where we are now. It’s so obvious. But I can’t do anything for His kingdom here if I do not LOVE the place I am called to serve in. If I do not have love, I am nothing. (1 Cor 13:2) I have to have God’s vision for the place I am sent, and not just for the people, but the geographical area, too. God gave me this very simple revelation one day. He said, “You know I made this place, too, right? The dreams that are planted and birthed in this little town are just as big and important as the ones in those places you think are bigger and better.” God totally put me in my place. Pun intended.

4. God equips where he appoints.
God has a plan. Always. In my first months here, all I could see was my situation. I couldn’t see God’s plan like I do now that some of it has come to pass. But he had one, and all I had to do was listen to Him and go where he called me. It was easy. I said yes to attending a small group that a friend (shoutout to Allison Riley) invited me to even though it was in a town 40 mins away. Yay! God gave me people! Then, I started going to the church that they all went to. That church already had plans for a satellite campus in my town. So we moved to that local small group and started serving and became involved in the planting of the church. God gave us more people! A family! We started leading in that church- more relationships! More purpose! At each step God gave us more family, more community, and more purpose, and now we gladly call this place home. And, most importantly, He drew us closer to Him every step of the way- which brings me back to point number one- Our contentment truly comes from God. But, His plan was never to leave us lonely and dissatisfied and without community, because He’s a GOOD Father.
So, if you are dealing discontentment in a certain area of your life, I urge you to listen to His voice and follow what He tells you, because He already has plans to equip you where he has planted you.

5. Contentment breeds blessing.
So, my sister is just blessed. A lot of people like to throw that word around, and that’s when I start talking about my sister because I am a one-upper and she’s super  blessed. She has the best marriage out of anyone I know, and God has seriously just given her a free truck before when she needed one. Completely free…and not an old ugly truck- a really nice truck.  Anyway, today we were talking about how people get to that place where the blessing and favor of God just pours out over them. And I said I thought obedience probably had to do with it. She said “I think for us, it’s about contentment more than obedience. I think it’s just being content with what you have, because it’s definitely possible to be obedient but hate what you are doing, and what’s the point of serving God like that?” We talked about how contentment actually equips us to be more obedient and positions us to be able to receive all that He has to give us. I thought this was so important- the Word says, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” (Luke 16:10) I really think that this verse is applicable here- If we aren’t content with some of God’s blessings, why should God give us more?

Obviously, I am still learning. That last lesson I learned just today. But I am so grateful for all God has taught me and how He helped me overcome much of my discontentment. Mine was a location…for some of us it’s a marriage, a relationship, or a job that God has called us to. Whatever it is, I hope that this can help those struggling to settle in where God has purposed and planned for us to be.

There were some things that happened in the beginning of the dream that are a little hazy to me still. A ‘bad guy’ was trying to chase me down, and I was rescued- by Jesus or an angel and delivered to another angel or Holy Spirit. Like I said, that part’s hazy. But, this next part is very vivid- I was brought to a kitchen that had a similar feel to my Grandpa’s kitchen, and all of a sudden, I sensed a strong spiritual presence and turned around. I saw the backside of an older woman prepping corn, and I knew without a shadow of a doubt who it was- (specifically) God the Father. [That’s right, folks- you heard it here first: God is a woman! Ok, just kidding. God is neither male nor female, but it does make sense that He would come to me personally as a motherly figure, because my mom’s the one who’s most responsible for raising me.] So, there I was, in the presence of the Creator of the universe, and it felt like I was hit by a freight train. Creation knew Creator. My mind knew. My soul knew. My body knew, and it didn’t have a choice but to fall. It wasn’t a voluntary thing, like, “I think I’ll get on my knees in reverence.” No- I didn’t. have. a choice. All I could do was fall on my knees in what felt like slow motion and bawl and scream, “Mommy! Mommy!” over and over again. He comforted me, and all He said was, “I know. I know.” I felt that he was telling me that He understood what it was like for me to be in His presence. He was telling me that it was okay that I couldn’t handle it. I could NOT handle it. The glory. The majesty. The pure love. It was overwhelming, and I only use that word because the word that I need to describe His physical presence doesn’t exist. The one who said “Let there be light” and there was light..showed up in my dream. He let me enter His presence. He let me experience daughter-ship in abundance. Are you even getting this?!

When I woke up from the dream, there were tears streaming down my face. I was still crying. The best way I can describe what I felt is this: It was like I was an orphan who was finally reunited with my true parent for the first time. It changed things to the point that I don’t even know who my natural parents are anymore…guardians? I know their deep love for me. But, they could never love me this intensely, because I truly belong to God. That sonship is something we all know. I knew before this dream that I was a daughter of the King of Kings and I was so proud to be. I claimed my sonship, and I knew who I was. But, to experience it in such a real and tangible way has been life-changing, prayer-changing, perspective-changing, and just surreal. When I pray now, I position myself right next to Him again, where He can just reach out and touch me. The only thing He said to me was, “I know,” and those two words have had such lasting impact on me. He knows everything. He knows what we need, where we’re going, who we are, the future, everything. He truly KNOWS.

I want to add that I have been baptized in the Spirit and overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit’s presence several times in my life and that is SO awesome too, but this was much, much more intense. Where Holy Spirit is a deposit guaranteeing our acceptance into sonship, God the Father is the full inheritance. It’s no wonder I couldn’t handle it for even a moment. I pray that we all have that Fatherly encounter in some way- that all my friends, family, and everyone who reads this would have a mind-blowing sonship experience…that we could stand right next to Him as His child in complete awe and wonder and then take that with us everywhere we go.

Victoriously,
Lora Robertson

The Woman at the Well (John 4:6-29) is one of my Bible favorites. But, to be honest, I had been reading it all wrong. I used to think that Jesus was pointing out the sin of this woman as a call to repentance. Now, don’t get me wrong, Jesus is a rightful judge who holds us accountable, but I’m no longer convinced that repentance is the major theme of this story.

The narrative begins when Jesus asks the Samaritan woman at the well for water. She must be shocked that Jesus would even speak to her because their people groups hated each other (think Hatfield’s & McCoy’s). But He assures her, “If you knew to ask me for living water, I would give it to you.” He’s not just talking to her, He’s offering her something (the greatest gift there is!). Then, when the woman tells Him she wants His living water, things take a sharp turn. Jesus tells her to call her husband, knowing that she does not have one. He reveals that He knows she has had five husbands and isn’t married to the man she has now. Now, I used to think that maybe Jesus is trying show her what she needs to do (get married) in order to have His living water. But that’s not how God’s Grace operates. It’s not something you can earn with good works. So, if that’s not the case- what is His point?

We can be sure that there were no “Girl Power” t-shirts in biblical times like the one in my closet. The right to pursue divorce back then was solely given to men. So, when Jesus speaks of her five divorces, He speaks of the five times that a man has given up on her and tossed her aside. The most common reason men divorced women back then was because they couldn’t bear children- so maybe she’s barren. We don’t know, but we can assume that in her society, as a five-time divorcee, she is probably an outcast. So, when He says she’s not married now, He’s referring to a man who likely won’t marry her. I believe that Jesus means to uncover this brokenness and rejection in an effort to become intimate with her rather than to judge her. He wants her to know that He knows her, and He calls her worthy. It’s not that He knows the good stuff about her and thinks she’s worthy, but that He knows all her struggles, and still calls her worthy. I love how Jesus jumps to her broken places as soon as she says she’s ready to receive His living water. We see our own brokenness and messy past experiences as something we should hide, and He sees opportunity for Him to be glorified. It’s true; His power is made perfect in our weakness. This is why the enemy wants us to keep the dark places of our lives to ourselves, so that He can continue to use them against us. The enemy knows that when our stories are exposed to the light of Christ, He will turn them into a testimony that is used to glorify Him.

As soon as the woman at the well realizes that Jesus has a divine connection to God, she jumps at the chance to ask Him the most important spiritual question in her world. This was the primary disagreement among the Samaritans and Jews: “Where is proper to worship?” Jesus responds by teaching her what true worship is. Can we just take second, as 21st century Christians, to appreciate how honored the woman at the well is in this moment, being taught by Jesus face to face? Jesus gives her the ultimate education- that He is the Messiah. Upon hearing this, she up and leaves her water jug, and runs off to tell people. She is so shaken up by Jesus, that everything she was doing before the King of Kings interacted with her is no longer important.

The Samaritan woman runs to tell everyone just how Jesus has rocked her world, and she changes her city. Jesus used this rejected and broken lady to further His kingdom. He not only acknowledges her existence- he converses with her, invites her, and teaches her. She was taught by Jesus face to face, and was likely the first person ever of Gentile descent to spread His name. God used this woman in a powerful way for His kingdom, and He does the very same thing with us today. Even when we feel under-qualified, shamed, or rejected, Jesus is inviting us into relationship with Him and inviting us to partner with Him in the sharing of His Gospel, and, you know, changing the world. The question is- are we willing to bring our broken places into the light and leave our water jugs to do so? 

Striving keeps us from Godly rest. But I want to clarify that striving and busyness aren’t exactly the same thing. There’s lots of rest talk on “slowing down” and “taking it easy” that most of the world needs, but since spiritual rest is found in God, we simply need go where He goes to experience that rest. There will be seasons where God is calling us to do much for His kingdom. There may be seasons where God is calling us to a slower pace. The point is, rest isn’t found in a less busy season;  It’s found in our willingness to let go of our plans in order to partake in His plan for our lives. So yes, God’s rest is for busy people, too, as long as that busyness is God’s Will for us. There is a big difference between filling up our calendars with things that give us a false sense of purpose and letting God fill out our calendars. When we let God dictate our lives, we get to walk out a plan that’s already finished. His completion is what makes it rest.

Some of my favorite scripture on rest comes from Matthew. Matthew 11:28-30 says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” I love these verses. A yoke is something tied to two animals in order for them to accomplish some sort of work for their owner. It’s usually seen as oppressive. But God says here that His yoke is actually rest for the weary. God’s work is easier than worldly freedom. His plan is lighter than our free will. Let that sink in.
Now, remember how a yoke ties you to someone else? Guess who God’s yoke ties us to?? Jesus! That means we’ve got access to an abundance of resource and power to get His work done, because our yoke is Christ’s.

I know we’re talking about rest, but I must address fear. I think that fear and striving are two of the greatest opponents of Sabbath rest. Fear keeps us from living in God’s Will. A great lesson on rest and fear is found in Mark 4, when Jesus and his disciples are on a boat during a really intense storm that the disciples think they may die from. And Jesus is sleeping. (I can really relate to this side of Jesus.) They wake him up and He rebukes the storm and makes it disappear. I think it’s a really great picture of what God’s rest looks like- following our Lord doesn’t mean it’s never going to storm, but it does change our perception of it. It was still storming around Jesus, but He was operating in rest…quite literally in this case. Seriously, Jesus napping through the storm is ‘goals’ for the level of walking in God’s Will I want to live in. Jesus didn’t even have to experience the storm he was in. Imagine living like that!
Unlike Jesus, the disciples had fear and worry and doubt. God’s rest isn’t found there. The yoke is heavy there. It’s hard there. Fear has NO place in us. I will frequently say out loud, “God has not given me a spirit of fear,” anytime it tries to rear its ugly head in the form of anxiety, fright, doubt, or shame. And it absolutely works. Try it- out loud. We must rebuke the storms of fear that try to rise up inside of us.

We have to take a stance against fear and against striving for ourselves if want to live in God’s rest. You know that thing we want to do that we know God doesn’t want us to do, but we do it anyway? God’s rest isn’t there. You know the way we worry more about what other people think about us than what God has already said about us? Nope, it’s not there either. When He calls us to something and we don’t answer because (enter excuse here)? God’s rest isn’t there. God’s rest is found in living in His Will, going forward with Him and without fear.