Blog - MICHELLE GEHRT

Posted on May 14, 2022 by Michelle Gehrt

#eternal, #Experience, #HolySpirit, #Invitation, #NewCovenantLife, #power, #presence, #Salvation, #surrendering, #Tabernacle, #transformation, Glory, God, Jesus

And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Genesis 1:31 NASB

When God created all things in the beginning, He said it was very “good.” Everything He made was in perfect harmony with His design for humanity. God had a natural balance set in place for all of creation. He chose to display this balance in the garden. Man was given free reign over all things and was told not to eat from one tree. This instruction gave us free will. Why was this particular tree placed in the garden? Why were they given this choice that would soon lead to destruction of everything that God put into place for them and would continue throughout generations to come? Everything was in order and set precisely. Through our “free will” or “choice”, we essentially have lost our first love. How can we get back to God’s original design for us by becoming absolutely surrendered? How can we fully love God in the way that He originally intended?

A great example of losing our first love is the church at Ephesus (Revelation 2:4). Now the Apostle Paul stayed a long period of time in the town of Ephesus. He taught them so many things, recorded in the book of Ephesians. This is such a small book in the Bible but powerfully packed full of how we should live our lives today. Could this book be instructions for our lives? If you get a chance, read the book of Ephesians. Paul was absolutely surrendered to his call and to the Lord. He took a lot of time in this town to show them true love. He talked about everything from redemption, the power of God through faith, the blood of Jesus, our peace, overcoming, not to be afraid, how to walk in unity, grieving the Holy Spirit, love, children, parents, husbands and wives and more. I believe the key is unification. Paul’s words to the Ephesians are still for us today and it all comes together when we surrender and unify with God through Jesus Christ the Savior of the world. When we walk in one accord following the instruction from Paul who was Spirit filled from the Lord, we will also be victorious and glorify our King!

Because of the fall of man in creation, our God-ordained destinies—written in our books before we were thought of in heaven—have been delayed for a long time now (Psalm 139:16). Our choice of free will has led to the loss of God’s original model in the garden. One choice has set a path of destruction for generations to come. Our eyes have shifted from God and the love He intended for us to the world, a FALSE LOVE. Our absolute surrender has shifted focus to the natural world. These events begun in Genesis have led us to the end of the Bible where will one day be in the book of Revelation, Armageddon.

We will one day have to face this great event that will take place to restore all of humanity back into the original design God constructed. God is outside of time and has given us time on earth each day to atone to make our ways right by repenting, acknowledging that we have sinned, and ask for forgiveness through Jesus Christ our Savior of the world. He shed His blood and became sin by taking on our sins so we could have eternity with our Father as we see in the garden story in Genesis. He wants us to walk out our destinies He has for us and is giving us this time to make a change and to get back to the old ways, treading the path of the ancients, the ones who have gone before us.

We do not know all things. We see only in part and are given more as God desires. Only God knows all things for He is all powerful and all knowing at all times. We have been given the gift of the Bible which reveals hidden mysteries to us when we read it daily. This enables us to “walk it out” by applying these lessons to our lives today. The Bible reveals to us what God has had for us before the beginning of time. Armageddon is the final battle place, which will occur after the tribulation time period (read more about this in the book of Revelation). During this era, we will have exhausted our chances to make all things right. There will be no more chances to repent asking for forgiveness, no more opportunities to change our mind because God will have no more delays left for us. His wrath will be poured out over the earth and only those who have made things right in the eyes of the Lord, who have chosen Jesus and begun to walk in the ways of the Lord, will have eternity with Him. All others will go through the great judgment. Right now there is still time to make things right. We don’t know when the time or day will come, but God has given us this day to make a change—prepare and get ready! We have the ancient book of the Bible at our fingertips—the greatest manual of all time that supernaturally speaks and reveals things to us. All we need to do is open it up and read it.

You may wonder where absolute surrender comes into this scene. Absolute surrender is to fully love God. To use your free will to give up your life for God by picking up your cross and following Jesus. To behold Him, is to look like Him as others in the Bible beheld God. They became a mirror image of the Father. God’s light, the Holy Spirit light flowed out of them into the world. They were changed, transformed from the inside out. These valiant ones chose their free will, not to conform to the ways of the world which showed false love, but to surrender unconditionally. This allowed God to come into their hearts, while reflecting true love.

Absolute surrender is an inside job. It starts with choosing Jesus as your Savior to free you from the bondage of the world. Have you accepted Jesus Christ into your life? Do you believe He came and died for you to live a life in the Father? Have you repented for your old ways? If you believe all of this, then our God is gracious and merciful and accepts you into His family. He loves ALL people and does not want to leave any behind. That is why He is giving us time to choose free will to accept Him and live according to His ways and purposes for our lives and find our destinies designed uniquely for us.

The world has smoked up our lenses and led us down the wrong path. We lost our first love because we chose the world and all of the details that fall within a day, a 24-hour time period. God gave us Jesus to free us from the worldly paradigm ways of our thought patterns. The people of Ephesus lost their first love. Could it be that this book was left for us a manual of how to live in the world today? Absolute surrender is becoming like the love that God has for us—a love that unifies us with God and also with each other. It is a way of life intended for us all along. When we live like this, we will move in victory glorifying Him. We will be kingdom workers! The garden will begin to expand and God’s original design for all of humanity will start to take root once again. Restoration will take place. It begins with us!

Conflict has been around forever and we see this all throughout the Bible. Fear needs to go and love must be brought in. We have the blood of Jesus, the seed that sprung forth from Eve. We have the power and authority from the Lion and Lamb. We must change our mindset into the mindset of Christ.

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. Romans 8:29 NIV

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 NIV

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Romans 12:2 NIV

Now is the time to reflect individually and choose what God said was good in the beginning in Genesis. Take up your cross with Faith, hoping for things that are not seen (Hebrews 11:1). Stop blaming each other and start loving unconditionally. Follow the pattern set before us in Ephesians. If we are to understand love then we must take the first step and become love by becoming absolutely surrendered.

Do you have the desire to accomplish God’s will for your life? Have you accepted Jesus?

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 NIV

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 14:6 NIV

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, ¹⁴who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

Ephesians 1:13-14

Have you made atonement for your sins? Have you resolved all conflict and allowed love to enter into your total being? Are you prepared? (Read the parable of the 10 virgins in Matthew 25:1-13.)

Are you ready to go back to the ancient ways of old?

Surrender to the Father today and see what He has in store for you!

May God Bless you

Posted on May 7, 2022 by Michelle Gehrt

#atonement, #change, #choice, #Ephesus, #eternity, #HolySpirit, #love, #man, #mindset, #sealed, #sin, #surrender, God, Jesus, Paths

“A man can eat his dinner without understanding exactly how food nourishes him.”

C.S. Lewis

We are constantly looking for things that will satisfy us in life. As I get older, I am seeing that whatever it may be we are looking for to fulfill the desire we crave, never ends up sustaining us. God has a plan for every one of our lives. He created everything for our good and if we learn to distinguish from what is good and not good, we will live full lives. In Genesis, the story of creation tells us so much of what we need to know to sustain life. Everything was created for our good. What He has provided for us to become nourished is the very same thing that will sustain us through life. I am talking about spiritual, emotional and physical well-being. He has supplied us with our every need. We have been given the gift of life to steward in who God is. We can’t do this properly without knowing what God had furnished for us before we were thought of. We must fully rely on our Maker if we want to live complete lives. God has left many resources to handle whatever it may be that comes against us in life. The key is to know who He is to be able to start using these assets. Anything can become an idol if we put it before God. People, places, things, you name it—YES! You can have too much of a good thing and suddenly realize that you’re never satisfied. The enemy, our accuser, wants us to end up on the not-so-good end of things so we can’t accomplish our assignments on earth.

Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you Genesis 1:29 NASB

Let’s take food for example. We have so many choices. Have you ever thought about a cheeseburger and suddenly found yourself in dire need of filling this instant impulse? Back in the old days, nothing was instant. There was no immediate gratification. Everything took time but was also whole and fresh. Today we lose so many of our nutrients from the way our food is processed, thus leaving us full but malnourished. God provided food for us that was loaded with all the vitamins and minerals needed to sustain us to live strong, healthy lives.

What we are doing today in this fast-paced world is setting our eyes upon the next best thing that consumerism has to offer. Before we know it, we are anything but sustained. The Western world has many ailments that other places in the world don’t have. Cancer is on the rise. Heart attacks, strokes and diabetes are forerunners too. We have lost sight of what God has told us in His manual for life. Our eyes have turned to what the world has shown us as which has decreased our life span and made us feel anything but healthy. We are tired, overworked, under exercised, and have lost all of our spunk because of lifelong bad eating habits. We have tried to get ahead but instead have set ourselves back.

God always intended for us to be healthy, but we have chosen the quick fix in all areas of life. Nowadays you can get anything you want at the push of a button. You don’t even need transportation to get what you want. The world has made it so easy to get what you want when you want it. It is good and it is bad. In the meantime, our food has changed drastically. It has become so fast paced that the more we give into our desires for what the eyes see, we are finding an increase in health-related complications.

I don’t know about you, but I feel as if I am having an epiphany moment! I am at the age where I want what God has had for me all along. There is no quick fix. I have learned it’s a marathon that builds the last. He shows us this all throughout our lives. Not just in the example of food but when we say yes to Jesus, it becomes a ladder approach. First we believe, then in faith we take the plunge. Through faith we receive the fruition to keep moving. It is all a process. It takes our entire lives to rid ourselves of the ways of the world. We learn how to keep and release through our relationship with the Lord. Scripture reveals tools that help to keep us pure and sealed from the evil tactics of the enemy. When we realize who we are in God, it is through redemption, grace and mercy that we learn how to eternally sustain our lives in Him. There is no quick food in the natural world that can give us what our Father has to offer. If we learn to root ourselves deep within Him, we will be able to endure what life throws at us. He sustains us and by His grace we are sanctified each step of the way!

The real problem is that our eyes must not sway from the One and only God, our Father, the keeper of our souls. Something as simple as food can become an idol when we earnestly desire it. The outcome is never good when we give in to our fleshy desires, whatever they may be. Our earthly senses tell us we will be satisfied. When we cultivate from what God has supplied on the earth for us through His Spirit, we then are directed to the kind of nourishment that sustains our bodies, our minds and spirit. It is an all-encompassing event and is everlasting.

Posted on April 30, 2022 by Michelle Gehrt

#HolySpirit, #nourishment, God

For I am full of words;
The spirit within me compels me.

Job 32:18 NKJV

One thing I know for sure about myself is that I am full of words. For those of you who know me, right about now you’re probably laughing and or in agreement with me. Although it is true that I love to talk, I am pretty sure this is not what the scripture is conveying to us. The first line of this scripture says, “For I am full of words.” We always have something to say, but what the author is trying to show us here is our words should be solid words built upon the foundation of Christ in us (Ephesians 2:19-22 NKJV). We must know the word of God to be able to speak it forth to bring life to the world. Otherwise, our words become just that…words. The words we speak are meant to glorify the Lord our God while lifting others up. When the believer consecrates himself to the Father, these everyday “words” become His words. The Spirit then convicts us to speak forth these utterances. As we align ourselves with the Holy Spirit, only then will our words have the ability to be used to the fullest divine measure.

Let’s refer to Job 32:18 once again and concentrate on the final line of this text. Think about what it means to be compelled by the Spirit. I believe the key is in the word compel. If I had to take a shot at defining this word, I would say that when you are compelled to do something, it is beyond your own will. God places His words into the believer’s heart to be released into the world. The Holy Spirit within produces a flaming desire to bring these words to life. Whatever it is that burdens your heart—that is, if you choose to surrender to it—becomes known to the world when you let it go. In this case we are talking about something God is imparting within to release to the world. When you are spending time with God, what are some of the things God stirs within you? Do you feel an urge or immediate desire to expel what you have seen or felt from within your spirit? During my alone time with the Lord, I feel as if I am constantly being compelled by a burning desire to share my revelations with others. When the Holy Spirit comes upon a person, it is to share the inner workings of the kingdom of God. As Christians, part of our journey is to experience a much greater in-depth relationship with the Father, which in turn becomes the driving force within our spirit.

When the Holy Spirit within us longs to release this hunger, only then will we speak forth the righteous desires of God. For some it makes a path more visible and clearer; for others it may be what is needed to just take another step. Whatever the direction may be, as we begin to release our words, they become a fiery passion from the Lord, full of power that can transform not just a person but the entire world! Yes, that’s right, we have a burning power within us that is ready to be released. When you release your words from within, what type of fruit will be dispersed?

Each day as we grow closer to you oh Lord, may we be compelled through the Holy Spirit to yearn for more of You. May our words one day become the full measure of the One true source within. When our hearts can no longer contain what is within, may we be compelled by the spirit to bring forth beautiful words aligned in perfect harmony with You for all to hear. May these burning desires placed upon our hearts be driven by the words that the Holy Spirit produces within us. May our words bring truth and life to the world. Come Holy Spirit!

Posted on April 23, 2022 by Michelle Gehrt

#consencrate, #conviction, #desire, #HolySpirit, #Job, #Lord, #words, #world, Father, God, Hunger

For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace,and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. –Ephesians 2:14-16 NKJV

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. –John 14:27 NKJV

The glory of Christ has been revealed through His resurrection and peace for us was made available through the work of the cross. This was not a worldly peace but an eternal spiritual peace that has been left for us to finish our mission here on earth.

And having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself: by Him, I say, whether they be things on earth or things in heaven. –Colossians 1:20 KJV

The sins of the world took the peace away from humanity and left us as wanderers. Jesus, our Savior, took on our sins so that we could be given new life. Through His blood that was shed for all mankind and through choosing Him, we have been reunited back to the Father. Through Jesus we are called holy, priests, citizens of heaven, sons and daughters of the Most High. We have been cleansed by the blood of the cross and are redeemed, sanctified, and made right in the eyes of the Lord.

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 2Corinthians 5:20NKJV

Through understanding what the cross did for us we can go directly to God the Father through our only mediator, Jesus, asking for forgiveness of our sins. Through accepting Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, we escape eternal punishment. We are saved by the mercy and grace of God because Jesus died and rose to pay the ultimate price for our sins. Transformation and restoration of what God has always intended for us begins as we walk out the mission God has for our individual lives. We then follow Jesus’ example in baptism as our public confession of our decision to follow Him. In choosing to die to sin and rising to new life we are forgiven, cleansed, and made new through Christ.

Through the resurrection of Jesus, we now as co-laborers of the Lord have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit to help us continue the Sons mission of seeking and saving the lost. In receiving the Holy Spirit we can partake in the gifts of the Spirit to release the gospel throughout the world. Through faith and hope imparted to us through the Holy Spirit, we can receive the peace of the Lord that continually helps us push forward toward the prize of our eternal hope in the Lord. When we open ourselves up to the Lord by fully surrendering to Him, God is pleased. In faith we can now ask the Father to release His Spirit in us to fulfill our mission on earth.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you will abound in hope and overflow with confidence in His promises. –Romans 15:13 AMP

As we reflect on the events leading up to the resurrection of our King this Easter season, may the joy of the Lord fill you with hope and may His peace be with you!

Posted on April 15, 2022 by Michelle Gehrt

#baptism, #cross, #Easter, #faith, #HolySpirit, #hope, #Lord, #ourresurrectedking #Jesus, #peace, #Salvation, God

Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.

You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. Romans 8:5-11 NIV

Before we chose to give our lives to Jesus, our old selves were imprisoned by the ways of the world. Without even being aware of our actions, we lived by the desires of our eyes according to the flesh. Sadly, many Christians continue to live the old way because they’ve never been shown what it means to put on the mind of Christ after accepting Him. A transaction occurs within this process and along with it, a transformation arises and is walked out the remaining days of our lives. Through understanding and defining the Carnal Mind and the Spiritual Mind, may new eyes and minds be unveiled to the fullness of life that God has always intended for His people. Amidst all the chaos in the world and throughout our lives, we can live with perfect peace by never forgetting we belong to Him—and welcoming His transformation to take place within us.

Carnal-minded thinking is where the enemy wants us to stay. He does this by making our eyes see the “things” of the world. This mind will never please the Lord. We think that we are not bad people and that what we do is good each day. Well in the scope of things—good or bad—if we are thinking carnally then we are not thinking in the manner God intended for us. Carnal thinking is physical. It’s our desires that we have each day. It creates chaos and turmoil and we are never at peace because we never arrive and are always in need of more. We work harder and for longer hours, buy the newest things on the market, keep up with the neighbors and so on. We are also planning the next vacation, buying the latest car, and planning for our future retirement. In all of this, have we left room for God to work?

Is there peace in any of this? The answer in short is no—because there is nothing but red flags and danger in this way of thinking. It’s a lot of activity but no real fulfillment because the enemy has us right where he wants us. We are not reliant on God at all but completely upon ourselves and in this we are worn out and exhausted. Sometimes we even experience premature sickness and even death. The enemy will continue to put forth desires and pressures into our sight to sway us from our real purposes, and these physical representations of what we think life should be are the same ailments that are killing us physically and spiritually. Carnal thinking is from our own selfish motives and desires. We are never fulfilled, therefore we strive for more because our relationship with God is not right. Just like when our bodies break down because of a missing vitamin or mineral, the effects show in our physical well-being. When we think carnally, we become deficient in knowing who God is and wants for our lives. We are essentially spiritually dead.

God is not physical, He is Spiritual. When we accept Jesus Christ the Savior of the world, our spirits and minds become enlightened. The carnal ways we have acquired throughout life are instantaneously broken because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. He shed His blood to take away our carnal thinking, or sins. He became the New Covenant of Life to give us life. He redeemed us so that we can be made right with God. Because of the corruption of the world, our only way to get to the Father is through His Son. In this, we now have a new mind that is like the Father. This mind is the spiritual mind. We are spiritual beings just like God. We are just passing through this life. There is a whole eternity waiting on the other side for those who have chosen to put off their carnal ways of thinking and put on their new creation. Living according to the Spirit mind, we become more like Christ by presenting Him as a physical image of who He is through us. In this we now have the power to demonstrate to the world through the testimony of Jesus’ life on the cross and our own personal story. We also have the power of the Holy Spirit in us to guide us and convict us of any sin that the enemy is trying to use against us to have us fall back. God will reveal carnal ways of thinking to our hearts. He will nudge our hearts. We can then go directly to Him for forgiveness because He is gracious and full of mercy. He loves us so much that He has crafted a whole plan for us and our salvation to be able to pass through this life and meet Him in eternity.

When the mind is no longer set on the things of the world but set on things of the Spirit, our desires and purposes change. Our thoughts begin to turn to the ways of God. This happens because through Jesus we receive the Holy Spirit and when we understand this, the Spirit of God not only takes residence within us but is actively at work through us. We become more spiritually aware of the heart of God operating within us, and our thought patterns change to reflect the heart of God. This is what it means in baptism to die to self and come alive as a new creation in Christ. We are no longer looking at life through the lens of what our 8am-5pm looks like and what we are working towards, but we are co-laboring now with God. The reward is that He gives us favor. In this favor we are taken care of because we are not doing it all alone. He is filling us up as we pour out. This is not a ticket to quit our jobs and not prepare for our future, but this is a blessing in disguise to not focus on what we physically see but to be led by the Holy Spirit within through faith that God has all the details already figured out. We just need to learn to know Him through His word and through prayer. He will be our director. He will establish our paths. Through obedience we continue to take steps and He will enable us and set us on our designated course. Being spirit minded brings about a peace in knowing that we will never arrive alone. Learning to live spirit minded reveals the heart of God, and our perspective begins to change. If we want to experience fruit, real fruit in our lives, we must expose the carnal mind and begin to operate in the spiritual reality God has destined for us.

A great story in the Bible is in Ecclesiastes chapter 1, verses 8-11. Everything that Solomon is talking about in this passage of scripture is physical with human examples. He is finding no purpose under the sun. Everything seems to repeat itself again and again with each new day. There is no sense of direction or well-being. In fact, it seems to be a story of hopelessness because there is no purpose.

The carnal way of thinking never changes and often repeats itself. Only God can satisfy us, and through His Son we can be made whole and new with a defined purpose in mind. Through our new mind, our Spirit mind, we no longer lack any missing elements. In our new relationship with God, we can begin to move forward, becoming sons and daughters—citizens of heaven. Our new work is now kingdom work on earth, and it is the “new truth” that has been suppressed by the enemy all along. God made a way for us through Jesus to be able to sustain life on earth. He made it possible for us to be successful because when we choose to be transformed into the image of Him, we set our minds, thoughts, and desires on Him, our higher Spiritual Reality. It is a new mindset, cultivated out of our choice to change from the rebellious sinful ways of the world to being raised to life with Christ.

We can do this by:

Reading scripture because it is God breathed.
Asking the Holy Spirit to show us and fill our new minds with scripture.
Asking the Father, Son and Holy Spirit to help us in all of our misunderstanding and to reveal a clear path that will sustain and satisfy us.
Practicing living out our new identity each day by knowing that we are never alone. He will never leave or forsake us because our Father’s Spirit is in us.

May God bless you and give you peace on this new journey, and may God enlighten the eyes of your mind to live according to the Spirit.

Posted on April 9, 2022 by Michelle Gehrt

@SpiritMind, #CarnalMind, #Christ, #Flesh, #GodBreathed, #HolySpirit, #identity, #mindset, #Spiritrealm, #transformation, God, Life

I can recall at least a handful of times in my life where God has called me to bow before Him. Looking back now, I deeply regret not acting upon His desire for me. Had I respected Him in this particular call, I would not have lost what He intended to give to me at that moment. I recall having a distinct urge to go to the front of the church at least twice and get on my hands and knees, bowing to the Lord in worship. That feeling overwhelmed me like no other. I disobeyed the call and watched as God used someone else to do what He had called me to do. I knew immediately in my heart that God was showing me what He had for me, but I was scared, felt intimidated and embarrassed. I feared what others would think of me instead of what God wanted to do for and through me. After ignoring the call, I felt like a failure, an imposter of the Lord because I was not living in alignment with my inner and outer self. I lost the connection.

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. John 10:10 NKJV

I believe that when we bow before the Lord, we are showing the enemy who our First Love is. The enemy wants to rob us of our inheritance as sons and daughters of the Most High by breaking our unity with God and each other. Life and blessing come when the heaviness of the world is removed. God commands blessing, but the enemy wants to confuse our thought patterns to keep us from bowing in unity to the Lord. The blessing for our lives occurs from bowing. If God has placed it upon our hearts and we choose to conform, we change the course of humanity and things begin to fall into place. Bowing to the Lord brings restoration and reward, making us able to withstand the evil ways of Satan. Weakness, weariness and all the “what ifs” are removed. The enemy is also in the good things of life. Bowing removes the veil of our eyes to see his tactics. He tries to keep us busy in the good things to miss out from the love of the Lord. Bowing gives us new hope, certainty that our lives will be sustained through Him. The blessing and fruit come when we answer the call of God to bow down. Isaiah 58:11 tells us that He will keep us well watered. His life is eternalized in us, when we put Him first. The power of the bow destroys what the devil tries to scheme up. Bowing keeps us committed to the unity of the Lord and helps us take back our inheritance from the garden when God said that man will have dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:26 NKJV). In worshipping the Lord, we will come back to our First Love. Satan will do anything to keep us from our connection to God. Our flesh comes through our actions and in my case, I was embarrassed to follow the call of the Lord. This is a tactic of Satan. I know now that if I had bowed before the Lord in worshipping Him, I would have shown the enemy that I was taking a stance against him and reclaiming my authority and dominion over him in that moment. I would have shown him “what was up!”

That day, God showed me so much when I denied Him. Not only did the plan of the enemy work, but had I chosen to bow with reverence to the One and Only God, it would have restored and strengthened me, giving me the necessary tools to overcome the wicked ways of the world. I lost a refreshing of the Spirit that day. Bowing to the Lord is not just about giving Him respect. It is a much deeper layer than we can even wrap our minds around. It is about restoring our connection to Him through fully surrendering our lives to Him. Giving of ourselves in total surrender is one of the keys of understanding the kingdom. We make it difficult because we as humans are so distracted with worldly ways. We allow our human mentality to discern what is right and wrong and what will make us look out of place if we choose an unfrequented path. True worship begins when we lay ourselves down for the Lord. It is the missing link God shows us throughout scripture. It comes down to love. Today we worship so many things such as sports teams, concerts, jobs and even our own families. We have lost sight of our true First Love. We have become prodigals. God is waiting to welcome us back with open arms. Fully surrendering in bowing before the Lord is a demonstration of our love for Him. It is a change of heart from the ways of the world to the kingdom of God as sons and daughters. Only then can we receive what He fully has for us. When we die to self and who the world says we are, only then can we begin to operate through a different filter. God always intended for us to work together in union for Him, and we lost that through the sin of the world. We lost our First Love when our eyes opened and we became worldly…when we chose to be in control over our own lives. With that has come much pain and hardship. We have never experienced the true peace that the Lord has to offer; therefore, we are constantly searching and trying to make things right. When we worship God through bowing to Him, we are coming back to the true love that He has for us. God’s love has never changed for us. We have changed. The enemy has placed a smoky mirror in front of us to sway us from our God. He has shown us living, tangible temptations to take God’s place in our lives. God desires us and He allows us to choose each day the path on which we will take our first step.

Psalm 95 is not just a story. There is great life reflection for us in that piece of scripture. Yes, it is a story of disobedience, but it is also a piece of history God revealed to us to keep us from the same hardships as the Israelites. In this passage, God revealed secrets into His kingdom. It is a decree. He has shown us this evidence so that we would search our hearts daily. We cannot enter His rest in disobedience and unbelief. God equips us to be good in our calling, and when we bow to Him in total surrender of ourselves and our ways, we can enter His rest. His rest is paradise—heaven. Bowing before God keeps us from being “stiff-necked” humans and allows us to submit ourselves to Him for greater things. It was never about us. The enemy in this world has made us believe false lies to keep us from obtaining completeness in the Father. When we fail to bow before God, Satan has stopped us from setting ourselves aside to become the vessel, blocking the power and authority for God to work through and restore what He had intended all along.

Bowing to the Lord brings us back into the workings of God. The choice has always been ours. Will we set aside our ways and return from the wilderness to experience God’s full love for us, or will we stay lost in the wilderness like the Israelites in Psalm 95? May God give us a willing heart and may we act in obedience. I deeply regret those times that I ignored God’s call for me to bow before Him. I am thankful for His grace and mercy. I vow to never allow my humanistic ways to get in the way of the call of God. I love You my Father and I pray that I can become all that You have for me. Thank You for never giving up on me.

God cannot work in our lives unless we choose to bow before Him. I believe it looks different for everyone because we have all been fashioned to His liking. The question is…Will we allow the ways of the world to come in between us and our Lord, or will we choose to bow in full surrender to our King of Kings, Lord of Lords—receiving the keys to the kingdom? We are called to bring out of us what God has put into us, for the world, and we cannot do that unless we learn to worship our God through taking the step of obedience to bow before Him. Jesus is our New Covenant, our new promise of hope to come. When we choose to worship our King through bowing, we can begin to bring forth the blessing in our unification to the Lord. What are you pursuing? What has God placed upon your heart today?

Posted on April 3, 2022 by Michelle Gehrt

#Bow, #FirstLove, #HolySpirit, #Lord, #love, #Praise, #Restoration, #Worship, God, Obedience

“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;
A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. Hebrews 1:8 NKJV

I love it when the Lord reveals some of His hidden mysteries! Lately, the Lord has shown me the importance of becoming righteous. I believe that He has purposely exposed this word to me for this time right now. I have been reading Isaiah 45-49 and all I kept running into was this powerful, active word. It was as if it manifested right before my eyes. Just as a puzzle has a pattern to it, I believe this word is a piece we need for life. Part of our walk in this life is to obtain righteousness. We have been given Jesus Christ, as the door of opportunity, for the life that God always has planned for us. When we accept the Son, the entryway is opened for us to start walking and becoming aligned with the One who loves us so much. He gave His one and only Son for us to live, and in doing that, He took away our sins and became sin.

Part of this process is what begins our journey of becoming right with God: righteousness. In choosing to depend totally on God, it is our faith that helps us to live accordingly. Along with this, we get a bunch of cool stuff. We are redeemed from our old ways, thoughts, actions, and are wiped clean—purified as we were meant to be. Jesus paid the price for us to be forgiven for our sins and to become the salvation of the Lord our God. In this, we are free and given the gift of grace from Him. Grace is what justifies and makes us right before the Lord. Wow, that is a lot of big words, but I wanted to get it all out before we talk about what it means to be righteous, because this is the beginning of becoming a new creation.

And now you celebrate your freedom from your former master—sin. You’ve left its bondage, and now God’s perfect righteousness holds power over you as his loving servants. Romans 6:18 TPT

Righteous: acting in accord with divine or moral law: free from guilt or sin 2a: morally right or justifiable; a righteous decision. Merriam-Webster Dictionary

When we choose to turn away from sin, we are deciding to make a change for the best. Righteousness is not a one-time thing. It is something we practice, and the way we do it is part of the blessing we received when we decided to follow Jesus. This gift cannot be obtained through any other mode. It is free and gives us eternal life in the One who created us. At any time, we can go to our Father and ask for forgiveness of whatever it may be that brings us under conviction. Whether a thought or action, often we will not feel right within ourselves, and until we ask for forgiveness, we won’t be able to shake the feeling.

God gave us this gift of forgiveness because we have favor with Him as His children. Now, we can continue along our life journey carrying out the plans that God has destined us for while making ourselves right in His eyes. He knows we are human and knows we will sin. That is why His Son came, to save us from the world and ourselves. God had to put a stop to most of humanity and what it was becoming. You would have thought that after the flood, we would have learned—but man has got in the way once again. God has created an open door, through His Son for direct access to Him always.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing. 2 Timothy 4:7-8

So, what does righteousness look like today for us? As Christians, we are set to a high standard because we are no longer under the law, but we now live under His grace. When we understand what living righteously looks like for us, we can then move through our lives in more depth and fullness of the faith we have in God. To me, it looks like love and all that comes with it. This includes being filled by the Holy Spirit in the anointing oil of gladness, peace, and joy. When we understand that we carry the heart of God within us, it makes us want to acquire all the attributes of love and in turn, we begin to mirror the image Jesus. It truly is a “work in progress.” Life takes twists and turns. Sometimes we even get off the path, but God loves us so much that we can always come back to Him. There is a peace that comes along with knowing that we are loved unconditionally and made for more than we could ever imagine. God has so much in store for us and in the process, we transform into what He always had planned for us.

As we learn more about the Lord and what His word says for us, much is revealed to us. The secret hidden things are meant for those who walk in His statutes. Unrighteousness was a huge problem in the ancient days, and it hurt God. He seemed to be continually upset with His chosen people. The Bible gives us insight into all of this so that we may avoid many of these same delays, setbacks and problems which tripped up the ones who have gone before us. God has shown us these examples through biblical stories. These revelations help us continue the transforming process from the cross into living through the Holy Spirit within us, from now through eternity. We need God to attain righteousness. He makes our paths straight when we put Him at the center of our lives.

May the Lord bless you and may you prosper in all your ways!

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6 NKJV

Posted on March 27, 2022 by Michelle Gehrt

#HolySpirit, #power, #processes, #righteous, #transformation, God, Hunger, Jesus, Paths

Who is it that comes to steal, kill and destroy?

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life and have it abundantly John 10:10 (NASB).

Jesus came to give us life and this scripture takes it one step further by saying: abundant life. One of the things that we find through reading scripture is that Jesus overcame Satan with simple one-liners. He did not have to explain himself in the wilderness or go on and on about His Father. In fact, Jesus only always said and did what He saw His Father doing. Jesus had a great relationship with His Father. He knew His Father and lived according to the Father’s plan for His life. We too have been chosen to live in line with and follow in the steps of Jesus. He tells us in John 14:12 that He is going away but we will do greater things through the gift of the Holy Spirit. We know that John prepared the way for Jesus, and he also baptized with water, but Jesus gave us something to sustain our total being. He gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit so that we too would be able to glorify God in all we do. That includes knowing our tempter, the one who tries to deceive us and accuse us at all costs.

Let’s talk about Satan our tempter for a moment. We know he has already lost the battle when Jesus died as a sacrifice for us to live. Even though he has lost, the Bible states in Revelation that Satan accuses us day and night. We also know from reading Revelation that through Jesus, Satan will be cast out for eternity. But for now, he prowls the world trying to steal our destinies that God has in store for us. How does he do this? He gets into our minds and thoughts. He makes us feel and hear false things. He persuades us through others until we break and often loose our connection with our Father becoming lost in the wilderness.

When Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights, Satan tried to tempt Jesus three times. Each time Jesus responded with a one-liner. He said:

Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
Do not put the Lord your God to the test.
You shall worship the Lord your God and serve only Him.

We too have been given power and authority over the enemy. In order to understand Satan, we need to get to know him. Here is what Satan does:

Temps
Deceives
Accuses

When he temps us, we generally can see it and know it is a temptation. When he deceives us, it is a little bit harder to recognize. However, in discerning, we can also see that. When he comes to accuse us as a prosecutor, it is hard, and we sometimes miss it all together. When we get to this point, we are past seeing his tactic but may be experiencing all kinds of turmoil in life. In all actuality at this point we may be feeding into what the enemy is doing. It could be in us individually, with our spouse, family, children, at work, or it may be our actions or words but by this point we may be believing all the lies of the enemy. He is smart with tactics and knows God’s word, but he confuses God’s word just like he did in the garden of Eden with Eve. Then Adam followed suit.

To overcome the enemy, we must study all of God’s word and interpret it. The Bible is not only alive but is meant to be studied and used for life. The word of God is part of our armor that God gives us when we enter through Jesus as sons and daughters. The enemy knows scripture but as stated above, he only knows in part and tries to use it to deceive us; but he misquotes the word of God. One example is Psalm 91:12.

When we know scripture, we overcome temptation, deception and accusation. When we know the word of God, we are using it as a weapon to defeat Satan. The enemy works in many ways in the natural realm of our lives and tries to put things such as guilt, condemnation, temptation and more on us. When we know the word of God, we instantly can use it to stop Satan in his tracks. Jesus came for our salvation. He is our Great Redeemer who makes us righteous and justified. Satan is a supernatural being and is grafted all throughout the natural world that we live in. The picture we think about when we think of the “devil” is not who he is. He is all the bad that we allow into our thoughts, mind and lives. He is sly and uses anyone he can to deceive and coheres us. Everything is dictated from the supernatural realm and brought forth into the natural. Knowing scripture will help us to stand firm on the promises of God, allow us to know Him as a true son and daughter and help us to identify what is of our Father and what is of the enemy. We must not allow the evil tactics of the enemy to steal our God given destinies from us by keeping us in the “loop” of life. We must learn to see with our spiritual eyes, getting ahead of the game.

When we speak directly into the enemy’s lies, by using scripture over us and the lives of others, we are taking back our authority by drawing close to God and His word. Knowing what God’s word says, meditating on it day and night is what keeps us from coming into agreement unknowingly with Satan. This is how we overcome, and this is how we reach our destiny that God has planned for us in our book in heaven.

The Bible is not only the most read book in the world but also is the top selling book. How many people read it and apply it to their lives? How many believe that it is live, active and is for us to use today? Overcoming with the word of God is a call to action. We must not get caught up in all the things that are happening each day in our lives, but we must recognize these things and deal with them accordingly. Power and authority is vested in us when we chose to follow Jesus. Out of obedience, we must choose to use what God has given us in this natural world. Even though we may not see all the fruit in this lifetime, we will be paving a path for generations to come by our example that we leave behind. Evil comes in many forms here on earth and with our eyes unveiled and scripture as our weapon, we will defeat all tactics of the enemy.

You were made to overcome!

The one who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. Revelation 21:7 (NASB)

Posted on March 20, 2022 by Michelle Gehrt

#accusation, #Bible, #deception, #eternity, #HolySpirit, #inherit, #overcoming, #temptation, God, Jesus

God is working in the background of our lives even when we can’t see it. The reason why I can state this is because I have been at the bottom many times throughout my life. Now, as I look back to difficult situations or transitions, I can see that He was working in me the whole time. I am where I am now because I had to go through the refining process.

Have you ever read John 15:2 in the Bible about how God prunes the good and bad? He prunes non-producing fruit, and He also prunes what is being produced to bear even more. The fruit represents how we live our lives. I get worn down at times when I am trying to be all the scripture says with no results. I must remember that my blessing is the Father. He gives all and replenishes all. I guess that is another part of me that needs surrendered. Instead of becoming numb to a situation that may be stagnant, I must continue to pray and get my comfort in the Lord. What seems like wasted days are never wasted, according to the Lord. He is working in the background for us. We just need to set our emotions aside and learn to be led by the Holy Spirit. It’s easier said than done in most situations, but I believe it is part of our assignment here. God is working in the background of our lives even when we can’t see it.

There are so many facets of surrender…especially when things are not going “our way.” The world tires us out, but the Lord fills us up continually with His Spirit. Like the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:1–26), we need to be filled daily with living water.

Help us Lord. Recover our spirits. Make us fresh and full of energy for this day.

Posted on March 13, 2022 by Michelle Gehrt