HONORING OTHERS

HONORING OTHERS

  • Testimonies

HONORING OTHERS

When I was in my 20’s, I was a part of a solid, healthy young adults ministry. We were away at our annual singles conference, where one of my friends played Jesus in a skit. Afterward, a small group of us were hanging out in the lodge with our pastor talking. The friend who played Jesus ordered a beer and came to tell us that someone had made a big deal about ‘Jesus’ drinking a beer. It seemed silly to many of us, but then our pastor asked him if that beer was something he would die for. He said, “No, it’s just a beer,” and the pastor encouraged him to lay it down because it was causing someone else to struggle. I was so moved by that, and it hasn’t left me all these years. I may have a right to do something, but I have the privilege and honor of loving those around me, and sometimes that means giving up, laying down, or sacrificing for their gain. This isn’t about the approval of others; it is about being winsome with our choices, words, actions, and character. I have taught this principle to my children – you don’t have to be doing something ‘wrong’ to affect someone.

WE SING HALLELUJAH!!

Many of you know my journey with losing my mom to reoccurring breast cancer when I was 24. I have had my own issues over the years, and for the past year, we have been monitoring a current lump. I was scheduled for my ultrasound to measure growth, but they sent me home because my previous scans had not arrived (nothing to compare them to). Two days ago, I embarked on a five-hour inner healing session where a team pressed in hard for a generational curse in my bloodline that was still active. What God revealed in the midst of our session was nothing short of glorious. We have ALL authority over ALL things that come against us to kill, steal and destroy. I noticed INSTANT fruit and am in awe over the goodness of our Creator.

I went to my rescheduled ultrasound appointment. The doctor came in and said my lump has SHRUNK!!! That is what a reversed bloodline curse looks like. I don’t care where you are at in your journey; there is always more of God to discover and waves of freedom to experience. Posture your heart to always, always, always be ready to receive more. The only one who has discovered the true depth of revelation and glory is Jesus. We will spend the rest of our life on earth exploring His utter goodness!

LISTENING TO HOLY SPIRIT

So proud of this mom for this glorious example of partnering with Him to parent your son. 

“Last night after dinner, I started cleaning up the kitchen, and my two-year-old was just impossible – screaming, crying, hanging on my leg, etc. I sensed the Holy Spirit telling me, ‘Leave what you are doing for later and go sit with your son.’ Even though everything in my perfectionist self shouted, ‘Look at the kitchen!’ I picked up my son and went to sit with him, just doing what he wanted to do, which ended up just sitting close on my lap and being with me. He was immediately calm and, at one point, looked up at me with so much love and gave me a kiss – which is something he very rarely does spontaneously, and it ended up such a special moment we spent together. Afterward, everything else also went smoothly (bath time and bedtime). I realized that he needed his love tank filled. I am so happy I listened to the Holy Spirit.”

LEARNING HOW TO PLAY IN THE KINGDOM

“I really wanted to start teaching my 3-year-old daughter to give based on hearing the Lord’s voice. We went out to dinner, and the Lord gave me a vision of a Rice Krispie treat. I told my daughter that Jesus wanted us to buy a Rice Krispie treat for someone in the restaurant. Once purchased, I asked her to ask Jesus who He wanted to give this treat to. She repeated after me and asked Jesus who it was for. She then pointed to a young woman and said, ‘her.’ So we went up to the gal who had a book out and was clearly studying/taking notes, and my daughter said, ‘Jesus wants you to have this Rice Krispie treat.’ The woman said thank you, and we went to our table to eat. While sitting, The Lord kept telling me the woman needed to know He loves her, that He likes her and that she is beautiful. We finished our dinner, and as we were heading out the door, I stopped and explained why Jesus wanted her to have the treat, that He loved her, liked her, and that she was beautiful to Him. She then replied, ‘You don’t understand, I just bought this book (turning it over so I could read the cover – it was a study on all religions… Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, etc… She currently was taking very detailed notes on Judaism). I’m at a very spiritual place in my life. I was raised Lutheran, baptized Lutheran, converted to Catholicism, married a Morman, and have several Muslim friends. I bought this so I can study and choose what religion I’m going to become.’ She was in complete awe of what just had happened. I know the Lord will water this seed. Even if I didn’t go back to tell her that Jesus loves her, Jesus still gave her a Rice Krispie treat at the very moment she was studying which religion to become. I love our God! All this was possible because of your ministry, encouragement, and example, and my daughter learning to hear the voice of the Lord. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! Thank You, Jesus!!”

MATURING MOTHERS

Such a sweet testimony from my friend taking our Moms & Dads class on being seen, heard, and valued. 

“While spending my time in prayer doing my homework assignment, He showed me that my daughter was doing something behind my back IN THAT MOMENT. This has never happened before. So, I rushed to her, and instead of coming down hard on her or shaming her (ways I have parented before), I asked Jesus to help me, and we walked through getting to her heart. It wasn’t anything huge, but it was dishonest. At the end of the conversation, I told her I wanted her to be honest so she could feel heard. I was given a great opportunity to try and use these gifts, and I feel like it went well! Thank you so much!!” 

What I LOVE about this testimony is that she did not see her daughter as a liar but as robbing herself of using her voice to be heard. EMPOWERMENT!!!!

DAUGHTER GOOGLES

I ministered to a 20-year-old mom who said with tears streaming down her face, “Lisa, you gave me Daughter goggles. Suddenly all I can see now is the orphan spirit in operation, which makes me so hungry to act like a Daughter.” I couldn’t help but laugh. I like the sound of that. And then we prayed for the gift of discerning identity to be activated in her life. She is a force to be reckoned with and will be used mightily in the Kingdom to give others Daughter goggles.

PARENTS MUST OBEY TOO

I was so encouraged by this testimony from my friend. They were selling their home, which was located by a power line. The agent’s photographer erased it from the photos to make it look nicer. He was really proud of his work and spent a lot of time editing the photos, so my friend didn’t say anything but sensed it was not fully accurate. They had an offer that fell through, and when my friend asked the Lord about it, he sensed God telling him to change the photos back to the original. He asked the agent to change the pictures and asked God to increase the price. He sold it for 25K, HIGHER than the previous asking price with the altered photos. My friend went on to share, “I feel like the closer we go with God, the higher the level of obedience He requires.” YES! I agree! Character matters. Obedience matters.

WHOLE FATHERS

A dad came to me for parent coaching because they were having issues with their son. While the son was indeed behaving in a way that brought great chaos, as we partnered with Holy Spirit, it revealed a significant trauma the dad went through as a young boy. I watched as this adult man walked through the very hard and painful healing process. My heart swelled with pride for his yes to do the hard heart work and fight for his freedom. Months later, they returned, still having issues with their son. Again, after partnering with Holy Spirit, it was revealed that a family secret was affecting not one but three generations. I watched as this dad continued to press into the hard and uncomfortable emotions to fight for freedom, not just for himself but for his own father. I was undone with emotion when I heard of the events that unfolded once he was willing to expose secrets and bring healing. So much breakthrough. I respect this father so much for his willingness to engage and be wildly uncomfortable as God was doing a good work in their family. I asked what his motivation was for pressing and showing up over and over. With tears in his eyes, he said, “For my children. If my father had fought half this hard, I wouldn’t have had the life I did. I do it for my children.”

Dads, may you do whatever it takes to fight for freedom for your family. Not sure how? Don’t know what that looks like? Sign up for PAPA’S POCKET. PAPA’S POCKET Tool Kit for Dads – Let the Children Fly

HEALING THE NEXT GENERATION

I am undone with tears by this comment about our Heart Splinters book.

“My 12-year-old and I are reading it together. We both read it separately and share our journal notes – like a healing little mommy-daughter book club. And the best part is, at age 12, it’s teaching her how to parent with Holy Spirit (one day).”

Heart Splinters BOOK – Let the Children Fly

BIG BROTHER

For Hudson’s 8th-grade mission trip, he was offered a chance to work in the church nursery and would tell me about this boy named Micah. His parents took my parenting class, so I reached out to Kelly to tell her how precious it was that they had connected. She said Micah talks about Hudson all the time. Clearly, God was on the connection, so we decided to get them together. When Micah came running out the door to greet us, I was so taken aback by how much he looked like Hudson at that age. Their bond is precious, and I am so thankful for the scores of men who have sown into Hudson over the years and that he has a grid and understanding of what it means to sow into someone’s life. It is so fun to watch your child receive and then grow up to be the one who values passing that gift onto someone else.

DANCE, EMMA, DANCE!

Emma, my second twin, wiggled in my womb so much it could easily take the nurses 45 minutes just to get an ultrasound of her. She hasn’t stopped moving since. Not in a hyper way (she is actually very mellow), but she is always dancing. I was never allowed to be carefree as a child, and the creative arts aren’t my natural bent, so it somewhat agitated me that she couldn’t just walk through the grocery store but always had to be leaping and twirling. I used to try to teach her to control herself and walk like a lady. It caused tension between us at times. Finally, God began to show me that her dancing is a gift from Him. It is almost warfare in nature. Something shifts in the atmosphere when she dances, which is so powerful.

I sensed Holy Spirit calling me to worship Him despite the heaviness of my heart. I found myself calling my daughter from the other room, “Dance, Emma, DANCE!” Within a few moments, something broke in the atmosphere. Interestingly, I endured a lot of grief while pregnant with her, and I sincerely believe all of the ‘movement’ was her dancing in the womb. I don’t always understand what is going on, but I DO know this – children are powerful carriers of the Kingdom, and when we as parents learn to steward their gifts vs. trying to control them, WE are the ones who are blessed.