God has Revealed What He Has Prepared for Us!

Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, 

nor have entered into the heart of man 
the things which God has prepared 
for those who love Him 
BUT God HAS revealed them to us 
through His Spirit. 

(See 1Cor.2:9.) 

ISN'T THIS AMAZING!?!!

Go All Out in Using Gifts!

Do not neglect the gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the elders. Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, so that your progress may be evident to all. 

(See 1Timothy 4:14-15.)

Dance Steps

Our steps 
are ordered by the Lord 
and some of those steps are dance steps! 

(See Psalms 37:23.)

Blue Lightening Through My Hands

‎

"When you are grounded in the Lord,    
when lightning strikes, 

it will flow right through You!"

--Manoah McClendon

Focus--My Favorite 'F' Word

Worshiping the Lord with the people of God (with singing our hearts out and dancing and flagging) is one of my favorite things to do. However, I worship the Lord as a lifestyle, continually, 24/7/365 simply by focusing on Him. Focus has become my “modus operandi” or as I taught one Sunday morning “Focus is my favorite ‘F’ Word.”

When I awake in the morning I start the conversation and focus on God and say, “Good morning, Lord. I love You.” He is the lover of my soul, my Beloved Papa, and I love to spend my day with Him—close and personal. I delight in His presence and He delights in me. This is eternal life—to KNOW Him. (See John 17:3.)

I try to read at least two pages of the Word every morning. I meditate or think about it and ask the Lord to speak to me and “open my eyes and let me behold wondrous things from Your Word.” (See Psalm 119:18.)  He speaks to me from the Word all the time. “Let the Word dwell in you richly.” (See Col.3:16.)

I keep turning my thoughts and my attention to Him during my day. He helps me, guides me, gives me wisdom, and He encourages me as I go along. I listen for His voice throughout my day and even as I go to sleep. I know I may hear from Him in a spiritual dream.

“Let us boldly draw near to God’s throne of grace that we may find help in our time of need.” (See Hebrews 4:16.) I constantly turn my eyes, my heart, and my thoughts to the Lord Jesus and steadfastly fix them upon Him. The Lord wants to be our “first love”. Consecration and devotion to Him is His love language. He said to seek His kingdom first and He said to love Him with all we've got. Jesus tells us to abide in Him, live in Him, or stay with Him.

It isn’t hard because it is a relationship, not a religious duty. When you are in love, don’t you want to be with your lover? When a person gets the revelation of God’s love for them individually, and “taste and see that the Lord is good” through an encounter with Him and His awesome presence, it changes everything.

I wrote a song I like to sing to Him—it is like my own Psalm. Here it is.

Abiding in Jesus by Jenna Vick Silliman, Fall 2009.

Chorus             I will abide in You, abide in You,

For You are my strength and my song.

I will abide in You, abide in You,

Lord Jesus to You I belong.

Verse 1            I love You each day and this is what I pray,

Like Mary I sit at Your feet.

In Your Word I stay, You show me the way,

To dwell in Your Presence so sweet.

Chorus

Verse 2       It is You we long to know, You satisfy the soul.

                   You give us Your favor and grace

                   May Your Holy Spirit flow and Your bride begin to glow

                   Beholding the beauty of Your face.

                  

                   Chorus

Verse 3       As we walk in Your light, in Your love we unite.

                   We pour out our worship to You.

                   In Your life we delight, may our lives shine so bright,

                   A city on a hill in plain view.

I write lists of Bible verses in the back of my Bible on various topics that are important to me and I have one entitled FOCUS.  Here are 16 Scriptures on the topic of focusing on the Lord.

1.   Abide in Me. (See John 15:4.)

2.   Have the roots of your being firmly and deeply planted in Jesus, fixed and founded in Him…becoming more and more established in the faith and abounding and overflowing in it with Thanksgiving. (See Colossians 2:7.)

3.   If then you have been raised with Christ to a new life, thus sharing His resurrection from the dead, aim at and seek the rich eternal treasures that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds and keep them set on what is above, not on the things that are on the earth. (See Colossians 3:1, 2.)

4.   Looking to Jesus, I lay aside everything that hinders. (See Heb. 12:2.)

5.   Don't look to the things that are seen, but to the unseen, for things that are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. (See 2Cor.4:18.)

6.  My eyes are ever toward the Lord. (See Psalm 25:15.)

7.  Our hope shall be fixed on Him. (See Heb. 2:13.)

8.  Stand firm in the Lord. (See Phil. 4:1.)

9.  He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable & fixed. (See Psalm 91:1.)

10. I've set the Lord continually before me. (See Psalm 16:8.)

11. The Lord God helps me...therefore I set my face like a flint. (See Isaiah 50:7.)

12. We have fixed our hope on the living God Who is our Savior and Deliverer.

(See 1Timothy 4:10.)
13. I continually behold Your face. (See Psalm 17:15.)

14. My heart is fixed, O Lord God, my heart is steadfast and confident in You. (See Psalm 57:7.)

15. Those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the spirit, the things of the spirit. 

For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Holy Spirit is life and peace. (See Romans 8:5-6.)

16.  Be firm, steadfast, immovable. (See 1Cor. 15:58)

I just read the Foreword in the book I'm reading about John G. Lake, 
"What gave my grandfather John G. Lake his power? 
...The reward for his focus was the gift of healing he operated in so strongly." 

Isn't 'focus' the most wonderful ‘F’ word?

Lord, help us to keep focus on You and to keep our minds toward Your kingdom. Father direct us more and more toward the will and purpose of the mission You have set before us. Holy Spirit fill us more and more with Your power to heal the sick and cast out demons and set people free! Amen.

Dance With Me

Dance with me O lover of my soul,

To the song of all songs.

Romance me O lover of my soul,

To the song of all songs...

Continual Transformation

“Be continually filled with the Holy Spirit.” (See Ephesians 5:18.) The metamorphosis of the caterpillar into the butterfly symbolizes how the Spirit of God transforms us.

Holy Spirit Empowered

Dance in Worship

Dance to worship Jesus our Lord!

Even in the Sea

Psalm 139:9, 10
If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me.

A Healthy Life

My size 20 jeans from 2003 "before".
I lost 75 lbs. in 1 year eating raw vegetarian.

Wearing size 4 now "after" 9 years.

One of the things I am most thankful for is a healthy life. I am slim, energetic, and have no health issues. At age 54 this is unusual! In the year 2003 the Lord helped me to successfully lose 75 pounds and continues to help me keep it off. Here’s the short version of my story.

In the year 2003, at age 45, I weighed 222 pounds. (I now weigh 143 and wear size 4.) That summer a friend took a picture of me, wearing size 20 with a big belly, double chin, and a puffy face. I knew that it wasn’t me—I felt like a prisoner inside of an obese body. I was miserable. I had tried every diet I knew about and had lost and gained hundreds of pounds since my teenage years. However, I didn’t know how to maintain after losing excess weight and I would always gain it back.

In addition to being obese, I had headaches, neck, back, and knee pain, arthritis, and I was constantly sick and tired. After I saw that photograph of me, I desperately cried out to God for help. “GOD, I AM SICK AND TIRED OF BEING SICK AND TIRED AND FED UP WITH BEING FAT! PLEASE HELP ME!”

A friend shared a story of a woman who lost excess weight and regained her health by eating an all raw vegetarian diet. I had tried eating 80% raw vegetarian—but it amazed me she ate this way 100%. The author wrote that the raw fiber, raw fats, live enzymes, perfect pH, high water content, and high oxygen content of raw produce are all satisfying to the appetite and that cooked food (especially cooked carbs) trigger overeating.

I read about twenty books and dozens of websites and people eating this way all said the same thing—they felt great and lost excess weight. I read I could eat all I wanted of fruits and vegetables as long as they were raw. The normal weight loss to expect was 20 pounds the first month, ten pounds the second month, and about five pounds per month thereafter till reaching the ideal weight range—then weight loss naturally stops. I knew this was my answer. I said, “Thank You, God!”

I talked to my husband and he said, “I think you should do it. I will fully support you, but the boys (four sons) and I are going to eat normally.” I agreed. (They continue to eat differently than me, but thankfully they all like fruit and eating salads, so there is a lot of good healthy raw produce in their diets.)

Just like predicted, in one year I lost 75 pounds and all my health problems went away and I became a new woman. That was about nine years ago and I am still rejoicing and enjoying being slim and energetic and healthy! Here’s what I normally eat in a day.

For breakfast I enjoy two or three pieces of fruit and a whole avocado —whatever fresh fruit I want—till I’m full. Before lunch I grind up a tablespoon of golden flax seed mixed with chia seed that I have in a jar on my kitchen counter. I grind it in a little electric coffee grinder that I bought at Wal-mart for about $15 that I only use for this purpose. I either stir this into water and drink it, or sprinkle it on my salad.

I enjoy my main meal in the middle of the day. I use about a fourth of a cup of extra virgin olive oil with fresh squeezed orange for my salad dressing. I eat sort of a “Waldorf” style salad every day with the following ingredients: orange, apple, grapes, grated carrot, celery, red bell pepper, raspberries, berries of other types if available, sprouts, other veggies, and 8 ounces (10 cups or so) of dark green leafy lettuces or “spring mix” with spinach, romaine, green and red leaf lettuces. I also have a couple of hard boiled eggs from my friend’s free-range-naturally-fed-happy chickens. For dinner I have a couple more pieces of delicious, fresh fruit (whatever I want) and a banana. (I am very active in the evening, dancing and flagging a lot, so I eat my evening meal after I get home.)

A "Waldorf" type salad is my main meal of the day.

See my YouTube video "Raw Vegetarian--How I Eat" for more info.
Here's the website:  www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sk_c9-PDdvM 

I also enjoy a handful of raw sunflower and pumpkin seeds (or other nuts and seeds) each day. Nuts and seeds can be ground with the flax and chia seeds and sprinkled on my salad, or I will enjoy chewing them. (I limit nuts and seeds to about a tablespoon to ¼ cup a day at the most because I don’t feel well if I eat more.) Best source for truly raw and fresh nuts and seeds is: www.sproutpeople.org and lots of nutritional information is free on this website.

Once in a while I enjoy fish—I especially enjoy some baked wild Alaskan salmon with a double order of steamed vegetables (with no butter or salt). This is what I will order if my husband and I go out to eat to celebrate an occasion. At times I splurge and eat something else, but then I’m sorry because I don’t feel well. People ask how I have such will power. My answer is from Philippians 4:13 Amplified: “I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me. He infuses me with supernatural willpower!”

My sweet treats are fruit. For example, right now persimmons are in season. Yum! I also enjoy cherries when they in season, nectarines, plums, black berries, figs, mangos, etc.—delicious and nutritious fresh fruit made by God especially for us!

I went through healing events or natural detoxing when I started eating this way. Our miraculous bodies layer the toxins in the fat stores, so as we lose weight and the fat is burned off, the toxins are released into the bloodstream and we don’t feel too well. I just rested, took hot baths, and drank plenty of water and these times of feeling weak and tired and flu-like passed. After a bout of detoxing I would feel really great and lose weight, so it was worth it. The detoxing went in ever decreasing cycles—heavier bouts at first, then lighter and lighter. Sometimes I detox for an hour or two and get through it and feel great. I use no medicine, no pills, no potions, and no powders. I use no stimulating substances like coffee, chocolate, or soda and I use no pain-killers of any kind. My beverage of choice is Kangen Water—that’s all I drink. (More on Kangen Water later!)

I do not eat like the average American, but I’m not sick and overweight like the average American either! Most Americans die of heart disease or cancer. I would like to die surfing in Hawaii when I am 107. Hahaha!

Eating this way has plenty of the macro nutrients—protein, carbs and fats, and plenty of the vitamins and minerals we need, for example: sodium (natural salt of the type our body uses) and B12 etc. There is no need to add a thing! It makes sense too. In the beginning God put us in a garden and basically said, “Here is your food and it is very good!”

My meals with lots of raw produce with raw fiber, lots of chewing, high water content, high nutrient content, along with extra-virgin or raw oils, all seem to produce “satiety” (satisfied appetite). I used to struggle a lot with overeating—I just couldn’t stop eating—but now when I finish with a raw meal, I naturally stop eating and my hunger is satisfied.

I have learned to not eat anything different for special occasions. For me to splurge on cooked food seems to lead to overeating. For holidays, birthdays or other celebrations, I will eat my normal fare. I enjoy my delicious raw food and to me it is a celebration to enjoy my awesome healthy life each and every day! With every meal I say thanks. “Thank You God for delicious raw produce and for a healthy life!”

Glorious Freedom!

Oh the glorious FREEDOM we have as God's children! (See Rom. 8:21b Amplified.)

I am my Beloved's

I have found the one whom my soul loves! He says to me, "Rise up my love and come away with me!" I love to sing to Him the song of all songs, "You are my Beloved & I am yours." (Some say they do not like thinking of God in a romantic way. They are right--He wants to be even closer than this. This is the closest relationship on earth, but His love for each one of us is beyond compare!)

Expectantly Waiting for Papa!

Praying Psalm 40: I wait expectantly for what You will say and what You will do in my life, Papa. You listen to my prayers and my cries for help and for wisdom. You have drawn me out of the pit of a destructive life, out of the mire and slime, and You have set my feet upon the solid rock foundation of YOU. I dance in Your glorious Presence! You have blessed me and filled my heart with songs of praise to You about all the wonderful things You have done in my life and have yet to do! I delight in You, O my Lord and King!

Breakthrough Declaration

BREAKTHROUGH DECLARATION to declare out loud: I declare breakthrough--not a trickle, not a stream, but a flood of breakthrough anointing of the Holy Spirit flows from me. On faith I see breakthrough. I declare nothing is impossible with God. I choose a breakthrough mindset. I see breakthroughs all around me. I pray for breakthrough continually. I am full of hope and expecting God to give breakthroughs! This is my declaration.

Butterfly Dress

I would like to wear this blue butterfly dress for dancing and spinning...surely I would lift off and fly somewhere over the rainbow!

Vessels Of God's Glory

Lord, You are the Potter and we are the clay, the work of Your hands. (See Is.64:8.) Like a potter, You make over a ruined vase, reworking it into another vessel. (See Jer.18:4,6.) Thank You for fashioning us into vessels of honor ready to be useful to You. (See 2Tim.2:21.) We are carriers of Your Shekinah GLORY! (See Ro.9:4,21,23.)

On the Rock of Ages

Thank You God for keeping us in Your perfect peace as our minds are fixed on You. We trust in You our everlasting Rock of Ages! 
(Praying Isaiah 26:3,4.)

God is Faithful to His Promises!

God, You are faithful, reliable, trustworthy and ever true to Your promises and we can depend on You; we were called into companionship with You Jesus! (See 1Cor.1:9 Amp.)

Devotion, Intense and Firey

Brian Simmons Undistracted devotion to Jesus will brand the heart with burning passions. Nothing can be compared to this love. Intense, unyielding, like a million nuclear reactors of blazing fire....This is the seal He invites you to place over your heart! It is a seal that will brand you for life...God says: My love for you will be consuming as the very flashes of fire from My burning heart. Place this fierce, unrelenting fire over all your being until you are consumed! 

(See Song of Songs 8:6 The Passion Translation.)

Papa says, 
"Your worship 
PULLS MY HEARTSTRINGS."

Jewels

"You are Mine," says the Lord.  "You are My jewels." (See Malachi 3:17.)
As a kid I got a hold of a jewelry making catalog and I poured over that thing, gazing at all the jewels I wanted to buy. I even filled out the order form. Now Papa calls me His jewel. Hahaha!

Magnify the Lord

Magnify the Lord with me! Let us exalt His name together! BLESS THE LORD OH MY SOUL AND ALL THAT IS WITHIN ME!!!

Double Rainbow Blessings

We, God's peeps, are a great cloud of witnesses to His great and precious promises! Share a testimony of His goodness that you are thankful for today!

Heavenly Life

‎"It is true! You were co-raised with Christ, translated into the heavenly realm, the moment He was raised on high. So yearn for all that is above where Christ sits enthroned at the right hand of God! ²Yes, feast on all the treasures of the heavenly realm and fill your thoughts with them, and not on the distractions of the natural realm. ³Your co-crucifixion with Christ severs the tie to this life, and now your true life is hidden away in God as you live within the Anointed One." Colossians 3:1-3 The Passion Translation, Brian Simmons

Should Christians Get Tattoos?

I used to think Christians should not get tattoos. When I was in my young adult years, and a new Christian, forming opinions of my own, tattoos were worn by motorcycle gangs or by criminals. My dad told me stories of men in the military getting tattoos when they were drunk. I was a good Christian girl, a book worm, an ‘A’ student, and a Daddy’s girl. Probably the most outlandish thing I did in my young adult years was to wear a halter top with no bra. That sums up my teenage rebellion. To me getting a tattoo was as wrong as a driving my VW Bug the wrong way on a one way street.

Jump forward in time to the year 2003. When my older children launched out on their own I was stunned when they talked about getting tattoos. Out of the recesses of my memory banks I sputtered out some Old Testament verse in the law against marking your body. Of course, we don’t keep the other zillions of laws such as wearing tassels on our garments or not eating bacon—so to pull out that obscure verse was ridiculous.

My oldest son, Daniel, at college got a tattoo with his good buddies. They all had a line from a novel tattooed on their upper arms. Our third-born, David, got a big cross entwined with roses on his shoulder. These tattoos bothered me and I didn’t get it, but they were covered by shirts for the most part, and my sons were old enough to make their own decisions, so I stayed quiet in my disapproval. I think it was when my lovely daughter away at college decided to tattoo the Hebrew symbol for wisdom on her ankle that I had to come to terms with my negative feelings.

I began to ask other young adults about their tattoos. My three oldest and these other young adults all talked about expressing in their “body art” what was essential in life and of most vital importance to them. I asked others, “If you were to get a tattoo, what would you get?” It is a most interesting topic for discussion! Even people who are dead set against tattoos, have interesting answers that reveal their heart about what symbol represents something of vital importance to them, or what expresses them the best. Such a discussion is a great way to get to know someone better!

Often Christians make little boxes around what is acceptable and what is not, according to their own experience and viewpoint. God seems to ignore these limitations. His love and His power are so beyond our wildest imagination. He loves to push the envelope and blow our minds by working outside our religious boundaries. I read a great quote (I don’t know who said it.) that expresses God’s heart: “When tattoos, piercings, ragged clothes, the smell of alcohol, pregnancy outside of marriage, or any such issue, gives a church "cause" to ask that person to leave, know that Christ Jesus will also leave with them.”

God meets us anywhere, anytime, with anything we got going—if our hearts are turned toward Him! The heart, that’s what is important to God.  The shepherd boy, David, did not look the part to Samuel—he could not possibly be the one God wanted for king! I Samuel 16:7 says, “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance…for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Not always, of course, but often people have tattoos done to express their heart. When I realized this, I began to see them as a beautiful expression or an art form. When I turned 50 years old I began to daydream about getting a tattoo. I decided I wanted a flying dove to symbolize my spirit flying on the winds of the Holy Spirit. I added an 8, which is the symbol of infinity, to signify unbroken fellowship with God 24/7. This is my heart’s desire. “In His presence is fullness of joy.” (See Psalm 16:11 & Acts 2:28.) I went on the Internet and got ideas and began drawings of my tattoo.

When I told my husband, he said, “WHAT!!!? I can’t believe it! Why in the world would you want a tattoo?!” I explained and asked him to think about it. He was shocked, shaking his head in disapproval, and dead set against it. I prayed and asked God about it. I said, “Papa is it okay with You for me to get a tattoo? If so, I need you to change my husband’s mind, provide the money, and three Scriptures to positively confirm it too.”

Without even trying, three Bible verses pro tattoos showed up one by one in a short time. Here they are: “Another will write on his hand: ‘BELONGING TO THE LORD.’ (See Isaiah 44:5.) “You are engraved on the palms of My hands.” (See Isaiah 49:16.) “On His thigh Jesus has a name inscribed saying, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” (See Rev. 19:16.)

I saw some tats I really liked done by a local tattoo artist in Port Angeles, WA named Marcus. His phone number is 360-477-2754. I spoke with Him and showed him my rough draft drawing. He changed it a bit and made it even better. He told me to bring it in when I was ready and it would take about 15 minutes. When I asked about cost he said it would be $75 but if I had it done on my birthday he would give me the percentage discount of my age. I was about to turn 52 by that time, so my tattoo would be 52% off if I had it done on February 18, 2010. Marcus said his oldest customer was a woman who had a rose tattoo done on her 82^nd birthday and he gave her 82% off. My husband joked that he would wait till he was 100 to get a tattoo so it would be free. Hahaha!

On Valentine’s Day, right before my birthday, my dear husband wrote out a beautiful handmade card on red paper expressing his love and saying he was more than happy to give me my heart’s desire—my tattoo! Tucked inside was a fifty dollar bill. Hahaha! I scheduled it with Marcus and now I am the proud wearer of my own body art.

My Holy Spirit dove tattoo with symbol of infinity to represent unbroken fellowship with God.

Now my husband says, “I’d like to get a tattoo of a roaring lion with an eagle on his shoulder.” God sure changed his mind about tattoos! He seriously wants to get one done! I asked him where he would get it done and he laughed and said, “How about on my bald spot on my head?” Hahaha!

My son, Michael Silliman's tattoo on his leg. Psalms 27:13 "In this I still believe, that I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." He says: "Inspired by my love for the people, beauty, and cultures of this world."

Water springing up LIFE

The Lord Jesus says...

Drink deep 

of the water I give you 

for it shall be in you 

a well of water 

springing up LIFE 

everlasting.

(See John 14:4.)

The Ministry of the Word

We will continually devote ourselves steadfastly to prayer and the ministry of the Word...People will not be able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which we speak and the Word of God will spread and the number of disciples will multiply greatly! 

This is my declaration. 

(See Acts 6:4,7,10.)

Dancing in Joy

"I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul is exceedingly joyful in my God!" (See Is. 61:10.)

We are Flourishing!

The righteous shall flourish like palm trees...planted in the house of the Lord

--we shall flourish in the courts of our God! 

(See Psalm 92:12-13.)