Portal of Promise

I was talking with an old friend and he showed me a caterpillar on his car.  I blurted out, “You should totally keep that caterpillar and see what kind of butterfly it becomes!”  Wow, that sounded profound I thought in hindsight.  A prophetic slip maybe? He grabbed a leaf and safely rescued the caterpillar from his car to the ground as he said,  “He wouldn’t have done too well riding atop my car...it takes wings to fly.”  There’s something about the life cycle of a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly that amazes me!  It goes from an ugly, weird creature into a gorgeous, flying butterfly! Not only does it physically transform, its abilities and purposes change too!   But, there's a season that feels like death which is necessary before new life can begin. 

If your faith feels theoretical - you’ve seen movement, breakthrough and favor in the lives around you; power, provision, purpose outside your sphere of impact - hang on, the portal of promise hasn’t had it’s way with you yet. Don’t drink the poison of comparison because nothing profound was ever a duplicate; nothing amazing was ever replicated and nothing important was ever second hand.  

I’ve been challenged lately...can I believe God for the best?  THE BEST!? My experiences have been heartache, disappointment, loud silence, rejection, loneliness and discouragement.  Honestly those of us who made our own plans for our lives understand this.  Rarely do things go the way WE want them to.  But the truth is we know least what is best for us...In the midst of these intense emotions and strange seasons I’ve been given an invitation to desire, to dream, and to trust God’s heart over my offenses.  This is not easy.  It’s really hard to believe for what we’ve never seen. It’s tempting to look around and believe you’ve missed the boat, been left behind, or on perpetual hold with heaven.  Dramatic much?  This is what despair and discouragement does if we’re not careful. 

The rubber meets the road when you start having faith for your own life and not just your friends. I can cheer and encourage my friends like a pro...and I mean it!   I’m finally aware that one of the gifts I carry is encouragement...which means one of my biggest personal struggles is discouragement.  I’ve also finally learned that people have different gifts which means I must learn how to encourage myself and find strength in the Lord (btw “Strengthen Yourself in the Lord by Bill Johnson is gold).  I like to think I’m a good friend...when I’m not distracted by my own stuff, haha.  Hey, no one is perfect but God.   But can I be a good friend to myself?  Can I speak words of life and have faith for my future?  Not usually.  I’m not saying we’re meant to be Islands, but the real breakthrough takes place when we can speak wisdom to our own emotions, when we can declare with faith that the best is yet to come even if our heart isn’t sure.  When you step into the portal of promise, your words of faith begin to envelope you until you see what you say, and see what you desire; the face of God and the vision you require to live and breathe... and live;-)

Will you dare to believe God for the best?  Declare it.  Own it. Take it.  It feels crazy to be certain of what I do not see (Hebrews 11:1). Especially for someone like me who isn’t very imaginative. The whirlwind that takes place in the Portal of Promise seems like confusion, and often feels like being blindfolded. It DEFINITELY feels like being out of control.  But the byproduct is faith which produces vision and births hope.  Labor isn’t easy or painless though.  Just beware that not all pain is bad.  In fact it is worth it, because it will birth life!  We don’t have to be physically pregnant to have life inside us; life that longs to come out!   

Hold on and let go.  Hold onto your faith and let go of your offense. Step into the portal of promise. The same words spoken over your life that created you in your mother’s womb (not so far fetched since creation was made at the sound of God’s voice) are the same words that produce the breakthrough you need.  God’s word doesn’t return void (Isaiah 55:11) so why would ours?  If we speak negative things over ourselves we best believe that is what we'll get...the opposite is VERY true too!  Patience is only powerful when desire is maintained, hope renewed, and declarations of promises owned.  How do you jump into the portal?  Start by wanting God more than you want that thing or that breakthrough.  Then trust him for his perfect plan and timing. Thank him for divine delays and declare the best is yet to come as many times as you need to start believing it in your heart.  Repeat as necessary! 

Our lives aren’t too different from a caterpillar turning into a butterfly.  Their cocoon is our portal of promise. I believe the cocoon season entails a lot of laying down and surrendering...but it definitely does not mean defeat.  It’s a temporary season that is critical for new life!  I wonder what the caterpillar thinks about in this time or even in preparation.  Is it aware of what it will become?  Does it desperately hope it will be true for itself too?  Or is the caterpillar just like, ‘goodnight, see ya when I’m a new creation!’? ;-) In the case of this caterpillar on my friends car...it was going to turn into a beautiful butterfly regardless if we got to see it happen.  I wanted to hang onto it.  However, it’s in the letting go, and allowing the natural course of God’s divine plan to take hold of me that transformation, true freedom, and powerful promises are fulfilled. 

What's in a Name?

"Tell me why you call him Jesus and I'll tell you why I call him Yeshua," is the gist of how our conversation went. I was intrigued to say the least.

We were in the kitchen, cleaning up after a successful and fun Passover Seder amongst friends. I've always enjoyed sharing Passover with my friends regardless of their faith or heritage.  It's my favorite holiday and it's meant to be shared;)

"Yeshua is a character in my book." I looked up from the sink to see if I heard her correctly. "Really!?" I asked, honestly shocked.  She nodded with delight. "That's awesome. I like that you called him Yeshua instead of Jesus, but why did you do that?" I don't mean to belabor my surprise but come on... it's not every day that a Jew hears her southern belle agnostic friend refer to Yeshua. Don't all Americans say Jesus? Don't all English speakers say Jesus?

She smirked, "Write me a paragraph why you like that I called him Yeshua and I'll write you a paragraph explaining why."

Authors!

Although she hasn't been subtle in her hints or nudges that I should write more. Well, I guess I haven't had a ton of motivation lately...until now.

What's in a name? Oh my word, so much!! Where to begin?

First,  and probably most obvious,  identity is in a name. It's how the world identifies you; like an address of your soul. For centuries a name was preceded with a "son of" or "daughter of" title.  Now we know that information by ones last name.  Names associate us with our families and identify our position in that family. Before God told his people his name he went by the God of Israel or the God of Abraham,  Isaac,  and Jacob.

Second, I believe that intimacy is carried inside a name. What you call someone communicates to them and the surrounding world who they are to you...for better or worse. If I know your name and use your name to address you it means I know you.  If I add a Mr. or Mrs. in front, it shows honor but it also communicates distance. What about the person who gave you your name? In MOST cases the name given is one out of love and tenderness...I'll leave that alone. It's a delight for a parent to speak or hear their child's name and it's a delight for the child to here their own name too. Intimacy is in a name.

Information is in a name. Name's mean something...Even Moses...which for the life of me I hurt for the kids today named Moshe...give the Jew a fighting chance! Now, I have a pretty sweet name. It means "Mighty with a Spear"...thank you mom and dad.   I honestly doubt, in fact I know this was not in their minds when they named me. I was named after my Grandfather to carry on his legacy. But I believe words hold more power when they are not only used but understood. Here me out...the revelation of my name becomes an open door inviting me to become what I'm called;)

Identity, Intimacy and Information reside in names. Portals of promise do too! But that could be it's own blog entirely.   History and legacy go hand in hand.  Yeshua is the Hebrew name for the son of God. It means "The Lord is Salvation."  The English spelling of Yeshua is “Joshua.” When translated from Hebrew into Greek, Yeshua becomes Iēsous. The English spelling for Iēsous is “Jesus.” This basically means that Joshua and Jesus are the same name. One is translated from Hebrew into English, the other from Greek into English.

I enjoy learning about people.  I enjoy the meaning of people's names. I enjoy celebrating people and I enjoy deep connection.   This is especially enjoyable with Yeshua. I didn't usually use his Hebrew name until more recently; and not because I started speaking fluent Hebrew on a daily basis.  Although I will admit my Hebrew is increasing!!  Aside from the fact that English probably didn't exist when he was born, and his mom definitely didn't give him a Greek name either; using his birth name seemed fitting to me. He is a Jew after all and not all Jews... but some Jews at least...have Hebrew names. Though, I am not one of those Jews:o

Ever meet a foreign person who everyone calls Tammy or Danny? I wonder if they'd rather go by their real name (if people could pronounce it right) or if they genuinely don't mind their 'American' name. Sometimes they themselves tell you to call them by their easier to say and spell name. I've personally never been told by God which name to call his son...  But I feel closer to him when I use his birth name, Yeshua. To me he's still the God of Israel. 

This is more than a paragraph so I hope I'll get more of a paragraph out of my friend...If she doesn't make me wait til she's published first, that is! :o