Tag: soul

Barefoot Devotions

A Christmas Miracle

Hannah B.

As I am sitting here reflecting by the tree, I am reminded of a time of my very own Christmas miracle I experienced as a little girl.

Many years ago I was in a church Christmas play but I just didn’t have my lines completely memorized. I don’t remember much about this Christmas play, the part I played, or even the year. This part I am about to tell you, I remember well.

My mom, sister, and I were on our way to the Christmas play but as we reached the top of our long drive way, my dad was parked at the top with his truck. From the back seat, I heard him tell my mom that I didn’t need to see this. Immediately, I knew something was wrong as my dad neared the window of the car. He told me the absolute worst news I ever thought I’d receive. My dog Daisy had been run over and did not survive.

The pain was heart wrenching and I didn’t understand why this had happened. During the complete hysterical meltdown and out of no where, I knew every word to my part of the play. My crying immediately ceased and my mournful cry turned to joyful cry. For a little girl, it was truly a Christmas miracle despite the devastation that was experienced just minutes before.

As life has passed me by, I’ve often wondered if Christmas miracles really happen anymore. This past holiday season, I have witnessed a beautiful Christmas miracle. It started with a chance encounter with one man that changed my life. With my brief encounters with this man, I have learned the true meaning of Christmas and I have learned that Christmas miracles do happen.

This kind hearted man has been living in a tent under a bridge. He is the most genuine and selfless person you will ever meet and when you are in his presence, you can feel his goodness. He volunteers at the local shelter and gives what he can. Our local hotel has given him a place to stay until his housing is official. Although he has experienced a rough time, he has shown me that love, kindness, and giving are free and it doesn’t take much to make a difference.

For the first time in my life, I truly understand the meaning of Christmas. I thank God for placing a stranger in my life as I have witnessed the pureness, sweetness, peace, and joy of the Christmas spirit and the possibility of Christmas miracles.

When the body of Christ works together in unity, amazing God miracles can happen. This my friends, is why it is important to drench every fiber of your being with God’s word so that you may walk in spirit and truth because you never know what miracle you are missing!

Have a Merry Christmas, my beautiful friends!

With all of my love,

Hannah Boyd

Barefoot Devotions

Are You Pierced?

Hannah B.

We can be wise in our knowledge of things pertaining to God and the spiritual aspect of life. If it’s only obtained by reading works of others, their opinions, and philosophies then our true knowledge of wisdom from God doesn’t increase. Their words can’t seep into our being and change us.

If our knowledge doesn’t meet God’s wisdom then we only see the world as it is, not as God sees it. We see life through a worldly lens from our perspective that is based on our circumstances from both the past and present.

We must be in God’s Word that is living and sharper than a double-edged sword so that He can pierce through our minds, hearts, and our spirit to reveal His true character, His mind, and His heart to us. Once we allow Him to pierce us then we will see the world as He sees it. We will love as He loves.

Open your mind, open your heart, open your ears and let God pierce through every fiber of your being, every hollow crevice. Only then will you find out who you really are, a purpose and meaning for your life, and all the thirsts you are longing after in this world will be quenched. God made us with a restless yearning to seek Him, to know Him, and to be in fellowship with Him above all.

What are you waiting for?

Xoxo,

Hannah B.

Barefoot Devotions

Pass The Fig Leaves

Hannah B.

Pollution occurs in the environment when things that weren’t there before are added into the air.  Now, we don’t see this happen as it begins and starts to seep into the earth’s atmosphere but soon we will realize the damaging effects of our choices.

Isn’t sin like pollution? 

Humans are so absorbent of their environment and their minds and if you are allowing yourself to be surrounded by the wrong friends, peers, and even acquaintances you are susceptible to the pollution they’re adding to the air around them.  Just like a crafty serpent, people can be persuasive, cause you to sway, and to doubt the truth.

Lessons from Eve

Genesis Chapter 3

As we look at Eve in Genesis, we learn that this is what happened to her.  The serpent was able to place seeds of doubt in Eve’s mind that caused her to question and doubt God’s goodness.  He used a sincere motive to make her feel like it was okay to eat the fruit so she could be like God.  After all, aren’t we called to be like God? In our walk with Christ, we are being sanctified and we are growing to become more like Christ.  Ultimately, this is our goal as humans who have a relationship with Jesus and serve the one true God.

In this chapter of the Bible, we see the quick spread of sin from Eve to Adam and as the chapters move on we can see the ripple effect of sin from the garden to Sodom and Gomorrah to today’s generation.  Adam and Eve did not realize their sins would pollute the generations to come, all the way to today’s generation.  Once they realized they were naked in the garden, they felt shame and guilt. To remedy their guilty conscience, they looked to eliminate their sin by sewing garments out of fig leaves.

In this story, we can see how easy it is to fall into the enemy’s traps – he is crafty and can twist and make any temptation look like a good, pleasing, and even a right thing!  If God tells us not to do something and we do it, we defy God and his authority over our lives.  We take his place and decide what is best for our life and circumstances.  When our conscience makes us aware of our sin, we need to repent and allow Jesus to cover our shortcomings.  Like Adam and Eve, we can believe we are running and hiding our sin from God, but He knew our sin before we decided to fall into temptations and there is no running.

Which Way Will You Pass The Fig Leaves?

Fighting temptation is something everyone will do more than once in their life.  It begins with a thought in our mind, and we have to choose if we will allow this sin in our lives or if we will fight it.

James 1:14| But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.

As we stand on the edge of stepping over to do what is right or wrong, there is a rush of adrenaline as we try to make a decision as quickly as we can.  There are two questions we can ask ourselves when we are in this situation:

1) Are you going to sew the fig leaves into garments to cover your sin, hide from God, and pollute those around you? 

Or 

2) Are you going to pass on the fig leaves and be honest with God and let the blood of Jesus cover your sins and be allowed in God’s presence? 

Consequences of Sin

Romans 6:23 | The wages of sin is death.

Sin sucks our souls dry and will drain us of fruits of the spirit. Spiritual death would be eternal separation from God.

Isaiah 59:2 | But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you so that He will not hear.

Not only will we be separated from God but He will hide His face and will not hear you.

Overcoming Temptation

  • HIDE in God’s presence and fill yourself with His word! When we know the truth, we will know when the enemy is lying to us.

  • Psalm 119:11 | I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

  • PRAISE is an antidote to overcome your doubt and not let it seep into your mind.  When we praise God for everything he has done and is continuing to do in our life, we do not have room to doubt.  When we remember the things He has done we will become more confident in the temptation we are fighting.
  • PRAY – it’s our lifeline to Jesus! We are able to fight and stand against temptations when we are in communion with God.  He is the only one able to help us in our times of need and deep trouble.
  • REMOVE yourself from any toxic situations or people – friends, family, acquaintances. 2 Timothy 2:22 “So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

Overcoming Temptation

Xoxo,

Hannah B.

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Barefoot Devotions, The How To Series

How To Slay Your Mental Strongholds

Hannah B.

I am going to be writing about my experience with mental strongholds and how I overcame the chains of anxiety and depression that ruled my life.  This is a very sensitive subject but after many weeks of talking myself out of writing this, I am doing it.  This comes from my experience and how I decided to battle these strongholds with the word of God, prayer, and a relationship with Jesus.  After years of depression and anxiety,  I realized that it was my outlook on my circumstances and the perspective that I had.  That perspective was steaming from the enemy and the lies he told me about me.

Lets Start By Defining A Stronghold:

Biblically speaking a stronghold is a belief that is a lie and has taken root and overpowered your ability to think or see clearly according to God’s view and what His word tells us.  This effects you emotionally, spiritually, and even physically.

Lets Look At The Cause Of Strongholds:

It is so easy to get caught up in negativity, a false belief system,  doubts, fear, and our circumstances.  We are trained by the media, by people, and the ways of the world to live and think according to their standards.  We must accept that we fight against unseen spiritual forces of the dark world and that this world is ruled by the dark forces.  Yes, that means demons and malicious spirits that are causing affliction in your mind, on you, and to you.  They have stealthily found a way inside of your mind and they are trying to take over.  Perhaps they already have.

For a cause to take place, there has to be a sin or a circumstance that negatively affected you.  Therefore, that leaves you dealing with the effects.  This could be your sin or even someone else’s sin that has altered your way of thinking and your way of doing things.  If you are unable to let things go, the memory that haunts you can have a negative impact on your life.  If we allow a certain thought to replay in our mind, we start to believe that thought.

Here is an example:  As a child and young adult, I experienced rejection from my dad who was an addict.  Although it was not intentional, his addiction stronghold was the cause of my rejection stronghold.

Ephesians 6:10 | For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Identifying Your Strongholds:

Identifying the areas in your mind that are strongholds require you to take examine your life – the past and present.  It can be uncomfortable at first but as we know from God’s Word, the truth sets you free! Once you begin to identify and see the parallels, you will rejoice in knowing the cause of your afflictions and reasons of why you think or do something a certain way.

Here is a list of the most common strongholds relating to the mind:

(Be in prayer with the Heavenly Father, ask Him to reveal yours to you, and be open to listening to His answer)

  • Rejection
  • Fear
  • Doubt
  • Shame
  • Hopelessness
  • Worthlessness
  • Negativity
  • Anger

Lets Look At The Solutions:

Now that we have identified what a stronghold is and the cause, let us start taking a look at how we tear down the strongholds and replace them with God’s truth about you.

First, you must repent and turn from any sin that is unconfessed.  Once we have done so we will be able to break free from any sin that is causing negative effects.  You must remember that God has already won the battle and you must have faith to fight through.

Second, you must know and accept that God is sovereign.  He is the supreme authority and all things are under His control.  Without Him, you can not win. You need Him to fight a supernatural battle.

Third, you must believe and accept that you are forgiven, our sins and past are washed away by the blood of Jesus! You have the power to live free in Christ.  This is His desire for you!

2 Corinthians 5:17 | Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

Fourth, you must act!

Great! So, how do you act?

This will require you to put your faith in action and when you experience the enemy placing thoughts or past memories into your mind, you must exercise your authority in Jesus Christ to reject your past way of thinking and replace your thoughts with all good things that are of Jesus.

Philippians 4:8 |  “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.”

Accepting The Past Is The Past

Unfortunately, the enemy knows about who you were and all the things you have done and said that you are not proud of. There will come a day when he is smearing it in your face and putting every sordid detail back into your mind.

When you start remembering the past, you must stop replaying past memories. You can not allow yourself to be controlled by your past – no matter how painful and haunting it is! It happened and it can not be changed! Get your head out of the past and strain your neck to look forward into your future! Your past is not there!

Philippians 3:13-14  | Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,  I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Renewing Your Mind

Romans 12:2 | Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

You must ask the LORD to guard your mind and to help you keep your mind focused on what is right in the eyes of Him.

Every day you have to wash and bathe in God’s living word.  It refreshes you and each day you will learn something new about the characteristics of God and how he truly feels about you! To renew your mind is to spend time with the LORD, read the Bible, and pray daily!

Taking Every Thought Captive

2 Corinthians 10: 3-5 | For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh.  For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.  We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.

Every thought that comes to mind must be tested. Ask yourself – is it from our loving Heavenly Father or is it from Satan who is set out to steal, kill, and destroy?

With God there is life.

With Satan there is death.

With God there is truth.

With Satan there are lies.

With God there is hope.

With Satan there is hopelessness.

With God there is a future.

With Satan there is a past.

With God there is confidence.

With Satan there is fear and doubt.

With God there is boldness and bravery.

Life TruthHopeFreedomFutureConfidence BravenessBoldness (1)

Ask yourself, does this thought come from God or Satan?

If it comes from Satan, then you need to hold that thought captive, pray and ask God to slay this thought and replace it with His truths.  Seek His word and learn what He says in scripture.  Rejoice and praise God for the truth that He is replacing in your life.  Slowly, you will see just how each thought, especially thoughts that seem to be on repeat can cause depression, anxiety, and fear!

Xoxo,

Hannah B.

P.S. I hope you enjoyed this blog and if you did be sure to leave a comment down below and share across all of your social media feeds!

Disclaimer:  I am not a doctor and encourage you to seek professional help to determine what is best for your situation and I am not encouraging you to stop current treatments.  I do believe that with physicians and the hands of our great physician, you can be healed! Almost always, there is a root cause and I do believe that we need to get down into the roots to properly heal.

Barefoot Devotions

It’s A Soul Fight

Hannah B.

Have you ever wondered why you did something particular as though you were on autopilot?  You have done this every day for the past five years and you do it without thinking about it, without acknowledging it.  But what happens when you intently start thinking about your everyday actions, encounters with others, habits, and thoughts?

This my friends is how you begin to change your mindset! Read up.

You thoughtfully and meticulously think about what you are thinking, how you are feeling, and physical actions you do without thinking about it. Then you analyze what you discover and make a conscious effort to change this behavior pattern.

I have been on a journey edifying my mind, life, and actions.  I simply want to be my best self – in my mind, heart, and spirit.  The LORD has laid it upon my heart to do such things and by His grace, love, and mercy – I will identify the areas that have been pushed under the rug so to speak and we (Jesus & I) will accomplish them according to His purpose and plan.

Sounds easy right? Well, it’s not. Sorry, y’all.

It’s hard.  It’s ugly.  It’s surprising!

Here are a few things I was surprised about: 

  • Every morning I hit the snooze button for 55 minutes until I actually got up.  The LORD opened my eyes to how many minutes I wasted.

My solution: I am going to get an actual alarm clock and set it up on the other side of the room.

  • I always checked my phone after getting out of bed.  It was the first thing I did for a good ten minutes.  All my notifications from Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Email were checked and cleared.  But I didn’t accomplish anything of any real importance.

My solution: I’m fighting the flesh to keep my phone out of sight in the morning and turned on silent!

  • FACEBOOK: This app is TERRIBLE.  I spent countless minutes that seem to turn into an hour strolling through the same posts. Why would I do this to myself and the day the LORD has given me?

My solution: I logged out of Facebook and only have access to the Facebook Page manager app for my blog Facebook page.  It’s quite nice.  I actually forgot my Facebook password and had to reset it.  You can laugh, it’s okay.

  • Do you know that I make coffee 95% asleep? It’s okay. I didn’t either but I guess it’s one of those you have done so long, you just do it without having to think about it.

My solution: I’m still trying to figure that one it.

With this extra time, I have been spending so much more time praying and reading the Bible. When the urge to scroll Facebook came on, I read the Bible. It’s truly been an amazing experience!

Here is what I want to share with you:

The flesh wants to disconnect us from our life source but the soul desires to connect to our life source.  We have to say no to our flesh constantly throughout every day.  It’s saying no to social media, to that cookie, to that thought you shouldn’t have, to whatever takes your eyes off of what is good.

It’s a soul fight.

Why do we have to fight the flesh so much? It’s exhausting! My answers:

1. God wants us to choose Him every day. He wants us to desire Him and cultivate the relationship with Him.  He wants us to make choices that point toward Him.  Otherwise, we wouldn’t have free will to make choices we desire to make.

2. The enemy knows that we are weak to the desires of the world and uses the flesh to distract us.

In our choices, especially when the choice points to Jesus, He is with us. He doesn’t leave us. He doesn’t forsake us.  He gives us strength. He gives us everything we need to overcome whatever life throws our way.

When we acknowledge that His ways are better and we decide to pick up our cross and follow Him, He rewards us in our discomfort. I don’t mean that you will be given every desire of your heart but what I mean is that you will be given the needs of your soul. For example, peace, joy when the world tells you to be sad, hope when the world tells you it isn’t going to happen, and faith!

Jesus did the hard part. He just wants us to crucify our fleshy desires and follow Him.

And He still rewards us. He still gives us peace, reassurance, and love through every moment we face.

Start by committing to Him. Pray. Ask. Seek and you will find.

My favorite thing this past week has been praying this simple prayer:

Heavenly Father, Your ways are higher and far better than mine. You know my needs before I do, you know what troubles my heart even when I can not speak the words. I am seeking you and your desire for me and the word you want to give me.”

I will open my Bible to a random page and read what I find.

You might be surprised when you look down on the page.

Keep up the soul fight, y’all!

Xoxo,

Hannah B.

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