by Donya Dunlap | Sep 23, 2016 | Making a Difference, The Spiritual Life
Each of us desires to make a difference. Moms want to raise respectful, yet bold adults to reach a new generation for Christ. Business women want to show the world you can be a Christian, a woman, and a success in the workplace. College students are working hard, learning how to make this world a better place.
But how? How can we live significant lives and change the world? By living a supernatural life.
What is a supernatural life?
We can look to the disciples as examples.
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. – Acts 4:13
These men turned the world upside-down in Jesus’ name. They lived believing death has no sting and died rejoicing in the lives they gave for the Gospel.
Becoming a change maker
I used to think this kind of life was out of my reach. I thought of the disciples as the super heroes of the Bible. They walked with Jesus for three years. I could never be like them. But in reality, these men were exactly like me.
Do you know where Peter and John were after the crucifixion of Jesus? Hiding with the other disciples behind a locked door, mourning the loss of Christ and fearful for their own lives.
Then the same day (the day of His resurrection after Jesus had appeared to Mary Magdalene) at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. – John 20:19
Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not. – Mark 16:9-11
The disciples didn’t believe Jesus could rise from the dead. They were overcome with grief, worried they might be killed too. And yet, a few weeks later they were boldly proclaiming the gospel to anyone who would listen, despite beatings, jail, and ridicule. The same Power who raised Jesus from the dead embodied the disciples and EVERYTHING changed.
Living in the power of the Holy Spirit
I’ve mentioned before a book by Francis Chan called, Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit. This book taught me what it means to allow the Holy Spirit to work in and through you.
We focus on what God wants us to do and forget the kind of people He wants us to be. Instead of mustering up more willpower, let’s focus our energies and time on asking for help from the One who has the power to change us. – Francis Chan, Forgotten God
For a type A, list-making, goal-oriented person like myself, this hits home. If I am ever going to make a mark on this world for Jesus, I need to live in a supernatural power I do not possess. I need the Holy Spirit to change me.
Make the shift
By surrendering our will to His, we can develop our relationship with the Holy Spirit just as we do with the Father and Jesus. He is not a silent partner. He is active and moving in this world. If you want to be a part of what He is doing, make the shift. Submit your abilities to the Holy Spirit’s arsenal and watch what He does.
In what way do you see yourself making a difference in this world? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.
*affiliate links included
by Donya Dunlap | Sep 20, 2016 | Bible Study, The Spiritual Life
Energy is a fascinating thing to study. Everything has an energy. A life force. A motivating factor. Physical energy can be gathered, used, disbursed, wasted. There are energy sources like the sun, water, nutrient rich foods. Beyond the physical, humans operate on spiritual and emotional energy as well.
Positive energy
When we find love we say we feel alive in a new way. We feel as if we can conquer the world. Anything is possible. The energy of love fuels us to become better versions of ourselves. Love is a positive energy.
Negative energy
Fear is a negative energy. When we become afraid for our lives, our bodies react in one of three ways: fight, flight, or freeze. We face the danger, run away, or become paralyzed, hoping the danger will leave on its own.
Spiritual energy
The same thing can happen in our spiritual lives. We become afraid of being alone, failing, losing someone we love—and we react. Our actions are fueled by our fear. We start serial dating, obsessing over details, and tighten our grip on loved ones, hoping that by controlling our circumstances we can prevent what we fear from happening.
An exchange of energies
In John 4:1-45, Jesus and his disciples go through Samaria on their way to Galilee. They stop at a town called Sychar to rest and grab lunch. The disciples look for food and leave Jesus by the town well where he meets a woman. Her name is not given in Scripture, but in Forgetting the Fairy Tale, I call her Sammie.
Sammie is out of water so she goes to the well. In doing so, she meets a strange man who asks her for a drink. In the course of their conversation, Jesus peels back the layers of Sammie’s real problem. She doesn’t just need water. She needs living water—a source of energy that satisfies the deepest longings of every soul. Sammie needs Jesus.
To help her understand her need, Jesus directs the conversation to the physical manifestation of her problem. She has had five husbands and is currently living with a man she isn’t married to. Sammie is running on fear. Likely fear of being alone, of having no source of income, of inadequacy—Scripture doesn’t say exactly.
Instead of shaming her or judging her, Jesus offers her a different energy source. Exchange fear for love. Accept Jesus as Messiah. Believe He has come to rescue you from all your fear, guilt, and shame. Choose Him and receive living water that washes away sin and gives eternal life.
Sammie could have told Jesus He was crazy and walked back to her old life, constantly wondering when guy #6 was going to exit stage left. But she didn’t. She believed Jesus and told the whole town about Him. Because Sammie chose love, a whole town was saved.
What is fueling you?
Me? I’m afraid of living an insignificant life. This can motivate me to perfectionism, anxiety, overcommitment, and rushing ahead of God’s timing. I find it difficult to rest and be still because I’m afraid I’m not doing enough. But Jesus doesn’t want that life for me. He calls me to seek His face, rest in His love, and place my burdens at His feet. He calls me to walk with Him at His pace, matching my heartbeat to His. In this way, I exchange my fear for His love, peace, and joy.
Are you tired of operating in fear? Are you willing to swap fear for Jesus’ love? You can make the exchange today and begin living the life Jesus intends for you. A life of hope and a radiant future (Jeremiah 29:11).
by Donya Dunlap | Sep 16, 2016 | Bible Study, The Spiritual Life
Have you ever thought of the Holy Spirit as a gift before? I hadn’t. Not until I read a passage in Luke that changed my thinking.
God is our loving Father
Jesus tells the disciples a story of a father in Luke chapter 11. His child is in need of food and Jesus asks His listeners if they believed the father would give his son a stone or a scorpion instead.
Of course he wouldn’t!
A loving father will only give his children helpful things. Tucked into Jesus’ conclusion is the following treasure:
If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! – Luke 11:13
Did you catch it? Jesus doesn’t promise physical blessings. He promises the gift of the Holy Spirit sent directly from our Heavenly Father for our good.
The gift of the Holy Spirit
Most of the time I think of the Holy Spirit as a person of the Trinity—a theological truth. But He is so much more than a philosophical or theological construct! He is a precious gift, dwelling inside our very beings to comfort, correct and guide us. He gives us wisdom and reveals to us the truths of God’s Word and His will.
The thing I love most is the Holy Spirit operates just as the Father does. My earthly father wouldn’t have given me the keys to a car at eight (or sixteen for that matter). Neither does the Holy Spirit give us things we aren’t ready for, even when we think we are mature enough to handle them.
Your wish list
What do you really, really want from God? A mate? A child? A ministry? Is it possible God knows you aren’t ready to handle your desire just yet? Instead of giving you a stone or a scorpion, He has given you the Holy Spirit to lead you and guide you into maturity so you are ready to receive your heart’s desire when the time is right.
But, as it is written, “No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”—these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. – 1 Corinthians 2:9-10
God has so many wonderful things prepared for us as His children. He has promised to lead us into them if we allow the Holy Spirit to have rule over our hearts. So I ask you…does He? Or are you too busy chasing your dreams and desires to be still and listen to what He might be saying to you?
Don’t do as I have done
Listen, I’m not judging. I’m speaking from experience. I’m a pro at doing first and praying later. But I also know, when I finally take my hands off the wheel and determine I will sit still until God reveals what direction I should take, THEN He starts moving and directing. Before that, He can’t show me because I won’t sit still long enough for Him to share His plan!
Is that you today? Do you feel like you have been running in circles? Do you believe God has been ignoring your pleas for direction? Maybe it is time to relax for a while. Spend some time thanking God for what He has done in your past and surrender your desire to micro-manage your future. He’s a good Father. Let Him do His thing.
In just a few more days, the 31 Days of Journaling through the Psalms series will be live! It’s an unusual series. Less of a structured blog post and more of a glimpse into how I journal Scripture. If you would like notifications of when these and other posts go live, please subscribe today! As a thank you, you will receive a free gift from me—The Wonder Woman’s Manifesto.
by Donya Dunlap | Sep 13, 2016 | The Spiritual Life, Write Hard Things
I remember like it was yesterday. Taken off guard, eyes tearing in the middle of my work day. I had never heard the words before. But as they danced along the radio waves they burned themselves on my heart.
She loves her mama’s lemonade,
Hates the sound that goodbyes make.
She prays one day she’ll find someone to need her.
She swears that there’s no difference,
Between the lies and compliments.
It’s all the same if everybody leaves her.
And every magazine tells her she’s not good enough,
The pictures that she’s seen make her cry.
She would change everything for happy ever after.
Caught in the in between, a beautiful disaster,
But she just needs someone to take her home.
Beautiful Disaster
by Jon McLaughlin
She’s a beautiful disaster, and she is everywhere
I see her every day.
Online. At the grocery store. Walking her dog across the street.
I read her story in the headlines.
Suicide. Cutting. Body shaming. Rape. Teen pregnancy. Abuse. Trafficking victim. Orphan.
I see people shake their heads at her wondering what went wrong. I try not to shake them and scream.
We went wrong. We did this to her.
Church members. School teachers. Relatives she thought she could trust. We look, but we don’t see. Smiling and nodding and moving right along. Clicking our tongues. But do we help? Do we love? Do we go beyond the how are you to find out what’s really happening in their world? In their heart?
Maybe she is you
Praying that someone will want you, need you, love you. Feeling very much alone. Not measuring up to the ads on tv, the magazines, the Instagram models around you every day. Pressured on every side to give yourself over to the lust in another person’s heart. Wearing a mask of normalcy and hoping that no one can see how you really feel. Willing to give up everything just to be happy. Just to be known. Just to be loved. Only seventeen, or twenty-three, or thirty-one…but oh, so tired.
You need to know…
You are not alone. I know it feels that way. I know it seems that there is not another soul on earth that understands you.
But you need to know, the God of creation formed you in love exactly how He wanted you to be. Then, knowing that sin would keep you from His presence, He sent His own Son, Jesus, to pay the penalty for your sin. That penalty is death. Jesus died in your place. There is no greater love than His.
Jeremiah 31:3 – I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. (ESV)
John 3:16 – For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (ESV)
Psalm 147:2-4 – The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. (ESV)
We are all God’s daughters
He created us, but He also gives us a choice. To join His family or to go our own way. Where we start does not determine where we end.
We must give our hearts and souls to the One who loves us all with all He is. His Word says even now He is preparing a heavenly home for those who put their faith in Him.
Will you give Him your heart in return? It may be battered, bruised, and worn out from being used by those that promised love and didn’t deliver—but He can make it whole again.
We have a responsibility to each other
Maybe you aren’t the broken one. Or maybe you were and God healed you. You have a responsibility to show His love to the hurting around you.
Sometimes we need to pause long enough to see the pain behind the fake smile. It takes just a minute to give a hug, lift a prayer, or send a text. But it can mean the world to someone who just needed to know another living soul cares about them.
Be that person. Be the one to pull off the mask of “I’m okay” and share a much needed hug. We’re all in this thing called life together.
If you feel I wrote this post just for you, I also wrote a book just for you. It’s called Forgetting the Fairy Tale and a version of this post is included as the Preface.
I want you to know that I see you. I’ve been you. Somedays I still am. But you and I, we have hope in Jesus. He has changed my life and He can change yours too. I hope you will read the book and tell me tell me what you think in an Amazon review on Facebook or in a message. I’d love to hear from you.
by Donya Dunlap | Sep 9, 2016 | The Spiritual Life
There’s an ongoing struggle I have with the Gospel. It’s the part where Jesus does everything.
When I accepted Jesus as my Savior as a young child, it seemed easy. But as I grew, both chronologically and spiritually, I became aware of all the commands of Scripture. I began to feel an immense pressure to measure up. To make Jesus pleased with me. I didn’t understand His love is not based on my performance.
My parents and my teachers meant well. But instead of raising an obedient little grace girl, they raised an anxious ball of nerves that believed Jesus was mad at her all the time for being less than perfect.
To this day, I struggle with living in grace and giving grace. I continually remind myself Jesus’ love for me hasn’t changed from day one. He loves me today just the same as He will love the future me in Heaven. What a great relief this knowledge is to “Type A” me!
The basis of grace
Thankfully, God prods me occasionally to help me stay on my grace-girl path. This week’s nudge came from one of my favorite books of Scripture.
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
– Ephesians 2:4-10
It makes sense that I cannot earn my salvation. There could never be an act of kindness or a series of good works to equate to the holy Son of God coming to earth for the express purpose of enduring torture and dying to pay the price for my sin. I can never earn or repay that gift.
But things get sticky when I get real about my life. I want to serve God well, lead people to Jesus, and use my talents to bless His daughters. I find myself fretting if I’m enough. How can I do more? Be more?
We are God’s Workmanship
This passage blows all those questions away with a kiss. God made us alive in Christ. God is creating us into everything He desires for us to be. We are HIS workmanship. The only part we play is showing up. The timing and process are on Him.
This means I can let go of the pressure of trying to accomplish 1,001 things in 24 hours. There’s no need to compare myself to others who are seeing success faster than I am. I can release worry and rest peacefully at night. I can be flexible when circumstances change. If we fight Him in this, we interrupt His craft, causing pain to ourselves in the process.
We can create, but we’re not the Creator
God has hardwired us in His image. In part, this means we enjoy creating. We desire to mold our lives into perfect resumes, beautiful children, lovely homes, and a respectable retirement account. There’s nothing wrong with any of this, unless we hold so tightly to our designs the Creator cannot change them without breaking them. In keeping our lives protected with tightened fist, we make ourselves as God. We commit idolatry.
So make your plans and set your goals. Work hard, for God is pleased with our diligence. But keep an open hand. Seek God’s face in setting new directions for your journey. Look to Him for guidance each step of the way. In doing so we keep ourselves under His protection as He molds us into who He has designed us to be.
Are you raising your children to think Jesus is upset with them all the time? Do you think so about yourself? Continue the conversation in the comments below.
by Donya Dunlap | Sep 6, 2016 | The Spiritual Life
The question mark in the quotation
Have you ever come across a confusing passage of Scripture? I have. In fact, two verses in Hebrews have always bothered me a little.
Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. -Hebrews 13:5-6
The middle phrase, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” is quoted often, and almost every time it is used, the reader starts with, “for he hath said.” I understand why they do. Their point is usually something reassuring about how we are never alone. God is always with us. We can be encouraged and emboldened by God’s presence in our lives. While these facts are true and encouraging, the overlooking of the first part of the verse sparks a question mark in my mind.
The colon between contentment and companionship
For a time I thought perhaps the person who came up with the verse divisions for Hebrews just got these verses wrong. Obviously it is two separate thoughts and they just put a colon there instead of a period by mistake. Right? This explanation didn’t really seem right to me. I felt in my heart there was a deeper meaning I wasn’t seeing. The colon connects the dots between two seemingly disconnected thoughts. We will never be content with the things we have until we realize Jesus is all we need.
When we look to a boyfriend or spouse to meet our every need we will be disappointed. Only Jesus can be everything we need. When we look to shopping to make us feel pretty or chocolate to feel calm we are putting a band-aid over the hurt only Jesus can heal. Nothing in this world can provide contentment except for Jesus. Only when we accept Him fully into every area of our lives will we begin to walk through life in power. He is our Help. He is our Protector. And He is all we need.
The cravings of our hearts are simply guideposts pointing to Jesus. Our healing and sufficiency is in Him alone. The temptations of this world bring pleasure for a moment then, leave a greater void than we had to start. The only path we can take to wholeness this side of Heaven is contentment with Jesus alone. All other paths lead to greater grief and unquenchable desire.
