Lioness Arising... A rising is coming!

This is for the ladies! I couldn't let this post go. I found it while searching through my main blog, Reflections! I was sharing a blog about a book that I read back in 2013 called Lioness Arising, by Lisa Bevere. https://amzn.to/3ztOaUU  I have a picture of it underneath this post. Let me know what you think! This book was amazing and I learned so much about how beautiful the lioness is, and how they work together to protect their tribes. We as parents have "tribes" to protect and we can't do it alone. We need other mamas in our lives that can help carry the burden and the blessings of this thing called motherhood.

I love this book!! I'm learning so much from it!! This morning, I learned that lionesses raise their young together!! This was really beautiful to me because I've always dreamed of that! I always wanted to raise my children with sisters in Christ!! Lionesses learn to work together and that is so encouraging to me!

In our ministry, God has been moving in all of our hearts like crazy! We find ways all the time to support each other in whatever way we can! Last Thursday night, my husband and I were supposed to go the vision dinner at church. But what God placed on my heart was too real for me not to share it with our ministry family. We changed the plan for the night and hosted Sleepwaker instead!! It still amazes me what God has formed in us! We are really a family going through this journey of life together! In this Family you can be real. You don't have to perform for us to love you; you just be who you are. We laugh, we cry, and we grow together. I miss these gatherings very much and would love to continue opening our home for these ministry experiences! To our Sleepwaker Family, we miss you!! We are so blessed to have been a part of what God is doing in all of our lives with you!! 

Much like my lioness sister, the pride sticks together! Just like our ministry is close, the lionesses are constantly working together to protect the pride cubs. In our ministry, we have lion cubs to protect. As the sole lioness in the ministry, I will protect the cubs, so to speak. There will be more "cubs" in the future of our ministry family, and every single one needs protection! My prayer is God rises up more lioness sisters in this ministry so we can protect each other's "lion cubs." The time to learn from these majestic creatures is now!! I pray that we all have lioness sisters that will help us raise our lion cubs to be mighty lions and lionesses with a loud roar! Join the call!

Also the strategy of the lioness hunt fascinates me. Lionesses hunt together! When they are ready to hunt, they strategically place themselves to be ready for their role in the hunt. One lioness scares the impala, another is nearby, and yet a third is close in range. You see, they feed the same pride, so they all have some significant role in providing for their cubs. No one role is any less significant and they will change from time to time. 

I'm learning not to fear the power God has placed in me! I'm learning that I am needed for the hunt! I play a significant part in the success of the hunt. You do too! 

Dear lioness sister will you take your post? Will you join the force of rising that is coming? The world can not wait! It needs your heart, hands, feet and mind to act in the authority given to you by the Lion of the tribe of Judah, Jesus Himself! Rise, my beautiful lioness sister and stand full in the power you own inside of you! The future of the lion pride depends on it! Be blessed my sister! 

From our Pride to Yours! 

Tina Martina Putney

40 Day Sugar Fast

I have been starting off the year with a 40 day Sugar fast for 4 years now. Each year I develop more self control around eating sugar, but this year was the most powerful! This was the year I had Wendy Speakes' 40 Day Sugar Fast book! https://amzn.to/2Sr9euD day we have a chapter to read full of scripture and Wendy's heart for women to break free of their various coping methods! This book has helped organize my thoughts and experience through the 40 days. We also have a Facebook group that is full of encouragement and Facebook lives from Wendy and other friends.This year, I focused on my explosive anger. It’s the part of me I try my best to not come out, but parents, I think you know what I mean when I say some days are just harder then others to keep ourselves regulated. 

I have a better handle on it, but I still struggle with criticism and fits of anger. It’s the thorn in my side Paul talks about in 2 Corinthians 12: "I have been given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My Grace is sufficient, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Did you catch that?

In my last blog post I introduced the concept of being Laced with Grace. It does not matter what you did, what’s been done to you, what you haven’t done; God’s Grace covers you just like wings or a blanket. When He looks at you and Satan taunts Him that you are not to be forgiven, he simply smiles and says, “That one is mine!” I love the picture of God accepting me, despite my angry reactions. He does the same for you. "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39

Nothing at all can separate us from the love of God. Once you’re chosen, that’s it. Once you accept Him, He will never let you go! It’s our choice. He will do whatever he needs to do and extend every bit of Grace possible, and in the end it still comes down to a choice. He’s done the covering, He’s done the work, you get to choose.

How have I changed during this sugar fast? I had a lot more self control over my desire for sugar. Of course, it hasn’t been about sugar for me. I realized that no matter what my response to anxiety, anger an stress was, I was covered. God wasn’t disappointed with me. He was simply and gently leading me to healthier responses. 

Like I’ve said previously, my parenting shifted, what I learned is becoming effective for my family. I am training to be a Certified Parent Coach! I wish to lead other families to heal and grow also. The other night I cried myself to sleep. I so deeply feel the bondage Satan has over families and I can’t stand idle anymore. God is calling me and I am joyfully answering the call!!

It's going to be hard. I may run into opposition and, when I think about my life, I have never had it “easy.”  I wouldn’t have it any other way. I can touch others with my story and offer hope to those in the thick of the parenting journey where parents need the most love and guidance! I’m so excited to begin this journey! 

He has also called me to write more, and revamp my Inspirational Devotions page to Inspirational Devotions/Laced with Grace. The central message I want to deliver is we are ALL covered under His Grace! Hear me dear reader, you can "not believe" all you want, you can be mad at Him, you can even doubt He exists, and yet YOU are STILL covered in Grace! Grace is for everyone! I’ve been encouraged and inspired through this journey and now is the time to share it! 

I believe God gave me the story He did so I could make a difference. I am a living, breathing testimony to God's amazing Grace! I want to hear from you! I am asking you to share your story about your transformation! If you want to encourage others and feel comfortable, please send me an email or message me through Facebook. I encourage you to check out my Facebook page Inspirational Devotions/Laced With Grace! I'm also on Instagram @lacedwithgrace3. 

This fast has been like no other! It’s taught me many things, mainly how to give myself grace when I fail to represent Him well to my people. I am human, after all, and so are you! God does not want you perfect, He wants you to come as you are, and yet he loves you too much for you to stay there! When you give God a fraction of your time, His ears are attentive to hear your prayers! 

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer 1 Peter 3:12 (NIV). I think that is so cool! Starting my mornings with Jesus has been so sweet! Some days, I would have to read later in the day and I still made sure to get my “sugar fast time.” This fast has definitely been the most influential one. How about you? 

Have you ever done a fast? What did you fast from? How long was it? I’m curious to hear! 

May you feel the love and Grace of the Lord always! 

I love you with all my heart! 

Tina Martina Putney

You can find me at: 

Inspirational Devotions/Laced with Grace - Facebook 

Come to the Lighthouse- Facebook 

@lacedwithgrace3- Instagram 

 40-Day Sugar Fast: Where Physical Detox Meets Spiritual Transformation by Wendy Speake 

https://amzn.to/2Sr9euD

Laced with Grace

This has been marinating in my mind for quite some time. This idea that nothing we have even been through, or will be put through, can separate us from His grace. That no matter what, we will be covered. The longer we live, the more grace life is laced with. When I think about my own life, I can see it so clearly. Memories flood me as I ponder this and do my best to articulate my thoughts of this difficult to grasp concept. Here's what has been revealed to me so far. 

When I think of grace, I see it like a covering as if you wrap up in a lace shawl, a warm blanket during a cold winter (like this week). It's as if grace just wraps you up and hides you in its warmth. What is grace? To Christians it's unmerited favor with God for our salvation, quite simply. I think there's more to it; I think it's a covering. If mercy is the action (not getting what we deserve), then grace is the covering of it. 

In the book of Proverbs, we have two examples of grace being a covering. They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck. Proverbs 1:9 (NIV). Women would wear coverings on their heads during worship services to show honor not just to God but also their husbands. Think of a necklace, usually if you are wearing one it's of sentimental value to you. Whatever it is that you treasure it's always with you. So why would there be a garland of grace for your head? I think it's to protect our thought life. If that's covered in grace then we need to have no fear because we know we're covered. Our thoughts determine our beliefs and later our actions and reactions.

I had to define limiting beliefs in the 9 week coaching program I completed. Finding out what lies underneath is essential to moving forward. In For King and Country’s song “Burn the Ships” they talk about stepping into a new day and leaving the past. Oftentimes our thoughts are still connected to our past. They can hold us hostage and stuck on a ship that is not going the direction we wish to go. 

We are a royal priesthood, a people set apart for God to live the lives He is calling us to live. He put us here to glorify and worship Him with those lives. Our job is to follow and trust that he will bring the work in us to completion. Our testimonies are the most influential thing we have to share with others. In Revelation it says, "They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony." Revelation 12:11 (NIV). Our lives and testimonies are laced with grace. 

Every time we rise from the ashes of our lives, be it abuse, failed relationships, explosive anger, poverty, strained relationships, trauma, addiction, chronic pain, betrayal, mental health, and so many other human experiences, we have a testimony! We have a story worth sharing. 

Those moments of "coincidences" you just can't explain are just some ways grace covers you. The safe drive home during that heavy storm, the song on the radio you felt was just for you, the kind stranger that pays for your meal, the neighbor that drops off formula, friends and family doing window visits, the sweet cards in the mail for birthdays. These are all reminders that our lives matter to someone and we have something to say! 

Christians always have a Before Christ and After Christ moment or several in their testimonies. Much of the above, I've lived through, and in some ways, still do as a mental health survivor. My deepest struggle to this day continues to be aggressive tendencies. I have felt like it has mastered me all of my life. It’s always there and I am now becoming conscious of its damaging affects on my people. I can see the slumped shoulders, the eyes looking down instead of up. I hear the sighs. I have vowed to myself that I would never let it have a hold over me. Sadly, it has. I feel, even now as I write and confess this, the knot in my stomach. 

I know I am writing to someone out there when I say this, YOU ARE NOT ALONE! Ephesians 4:24 encourages us to put on the new self, the one you were created by God to be. Not the self that life is making you to be. My new self is far from perfect! I still have days where I make bad choices, give in to anger, eat sugar during a sugar fast, (I have done a lot better this year!) not always put on the armor of God, and allow attacks of the enemy, get irritated over little things (see I’m human too). 

Each day I am more aware of who I want to be so much that I want to lead others to do the same! I am very excited to be a part of Gods will to change the legacy in my family and many others! At the start of this year, He told me “This year is a year of redemption for your story and many others.” I see this parent coaching program being exactly that!

We can never tackle this old /new self battle in our own strength. We need some help, and Jesus has come for that very purpose! Some may not want to change. They like themselves and that's fine with me. If you are happy, I am happy for you! If you are reading, though, and understand what I'm saying, you can never tackle your battle alone. I would love to share my testimony with you, and through it you will also see how my life has been laced with grace. 

This grace has opened up for me, as quoted in Hebrews, "a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who is promised is faithful." Hebrews 10:20-24 (NIV). 

My life now is different, and even when I operate in my old tendencies, I am still covered in grace, and so are you. That doesn't give me the right to keep acting out in anger, or make bad choices, but nothing and no one can take me away from God's grace, and no one will ever be able to convince me otherwise. Satan, the persistent enemy, may try, but I know who and whose I am! 

Here's what I learned in Psalms that goes back to my original image of grace as a covering. In the book of Psalms, there is a beautiful passage of being covered with God's feathers. "He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge, his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrows that fly by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday (Coronavirus anyone?) Psalms 91:4- 6 (NIV). He hides us with his feathers, and we don't need to fear! We don't need to fear, but we do need to trust.  Just a few verses earlier it states, "I will say to the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust'" Psalm 91:2 (NIV). 

We get to participate in this grace! We have a vital part in this equation we are called to trust. Trust even when nothing looks like it's going to change, trust when there's no income and rent is due, trust when the doctor gives you a hard set of news, trust when your old self comes up again, trust when the world looks frightening, trust when everything feels to hard, trust when you have heard the fifth tantrum in an hour (parents you know what I'm talking about) and most importantly that He has a good plan for your life and will be faithful to completion and this includes the people in your places and spaces. But this trust comes with one very key ingredient, belief.

There are a lot of different opinions out there about everything, and I will leave you with a choice. You have seen ways we are all laced with grace by God's faithfulness. Now, my dear reader, I ask you, what do you believe? Romans is pretty straightforward when it comes to this: If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9) A few verses later: "For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile-- the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Romans 10:12-13 (NIV). 

Grace is given freely for all, but it's up to you to chose what you believe and what kind of life you want to lead. He covers us, he shields us, He saves us and the question is, do we believe?

May you be Laced with Grace today and all the days of your life.

I love you with all my heart,

Tina Martina Putney 

For King and Country, "Burn the Ships"

https://youtu.be/pOVrOuKVBuY

He doesn't like oppression

I'm going to take you on a journey through the scriptures that proves God does not like oppression. From Genesis to Revelation, this becomes fact. I got this revelation at youth group, which was a direct answer to a prayer by my youth leader team. As we prayed, before the students arrived, a leader asked God to give us a revelation and have a moment with us. This was mine.

There are so many scriptures that address this, so I will share a few. The rest you'll have to find for yourself! In Genesis, we see the first oppression in the Garden of Eden. Eve was tricked by the serpent to eat of the forbidden fruit. Her mind was attacked to doubt that God had her best interests at heart. He made her doubt His love for her and Adam. For the first time they knew shame! Before the first sin in the Bible, Adam and Eve walked with God in the cool of the day. Afterwards, they had to be banished from the Garden, and worse, be separated from God.

In Genesis 4:10, we see violence enter for the first time. Cain killed his brother Abel, and God states "What have you done?  Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground" Genesis 4:10 (NIV). By Noah, violence was so rampant that God decided he was going to start all over! God was grieved that he made man. He couldn't stand the violence and oppression. So God flooded the world and left only eight people and two of every animal alive. That may be really hard to gulp down, but what we need to understand is that God waited over 600 years! When the flood waters ceased and Noah, his family, and all the animals got off the ark, God put a rainbow in the sky as a covenant to Noah that He would never flood the earth again. This is found in Genesis 9:14-17. Noah became God's first rescue plan to save his creation.

Many years later, He called Moses to bring out Israelites out of slavery. He became God's second rescuer and deliverer of the promise of freedom from Egyptian oppression. The book of Exodus is all about one of my favorite stories in the bible! It oftentimes makes me think of the movie, The Prince of Egypt. In my opinion, it's a really good showcase of the story. What's so amazing to me is that, in this story, God says He heard the cry of his people and saw the oppression. He enacted a plan to end it through Moses, a once son of the Pharaoh. The most amazing scene is the parting of the Red Sea. You can see a little bit of the cartoon in the water, but wow! With the touch of his staff, the waters rose on both sides. I can't even begin to imagine how amazing that must been for Moses and for the oppressed Israelites!

From Moses we go to an oppressed and discarded David, shepherd boy turned king by Samuel, the Lord's prophet. When Samuel came to anoint one of Jesse's sons as king of Israel, he thought right away that the strongest and biggest was the choice, but God stopped Samuel and revealed his decision. "Do not consider his appearance or his height, I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outer appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart"1 Samuel 16:17 (NIV). God chose the one least likely choice. He saw him and raised him to be a powerful king, though his family thought he was worthless. Even his father rejected him, telling Samuel there is one more but he's only a shepherd, basically saying you don't want to choose him. This discarded boy turned out to be in the lineage of the most beautiful and redeeming, Jesus Christ, God's only Son! 

Jesus was prophesied throughout scripture, but I want to give attention to the prophet Isaiah. When Jesus comes, there is an unrest like no other. All of Jerusalem was distressed! He is radical, a visionary, and not afraid to be who He is! One such time was when Jesus read in the temple from Isaiah: "The spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to declare Good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness the prisoners" (Isaiah 61:1-2 NIV). That was pretty radical, and definitely not well received by the religious leaders! God also addressed release from oppression in Isaiah 58. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people (Isaiah 58:6 NIV). God does not like oppression. Through the person of Jesus He set in motion His plan to set us free!

We can't deny the love that Jesus showed to the oppressed. His message was His lifestyle. These words come from a song from Scott Stapp, the former lead singer of the band Creed. That's so true! He healed the sick, blind, deaf, lame, despised, rejected, shamed. He publicly declared he did not condemn a woman caught in adultery when the Pharisees held the stones ready to throw at her, according to the Law. He showed us by His life, death and resurrection that God's way is a better way. The religious leaders adapted the Law to suit their own interests, to oppress the already taxed and mistreated people. Jesus came to set them free!

A beautiful verse that I just came across during my 40 Day Sugar Fast is Matthew 17:20: "He replied 'Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, Move from here to there and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you'" (NIV). I always thought he was talking about a literal mountain, and it never made sense to me. Reading through Wendy Speake's Sugar Fast book now it makes sense! The mountains are everything that oppress us! Diseases, relationship struggles, financial stress, housing concerns, parenting, society's expectations, leadership disappointment, faith journeys, mental health, anything that takes our focus off of Christ are our oppressors or idols. We have the authority in the name of Jesus to cast them off!  

I love to speak about how amazing Jesus is! He set me free from my own oppressions and I pray He can do the same for you! Study Jesus's ministry for yourself; it's incredible! When Jesus left Earth to go back to the Father he commissioned the disciples to preach the gospel to all nations and baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. What a commission to fulfill! The disciples continued to spread the Good news and wrote the rest of the New Testament. 

I love how scripture quotes itself! In the book of Acts, Stephen says "I have indeed seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down to set them free" (Acts 7:34 NIV). From Exodus, God has had a rescue plan for the Israelites oppressed in Egypt. From the Garden of Eden, he knew Jesus was going to be the ultimate chain breaker of oppression.

I will share one last scripture that I hope brings you a lot of peace in the future of God's plan. In Revelation, the last book of the Bible, Jesus speaks to John in a vision. "'He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away" He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" (Revelation 21:4-5 NIV). And this is where I will leave you. God doesn't like oppression, and since time itself, He has always had a rescue plan to deliver us from ours. Please hear me, those who are oppressed shall be free. It might not be this side of eternity but one day, when the last trumpet sounds and Jesus comes again in Glory, every knee will bow. The oppressed shall finally be free! 

I love you with all my heart, 

Tina Martina Putney 

All scripture is NIV version

Wendy Speake, The 40 Day Sugar Fast "Where physical detox meets spiritual transformation"

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