eyes up – Meghan E White

Shake It Off

November 19, 2021 meghanewhite

Over the summer I was at the right place at the right time to capture this bee and butterfly. I’m always on the lookout for butterflies when I’m working in the garden. This scene got my attention in a different way. The beautiful monarch was eating nectar, and the bees would not leave it alone. Bees kept landing on the butterfly’s wings. The monarch was undeterred as it would shake it’s wings and get right back to business.

This pattern kept repeating. Happy monarch eating nectar, busy bees landing on it’s wings. The monarch would flutter it’s wings every time a bee landed on them. This was one determined butterfly. Nothing was going to stop the butterfly from it’s purpose of gathering nectar, not even some very stubborn bees.

We get distracted from our purpose. The enemy loves to get us off course, and stop us dead in our tracks from our Kingdom purposes. He dive bombs us every day with all sorts of things to take our eyes off of Jesus. That’s the last place he wants us looking. Oh no, we can’t have our focus on Christ. Buzz, buzz, buzz.

Some days the distractions are small, and some days the distractions are big. So big that they take our joy away, and steal our hope. We get weighed down, and get hurt. Then we are so busy focusing on the pain and annoyances in life that we have completely forgotten about our victory in Jesus Christ.

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:57, NIV

Those of us who have placed our faith in Jesus Christ as Savior have victory over death and sin. Sin has no hold on us. Death has no sting. The same Jesus who took our sin away also gives us victory over every challenge and problem in this life. We don’t always win every battle, and we will take some losses along the way, but we are winners in the end through Jesus. He already took care of it for us.

Those bees will keep coming. They will try their hardest to land on our wings, and stop us. We will keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. And when we get stung, He will help us, and heal us, and we will start again.

Shake off the distractions. Eyes on Jesus. We have victory through Him.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:2, Berean Study Bible

Love you all,

Meghan

Father God,

Thank you for your perfect love and grace. Thank you for Jesus. Help us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. When we get distracted, help get our focus back on the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords. Thank you for the victory we have in Jesus in every circumstance, and every trial. We belong to You, and You always take care of your children.

Amen

Worship

Stop Everything and Praise the Lord

October 16, 2021October 16, 2021 meghanewhite

The world is exhausting. We have access to any amount of information that we want, and plenty that we do not need. This evil world is broken, and getting sicker by the minute. Now add to all of that our own every day trials and responsibilities, and you’ve got the perfect formula for hopelessness.

We have hope because of Jesus. We may not always feel it, but it’s always there. No matter how crazy the world gets, or how crazy our lives are, we always, always have hope. One really simple way to get our hope and joy back in seemingly uncertain times is to turn our hearts toward the Lord. Praise is a powerful weapon in our spiritual arsenal.

I’m talking about singing and praising God. Absolutely no talent is required, just an honest heart worshipping God. Our voices sound like angels in God’s ears when it’s sincere. That’s just my opinion since God is concerned about the condition of our hearts above anything else. Sing even louder if you are in deep pain. Praise to God is so powerful in our trials.

Praising the Lord takes our eyes off our circumstances and fixes them on Him.

Do you need to put the brakes on the insanity of our world? I know I do. It’s just too much. We are not designed to bear heavy burdens, only Jesus’ burdens are meant for us. Those are the light ones. (Matthew 11:28-30)

Step one is to turn off social media, news, emails, and pretty much everything that makes noise. If you’ve got young children you may need to be creative and use nap times, or just have them join in the praise. Those little ones, and big ones, will learn so much from some sweet worship at home.

Step two is to turn up the worship music. Whether you have a piano or another instrument, and can play, by all means play. Use cd’s, Spotify, Youtube, or whatever format you get your music from, and play only worship music. A cappella is lovely too, if you’re up for that. There are hymns, and modern worship music, and everything else in between.

Step three is to sing out loud and praise God. This is the best part. Fill your mind and heart with the greatness of God, and let Him know it. You can even dance around the house if you feel comfortable doing that. Just go for it, and give God full praise right in your kitchen, or bedroom, or anywhere.

David danced before the Lord.

Then David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was wearing a linen ephod. 2 Samuel 6:14 NKJV

Dancing is not required, but it may spontaneously erupt out of sheer joy from the Lord. David is such a beautiful example of uninhibited adoration and worship of God. No wonder he’s called “a man after God’s own heart”.

Something so amazing will start to happen as you lift your voice to the King of Kings. You will get your hope back, you will remember who is in control. Burdens will lift. You will see just how big and awesome God is. Our omnipotent God is still on the throne no matter what government’s do, no matter what the news says, no matter how pervasive evil is. God will never be dethroned. And justice is coming.

Praise Him today. Praise Him everyday. Take a break from all the crazy and give God your best praise and worship. It will fill your heart and give you joy knowing that no matter what you are facing God will help you. Let’s praise the Lord for He alone is worthy of our praise.

The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him. Psalm 28:7, NKJV

Love you all,

Meghan

If you need prayer send your request to meghanewhiteauthor@gmail.com

Jesus, Worship

Basking in His Presence

May 14, 2021 meghanewhite

Each spring a question mark butterfly shows up in the evenings by my pool. It will flutter around really fast and then briefly land on the tile. At first the wings stay closed and then the pretty wings open and lay flat. This pattern repeats itself until the sun goes down. Sometimes the butterfly lands on me, which I love.

Butterflies are cold-blooded. They cannot regulate their body temperature. They need the sun for warmth. When a butterfly opens its wings it’s basking in the sun. Their body temperature needs to be warm enough to fly. If a butterfly’s body temperature is too low it cannot fly. My little butterfly friend is just getting filled up for the night so it can fly.

We cannot fly without the Son.

Basking is relaxing in the warmth of the sun. In order to do that you need to stop for a minute. Close your eyes. Feel the warmness on your face and just breathe. Can you feel it? Doesn’t that feel awesome?

Do you ever stop and bask in the presence of Jesus? Stop everything and just experience His amazing presence. Let Him fill you up. Just worship Him. Spend some time with Him without asking for anything.

We are needy. Humans are weak and need help constantly. Jesus is the Savior, and the answer to everything. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The only way to the Father is Jesus. He made all things.

All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being. John 1:3, NASB

King David desired nothing more than to be in the Lord’s presence. No wonder David is called “a man after God’s own heart”. We can learn a lot about the presence of the Lord and how to worship Him from David.

I have asked one thing from the Lord;
it is what I desire:
to dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
gazing on the beauty of the Lord
and seeking Him in His temple. Psalm 27:4, HCSB

Jesus is beautiful. There is no one like Him, and there never will be. We can gaze upon His beauty. How do we do that?

We need to stop all the noise for a few minutes. Find a quiet place. It does not have to be fancy. A closet, hallway, patio, or a car. It’s about who we are seeking, not the location we are in. Jesus is not limited to church walls. He’s everywhere.

Focusing on Jesus takes our eyes off of our problems. It’s not all about us. It’s all about Him.

Take some time each week and bask in the life giving presence of the Lord. Don’t use this time to ask for anything. Instead, just be with Him. Worship Jesus. Open your arms. Lay back. Let the Son give you the warmth you need to fly.

Love you all,

Meghan

The outside of this butterfly is vastly different than the inside. There are two small marks that resemble a question mark, thus the name question mark butterfly.

Spiritual Warfare, Trials

My Battle Plan

September 11, 2020September 11, 2020 meghanewhite

ancient antique armor armour

When life begins to unravel, as it is guaranteed to do from time to time, what is your response? We have options. We can panic. We can get angry. We can feel sorry for ourselves. We can worry. These are all normal human reactions. We have another choice. We can fight back.

The hard days and tough warfare will come to each of us. What do you do when you are in the trenches, deep in spiritual battle? Our instinct is to give up. Or, fight the wrong battle. Don’t let the physical stuff distract you from the actual battle. Our battles are ultimately spiritual. That’s the real battle.

For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. Ephesians 6:12,

Many years ago, I learned how to fight spiritually. The weapons of this type of warfare are not physical, yet they are more powerful than a nuclear bomb. Here is a basic breakdown of what I do when I’m fighting back.

My Battle Plan

The best way to utilize this strategy is to silence your phone. Stay off social media, t.v., and the internet. Shut everything off. Put all your energy into God. You must press in to Him. There are four weapons that I apply simultaneously in the fight.

Worship

It’s time to put on your favorite worship music. If you don’t have any, it’s easy to look some up online and let it play. You may not feel like worshipping God, but in no time you will be uplifted. You will begin to focus on God, and not on your problem.

Sing a new song to the Lord;

sing to the Lord, all the earth.

Sing to Yahweh, praise His name;

proclaim His salvation from day to day.

Declare His glory among the nations,

His wonderful works among all peoples. Psalm 96:1-3

Prayer

Pour out your heart to God. No half hearted prayers. Tell Him everything. He already knows anyway. Just be honest and respectful. We can come to God freely because of Jesus. So come. Pray like you have never prayed before. If you can’t find the words then write out a simple prayer. Ask at least one person to intercede for you if possible. Also, be quiet before the Lord in your prayer time, and ask Him what He wants to tell you.

Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4: 6-7

The Word

God’s Word is a lamp, a treasure, the truth, and it’s alive. The word of God is a sword. It’s our ultimate weapon. The Word is how you are going to cut through the lies. Keep your Bible open, and bookmark verses that speak to your situation. If you’re lacking faith, then look up every verse on faith. If you need healing, look up verses on healing. If you’re worrying, look up those verses. You get the idea. Say those verses out loud. Read them 100 times if necessary. You can also write them on note cards and place them all around your home.

Take the helmet of salvation,

and the sword of the Spirit,

which is God’s word.

Ephesians 6:17

Fast

I know it is difficult to go without food. Only fast if you are healthy, and please ask your doctor if you have any concerns. Fasting is throughout the Old and New Testament.

There are all kinds of views on what to fast. Some will just skip one meal a day, others will go without food the entire day or a few days. Some “fast” from social media, or other non-food types of enjoyment. I go without food. I still drink coffee in the morning and then just water the rest of the day. That may not work for everyone. I’m not an expert on fasting.

What’s the point of a fast? It focuses our minds and bodies on Jesus. Fasting and praying go together. When I feel hungry I use that as a reminder to pray. I can honestly say that the spiritual results from fasting are incredible. I hear God’s voice much more clear. I get a new, Godly perspective. I feel closer to Him.

So we fasted and pleaded with our God about this, and He granted our request.

Ezra 8:23

That’s the very basic breakdown of how I fight my battles. God is the thread through all four components. Worship, prayer, the word, and fasting point to God. It takes the focus off of our trial, and on to God. When we place our problems into God’s mighty hands, He can do what we cannot. That is powerful. My battle plan is not to just get what I want. It changes my heart, and my mind. It strengthens my faith. I begin to ask God what He wants, and I plead for His will not my own.

If you are battling today, please leave me your prayer request. We are to bear one another’s burdens.

Love you all,

Meghan

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