Melicia Evans

Multiplication

I am not a master gardener. I am not a master anything, but maybe a master screw up when left to my own devices. That is not meant to be an insult to myself as some may think. That is an observation of the years of having made epic mistakes. Without Jesus I am nothing. In fact, I surely would not have lived this long had Jesus not come and saved my sorry life at 19 years old. But back to gardening…

When I was younger I tried to keep plants alive but even the easiest plants I killed, because my mind was on other things. I forgot to water, over watered, did not give the right amount of sunlight, or just all together forgot about them. In the past few years I have begun to find a great delight in gardening and plant care.

“Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant will also be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.” (John 12:24-26)

When propagating succulents, a leaf is removed or cut from the main plant and placed on the soil. Sometimes it falls on its own. I have been amazed to watch these little plants grow from the fallen leaves.

A single leaf can grow a single, or often multiple plants. Therefore, a single plant that loses its leaves can have many grow from it when multiplied. That of course depends upon soil and care as well as original cutting. Often, a new plant will even grow from the very place that the leaf was removed.

Dying isn’t usually pleasant, but often painful. We can tend to try to control circumstances around our lives and those who we care for to avoid that pain. When we allow God, the master gardener, to do what only he can do, he will bring new life where it looked like disaster.

God is a multiplier. He shows us this over and over in his word. He did it first with Adam and Eve. He did it for Abraham. He did it for those sent to take care of the prophets. He did it in turning the water to wine. He did it with feeding the thousands. His greatest multiplication was through the death and resurrection of Jesus. He continues to this day to multiply.

God also prunes. When I first started pruning my plants it was scary, because I thought I had probably destroyed them. Then I saw that as new growth came, more multiplication, more blooms, more fruit. It continues to amaze and fascinate me when I see the connections to what the Lord does with us.

So I had this lovely succulent that was getting tall, so I cut it down and removed some leaves. Because I am not the master gardener, I lost one of the cut plants due to rot, common to succulents. I wasn’t sure if my original intentions were going to pan out. Then all the leaves that I had propagated multiplied. Each of them produced more seedlings than I imagined. The plant that I lost was not a disaster after all. Instead it served to give me a great many little ones that will grow and thrive.

So, every area of our lives, hopefully all of it, when we let it go, God multiply. New life will come. We lay down our lives, sometimes a piece at a time, so this new growth can appear. That growth will be in the form of others being touched or brought into the kingdom, as well as other areas of fruitfulness in our own lives. However it comes, it will surely come. God wastes nothing. Praise God he is also the master recycler. He recycles every lost life that will come to him and dare trust their hearts. He is so good. We don’t have to understand it all. He will give us what we need to understand when we need it.

As the world grows darker, Jesus is drawing us, inviting us to deeper places in him to come, trust, take up our cross and lay it down. This is new to many believers in America, as well as other places in the world, but God is faithful. We can and must trust him to complete that which he began (Phil.1:6).

Freedom Carriers

I was on a walk and anxious feelings had been pressing in. I was talking to the Lord about it, and asking questions, as I often do. Then I heard, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”

I had heard this verse so many times, but God chose that day to bring it to life in me. The verse opened up. Peace, joy, and awe came in and anxiousness lifted as I thought on what that meant. If we have the Spirit of the Lord living inside of us, there is freedom available to us. There is no reason for us to live in any kind of oppression, like anxiety.

If there is freedom where the Lord is, then we walk in virtually, a liberty bubble. There is potential for not only freedom within us, but for those around us. Those who have the Holy Spirit living inside, literally carry around the King of freedom wherever they go. There is no reason for any of us, marked with his name to be walking in anxiety. God is so good. I had prayed to be a peace carrier, and God was telling me that all who carry the Spirit of the Living God are peace carriers.

The full verse from NIV reads, “Now the Lord is Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 2 Cor. 3:17

Freedom! For those who are God carriers, who house the Holy Spirit, there is complete freedom available. Of course, the devil doesn’t want God’s people to know this, so he tries to keep our eyes on the troubles of this world. He tries to keep our eyes focused on the difficulties and the struggles, because then we are not dangerous to his kingdom.

When we walk in his liberty, we can interact with others more freely. God can use us as a conduit for change in the lives of others to bring freedom as well as our own. If walking in oppression can effect the ones around us, just think how walking in freedom could effect them.

We can have the Word of God in our head, but it must get down into our hearts, so that it goes beyond head knowledge to heart knowledge. Some of the ways that the enemy keeps people bound is by a lack of knowledge of his Word and deception. Other common things that keep the Word from reaching our hearts is by wounds that have not been healed, sin, and living in unforgiveness.

There have been times that I knew what the Word of God said, but I couldn’t get that word deep into my heart. Other things were blocking its entrance. Anxiety has been one of those things. While I have experienced times of great peace in the presence of God, there were words of others, who had been close to me, that would come back to me later. Those words had an effect on me over the years and God needed to heal that.

There came a point when I would try to do something and those words would stop me in my tracks. I may not have been thinking about them continuously or consciously, but when I stopped to delve into the anxiety that I was feeling, I could see that I had taken their words on as part of my own belief system.

As I began to try to move forward, there was a subtle thought of, what if they were right? What if I can’t do this and it proves they were right? That created an inner war within me that I couldn’t seem to stop on my own. That inner war was fuel for great anxiety. Even when I knew that God had given me the ability to do the task. I knew that these were lies, but for some reason they held on.

There were some of those times that I would hear their words and see their face, as they said that I would never be able to do it. As they said that I’d never do anything, that I was worthless. I knew these were all lies of the enemy, but inside that ‘what if’ remained.

It frustrated me when I knew the truth of what his Word said, but I couldn’t make it or will it to enter down into my heart. God is a thorough worker. He does the job in the right way and in the right timing when we submit to his will. Sometimes there are things that need to occur in our lives first. Sometimes there are layers that must be taken care of.

Days before hearing that verse in 2 Corinthians, again I was on a walk when I heard the Lord ask me, “Are you ready to get rid of that?” I thought, why would God even ask that? Of course I was. Then he told me to let it go, followed by showing me that there were things that I needed to forgive.

That was a surprise to me, because I thought that I had forgiven, but the Holy Spirit showed me that there were still some things that needed to be released. I believe that those things acted like a block, preventing the Word of God from reaching those places of my heart where they needed to be. Shortly after that came greater healing and greater release.

Real peace is hard to come by in this world. Jesus, the Prince of Peace, sent us his Holy Spirit, so that we might have His peace. He tells us that where the Spirit of the Lord is there is Liberty. We have been given freedom in Christ. His word says that it is for freedom that he came to set us free. (Gal. 5:1)

If you are having trouble breaking anxiety, and you know Jesus, His Word says that where his Spirit is there is freedom. Invite him in show you anything that may be hindering you from receiving his peace. I pray for new release, healing, and freedom for you.

If you don’t know Jesus, and you would like to, ask God to forgive you of your sin, and ask him to come and live in your heart and have his way in your life. Get a bible. Start reading in the New Testament. Then, contact me, a bible believing church or individual, to find out what’s next.

(The photo above is taken from upsplash.com)

Diamonds

Twinkling lights in darkness is what I saw several days ago in prayer. The twinkling was from light reflecting off of many, many diamonds that were in the wall of a cave. It was so dark that this sparkling was all that could be seen. As I looked at the diamonds, there was such a feeling of awe and amazement of God’s strength, boldness, courage, bravery, wisdom and more.

The diamonds were his people that had been prepared in the dark. They had been cut, polished, and prepared through difficulties and hardships. As a diamond reflects light off of their various facets, so these people have been prepared to reflect the various facets of God. Depending on how a light hits, sometimes it will reflect in one large area, sometimes multiple. I felt how pleased God was with the work he had done in these and how excited he was to show that work off.

The cave became a stage. It reminded me of America’s Got Talent. This was the shining ones on display for his glory. Some would appeal, or speak to a few, and some to the many. Each had a role to play. Like those who come on the television show, they had undergone much life training for this.

Only the stage lights and the diamonds were shining. Everything else was in darkness, and it was very dark. I believe there is a dark time coming, but he is going to shine brightly in it. In that time, he will be all that we need him to be as we cling to him.

As I had looked at the diamonds in the dark wall in awe, thinking of God’s attributes, and aspects of his character, I heard ‘Days of Elijah’ and started hearing the song in my head. I was reminded of when the Lord passed by Elijah as he declared his name (1 Kings 19). Now he’s about to declare his name in all the earth. (I would like to encourage you to look up the lyrics to this song.)

Those facets of the diamonds are going to reflect his light of “I Am Righteous. I Am Healer. I Am Brave, Bold, and Strong. I Am Provider. I Am Defender of the broken, down trodden, and weak. I Am Warrior. I Am Wisdom. I Am Father of the fatherless. I Am Husband to the Widow.” These are the facets of God that had been and were being shown of himself in each of their lives.

In the past several weeks, I’ve heard, “brace yourself”, “buckle up”, and “get ready”. I believe God is saying that the show is about to begin. I don’t know what the months to come will look like, but I know that he is faithful.

If you need prayer, please message me, I’d be happy to pray with you.

(The photo above comes from unsplash.com.)

Faith and Grace

I wish my faith were perfect all the time. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case. When God asks us to step out in faith, sooner or later a challenge will come to that faith. In fact it is the challenges that grow our faith. So we are challenged by the initial stepping out and then the walking it out.

25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. 27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” 29 “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” (Mt.14:25-31)

The primary message that I have always read or heard in this story is a message of faith vs. fear or distraction. It is that, but today I also see it as a message of grace.

Some time ago I stepped out to something God had asked me to do. Then the winds began howling and made it difficult to hear. The waves began rising and the water splashed in my face and made it difficult to see. I saw my many weaknesses and I began to sink. All I could see was failure all around. I was concerned with so many things, including how God must view my struggles.

Like Peter, I have felt alone, outside the safety of the boat, and all there has been to do is call on the name of Jesus. And just like Peter, Jesus is there to catch me with hand outstretched. And also like Peter, I have been made aware of my little faith and doubt.

Jesus didn’t leave Peter to drown, because his faith was small. He reached out and helped him up. He isn’t leaving you or I to drown either. He knew how big Peter’s faith was when he called him out of the boat, just like he knows of our struggles before we step out on the waters.

His hand extended is grace for the journey. It is all opportunity to come a little closer to the one who formed us. He is aware of all our weaknesses and frailties. His love is greater than our greatest weakness.

As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; 14 for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. (Ps.103:13-14)

(The photo above is from unsplash.com.)

Free 5 Day Art Challenge

I will be hosting a free challenge this next week, May 31 – June 4. If you would like to learn some new stress busting techniques using paint and elements of art, here is a link for more information and to sign up. I will send you the information. It will be fun (and you can’t beat free).

Like so many, I too have had a bumpy last year. One of the things that helps me is getting in the paint and playing. I’m going to go over some of the things I do to relax, release some stress and bring some much needed calm. Today was one of those days that I just jumped in and let myself go. I’d love to share some of the things that help.

It is free, you will only need a few supplies, and it will be held in a facebook group. I only ask that you participate and leave feedback, so I can learn and make the next one better. Thanks!

Here is a link where you can get more information and sign up. https://meliciafoster.wixsite.com/my-site

Stop, Drop, and Roll

At times, I’ve felt that talking about a current struggle with anxiety, somehow lessens the breakthroughs and overcoming that I’ve had. So, I’ve preferred to stick to past times after I have come through.

The problem is that I still have those times, though they have lessened significantly in frequency and intensity, and duration. I have learned ways of coping in and through them, as well as getting healing from the roots of where the anxiety came.

Recently, I have been fighting it again. For about the last six months, I have been working through some things that have often lead to times of being anxious. As I’m working through things that bring those familiar feelings, I have to go back and remind myself of the coping skills that I have learned.

One of the most difficult side products of anxiety for me has been the paralysis of forward motion in daily life. When anxiety stops us from getting done what needs to get done, it compounds the problem. Then, the problem can grow, and the anxiety with it, creating a nasty cycle.

Some time ago, as I was struggling with this cycle in prayer, I heard, “Stop, drop, and roll”.

I asked, “What? Did I hear that right?”

Stop. When anxiety starts, stop the circular thinking. Cut off those thoughts that can go around in your head and repeat. Evaluate. What is going on? Where does this come from? Why am I thinking this? What validity does it have? What is the truth, and what is the lie? The enemy has a narrative that he wants to get our thoughts sucked into. The Lord has a truth that we need to know.

Drop. After inventory has been done, drop to your knees in prayer. Take time to refocus. What does God say about this? What does he want you to know and believe? What is the truth? What does the bible say? Find it. Pray it. Slow down and speak his word slowly over the situation, so it soaks into the soil of your heart.

Roll. Get busy. Get back to doing whatever you need to do, or what you know to do. It’s often been hard for me to know what to do. Like many, I have had a tendency to become overwhelmed when there are too many things on my plate and I am stressed.

For many years I lived under much criticism, so that whatever I did was often seen as not good enough. Getting that out of my head has been a challenge. Various choices would often result in a verbal take down. What would elicit one response on a given day, another day would not take notice. It was confusing and hard to know what to do.

God has been patient in letting me know that he is not like that. He is consistent. He is not fault finding. He expects us to do what is right, not what the world says is right, but what he says is right. What he says is right doesn’t change.

We may not know what to do in a given situation. In that time we give it to him, do our best, and trust. We can’t do any better than our best. Sometimes, many times, a wait may be involved.

A couple things to remember: He loves us. His love is perfect, and his love is perfectly comforting.

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. (1John 4:18)

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Dt. 31:6)

To help me remember, I made this simple sign to jar my memory. When I begin to feel myself getting stuck in an anxious state, this reminder can jar my memory. Sometimes it takes a little while to work through, or even to get going. If I slow down, and let God take me through it, He has proved to be faithful. (Just starting another round now.)

Heroes of Old, Today

People often think of men and women in the bible as somehow being some kind of supernatural beings. We can think of them as being stronger, wiser, as if they just had it more together than we do. Like, a burning bush is all in a day’s journey, or cutting off a giant’s head routine. Nope, these were men and women like you and me.

It reminds me of social media, how we get a couple pieces of a person’s life and suppose that is the sum of the way it is. God gives us pieces of these lives, kind of like he gives us pieces to the direction we are to go. Sometimes the pieces are bigger, sometimes smaller. In between, a lot of trust has to occur…and/or be built.

I can look at all my inadequacies and compare them to the trajectory of where I think God is leading and just feel, ‘no way’. Like, there is no way that this square peg is going to fit in that round hole. There are times that I think…is there a way that I won’t screw this up? Then, I look back over the course of my life, at all the things that God brought me through, and I stand amazed.

A couple years ago, God told me to write and tell the story of my life. Of course I heard this with excitement. I didn’t, couldn’t, realize the process that would lie ahead. I expected to jump right in and just spit this stuff out. After all, I had lived it, right? That’s not the way it went. To tell the story of healing and redemption, I’ve had to go through more healing, to bring it out untainted.

I can’t help wondering about the process that Moses, Joseph, and David went through in between times. I wonder about the details of the time after Moses killed a man to the burning bush. I’m curious about his being ‘slow of speech’. What went through Joseph’s mind in all his ordeals? What additional trauma did he encounter? What happened in David’s family, that his dad didn’t even think of him when Samuel came to anoint the future King of Israel? In one of his Psalms we read and relate:

Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me. (Ps.27:10)

We have many pieces to David’s life, but also many holes, both before and after he becomes king. Still, we know that even though David had failures, that the plan of God was fulfilled in his lifetime. (Acts 13:36) What does this say about the grace of God towards mortal men (that is you and me)? What does this say is available to us today?

These were real men, just like you and me. Their hearts were set apart as holy to the Lord, but the trials were great at times. And so were their failures. They were not super human, or immune to weakness. Yet, look what God did through them.

Moses’ story, Joseph’s story, David’s story, they are all God’s story. It is God showing what he can do through a mortal and submitted human being. The same Christ that overcame death, hell, sin, and the grave through the cross, can and will overcome every obstacle to his story being made know in us. Keep pressing in, the tide will turn. We are no different those men of long ago. The very same God that made himself known in them, will do the same in us.

Painting: I painted this, Melancholy, in 2016, while I was in college. It was painted in the hurt and ache I felt about my childhood. It is now about overcoming that pain, because God has healed those wounds. I no longer feel sorrow, but awe when I look at it.

Thought and The Heart

“How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?” (Ps.12:2)

I wonder what the thoughts were that David struggled with. We get from these verses that he must have been dealing with an amount of fear. He had been anointed to be the King of Israel approximately 15 years before he actually walked in that promise as king. How many times, when David was running from Saul, was he perplexed and in despair? In the Psalms, he’s pouring out his pain and worshiping the Lord. There is no indication that God is not pleased with David for these struggles. Even though David is wrestling and wondering. He is often challenged and tested.

How often do we tend to either doubt God’s love or presence in dark times? How often do we think that he has left us or doesn’t care about our situation? David’s struggles and weaknesses are in full view and yet God is not disappointed in him. Where do we get the idea that we have to be perfect? Where do we get the idea that we are a disappointment to God when we wrestle? I have struggled over this. It’s almost laughable that the enemy places a thought in our head, and then tells us that we are no good to God because of it. Now, I realize that there are some thoughts that we know come from the enemy, and others that we are not really sure of the origin.

In the Psalms, David didn’t just pour out his troubles. He brings the focus back to the goodness of God. He may struggle with fear or doubt, but he comes back to God’s trustworthiness. He reminds himself of what God has done in the past, both in his life and others in Israel.

“But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. 6 I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.” (Ps. 12:5-6)

The greatest battle we face is in our heads. When your thoughts are dark or challenge you, get into the Word of God. Remind yourself of what God has already done. Pray. Replace unhealthy thoughts with God’s. Give thanks and praise for what he has done. Submit to his Spirit. For years I was tormented. My mind and memories warred within me, and the emotions that came with them. There is such an entangling of thoughts and emotions that it is difficult to say where one ends and another begins. It is clear however, that our thoughts cannot go unchecked if we are to walk in victory. This healing journey has been a process that many times I did not think I would survive. It has been much intensity with it. This is something that God alone did for me. He will do the same for anyone. What has he done for you? What has he done for others? Like a medicine bottle that sits, unopened on the shelf, the Word of God does no good unless you get it in you.

If you are walking through or desiring a healing of the heart, let me encourage you to use the Psalms as a pattern and example.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Rom. 12:2)

There is so much more to write on this subject. This is very abbreviated. Here is one of the best teachings that I heard some time ago. If you struggle with thoughts, there is a great teaching by Bill Johnson, The War in your Head. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWXxVSDqI4U&t=312s

(The butterfly above is from a photo I took and played with five or six years ago.)

Breaking

I never really liked doing smaller pieces too much, but lately I have been really enjoying it. In this little piece, I was thinking about the broken rocks and the solid mountain. A couple of years ago, while in prayer, I saw a mountain that became a jagged path. The rocks on the path were pokey and pointed, but as they were walked on, they became worn down for those who would go after. God makes a way where there is no way. That doesn’t mean it will be an easy way, but a difficult way is better than no way. He can also use our path to make a way for others.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. (2Cor.1:3-5)

There is no comfort like God comfort. He knows exactly what we need and exactly when we need it.

Kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing cracks in ceramics with gold, is such a beautiful art. So, the lessons that we learn in the breaking, are like God filling us with gold. We are made more beautiful through the repairing of the break, than we were before.

His Eye is on the Sparrow

When I think of God’s providence, I think of the sparrow.

29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (Mt. 10:29-30)

I love to watch the sparrows that will come and land on the roof outside my bedroom window. They are so small and beautiful. It’s like a rainbow. Every time I see one, I think about God’s promise to care for us. There are times that God will allow us to get into a place, where we have no other way through it, than with his help. It may not always seem like it, but this is a good thing. This is the place where our faith grows and we are brought closer to him. My faith can be very strong, but it can also have times of weakness. Those weak moments force me to push in tightly beneath his wing, where I can find comfort and assurance.

These past months have been a challenge for so many. Know that God sees you. He hears you. You are very valuable to him. You are loved. I invite you to draw close and snuggle in with the Lord. There is a place under his wings, just the right size for you.

(I haven’t been in the habit of small art. When I saw this tea bags tag, I knew it needed a sparrow. I enjoyed painting it so much that I started painting more little tea bags. Maybe they will find their way in here some time.)