God's Heart for His Beloved - Entering the Sabbath-Rest of God - Chalis Butler

Chalis Butler

God’s Heart For His Beloved Entering the Sabbath-Rest of God - Chalis Butler

A few months ago, after visiting several different doctors, I was given a diagnosis of eczema in my body, something I had never previously dealt with. I soon learned that eczema can be related to stress. Since I had learned that it was most likely stress-related, I looked at this first… What is my stress about? This answer to this question, I soon learned, had many layers to it. It would not be answered with a weekend get-away or a life-style ‘makeover.’  Of course these can be helpful, and are sometimes a part of the solution, but as in most things, there are deeper things going on inside.

A few weeks later, He said to me, It’s not that you have too much on your plate, it’s that you don’t know how to rest.  Ahhh. Ok. Teach me, Lord. 

Sabbath Rest of God

And on the seventh day God ended HIs work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made (Genesis 2:2-3 NKJV). 

The Sabbath was about God’s completed work. He finished His work, and then He rested, He blessed, and He sanctified the 7th day, calling it holy.

The Fourth Commandment

He commanded the children of Israel, then, to do as He had done: 

Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it (Exodus 20: 8-11 NKJV).

The command to remember the Sabbath day was in the top four commandments, after three commands that were about putting God first, worshipping Him only, and considering His name sacred. 

1. Put God first —have no other gods

2. Worship and serve God alone

3. Consider God’s Name Sacred

4. Consider the Sabbath Sacred

God commanded His people to cease from their work on the 7th day each week in order that they would remember and keep holy God’s Sabbath. The Sabbath was a special day to God. and rest must also be important to God. He blessed and sanctified the seventh day and rested on that day because on it He had completed His work. 

Besides their weekly observance of the Sabbath, there was one extra day each year when the children of Israel were commanded to observe a Sabbath day of rest. 

The Day of Atonement

This shall be a statute forever for you: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all…For on that day the priest shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the LORD. It is a sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you shall afflict your souls [fast]. It is a statute forever’ (Leviticus 16:29-31).

On the Day of Atonement, once every year, a ceremony was performed by the priests and observed by all of Israel. The high priest would put on special linen clothes, holy garments to make atonement for the people and the priests and well as for the Holy Sanctuary (Most Holy Place), the tabernacle of meeting, and the alter. They would bring a bull, two young goats, and two rams. The high priest would first sacrifice a bull as a sin offering, and sprinkle the blood to make atonement for himself and his family. He would sprinkle the blood on the mercy seat, and in front of the mercy seat, in the tabernacle of meeting and on the alter. They would cast lots to determine which goat would be sacrificed as the sin offering for the people, and which would become the scapegoat. The high priest would kill the goat chosen for God, and sprinkle its blood in the same way as with the bull, to atone for the sins of the people, and to purify them as well as the temple, because it remained in the midst of the ‘uncleanness’ of the children of Israel. Upon the second goat, the scapegoat, the high priest would lay both hands on its head, and ‘confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat’. The scapegoat would then be lead out to an uninhabited place to be released in the wilderness. Afterwards, the priest would change out of the special garments and return to sacrifice the rams as a burnt offering. 

On this most holy day, the people of Israel were to fast and observe a Sabbath rest. In this way, they took time to recognize their need for atonement. In their fasting, they identified themselves with the sacrificial goat, which was killed so that its blood could make atonement for their sins.

Two Sacred Things

And so there is a connection between God’s Sabbath-rest and the Day of Atonement (which we know as Yom Kippur), the most holy day of the year for Israel. 

Through this ceremony on the Day of Atonement, God reveals: 

• God’s Holiness

• The people’s need of atonement for their sin

• A picture of God’s divine plan to purify humanity through Jesus’ blood

• God’s Heart —His desire to dwell in their midst

There is much significance to the Day of Atonement, and the symbolism is laid out for us in Hebrews 10. 

From The Passion Translation of Hebrews 10:  The old system of living under the law presented us with only a faint shadow, a crude outline of the reality of the wonderful blessings to come. Even with its steady stream of sacrifices offered year after year, there still was nothing that could make our hearts perfect before God…For what power does the blood of bulls and goats have to remove sin’s guilt? So when Jesus the Messiah came into the world he said, ‘Since Your ultimate desire was not another animal sacrifice, You have clothed me with a body that I might offer Myself instead!… So by being the sacrifice that removes sin, He abolishes animal sacrifices and replaces that entire system with the new covenant. By God’s will we have been purified and made holy once and for all through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus, the Messiah (Hebrews 10:1ff).

And since we now have a magnificent High Priest to welcome us into God’s house we come closer to God and approach Him with an open heart, fully convinced that nothing will keep us at a distance from Him. For our hearts have been sprinkled with blood to remove impurity, and we have been freed from an accusing conscience. Now we are clean, unstained, and presentable to God inside and out (Hebrews 10:21,22).

Why was the Sabbath Day so important to God?

God’s Heart is to abide within us and with us, and that we would abide in Him. His ultimate promise of Sabbath Rest is made possible through the blood  of His beloved Son, Jesus, making a way for His beloved creation — all of us — to abide together with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for eternity. Entering His Sabbath-Rest is based on the covenant exchange of His death for my life— my need for atonement is satisfied by the blood of Jesus. I can enter into and live in God’s promised rest because of His finished work. I can abide with Him, and He can abide with me.

God’s Heart

God’s heart for me as His Beloved is that I enter His Sabbath-Rest today. In other words, He wants me to fully believe and receive the atonement offered to me through Jesus’ blood. His Heart for me is that I know and live like I am ‘clean, unstained, and presentable to God,’ I already have His approval. I am the Beloved. Now, because of Jesus, I have full access to the Father. His Spirit abides within me and He is always with me, and He invites me to abide continually in Him… I have full access to Him at all times.

In Hebrews 4, Paul writes:  There is still a full and complete Sabbath-rest waiting for believers to experience. As we enter into God’s faith-rest life we cease from our own works just as God celebrates His finished works and rests in them…For we have the living Word of God, which is full of energy like a two mouthed sword. It will even penetrate to the very core of our being where soul and spirit, bone and morrow meet! It interprets and reveals the true thoughts and secret motives of our hearts. Hebrews 4:9-12

Entering into the Sabbath Rest of God then, must require that the true thoughts and secret motives of our hearts be laid bare, as Holy Spirit addresses the heart-issues that may be preventing us from fully entering into God’s Sabbath-Rest, where we can truly ‘cease from our own works’ and instead, live knowing in the deep places of our heart that we are loved; living in full assurance of our acceptance because of Jesus’ sacrifice that makes us pure and clean before the Father. 

What Are My Burdens?

Matthew 11:28-30: Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn [of] Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

When I first began to pray and meditate on the scripture, the Lord gave me a question to ask Him: What are my burdens?  I began to write… Worry. Fear. Anxious thoughts. Disappointments. Offenses. Guilt. Shame. Racing thoughts. Trying to figure things out. Struggling with Health issues.

Next, he gave me pictures for each word. For example, for the word ‘worry,’ I saw an open umbrella, but without any rain. For fear, I saw an hour glass. For Anxious thoughts, I saw a lamp that was not bright enough, and so forth.

After this, I began to process each picture with the Lord and in this process, he was helping me understand my burdens, how they were preventing me from being present with my family, how it was effecting me as well as others, what I needed to let go of, and where I was not trusting or believing Him.

He also showed me what He wanted to give me in exchange for my burdens, because in covenant, we make an exchange: My anxious thoughts for His peace, my guilt for His perfection, my sorrow for his Joy.

A Listening Exercise

This a way to answer and process with Holy Spirit the question: What are my burdens?

Word: What word or words do I hear? Write them down.

Symbol or picture: Begin in stillness and wait. What do I see? This could be an impression, a  picture of an object or a scene, a word, etc. 

Interpretation/ Notes on Symbol or Picture: Holy Spirit, what does this picture mean? Wait and listen. Begin to write down thoughts about what the picture might represent. Are there any connections between the picture and a current situation in my life, or how I have been feeling about something, someone, or even about God?

False Belief: In my heart, have I harbored any unbelief in the completed work of Jesus, knowingly or unknowingly?

Exchange: Holy Spirit, what do You want me to release to You, and what do You want to give me in exchange?

Prayer: Write out a prayer, renouncing any false beliefs or sin of unbelief; release the burden of control, fear, worry, or anxiety etc., that needs to go; receive His gifts and grace for outworking of this exchange; revisit and renew this prayer as often as needed.

Chalis

Chalis Butler writes from her favorite overstuffed chair in sunny, Central Florida. In the throws of parenting two children, she and her husband vacillate between intentional living and survival mode. This is why her house can look immaculate or appalling on any given day. She has a rocky relationship with coffee. She wears graphic T’s and yoga shorts whenever possible. She loves finding awesome books for a dollar, watching her kids sleep, and pie crust. 

Chalis has spent time working with mission teams and teaching English in Haiti; she lived and worked in Australia for three years before returning home to the United States; she spent 16 years teaching music before switching gears to become a stay-at home mom. She recently published “Return to Real: An intimate Look at One Woman’s Journey of Redemption now available through Amazon and The Covenant Center Bookstore. She and her husband Shane are licensed ministers with counseling endorsements through The Covenant Center; while also facilitating one of the worship teams. You can find her online at LoveDweller.com. or contact: info@thecovenantcenter.com.

If you would like to hear more about what else the Lord is speaking in this hour click here to watch the full video - https://www.facebook.com/thecovenantcenter

God Is Reorienting Us - Chalis Butler

God is Reorienting Us by Chalis Butler

Chalis Butler

Jesus called twelve young men to become His disciples, and when they said yes, they entered into (and later authored) the most extraordinary story the world would ever hear. They walked with Jesus for three years, watching and listening as He interacted fearlessly and compassionately with all ‘classes’ of people, spoke with authority of a heavenly Kingdom, challenged people with spiritual truth, healed people who had been living with permanent disabilities and diseases, and performed miracles.

The disciples were young fishermen. They had grown up learning the Torah, the Law and the Prophets, and they knew that a Messiah was going to come. But they had an expectation that He would deliver Israel from oppressive, Roman rule and establish an earthly, political Kingdom.

This was their starting point when they met Jesus. I try to imagine what it must have been like for them. As they chose to walk and live with Jesus, they listened and often struggled to understand His radical message. They were witnessing impossible miracles. They must have been having ‘whoa!’ moments all the time! They must have lived in a heightened state of wonder—What just happened? What will He do next? Three years of this, and when Jesus asked Peter, ‘Who do you say that I am?’ Peter knew. He and the other disciples had seen more than enough to recognize that Jesus was who He said He was. They knew Him to be God’s Son, their long-awaited Messiah, their Deliverer.

But remember their expectation. Even when Jesus predicted His death and resurrection, they could not understand. Three times, He told them He would be killed and that He would rise again to life. Once, Peter ‘took Him aside and began to rebuke Him’ (Mark 8:31-33). Another time, they ‘did not understand this saying and were afraid to ask Him’ (Mark 9:30-32). And a third time, Scripture says ‘but they understood none of these things; this saying was hidden from them, and they did not know the things which were spoken’ (Luke 18:31-34).

Because they had such a strong, deeply held belief and expectation that an earthly king would set up an earthly kingdom, they ‘had no grid’ for what Jesus was telling them. How could He die if He, the Messiah, could raise people from the dead? And how could he become Israel’s king if he was killed?

And so as Jesus was taken to be tried and crucified, and His closest friends and followers watched it all unfold, what horror and pain they must have felt. What incredible devastation.  They were now grieving not only the traumatic loss of their beloved teacher and close friend, but also the loss of hope and expectation of the long-awaited deliverance of the Messiah.

They had been on the mountain top with Jesus, and now they were walking through the valley—without Him.

This was their state when Mary Magdalene came to them. Mark tells us that when she came and told them that Jesus was alive, they didn’t believe her. It is understandable. After all they had been through, I’m sure they were not only grieving, but wrestling with what had just happened. I would imagine that in trying to make sense of things, they might have been asking a lot of questions. ‘Who was Jesus, really? If He was the Son of God, why didn’t He save Himself? If He was the Messiah, why didn’t He deliver us?’

God allowed them to experience all of this, even the devastation. Because what felt like devastation to the disciples was, in the heavens, accomplishing something immeasurably, unfathomably good. Only Christ’s death could make possible our salvation, and the redemption of all things.

Disoriented

After all they had been through, the disciples had to be disoriented. Maybe this is why they had a hard time believing when they heard that He was alive.

I believe that like the disciples, we are living in a time that has been disorienting for many of us.

There are many ways we can become disoriented. Difficult circumstances. Pain. Loss. Change. Disappointment. Even mountaintop experiences can be disorienting because when we come back down from the mountain, everything looks different. Emotional healing can be disorienting because healing brings change in perspective and dynamics in relationships. And we have to relearn how to live and interact with people we love in healthier ways.

Like the disciples, I believe God is in the process of uprooting our long-held traditions and systems. He is allowing us to experience a Disorienting.

Hebrews 12:26-27 says But now He has promised, saying, yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven. Now this, “Yet once more” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.

Reoriented

Now this is the beautiful part of the disciples’ story: Jesus spent 40 days with the disciples after His resurrection. I think of this as such a sweet, healing time for them, reunited with Jesus. Yet more than that, the reality and the significance of what Jesus had just done must have been settling into their spirits, slowly but surely. It was supernatural, everything that had happened. The teachings of Jesus (spiritual truth) and the spiritual realm must have become much more real to them. And during that time, Jesus was tarrying with them there, reminding them of all He had taught them before.

He was reorienting them. Before His death, there were many things the disciples would not understand until afterwards. Now they would be able to hear and understand.

Luke 24:44,45 says Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.”  And He opened their understanding that they might comprehend the Scriptures.

In this season, when God is allowing things to be shaken, when we have felt disoriented by much that we have seen and heard over the last few years, God is doing something good. I believe that just as Jesus spent those 40 days with His disciples, ‘opening their understanding’ and giving them a fresh revelation and comprehension of the Scriptures, God is doing this same thing for us today. He is reorienting us.

He has allowed our expectations to be disappointed. He has allowed our systems and traditions to become disrupted, and many areas of our lives to experience a ‘shaking.’ But there is a purpose. God is also adjusting our paradigm so that we will see through His lens, to see things His Way, from His Kingdom perspective. He is bringing the reality of the Kingdom of Heaven close to our hearts, and teaching us how to truly allow the Holy Spirit be our compass.

Power of the Holy Spirit

Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He gave his followers this promise: But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me, in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8).

The Holy Spirit did come in a mighty way on the day of Pentecost, and continued with them as they carried out the words Jesus had spoken to them—to be His witnesses and carry His message to the world. Jesus didn’t leave them—His Holy Spirit was with them, the same Holy Spirit that lives within us.

Mark 16:20 records that …they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs.

This was written after Jesus had already ascended. He had not left them, but was ‘working with them.’ Today, Jesus is still with us, working with us (and working within us). The Holy Spirit gives us power, not just for signs and wonders (the mountaintop), but for life, faith, obedience, and perseverance in the ‘valley’ of our ordinary, and sometimes difficult, lives.

The Greek word for power is dýnamis, which can mean: force, miraculous power or miracle, mighty deed, and wonderful work.

But it can also mean: ability, abundance, meaning, and strength.

So we could read Acts 1:8 in many ways: You shall receive strength when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. You shall receive ability when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. You shall receive abundance when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. You shall receive meaning when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.

The power of the Holy Spirit is not reserved for the miraculous and mighty deeds only. The power of the Holy Spirit is given to us to live our lives by His strength, in His abundance, and with meaning because of Him.  This is His power at work within us, which invites us to live our every day lives by His ability.

More than any kind of ministry or way we serve God publicly, our lived-out life is what becomes His witness.

2 Peter 1:3-4 highlights this truth so beautifully:

Everything we could ever need for life and godliness has already been deposited in us by His divine power. For all this was lavished upon us through the rich experience of knowing Him who has called us by name and invited us to come to Him though a glorious manifestation of His goodness. As a result of this, He has given you magnificent promises that are beyond all price, so that through the power of these tremendous promises we can experience partnership with the divine nature, by which you have escaped the corrupt desires that are of the world.

Prayer

Father, we love you and we surrender to what you are doing now in our lives. We invite you to re-orient us to Your Ways, and Your Kingdom truth. Thank You for sending us Your Holy Spirit, and for giving us everything we need for life and godliness. We want to partner with Your divine nature, living by the power of Your Spirit, to bring about Your purposes here on earth. Amen!

Chalis Butler writes from her favorite overstuffed chair in sunny, Central Florida. In the throws of parenting two toddlers, she and her husband vacillate between intentional living and survival mode. This is why her house can look immaculate or appalling on any given day. She has a rocky relationship with coffee. She wears graphic T’s and yoga shorts whenever possible. She loves finding awesome books for a dollar, watching her kids sleep, and pie crust. 

Chalis has spent time working with mission teams and teaching English in Haiti; she lived and worked in Australia for three years before returning home to the United States; she spent 16 years teaching music before switching gears to become a stay-at home mom. She recently published “Return to Real: An intimate Look at One Woman’s Journey of Redemption now available through Amazon and The Covenant Center Bookstore. She and her husband Shane are licensed ministers with counseling endorsements through The Covenant Center; while also facilitating one of the worship teams. You can find her online at LoveDweller.com. or contact: info@thecovenantcenter.com.

Uncovering Truth: How To Sort Facts From Falsehood - Chalis Butler

Uncovering Truth: How To Sort Facts From Falsehood

Chalis Butler

In the very beginning, the Living Expression was already there. And the Living Expression was with God, yet fully God. They were together —face-to-face, in the very beginning. And through his creative inspiration this Living Expression made all things, for nothing has existence apart from him! Life came into being because of him, for his life is light for all humanity. John 1:1-4 TPT

Jesus existed before everything, and that means that Jesus is Eternal—He has always been, and he always will be. If we wanted to, we could call Him Eternal Jesus. Eternal Jesus created our beautiful world. He also created all of the humans. The humans are beautiful too, and within each created one, a special power is deposited.

 Through all the ages this special power has been used for both good and evil. It has caused unimaginable pain. It is responsible for brokenness in our homes, our lives, our hearts, and our world. It enables a tragic amount of creativity, ingenuity, and calling, to go unrealized.

On the other hand, it places within our reach the potential for greatness, and empowers us to accomplish and produce and succeed. It leads us into adventure; it can be an instrument of reconciliation; a messenger of forgiveness, grace and peace.

 It can dramatically change the trajectory of a life, for better or for worse.

 It is the Power to Choose.

 Choose Truth and Life 

We choose simple things, like what to eat and what to wear. We also choose how to treat other people and how to treat our planet. We choose how to spend our time, what to believe, what to embrace, and what to reject. We choose whom and what to love.

 We also choose who and what will have access to our minds and our hearts. And in fact, whatever fills up our senses and flows into our thoughts and our hearts, is being given permission (by our choosing) to lead us toward Truth and Life, or toward Delusion and Death.

Jesus… entered into the very world he created, yet the world was unaware. He came to the very people he created—to those who should have recognized him, but they did not receive him. John 1:10 TPT

It’s remarkable to me that the Divine Person who created us also gave us the freedom to reject Him. It makes sense though. “Forced love” is not love. I can’t make someone love me. Real love can only ever be given freely and must be received freely. It cannot be demanded or taken by force.

Jesus loves the people He made. Yet He does not demand our love in return, nor does He insist that we accept His love. We are free to choose. We can accept or reject Jesus, His message and His love.

Jesus’ Message and Love

Here are some of the claims of Jesus—this was His message to us:

 I am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall never hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst. John 6:35 NKJV

I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:6 NKJV

I am the door. If anyone enters by Me he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. John 10:9 NKJV

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. John 10:11 NKJV

My sheep hear my voice and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. John 10:27 NKJV

His love, He demonstrated when He allowed the Jewish religious leaders and the Roman authorities to crucify Him:

 …I lay down my life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. John 10:17,18 NKJV

 Who’s Got the Truth?

Jesus—the One who created the world and then entered into that world and then died to save the people from eternal separation from God, and then rose from death to life again (this is a good article on Historical Evidence for the Resurrection) so He could carry on being Eternal Jesus and we could be eternal with Him—is the One who holds all Truth. There’s no one more In-The-Know than Eternal Jesus. The road that leads to Truth and Life begins by believing Jesus—believing His message and accepting His sacrificial act of love.

Jesus told His disciples this:

When He, the Spirit of Truth has come, He will guide you into all truth…John 16:13 NKJV

The Truth is discerned by our spirit; it is revealed to our spirit by God’s Holy Spirit. When we freely choose to accept the message and the love of Jesus, He gives us His promised Holy Spirit:

 And because of him, when you who are not Jews heard the revelation of truth, you believed in the wonderful news of salvation. Now we have been stamped with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit. Ephesians 1:13 TPT

 So when we choose to believe Jesus’ message, and we choose to receive Jesus’ love, then we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit, also called the Spirit of Truth, and the Spirit of Truth (God’s Spirit) guides us into all Truth.

 Lovers of Truth

The only way to even come close to being able to discern what is true and what is false as we are going through this life, is to become a Lover of Truth. Are we desperate to know the Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth??? We choose whether or not we will love the Truth. And this one detail is hugely important. Here is why:

 …those who are perishing…rejected the love of the truth that would lead them to being saved. Because of this, God sends them a powerful delusion that leads them to believe what is false. 2 Thessalonians 2:10,11

If we do not cling to the One who holds the Truth, we will be led to strong delusion. When we choose to reject Jesus, Who is our only hope for reconciliation to God—we, by our own choice, are rejecting God and His protection, His favor, His blessing, and the covering He offers us through the blood of His Son, Jesus. We are also rejecting, by choice, the counsel of His Holy Spirit. God’s Spirit is not only the Spirit of Truth, but the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord (Isaiah 11:2).

To willfully reject God’s covering is to to subject ourselves instead, to a very real Adversary (see Ephesians 6:12) who, according to 1 Peter 5:8 walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Jesus says in John 10:10, The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. As He is challenging the Pharisees in John 8:44 he says to them, You are of your father, the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (John 8:44 ESV)

Lovers of Truth love Jesus, who is Truth Incarnate. When we love Jesus, we will be given the Spirit of Truth, who will guide us into all Truth. And even then, we will not always get it right, because we will not always be listening—because most of us are not *always* tuned in or paying attention to His voice. BUT when we are, we be able to discern between what’s true and whats false, between fact and fiction, in our everyday life—in relationships, in situations, in current events, etc. We will be led to and drawn to sources—speakers and leaders, journalists, media, organizations, books, podcasts, resources, etc. that speak Truth. And when we hear things that are not true, or things that oppose the truth, we will recognize it as deception and falsehood.

In this way, our prayers remain aligned with God’s purposes and ways, we are not easily swayed, angered, or manipulated by what we are hearing and seeing, and our faith remains unshaken. We have the peace of God that passes all understanding, and we don’t need to be anxious for anything (Phil 4:6,7).

Let’s be Lovers of Truth! Let’s keep our ears open, our hearts soft and humble, and our spirits sensitive to the leading of God’s Spirit of Truth within us.

 The Light of God has now come into the world, but the people loved darkness more than Light, because they want the darkness to conceal their evil. So the wicked hate the Light and try to hide from it, for the Light fully exposes their lives. But those who love the truth will come into the Light. John 3:19-21.

Chalis Butler
Website: www.Lovedweller.com
Contact: Info@thecovenantcenter.com

Chalis Butler writes from her favorite overstuffed chair in sunny, Central Florida. In the throws of parenting two toddlers, she and her husband vacillate between intentional living and survival mode. This is why her house can look immaculate or appalling on any given day. She has a rocky relationship with coffee. She wears graphic T’s and yoga shorts whenever possible. She loves finding awesome books for a dollar, watching her kids sleep, and pie crust. 

Some other interesting tidbits: Chalis has spent time working with mission teams and teaching English in Haiti; she lived and worked in Australia for three years before returning home to the United States; she spent 16 years teaching music before switching gears to become a stay-at home mom and began working on her first book, “Return to Real: An intimate Look at One Woman’s Journey of Redemption,” which will be available February 2021. She and her husband Shane are licensed ministers with counseling endorsements through The Covenant Center; while also facilitating one of the worship teams.