Tag: The Butterfly’s Journey

the butterfly journey

The Problem

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The problem that the butterfly had was not knowing her value or worth as God had ordained it to be. The enemy is great at distracting us from the truth.

That was one of the biggest problems the butterfly had: not understanding who she was. And from that misunderstanding, she built all her decisions and based all her relationships on a lie.

She fought to be everything that she believed would bring her love. But what it actually brought her was pain, trauma, shame, and guilt. God never intended for her life to be this way, but she wasn’t listening to Him. She depended on the world’s systems to evaluate who she was supposed to be. And that was “the problem”.

Unfortunately, it took the butterfly years to finally get to a place where she could look to God. She would spend many years living an unsatisfying life, walking in brokenness. But God didn’t leave her in that space. He had a plan to divert her from the destructive, broken life to a place of wholeness in Him. But it wouldn’t be easy for the butterfly.

Even in the place of being transformed, the butterfly was kept in the wilderness, a place where her whole dependence had to be on God and nothing else. None of her old patterns would work in this situation, so she had to surrender.

The journey was a hard lesson for the butterfly, and it wouldn’t be until she was safe in her deliverance and healing that she would understand the full scope of what God did for her.

I find it amazing how God works out the bad things in our lives and turns them into something good. He does it even when we have decided to go our own way!

The butterfly is my story of redemption and love. I have spoken to, ministered to, and walked with women who were in the same sort of place that I was in. Being lukewarm in our walk with God is not pleasing to the Father. It is our responsibility to work out our soul salvation (and as Paul says: “with fear and trembling”). It’s time to consecrate ourselves to God and begin the process of sanctification.

I pray that you will desire to move past where you are and allow God to begin bringing you to a place that is pleasing and glorifying to Him. Time is of the essence. Jesus is coming back for a bride (church) that is without spot or blemish, and I don’t know about you, but I want to be there at the wedding with “the bridegroom,” Jesus.

Today is the day of salvation and repentance. The King is coming!

In Christ,

Lisa M. Walker

the butterfly journey

Chasing Holiness – Part 4 Pursue

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“Pursue holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.” Hebrews 12:14 NKJV

The biblical definition of pursue signifies actively striving with intent and determination toward spiritual goals, righteousness, peace, and a deeper relationship with God. (reference – Bible Hub)

When you want to know about something or someone, you will pursue more knowledge about the matter or person with urgency and intent. That is what God wants us to do with Him. In order to know Him and develop a true intimate relationship with God we need to earnestly seek Him. As Jeremiah 29:13 states; “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” NIV

My experience with pursuing God happened when a stirring from the Holy Spirit moved me to know more about Him and draw closer. When I was first saved, I didn’t know a thing about walking in this Christian faith. But the other thing was I didn’t pursue knowledge or wisdom from God either. Which lead me to backsliding and getting a lot of bumps and bruises from the enemy. But the Holy Spirit prompted me to seek more of God. I am so very joyful that the Lord has me in a position to seek Him now. Like I feel like years have passed me by, without having that intimate relationship with God. But I am glad that God can redeem the time and gives me another chance before I leave this earth to really know His love in full.

One of the main reasons I write this blog, is to perhaps spark an interest in others to know God more. Perhaps my words can inspire someone to begin to diligently seek the Lord and in doing so they find so many treasures, promises, and hope hidden in His word and in the gloriousness of His presence. God wants us to be close to Him, He adores us! And if you don’t yet understand that fact then keep seeking Him in prayer, His word, worship, and fellowship with other believers. You will definitely find God in all His glory and holiness.

As the spring season unfolds, with the blooming of trees and flowers and the brown dormant nature start to turn green again; I challenge you to refresh your relationship with God. Seek Him more and with intention. Join a local bible study group in your area or church. Take a discipleship class. If you don’t have a relationship with God and are seeking one; please reach out to a local church in your area or talk to someone you trust that is a Christian or even message us and we will be glad to help you in your pursuit of God.

In pursuit of God,

Sister Lisa Walker

the butterfly journey

Chasing Holiness – Be Holy Part 3

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This conversation I had the other day with another believer left me confused. I was sharing with them about the journey I was on learning from Holy Spirit about holy fear of God and holiness. I always get super excited when God reveals His word to me in an intimate way, because it shows me that He loves me and trust me if He would allow me to mature in His grace and develop more intimacy with Him. But when I share with other believers and their attitude is lukewarm to the things of God, especially His word, it confuses me. How can you say you belong to the Lord and love Him, but you don’t seek Him. How can you not desire to please Him in the newness of your life that you received when He gave His son, Jesus as the ultimate sacrifice for you so you didn’t have to go to hell because of your sins?

The person’s position on being holy was that it is not attainable. But I beg to differ, because not only does God say it in His word; it is a command. 1 Peter 1:13-16 says: “Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be bought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at His coming. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written be Holy, because I am Holy.” And the latter part of this scripture Peter took directly from the Old Testament scripture; Leviticus 11:44-45 “I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be Holy, because I am Holy. I am the Lord, who bought you out of Egypt to be your God; therefore, be Holy because I am Holy.” My question would be why God would command us to be holy if it was not attainable?

Let’s dive in a little deeper. Perhaps our perspective about what Holy means is incorrect. Let’s see what the biblical definition of Holy states. The first thing that the definition starts off with is that there is over 430 times that the word holy or holiness is mentioned in the Old Testament only and over 180 times it’s mentioned in the New Testament. So needless to say, the meaning of word holy and holiness is important to God. The Hebrew word for holy is “godesh” which means apartness, sacredness, or separateness (God is set apart from His creation) above Him there is no other. The Greek word for Holiness is “hagios” which means pure, morally blameless or set apart. (reference: http://www.whatchritianswant toknow.com)

With this additional information about what the word holy or holiness means in the biblical sense perhaps we can begin to understand what God meant when He co mmands us to be holy. Holy doesn’t mean that we are perfect and to me I don’t even believe that it means we reach the completion of holiness while still in the flesh. What I do believe it means is that we are set apart to God and if we truly have been born again, embracing the free gift of justification through salvation because of what Jesus did on the cross, then we would desire to please God in every area of our lives.

When we allow Holy Spirit to have His perfect way in our lives then we are allowing the process of sanctification to be fulfilled through us. Holy Spirit will convict us of our sins so we can repent and then point us back to Jesus and His attributes which we should also develop. Being holy and walking in holiness is a daily process and we need to crucify our flesh daily as the word states. If you desire to build your intimate relationship with God and walk in holiness then you should develop these daily habits; read and study the Bible each day, develop a daily prayer life, and serve the people of God with the gifts and talents God gave you to glorify Him.

Back to my conversation with my friend, I don’t understand why a believer would want to only have the bare minimum life that God has for us. For me I want all that He has for me in every aspect. I seek Him with my whole heart, and He wants you to do the same. God longs for an intimate relationship with all of us who love Him.

Question to ponder: Are you seeking God and His holiness?

Father God, we honor and adore you! We worship You for who You are in all of Your holiness and sovereignness. We thank you Father that we can know You intimately. We ask Holy Spirit to come into our lives to lead and guide us to all Your truth that is in Your word. We repent for not seeking You with our whole heart because we do love You and want to please You in our new life as Your children. In Jesus Christ precious name we pray. Amen.

In His service,

Sister Lisa Walker

the butterfly journey

Chasing Holiness Part 2 – Justification vs. Sanctification

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I am reading this wonderful book called: “The Awe of God” by bestselling author John Bevere. And something that he says in the book that really gave me pause was that we can love God and walk in error because we do not fear God. That really shook me to my core.

This takes us back to why Jesus came to begin with and that was to fulfill the will of God to become a holy sacrifice and cleansing blood that atoned for our sins and redeemed us back to a right place with Father God. If you remember the scriptures when Jesus was about to be crucified, He pleaded with God to take this assignment from him, but His ultimate resolve was, “not my will Father, but your will be done”.

The gift of salvation from the completed work of Jesus, justifies us. When we receive this gift, we are then justified at which point the work of sanctification should begin. Let’s look at 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old is gone and the new is here.” NIV This is where sanctification comes in to teach us how to be holy. Remember what Paul says in Philippians 2:12-13 “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” NKJV We have to will to do things in the right context of what God says in His word. Sanctification means “set apart to God”. When you pursue a life “set apart to God”; you are maturing your relationship with God. Transformation can begin to take place in your life. And with transformation becomes your will starts to look like that of your Father God’s will. There is so much more to this, but we will begin to pull pieces out that God wants us to focus on.

There are two things that I am learning so far from pursuing holiness: 1. I need to learn from Holy Spirit and God’s Holy word in order to understand who God is and 2. having holy fear of God allows me the will to do the things that He wants of me in reverence to His glory.

I don’t want to get to judgment day and not have done things in the correct way because I was ignorant of it. I want all that God has for me in order to glorify Him. And that’s why I share, because God has called me to teach and share His word of truth with His children.

Thoughts to ponder: Do we understand the process of sanctification? Are we pursuing it as we should?

If you are getting anything from my insights as Holy Spirit is teaching me, please let me know, I’d love to interact with you! Come back next week for Part 3. Subscribe to the blog and you can get notification when a new blog post is up!

In His service,

Sister Lisa Walker

the butterfly journey

Chasing Holiness

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In this season I have been pursuing God and His purpose for my life. Amazingly, as I have been pursuing God, the Holy Spirit has taken me on a quest to understand the holy fear of God.

The fear of the Lord is the starting place for an intimate relationship with God.

I’ve heard some preachers talk about the Western churches and how we have lost our pursuit of the holy fear of God. We’ve compromised too much of God’s word, because the enemy has used culture to say; “Oh it’s not that deep.” But oh, to the contrary it is that deep, it’s eternal.

As God is teaching me about having holy fear or reverential fear of Him; it is making it more and more clear why I see some of my brothers and sisters in Christ walking in lack. They love the Lord, but they don’t fear Him. Having holy fear is not being afraid of God, but rather a deep respect, reverence, and awe of His holiness. It also reminds me that pursuing the things of God are super important to our eternal lives. Because if we are truly seeking God with our whole hearts, we will surely find Him. Studying and learning the word of God holds true to open up the mysteries of what God has for us.

Let’s look at what some scriptures have to say about the fear of the Lord:

Psalm 25:12-14 “Who, then, are those who fear the Lord? He will instruct them in the ways they should choose. They will spend their days in prosperity, and their descendants will inherit the land. The Lord confides in those who fear Him; He makes His covenant known to them.” NIV

Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” NIV

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter; Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgement, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” NIV

Apostle Paul said in Philippians 2, “work out your salvation with fear and trembling.”

I know that this posture is not an easy study but trust me as the Holy Spirit gives us understanding and revelation into all truths and righteousness we will understand and have a clear understanding of God’s word and the ability to chase after His holiness.

Lock in or subscribe to my blog as we delve into this wonderous word about, the holy fear of God. I will be uploading new insights and thoughts each week.

I leave you with a question to ponder. Do I understand the meaning of holy fear of God?

Until the next blog, pray for God to begin to give you insight on where you are in your pursuit of holiness.

God’s servant,

Sister Lisa

the butterfly journey

I’m Back!

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Well, it has been a long road getting back to writing but, here we are! My plans from more than a year ago were to blog/write most days and I started out with a bang. Then life got in the way. I had surgery for a new access port for my dialysis treatment and things didn’t go so well. As a matter of fact, I lost the feeling in my left hand due to the loss of blood circulation in my arm. Unfortunately, a year later I still do not have full feeling in my hand. Um, the enemy trying to silence me again.

The plan may have worked for a little while, but I’m back and more motivated then ever! I pray that you will come along with me as I refresh my writing and prayerfully bring new and encouraging Godly wisdom, as I myself navigate biblical and Godly insight directly from Holy Spirit.

I don’t know if you feel it but, there is a fresh wind, a new season coming upon us. It is a time of shifting in the spirit realm. It is a time to rededicate ourselves to the things of God. It is a time of thirsting after righteousness. I feel like God wants to release a newness in us and revive us from a “dry” season.

Are you ready for a refreshing of your spirit? I know I am; it’s been a tough 15 months dealing with my health issues but, God is able to do the impossible and He has. He has kept me through all the trials and ups and downs. He has continued to be faithful to His word! His grace and mercies have been new to me every morning when I open my eyes to see a brand-new day.

Father God we are ready for what you have in store for us this new season! We will continue to abide in you.

I look forward to sharing with you all.

Blessings L

the butterfly journey

What’s In Your Battle Plan?

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We continue to have conversations about the way of the world and all the things that are going on within the lives of our families and our friends. We stand in confusion of what we need to be doing as Christians to shift the situations.

It seems like it is too many of us that are not walking in the victory or authority that Jesus gave us. Too many of us are falling victim to the traps of the enemy. It’s too many of us feeling defeated, feeling broken, and in dismay.

But I know that the God that I serve is all powerful and He gave His only Son as a sacrifice so that we may live and live more abundantly, without the debt of sin for our lives! And with that there is a battle plan that we should be using to take back territory from the enemy, that we should be commanding healing over the sick and calling things out and off of our families, and we should be shifting atmospheres.

Here are some things that need to be a part of your battle plan.

  • Put on Your armor. Ephesians 6:10-17
  • Pray. James 5:16, Ephesians 6:18
  • Know Your Enemy. Ephesians 6:12
  • Walk in Your Faith. Hebrews 11:1
  • Know Who God Is. Deuteronomy 7:9
  • Know Who You Are. 1 Peter 2:9
  • Know Your Authority. Matthew 10:1
  • Know Holy Spirit. John 14:15-17
  • Understand the Principles of Heaven. Matthew 6:19-24
  • Teach the Next Generation. Psalm 78:6-8
  • Walk in Love. 1 Peter 4: 7-9

If we are ever going to be an impact for the Kingdom of God, we are going to need to delve into these scriptures and principles that God has given to us and understand our positions in this battle. I feel in my spirit that this is the season in which God is going to raise up a remnant who will be obedient, who will start taking back territory, and who will be using the authority that we have been given to shift situations.

Deuteronomy 31: 6 says: “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.” In my spirit I feel the spirit stirring in me that this is our time to move those mountains that have been standing in our lives and it is our time to declare health over the sick and bind up diseases, it is our time to bring deliverance to those who are in bondage. It’s time for us to take back the things that the enemy has stolen from us, our joy, our peace, and our hope in a God that is the Great I Am.

I challenge each of you to put together your own battle plan and walk out your purpose that God has ordained for you and yours! It is time to move into your divine assignment.

Be blessed. L

the butterfly journey

No Comfort Zone

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Perhaps you can tell that I write about things I am dealing with in my own life, and I try to share the lessons that I’ve learned with you the reader in hopes that it can help someone else in their daily walk.

I am trying to navigate this new journey that I am on in regard to my health, and it is teaching me how to thrive outside of my comfort zone.

I would have never chosen to go through this challenge on my own. I thought that I was doing an okay job of just bumping along in my comfort zone and not making any progress into the person that God wants me to be. But here comes discomfort to stretch me beyond the borders of my comfortable life and catapult me into a place of growth.

Let’s be honest, no one likes the feeling of discomfort, but discomfort can bring about new opportunities that you may have never had before. It can open your mind to new possibilities or new perspective of life.

Let me share some lessons that I have learned so far going through this journey:

  • I‘ve learned to trust God! Not the lip service in trusting God, but really depending on Him every second of my life.
  • I’ve learned how to pray with a fervent heart. If I am being honest sometimes when I prayed, I was not really expecting anything to happen. I wanted to believe that my prayer would change a situation, but I didn’t really believe it in my spirit. But now I listen more intently to the voice the Holy Spirit to guide me in my prayers so I know that I am in the will of God, and I can stand on His word for an outcome.
  • I‘ve learned about God’ peace. I can truly say that I understand the scripture that talks about ” the peace the surpasses all understanding”, I know that peace! Night after night I would cry out to the Lord in my secret place with just me and God and beg Him for His peace and each night, He would meet me there and give His peace so freely.
  • I’ve learned that I am not an island. I have found out that having loving saints surrounding you with prayer and checking on you during your time of need is priceless. Not only do I have family and friends, in some cases I have people that I have never met praying and caring for me. We were not created to be alone.

I would hope that I would have learned these lessons on my own, but probably not. It has taken this challenge and discomfort to place me on a path of growth and change. I am going to trust God that I will learn everything I need in this season to encourage others, reach my full potential in Him and most importantly give Him the glory that He deserves.

the butterfly journey

Prophetic Word for 2023

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Refreshing Rain from God!

This new year hit different from any new year that I have experienced. Months prior to the new year I had been seeking God for my life. I was listening more intently than ever before to hear the voice of God.

Over and over again I heard the word restoration. The meaning states that you would be restored to an original state after having something lost or stolen. But God wants to do more than restore back to an original state He wants to take us to a better place than where we were originally!

The man of God spoke about God shaking dead things and resurrecting them. My Lord! I feel that 2023 will be a year of restoration and resurrection. I see God resurrecting dead things: assignments, relationships, health, the body of Christ, and dreams. God will begin to breathe new life into areas of our lives that we thought no longer had any vitality left in them.

God asked Ezekiel in Ezekiel 37: 1- 14 if these dry bones can live? And God said that they could live and commanded Ezekiel to prophesy to the bones! We need to begin to speak the living word of God over situations in 2023 and watch Father God resurrect the dead things in our lives.

What things in your life do you need God to breathe on? Is it your marriage, a lost son or daughter, health issues or perhaps it is an assignment that God has ordained for your life that you have walked away from or that you never really embraced. What about those divine dreams that God showed you for your life, have you pursued them so that God could be glorified through your obedience? Now is the time. We don’t have time to waste anymore, time is drawing to an expected end, and we need to move while there is still time to move.

First, we need to understand and seek the renewing of our minds. We need to understand how the principles of the kingdom of heaven influences things in the earth. I will have more on this topic in future posts, so be on the lookout.

I pray that you are seeking God for your life more than ever in 2023. As you seek, I pray that you will receive revelation and wisdom into the secret things of God that are only revealed through an intimate relationship with the Father. I am looking forward to all the miracles, signs, and wonders that God will allow to follow us during the year. I can’t wait to hear the testimonies of not only restoration but of resurrections of dead areas in our lives.

Be blessed L

the butterfly journey

Learning to Walk with God

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A little over a year ago I was diagnosed with kidney failure. While I didn’t know what that meant fully, I knew it wasn’t good. After ending up in the hospital for about a week because of the fluid overload and my body trying to fight I realized that my situation was way more dire than I thought.

This new health challenge had bought my mortality to the forefront of my mind. And with that came thoughts about my relationship with God. Had I been cultivating a pure connection with Father God like I knew I needed to? It would take several months of being vulnerable and open to listening for God to tell me or show me my true self during this time.

I can honestly say, I cried an awful lot during this time period, and I asked God many, many questions. Not questions like, “why me”, but more like “if my time on earth is over, what is it that do you want me to do before I leave?” My heart was hurting just thinking that I had wasted my entire life and didn’t complete anything that the Lord had wanted me to do.

But over the course of this time God showed me how to walk with Him. He taught me to lean on Him each day. Do you remember when the children of Israel were in the wilderness and God provided them with manna each day? That is what he began to do for me. Each day He would give me peace and grace for the challenges of that day and at the end of each day when I came to bow before Him in prayer, I would find He was always there for me.

There have been setbacks and challenges along the way during this journey but each day I walk with God, He reminds me that He is there with me no matter what. I know that sometimes God allows things to come to get our attention back to Him like it should be and to be honest if this is my test then I am grateful that Father God thinks of me enough to get me back on track to what He has for my life. And not only that but just the opportunity to know Him in the most intimate way is priceless to me.

I am thankful that I am learning to walk with Father God in the way that He is most pleased and honored. I want my life to be a testimony to the goodness of God! And I want to complete my life with integrity and grace and fulfill the purpose God has designed for my life. I want to live and die with no regrets!

Psalm 23
A psalm of David.
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,[a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me,

5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.