Eva Conner | Transformation From the Inside Out

You are in me, and I am in you. John 14:20

A Great Big Empty

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Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 
John 20:1

This one verse holds the key to finding the freedom that Jesus proclaimed.

He said, “the truth will set you free.” (See John 8:32).  What does that freedom look like?  Let’s look at another verse in Luke.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,
that the blind will see,
that the oppressed will be set free,
and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.”
Luke 4:18-19

Jesus is reading in the synagogue from the scroll of Isaiah the prophet. If we hop down a couple verses, we’ll see that Jesus goes on to tell all who were listening that,

“The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”
Luke 4:21

Jesus came to set us free from all captivity, including depression & oppression.

He came to set us free from depression and oppression, condemnation and guilt, shame and regret.  The things that weigh us down and keep us down. The things that keep us from living the life that Jesus died to give us.

Why do we continue to live pushed down, oppressed lives?

Let’s look at the very first Scripture above. On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb.  Why do you think she went to the tomb?  I don’t think she thought of Jesus coming back to life.  She went to the tomb like so many of us do when we lose a loved one – to stay linked and connected to that person.  She went to the tomb to grieve and mourn her loss. She went to the tomb to cry and be sad.

Please don’t misinterpret what I’m about to say. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t mourn.  But let’s suppose that Jesus did not defeat death that day and that He stayed in the tomb forever.

Would Mary have continued to go to the tomb day after day to mourn and grieve?

Isn’t this what we do in our own lives? When something or someone dies, we cling to that death and make it part of who we are. It could be the death of a loved one. It could be the death of a marriage or business or the loss of the ability to do something you once could do.

When we hang onto something that we’ve lost, we’re unable to grab hold of what God wants us to find.

Mary found the tomb empty and she was able to move on with her life and not get stuck in that one moment when Jesus died.

Are you stuck in one moment in time when you experienced a loss?

Friends, the stone was rolled away!!  The tomb is now empty.  The tomb represents our past losses and failures. We need to put them in the tomb with Jesus and close it up.  But . . . we need to roll the stone away and peer inside the tomb very closely.  Be sure to look at every crack and crevice.  Check it out carefully.  What do you see?

A great big EMPTY!

The tomb is empty of all the things of our past that have held us tied down to one time in the past. All the depression and oppression were lifted away when Jesus was lifted away. Why?  Because Jesus purchased our past when He died on the cross. He not only defeated death but He also defeated the haunted memories of our past!!!

Train your mind to think about the stone being rolled away and the great big empty.

When you get weighed down with a thought from the past, turn your thoughts to Jesus and His glorious resurrection.

There is so much joy to be found in Christ but we have to stop looking at the past and start looking at Him. It’s a process that will take some time but if you are intentional about it, you can overcome darkness.  Regret, shame, unforgiveness, and all the other things that swirl around in our head is defeated.

Share this good news with everyone. It’s what we are called to do.

Stay in the Light and Love always,

Eva

At All Costs

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What does “at all costs” mean to you?

God wants us to seek Him at all costs.  He wants us to save nothing for tomorrow.

Spend all you have on seeking, worshiping, praising and glorifying Him today.

This world teaches us to save for a rainy day. Save your best for really special occasions. Don’t use your china for every day eating. Don’t wear your good clothes.  Don’t give away your last dime.

God has been showing me that when we save something for a rainy day, we are putting Him on a back shelf.

We are telling God – our very Creator – that we do not need Him.

Let’s establish some facts. Yes, we believe in God.  But maybe, just maybe, we do not always believe God. One little word makes all the difference – “in.”  We believe IN God.  But we do not believe God.

Do you understand the difference?

It’s easy to believe in God.  We believe in His overall existence as our God. But, if we’re really honest with ourselves, it’s not as easy to believe every word that He speaks.

Do you believe ALL of His promises?

Do you believe He can meet your EVERY need?

Do you believe He can care for your children?

This hurts me deeply because I know that I’ve faltered and fallen in this area of my faith. I have moments when I do not believe all of His promises. I have moments when I doubt He can meet ALL of my needs.  Yes, I have moments when I doubt He can care for my children better than me.

But in the middle of my doubts, my fears, and even my failures I hear Him calling my name.

It’s faint at first because I’m completely wrapped up in my own woes and sorrows.  But that voice doesn’t stop calling my name.  Over and over again He calls until I catch a whisper of it in the wind around me. If I stop, quiet my racing thoughts and turn my heart I can hear Him.

It’s a sweet voice. It doesn’t condemn. It is gentle and loving.

The voice is Jesus.

How do I know these things?  I know because the Word says it is so and Jesus is The Word.

So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

John 1:14

Reading the Word of God is how we learn to hear and know The Voice of God.

The more we read and pray into the Word, the more the Holy Spirit will reveal things to us that we do not know.  There is no other way to know God. He reveals who He is and what His will is throughout His Word.  He reveals who we are throughout His Word.

‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’

Jeremiah 33:3

What a wonderful promise this is for all of us. He will tell us great and unsearchable things that we do not know. There are depths to the Word of God that we can spend a lifetime discovering.

But . . . we will not discover any of the unsearchable things that He longs to show us if we are saving our best for a rainy day.

I have to ask myself this question.

Am I seeking Him at all costs? Are you?

Stay in the Light and Love always,

Eva

Let No One Be Left Out

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Have you ever felt like you didn’t fit in? Maybe you’ve been left out before.

I know this feeling well.  For a good part of my life, I suffered with insecurities and feeling left out. It’s not a good feeling.  It’s rejection and it’s a very real emotion that can be crippling.

Do you suffer from rejection?

If you can relate, I want to give you some good news. Jesus Christ!  Please keep reading and don’t dismiss Jesus as being able to help you.  Jesus has such a heart for you and for me.

Jesus has a soft spot in His heart for those who are rejected and down-trodden. Click To Tweet

I know that Jesus can help because He helped me.

Rejection can bring you to your knees in pain. There were times that I would be in a room full of people and wonder if even one person in the room would acknowledge my presence.  Even if I were included in activities, I felt like I didn’t fit in very well. I struggled with small talk and socializing. It still is painful for me to talk to people without a specific subject in mind.

Do you want to know when all of it changed for me?

These feelings of rejection and insecurity started to shift the more aware I became of Jesus Christ in my life.  For the first time, with Jesus, I fit in perfectly and didn’t feel out of place.  He loves me whether I am quiet or if I’m struggling to express my thoughts. He accepts me and acknowledges me regardless if I’m in a room alone or with hundreds of people. He lets me know how very special I am to Him.

And I realized another very important truth as well.

IT’S OKAY TO NOT FIT IN ALL PLACES.

So the next time you are at lunch with friends or co-workers and they are talking about movies and TV shows that you know nothing about, don’t feel left out. Feel loved and cherished that Jesus is protecting you from those worldly things that can interfere with your spiritual growth and your relationship with Him.

We all make choices that either launch us straight into the world or straight into our prayer closets getting to know Jesus a little better.

What a wonderful Savior and Master we serve. He is right there ALL THE TIME waiting on us to WANT to know Him.  But sadly, we choose other things that do not bring us closer to Him.  However, He still patiently waits for us.  He still loves us very much.

Today, what will you choose?

For me, today I choose Jesus. Nothing compares with the sweet intimacy with Jesus.  Tomorrow, I’ll have to make the choice all over again.

Day-by-day we choose the world or Jesus.

Some days I do well. Some days I don’t. But the more I experience His sweetness, the easier it is to choose Him.

Do you desire a deeper intimacy with Jesus?  Here are some things that help me.

  1. I find a quiet spot wherever I am.  I once read that John Wesley’s mother had so many children, it was impossible for her to find a quiet spot to pray so she’d sit in a kitchen chair and pull her apron over her head. Her children knew if mom had her apron over her head to leave her alone.  Isn’t that a wonderful picture?  No matter where I find myself, I’ve learned to shut off the noise around me.
  2. I quiet my mind by focusing on Scripture.  Read the words in the verses slowly, carefully. Chew on them and think about each word.  I find that there is not one meaningless word written anywhere in the Bible. Each word has depth and the potential to reveal Jesus from Genesis to Revelation.  He is hidden all throughout the Bible waiting on us to find Him.
  3. I practice thanksgiving every day.  Thank our Father for His goodness.  Acknowledge and thank the Holy Spirit for being our constant Companion and Friend. Thank Jesus Christ for being our Lord and Master. 
  4. I play praise music and sing along. It goes a long way in praising God for who He is. It helps me when I truly sing out loud and praise Him.
  5. I try to seek God’s face and not His hand.  I enjoy being with God as I would a dear friend. We don’t always go to our friends with a laundry list of things we need. We shouldn’t do that with God either. We need to learn to be in His presence because we want to know Him better.
  6. When He starts to speak, I write it down in a special journal.  Cherish and hold dear all that He speaks.

It takes perseverance and commitment to know God better.

If you are married, you can relate to the time you and your spouse spent getting to know one another before you were married. You dated and enjoyed being in each other’s presence. You wanted to know all you could about each other. You wanted to see their heart, right? It’s no different with God. He will show us His heart if we want to see it.

Let’s desire to see God’s heart every day!

Jesus does not want even one to feel left out, rejected, abandoned or alone. This is good news. Share with all!

I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me.

John 10:14

If this word resonates with you, please leave me a comment. I want everyone to hunger for more Jesus in their lives. It’s my desire to share my passion and love for Jesus with everyone. It is the only way to see true transformation.

Stay in the Light and Love always,

Eva

What’s the Condition of Your Heart?

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Is your heart in need of repair?

Maybe you have brokenness within your heart, damage that simply won’t heal. How about unforgiveness that won’t go away? Hardness? Bitterness? Rejection? Hurt?

We all have these deep, hidden places within our hearts.  Places we try to keep sealed up from everyone around us and, at times, even ourselves.

I have good news. 

We CAN shed all the unwanted baggage hidden deep in the chambers of our heart.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from 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.”

Matthew 11:28-30

Have you ever thought about this verse and wondered HOW to give Jesus your heavy burdens?  I know I have. Many, many times. I’ve often said that I give Him my burdens in prayer and pick them up again after my “Amen.”

I have great news.

It’s easier than we think.  I received this awesome revelation and understanding of healing within our hearts today that I want to share with all of you.

To lay down our burdens, we must first understand where these burdens are found within us. As you probably guessed, we carry this heaviness in our hearts!

Worries and concerns for our children – in the heart!  

Fear and insecurities – in the heart!

Bitterness and unforgiveness – in the heart! 

Rejection and hurt – yep, that’s right, in the heart!

Since it is all in the heart, we can conclude that we need heart surgery to remove these things once for all.

Yesterday during my prayer time, God showed me a butterfly but I knew that He was showing me something other than the insect. I was seeing the way that we can cut a piece of meat. To butterfly a piece of meat, you take a sharp knife and cut through the thickest side, across the meat to the thinner side.  You cut clear across the width of the meat taking special care to not cut all the way through.  This lays open the entire piece of meat from the inside out.

God wants to butterfly our hearts in this same fashion.

How does this happen?  What starts this process?  Let’s look at Scripture for our answer.

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  

Hebrews 4:12

Are you seeing it too?

It is the Word of God that circumcises our hearts.

The Word is the sword.  Let’s look at one more verse.

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Ephesians 6:17

The sword (the Word) does all the cutting away of the flesh (burdens).

If you suffer with anxiety and worry that weigh you down, get in the Word.

If you suffer with depression, get in the Word.

If you have hate, bitterness, unforgiveness and rejection in your heart, get in the Word.

When we make reading the Word daily a must and not an option in our lives, we will see transformation!  If you struggle reading and understanding the Word, let me know.  I’m happy to help you.

Yes, it’s that easy.

Be sure to leave me a comment or send me an e-mail! I’d love to hear your own personal testimonies about how the Word has taken burdens from your own heart.  My heart’s desire is to see all of our lives transformed day-by-day to reflect the very image of Jesus!

Stay in the Light and Love always,

Eva

Come.

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Such a simple 4 letter word. Come.

What does it mean to you?

This week, this word has swirled around me in readings, songs, and spoken words.  The first time it popped out at me was in a book titled “Courageous Women of the Bible” by Latan Roland Murphy.  This is a book about different women in the Bible who displayed courage during times weakness.  In the 2nd chapter, we see the woman with the issue of blood who touches the hem of Jesus’ garment.

This precious woman teaches us that we need to come to Jesus as we are.

Jesus’ love compels us to courageously come – just as we are:

     Come Unclean
         Come Cast Out
             Come Forbidden
                 Come Forsaken
                     Come Forgotten
                         Come Rejected
                             Come Abused
                                 Come Defiled

The above is an excerpt taken from page 43 of the book and it speaks truth.

Jesus wants us to come as we are to Him.

Our natural inclination is to wait until we’re cleaner, accepted, or better before we go to Him. It’s the fight between our strength and our weakness – a struggle between our doing and our being.

The first time Jesus speaks the word “come” is in Matthew 4:19.

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”

He asks us this same question today. “Come, follow Me.”  It’s not an easy journey and so many turn Him down. When they say no to Him, they do not see the sadness that encompasses His entire being.

Why do we fight His invitation so much?

We say things like, “If I go to church, the building will fall in.”

“I’ll go with you to church when I have a better grip on my issues.”

“If I go to church, I’m going to have to change my ways and I’m not sure I want to do that now.”

It’s sad that we think this way but so many of us do.

How do we overcome this thinking?

We overcome it by love, persistence, prayer and example.  When we live our lives with Jesus constantly in our thoughts and in our actions, it witnesses to others around us in a way we’d never be able to otherwise.

It’s the magnetic pull of Jesus in us and working through us that attracts others.

Do you know someone who is different from others in this world?

Maybe they are calm, peaceful and joyful – even when they are going through difficulties.  I once knew a woman like this who made me hunger for what she had.  She demonstrated Jesus in her speech and her actions.

Sadly, she passed away too young but I’m so thankful that I knew her. My life is changed because of knowing her and I know now that it was Jesus in her that attracted me.

This is my goal in the few dozen years we are given here in this world. I want to be the magnet showing others Jesus through me so they will hunger for Him as I do.

It is through our living that we change lives. It’s that simple. We walk out our faith with grace and love allowing Jesus within us to do the rest.

Jesus needs an outlet here in this world to seek our friends and family.

Yes, Jesus can do anything He wishes but He wishes to do His work here in this world through you and me. If we don’t show Him to those around us, they may never see Him from anyone else.

When we are transparent and allow others to see the brokenness in our life and share with them how Jesus made the difference, lives are changed. It’s not something we have the power to do without Jesus; however, when we allow Him to work through us, all things are possible.

Jesus wants nothing more than to be in communion with us.

Yesterday a friend shared that the word communion really means “come union” – to come into union with Jesus.  When we come into union with Jesus, transformation happens – in us and around us.

For more on allowing Jesus to work through you, read this post on circumcision and heart issues.

Be sure to leave me a comment or send me an e-mail! I’d love to hear your own personal testimonies about how your witness changed lives.  I’m also happy to help you along the way if you desire to be a witness for Christ. I want nothing more than to see all of our lives transformed day-by-day to reflect the very image of Jesus!

Stay in the Light and Love always,

Eva