In the month of March, God is releasing fresh discernment over people and giving them clarity and wisdom. He is pouring out keys for relational restoration and bringing healing strategies to people. God is teaching us to address areas of woundedness and walk in full healing. Pay attention to what God is highlighting to you right now, because not every opportunity is a God opportunity. He is teaching you to say "no" to the good so you can say "yes" to the great.
Discernment Is a Gift from Heaven
"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God..." (1 John 4:1)
Have you ever been in a situation where you've had a weird gut feeling about something? A feeling that you couldn't shake, even though it didn't make any sense?
Often gut feelings can actually be the Holy Spirit speaking to us through the gift of discernment. What is the gift of discernment? The gift of discernment is from the Holy Spirit, and it allows us to recognize when something is "off" or when there is a spirit that is not of the Holy Spirit.
Both Anne and I (Katelyn) have experienced this many times, where we've had a strange feeling about someone or a situation, and later our discernment is confirmed. It can be easy to confuse judgment with discernment, but here is how you can recognize the difference: judgment uncovers and exposes, whereas discernment protects. Judgment uncovers, exposes, is critical, and demands punishment. Discernment protects, wants the best for everybody in a situation, brings covering to people, and comes from our intuition.
The wonderful thing about discernment is that it comes from the Holy Spirit, and the fruit is always love and protection. You can recognize if you're sliding into judgment of others (which is not from the heart of God) if you start to feel harsh or critical, or if you desire to see someone punished.
Right now, God is increasing the gift of discernment in people and giving His children clarity on what is and isn't from Him. Don't be afraid of what you discern, even if it doesn't make perfect sense to you. Trust the voice of the Holy Spirit and things will become clear in time. Get close to people who are strongly operating in this gift in order to increase yourself. And if you discern something that is off, ask the Lord what to do with it; He will lead you. God will show you areas where you've discerned accurately in hindsight, or people who've had those hindsight revelations. He's building trust with you.
Relationship Keys
"If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." (James 1:5)
Years ago, I (Katelyn) went through a break up, and I had asked the Lord for keys to healing and walking in wholeness. I walked into a bookstore and a book caught my eye. The Holy Spirit said, "Buy this book." Truthfully, I didn't want to buy it; I'd had another one in mind that someone had recommended. But I walked by the book again, and again the Holy Spirit said, "Buy this book." So I did, albeit reluctantly. (Photo via Unsplash)
As I read the book, I was astounded. I saw myself all over the page. All of the messy and confusing relationship dynamics I had just walked away from were in this book. This book even used some of the same language I had used to describe my relationship. This book was a key to my healing in that season. It was also a key to me recognizing the patterns that I no longer wanted to operate in and gave me language for how to choose a new way of living. In the exact moment I needed it, God gave me the tools and strategies to step into the next level of healing. I felt so loved by God because He showed up in a very specific and personal way for me.
God is doing the same for many of you. Perhaps you are in the middle of a strained relationship or are facing a separation, or struggling to see eye to eye with someone. We need tools to cultivate healthy relationships, and right now God is releasing tools to His kids. He wants to connect you with what you need in this season. Perhaps it is a counselor, a book, a course, or a wise friend. Perhaps it is Scripture verses that are promises to you right now. It's important to be willing to pick up the tools that He hands you and use them. Healthy relationships take work and cultivation; they don't simply happen.
So, as God gives you insights and downloads, be willing to humble yourself, to have hard conversations, to walk away from unhealthy relationships (or into counseling with others), and to walk towards healing, even if it's hard. God is releasing strategies. However, these strategies require partnership, and sometimes healing looks like work... so allow the Lord to lead you into healing.
Healing from Woundedness
"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's." (Psalms 103:2–5)
Each and every one of us have areas of pain and woundedness in our lives; it's part of being human. However, God strategically designed our bodies to heal. Our bodies are constantly working to heal and repair, even when we're unaware of it. Depending on the size of the wound, we can either leave it alone or we need to give it extra care and attention. We know if we don't clean and tend to a deep wound, it can become infected and wreak even greater havoc on the body. People have lost entire limbs or even died from infected wounds.
Our emotional wounds are the same. Many emotional wounds actually need tending in order to heal. However, many people don't allow their emotional wounds to heal. Instead, they allow resentment and bitterness to grow and fester and start to view the world through the lens of jadedness and anger.
It's painful to clean a wound, but absolutely necessary for healing. In the same way, we must deal with our emotional wounds and bring them to the Lord. It's important to process pain, and to heal it with the Lord and with safe people. Processing pain hurts; facing disappointment and the ways we've been wronged is scary... but it's imperative to living healed and whole. You are not meant to live wounded or lacking. You were created to live healed and whole. Invite the Healer and the Comforter into your story and ask Him for what the process of healing looks like for you. Ultimately, He is the Healer. However, for a season, He might lead you to therapy, to SOZO (a type of inner healing), or to a support group. We heal in community, not in isolation. Ask God what your strategies for healing are. Let Him lead you into full healing. (Photo via Unsplash)
An Invitation into Rest
We live in a fast-paced culture that values hustle and achievement. Our world celebrates "go, go, go," "achieve, achieve, achieve"! But this isn't the way of the Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is first and foremost intimacy with the Father. God can do more in our resting than endless hours of us striving. Right now, God is inviting His people into rest, into setting boundaries, and into saying "no," as He leads us.
A "no" can be anointed, because the fact is "nos" protect your "yeses." It's important to get clear on the "yeses" in your life and say "no" to everything that doesn't align with your "yes." Perhaps you don't know what your priorities are. This is another reason to start saying "no" and get in the secret place. Get clarity with the Lord. We can get so busy with obligations that we miss out on His heart and His presence. Come back to intimacy with Him.
Make space for rest. Invite Him into your stillness. It's important to say "no" in order to say "yes." In resting, you will see God's supernatural provision and covering. Watch as the Lord shows up on your behalf as you have the courage to say "no" and to only participate in what He's breathing on.
Declarations:
• God is giving me the gift of discernment.
• God has keys for connection and healing for me.
• I am experiencing full healing in areas of pain and woundedness.
• I am saying "yes" to God's best and "no" to distractions.
• God is pouring out full restoration over me.
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Anne Jackson
The Crowning Jewels
Website:Â www.thecrowningjewels.com
Email:Â hello@thecrowningjewels.com
Texas-born Anne Jackson worked as a nurse for seventeen years before fully embracing her creative nature. Having grown up believing that God only spoke through the Bible, her life was transformed with the personal knowledge that He still speaks today. As she experienced a revelation of God's love for her and the power of words to transform and heal, she began designing jewelry, partnering with the Holy Spirit to create a tangible way to bring Heaven to Earth. This is where her prophetic jewelry company, The Crowning Jewels, was birthed. Many people recognize her company as a business-ministry hybrid. She is known as a prophetic visionary with the drive to accomplish her dreams. Her mandate is to champion others as they discover their God given identity and fulfill their divine purpose. After living in Redding, CA for ten years, she recently moved back home and currently resides in Texas.
Katelyn Alexander
The Crowning Jewels
Website:Â www.thecrowningjewels.com
Email:Â hello@thecrowningjewels.com
Katelyn Alexander is a masterful teacher and coach with a passion for seeing people walk in the wholeness of who God created them to be. An actor, writer, and storyteller, Katelyn blends creativity and charisma with a solid foundation on the Word of God. Katelyn first worked with Anne and The Crowning Jewels in 2015 and now blogs, writes, and teaches for TCJ.
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