Will You Stand With Me?

There are times when I look back, not so far back to places that I see clearly the victory that God has done in my life, but looking back to places where I have been weak. Times that I have talked harshly to the people I love, times when I have totally messed up worship leading, times when I play all the wrong notes while playing in the band are the moments where I do not see the victory, only the failure.

Today, this verse is a blatant reminder for me to forget those past mistakes and trust in the grace and forgiveness of a God who loves so deeply that he sent His only son to be the remedy for my sin, a God who can take my blunders and mask them by the power of the Holy Spirit and use them for His glory. Today, I am reminded to forget what is behind and move forward to what lies ahead. And what lies ahead is good in Jesus Christ.

"Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13-14

Today, won't you stand with me as we press on toward the goal, the wonderful prize that God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus?

Whatever tempts you to peak backwards, lay it down at the foot of the cross…daily. I pray that whatever it may be, that it would be would lighter each day until you are able to forget it with ease.

Blessings, brothers & sisters!
I love you in the Lord,
Mia

Rumors-My Heart on the Chopping Block

As I sat down to write this blog, I had a completely different focus until my fingers hit the keyboard. I was going to share a funny little take on rumors that I thought would encourage you, but instead, I find myself standing in a place of tension. On one side, I hear a whisper of what I am to write and on the other side, I hear my flesh saying "Don't share that, it's one of the secrets that no one knows, the one you have kept hidden for so long.

Yet, as I sit here, I wonder......I wonder if anyone else feels this way...so I write.

Before we jump in, here was my original post. "I heard a rumor, God can do all things" and then I was going to tell you how some rumors are true and aren't we glad this one is, but instead, a shift happened and this is where we are left. Rumors... they have the power.

It is no secret that I was very reckless in my past, emotionally, physically and sexually. But, there are vivid moments in my life that I remember as turning points. Today, I am going to share one of those pivotal moments with you.

As a senior in high school, I sat confidently at the chemistry lab table talking with friends, minding my own business and doing my work. Then, I heard the whispers. I saw the way the girls looked at me and I found the note that someone had written. I remember it like it was yesterday. It said what a slut Mia was. It listed the names of certain boys that I had sex with and all the things I had done with them and it labeled me a whore.

That note crushed me. That note wrongly confirmed all the things I believed about myself. The only thing was.....I WAS a virgin. Now I am not saying I was holier than thou, I repeatedly put myself in situations that allowed boys to make up stories about me, but what I did know is that the words in that note were not true, but still, I allowed it to speak to me. I allowed it to change me.

I remember at that moment giving up. I consciously decided to not try anymore and just become wholeheartedly what everyone else already believed about me. I allowed it to become my truth and I set out to act on my new identity.

I turned into what they said I was. And for lack of better words, I was "on a roll" and I didn't know how to stop. I remember keeping track of all the men I had been with, writing their names in a secret place in the corner of my closet wall, clinging to a (false) truth that a "real whore" wouldn't know how many men she had slept with, but this too became tangled and hard to manage and I would spend years sinking down into a false identity, self destruction, unplanned pregnancy and adultery.

Now, I share all of that (even though I didn't want to) not to say that all because of that one note, I became the way I was....and to be honest, I don't know why I am sharing this at all.

But maybe, if we realize that the words we say have the power to build up and also destroy, we will be a bit more attentive as to what comes out of our mouths and more importantly what is in our hearts. Maybe, we will realize that rumors, gossip and slander, can really hurt the spirit of a person. Maybe we will even realize that rumors (most of the time) are not even true. And maybe, just maybe, we will realize how powerful we truly are.

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits." 

Proverbs 18:21

Or perhaps, we will realize that rumors DO NOT define us. Perhaps someone will be reminded that no matter what the world says about them, God speaks a truth into us that can not be tangled, distorted or disproved. Perhaps we will realize that sometimes people are just mean, but God is good.

Maybe, my friend, (who this is specifically for) you too will realize, 

as I now realize, that "I am who the Great I AM says I am!"

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." 2 Corinthians 5:17 

 "I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Psalm 139:14

I sign off, with a rock in my stomach, nervous to post this, but more nervous not to.

I love you in the Lord!

Mia

My sweet friend Rachel Barrentine sings it perfectly. Take a listen HERE: SAYS I AM

Be Still and Know

One of the treasured milestones that a mother looks forward to with her little girl is...getting a tattoo...right? OK, well maybe not all Moms. But, since I am a fan of tattoos, it really did warm my heart when Baby Girl asked if I would go with her to get her first tattoo on her 19th birthday.

With excitement, she shared with me what she wanted eternally printed on her body. It was two words, Be Still. I thought it was beautiful, but it was when she shared with me why she wanted it, that my heart became overwhelmed with joy.

Instead of trying to explain it, I am simply going to show you what she, in her own words, shared on her Instagram account with all her friends.

"Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." - Psalms 46:10 

"Earlier this year I was sitting in the prayer chapel when I saw the words "be still" written on the wall. When I saw those words my mind was cleared from all the distractions going on in my life and it was just me and God. In that moment of stillness I was filled with this joy and peace that is hard for me to explain. It was then that I decided to fully give my life to Christ and let me tell ya, it's been the best decision that I have ever made❤️ "~ Miriam Koehne

Over that past few weeks God has used this verse to minister, to teach and to grow me in so many areas. It is in the stillness that we are able to hear. It is in the stillness that He fights for us. It is in the stillness that we are comforted and in the stillness that we wait. It is in the stillness that the storms cease.

I am overjoyed that she knows. I pray that you know His peace, His love and His strength. I pray you know that He is God.

Where do you need the stillness of God in your life today? 

Where do you need to know that without a doubt He is God? 

Know, that as you are still, He will be known.

I love you in the Lord, Mia