When Heaven Rewrites Your Identity
I love it when God shows you something new in a very familiar scripture. That’s what happened to me recently when I read the prayer of Jabez found in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10.
Two short verses, just a few words, but they say so much! Many have taught on this verse. A bestselling book was even written focused solely on Jabez’s prayer.
What stood out to me in my recent reading of it might not be what you’d think.
I first asked the Lord what He meant by Jabez being more honorable than his brothers. When I looked up “honorable” in Strong’s concordance1, I discovered it’s the word “kabad,” which I knew meant “glory,” but it also means “to be heavy, honorable, make weighty, and great,” among other things. What I found interesting is that there’s also a negative aspect to this word. It can mean “burdensome, severe, dull.”
Hold that thought.
Can we talk about his name for a moment? “Jabez” literally means “He Will Cause Pain.” His momma named him that because she experienced pain during his delivery. (Aren’t most births accompanied by some level of pain?) I couldn’t help but wonder what his brothers must have been named!
As I pondered on these two things - the meanings of kabad and Jabez, I began to form a very different picture of Jabez in my mind, and I heard his heart’s cry in an entirely different way as I read his prayer.
When we read Jabez’s prayer and personalize it, we often focus on the blessing, the enlarging, God’s hand being with us, and Him keeping us from evil. It’s easy for the last part - “that I may not cause pain” to become a bit of an add-on as we think of others in what can be an otherwise self-focused prayer.
What I suddenly recognized was that every time Jabez heard his name, what he really heard was “he will cause pain,” “he will cause pain,” “he will cause pain.” That was programmed into his identity every time it was spoken.
Could it be that the reason Jabez was described as being more honorable than his brothers was because of the burden he bore in being told he would cause pain wherever he went and in the lives of anyone he knew and loved? Was that internal belief system he was supposed to keep as his own?
If so, it gives an entirely different perspective on the last portion of Jabez’s prayer. When he asks God to keep him from evil, that doesn’t just mean bad things (morally or naturally), but also “adversity, affliction, calamity, distress, sorrow, and trouble.2”
I personally believe Jabez had developed such an intimate friendship with God that he knew he could not only cry out to the Lord in prayer for the blessings, but he could also bring before God the injustice of his name. That declaration of causing pain had been made by his momma, but God spoke a better word over Jabez. He knew his identity wasn’t as one who would cause pain. The cry of Jabez’s heart was that he wouldn’t fulfill what others had spoken over him every day of his life, but he would walk in the truth of God’s original design for him.
The King James Version of verse 10 says, “ . . . keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me!” In this context, “grieve” means “to worry, pain, anger, vex, or be sorry.3” Put that together with the definition of “evil” and we discover in this sense, Jabez is asking God to keep him from adversity, calamity, distress, sorrow, and trouble so that it wouldn’t cause him worry, pain, anger, or to be sorry.
Either way we look at it, I believe Jabez is holding God to the truth of what he knew GOD had spoken over him, and the only way he could know that was through deep friendship with God.
God’s response was to grant Jabez what he had requested. I find the entire exchange to be incredibly beautiful - from Jabez’s heartfelt cry to God’s loving response!
We’ve each had things spoken over our lives that aren’t in alignment with God’s truths and our original design.
What would it look like for us to bring those things before God like Jabez did? To cry out before Him and in essence say, “God, this is what has been said, but I know it’s not who I am. Tell me who I am and enable me to walk in it!”
It could shift so many things in each of our worlds!
We are His sons and daughters, His beloved Bride, His perfect partner, His friend - those are just some of the truths He has spoken over us. Father God, help us to walk in the truth of who YOU say we are!
I hear God responding, “So I granted him what he requested . . . "
Living for Him,
Andrea
P.S. Praying this Easter fills your heart with fresh hope, deep joy, and the unshakable truth of who you are in Him. May you hear heaven speaking a better word over you. You are loved. You are His. You are made new. Much love and many blessings, now and always!
Endnotes:
- “Honorable.” e-Sword, version 2024, Rick Meyers, 2024. I Chronicles 4:9
- “Evil.” e-Sword, version 2024, Rick Meyers, 2024. I Chronicles 4:10
- "Grieve." e-Sword, version 2024, Rick Meyers, 2024. I Chronicles 4:10
Our Mission: Love Others Well & Empower Them to Do the Same
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Our Mission: Love Others Well & Empower Them to Do the Same
Lessons From a Christmas Cactus
This Christmas cactus has been a bit of an enigma to me and left me pondering.It was purchased three Christmases ago. It bloomed that Christmas then hasn’t again. I kept an eye on it, hoping I would discover blooms forming throughout the holiday seasons. At one point, it seemed a few tried to form but they just fell off. A friend suggested I give it some plant food, but it was past the blooming season, so I let it go but continued to hope it would bloom the following holiday season.
Recently, the plant was looking rather weary and worn, a bit neglected (despite being watered regularly), and even a little unhealthy in a wrinkly kind of way.
Yet, much to my surprise, I discovered a tiny bloom forming! I thought to myself, “I hope it doesn’t shrivel up and fall off like the others did! I want to see it fully bloom!” Needless to say, I ran out and got some plant food in hopes that the added nutrients would make it healthier, and strengthen it.
I couldn’t get this plant out of my mind. I kept thinking about how it was unexpectedly blooming out of season and was happening when the plant didn’t seem to be doing as well.
Why did that feel oddly familiar???
The Lord began speaking to my heart. “A lot more time passed between this plant’s normal blooming seasons, didn’t it? You had an expectancy that it should bloom at a particular time, yet those expected times came and went without the buds forming and blossoming. It has the outward appearance of having been through a rough season, yet that rough season has produced healthy blossoms. Why does that feel familiar? Because that plant is a representation of what’s been happening in you and the timing has been similar.”
He had my attention.
I went to work for a really great company in October 2022 and left just shy of a year later. As much as I loved the people and aspects of what I did, it wasn’t a good fit because I’m not a numbers girl and it was a company that provided outsourced accounting services. Not having a solid grasp of accounting made it difficult for me to explain our individualized services and sell them to those who could benefit from the support we provided.
I lost myself during that time. I moved away from the passions of my heart - walking with people in life, both spiritually and in health and wellness, as well as writing, walking in the prophetic, teaching, speaking, and the significant role I had at the farm animal rescue.
The stress of trying to fit a round peg in a square hole and keep my head above water tanked my health. I went completely bald in large sections, had adrenal fatigue, and felt like I didn’t know myself anymore. Despite getting my body healthy and regaining my hair, I realized I’d also lost my voice - not literally, but figuratively. I had stopped writing, doing videos, and sharing all of the things I used to speak about.
I longed to bloom - to feel successful again doing what I knew I was created to do, but I didn’t know what that was anymore. It was a quiet few seasons. I tried to do certain things, but it felt like blooms forming and falling off before they had the chance to really come out in fullness and beauty.
By the time 2025 arrived, I was absolutely weary and worn from walking through 2024. I’d neglected myself, gained weight, and once again, wasn’t as healthy as I had been. That was the season, though, that God did so much internal work within me . . . and the blossoms began to form.
Although it took a toll, that season created beauty within me that’s now budding, maturing, and blossoming forth.
It wasn’t when I expected it.
It seemed to take too long.
It felt like I missed seasons when it “should” have happened.
But . . . this is the right season for it. God’s timing is always perfect.
I felt the Father’s nudge to share all of this because I believe the lessons and hope this little Christmas cactus is providing will speak to far more than just my heart.
The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice, even with joy and singing.
(Isaiah 35:1-2a, NKJV)
Need some encouragement and prayer? Reach out. I’d love to pour out some nourishment on your spirit and soul.
Living for Him,
Andrea
P.S. I've loved listening to Rita Springer's "Fed by Ravens" album. Here's a link for you to check it out if you'd like.
Our Mission: Love Others Well & Empower Them to Do the Same
The Earth's Riches & Heaven's Wisdom: A Call to Global Leaders
The Bible says in 1 Cor. 13:9, “For we know in part and we prophesy in part.” Only God has the complete picture. What I’m about to share, I believe is part of what is transpiring on the earth. I definitely don’t have the full picture, but I feel released to share what’s been highlighted to me.
This is not a political statement. I see the hand of the Lord in what’s transpiring, and my prayer is for Wisdom to be found, partnered with, and followed by global decision makers.
“Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore. Man puts an end to darkness, and searches every recess for ore in the darkness and the shadow of death. He breaks open a shaft away from people; in places forgotten by feet they hang far away from men; they swing to and fro. As for the earth, from it comes bread, but underneath it is turned up as by fire; its stones are the source of sapphires, and it contains gold dust. That path no bird knows, nor has the falcon’s eye seen it. The proud lions have not trodden it, nor has the fierce lion passed over it. He puts his hand on the flint; He overturns the mountains at the roots. He cuts out channels in the rocks, and his eye sees every precious thing. He dams up the streams from trickling; what is hidden he brings forth to light.” (Job 28:1-11)
Verses 12-13: “’But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? Man does not know its value, nor is it found in the land of the living.’”
On December 1, 2024, I wrote a note in my Bible next to Job 28 – “Verses 1-11 I feel are very prophetic of today in the U.S. and what is coming re: gathering natural resources.” At that time, I had no knowledge of any potential resource agreements that would be considered between the U.S. and Ukraine.
Then, on January 11, 2025, I wrote in the opposite margin of the same chapter, “Verses 1-2, Greenland & Trump’s pursuit of it.” At that point, news had been shared regarding U.S. interest in Greenland. I felt prompted to research each of the resources listed in verses 1 and 2. They’re all found as natural resources in Greenland.
Verse 4 includes the phrase “in places forgotten by feet,” and I wrote “Greenland” next to it. If you read the verse in its entirety in the Amplified version, it’s pretty interesting.
“He breaks open (mine) shafts far away from where people live, [in places] forgotten by the [human] foot; they dangle [in the mines] and hang away from men.” (Job 28:4, AMP)
I do believe God’s hand is on the gathering of natural resources in this time. A friend pointed out the truth that the earth only has so much to give – a point well made and one to add to prayer.
The key is that this chapter is actually all about wisdom – where it comes from and where the point of understanding lies (vs. 20). The chapter goes on to say this about wisdom:
“God understands its way, and He knows its place . . . Then He saw wisdom and declared it; He prepared it, indeed, He searched it out. And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding.’” (vs. 23, 27-28)
Wisdom is the real resource and treasure. If God searched it out, how much more important is it for us to search out Wisdom (which is actually a person, just as Truth and Love are a person)?
Where does man find wisdom? In fearing the Lord, the definition of which is “morally reverence1.” Depart is “to turn off, decline, leave undone, remove, take away, withdraw, be without2,” which is to be our stance from evil and is the foundation of understanding.
Eyes and hands are turned toward mining – it’s the time for it. Wisdom must be valued above any natural resource and sought out more diligently than anything the earth can offer.
My prayer remains, “God, may the global decision makers seek out wisdom through fear of the Lord, may they depart from evil, and find understanding.”
Living for Him,
Andrea
Endnotes:
- “Fear.” e-Sword, version 2024, Rick Meyers, 2024. Job 28:28
- “Depart” e-Sword, version 2024, Rick Meyers, 2024. Job 28:28
Our Mission: Love Others Well & Empower Them to Do the Same
March 2025: Winds of Change
Recently, I’ve seen and heard the phrase “winds of change” multiple times.In one instance, a friend pointed out the presence of seven cyclones in a chain covering the expanse of waters from east Africa to Tonga and commented, “winds of change.” She also noted that seven planets would be in alignment on February 28th – Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Venus, Neptune, Saturn, and Mercury.
I think it’s significant that the planetary alignment happened on the last day of February, and March 1st saw strong winds blowing here in the Southeast. I don’t believe anything is coincidental. These two events speak to me of the winds of change bringing alignment.
As I asked the Lord what else He was saying about March, He continued to emphasize and hone in on it being a time of winds of change.
Winds of change bring in the new. There’s a literal shift in seasons this month, and I believe the change of seasons is aligned with it being a time when many will see significant changes happening in their lives. Change can be really good, but it can also be unsettling in its unfamiliarity and newness, and it’s not always welcome.
God began giving me multiple pictures associated with wind, and I began to see two sides to winds of change – that which is beneficial and that which comes with a bit of a cautionary warning. I saw:
- Kites: Wind lifts them to great heights. Kites can also come crashing down to the ground if they get out of control and the person flying them can’t reposition them for lift before swiftly plummeting. As with the kite, we’re being invited to employ the winds of change to bring us higher, causing us to ascend into His presence in the heavenly realm. The focus is always on developing greater intimacy with God, not on the supernatural that takes place. If our focus is off, we can quickly come crashing down.
- Sails: There’s a sudden acceleration when a sail is hoisted on a boat and catches the wind. Someone skilled in sailing needs to be at the helm to steer the boat in the direction it’s to head, keep it from slamming into rocks, and make the most of the wind. Many are about to experience sudden acceleration. “Let your eyes look directly ahead and let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you. Watch the path of your feet and all your ways will be established” (Proverbs 4:25-26). I believe God has been preparing many for acceleration. It’s come through refining, testing, and humble repentance. When the acceleration comes, keep your gaze fixed on Him, and your ways will be established.
- Wind turbines: They harness the power of the wind to create energy. As the winds of change blow, there will be an influx of energy – the fueling for what’s ahead. Harness and utilize it, trusting you’ll be empowered for the work set before you.
Two other scriptures came to mind in my conversation with Him. First, I heard, “Lead me in the way everlasting.” That’s connected to Psalm 139:23-24 – “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Leading in the way everlasting is connected with allowing God to search us, know our hearts and thoughts, test us, and determine if we’re on a path of worshipping any idols (wicked way).
The passage in Mark 7:24-27 about the wise and foolish men who built their houses also came to mind, but what stood out to me was the second part of verse 25, “the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.”
Building on the verses in Psalm 139 is our firm foundation. When the winds of change blow, even when they’re vehement and feel threatening, we have the assurance we won’t fall or come crashing down - we’ll remain standing on our firm foundation.
So, be prepared for the winds of change this month. Allow excitement, hope, and expectation to rise in your heart. When they come, ascend like a kite, accelerate as one whose sails are at full mast, harness the energy of the wind, and let it fuel you for all that’s ahead.
My prayer for this month is, "Lord, I sense this month will be marked by winds of change. Keep my foot firmly planted on Your path and lead me in the way everlasting!"
Lord, let the winds of change blow!
Living for Him,
Andrea
Our Mission: Love Others Well & Empower Them to Do the Same
