God Loves His Daughters!

- Like a lily among thorns, So is my love among the daughters.

It is always my goal to encourage the women of God. One of the things that is very important to me is that you know that God loves you. He doesn't just tolerate you because He made you. He doesn't just put up with you because you are His responsibility. No, He really and truly loves you! If you are paying attention to everything that is going on around us, you can see that God is vindicating women in every arena. We are in a season where we are doing more than breaking glass ceilings. We are breaking demonic strongholds. We are breaking through second heaven barriers to open up third heaven portals that is releasing the supernatural in every area of our lives. God loves His daughters!!

We Are Being Noticed

When you really love something or someone, you want everyone to take notice. That is what God has done for His daughters. He made us noticeable. He gave us something that is different from everyone else. Something that stands out...like the lily among thorns!

One of the definitions for stand out is something or someone, as a person, performance, etc., remarkable, superior to others. God has given each of us a unique quality or gift that sets us apart from others. Some of you are quiet while others may be loud. But it is what sets you apart from someone else. Some of you are very "girly" and "prissy", while others of you go strictly for what is comfortable at all times. Let me encourage you not to ever apologize for or despise the way that God made you. God would like each of his daughters to see themselves as He sees you and to be thankful. Think about it this way, Psalm 139:14 (TLB) - Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! It is amazing to think about. Your workmanship is marvelous-and how well I know it.

My dear sisters, God did not put in all that work for you to be hidden. He meant for you to be noticed. You may have the same gift as one of your other sisters, but yours will have a different spin on it than hers. God did that on purpose! That's how marvelous His workmanship is! He did that so that you can stand out like a lily among the thorns. So that you will be noticed!!!

Unique For Your Environment

Another definition for stand out means someone who is conspicuous in an area because of his or her refusal to conform with the actions, opinions, desires, etc., of the majority.

Like a lily among the thorns, So is my love among the daughters.

When I think of thorns, I think of something that is unpleasant. I think of something that is painful or something that I would rather not deal with. In the bible we know that when Jesus died on the cross he was crowned with a crown of thorns (Matthew 27:29). We also know that Apostle Paul was given a thorn in his flesh that was unpleasant to say the least (2 Corinthians 12:7). If they could not escape the thorns, neither can we. Thorns are your naysayers or your enemies. They are the ones who don't want to see you succeed. They don't want to see you survive. They are the ones who don't think you belong in their group. Who expects a lily to thrive among the thorns? God does!!! He equipped you for it!!

I know that many of you have been placed in some environments and situations that are just thorny. Everything around you is uncomfortable and unpleasant and you can't do anything about it. But your Father wants you to know that you are still in a place where you can rise above the rest. In this place He will cause you to stand out like a lily among the thorns. You are the one who brings beauty to the environment. You are not there to conform to the thorny environment but to transform it and show forth the glory of God!

There's Enough Glory For Everyone

Finally, there's no need for God's daughter's to compete with one another. There is enough of God's glory to cover all of us. I have found that competition only feels necessary when we don't know our purpose. When you discover your own uniqueness and allow Holy Spirit to plant you in the garden of life where you have been called to grow, you will no longer need to compete with anyone. The most important thing is that you submit your gift to the Holy Spirit and obey His leading. Many times we want to decided when, where and how we will use our gift. But that is not our job. That is the job of Holy Spirit. We are responsible for guarding the gift and He is responsible for guiding it.

As I close, I want to encourage you to rise up as a lily among thorns. Wherever God has planted you, know that He has already provided everything that you need to thrive in that place. He does so because God loves His daughters!!

Blessings,

Pastor Karen