authority · Confidence · power

“Okay… Now Mature.”

Amanda2 Comments

Remember last week when I told you Holy Spirit said, “I want you to be weary for nothing. You must come to a place in Me where you don’t become tired with moving forward. You must get up and go at all times.”

Yeah….. That part… Well, He’s been explaining Himself in greater detail. And so, I am going to share.

“Amanda, it is now your responsibility to mature. There aren’t any excuses or tricks around it. You cannot manipulate Me in this moment. Either you mature now in this season or you find yourself languishing away. Because you cannot become who I’ve truly and fully created you to be if you do not spiritually mature. So, take this next step forward because it IS in fact the next one.”

Spiritual maturity… Ah… What a joy! Seriously, I am embracing the heaviness of this task with joy in my heart because, if I don’t, it could be ugly for a moment.

So now you may be wondering what I’ve learned so far and how you could mature too? Well, I’ve learned that maturity is not for the faint of heart. It’s not for those who whine and complain about the journey and the process. Maturity isn’t for the selfish, self-centered or the weak. It’s not built up on the backs of losers, who are ill-equip in their giftings, anointing and purpose.

Instead, maturity is a place where the cultivated go to truly flourish and thrive. It’s where they incessantly go to war with the kingdom of darkness and overcome. But, most importantly, it’s where they go to heal the sick, raise the dead, deliver the oppressed/depressed and perform signs and miracles in the heavens and on earth.

Maturity is the place where true sons and daughters of God perpetually rule & reign because they have a grand assurance and an unwavering understanding of who they are… No one has to remind them. They aren’t spiritually deaf, mute and lame. Instead, their spirits are fully awakened to and completely activated in Kingdom living. Pulling the realms and dimensions of Heaven to Earth is like breathing to them because it is their lifestyle. Plus, they aren’t conformed to a building or a religion centered on tradition, but instead they are free to roam with Holy Spirit as the Ekklesia is to do and be.

Now… Most importantly! They do not cancel. They do not hate. They do not hide their hate and anger from a place of “truth.” They do not condemn and judge because their “religion said so.” They do not operate from a place of cheap grace, false Jesus or a lack relationship with and submission to Holy Spirit. And.. They do not fear Satan, Lucifer, the demonic or the kingdom of darkness in any fashion or form.

Instead they cultivate. They create. They build. They reconstruct. They unite. They love others from a: spirit, soul, heart & body point-of-view because God has provided grace for the abused AND the abuser. Most importantly, they aim to understand God, His Kingdom and His principles in a more life-giving, paradigm shifting way. They strive to steward the giftings and anointings He’s supplied them with. They aim to understand from a place of love and humility, while applying the wisdom of God from the 3rd Heaven downward.

You see the Kingdom of God is vast in relation to Earth. It contains more realms, dimensions, timelines and ages than one can truly and accurately perceive all at once. So, to be mature, you MUST… WE MUST be prepared to take on the responsibility of what the Kingdom of God has to offer.

And what God truly has is a cultivated life where we walk in complete power, dominion and authority at all times. A life where we fully live out what’s written about us on our Heavenly scroll. 🌱 #cultivatelife

authority · heart · soul · Spirit

Weary for Nothing

AmandaLeave a comment

“Ew… You’re whining and complaining again Amanda!! Remember, we’ve outgrown this place. And I know it’s challenging to understand where Holy Spirit is leading and why He’s pointing “that way next,” but we don’t whine and complain because of our heart and soul’s lack of understanding. Instead we power up the giftings and tools He’s equipped us with and move forward.”

And so… There it is… The continuous conversation I will have with myself until my heart and soul learn how align with my spirit and then persevere past this place of obvious weakness.

And I don’t know about you, but perseverance can be very exhausting. Which is why I found it very interesting when I heard Holy Spirit say, “I want you to be weary for nothing. You must come to a place in Me where you don’t become tired with moving forward. You must get up and go at all times.”

“Oh okay… Amazing. So you want me to ignore my soul’s weariness even though I am fully aware that I don’t know what “next” is. And you want me to do it in my 30s… A time when my entire life is laying before me and I still want to do what I want to do, but I won’t because my heart’s desire has become to fully follow You no matter what… Okay…. I will do it.”

It’s been like this with Him lately. He’s been opening up vast realms and dimensions of His Kingdom to me, all while pushing me to fully participate in them at once. Why? Well because I am an active player in His Kingdom. And, when you’re an active player (we all should be), you don’t get to go sit on the sidelines and rest when you’re tired. Instead, you keep moving forward when He says, “KEEP GOING.”

And so now you might be wondering, “Okay, Amanda… How do you move forward then? How do you find the energy, the will and the tenacity to stay His course?”

Well, first and foremost, I plug my human spirit into the presence of God as much as possible. Yeah, that’s right. I get into His presence and allow Him to pour more of His energy and power into me. And then… Then I operate from my human spirit as much as possible because it contains the energy, will and tenacity to keep going.

And it’s been a process to learn how to do this; however, I’ve learned that the more I allow my spirit to lead, the less likely my soul will scheme up an escape plan because my spirit’s strength outweighs my soul. And the more my heart aligns with the heart of Father God, the more confident, secure and at peace I become in my purpose in any given moment.

Also, cultivating a lifestyle that continually combats the kingdom of darkness has revolutionized my world and those around me. I just don’t give myself excuses anymore when it comes to spiritual warfare. Instead, I allow my spirit to be the “superhero” God intended her to be. I give her the reins when speaking to principalities, demons on assignment and demonic weaponized energy sources. I let her rule and reign from the throne God has entrusted her with, all while channeling what He’s deposited deep within.

And I know this might all sound weird; however, this is how I live. Actually this is how I’ve gradually lived as I’ve learned how to cultivate the lifestyle I am currently living from. And sure… Give it some time and there will be a higher level of where I am right now, but today… Today, we persevere. 🌱 #cultivatelife #keepmovingforward

Confidence · heart · Spirit · truth

This is Who I Am

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I sat down to pout. I sat down to sulk. I sat down to complain about how frustrated I felt. And then… All in one moment… I stopped myself. I stopped myself and said, “Amanda, you don’t do this anymore. You’ve outgrown this place where you get upset over things that are out of your control. You’ve moved past feeling overwhelmed with “the follow” and where He’s leading you. You no longer contain the capacity to roll your eyes and then sarcastically walk down a somewhat fearful, self-paved road screaming, “What’s next?!?!” You’ve reached a place of maturity and you MUST continually live in it!!!”

Yeah…. That was the inner dialogue between my spirit, heart and soul. My spirit reminding my heart and soul that we don’t sulk around anymore about where God is taking us. Instead, we suit up, take hold of His ever-evolving assignments and move forward like the Warrior Queen He’s been cultivating.

And I don’t know if this resonates with you at all; however, I’m learning that maturity is one of the most attractive virtues to possess because of its steadfastness. It’s just this grand assurance and unwavering confidence, rooted so deeply within that it billows out, “This is who I am!”

And sure, sure maturity seems as though it takes eons to cultivate; however, once we’ve entered that place… Once we’ve come into that promised land, well it’s as if the fruit is everlasting because we have the capacity to stop ourselves when parts of us want to act childish, self-centered or unruly. We can stop ourselves and say, “I’ve been down this road before and it doesn’t produce any good fruit, so I mustn’t go forward.” 🌱 #cultivatelife

authority · death · power · Spirit · truth

The Languishing Leviathan

AmandaLeave a comment

It’s been a full decade since I was awakened to real, true evil and darkness…

As I leaned over the hospital bed to pray for my frail grandmother a thick, firm voice snapped back at me, “I raised you!” All in one moment it hit me, the voice coming from the bed wasn’t my grandmother’s. I could just tell by the strong and distinctly strange inflection in her tone and the dark, spine-chilling look in her typically piercing, crystal-blue eyes. Very quickly I responded, “You’re right. My grandmother raised me and YOU raised me too.” Then from the bed came a wicked laughter I’d never heard before and a very prideful response, “You’re right Amanda. I DID RAISE YOU.” I couldn’t believe my ears in that moment. For the first time in my life, I was awakened to the truth that I was spiritually staring back at some type of dark, demented and deeply twisted Leviathan who was bent on suppressing my life, my relationship with God and my purpose.

And, then to realize someone I idolized was entangled with something so dark and twisted. Gosh, it made my head spin and my heart hurt. And then to consider that “it” helped raise me… All I could do in that moment was begin to desperately cry from the depth of my spirit in hopes that my grandmother would be awakened to the truth too.

So, I left the hospital that day filled with a great deal of grief and confusion, yet I was clearly awakened to the reality that there was more going on in the supernatural realms of life. And, for the first time, I had personally experienced it. No one was sharing their experiences. The truth was right in front of me.

You see this specific experience began a long and some-what challenging journey I didn’t feel I was prepared to go on. Let’s just say I wanted to pretend that my family and I were completely free of the demonic because we believed in Christ, operated in authority and knew so much about the spirit realm; however, that was a terrible lie from the languishing Leviathan who helped secretly raise me.

Now, over time I’ve learned that it doesn’t matter how close we believe we are to God and His Kingdom or how much we think we know about Him because demonic influence can be present and fully operating in our lives. And, 100% of the time, the demonic is there without us even realizing it because generational iniquity is passed down in the supernatural and then given access to our lives.

So, what are we supposed to do? Well, if it weren’t for my expressed belief in Jesus, Leviathan would have continued to suppress my spiritual gifts and prevented me from flourishing and thriving on a spiritual plane of life. I mean he was definitely trying to. However, his opportunity was squashed the moment I realized I needed to fully exercise my authority purchased through Jesus. So, through a Holy Spirit led process I began to work with the Godhead to gain freedom and take back all that the demonic had stolen.

So now some of you might be thinking, “Does this mean someone that has a relationship with Jesus can also be suppressed and oppressed by the demonic? How is that possible when He’s around? Amanda, there’s no way. You’ve got to be kidding me!” And I’m here to tell you, with all that I have learned and experienced over the past decade, someone that has a relationship with Jesus can definitely have several relationships with demonic entities and not even realize it.

You see, if we aren’t accessing the fullness of Jesus and His power properly, then yes… Yes, we WILL walk under the influence of darkness, death and decay from the inside out because we are made: spirit, soul, heart and body. And, if we do not take responsibility of our spiritual lives by fully leaning into them and then allowing Jesus to free us from all of our spiritual entanglements (yes, even the generational ones), then yes, we will absolutely be entangled with the demonic.

And I’m not sharing this to stir anyone up or cause grief. I’m sharing this because I have spent an entire decade walking in more freedom, joy, love and life than I ever imagined was possible. Plus, my relationship with the Godhead and my connection to the supernatural is so much more powerful and stronger since I dropped my pride and fear and just allowed Holy Spirit to lead me into the fullness of the finished work of Jesus. 🌱 #cultivatelife

heart · Spirit · truth

The Vault

Amanda1 Comment

I was in the spirit yesterday morning, praying and talking to God like normal… All of a sudden I saw a large brownish/maroonish/whiteish marbled wall that spanned down a hallway. I didn’t know where I was, so I asked Holy Spirit. He said, “You’re in your Heavenly mansion, and I want to show you something that’s locked inside of the vault of your heart.” 

“Cool!!” I thought. “I wonder what this is all about.”

The next thing I knew I found myself in a very large home my dad built and my family lived in in the early 2000s. As I walked around throughout the house, memories of that season came rushing into my mind. Suddenly, I was overwhelmed with the past. The way it felt. The way it sounded. The way it smelt. All of it was actively present and alive in front of me. 

As I walked around I began to wonder, “Okay, what’s this all about? Why am I here? God, why did you bring me to my Heavenly mansion to unlock the vault of my heart? And what does this season of my life have to do with what’s hidden inside of the vault?”


Then, He very carefully began to explain Himself. He showed me a huge truth I’d kept hidden from myself… An area where I chose to believe a lie, and then never stopped believing it. And, although, I’ve known the truth for years, I’ve chosen to push it further and further away from me. He said, “Amanda, you’ve allowed this lie to define who you are in this moment, but it cannot define you anymore. I want you to let it go. I want you to repent and renounce for cultivating it within the grounds of your heart. And then, then I want you to pick up the truth, plant it on this refined ground and then walk away from here covered in My boldness, confidence, humility and security.”

And so… So that’s what I did. I repented for holding onto the lie for so long. I renounced any stronghold or demonic entanglement I might be caught up in because of it. And then… Then I planted the seed of truth on the grounds of my heart.

And I tell you this story because I hope it encourages you to continue to follow Holy Spirit into hidden parts of yourself so that He may inspect the depths of your heart. Because, even after years of life-giving cultivation, there are STILL areas of our lives He can and will dig up so that we can flourish. And, I know a lot of the time we don’t want to follow Him into the past because it requires reliving things that are uncomfortable; however, the powerful thing about moving forward with Him is the truth that we will thrive on the other side. 🌱 #cultivatelife

death · Spirit · truth

A Promise is A Promise

Amanda1 Comment

Six-and-a-half years ago my dad unexpectedly died. A month before he passed my parents had just celebrated their milestone 30th wedding anniversary. To celebrate, they planned to take a trip to Hawaii, but… Well obviously, that didn’t happen.

Last week my mom turned 60-years-old. So, in true Winder Sister form and fashion, Bridget and I decided to honor my parents plans by taking her to Hawaii to celebrate.

Now if I’m honest, I was excited the entire time! However, as we zipped up, down and around the island for the week, I never really thought about Dad much. I never truly let myself experience the weight of what it means to honor my parents by fulfilling a promise that was made within the covenant of their marriage.

And so, it wasn’t until we were actually headed to the airport that the heaviness of it all began to hit me. 

You see… Sickness, disease and death sought to destroy the Winder Women by completely robbing us of life and dragging us down a long and sometimes dark path of brokenness, heartache and pain. However, that’s what’s so magnificent about restoration! It’s this beautiful, systematic process where God promises too deeply and divinely heal us from the darkness that has torn us apart: spirit, soul, heart and body.

And… Somewhere along the way, the healing becomes a fulfilled process in certain areas… And you’re able to look at the life (like we have with this trip) and confidently say, “Yeah, dad’s not here… Yes, life has been an emotional, painful, uncertain climb we sometimes didn’t believe we’d make it through; however, we are holding God to His promises. And His promises say, “He WILL vindicate us and bring life to every place the kingdom of darkness has stolen.” His promises say, “He WILL redeem, restore and then supply us with endless joy!” His promises say, “He WILL cultivate the grounds of our brokenness so that they can be made whole, and then we can walk in the maturity of His confidence, security and love.”

And so you see… It is completely healthy to walk through fire and then emerge refined, restored and redeemed. It’s completely healthy to emerge without an ounce of bitterness, anger, hate, heartache and insecurity. It’s completely healthy to emerge more equipped with a heavier, holier suit of armor than when you walked in. 

Because when you do… When you actually surrender your pain, heartache and brokenness to God, then He can come in with His great love and swallow up what the kingdom of darkness has stolen. And then… Then you can move forward to the other side with a healthy, whole and aligned spirit, soul, heart and body. And that side… That realm… That promised land is overflowing with an increase of LIFE…. Life that is beaming and vibrating with a higher frequency of honor, respect, love and gratitude towards God than you ever imagined possible. And it perpetually echos out, “A promise is a promise!” 🌱 #cultivatelife #winderwomen

 

soul · Spirit · truth

True Satisfaction

AmandaLeave a comment

I’m still focused in on the concept of satisfaction and how I am to truly cultivate a lifestyle of it. 

And, in all of my mediation over the past few weeks, this is what’s becoming evidentiary clear to my heart and soul…

A satisfied life is not a settled life. It’s not a life where you throw in the towel and hunker in with the mindset of following the culture. Instead… A satisfied life means you’ve fully surrendered (in joy) to the reality that God will provide you with the next piece of the puzzle when He knows you’re ready…. And, until then, you will work diligently with what He’s given you

And I wish I grasped this so long ago… Honestly, I do…. Because it would’ve saved me from so many set backs and sleepless nights where I tried to “figure it all out” with my soul’s rational thinking.

However, I am learning that I must live from a place where I am satisfied in ALL aspects of life… Which includes where He’s leading my sister and me with Cultivate Life & Bridget Winder Art.

You see for years we’ve chosen to let Him lead us in making decisions that are big and small. And though His lead doesn’t usually make logical, 3D sense, my spirit knows and understands it to be the best choice because it is the most fulfilling one.

You see His choices offer a clean and sturdy foundation where fear of money, fear of man, jealousy, pride, envy and bitterness cannot exist. His path makes sure I don’t sew seeds of manipulation and deception into the fertile soil of all He is aiming to cultivate.

And I guess what I’m trying to say is this… God’s plans and purposes for leading me in business are much larger than I ever anticipated because they exist in realms and dimensions far deeper, wider and thorougher than I ever fathomed. And, although I’ve been learning I need to be satisfied with the things of Him, I never considered how that satisfaction would need to echo into every aspect of my life…. So much so that my spirit would be required to transcribe that satisfaction onto a scroll for my soul to pick up, read and follow.

And with that… Well I firmly see that being satisfied must leak into my professional life… I must become satisfied with the way in which He’s taught me to do business and build companies for His Kingdom. I must rest on the truth that He’s provided me with everything I need in this present moment… And when more is needed, in all facets, He will supply.🌱 #cultivatelife 

Spirit · truth

Satisfied?

Amanda1 Comment

Last week I shared how vital it’s been for me to “capacitate“ in life.

But… You know… I was kind of vague when speaking about capacity because I didn’t really delve into the areas inside of me that are being pressed to the limit.

So here we go…

Being specific about where I’m growing with God right now seems slightly chaotic. I mean… He is stretching me in so many different areas. However, the place that feels most pressing to share with you is an area I am aiming to master.

You see it’s a challenge for me to be satisfied with the things of God.

And, because I feel challenged in this area, I’ve asked Him to help me. Which usually entails a breakdown… I need some understanding and application from Him about HOW I am to be satisfied with Him and only Him.

And guess what He told me?… He said, “Amanda, I just need your entire focus. I give you what you need daily. Every Single Day I provide you with what you need to live in peace and harmony, but you choose… You choose to allow your heart and soul to gaze on other things. To become consumed with things that have nothing to truly do with where I am leading you. And so, you struggle in your heart and soul. You flip back and forth. Questioning me. And why? I have given you what you need. You have leaned into your inheritance in Me and I have provided for you. So why… Why are you looking at things that are less than what I’ve given you?”

Now I know what you might be thinking… “Well He really told you.” And, you’re right… He did. He does. That’s how my relationship with Him is. He’s the father and friend that drops the hammer and pushes me back into line so I can develop, mature and grow properly.

He’s the one that says, “Umm, I’ve healed you from the inside out and set you free of demons, darkness, death and decay. I’ve refined you and matured you. I’ve opened up entire realms and dimensions of life for you as you’ve pursued Me and My ways. So why… Why do you allow yourself to become focused on material, insignificant matters of life? Why don’t you keep yourself: spirit, soul, heart and body directly focused on Me and My Kingdom? Because when you do, you will continue to find yourself satisfied with all that you’ll ever need in life.”

And He’s right. He’s 100% honest in what He’s saying. And I can’t think of an excuse that’s good enough to object Him.

And, because I can’t find anything worthy enough to object Him, I have to also accept the rest of what He’s said. Which is, “Amanda, you are acutely aware of the nonsense that plays out in society. You see how your culture buys into every selfish want and desire, in an aim to fulfill their souls inward need to feel like they are achieving ‘life.’ But that satisfaction of ‘life’ can only really truly be found within Me and my Kingdom. You must keep choosing it. Time and time again.”

And so I will. I am. I am making a conscious effort to keep my soul quiet as my spirit aims to expand and focus intently on where He’s leading. And I hope, I truly hope you will also become fully satisfied in Him. That you will see life through the eyes of your spirit, and really delve into all that there is to be satisfied with. 🌱 ♥️ #cultivatelife

 

 

heart · Spirit · truth

Capacitate

Amanda2 Comments

Yesterday, I caught myself looking very intently at old photos…. And they gripped me in such a way that I thought, “I don’t even see myself in these photos anymore. The person I see in these photos is just an image… A mirage… A shell of me in a once lived life. A girl who was searching very deeply for identity, security and belonging. A young woman who needed to be completely stripped down and cleansed of her brokenness, confusion, selfishness and deep-rooted pride.”

And now I do realize we don’t all look at our past selves, only in an effort to compare it to our present selves. However, well… I do because I love to track my growth rate.

Which is why sometimes… Sometimes I wish I could travel to the past and tell that girl, “Hey you, you’re gonna go through a lot of challenging processes, but they will refine you. They will develop and mature you. They WILL cause you to grow. Actually they will propel you to grow in such a way that you’ll feel isolated A LOT. And you’ll feel misunderstood even more. However, your capacity…. Amanda, your capacity to move forward with the plans and the will of God… Wow! It will grow! You will be able to take on more than you ever imagined… More than you ever schemed up in all of those phone calls… Yeah, the capacity God’s going to instill and install inside of you will be so voluminous. So don’t stop. Don’t ever stop growing!”

And you know… I say all of this in this moment because I am wrestling deeply with capacity. I’ve been asking God for months to grow it… To give me a greater understanding of how it works… And He’s been very reliable in answering. But the feeling of growth… The amount of pressure it takes for one to reach the maximum amount one can contain or produce… Gosh it is a challenging process.

However, I do believe… I truly, truly believe it is so very healthy to outgrow who we were years ago, months ago or even a few weeks ago. Because if we’re ever going to truly thrive the way God intended us to, then we MUST be willing to capacitate. We must be willing to stare ourselves down in the mirror and say, “I don’t know who you’re becoming or how you’re going to get there, but you will move forward. You will grow. And you will do it with Holy Spirit leading the way!” 🌱 #cultivatelife #keepmovingforward

heart · truth

Look for Him!

AmandaLeave a comment

“You talk about God too much.”

It’s a statement I’ve heard a lot lately. And… If I’m 100% honest, it doesn’t bother me.

Why? Well because He’s very much a part of my life and my world… He’s sewn very deeply into the fabric of who I am.

So… So why wouldn’t I talk about Him. I mean… Most of us talk about things that are important to us right? 

We talk about our relationships, our kids, our jobs, our future aspirations… We talk about our current realities and how they ebb and flow.

So, it’s normal for me to discuss Him.

But now you might be thinking, “Okay, then show me where He’s ‘etched’ into your life?” And so I will.

I find Him… I find Him in EVERYTHING. I find Him when I sit and listen to friends and family talk. He’s there, showing the wide range of gifts and talents He’s deposited into each one of them. 

I find Him woven into moments that are dark, decrepit and unbearably difficult to handle. You know, the moments where you want to give up? Yeah, I find Him there ready and able to offer a strong, sturdy and secure branch to lean against.

You know where else I find Him? In moments that are completely still… Moments that are motionless. The ones that make you feel like, “Gosh, everything feels as it should be!” Yeah,  He’s right there.

However, I do believe my favorite place to find Him is that “place.” You know the “place” between where you are and where you’re trying to get too. The “place” that makes you acutely aware to look for every clue He might be leaving and how it might significantly connect to the current destination you’re seeking. Yeah, I love finding Him in all of those “places.” It’s just so pure… So divine… Almost like magic! 

So, before I leave you… Before I sign off and begin to get caught up in my reality of communing with and talking to God again… Let me leave you with this… Look for Him. Even if you don’t know Him, or only know a few things about Him. Become a seeker of life, beauty and grace. Open yourself up to the possibility that God might be WAY more than what He is to you in this present moment… I mean I believe He’s WAY more than He is to me in this present moment.

And then, then when you do discover Him in a new way. Lean into all of it. Become submerged in every ounce of goodness, fellowship and awe that you find! I know I will! 🌱 #cultivatelife