Tag: keep moving forward

assignment · challenge · cultivation · follow · forerunner · grow · keep moving forward · Perseverance

Run Hard

AmandaLeave a comment

“Run Hard. Persevere. Keep Moving Forward.” I tell myself these things every single day. They are the inner motivation I need to remain constant and consistent to the path I’m walking down with Holy Spirit. And the motivation is good. It does help me press forward in moments where I could become complacent; however, I do wonder…. 

What overwhelms you the most about following Holy Spirit’s lead? Is it acquiring the focus to listen to Him and then drawing near to truly hear what He’s saying? Or, do you find yourself challenged to discern and understand what He’s spoken and the direction He’s pointing you in because you’re conflicted between what your spirit believes versus how your soul might be interpreting? Or, are you like me… Finding yourself in several tough moments where you hear Him and understand Him, but don’t necessarily want to move forward because it’s going to require you to really endure more challenging moments than before?

I’ve been in a sprint for what seems like three months now. I’ve been in a moment that’s caused me to really press in and run as hard as I can with the direction of Holy Spirit, while pulling from Heaven as I need it. And the sprint has been good. The sprint has actually produced several significant breakthroughs, followed by a flow of revelation, wisdom and understanding that I didn’t have before; however, the sprint… The run hard moment has also left my soul feeling weary because it still wrestles with submitting to my spirit and operating from a place of rest, while my spirit paves the way forward in the sprint.

And though I can’t really share the reasons I am sprinting right now, I can tell you I do hear Holy Spirit, my angels and a vast cloud of witnesses like never before. I do hear all of their voices and input about how I can really become great at sprinting in moments where I am aiming to cultivate the mental toughness to arrive on time at the end of the sprint, gaining everything I’ve been pursuing for the Kingdom of God.

Yesterday, after making a business decision that will advance things greatly, I heard Holy Spirit say, “I see you’re here seeking direction. Remember Heaven will give you everything you need. We will make it look flawless. The run hard moment was for this moment. I know you are so weary in your soul from this journey. I see all of the hope deferred inside of you. I see your longings and I hear your cries. Amanda, I haven’t forgotten about you, but you must not cave in right now. Rise above what your soul is feeling. Rise above it and access the faith of your spirit. Access the divine nature of your spirit. Do not be afraid of it at all. It is so useful and helpful for such a time as this. I know this journey has been long and filled with seasons of disappointment, delay and frustration, but you must… I repeat you must keep moving forward. Always. That is My order to you. Do not be afraid either. There’s nothing to fear.”

And I don’t know if you are challenged with following Holy Spirit; however, I am here to encourage you to keep going. Don’t give up on the plans He’s laid before you and the path He’s placed you on. Be brave in moments where He’s leading you into more levels and layers of refinement so that you can come forth ready and willing to develop, mature and grow into all that He has for you. And, most importantly (I have to tell myself this a lot), remember that following Holy Spirit is a lifestyle. It’s a cultivated lifestyle. We are all in different lanes with Him according to the assignments He’s created for us. We are all growing and maturing at different rates. Each one of us has different layers of iniquity or past moments of darkness that try to hold us back from moving forward, but it’s okay because His grace divides the darkness of who we are and who we’ve been from who we are truly meant to be. Also, we aren’t in a race with each other. This isn’t a competition where we compare our growth rates and patterns. Instead, we are following Him to continue to help reveal the Kingdom of Heaven in the earth. And some days seem easier than others. But, more than anything, be encouraged to just keep going. Do not become stagnant in your spiritual walk. And please, find a community of people that are open to helping you mature and grow into every ounce of destined potential Heaven has written and recorded about you. 🌱

keep moving forward · power · vulnerability · warfare

The Responsibility

Amanda1 Comment

My goal as a writer for the past 8-10 years has always been centered around having the vulnerability to share the inner workings of myself and my relationship with God. To give a first-hand, in the moment account of a cultivated life. My heart is always aiming to demonstrate how Holy Spirit is working to refine and restore parts of me, as He pushes me towards deeper levels of development, maturity and growth.

Some days (like today) I struggle. I struggle with the inner cultivation of myself and how I should communicate it properly. 

Which is why embellishing on my current reality feels more challenging than usual. So please, try to follow what I’m expressing.

The perseverance it’s taken to reach today hasn’t been a cake-walk. The spiritual and mental determination to keep moving forward with the plans of God has felt, at times, utterly impossible from my soul’s perspective. People often say to me, “You’re so strong to keep going… To stay so committed to following Holy Spirit with such a submissive heart.” And while it’s true, it does require strength… None of the strength I’m using belongs to me. I’ve actually asked God for it because I know I need His power, strength and grace to empower all of me: spirit, soul, heart and body. Without eternal reliance and relationship with Him, I am weak and broken. 

Right now, I am learning that perseverance is much more challenging when you’re in a place of persevering (in several areas: personally, and in business), only for God to come and say, “Amanda, here is the next step. Except for this step is less of a step and more of a paradigm shifting way of operating in My kingdom. It will actually make the steps you’re taking seem more effortless, but you must apply it.”

Of course, a more effortless route is so appealing, but then I sit back and consider the responsibility and the serious learning curve I’ll need to submit to in order for this to become a component of my lifestyle. 

And that… That is my hang up… The responsibility.

But you know… I cannot become overwhelmed by the thought of the responsibility. I cannot become consumed with the hard work and training that will have to take place in order for this to become a facet of my lifestyle. I cannot embrace the lies I hear about how difficult this will be because then I will empower the liar. And I certainly cannot embrace fear, doubt or unbelief in any way because then I will begin to lose my strength and authority to cultivate this reality. 

And I don’t know if I am making complete sense, but my soul keeps saying, “If you obey God, then this path you’ve been paving and persevering down is going to be absolute hell! It’s going to be so heavy and exhausting to blaze forward!” 

However, God’s given the instruction. And He’s not asking for my opinion about it. No, He wants my complete submission and obedience to the instruction no matter how my soul feels about it. Which means, even if I don’t love the idea of another responsibility, I became responsible the moment He gave me the instruction. So, I must step forward and simply obey. He has and He will continue to supply the power, strength and grace needed for the responsibility at hand. 🌱

keep moving forward · Mind · power · warfare

Violence

Amanda2 Comments

The past three days or so I’ve felt a growing sense of violence surrounding me. Like I can’t breathe because I feel an extreme measure of torment pursuing my heart and soul. And I’ve never been a depressed type, but I do feel a very sudden and extreme sense of hopelessness weighing me down.

Of course I’ve been questioning, “What the actual hell is going on? Why do I suddenly feel this way? What’s the root? Where is this coming from and how do I cut the source off and prevent another wave from coming?”

So, after literally willing myself out of bed this morning, I sat and pondered the source. And then I found it. Friday. Friday there was a clear and direct deposit in the spirit from Holy Spirit. A deposit that gave my sister and I a direct conclusion for a project we’ve been faithfully working on. And, from that point, the enemy of my soul began to enact his plan, shifting my focus from God’s deposit to his own deposit of extreme doubt, fear and hopelessness. I actually sat on the end of my bed yesterday crying because I couldn’t seem to switch off the aimed frequency causing the mental and physical torment I felt.

After gaining the source, I began to feel somewhat better so I asked Holy Spirit, “What do I do now?” He said, “Call your human spirit forward.” So, I did. And I asked her what was up. Her response, “The enemy of your soul is trying to make you quit. He would like you to focus on the tangible world around you and cause you to exist from a soulish playing field of life. He’s trying to divide your spirit and your soul, while creating confusion and torment from within.” 

After my human spirit was finished speaking, I turned back to Holy Spirit for direction. He said, “Divine alignment is happening in the spirit concerning the project. Don’t take your focus off of Me. I told you the Fall would be messy but to remain focused on Me. There’s been a new release concerning this project you are working on. The accuser is after you. If he can get you to fold, he can get the entire project to fold. Tell him no. Tell him you aren’t interested in whatever he is selling. Tell him you choose to operate with love, power and a sound mind. Not fear. Do not buy what he is selling with your own free-will. Stand firm. Stand your ground. You are on holy ground. Do not step into torment or accept it.”

And I’m sharing this because it’s vital to be reminded of the violent nature of the power we combat in the spirit. It’s essential to see that complete submission to Holy Spirit followed by consistent forward movement creates great stress and fear inside of the kingdom of darkness’s camp. And it’s extremely necessary that we pull ourselves closer to Holy Spirit, determine the root of the enemies plan, devise a scheme with Holy Spirit to fight back and then KEEP MOVING FOWARD towards the goal He’s placed in front of us.

And I know that it is challenging. We live in unprecedented times. However, we must keep our eyes focused on the path He’s placed before us, rather than the violence aiming to take us under and consume the divine culture and quality of our spiritual nature. 🌱

authority & dominion · freedom · Spirit

Expansion

Amanda1 Comment

Deep beneath the layers of my skin, I feel it… A trans-dimensional maturity and growth occurring. It’s a stretching out… A stretching out and almost bursting forth of my human spirit. You know, it almost feels like my skin is tighter and brighter because I now contain more of my human spirit, Holy Spirit and the weight of the glory of God.

Actually, if you’ve ever smoked weed and been high before then you can kind of understand what this feels like. It’s just so weightless… Almost like you’re floating. Standing taller. Standing firmer. Your soul is submitting to your human spirit, and the merry-go-round you’ve been on has slowed down to a God-inclusive pace. A pace that offers a space for His thoughts and solutions to jump on board. And your mind… Your mind is clear from worry, anxiety and fear. You’re actually able to process the world that’s spinning at a mad, chaotic pace because your level of faith and belief in the Kingdom of God has increased to tremendous heights. 

This… This is expansion. You are called higher. The standard God set within the boundaries of His limitless Kingdom becomes clearer and clearer to your soul’s mind. And the dreams He’s placed inside of your malleable heart become realer, almost tangible to the very essence or your being.

Now, you might be wondering, “Amanda, how often do you feel this?” Honestly, from season to season. You see it takes true willingness, obedience and perseverance to move into higher levels of spiritual maturity and growth. It requires a level of submissive faith that decrees and declares, “I will follow where Holy Spirit is leading me, no matter the challenge, the limbo, the frustration and the internal conflict between spirit and soul. I will follow Him from season to season, seeking each milestone He is pointing me towards.”

But, “Amanda, what’s it all for?” Honestly, I believe spiritual maturity and growth is needed for more things than we can truly fathom; however, in this moment, I believe we need it for the push back. You see we cannot and will not rule and reign over the wickedness and evil of the world without it. We cannot conquer the kingdom of darkness if our human spirits are weak, inactive and immobile. We all need to experience the stretching out and bursting forth. We all need to make room for the glory of God that desires to dwell inside of us. 

And I’m writing this because I hear Holy Spirit incessantly repeating, “It’s time for a giant push back. You are strong enough. You are equipped enough. You have a solid understanding of your God-given authority and dominion. Now, push back!” 

So, I am encouraging you to stretch out so you too can push back. 🌱

challenge · keep moving forward · seasons

Seasonal Milestones

AmandaLeave a comment

It’s dark, tight and completely isolated, but not in a divisive, evil or wicked way. More so in a deeply concealed and ingeniously crafted manner.

I am confident. I am strong. I firmly believe moving forward with great courage and tremendous hope is the only way now.

And I hear Him saying, “Run with perseverance. Run hard. Do not look to the left or to the right with jealousy, pride and covetous. Do not look behind in grief, disappointment and frustration. Do not look ahead with fear, unbelief and worry. Instead, run with perseverance. It’s going to take everything I’ve deposited in the depths of you to breakthrough into the next season.”

But then I do ponder past seasons… So intricately and carefully designed, they are eternal fuel firing from the depths of my spirit, heart and soul. They are calling me higher and propelling me forward.

Actually, the past seasons of refinement, development, maturity and growth appear to be indispensable and multifaceted gifts… Gifts that have actually morphed into the faith I need to keep picking up the assignment of forward movement. 

And I’m sharing this with you because I understand how challenging it is to hear Holy Spirit’s voice and then blindly follow His very unknown, uncertain and ever-evolving ways for years without breakthrough. I understand how challenging it can feel to wonder, “How much longer until we reach the promises You hold so dear to Your heart God.” But then I am also beginning to embrace that I’ve needed each season He’s led me to and led me through in the past. Because each season, each season is a milestone. Milestones filled with intricate chaos. Milestones dashed with process and progress. Milestones that have cultivated the very faith my spirit, heart and soul need to finish this leg of the race! 🌱 #cultivatelife

doubt · faith · keep moving forward · stillness

Questioning It All

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I had a vision yesterday morning. I was in a dark, spacious cave, and I saw a waterfall flowing from a tall mountain-top of black rock. The mouth of the waterfall was wide. As the water fell, it plunged into a pool at the bottom, and then began to rapidly flow into a ravine. The ravine was different from the spacious cave. It was very tube like, tight and cramped. Still dark, but elevating downward. Then, very suddenly, I saw what seemed to be an end to the darkness… A bright light!

After this played out, I heard Holy Spirit. He said, “You are in a very tight, isolated and concealed space right now. So much is happening at once. I know it doesn’t seem like it is, but it is. Trust the flow. Trust what you feel in your human spirit. Trust the direction you’re being led… Even though you don’t understand. Trust Me.”

And then He stopped talking.

Lately, it’s been extremely challenging to keep moving forward. When you walk through many difficult seasons of life, without breaking into what God’s promised, you begin to question everything. And I have been. I am questioning it all. 

You see… It’s just the insight… The ideas… The concepts He’s given me over the years… Well, I’ve held so firm to them. He revealed them to me, planted them in my heart, watered them, nurtured them, watched them develop, mature and grow… And I see the fruit. I see what His ideas, concepts and dreams have produced in my own life and the lives of those that are close to me. But then… Then I ask, “What about the rest? What about the broad scope of all You envisioned and shared with me? And, I know I lack a lot of understanding, but how much longer will You choose to keep Your work concealed? Because I don’t care about fame, fortune, followers or ‘success.’ That doesn’t move me. Honestly, I only, truly care about You. I care that multitudes see how sensational of a feeling it is to be satisfied by only You. I care to share the same measure of love with others that You have shared with me. Everyone has to know! They must know that You aren’t so much ‘cool or hip or relevant.’ Instead, You’re legitimate and virtuous in Your very nature. You’re exactly what each person needs You to be in his/her own life at any given moment because relationship with you is a lifestyle, not a pop culture phenomenon or religion.”

His response? Quiet. Very still. Actually, His stature is so still that it echoes in a very boisterous way. Which then leads me to be still. To calm my soul. To stay present, confident and very focused on exactly where He’s leading. To not be conformed to my lack of understanding, but to just keep moving forward through this very tight, isolated and concealed space in time. 🌱

grow · heart · keep moving forward

Three Years Later

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On Tuesday my sister and I marked 3 years in NYC. If you know me or have followed my writings for a while then you know getting to this chapter of life was a journey for us. We’ve faced more life trials and obstacles than I’d wish on anyone; however, over the past three years, living in NYC has been a different kind of journey.

You see we don’t follow the flow of the cultural norm. We were raised in a household that taught us how to cultivate a relationship with the Holy Spirit and follow His lead over everything else. So, in life and in business, we make decisions based around what He says is best because that is faith… Fully following where He’s leading without fear, doubt, hesitation or selfishness. 

And it’s been challenging. It is challenging. We both have things we want in life; however, we’re both completely set on following the ideas, concepts, dreams and realities He’s shared with us over everything else.

A year ago, I shared about a mountain He’s asked us to climb. I said, “My sister and I have climbed lots of mountains before… Separately and together. But… THIS… THIS mountain is unique because we must take all that He has deposited inside of us (separately and together), multiply it with a new deposit of His gifts and then produce a finished product. Funny thing… Neither of us have a clue what the finished product will look like! Oh sure… We kind of know what it might feel like. And we definitely know what ideas need to be incorporated into the whole. However… the final outcome is a mystery.”

Since writing that, the mystery has unraveled itself in such a powerful and unexpected way. I am honestly blown away with the insight, revelation, wisdom, understanding, provision and connection He’s provided us with. I am blown away with His goodness to keep this ship fully sailing. I am blown away with who He is and how amazing it’s been to lean on Him in the midst of the extreme isolation that is our reality.

And I’m sharing this with you because I want to encourage you to keep moving forward with Him wherever He is leading. Because when we do… When we fully surrender to the world He sees… Well, then we can reconstruct. We can build. We can unite. We can create. We can help pull His trans-dimensional Kingdom down into this Earth. 🌱⚔️

faith · Fullness of Jesus · glory · grow · isolation · kingdom

Middle-Ground Movement

AmandaLeave a comment

You know that place between the beginning and the end? Yeah! The middle! That place! That spot where you’re certain you’ve stepped out into a higher level of faith… A level that is extremely uncomfortable. And now… Now that you’re in the middle, you’ve actually become kind of comfortable because the initial shock of stepping out has worn off. However, you can clearly see that there’s a good distance to go before you reach the end of the season. And so, you feel somewhat agitated about the entire process because you know there’s no turning back… You must keep moving forward… You must blaze the trail as you persevere to the end.

Yeah… That’s me. That’s my current life scenario.

It’s just this serious series of persistent stretching. I feel stretched to capacity in every area of life right now. I feel like God keeps saying, “Amanda, look how far we’ve come together. Look at what we’ve accomplished in the intimate, isolated time we’ve spent cultivating life together. And I know the level of faith you’ve been asked to step out into every day feels steep and sometimes unbearable, but there is a purpose in all of it. So, you must keep moving forward. You must keep moving up that mountain. And you must stay focused on Me above all as you climb. And, even when you feel like you’ve ‘missed it,’ you must return to Me for the validation that you have in fact not missed it. So, keep going!”

And now some of you might be thinking, “Okay Amanda, why are you telling me this? Why are you sharing God and your inner growth with me AGAIN?” Well, because the relationship I’ve cultivated with Him is the realest, truest, most honest thing I know. And so, I want to encourage you to keep pursuing a deeply cultivated relationship with Holy Spirit. I want you to be inspired to turn to Him for solutions to all of your situations. I want you to look to Him as the source that works with Jesus to bring our ultimate freedom, deliverance and healing. 

And then others might be thinking, “Okay, I understand where you’re coming from because I feel Him pressuring me into more intimacy too, so how do you do it? How do you balance all of it without wanting to completely abandon ship?”

Well, honestly, I believe Holy Spirit is getting ready to move. I believe, in this supernatural, paradigm shifting era of time we’re all existing in, He’s getting ready to forcefully jump onto the scene. And because He’s preparing Himself, He must also prepare us for it. And so, He keeps asking us to climb a little higher with Him… To summit our own personal mountain of God and to remain faithful (spirit, soul, heart and body) to Him in the process.

And of course, it’s a challenge to faithfully summit. It’s a challenge to continuously step away from agendas, mindsets and lifestyles that have been controlling us so that we may see Him, His Kingdom and His truth in a raw, real and more perceptive way. And that’s the marrow of it all… That’s why I choose to keep going. Because when He moves… When He moves, He’s going to push those of us that have stepped out into the steepness of His presence into the light. He’s going to use us to communicate His Kingdom to the earth. 

And that… That inspires me so deeply at my core. It presses me to stay focused on where He’s leading because I want to work with Holy Spirit… And not against Him. I want to help Him reveal Jesus and the Kingdom in a very authentic, unifying and life-giving way. And because of that deep desire within me, I choose, in every moment, to keep my eyes focused on Him and the inner validation I am receiving about where I am headed in life. 🌱 #cultivatelife

authority & dominion · challenge · heart · keep moving forward · process · soul · weary

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

follow · keep moving forward · relationship · teamwork

THIS Mountain

Amanda2 Comments

I’m climbing THIS mountain in front of me.

Actually… WE are climbing THIS mountain in front of US.

My sister and I have climbed lots of mountains before… Separately and together. But… THIS… THIS mountain is unique because we must take all that He has deposited inside of us (separately and together), multiply it with a new deposit of His gifts and then produce a finished product.

Funny thing… Neither of us have a clue what the finished product will look like! Oh sure… We kind of know what it might feel like. And we definitely know what ideas need to be incorporated into the whole.

However… the final outcome is a mystery.

And… To be completely honest with you… I like it that way because it reveals how much trust is rooted inside of our relationships with God and with each other.

After all… “It’s not always our business to know why God has asked us to do certain things. But it is ALWAYS our business to follow.”

So… If you’re reading this and you truly believe in the Godhead… If they are really the foundation and bedrock of your life: spirit, soul and body, then you MUST FULLY FOLLOW the Holy Spirit’s lead. And… I’ve learned that He doesn’t normally give a 2-step plan, a 5-step plan or a 10-step plan. He more or less says, “Here’s the next step… Now take it.” 🌱 #cultivatelife #bridgetwinderart #windersisters