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What You Know Can Set Someone Free (A Guest Post By Shelly Miller)

By Anita Mathias

I first met Shelly Miller of Redemption’s Beauty through her much-needed Sisterhood of the Sabbath. She’s on my blog today with another necessary challenge. Welcome, Shelly!

(c) Shelly Miller

As I step over the threshold from my garage to the side yard, holding a full trash bag in my hand, the sound of something rustling in the leaves nearby startles me. I’m a bit jumpy this time of the year. I live in a part of the country inhabited by almost every species of snake. Walking barefoot in the summer is an extravagance I don’t allow myself.

As I look from side to side, scan the grass, inspect the flower beds and barbecue, I remember the source of the sound that reverberates. A blush-cheeked skink lives a few feet down the sidewalk, behind a drain pipe, nestled among leaf litter. Though the sight of a giant lizard isn’t less creepy than a snake, I can see his frozen stance like a picture hanging on a brick wall in the crevice. I know he is more afraid of me than I am of him.

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And I’m the only one who knows about the skink setting up residence in this secret place. I’m the gardener in our family.

It suddenly occurs to me that my son squawks in certainty about hearing a slithering snake, every time he takes the trash out. I just happen to be doing his job on this day and realize it’s not a snake threatening my son’s peace, but a harmless skink.

I wonder how many times I have done this; withheld information that seems trivial when sharing it would be a gift, like a prophetic word. When I offer prayerful, sometimes seemingly insignificant impressions with others, it is an act of the deepest kind of vulnerability and yet reveals the most profoundly courageous truth. God is asking me if I’ll risk looking foolish; if I’ll trust Him for the sake of love.

Perhaps He is asking you too.

There’s no equation where taking risks, braving uncertainty, and opening ourselves up to emotional exposure equals weakness. ~Brene Brown, Daring Greatly

The beautiful paradox: every time I dare to be vulnerable, expose my perceived weakness in sharing what I sense He is saying for someone else, faith grows strong like a shoot stretching tall toward the Son, for both of us.

Recently, I became reacquainted with a girlfriend on Facebook after a fifteen year lull in conversation. She reminded me of a time of barrenness, when she desperately wanted children and worried about not becoming pregnant. She says, “I still tell the story of how you had a prophetic dream that I was pregnant with our first child who is now 14. God is so good! Thanks for sharing that with me so long ago. It proves again the goodness of God and His ever present hand in our lives!”

She just had her sixth child.

Humanity shares a common trait: the desperation to be set free from ourselves, even when we don’t know it. Prophecy is the reminder that we aren’t alone; that your life and mine, they matter and He is listening.

Brene says, “We love seeing raw truth and openness in other people, but we’re afraid to let them see it in us.” And perhaps our sharing what we know, what seems insignificant to us, will transform someone’s perceived situation from a snake to a skink; help them breathe a bit easier when stepping into the unknown. It may even allow a person to release the trash they were holding back.

We are light bearers, holding torches we assumed were lit with the wisdom of our experience, when often we carry flames of truth from His tongue illuminating the mystery of the Kingdom. The Light you carry may set someone free. Share it.

What is worth doing even if you fail? Have you ever pushed away that inkling you perceived as coming from God for someone because of fear? Or perhaps you’ve been the recipient of someone else’s prophetic word in due season. Tell me about it in the comments.

Shelly Miller

Shelly Miller

Shelly Miller is a writer, photographer, clergy wife, mother of two teens, and a leadership coach.  She enjoys writing stories that make people think differently about life and helping women discover their calling. You can read more of her stories on her blog, Redemptions Beauty and in her column at Living the Story. Connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

 

More from my site

  • In which I am Surprised by “Prophetic Words” (from the Glasgow Prophetic Centre at David’s Tent Worship Festival) In which I am Surprised by “Prophetic Words” (from the Glasgow Prophetic Centre at David’s Tent Worship Festival) 
  • On Not Despising DeliveranceOn Not Despising Deliverance
  • Prayers are Prophecies: The Transcript of your Prayers becomes your Life’s ScriptPrayers are Prophecies: The Transcript of your Prayers becomes your Life’s Script
  • Listening to Isabel Allum in London. Chasing the Wild Goose of the Holy Spirit. Part IIListening to Isabel Allum in London. Chasing the Wild Goose of the Holy Spirit. Part II
  • In Which God sends Ravens and Meat in the WildernessIn Which God sends Ravens and Meat in the Wilderness
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Filed Under: In which I chase the wild goose of the Holy Spirit, In which I proudly introduce my guest posters Tagged With: prophecy, prophetic words

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Comments

  1. Nancy Ruegg says

    July 11, 2013 at 6:07 pm

    Your prophetic dream of a friend having a baby reminded me of a time years ago when a friend of mine dearly wanted a second child. She and her husband had waited and waited; no child. One day I felt compelled to pray with her after church. As the words came, so did a strong, convincing tone. I based my prayer on a verse that had ministered to me: “He settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the Lord (Psalm 113:9). I must admit, I felt apprehensive. What if God had different plans for this couple? What if the conviction with which I prayed was just my own heartfelt desire for their happiness? I heard no voice saying that E. and M. would indeed have a child. But imagine the joy of all of us when she did become pregnant, not long after that prayer! E. & M. had twins!

    • Shelly Miller says

      July 13, 2013 at 12:28 pm

      Nancy, I think your thoughts are common to all of us. I give those prophetic words in fear and trembling and with a bit of begging from God to show if I’m wrong. But really, the outcome is up to Him isn’t it? If we are wrong and fail to give an accurate word to someone, it just points them back to our humanity and doesn’t change a thing about God.

      • Nancy Ruegg says

        July 13, 2013 at 6:25 pm

        Oh, yes. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever! But when I step out in faith and falter, I don’t want anybody else to falter with me. Even that outcome is up to Him, though, isn’t it.

  2. Jody Ohlsen Collins says

    July 10, 2013 at 12:30 am

    Shelly, I am so glad I ‘hopped over’ the pond (or you, did, rather and I followed you.) Anita’s voice–and yours–are like a fresh drink of water. In 1984 a singing prophet came to our church–he ministered with his guitar and God gave him words for people in the room and they were spot on. Every one of them. The words he spoke over my husband and I have been typed out and printed in my Bible all this time, but God has only been releasing the gifts he promised in me–that of prophecy–speaking a word in season over others-have only been stirred up in me in the last four years or so. I don’t always remember it’s there, but when I’m obedient to share what God has given me, there is always such joy and life given to others and a sense of confirmation in my spirit.
    Many people have also prayed over me since then and God has tenderly touched me each time. I so grateful THEY were obedient, too, to step out of their comfort zone and speak the words of the Lord to me.

    Thank you for encouraging us, reminding us to step out in faith.

    • Shelly Miller says

      July 10, 2013 at 2:12 am

      Oh wow, this is such a wonderful thing to know about you Jody. I would love to encourage you in using this gift. It could be a brand new season of exploring and deepening your faith as you step into it.

    • Anita Mathias says

      July 11, 2013 at 2:09 pm

      Wow, your singing prophet sounds amazing. I once was given a life-changing word for my daughter, Zoe, from Patricia Bootsma of Catch the Fire, Toronto, who had no idea I had daughters, but could “see” her. And she was right, and the confidence she instilled was life-changing!

  3. Pam says

    July 9, 2013 at 11:23 pm

    I am consciously trying to be more attuned to His Spirit’s urges like this too, Shelly. And sometimes it is other than words to share. Like maybe a book is continually on my mind to share with someone. Or another is on my mind to send an uplift to… Until I finally act on those thoughts and realize they just might be coming from him for some reason. Recently, I sent a drawing to someone because they were in my thoughts to do so for months, and when I did, she wrote back to tell me it came on a milestone birthday I had no idea of… His perfect timing. And, in a way, maybe a word to someone’s spirit directly from His? ~ Pam, apples of gold, http://wordglow.worpdress.com

    • Shelly Miller says

      July 10, 2013 at 2:10 am

      I love the way you own this part of who you are Pam, its so honoring and inspiring. And actually quite brave.

  4. kelli woodford says

    July 9, 2013 at 5:51 pm

    wow. what a word, Shel.
    i have benefited too many times to count from someone who was willing to step out and speak love over me. these people in my life have helped me begin to see myself as He sees me. they have been light-bearers, indeed.
    thank you for the gracious way you challenge and ignite us to do the same. i am so glad to call you ‘friend.’

    and Anita, thanks for hosting! how generous you are with your space here – always inviting others and encouraging them. thank you for being you.

    • Shelly Miller says

      July 10, 2013 at 2:09 am

      Me too Kelli, so grateful for the courageous people in my life who spoke words of life over me and held me accountable. I think that is what inspires me to carry the torch. So blessed by you Kelli, in so many ways. Truly.

    • Anita Mathias says

      July 11, 2013 at 2:16 pm

      Thank you, Kelli. You guys have immeasurably enriched my blog with your guest posts!

  5. Ahyana says

    July 9, 2013 at 2:35 pm

    Recently I was working on a new writing assignment about the idea of being all in. On a break from writing I took to reading the four verse story in the book of Luke about the widow’s mite. Certainly she is an example of someone who was “all in.”
    As I read this post I am reminded of the freedom we have to be all in for the Lord. To take the risk of seeming silly and share what it is He has put on our hearts to share with someone else. That when we allow ourselves to be all in sometimes we actually help others experience the liberty to do the same.
    Thanks for sharing.

    • Shelly Miller says

      July 9, 2013 at 5:10 pm

      Yes!! You got it Ahyana. It’s worth the risk, for the sake of someone else. I’ve found that I’m rarely, if ever, regretful about stepping out in faith. My heart beats fast but when I surrender the way I fear it might be received then the outcome is on His back. Usually, the outcome is better than what I imagined.

  6. DeanneMoore says

    July 9, 2013 at 2:01 pm

    You can’t know how hard this was for me to read. As you know I am reluctant when it comes to my gifting, especially when the “prophecy” is not what someone wants to hear. Yet those prophecies can bring great freedom and help. I have been the “weeping” prophet the last couple of days with a knot of fear keeping me from the courageous thing. I covet your prayers. I only want to “speak words that make souls stronger.” (Voskamp) But I have a “fire caught up in my bones.” If I don’t use my gifts, what will it do to me and how does that honor the One who gave these things to me?

    Thanks for giving Shelly your place today Anita. May God continue to use you and your blog in UK and all over the world 🙂

    • Shelly Miller says

      July 9, 2013 at 5:08 pm

      Yes, I do know about your reluctance. Praying for courage. He might just surprise you Dea. You’ve been on my heart this week.

    • Anita Mathias says

      July 11, 2013 at 2:21 pm

      Thank you, Deanne, and thank you for visiting!

  7. Jillie says

    July 9, 2013 at 1:44 pm

    Hi Shelly…Thanks for directing us to this ‘Blogger from Oxford’! Like you, I love all things ‘British’! She’s now on my list.
    Occasionally I have felt the urging to say a word to someone near and dear to me. I’m never really sure if it’s from God, whether it’s classified as “prophetic” or not. But these kinds of ‘urges to speak’ do feel stronger and different from others I have. I know I do have strong urges like this when it comes to the ‘Church’ as a whole. Things that I see as future danger if the Church keeps following the popular trends of our day. I also find that some people near and dear to me are more eager to hear, while others?…not so much. “Prophetic” for me…IF that’s what it is…often comes in the form of warning or chastisement.
    I’m happy for you, that you do live and breathe and move in your gifting from the Lord. We are all richer for it. Good words today.

    • Shelly Miller says

      July 9, 2013 at 5:00 pm

      I think you illustrated what I was trying to say in this piece Jillie. I think sometimes we don’t realize that those urges could be from God. And usually prophecy is something that resonates with someone when you say it, it’s a confirmation or further insight into something God is already doing in someone’s life. Grateful for you too. And glad you are adding Anita to your list, she’s a good one.

    • Anita Mathias says

      July 11, 2013 at 10:29 pm

      Welcome to my blog, Jillie, and thank you for putting me on your list!

  8. Kris Camealy says

    July 9, 2013 at 11:47 am

    What a beautiful reminder, Shelly. It’s timely for me, as I am in a season of wrestling with lots of fear and apprehension. I have seen the way God speaks to you, and through you–it’s amazing. So lovely to see you in Anita’s corner of the web. Praying for you both today.

    • Shelly Miller says

      July 9, 2013 at 4:57 pm

      So glad to see you here Kris and thankful this was a timely reminder. Fear and apprehension are not welcome guests, I’ll be praying for you my friend.

    • Anita Mathias says

      July 11, 2013 at 10:31 pm

      Kris, thank you for your prayers. I read your interviews on blogging today, and loved the way you have surrendered your writing to God!

  9. Shelly Miller says

    July 9, 2013 at 10:44 am

    Thanks for having me here Anita, what a privilege. You know, I seem to share prophetic words more easily in church but when it isn’t there, it feels more scary. God is challenging me to share with my blog followers now too. Those he puts on my heart to pray for. I am wonderstruck over the way he is speaking, about the way he is blessing those He brings to the welcome mat of my blog. It’s been a gift I didn’t expect and one I am so thankful for as well.

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Recent Posts

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  • A Mind of Life and Peace in the Middle of a Global Pandemic
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  • Silver and Gold Linings in the Storm Clouds of Coronavirus
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anita.mathias

Writer, Blogger, Reader, Mum. Christian. Instaing Oxford, travel, gardens and healthy meals. Oxford English alum. Writing memoir. Lives in Oxford, UK

Images from walks around Oxford. #beauty #oxford # Images from walks around Oxford. #beauty #oxford #walking #tranquility #naturephotography #nature
So we had a lovely holiday in the Southwest. And h So we had a lovely holiday in the Southwest. And here we are at one of the world’s most famous and easily recognisable sites.
#stonehenge #travel #england #prehistoric England #family #druids
And I’ve blogged https://anitamathias.com/2020/09/13/on-not-wasting-a-desert-experience/
So, after Paul the Apostle's lightning bolt encounter with the Risen Christ on the road to Damascus, he went into the desert, he tells us...
And there, he received revelation, visions, and had divine encounters. The same Judean desert, where Jesus fasted for forty days before starting his active ministry. Where Moses encountered God. Where David turned from a shepherd to a leader and a King, and more, a man after God’s own heart.  Where Elijah in the throes of a nervous breakdown hears God in a gentle whisper. 
England, where I live, like most of the world is going through a desert experience of continuing partial lockdowns. Covid-19 spreads through human contact and social life, and so we must refrain from those great pleasures. We are invited to the desert, a harsh place where pruning can occur, and spiritual fruitfulness.
A plague like this has not been known for a hundred years... John Piper, after his cancer diagnosis, exhorted people, “Don’t Waste Your Cancer”—since this was the experience God permitted you to have, and He can bring gold from it. Pandemics and plagues are permitted (though not willed or desired) by a Sovereign God, and he can bring life-change out of them. 
Let us not waste this unwanted, unchosen pandemic, this opportunity for silence, solitude and reflection. Let’s not squander on endless Zoom calls—or on the internet, which, if not used wisely, will only raise anxiety levels. Let’s instead accept the invitation to increased silence and reflection
Let's use the extra free time that many of us have long coveted and which has now been given us by Covid-19 restrictions to seek the face of God. To seek revelation. To pray. 
And to work on those projects of our hearts which have been smothered by noise, busyness, and the tumult of people and parties. To nurture the fragile dreams still alive in our hearts. The long-deferred duty or vocation
So, we are about eight weeks into lockdown, and I So, we are about eight weeks into lockdown, and I have totally sunk into the rhythm of it, and have got quiet, very quiet, the quietest spell of time I have had as an adult.
I like it. I will find going back to the sometimes frenetic merry-go-round of my old life rather hard. Well, I doubt I will go back to it. I will prune some activities, and generally live more intentionally and mindfully.
I have started blocking internet of my phone and laptop for longer periods of time, and that has brought a lot of internal quiet and peace.
Some of the things I have enjoyed during lockdown have been my daily long walks, and gardening. Well, and reading and working on a longer piece of work.
Here are some images from my walks.
And if you missed it, a blog about maintaining peace in the middle of the storm of a global pandemic
https://anitamathias.com/2020/05/04/a-mind-of-life-and-peace/  #walking #contemplating #beauty #oxford #pandemic
A few walks in Oxford in the time of quarantine. A few walks in Oxford in the time of quarantine.  We can maintain a mind of life and peace during this period of lockdown by being mindful of our minds, and regulating them through meditation; being mindful of our bodies and keeping them happy by exercise and yoga; and being mindful of our emotions in this uncertain time, and trusting God who remains in charge. A new blog on maintaining a mind of life and peace during lockdown https://anitamathias.com/2020/05/04/a-mind-of-life-and-peace/
In the days when one could still travel, i.e. Janu In the days when one could still travel, i.e. January 2020, which seems like another life, all four of us spent 10 days in Malta. I unplugged, and logged off social media, so here are some belated iphone photos of a day in Valetta.
Today, of course, there’s a lockdown, and the country’s leader is in intensive care.
When the world is too much with us, and the news stresses us, moving one’s body, as in yoga or walking, calms the mind. I am doing some Yoga with Adriene, and again seeing the similarities between the practice of Yoga and the practice of following Christ.
https://anitamathias.com/2020/04/06/on-yoga-and-following-jesus/
#valleta #valletamalta #travel #travelgram #uncagedbird
Images from some recent walks in Oxford. I am copi Images from some recent walks in Oxford.
I am coping with lockdown by really, really enjoying my daily 4 mile walk. By savouring the peace of wild things. By trusting that God will bring good out of this. With a bit of yoga, and weights. And by working a fair amount in my garden. And reading.
How are you doing?
#oxford #oxfordinlockdown #lockdown #walk #lockdownwalks #peace #beauty #happiness #joy #thepeaceofwildthings
Images of walks in Oxford in this time of social d Images of walks in Oxford in this time of social distancing. The first two are my own garden.  And I’ve https://anitamathias.com/2020/03/28/silver-and-gold-linings-in-the-storm-clouds-of-coronavirus/ #corona #socialdistancing #silverlinings #silence #solitude #peace
Trust: A Message of Christmas He came to earth in Trust: A Message of Christmas  He came to earth in a  splash of energy
And gentleness and humility.
That homeless baby in the barn
Would be the lynchpin on which history would ever after turn
Who would have thought it?
But perhaps those attuned to God’s way of surprises would not be surprised.
He was already at the centre of all things, connecting all things. * * *
Augustus Caesar issued a decree which brought him to Bethlehem,
The oppressions of colonialism and conquest brought the Messiah exactly where he was meant to be, the place prophesied eight hundred years before his birth by the Prophet Micah.
And he was already redeeming all things. The shame of unwed motherhood; the powerlessness of poverty.
He was born among animals in a barn, animals enjoying the sweetness of life, animals he created, animals precious to him.
For he created all things, and in him all things hold together
Including stars in the sky, of which a new one heralded his birth
Drawing astronomers to him.
And drawing him to the attention of an angry King
As angelic song drew shepherds to him.
An Emperor, a King, scholars, shepherds, angels, animals, stars, an unwed mother
All things in heaven and earth connected
By a homeless baby
The still point on which the world still turns. The powerful centre. The only true power.
The One who makes connections. * * *
And there is no end to the wisdom, the crystal glints of the Message that birth brings.
To me, today, it says, “Fear not, trust me, I will make a way.” The baby lay gentle in the barn
And God arranges for new stars, angelic song, wise visitors with needed finances for his sustenance in the swiftly-coming exile, shepherds to underline the anointing and reassure his parents. “Trust me in your dilemmas,” the baby still says, “I will make a way. I will show it to you.” Happy Christmas everyone.  https://anitamathias.com/2019/12/24/trust-a-message-of-christmas/ #christmas #gemalderieberlin #trust #godwillmakeaway
Look, I’ve designed a journal. It’s an omnibus Look, I’ve designed a journal. It’s an omnibus Gratitude journal, habit tracker, food and exercise journal, bullet journal, with time sheets, goal sheets and a Planner. Everything you’d like to track.  Here’s a post about it with ISBNs https://anitamathias.com/2019/12/23/life-changing-journalling/. Check it out. I hope you and your kids like it!
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