I recently had to do some HANDY work around my house! Leaky bathtub faucet, broken sink stopper, and a couple of malfunctioning light switches. There is a sense of JOY that comes to me when I am able to accomplish a seemingly IMPOSSIBLE task...at least in some misguided male mindsets.
I'm so glad I took the INITIATIVE and FOLLOWED THROUGH with OBTAINING a diploma in Property Maintenance and Repair a few years ago when I was IN-BETWEEN positions. It has proven to be VERY USEFUL and a major BLESSING...as a HOME Owner!
See after a few BAD episodes with some so called "good" handymen, I DECIDED I wanted to LEARN the skill for myself...in hopes of NEVER having to be taken advantage of again for Home Repair!
BELIEVE me FAITH WORKS...once you MOVE by it!
I BELIEVED and TRUSTED God was a GOOD God...He Provided WITHOUT FAIL...once I SHARED my frustrations, my HEART with Him and ASKED Him to HELP me!
Only by the Grace of God was I actually one of the FEW women to complete the program as well as be AWARDED TOP Trades-person for my GRADUATING class. But the BEST PART is that it was ALL at NO COST to me except for SHOWING UP and putting in the WORK needed!
Now isn't that just like GOD to take the most UNLIKELY student and make her the HEAD and NOT the tail among LIKELY candidates and PROVIDE the money for the program all in one?
You too are meant to SHOW the Glory of God through your MOVE OF FAITH! What has YOU frustrated? What would YOU like to SEE take place? What FAITH MOVES do YOU need to take to make it happen? God has brought it to YOUR ATTENTION so YOU can DO SOMETHING about it...but will YOU MOVE on it???
Again, I say to You...BELIEVE me FAITH WORKS...once you MOVE by it!
LIFE LESSON: NEVER LET MONEY dictate your DREAMING, LEARNING & GROWING...GOD is SURE TO PROVIDE it...along as it is part of His Plan for You and will BLESS OTHERS!
LOVE...has FAITH that MOVES! ALH, Always Loving Him/Her'
Hebrews 11:5-7 (MSG) 5-6 By AN ACT OF FAITH, Enoch SKIPped DEATH completely. “They looked all over and COULDN'T find him because God had taken him.” We know on the basis of reliable testimony that before he was taken “he pleased God.” IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD APART FROM FAITH. And why? Because ANYONE WHO WANTS to APPROACH GOD MUST BELIEVE both that HE EXISTS AND that HE CARES enough TO RESPOND to THOSE WHO SEEK Him. 7 BY FAITH, Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land. He was warned about something he COULDN'T SEE, AND ACTED ON WHAT he WAS TOLD. The RESULT? HIS FAMILY WAS SAVED. His ACT OF FAITH DREW A sharp LINE BETWEEN the EVIL of the UNBELIEVING world and the RIGHTNESS OF the BELIEVING world. As a RESULT, Noah became INTIMATE WITH GOD.
When you REALLY BELIEVE (have FAITH)
in GOD & in WHAT HE SAYS...your ACTIONS will SHOW IT! Are you SAYING that
you have FAITH but your ACTIONS SHOW OTHERWISE? Let's SEE!
Here are a few examples...
- You SAY you are BELIEVING God for your future HUSBAND butyou step OUTSIDE Of HIS GUIDELINES by FORNICATING (having SEX BEFORE MARRIAGE) with the person you are dating.
- You SAY God is LORD over your life, but you CONTINUE to hang on to that idol/thing HE has CONVICTED you to GIVE UP all because you BELIEVE it is TOO HARD for YOU. - You SAY you TRUST GOD but won't GIVE TITHE (10% of your income) and OFFERINGS to your local church because you are LOOKING at what the Pastor is driving versus BELIEVING that God will HONOR your commitment to Him OVER what things LOOK LIKE.
- You SAY you are going to be a "Woman of INTEGRITY" but as soon as your boss ISN'T watching you are DOING something you know you would NOT be doing if you were in their VIEWING range. FAITH is a MOVING BEYOND what we may PHYSICALLY SEE...and BELIEVING what GOD SAYS by ACTING, DECLARING and MOVING towards what HE SEES! It can be scary and OUTSIDE of our COMFORT ZONE but it will MOVE the results you are LOOKING for towards you.
Now, Are you WILLING to have enough FAITH in HIM (not in yourself) to DO IT His Way or not??? Go ahead and ACT UPON your FAITH to SEE what comes of it...surely you know He has nothing but the BEST for HIS BELOVED Daughter!
So also faith, if it does not have works (deeds and actions of obedience to back it up), by itself is destitute of power (inoperative, dead).
Being a Single Mom can be CHALLENGING some times but we must keep our eye on the END...where God wants us to go...by planning to MOVE STEP by STEP in FAITH. We must PRAY, PLAN, and PURSUE! When we want to ... ACCOMPLISH a goal that LOOKS like it's going to take a lot to get it done, we must be FAITHFUL to it no matter what comes up in our life...because we will always have surprises in life...they are actually sent sometimes to TEST if you will CHOOSE FAITH over doubt, distraction, discouragement, delay, or defeat. We need to know that we are TRUSTWORTHY of the BLESSING we desire. However, we must FILL our Spirits in the WORD to be STRENGTHENED for the work. FAITH and WORK are companions! You can have all the FAITH you want but without APPLYING the FAITH what good is it??? Conversely, you can have all the WORK efforts but without the FAITH to go with it you will burn yourself out with SELF EFFORT. The key is to COUPLE/MARRY your FAITH with the WORK that has to be completed to get there. Let's say you are a parent of a child who has been labeled by the world as learning disabled, but you BELIEVE your child "can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens" him/her. You will NOT ACCEPT what things look like at that moment because you BELIEVE otherwise. Then your ACTIONS will began to match what you BELIEVE because you will begin researching ways that others have OVERCOME that same situation and start taking the steps to COMBAT that challenge. Like wise, you may want to be DEBT Free...you'll want to LOOK for opportunities that INCREASE your income while FREEING up your time for more of what you desire in your heart. Don't continue being POOR (Passing Over Opportunities Repeatedly) because of what things LOOK like now. We must "PRESS toward the mark of the HIGH CALLING in Christ Jesus". God wants you BLESSED so you can BLESS others...for the Kingdom of God...it is NOT JUST ABOUT YOU...You are meant to be an INSPIRATION to your children and those around you so that they will DESIRE the God you know! So GET on your knees, PRAY to God for His Help to make the right decisions needed, GET UP once you KNOW what He wants you to do and DO the WORK! STOP just ACCEPTING what life dishes at you...you are made to TAKE DOMINION, to RISE ABOVE your circumstances, and to SOAR like an eagle that WORKS WITH the wind to GLIDE where its FOCUSED to go! How about you??? Are you GLIDING with God through your FAITH WORK??? If not, apply the steps mentioned above and FINISH your race to the end. Remember you are MADE to WIN with God's help! http://open.spotify.com/track/61bUZL0jHtyILBPZmmtNXp
"Behold, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs forth; do you not perceive and know it and will you not give heed to it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." (Isaiah 43:18-20)
As I thought about the title of this post, I was taken back 25 years to the time I was being orientated for a college auxiliary. Every orientation group had to come up with a "line" name that represented its members. Our line name was "La Nouvelle Premiere" meaning the "The New Beginning". Just as I was embarking on a new women's group so long ago, I was reminded that I am embarking on a new women's group today. A group of FAITH pursuing single mothers wanting to overcome the challenges in life. Women wanting to stay hopeful while running a home, having a heart for loving themselves/others, and staying healthy(spiritually, mentally, physically, emotionally).
With the New Year approaching, a new beginning is coming again… a new opportunity, a new day, a new blessing, and/or a new lesson. The New Year always nudges me to sit back and reflect on the accomplishments/failures of the past year and the hope and possibilities of the coming year. It is a wonderful time for me to reflect, take stock, and write a new plan.
This past year has been a true transition/testing year for me. I truly committed myself to "walking by faith" and putting my feet to act on the things that have been placed on my heart to do. After being a single mother and an employee for many years, I committed to follow my entrepreneurial spirit. I had been praying that God would allow me the opportunity to stay home and make an income. This would allow me to be available to help raise my granddaughter as my daughter takes her own journey as a single mom (side thought...funny how history has repeated itself).
It's amazing to me when God places a vision in your heart, how He will usually put you in a situation to see if you really are committed to what you said you want to do. My vision started as a small need to solve the problems of single mothers who had homes that needed repairs. Single mothers who were having trouble keeping up with the expenses related to getting home repairs done. Single mothers needing to find affordable and reliable repairman to perform them.
However, God only gave me part of the vision to get me moving. There came the need to assist the single mom/s right in my own home before I could assist other women on a larger scale. I now know, there are usually delays and test of faithfulness along the course that will send you a different way than you expected to go. The detour helps you to see how strong, how committed and how faithful you are to get to the end destination. ("He who is faithful in a very little [thing] is faithful also in much..." - Luke 16:10)
Now I ask you, what is your vision/dream? Your vision/dream may not be the same as my vision/dream, but none the less a vision/dream. Maybe your dream is to have more money than month in order to pay all your bills. Or maybe it's to have spiritually Christ-centered children who are not jumping to every outside influence that can lead them down a path of destruction. Or maybe it's just to be available for your children when they need you, instead of making work or other things seem more important because you have to put food on the table. Or maybe it's just to keep an orderly home or to be more stress free and peaceful. Life may not always meet us where we want to go, but one thing is for sure, we can have Faith in God, with action, to move these mountains out of our lives. When we do, we can get to seeing the beauty God intends for us to see.
So with this New Year quickly approaching, I thought I'd share some of the lessons I've learned this year and hopefully it will assist you as we start this new beginning of "walking by faith" together. I hope you're ready. Here we go!
In the pursuit of my vision/dream this year, I've learned the following:
1) Surround yourself with people that encourage you towards where you want to go.(...But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother - Proverbs 18:24)
Where you are coming from will usually never look like where you're trying to go. So it will feel a little shaky and scary at times but with faith-filled people around you, you will be able to move past the feelings of turning back and move forward to where you are going. Find an online community that supports you and feeds your spirit, a local church ministry or maybe a good, faith-filled, close and supportive friend that encourages you.
2) Stay in prayer continuously, confess, and meditate on God's Word. (Pray without ceasing - 1 Thessalonians 5:17;May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. - Psalm 19:14 )
I cannot stress enough the importance and POWER of the Word of God. It has been a tremendous ROCK during the hard times when I needed to press past what things 'look' like to what I know God says in His Word. The great thing about prayer you can do it anywhere. Now, I don't suggest getting you’re praise on in the library or some known quiet place, but if the Spirit moves you to do so....don't hold back. I know sometimes it can't be contained when you really got a praise to get out...mine usually starts with the tears flowing.
3) Remember God's Word and what He has spoken to your heart. (Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life - Proverbs 4:23)
Everything around you may be telling you to go back to the comfortable place from which you are moving.The enemy provides many ways to steal, kill, and destroy your purpose so that it never comes to fruition. So stay in the Word to be able to fight the "fiery darts" that the enemy tries to shoot at you and to be able to rightly divide a word of truth that comes your way. I've had fiery darts from seemingly concerned family members, friends, and from my own thoughts that wanted to take me back to old practices.
4) Stop looking for others to validate what you know you need to do.(Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding but in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path - Proverbs 3:5-6)
Your family and friends will try to tell you and remind you to go and get a traditional job so you can have the kind of money you were used to having. They will think you have lost your mind for doing things different than what they have known you to do previously. But when you know, that you know, you are doing what you are called to do money is a small detail. It may not be what you initially would prefer but God always provides just what you need. He validates your efforts as you move forward.
5) Your vision is initially for you to see.(Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry - Habukkak 2:2-3)
Your vision is uniquely designed for you to see, walk and then lead others. You may not have anyone doing what you need to do. So don't panic and become discouraged. You may not have anyone who understands what you are trying to do. You may have to keep it to yourself for a time. You may have to work up to a point where you are seeing things more clearly and are more confident to share without caring what others think/say/see.
6) Keep giving wherever you are able to give. (Give and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” - Luke 6:38)
If it crosses your path and touches your heart to do....do it. Don't look at how much money you have, whether you need it or not, or if the person would do the same for you. It's a test to make you revert back to a way that is self-centered, comfortable, non-sacrificial, or unloving. God is a giver and He can surely replace anything you give away. He is an abundant God who rewards the obedient.
7) Stand when all hell looks like it's trying to come up against you. (The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly- John 10:10)
This is where the Word really becomes flesh. You need to speak the Life of God’s Word to every negative force that comes up against your vision. There will be times when life will not look like you're headed in the right direction and try to make you look at all the problems instead of God's promises. If God says it, it is true. Not the car that failed on you, not the income that's not matching your expectations, not the chaos that seems to be all around you, and not the children that are acting a fool.
8) Know that God will give you little winks along the way.(Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart - Psalm 37:4 )
God lets you know you are taking the right steps as you move towards what He has called you to do.It may be a person mentioning something you just read in His Word, or spoke to you inwardly. It could be a check in the mail that had the exact amount that you prayed you needed to pay that light bill, or a child who has been rebellious towards your instructions all week, who will come and hug you or say thank you unexpectedly. You'll just know it in your heart and it will strengthen you to keep going.
All of these steps helped me to survive this past year. The year has been less than comfortable for me but has allowed me to have Peace in the midst of it all. Your Peace will show up as well as you lean on the Everlasting Present Helper whom you can place your Faith in....God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
Here's to surviving and walking towards a new beginning with Faith!
