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!
Psalm 139:23-24 MSG INVESTIGATE MY LIFE, O God, find out EVERYTHING ABOUT ME; CROSS-EXAMINE AND TEST ME, GET a CLEAR PICTURE of what I’m about; SEE for yourself whether I'VE DONE anything wrong— then GUIDE ME on the road TO Eternal LIFE. Colossians 3:12 AMP CLOTHE YOURSELVES, as God’s own CHOSEN ones (His Own Picked Representatives), [who are] PURIFIED AND HOLY AND WELL-BELOVED [by God Himself, by PUTTING ON behavior marked by] TENDERHEARTED pity and mercy, KIND feeling, a LOWLY OPINION of yourselves, GENTLE ways, [AND] PATIENCE [which is TIRELESS AND LONG-suffering, AND has the POWER TO ENDURE whatever comes, with GOOD temper].
How often do you EVALUATE your actions? Daily? Weekly? Monthly? Yearly? Never?
EVALUATING what YOU ARE DOING that NO LONGER FITS who YOU are IN CHRIST can bring NEW LIFE to your circumstances. You can't CONTINUE to DO the things you USED to do, and EXPECT God NOT to DEAL with YOU on it...HE LOVES YOU TOO MUCH! Just because you've ALWAYS done something...DOES NOT mean it is GOOD for YOU!
Sit, Pray, Declare, Meditate on and LISTEN to what God has to say about... - How you are TREATING your children/family/others - That MAN/WOMAN you are dating ... - The CONTROL you LIKE to have... - Those PURCHASES you are making... - The MUSIC you are LISTENING to... - The CONVERSATIONS you are having... - The PEOPLE you are hanging around... - The FOODS you are eating... - WHATEVER HE REVEALS to YOU ...that has to MOVE OUT of YOUR LIFE in order for you to get where GOD PLANS for YOU to GO. You just need to SEARCH the Scriptures on the TOPICS that came to mind as you read this post...THEN LET the Holy Spirit LEAD YOU to what is on the HEART of God and where YOU stand in comparison to His Word to You and THEN OBEY what you HEAR!
Deuteronomy 30:19 "I call Heaven and earth to witness this day against YOU that I have SET BEFORE YOU LIFE and death, the BLESSINGS and the curses; therefore CHOOSE LIFE, that YOU and YOUR DESCENDANTS may LIVE."
I've been eating a salad with EVERYTHING (Daniel Fast approved of course) in it for my lunch and dinner for the past 7 days, and I must say I feel MORE energized than I did the first few days of the fast. So I'm vowing to RECOMMIT to this type of eating THROUGHOUT the year. One day during the fast, I was remembering how I used to "feel" when I use to eat like this REGULARLY along with EXERCISING REGULARLY. God whispered to me..."LIVING FOODS bring LIFE...LIVE!!!"
God tells us to eat the things of the earth, LIVING foods (Genesis 1:29-30) like we are limiting ourselves to doing for this 21 Day Fast (see details here... . However, we often eat/drink foods that bring "death" to our mind, body and spirit because they are made out of "dead" things. Over-processed, over-cooked, man-made/artificial flavors, refined, and heavily laden sugary foods are just that...DEATH to YOU!! They were NOT made for the bodies God gave us...and we see the results of that CHOICE in the illnesses and diseases that are plaguing many...mind, body and spirit. We must become GOOD STEWARDS of the housing that God has Given us so we can FINISH the course GOD DESIRES for us to complete on this earth!
I pray you DON'T LET what is popular or the world's way of doing things "rob' you of the LIFE God intends for you to have. Because, these "death" type of items are being WELCOMED by your own CHOOSING...into your HOLY TEMPLE that houses the HOLY SPIRIT. Would you offer "DEAD"CRAP food/gifts to someone you HONOR???
Let's continue this path together of dedicating our bodies, mind and spirit to the THINGS that HONOR and not "grieve" God. He DESERVES the BEST and so do YOU! - ALH, Always Loving Him/Her
May I ask you a question? Are you REALLY walking by FAITH??? I had to ask myself this recently when I was thinking about going back to a situation I SAID I would be giving up. Yeah I said to myself, "I'm an ALL or NOTHING kinda of girl, I'm just going to stay SINGLE MINDED...so I'll just shut the door and not look back. I only want to FOCUS on what God wants me to do and nothing else!"
Now that sounds all well and good while you are living in the comfort of a bank supply, food on the table and NOT REALLY facing any major difficulty in any area or your life. But when we COMMIT ourselves to doing things GOD'S WAY...He will allow us to go THROUGH the test to PROVE we meant what we said...NOT for His sake but for OURS...it shows us WHO we REALLY are. During this season EVERYTHING you have ever RELIED upon will be PULLED away from you so that you will have to HAVE FAITH in God and NOT in yourself or anything else. It's truly a FAITH BUILDING season...and if you don't realize this, you will begin DOING what you were used to doing before you COMMITTED to it...HANDLING things yourself!!! Yeah you THOUGHT you were a WILLING servant, you THOUGHT you were OBEDIENT, you THOUGHT you were SUBMITTED to God. However, how would you REALLY know until you actually have to GIVE UP what is COMFORTABLE for you and TRUST God at HIS WORD??? FAITH requires a RISK...a RISK to STEP out even when it LOOKS different than the norm...a RISK to face your fears and be BOLD for what is in your HEART...a RISK to LOOK to GOD as YOUR SUPPLIER in EVERY THING...a RISK to ignore the outside comments from those who are NOT use to seeing you in this situation! See, MOST aren't WILLING to go THROUGH the UNCOMFORTABLE stage!!! During this season, you'll be asking yourself, "What Lord, you want me to GIVE UP my nice good paying job to stay home and raise my children/grandchildren instead of having someone else do it so I can be sure I am instilling the values you have for our family vision?" "Oh you want me to begin taking in other children in my neighborhood to be a Spiritual example to them because they don't have a Godly example around them even though it seems there isn't enough for my own family?" "You say what God? You want me to take in that DIFFICULT relative and show YOUR LOVE to them regardless of how they act?" "You want me to forgo surface riches for internal riches during this season just to show Your Glory???"
God is so good that He begins to CONFIRM His Answer to you with each daily situation that shows up in your life that reminds or refers you back to His Word to you. FAITH can seem scary when you are first stepping out...the steps are a little slower paced and steps are on your toes...but as you begin to "SEE" that He has you EVERY step of the way, you become more confident and full footed in your steps. Kinda like that baby that is beginning to walk, who is pulling up on tables, holding on most of the time and then wanting something begins letting go without realizing what they are doing. So today I ask you, WHAT has God been CALLING you to take a RISK on that you keep REASONING and trying to FIGURE out all the details before you DO IT? You know it takes FAITH to get you where God wants you to be in His Plan of the GOOD and BLESSED LIFE...but you have to be WILLING to go through the FAITH-BUILDING process to get to the other side. You already know INTELLECTUALLY that God is FAITHFUL, PROVIDING, and GRACIOUS to you but now it's time to EXPERIENCE Him on a NEW LEVEL! Go ahead and take the LEAP of FAITH...remember "we WALK by FAITH and NOT by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7), right??
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
"I have not gone back from the commandment of
His lips; I have esteemed and treasured the words of His mouth more than
my necessary food." (Job 23:12)
I recently read a statement in a life changing read about
Spiritual Discernment, by Roberts Liardon..."The love of God is
unconditional, but His blessings aren't!" When I read it RANG SO TRUE in
my spirit that I began to realize why SO MANYCHRISTIANS are living beneath God's INTENDED Life...We AREN'T AWARE of the conditions toRECEIVE
BLESSINGS or we AREN'T FOLLOWING them. Either way we are LIVING with
the MOUNTAIN defeating us instead of us MOVING the MOUNTAIN with the
tools God has given us....HIS WORD!!! So many are TURNED OFF by the WORD of God...(BIG
TRICK of the enemy by the way)...to KEEP YOU FROM the BLESSINGS of
God...and the bad thing about it is...CHRISTIANS are FALLING for it
too!!! We have what we need to be VICTORIOUS in this life, we just
AREN'T UTILIZING it for what it was made to do...MOVE MOUNTAINS in our
lives and the lives of others by the FAITH that ONLY COMES BY WAY OF THE
WORD OF GOD!!! So I ask you...How MUCH WORD are you getting into
your life??? A measly Sunday meal at church is not going to sustain you
throughout the week...when YOU ARE STARVING!!! All day long, we are
BOMBARDED with all the negative forces around us from the people, music,
TV, videos, and whatever else we are ALLOWING into our space to ROB us
from a life that is VICTORIOUSLY BLESSED according to God's
Standards...all because we AREN'T PUTTING IN THE TIME that is needed to
COUNTERACT all of the negative forces surrounding us. So let me ask you a question, HOW MUCH SPIRITUAL
FOOD are you FEEDING yourself each day??? Think about it, the ALL
GIVING, ALL LOVING, ALL POWERFUL GOD wants to FILL YOU with MORE of
HIM!!! So, why wouldn't you want to FEED on Him??? It's AMAZING to me
how we can put so many things before our time with God that can not GIVE
us the same Blessings that He can give us...Nothing but PRIDE! Pride
that we know better than Him, Pride that we can do it ourselves, Pride
that we don't need Him to get everything done...Just plain FOOLISHNESS
that the enemy has tricked us into believing and ACTING on this sin. So what are you going to do about it??? I would
recommend and CHALLENGE you put in AT LEAST the same amount of time you
put into eating your physical food...for most that's 3x's A
DAY...Morning, Afternoon, and Night! Here are the steps I recommend that
I have noticed work well for me... 1) You may want to
set a dedicated space within your home for your time with the Lord!
(This can help in keeping the area holy and sacred for the Lord). 2) You may want to turn on some Praise & Worship Music to awaken the Spirit within you. 3)
Be sure to PRAY before you begin your time with reading THE WORD and
ask the Spirit to REVEAL to you what He wants you to know during your
time together and watch how the WORD will POP OFF the page and prick and
speak to your HEART about you and your life situation. 4) You must ALSO be willing to COMMIT TO LISTENING to what is REVEALED to you during this time. 5)
Journal your thoughts during your time of LISTENING so that you will
have a WRITTEN PLAN of what God has to say to you and what He wants to
DO through you. 6) Next, be sure to PRAY for His assistance to do His plan 7) Lastly, get to MOVING Obediently toward God's plan by measurable steps of
FAITH (Speaking, Hearing, and BELIEVING the Word of God to you) with
action. God will surely BLESS the work of your hands because you have a
heart that is diligently seeking Him and willing to do His Plan. Please don't
MISS your moments to be EMPOWERED by God...what better way is there to
be EMPOWERED than from the ALL POWERFUL One who is WILLING to GIVE His
Gracious Power to YOU if we ask! Stay in the BLESSINGS Beautiful Ones!
"For we walk by faith [we regulate our lives and conduct ourselves by our conviction or belief respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, with trust and holy fervor; thus we walk] not by sight or appearance." (2 Corinthians 5:7)
I was fortunate to have worked for the Travel Industry most of the years I was
raising my daughter. Now having ENOUGH money for what I WANTED to do was
another thing. Yes we had a roof over our head, we usually took a vacation at least once
a year for either one of our birthdays (in HONOR of our VALUE to ourselves, the world
and to spend QUALITY TIME together); however, most of the EXTRA
things I wanted like decorations for my house, dance classes for my daughter,
fashionable clothes, artwork...came because I DECIDED to take on a JOB that
would supply what I WANTED.
So when I wanted artwork...I began selling artwork. No these jobs didn't last forever, because it was keeping me from spending time with my child,
but for a short time to get what I wanted for my home. When I needed Life Insurance,
I began selling Life Insurance to recoup what I was planning to put out for it.
When I needed Life Coaching, I began selling it so I could get it at a lower
cost and GROW from it. I'm SAYING all of this to say… WHAT DO YOU WANT??? HOW
BAD DO YOU WANT IT???
A lot of times we don't BELIEVE we can have it so we don't
even TRY to have it. Yes, you must have the FAITH FIRST to do anything that you
want to do. However, once you have SET YOUR MIND (FOCUS) on what you want, God somehow
will OPEN the DOOR for you to get it…but will you TAKE ADVANTAGE of it when it
SHOWS UP??? I think the main thing we have lack of FAITH in, is OURSELVES
and the GOD in which we SAY we have FAITH.
I know when things start going south
in our lives we sometimes forget who we really are INSIDE, but be assured, GOD
has not FORGOT! He sometimes has to take us through the VALLEY for us to get to
the MOUNTAIN top. The VALLEY is where we learn that we will NOT SINK when we
WALK on the Water with Him. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s SCARY as heck, because
you’ve never walked in this particular situation. But remember you do have a
little history to look back over whenever you might begin doubting it. Nothing is NEW to God! We just have to TRUST that He has our GREATER GOOD all
worked out…even when we fall (and we usually will fall). But you know the BEST thing about it is, when
we do, He always has a LOVING hand reaching down to PICK us up which makes us
all the MORE GRATEFUL to get off and running again with Him by our sides to our
Destiny. We just have to KEEP MOVING towards it!
We do not lag behind in diligence, we are fervant in spirit, and serving the Lord. (Romans 12:11)
BLESS (AFFECTIONATELY, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul; and all that is [deepest] within me, bless His holy name! Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul, and forget not [one of] all His benefits-- Who forgives [every one of] all your iniquities, Who heals [each one of] all your diseases, Who redeems your life from the pit and corruption, Who BEAUTIFIES, dignifies, and crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercy; Who satisfies your mouth [your necessity and desire at your personal age and situation] with good so that your youth, renewed, is like the eagle's [strong, overcoming, soaring]! (Psalm 103:1-5 AMP)
"The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)." (John 10:10 AMP)
Do you know that you serve the Lord by being diligent about your physical health? Have you noticed when you eat certain things, they have an adverse affect on your mind and/or your body? We must pursue physical exercise, and eating healthy as if we are serving the Lord. Our lack of diligence keeps us from having a body that is energetic, vibrant, and healthy. When we are physically healthy, we can do the work of the Lord with full endurance and power.
Take a moment and take stock of your physical activity and your eating habits. What things need to change? Are you facing ailments? Could you stand to have a healthier blood pressure? Do you eat too many processed, fatty, fried or sugar loaded foods? Sickness is not meant for a child of the MOST HIGH GOD...HE is a HEALER.
I must admit I have not been the best steward of the body God has given me over the last seven to eight years. I let the demands of life distract me from what I know is important. I didn't want to take full responsibility for what needed to be done. First, I said it was stress from a job in which I was not totally happy. Then it was, "I just have to have my chocolate" or "I'm not cooking tonight, let's go to Burger King. At least the burgers are flame broiled". And the big one, "I must be going through perimenopause, because I can't seem to lose any weight no matter how hard I try to stop eating the wrong things."
It's amazing how we can lie to ourselves about what we don't want to do...what we know we should be doing. See the thing is it takes WORK to get the results we say we want. All the talking in the world, and excusing it a way does not change the requirement of discipline, diligence, and determination. Hopefully, we will get sick and tired of living this way and make a conscious effort to get back on the path of Life....the best life God intends for us to have.
So today, we pray to ask God for His power and strength to be victorious and to see His vision for our health. We look up scriptures related to healing, diligence, body, etc. We confess and pray the scriptures out loud. We write out a plan. We commit to the plan. We recognize our weaknesses ahead of time. We have an escape route when we are tempted to help us stay the course. Step by step, we'll be back on the road to better bodies and a better us before we know it. We won't let the enemy steal, kill, or destroy another moment of our lives by continuing down the path of early death. God wants us to have life and to have it more abundantly in every area of our life....especially our health!
Off to get my exercise in. Here's a little motivational music I use to get me started....
"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!
