The substance of things hoped for.
The evidence of things not seen.
All is takes is a crumb. This size of a mustard seed is enough.
By faith God can perform miracles!
Join me over at Breadcrumbs of Faith where I’m sharing my faith story. Be inspired to activate and increase your faith.
As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired to Live Fully!
Happy to connect with friends sharing the Good News Mommy Moments, Purposeful Faith, Chasing Community, Grace & Truth
There are days when you just know that you know GOD IS ABLE.
You know those days when money is plentiful, your job is secure, the cupboards are overflowing, relationships are effortless, children are obedient, and your self worth is high.
Then the other days come. Such is life right? The days that have you questioning the One who said He would provide. The days when the One who said He’d never leave nor forsake you seems to be playing a game of hot peas and butter but you don’t seem to be getting closer, only colder, colder, and colder still.
How do we eradicate the spirit of doubt and activate our faith? How do we hold fast to the truth that God is able? We do it with a simple two-step: Prayer and Praise. Put on your garment of praise and shirk off the spirit of heaviness. Shod your feet in your gospel of peace shoes and get your praise on.
By prayer Peter was released from prison (Acts 12:5-17)
Through prayer and praise, Paul and Silas were delivered from prison (Acts 16:25-40)
[bctt tweet=”Even in the solitary spaces, God is able.” username=”inspiredfully”]
God is able to do exceedingly abundantly for me
God is able to make all grace abound toward me
God is able to give me peace that surpasses all understanding
God is able to supply all my needs according to His riches in glory
God is able to make my enemies my footstool
My soul magnifies you Lord
My soul boasts in you Lord
My soul blesses you Lord
My soul delights in your Word
All my inmost being praises you Lord
With prayer and praise move the TRUTH from your head to your heart…
GOD IS ABLE!
As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!
Happy to connect with these friends sharing the Good News Purposeful Faith, Mommy Moments, Grace & Truth
This is the way my brain thinks. This is the way I’m wired….or so I think.
But the bible tells us:
For, “Who can know the LORD’s thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?” But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:16
It also tells us:
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. Philippians 2:5
I’m an in the box kinda person. I like structure and parameters. I like a clearly defined set of expectations. I like check lists. I make a good employee because I can follow the rules. I am realistic, practical, pragmatic and sensible. Yup that’s who I am. And while those may be some good attributes, they do not lend themselves to creating an environment ripe and ready to receive a miracle.
In Andy Andrews book, The Traveler’s Gift, I read these profound words that stopped me dead in my tracks.
“Reason never makes room for miracles; faith releases miracles. Faith is a sounder guide than reason. Reason can only be stretched so far, but faith has no limits.”
These words were oh so timely for me. For 2 weeks now, I’m been beseeching the Lord for a miracle. I’ve been telling the Lord plainly, “I NEED A MIRACLE!” But these words from Andrews cut me so deeply. [bctt tweet=”Though I claimed I was participating in my miracle, my pragmatic thinking and realistic reasoning was working against my miracle.” username=”inspiredfully”] Was I actually hindering my miracle from manifesting?
What about you? Are you an active participant in your miracle? Are you a free flowing, faithful, believing conduit? Or are you the sensible person for who reason is your compass and guide? Will you leave room for a miracle?
I invite you to join me in aligning our thinking with that of The Most High and expect and believe that not only is He able but He is willing to deliver that which you seek in alignment with His will.
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21
Let us pray…
Most gracious and merciful Father, it is with an open heart, an open mind and a willing spirit that we come to you. We thank you for being an all loving, all knowing and all powerful God. Oh Eternal One, the same who created the heavens and the earth, you are indeed the same one who loves and sees us even at this very moment. God we ask forgiveness for when we have gone astray. We ask for forgiveness for when we have doubted you or tied your hands with our lack of belief. But Lord we come boldly, asking like Jabez that you would bless us indeed, that you would enlarge our territory, that you would keep your hand on us and keep us from harm. Lord let it be to us, that the word you have spoken for us will not be prolonged but the word, which you have spoken, shall be done. Let it break forth speedily Lord. You said you have well seen and will hasten your word to perform it. We reject any spirit of doubt, disbelief or discouragement. Every adversary working to delay our miracle is disbanded in Jesus’ name. Lord we count it a privilege to not only witness but to partake of your wonder working power. You at work in and through us advances your kingdom. We thank you for working through us and we thank you for the manifestation of miracles. To You and You alone be all glory, majesty, dominion and power now and forever. Amen!
As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!
Always my pleasure to connect with these friends sharing the Good News
Mommy Moments, #MeCoffeeAndJesus, Purposeful Faith, Grace & Truth
A fourth of the way into the year and I’m assessing my state of belief. Like the State of the Union address, I’m reporting in with myself on my current health, vitality and concerns regarding my state of belief.
For the last few years, I’ve adopted one word that has served as my compass for the year. This year my word is BELIEVE. Go back and read that post when you get a chance by CLICKING HERE.
To gauge where I am in my believing, I began by asking myself a few questions.
So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. Mark 11:22-24
Man…these questions will really get you thinking. I pray you spend some quiet time with the Lord, asking yourself these questions, listening to your heart’s response then listening for what God has to say about it.
Even though I’ve been a writer all my life, I’ve been hesitant to call myself a writer. Since I was a very little girl, writing was my way of escape. When I was in elementary school, a reading teacher introduced me to the wonderful world of journaling, and it’s something I’ve done ever since. I’ve written in journals and diaries. I’ve written short stories and poetry. I’ve written for school newspapers, city publications and for a Fortune Top Twenty company. I’ve got a degree in journalism. And I have the pleasure of writing in this sacred space on the web. Suffice it to say…. I’m a writer.
Almost 20 years ago the Lord has told me I would be a published author (and I wasn’t even saved then). I’ve got many notebooks over here filled with writing, layout, cover ideas and more for several books.
One day while having a waking vision, I saw my book cover unfolding before my eyes. My eyes went from the top of the cover and began to scroll down. I could see color, typeset, the title and as I came to the end, where the author’s name would be, where I would read my OWN name, I abruptly stopped the vision. I aborted the vision God was writing right before my eyes. I allowed fear to keep me from SEEING what the Lord has in store for me.
[bctt tweet=”I will no longer abort the vision, I will abort the lies and BELIEVE.”]
My husband and I were in a conversation recently and he was encouraging me to get a new laptop if I really wanted to be a writer. I quickly cleared that up, telling him I AM indeed a writer. And I agree in making the investment in myself so I will soon get a new laptop as the one I currently have has a cracked screen and 1/3 of the screen is one big blotch through which I cannot see. The computer is also slow and has little memory. Yes I will invest and believe in what I’ve been called to do.
I AM A WRITER.
I AM A SPEAKER.
Not only is it the way God wired me, He’s given me a double anointing in wiring me for writing and speaking and upon salvation giving me the gifts of exhortation and teaching. No way to escape it, I’ve been called to encourage, exhort and challenge His people and the medium for that is writing and speaking.
So what now?
My believing is in alignment with His and I’m aborting lies.
Now what am I to do?
Here’s the prescription:
I will stand my watch
And set myself on the rampart,
And watch to see what He will say to me,
And what I will answer when I am corrected.
Then the Lord answered me and said:
“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. Habakkuk 2:1-3
We see in these versus, he stood watch, assessing. He aligned by watching to see what the Lord would say and how he would answer once the Lord had corrected him. Then he went on to act by following the Lord’s instructions.
If I am a writer, I must be disciplined and diligent in writing. Not only that, I have to write the words HE’S calling me to write at this season. While I want to write about wellness (an area I feel very comfortable with), He’s calling me to write about parenting (insert sigh. Really God?! This area is an ever moving target). But that’s what He said so I must move forward in obedience.
So what are you believing God for?
I’m praying with you friends as you dare to believe God to do exceedingly and abundantly above what you can ask or think.
As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!
Happy to connect with friends sharing the Good News Purposeful Faith, Grace & Truth
This image has been my phone’s screen saver for months.
I rarely look at it. When I first saw it, it resonated deeply within me because the Lord had been dealing with me on my ability to BELIEVE. So Believe is my One Word for 2016. Instead of making resolutions, for the last few years the Lord has led me to a word that is to be lived out for the year. And as much as I wanted to be done with this, as much as I want this to be a non-issue for me, I won’t run from it. I’ll embrace it knowing God is going to faithfully continue to walk me through this journey of limitless belief.
I don’t question MY God’s abilities. I KNOW beyond a shadow of a doubt that my God can do what he says he can do. I know my God can perform miracles. I know my God is able.
My question is, will He do it for me?
Well, I’m still grappling with this. While it’s been under construction for nearly six months now, the issue persists. And I’m okay with that. I’ve been learning over the past few months to not try to circumvent processes in life design for my growth and development. And the issue of believing for me is deep. Yet I thank the Lord that He’s willing to unearth whatever is hindering or hampering my ability to fully believe. He is excavating deep-rooted lies and casting on them the Light of Truth.
I want the kind of immovable faith and ability to BELIEVE like David when facing Goliath. In 1 Samuel 17, David made a BOLD declaration.
David just KNEW that Jehovah Sebaoth, The Lord of Host, would protect him and ensure the victory.
All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.
1 Samuel 17:47
Oh Lord that I would have David like belief.
One day God directly asked me, “Do you believe?” I answered, “I believe Lord but help my unbelief.” That belief that knows you’re able but is unsure if you are willing.
So I followed that up with a question for Him. “Lord, are you willing?”
And with a look of compassion in His eyes, He answered, “I am willing.”
While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him.
Luke 5:12-13
[bctt tweet=”No longer will I allow lack of belief to suffocate God’s desire to bless me.”]
When I doubt, it smothers my faith. It quenches that God can do and wants to do in my life. No longer will I take my own pillow so beautifully embroidered with the word BELIEVE and use it to asphyxiate God’s plans for my life.
If you have ever struggled with believing God, trusting God, or wavering faith, please join me in prayer.
Lord, the maker of all of heaven and earth, what a great and mighty God you are. You are Sovereign. You are King. It is an honor to love you, to serve you and to partner with you in building your kingdom here on earth. Lord I confess that sometimes my ability to believe is hampered. I repent for hampering your ability to do exceedingly and abundantly in my life through my lack of faith. But I thank you Lord that the prayers of the righteous availeth much. I add my faith to those reading with me now. May our prayers bombard and intercept heaven right now. I pray God that our ability to believe would not be smothered. I thank you for removing any obstacles and false beliefs that would interfere with believing your Truth. You Lord are the way, the truth and the life and when we follow and trust in you there in no need to doubt. Take our mustard seed faith, planted in your nutrient rich soil, watered by your word and make it grow into tall flourishing fruitful trees to bear witness to your glory. I thank you Lord for hearing and answering the petitions of your sons and daughters.
Do you have #OneWord for 2016? I’d love to hear about it and to pray for you. For more on the One Word concept, CLICK HERE.
As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!
Happy to connect with friends at Purposeful Faith, Grace and Truth, Dance With Jesus
I got a text two days ago that said, “God is good all the time”.
What a trite, overused expression. We say it rote, without meaning, without really thinking about the statement. It’s just become a part of church lexicon. In fact, even non-believers say it.
So it got me to thinking, is God good all the time?
Lately, God and I have been having issues. Well, God doesn’t have issues, so let me restate that. Lately I’ve been having issues with God. I’ve had to dig deep and deal with the issue of God not keeping His promises. I’ve had Job-like rants. My flesh and my spirit have been at enmity with one another.
All the while, God has been nudging me, gently whispering, “In it all, give thanks”. He’s been speaking, “You may not feel it or see it, but truly I’m working it all together for your good and it’s all good”.
To the oyster, having a foreign object such as a grain of sand lodged in its delicate tissue is NOT good. While the grain of sand may present discomfort, the oyster is able to protect itself by releasing a substance, which coats the irritant, and the result is a precious, valuable pearl. Likewise, in life we will encounter irritants, things that we feel are NOT good. But by the power of the Holy Spirit at work in us, we can release the authority and power residing within us to wrap around life’s irritants to create a valuable testimony. Our testimonies are precious and can help others overcome. And just as one may ooh and ahh over the precious jewels and gems you are wearing, like your pearls, your testimony shines to gives glory to God.
“You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your statutes.”
Psalm 119:68
Theodicy is the theological assertion that God IS indeed good despite the presence of evil in the world. It is human nature to want to understand WHY an all-loving, all-powerful, just God would allow suffering and evil. God IS absolute in His goodness and there is no evil in Him, yet we are victims or even perpetrators of evil as subjects of a fallen world. But out of His unfailing love and compassion for us, He ensures it all works together for our good. Perhaps the human mind cannot fully appreciate or understand the complexities of this. It even confounds me at times. But when I look back over my life and examine some of my most difficult trials, I can see how God loved me through it and how He caused the events to work for my good. I can see how the situations developed my character, caused me to become more compassionate, prepared me for future life challenges and equipped me assist others.
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28
Regularly I tell my children, “Look for dirt”. In this, I am telling them to train their eyes to ”SEE” mess, clutter, or dirt that they can clean or pick up instead of just passing by. I want their eyes open and their perception heightened to what is in their physical environment. I don’t want them to be one of those people that just see random items on the floor and walk past them. I want them to be good citizens who proactively take action on what needs to be done.
In the same manner, God wants us to attune our spiritual eyes to see. He wants our eyes so trained that we readily see and embrace His good at work in our lives. [bctt tweet=”God doesn’t skimp on doing good toward us.”] But we must have the right perspective in order to see His good. Like I tell my children to “Look for dirt”, He is urging us to “See the good”. And to see His good requires a shift in paradigm, away from seeing with natural eyes to seeing with spiritual eyes.
Is God good all the time?
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!
Psalm 107:1
Even though my flesh doesn’t always agree, my spirit bears witness that indeed He is good.
Not only is He inherently good, He wants good for you. And He is willing to do radical things to bring about His good in your life and in mine. He is intentional and purposeful with every single event that has ever occurred in our lives. . He is strategic in ordering events, people and circumstances so that they ultimately work in concert for our good. Seemingly random incidents are woven together in a tapestry that artfully displays the work of His sure and GOOD hand in our lives. And while the patchwork of cutting, stitching and mending can be laborious and sometimes painful, we are left with a beautifully wrought garment that showcases His glory. Hallelujah!
Yes, God is good all the time. Let your eyes be illuminated so that your WHOLE body will be full of light, full of the TRUTH that God is good. Yes He is.
God is good,
All the time.
And all the time,
God is good.
Not merely a trite overused statement, but a confession of truth.
As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully.
Happy to connect with these friends sharing the Good News Grace & Truth, Dance With Jesus
Have you ever felt that God broke a promise?
God I thought your promises were yes and amen?
God I thought you were not slack concerning your promises?
God I do ALL I can to obey you, to worship you, to honor you.
And the payback?
A broken promise.
Blows that hit below the belt. Crushing events that are in directly violation against Your Word that I prayed in accordance with Your will.
So what do you do when the enemy’s darts penetrate your breastplate?
What happens when the arrows with their poisonous tips leech death into your marriage, into the lives of your children, into your self-esteem, your bank account, or your health?
I pray you DON’T do like I did initially.
My first response was to attack the ONE who would ensure my victory.
But isn’t that human nature? To turn on the ONE you are closest to? I lashed out in hurt and anger. I told my loving, devoted ONE He was a liar. I told Him He was a promise breaker.
As my flesh was having its tirade, my Spirit could not deny Truth. A song I had been listening to all week bombarded my thoughts. The song had me in its grip and wouldn’t let me go. The song says over and over, “You’re a great God, you are great.” This refrain was the weight that kept me anchored in Truth. It is so important to hide Truth in our hearts so that when we are faced with mountains too high to climb and valleys too deep to traverse, our hearts won’t fail.
With my face in the carpet I cried a river of tears. I repented for speaking contrary to His Truth. I asked Him for eyes to see. I asked Him for the mind of Christ. I thanked Him for being a promise keeper. And while I still can’t see the fulfillment of the promise, I thank Him that the promise still stands.
Not one word has failed of all the good things that the LORD your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one of them has failed.
Joshua 23:14
Fellow blogger Patti, writing over at All Things New Blog also presents an interesting juxtaposition on forgiving God. Like God breaking His promises, these are sensitive topics that need to be handled tenderly with TRUTH. Her words of grace in this post blessed me tremendously. Please CLICK HERE to read her post On Forgiving God.
I stand on His Word. I stand on His promises. I’m learning day by day that His promises are rarely delivered in the manner that I expect. His method of delivery ensures His promises are delivered to the right address, at the right time and have been handled with care, even if I don’t recognize the wrapping or the return address.
And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.
2 Peter 1:4
I’ll leave you with some words from singer Alan Jackson,
Standing on the promises I cannot fall,
Listening every moment to the Spirit’s call
Resting in my Savior as my all in all,
Standing on the promises of God.
As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!
Like the little engine that could, I chug along with confidence and boldness.
A child of the King.
A daughter of the Most High God.
An heir to the throne of grace.
Then as I keep chugging through life, and come to new terrain: a new opportunity, a new experience, a new challenge, a new situation, a change of plans, or a detour, my I Know Who I Am gets diverted.
I think I know who I am. Self-doubt creeps in. I question my abilities. Negative self-talk and self-defeating thoughts begin to crowd out TRUTH. Then, do I still know who I am?
When I allow the enemy to flood my mind with lies and deceit do I know who I am?
Thoughts like:
~What makes you think this is a good idea
~Do you even believe this will work
~Maybe you’re too late
[bctt tweet=”That’s the plan of the enemy, to plant little seeds of doubt which have the potential to grow into trees of fear.”] Trees that immobilize forward progress, whose roots choke out everything growing around it.
He hates you. He hates me and he’s hell bent on convincing us that we are someone and something other than who God created us to be. He knows if he can dissuade, distract, and discourage us, we’ll feel hopeless and powerless. And when stripped of hope and power we are rendered defenseless. And when we are defenseless, we can be easily overtaken.
BUT GOD!
Having taught us to store His word in our hearts, He calls the word forth so that we are reminded of who He says we are.
First and foremost, from a time before our birth, He knew us. He knew who our parents would be, what economic situation we’d be born into, what race we’d be and on.
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;
Before you were born I sanctified you;
I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5
From time long ago He knew the skills and abilities He placed in each of us. He knew how He would utilize these skills and abilities to further His kingdom building agenda. But do we adopt the lies and allow ourselves to be derailed? In minimizing God’s capabilities, do we allow ourselves to be a pawn in impeding the kingdom building agenda?
NO!
We will not suffer from a case of mistaken identity. We will not be victims of identity theft. We will stay immersed in the truth of who we are. We know who we are based on who our Creator says we are. The designer of a product knows its intended use. The designer knows its intricacies, its components and its full capabilities. Then the product goes from the designer to the user. Sometimes the user manual isn’t read. Sometimes it’s discarded. Sometimes it’s lost. Have you ever tried to put together something from Ikea without using the instructions? It’s a recipe for disaster.
But you have the manual right at your fingertips. His Word clearly affirms who we are, how special we are and how useful we are.
He declares:
Sweet friends, I share this truth because it is a constant reminder that I need. Oh I celebrate the day when I can consistently walk in the boldness and confidence in which I was created. Let’s have a word of pray.
Creative, Holy, Loving, Merciful God, I thank you. By your hand I was uniquely formed and fashioned. By your Word I was established. And by your power I am a reality. I am a breathing, walking, talking, living miracle. I am a manifestation of your grace and beauty. Lord forgive me for when I have denied the greatness of my heritage. Lord, by your power I renew my thoughts and transform my thinking so that it aligns with your Truth. I fully embrace the fearfully wonderfully made creation that I am. I will walk worthy of my calling. I renounce every lie that the enemy tries to get me to accept as truth. I take those thoughts captive and the blood of Jesus extinguishes them. And by the authority You’ve vested in me, I stand boldly on the truth that I am your beloved, that I’ve been clothed in fine linen and silk, that you’ve placed a crown on my head, that I am a royal priesthood that I am the apple of your eye, that I am your friend, that I am your workmanship, that I am a good success, that I am seen, that I am loved! Hallelujah! I thank you for Lord that I am who you say I am. In You I find my identity. In You I Know Who I Am. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!
P.S. Israel Houghton sings two songs that minister this truth to my heart, Identity & I Know Who I Am. Take a listen and celebrate the truth.
Happy to connect with others sharing the Good News Cheerleaders of Faith, Grace & Truth
Thank you for joining me this week as I celebrate 1 year of blogging. The journey has been an interesting ride. I thought I’d just be writing, an easy task since writing’s all I’ve every done consistently since childhood. But it’s been so much more than that. It’s been about me connecting hearts and mind with my readers. It’s been about me growing in my relationship with Christ. It’s been about me learning how to truly be authentic, transparent and vulnerable. Before those were merely buzz words, now they are personal.
With that in mind, I’m reposting the TOP VIEWED post in my year of blogging. I never imagined before I began that I’d let readers into such a raw space but given the views of this post, readers can identify with honesty. While my faith has increased since the post, I’m still a work in progress. Coming up this weekend I’m supposed to take another faith move but right now I’m quaking in my boots trying to find an escape route.
Lawd, help me!
Thank you for walking alongside me on the journey. Be blessed.
Ok, so I’ve got faith issues. Twice last week God gave me a vision of what He thinks I’m capable of. And twice last week I threw blankets of doubt over the visions, smoldering them with my limited thinking and lack of belief. I know I have faith issues.
I was watch a teaching and the man stated, “If you say things like ‘I just don’t see how’ or ‘I just can’t see that happening’, you have a faith issue. Yup, that’s me. I often rehearse statements like that in my head. But again God in his faithfulness led me right to His word to shed light. I opened my bible to read about His willingness to heal the lepers. Then He drew my eyes a couple verses over. He tells Simon to let down his nets. And Simon responds just as I would have done, with doubt and disbelief. “Lord, I don’t see how that’s gonna work”. I know I have faith issues.
This year my One Word 365 is courage. I am believing God to give me bold faith and the courage to move beyond fears so that I can carry out all He’s called me to do, uninhibited. A few weeks ago I was cleaning out a purse and found some notes from a Sunday service in October of 2014 where we had a visiting pastor. His message was from 1 Samuel 17 and was entitled “I Am A Giant Slayer”. Finding these notes was so timely as I have been engaged in spiritual warfare. It also confirmed for me my word for this year on having courage. Then that Sunday my Pastor began a multipart teaching from the SAME text entitled Facing Your Giant! Our God is so loving and so timely that he uses others to be His mouthpiece to declare His truths so that we can be free!
God knows I believe but I’m scared. Scared of being let down. Scared of being hurt. Scared of being rejected. Scared of disappointment. But He is so faithful and loves me so much that He is confirming His word to me time and time again. And He loves you too and will communication His truth to you. Just have an open heart and an open mind to receive. Yes, I have faith issues, but He’s increasing my faith.
Jesus please don’t scold me as you did those standing around when you healed the mute boy. “Oh you faithless generation” you exclaimed. My cry Jesus is that of the boy’s father, “I believe but help my unbelief”.
The question is not IF GOD CAN, as the boy’s father asks. Jesus clarifies that for us in giving the man’s question back to him “If I can”. So I’ve shifted. I know you CAN God, but are you willing to do it for me?
And He’s already answered that for me too. He is willing. Just as He told the lepers in Luke 5:12-13, “I Am Willing”, [bctt tweet=”He’s assuring us, not only is He ABLE but He is also WILLING.”]
I thank God that He doesn’t leave us where we are but loves us so much that He sheds His light on every crevice, recess and crack in our hearts to expose them to His truth.
Oh God strengthen my microscopic faith. Magnify it Oh God. Have compassion on me. Take my mustard seed faith, plant it in nutrient rich soil and water it Lord so that it may grow radically.
Yes I have faith issues, but He’s strengthening my faith.
One commentary I read said if your faith could lay hold of His Omnipotence all is done. So Lord my faith lays hold of your limitless power. I believe you are able. I know that you love me. And I know that you are willing thus it is so.
Do I have issues with faith? Yes. But I am being transformed.
Mustard seed faith? Yup.
Bold faith? Walking toward it.
Radical faith? Right on the horizon.
I stretch forth, break forth and move forward in faith.
A few points to ponder:
Do you struggle with faith?
How have you increased your faith?
How had God been faithful to you?
As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!
Separating the good from the great, the almost from the achieved…
We admire people we consider disciplined: athletes, soldiers, super heroes, martial artists, actors, and models. We may even think to ourselves, “If I could just be like them”.
Well let’s shed the light of truth here. To some degree we are like them. It’s not that they are necessarily smarter or more gifted but they tend to demonstrate the ability to be focused, determined, and strategic and all that requires discipline.
Successful people are disciplined people. Successful people not only make plans but also follow through with those plans. And discipline is the secret sauce that compels one to follow through.
Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.
~Jim Rohn
Webster’s defines DISCIPLINE as:
Training that corrects molds, or perfects the mental faculties or moral character; control gained by enforcing obedience or order; orderly or prescribed conduct or pattern of behavior; self-control.
An obsolete definition of discipline is instruction.
I am a disciplined person. There are times where I can allow fear to impede me from moving forward or following through but in general, everyday situations of life I am disciplined.
I am disciplined with my eating, time, money, relationships, and exercise. Even though discipline comes natural to me because of my personality type (A-Type, concrete, sequential, linear. But life has taught me to be flexible so I’m changing J), there are still plenty of times that I too have to WORK diligently at being disciplined.
One day my 11-year-old daughter and I were at a food buffet and I chose sautéed green beans and veggie sushi out of the plethora of fried, greasy, cheese, yummy options. She said, “Oh Mommy it’s just easy for you because you are so disciplined”. I told her, “Um…Not quite my dear. Actually I would love love love to have that mac and cheese but I CHOOSE to honor my temple instead.” I had to share with her that making that decision was not easy for me. The smells were intoxicating. In fact, there were several delicacies I wanted to get but I’d made my decision. And I walked away from that buffet feeling victorious that I had made a decision for my health, for my family and for our future.
Since discipline is what separates the rookies from the pros, how do we acquire it? Here are a few suggestions on how to be disciplined.
In being disciplined with my eating I keep my goals before me. One of my greatest reasons for choosing to eat right is to reverse my family medical history of illness and disease so that my children rewrite their DNA and with each successive generation we can eradicate certain diseases right out of our DNA. And each choice I make today contributes to or detracts from me reaching that goal so I keep that at the forefront of my mind at all times. There are times I fall short but I still aim for the target.
But I discipline my body and keep it under control,
lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
1 Corinthians 9:27
Think little train…”I think I can. I think I can.” The power of positive self-talk is transformative. Tell yourself who you are and what you CAN do. I can eat well. I can save money. I can bring my dream to fruition. God says speak those things that are not as though they were. And by His power and might, according to His will, they shall come to pass when you speak life.
We all need guard rails. They are not there to hinder us but to protect us. Establishing systems and parameters keep us from straying. Budgets help keep our finances on track. Meal planning and preparation keeps our eating on track. The disciplined person always has an established set of boundaries. Even times for sleeping and waking, these all contribute to being disciplined.
This is a huge piece missing from the puzzle of discipline. To whom do you report when you have not done what you said you would do? Will they hold you responsible for keeping your commitments? Will they dole out correction when necessary?
Discipline is not acquired after doing something three, four or five times. A successful pattern of behavior is established after doing it over and over and over. Because there will come a day when you really just don’t want to. Believe me, been there done that and have the blog post to show for it. You can read it by
CLICKING HERE. Practice may not always make perfect but practice, practice. practice will get you to your destination, imperfect and all.
Discipline is a thing that doesn’t always feel good at the moment. But fortunately we are not a people who allow our feelings to dictate our actions. We make decisions based on principles not on feelings so we discipline ourselves to choose well even when it hurts.
For the moment all discipline seems painful
rather than pleasant, but later it yields the
peaceful fruit of righteousness to those
who have been trained by it.
Hebrews 11:12
Think about a person you admire for their discipline. In what area(s) are they disciplined? Where do you think they got the will power to be so disciplined? What separates you from having that same level or even greater discipline?
You have it too. Just dig deep into THAT place. Commit to following some of the steps above for acquiring discipline. I’m here in your corner cheering you on. I know you can do it. And I don’t want to hear, “Oh Tyra, that’s good for you but I just can’t, ” Uh-un I don’t want to hear that. I can’t isn’t permitted here. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.
Let me know how I can pray for you.
As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!
Happy to connect with these friends sharing the Good News #DanceWithJesus, Grace & Truth, WordsWithWinter