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3 Easy Steps To SPRING Forth

Ok. I’m officially putting out an APB for Spring.

“SPRING, where are you?”

I don’t know how the weather is where you are, but where I am, temperatures are unseasonably low. In fact, most days here are more than 20 degrees below average for this time of year. And for some, the weather can impact how we feel. Cold temps, cloudy days and rain can leave us feeling depleted.

Have your personal wellness goals been S-L-O-W on the take?

SLOW to eat right?

SLOW to exercise?

SLOW to daily prayer, study and meditation?

[bctt tweet=”I’ve come to declare your winter season is over, it’s time to SPRING FORTH!” username=”inspiredfully”]

God says there is a time and season for everything under the heavens and even though spring has been delayed in the natural, in the spirit it is your time to Spring Forth.

Behold, the former things have come to pass,
And new things I declare;
Before they spring forth I tell you of them.

Isaiah 42:9

Without even knowing all the details, I know God has been whispering some things to you. He’s been telling you what He wants you to do because He’s preparing you for the NEW. He just doesn’t sneak up on you. Before He does a thing, He gives you some insight. He says it right in the above scripture. And He also confirms it in the scritpure below telling you again that the new thing is going to happen, you’ll know about it and He’ll make provision for it. Isn’t that reassuring?

Behold, I will do a new thing,
Now it shall spring forth;
Shall you not know it?
I will even make a road in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert.

Isaiah 43:19

But we’ve got to be prepared to receive the NEW. We have to be obedient to the things He’s already told us to do. We’ve got to be diligent and disciplined so that we are equipped to MOVE with that which is SPRINGING FORTH. If we are not equipped, we can miss our opportunity. And I don’t want us to miss out on what God has for us so let’s get ready to MOVE.

Here are 3 Easy Step To SPRING Forth

MIND

TODAY, purpose that you will meditate for 3 mintues. You can do this! Steal away to a quiet place. Grab a scripture. Heck, you can even choose from the 2 I’ve listed above. Still your body. Bring awareness to your body. Starting at the top of your head then moving down each part of your body to your toes, allow yourself to relax. As you move through this, you may notice some areas that are tense. Grant yourself permission to be present in that space, permission to breath and permission to BE. Embrace that moment by being present. Pick up your scripture and say it. Think on it. Repeat it. Then listen for what God has to say to you about it.

BODY

TODAY, you can commit to honor your temple through proper nourishment. If you don’t already have it, grab your HOW TO BUILD A BETTER SALAD free printable and prepare yourself a salad for lunch or for dinner. You can do this! Incorporating one salad a day is an EXCELLENT way to nourish your body. But you want a salad that will improve your wellbeing and not detract from it so be sure to grab that printable so that you are building a salad that honors not defiles as certain dressings and toppings can compromise your efforts.

SPIRIT

Let us worship God in spirit and in truth. He is TRUTH. So take time TODAY to worship. Whether you do that through prayer, meditation, dance or song, connect your spirit with His. Oh even the though makes my heart soar and makes me eager to finish up this post so I can RUNNNNNN into His arms and dance, dance, dance. That is exactly what my spirit is doing right now as I offer myself to God in worship. He scooped me right up and we are dancing in a HUGE ballroom! WHOOOO!!!! However it looks for you, just free yourself to worship uninhibited.

I know you can do this.

Is one of the 3 a struggle for you? Let me know in the comments so 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 Mommy Moments, Purposeful Faith, Chasing Community

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Scriptures For LIVING FULLY Mind, Body & Spirit

Indeed it is God’s desire that you be in health and prosper even as your soul prospers. Jesus came that YOU may have LIFE and have it more abundantly and you experience the abundant life when you properly nourish your mind, your body and your spirit.

 

What are you to do when?

 

~Toxic thoughts run rampant

~You eat one slice of cake and reach for a second

~You forego your exercise

~You stay up late on social media knowing you have to wake up early

~You spend 2 hours watching TV but only 5 minutes on devotions

 

Yup, those days will occur. But we can take a proactive approach. We can arm ourselves so those days are the exception and not the rule. And we arm ourselves with the Word.

 

We STAND ON TRUTH.

 

When your flesh wants to pull you in that direction, meditate on these verses to stay firmly rooted and planted in Him. We hide these words in our hearts so that we don’t sin against Him. So dive in and feast on this nourishing sustenance. Here are some of my favorite scriptures for living fully mind, body & spirit.

 

MIND

 

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Romans 12:1-2

 

Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; Try my mind and my heart.

Psalm 26:2

 

You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.

Isaiah 26:3

 

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.

Mark 12:30

 

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus

Philippians 2:5

 

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

2 Timothy 1:7

 

I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.

Deuteronomy 30:19

 

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 5:23

 

 

BODY

 

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

 

“And God said, behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for food.”


Genesis 1:29

 

He said, “If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.”

Exodus 15:26

 

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 12:11

 

Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 10:31

 

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.

3 John 1:2

 

Behold, I will bring it health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth.

Jeremiah 33:6

 

 

SPIRIT

 

But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

John 4:23-24

 

So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then.  But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”

1 Peter 1:14-16

 

Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Matthew 26:41

 

 The Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

John 14:17

 

And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.

Luke 2:40

 

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Romans 8:5-6

 

 

What are some of your favorite scriptures for living FULLY mind, body and spirit?

 

 

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

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The Release Of The Spirit

At the grocery store checkout through a pack of gum?!

It’s amazing the ways God chooses to speak to His people. So yes, God did communicated a powerful truth through a pack of gum. And it’s not the 1st time He’s spoken to me in an unusual fashion. He’s spoken to me by vigorously waving tree branches on a still windless day. I’ve even heard His booming voice from heaven audibly call my name. And that happened while I was new in the faith so it was quite unnerving.

 

On my weekly trip to the grocery store, as I stood in the checkout line I glanced over at the gum, My eyes landed right on Mentos Pure Fresh. Mentos Pure Fresh Gum has three layers.   A hard candy outer shell, a chewy, gummy layers then a cool liquid center. And you and I are like the Mentos gum. We are three layered persons. Our hard shell represents our outer most physical body, the gum layer being our mind, will and emotions and the center our spirit. To release the liquid center of the gum, we must get through two tough layers. And the same can be said for releasing our spirit. Let’s journey through the layers.

 

HARD SHELL

Oh how we long to satisfy the desires of the flesh.

 

When angry, we want to holler or play the power move of being passive aggressive.

 

When hurt or sad we may turn to food or other external sources for comfort.

 

That hard outer shell of the gum, the tough, rebellious outer layer of our person, the flesh, MUST crucify its longings to get to the next layer. That outer shell like the outer shell of an M&M can be cracked. Will we embrace being cracked? Do we see the value and benefit of being broken before God?

 

Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. John 12:24

 

CHEWY GUM

When the flesh and its longings have been bought under subjection, we can then reach the next layer of ourselves and that is our mind, will and emotions. And like chewing gum, they are malleable. Just like our teeth and tongue crush, squeeze, fold and turn gum, God takes our mind, will and emotions and turns and squeezes them so that are bought to the obedience of Christ.

 

Therefore do not lose heart, even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 2 Corinthians 4:16

 

While there are many well meaning, good intentions we may have, unless they are in alignment with the will of the Lord, they are for naught. It is not OUR will but HIS will that must be done.

 

LIQUID CENTER

Now I find there are three camps people fall into when eating layered candies like M&M’s and this gum. Some lick each layer. Some nibble each layer. And the last just bite through the whole thing. Whatever the strategy, each layer is enjoyed yet the center holds the promise, like getting to the center of a Tootsie Pop lollipop.

 

It behooves us to remain aware and sensitive so that we don’t miss Him. Now every time I SEE the Mentos gum, think about the Mentos gum, or even smell minty gum, I am reminded that Jesus is the center and I have to remain centered in Him.

 

In the case of the Mentos, the outer layer seems to hold the most intense flavor. The mint is strong and fills the nostrils. The mint is cool yet fiery. And when eating the gum, one wants that minty outer layer to last forever. And we can be like that, wanting to satisfy our desires forever. But do you not know there is even more intense flavor inside waiting to be released? For the liquid center inside the gum is even more intense, even more pungent. And the same can be said for your spirit. Your spirit man is capable of producing MORE fruit than your flesh ever could.

 

And this is the work of the Lord. Day by day He puts us in situations where we will be challenged to crack the hard outer shell of our bodily desires, where we will have to stretch and squeeze the longings of our will so that our spirit man will be released to flow freely and fly right in line with the Lord.

 

This is His desire for you. This is His desire for me, that we would be broken before Him so that our spirits can commune with Him and with other like-minded spirits to expedite the work of building the Kingdom here on earth. This is truly living. Doing the work that we were purposed and placed here for from the beginning of time.

 

“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The Words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” John 6:63

 

Last year I asked the Lord to move my relationship with Him from my head to my heart. My head knows plenty about the Lord; I have memorized His word, I have seen His work, I have heard and continue to hear Him speak. The first two layers of ME know plenty about Him. Oh but I desire more than just head knowledge about Him. I long to know Him intimately. I long to commune with Him. I pine for the opportunity to hang out with Him and learn from Him. So He simply beckoned me to “COME!” And when I walked toward Him, the desires of my first two layers, my body and my will HAD to fall away. To sit with Him and hear from Him required me to respond. And to respond appropriately, obediently required me to deny myself so that my spirit could receive and act accordingly.

 

In his book The Release Of The Spirit, Watchman Nee says, “Our spirit is released according to the degree of our brokenness. The one who has accepted the most discipline is the one who can best serve. The more one is broken, the more sensitive he can be.” He goes on to say it is, “Through the Spirit’s discipline, that the outer man is broken. And, through the Spirit’s revelation, the powers of the outer man are completely divided from the spirit.”

 

Therefore, through disciplining ourselves and by divine revelation of the Holy Spirit, our inner man, our spirit man is released and is FREE.

 

In what ways are you being broken?

Can you see blessing in brokenness?

 

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!
Happy to connect with these friends spreading the Good News Purposeful Faith

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Engaged In Spiritual Battle

I am weary. I am weak. I am worn. But I stand.

 

Having done all to stand, I still stand. It seems as if I’ve been in an ongoing spiritual battle. Perhaps the battle has been underway for a very long time. Perhaps I’m just coming to the realization of what’s been going on. I thank the Lord that He has given me greater sensitivity, “eye to see” and “ears to hear” what He is doing in the earth. The rate at which he’s been revealing has been accelerated and I stand in awe that He longs to show me great and mighty things. Though being a recipient of these revealed mysteries has not been without a fight.

 

At every turn it seems as if plans have been thwarted, dreams have been obliterated, and relationships fractured. But God…I stand on his word and I stand on His promise that no weapon formed against me shall prosper. They may form, and they may even try to take root, but they will not prosper.

 

My General, my Commander is Jehovah Sabaoth, The Lord of Hosts. He is the head and has all sovereignty in heaven and on earth. And He goes before me in battle. Radiant in all His glory He leads us into battle.

 

Who is the King of glory?

The Lord of Heaven’s Armies—

he is the King of glory.

Psalm 24:10

 

What He’s shown me is He is simply looking for you! Yes you. His eyes are looking on the earth for those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. Friend as we worship, we fall in line, right behind Jehovah Sabaoth. He is flanked by angels and believers of times past. His army is ever growing. And while it appears that the enemy has an even larger army with more powerful weaponry, He wants you to open your spiritual eyes so that you can SEE.

 

So he answered, “Do not fear,

for those who are with us are

more than those who are with

them.” And Elisha prayed, and

said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes

that he may see.” Then the Lord

opened the eyes of the young man,

and he saw. And behold, the mountain

was full of horses and chariots of fire

all around Elisha.

2 Kings 6:16-17

 

And how do you open your spiritual eyes to see this reality, His reality? Through worship.

 

Thank you God for opening my eyes to see so that I do not have to fear. Friend, neither do you have to fear. Just be strong and courageous.

 

In the midst of battle last week, I called a friend to pray. Having other strong believers to unite with in prayer is crucial. And while we were connected physically on the phone, we were both filled with an immense awareness of the mighty moves that were taking place as our spirits connected. My friend told me to “Stand and Watch. Stand and Watch”. And just today, another friend, without prior knowledge of last week’s conversation sent me precisely the word applicable to my current situation. Which also happened to be a RIGHT ON TIME word for a different friend with whom I had been praying just earlier in the day. You see, this is how God operates. We are all spirits and when we worship him in spirit and in truth, His truth resonates through the body of believers and we see the TRUE CHURCH! A united body of believers not only connected within a physical church but whose spirit are available and united to carry out kingdom activity in the spirit realm.

 

Standing, watching, fully engaged in battle. Shoulders almost unable to bear the weight, calf muscles feel like they’re on fire but I stand.

 

Now then, stand still and watch

this great thing the LORD

is going to do right before your eyes.

1 Samuel 12:16

 

But you will not even need to fight.

Take your positions; then stand still

and watch the LORD’s victory. He is

with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem.

Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out

against them tomorrow, for the LORD is with you!”

2 Chronicles 20:17

 

While I stand having done all to stand, I am still weary. Donning each piece of my spiritual armor is taxing.   The armor is extremely heavy. I feel like my spiritual legs resemble my natural legs after doing 50 straight squats. I’m sweaty and quite frankly maybe even a little smelly but…

 

I’m STILL STANDING!

 

I’ve been listening to Chris Tomlin’s “Whom Shall I Fear” for weeks now. You can read more about that and what to do when under attack by clicking here. It is because of my worship that I’m still standing. It is because of my worship that I can SEE Jehovah Sabaoth right before my eyes. It is because of my worship that I can patiently wait.

 

And while I stand and wait and worship, God is faithful to continue ministering to me. He gave me a new song this week that continues to minister hope and love and peace.

When you are open, God can and will use different medium to minister his grace and truth to your spirit. It may be a song, a line of scripture, a word from a Pastor, or even a blog post. And for me right now the message continues to be to stand and my song, Jonathan Butler’s “I Stand On Your Word”, confirms it.

 

So friend, I invite you to join me in prayer. We must be ever so sensitive as to what is happening in the spirit realm so we can move and act accordingly. While I am engaged in spiritual battle, I stand. In standing we are not just passively waiting, our spiritual muscles are engaged and we worship.

 

Eternal God, Most Gracious and Holy Father, you alone are the only wise God. It is to you we look for direction. You are all knowing and all powerful. And right in the midst of holding the universe together, you are concerned about us. You see us, you know us and you love us and for that we just say thank you. We thank you for purifying our hearts and making us new. Jehovah Sabaoth, the enemy has been relentless in his attacks against us but we thank you that you’ve given your angels charge over us and they bear us up. We thank you that you deliver us from the evil one’s snare. By the authority given to us we cancel every plot or scheme devised to bring us harm. We cast the imps of division, strife, rebellion, fear, anxiety, depression, and confusion back into the pit of hell. You O God are our refuge; our fortress and a very present help in the time of trouble. Out of your immense love for us, you will deliver us, honor us and satisfy us with long life and for that we say thank you. With the fruit of our lips we say thank you. We lift holy hands and say thank you. You are worthy to be praised! Amen.

 

Still Standing!

 

Inspired Fully

 

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!

Delighted to connect with others encouraging the Body of Christ @ Purposeful Faith, Life Giving Linkup, Grace and Truth , Dance With Jesus

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Lord, Here’s My Worship

“He threw up all in the bed”, was my wake up call at 1:01am. My husband alerted me that our sweet 2 year old was laying in this mess. I jump up and indeed the entire bed was filled with vomit.

 

Saturday evening I was tired and drifted right off to sleep. I hadn’t been asleep long and glory to God that worship had ushered me to sleep because it was in a spirit of worship that I jumped up to clean the mess.

 

Lord, Here’s My Worship.

 

So went the rest of the wee hours of the morning. Nearly every half hour, my sweet baby continued to throw up, until 5:30am. After a while he was just dry heaving because there was nothing left to come up. My mama heart was hurting for my baby so I just held him and rocked him.

 

Lord, Here’s My Worship.

 

Yet with every wake up, every lurching of his stomach, every clean up of the mess was my worship. Washing the soiled linens, stripping soiled clothes…yet again and scrubbing vomit out of the rug, my worship was present in that too.

 

You yourselves like living stones are being built up

as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood,

to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God

through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:5

 

As I continued to listen to the pure, unadulterated worship of singer Jason Upton, my heart was filled with tremendous joy. I was reenergized and revitalized, not just to meet the needs of my baby in that moment, but I KNEW something was happening in the spirit.

 

My mouth is filled with your praise,

and with your glory all the day. Psalm 71:8

 

So as I continued to praise and worship the Lord, I remembered that it was now officially Sunday, the day of Pentecost. I could not have planned a better way to usher in Pentecost, to have my heart and mind set squarely on worshipping the Lord, with no distractions. For Him to orchestrate this divine appointment with me was just so perfect.

 

Even here I have to stop. As I weep, I just cry out HALLELUJAH…HALLELUJAH!

 

Lord, Here’s My Worship!

 

With my heart open in a posture of worship, I receive a fresh touch, a special impartation. This is not the 1st time the Lord has had me up in the wee hours of the morning to speak to me. So Holy Spirit I thank you for a fresh touch, for fresh fire, for fresh oil, for fresh wind, for the indwelling of your Spirit.

 

“‘In the last days, God says,

 I will pour out my Spirit on all people.

your sons and daughters will prophesy,

your young men will see visions,

your old men will dream dreams.’” Acts 2:17

 

Even in the midst of the vomit, the Lord sought to connect with me. The glory of the Lord filled my bedroom and I was saturated in His glory. Throw up and worship, who knew they’d go hand-N-hand? As my grandmother would say, the Lord works in mysterious ways. Oh Lord, I’m so grateful that you invite me into your presence to connect with you, to commune with you, to worship you.

 

Oh friends, be open and receptive to entering into worship in peculiar places at peculiar times. We cannot BOX our God in. He is not isolated in silos. He is omnipresent and He longs to connect with you.

 

Are you present and available?

 

Lord, Here’s My Worship.

 

Friends, won’t you join me?

 

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!

 

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4 Things We Must Know To Stay Aligned

You keep being pulled to the left so you keep pulling to the right to compensate. The inside is all worn down but the outer edges looks okay so you shrug your shoulders and brush it off. Then you hit a little bump and it sends you clear into a head on disaster.

 

If only you had gotten an alignment.

 

The purpose of a wheel alignment is to ensure your vehicle’s travel is truly straight, without pulling to one side or the other. The alignment will keep your travel safe, your wheels from uneven wear, your gas burning efficiently and your ride smooth.

 

Isn’t that like life? Our spiritual lives can get out of alignment.

 

I’ve been there. I’ve had times when I was just going through the motions; my prayers were rote, my worship was weak and my praise dry. I can remember as a babe in Christ my spiritual mom telling me that she was in a dry place with God. I COULD NOT fathom what she was talking about. I was on fire for God, shouting from the rafters to anyone who would listen. I couldn’t imagine not being intimately connected and actively engaged with Him. Well…I found out. And it wasn’t an all at once thing. It was the slow ebbing, the slow leaking and you look up one day and the relationship is flat.

 

4 Things We Must Know to Stay Aligned

 

  1. The Signs

 

When your wheels need to be aligned, your steering wheel may be crooked, your car may be pulling to one side or the other, or you may see uneven wear on your tires. We also have signs when we are in need of spiritual alignment. We may feel disconnected to God. We may have fallen into practicing repetitive motions that lack true love and desire to spend time with Him. We may feel like we don’t “need” to pray. Have you skipped days of devotional time? Have you tuned God out? Are your ears dull to hearing His voice? Have you missed a few bible studies or ministry meetings?

 

 

  1. How Did I Get Here

 

Your vehicle can get out of alignment by hitting potholes and bumps in the road, taking corners too fast and the force of gravity from regular driving. Likewise our spiritual lives come upon some potholes. Did a devastating blow cause you to question God’s love, care and concern for you? Did something happen to someone you love and you question his ability to protect? Did your moving too fast to make your own decisions without consulting Him pull you away? Did the everyday little issues of life, working overtime, social media, activity in other social organizations, a new relationship pull your attention away?

 

  1. Get Aligned

 

Well, there’s good news! You can come in for an alignment. When you bring your car to the shop for an alignment, before they even proceed to align the wheels, they perform a thorough inspection of the front-end parts (control arm, tire rods and more). The technician uses high tech equipment to square the car’s wheels and axles. You can bring your spiritual life into alignment by asking God to inspect your heart. Cry out to Him.

 

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23-24

 

He is sure to answer, as He’s always been right there beside you, watching and waiting even if you can’t see or feel Him near.

 

“No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Joshua 1:5

 

Not only is He right there, He loves you and seek to be with you.

 

“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3

 

 

  1. Staying Aligned

 

Just like we have regularly scheduled maintenance for our cars, our relationship with God requires regular maintenance. But like with our cars, we sometimes only bring them in when there’s evidence of a problem. Oh, my steering wheel is way too the left, let me bring it in. In our spiritual lives, we may be discouraged, disgruntled and in despair. You can bring yourself to the throne of grace where you can obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

 

How often are you taking with God? Not just taking TO God but WITH God? It should be a daily, ongoing dialogue not a once a day monologue. How often to do you seek Him in His word? How often do you enter His presence with thanksgiving and His courts with praise? And here I’m not even talking about being physically in church but His presence in your heart? Even if you are frustrated, mad, sad, confused, hurt, annoyed, irritated, cynical, jaded…whatever you are feeling just come to Him. He’s waiting with open arms.

 

“I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” John 6:35

 

Not only have I had to get alignments on my car, I’ve has to get alignments on my spine. After suffering from migraines for over 20 years, I’ve finally been set free. God used the hands of my chiropractor the help facilitate my healing. Chiropractic care was one of my last ditch efforts to rid myself of migraines. I had tried everything: food modification, stress management, breathing techniques, cold compresses, massage therapy, beta blockers, Imitrex, Aspirin, Aleve, Excedrin Migraine, Maxalt, Midrin, Zomig and on and on! All to no avail. But a sweet friend of mine who has witness my bouts with migraines and has even had to take me to the ER for them, was sitting in her chiropractor’s office and immediately called me and said you have to come here. That was 3 years ago and I can count the number of migraines I’ve had since then. My vertebrae get out of alignment and cause irritation, swelling and eventually migraines.   My chiropractor manipulates my vertebrae so they align properly. When out of alignment, my nerves are out of whack and lead to migraines, which can cripple me for days. It impacts my ability to serve my family and my ministry.

 

When we are out of alignment with God, it hampers our ability to effectively do the work He’s tasked to our hands. We can be crippled for days on end. This is yet another example of why it is crucial for regular maintenance. Our relationship with God is a living, breathing one that needs to be fed, watered and fertilized. When off track, we can course correct and get an alignment or adjustment by simply crying out to him and we can then stay aligned by maintaining constant contact with Him.

By the way, if you are indeed in need of a wheel alignment and you live in the DMV, please check out my cousin Terry Brown, owner of Certified Alignments (click here for more info). High quality, reliable, fast, efficient service with a smile is what you’ll receive when patronizing his shop.

 

Do you need an alignment? Join me in prayer.

 

Oh God I thank you that you beckon me to come. I thank you that you stand with your arms open wide ready to receive me. Here I am God. You said you’d never leave nor forsake me. I need to see you. I need to feel you near. You promised in your word that those who come would never thirst nor be hungry. Well God I’m thirsty and hungry so please feed me. God I need you now. Search my heart. Create in me a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

 

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!

 

Photo credit

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Uncontrolled Emotion Leads to Brain Damage

Click media button. Nothing. Click media button again. Nothing. Ok. Don’t panic. Close the window and reopen it. That should work. Click media button again. Nothing…With each click my emotions swelled. Like the tide coming in, a mighty rush of fear, dread and panic swept over me. “What’s wrong? Why today? How will I fix this?” Then doubt crept in. “Am I really supposed to be doing this?” For half a second, I was ready to quit before even coming all the way out of the gate.

This was my status on Saturday morning as I attempted to do more tinkering on this website that had just launched. After testing, restarting, troubleshooting, nothing seemed to work. In fact, it still doesn’t. This post was sent using my phone. I can’t do anything to my site at present.

The capacity to experience a full range of emotions is good, even necessary for survival. It is when our reactions are overwhelmingly negative that we put our health in danger. Chronic occurrences of fear, stress, anxiety, anger and the like disturb cognitive functions. If left unchecked, allowing emotions to run free can actually damage your brain. When emotional outbursts become our baseline behavior, we wire our brains to default to that. Instead of having survival mode instinct for emergencies, it can become our norm.

Yet we live in a culture that says let your emotions be your master. Go with what you feel. Do what makes you happy. Whatever makes you unhappy, get rid of it.

So what are we to do? How can we control our emotions?

Surely I can give you some advice like breathe deeply, meditate, count to ten before reacting. Those are all great. But…if the negative emotions are chronic, there is a deeper, underlying issue. I pray that the next time a situation arises that causes you to be overwhelmed by negative emotion, you pray for God to expose the root of it. The power of the spirit at work in you is capable of mastering your emotion. “The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such, there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23

We are also better able to control our emotions when we KNOW who we are.

Karen Ward, Founder of Beyond Two, LLC helps people maximize their potential by understand their personalities. Karen says when people understand who they are, they make better decisions. You can find out more about Karen by visiting her on the web at beyondtwollc.com

What can you do today to master your emotions?

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Welcome to Inspired Life!

Guess what?

You get to be in the delivery room with me as I give birth to my newest baby.  Every other year for the last 10 years I have given birth.  I am the mother of five wonderful children ages 10 and under.  Today, I am birthing baby number six; not a live birth but a spiritual birth.  This baby is…

InspiredLifeLogo-HighRes-color-notag

This baby has been in gestation for over three years.  I have nurtured this baby while in utero, talked to this baby, read, sang, prayed for and named this baby.  I’ve had friends come alongside to do the same for this baby.  And today we get to have a massive virtual birthday party for my new baby, Inspired Life.

This inspiredtolivefully website serves of your ONE STOP portal to be empowered and equipped so you can live a fully inspired life.  Through weekly blog posts and monthly videos (vlogs) you will receive nourishment for your spirit, mind and body.

I thank you for visiting.  Want to ensure you don’t miss a post? Enter your email above to the right then click the green button to receive the blog posts directly in your inbox.

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!

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