Faith That Grows Us

​Praying for faith might be like praying for patience. Lol 

FAITH requires stepping out of the boat. Leaving the dock first…then the boat. Haha  But it usually involves some kind of LEAVING. Leaving a mindset, leaving your idea, leaving a fear, excuses, expectations etc. Growing OUR FAITH happens when we allow the Word to penetrate to deeper levels.  We know His Word – “…the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 (all that deep stuff that matters)  So what do you think happens when we allow and bring THE WORD into DEEP PLACES? I believe it cleans out, realigns us, and IGNITES us toward our purpose- our God DREAMS. Can you see how Faith and Dreaming are closely tied together? Have you ever had a big God Dream that you put on a shelf? May I suggest the connection of how God grows our faith through God Dreams? He has a purpose for you and a future plan. The plan might be laying dormant today. Maybe waiting on more faith muscles, maybe just waiting on the perfect timing, maybe it’s time.
How do we grow our Faith muscle and engage with our God Dreams?

First… What are you surrounding yourself with on a daily basis? Faith or Apathy? (ouch)

If there’s room for improvement in your answer then consider these ideas.  I’m sharing my thoughts and leaving room for you to answer on your own for each.


1. How can you purposefully start putting yourself in positions of faith? 

Could it be as simple as Saying Yes to Holy Spirit? Sometimes it’s as easy as a daily prayer. “Lord, here am I, send me.” One of the fastest prayers I ever have answered is simply this; “Lord help me see FAITH opportunities today to BE your servant. (hands and feet…boots on the ground) If there’s someone (cuz there is always someone) I can share You with today or help in your name…help me see it and I will do what you ask, share, give, encourage etc.”  
Every ..single… time…A door opens almost immediately.  Pray.   Hear.    OBEY.
(share your thoughts?….) _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. How can you purposefully place and build FAITH support around you?

MY TRIBE is a huge part of my support system.  We all need Jesus with skin on right?  Having my tribe to lean on for prayer, to share with and ask for help is vital to each of us. He has made each of us to be knit together. Jesus was great at Community. He didn’t shy away from it out of any kind of fear. He was intentional about who, what and even where and when. His purpose was PEOPLE. Loving God and loving people. Like the three stranded, intertwined physical cord (rope) and or chord .  🎶
Think about what HARMONY sounds like and does to a song.  When I was leading worship full time, I enjoyed letting others sing the melody so that I could sing harmony.  There’s a time for singing the melody (leading)  and time to find the notes in between to create a beautiful, powerful chord. I love tight harmonies. They make me …. well, FEEL a part of something bigger. Our connections (our chords/ cords) are not accidental. We are made for collaboration because He lives on the inside of us. We are each ministers to one another.  Somedays I’m the giver and other days the receiver. We need time doing both to grow our faith. 
(Share your thoughts)
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I hope you’ll share your thoughts with me and I hope this encourages you to grow your faith muscle. (email me or comment below)

Good News Coach- Lisa Creed
Connect with me on Facebook – @goodnewscoaching

More Than A Choice

Happy New Year Friends!

Last week I shared  a new blog post called I Get To Choose and just like Holy Spirit does, He has started to add to the thought.  This morning I was reading my devotional from I HEAR HIS WHISPER and this last sentence made me pause and re-read… take it in.. breathe it in.  “It is more than a choice; it is courage that must fill your heart as you look upon the horizon with faith. Never fear what is to come, for I am the One who was, who is, and who is to come!”

Isn’t it just like Holy Spirit to work in layers?   Precept upon precept… layering on and trimming away at the old me.  I think we’ve all experienced the pruning season of fall/winter.  I know I have been through a season of letting go and pruning like never before.  

While my friend Cheryl was here visiting me just before Christmas, she kept bringing me over to my war torn, gangly plant.  She kept pointing out how it needed pruning, where I should ‘make the CUT and let it make a come back’  And each time I shook my head and refused to even hear of it. I was so focused on its former beauty – BTM- (before the move) and what it had just been through.  You see, BTM  it was full and filled the space and I gladly took little new starts and transplanted them to new pots.  I even gifted them as presents.  But now it was struggling to make its come-back. This plant had been through a huge move across states; left its big sunny window and got pushed into temporary housing with north facing windows, barely getting enough light and attention to keep it alive.  So NO, I didn’t want to traumatize the remaining plant anymore by hacking off the biggest surviving branch. ( If you’re thinking this plant is my symbolic self – you’re absolutely right! )  Honestly, I was pretty offended by the mere suggestion of pruning.  (LOL) All I heard was “JUST CUT IT OFF” and I could NOT hear it without wincing inside.  So back to the new layers thing…It’s more than a CHOICE… it takes COURAGE!   It takes COURAGE to keep trimming away.  Trimming away means I am focused on the NEW GROWTH, means I TRUST in the NEW PLAN to be even better than the old one. Courage sometimes (ok, usually) means becoming more vulnerable than we are comfortable with.  It also usually has to do with TRUTH. Speaking and Hearing Truth.  First and foremost to and from ourselves. Which spiritually means getting into AGREEMENT with God.   The root word for Courage is COR.  The Latin definition means ‘HEART’. Although it has evolved, it originally was defined as ‘to speak one’s mind by telling and giving all one’s heart’. What a picture of Christ’s love for us.

There is a time for everything and certainly the Lord is preparing our CORE with COURAGE for what He is up to next! He is on the throne and is worthy of our Greatest COURAGE. COURAGE that will take us further than we’ve gone and make us stronger than we could ever imagine. 

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace".
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Happy New Year 2023 !

Lisa Creed- Good News Coach
“Life and Small Business Coaching From A Biblical “Good News” Perspective. “

I Get To Choose

When I read those words – I GET TO CHOOSE – I feel both the weight and the freedom that this simple statement brings. There is definitely a feeling of accountability for my actions but even before the actions or behavior I select comes the thoughts I dwell on, allow and believe. When I think of the statement from the angle of empowerment, I am reminded that my choices are my own and not anyone else’s. It’s also the realization that when life happens (as it always does) I have choices in how I will respond. I don’t have to follow that old template that was set by my childhood stuff, I can CHOOSE to recreate the template. It’s not easy – it’s work for sure. But the ability to walk in FREEDOM is worth the work we do on the inside.

Awareness, I believe is what lights the pathway for us. Deciding (Choosing) to SEE things we may have missed and even allowed, keeps the focus on ME and not on others. I find myself, even in prayer continually reframing my thoughts. It wasn’t a natural process to re-think my thinking. But it’s kind of like in the Matrix – once you know – YOU KNOW. Awareness comes to us through God. His Spirit brings counsel, brings Truth and brings us to each next step we need to become more like Him.

I am a pretty visual person and I love to draw, doodle and write. This is part of how I process. This is why journaling is so cathartic for many people and leads them from one place to another. Think of a circle

When we come to a place where we’ve been before it’s like the top of the circle. Just before we go around the same path ( around the circle again) there’s a moment where we have a choice to go OFF ROAD. (so to speak) This is how I think of coaching. Coaching helps us to first identify the circle, the rut, the do-over. What is the repeating behavior or cycle? Coaching helps us figure out what the name of the cycle might be that keeps us stuck. This is an important step so we know what we’re dealing with. Why do we need to know what we are dealing with? Sometimes we have false beliefs – even lies that we’ve believed that hold us back from change. We can’t replace those lies if we don’t know what they are. Just facing a lie and calling it a lie is a huge achievement. That’s a breakthrough! The next step is breaking the agreements with the lie so they can then be broken and re-alignment with TRUTH can start taking you to new places. This takes time to work on new habits. It takes practice and re-alignment. Re-alignment can feel uncomfortable at first but the new way should feel different – it will feel NEW. This is where you start seeing new growth in probably several areas of your life.

This all sounds so easy right? I call it the ‘inside work’ – it’s WORK for sure. But GOOD NEWS – When God is living on the inside He helps us – strengthens us to be able to face what we thought we couldn’t and He even helps us know things that bring discernment and awareness at just the right time. He is our Advocate that is leading the way. But He will never take us anywhere we are unwilling to go. We Get To Choose.

Lisa Creed
Good News Coach

Empty Cups

“You can’t pour from an empty cup” –

You’ve probably seen this quote before. I think it’s makes a lot of sense. I recently read a blog by a well meaning Christian woman who vehemently disagrees with this statement. In her blog she explains her idea that in fact we should stop repeating and encouraging this statement – that we can’t pour from an empty cup. She not only thinks we can but SHOULD. And there’s the word I was waiting on. Used like a thump on the head from your mother — and in church no less – SHOULD. 🤦‍♀️
As I read on, she quoted instances of amazing perseverance from scripture. Implying that we don’t know what real hardship is and that Jesus would call us to dig deeper, try harder. She shared how Paul in many instances did not need or have to “fill his cup” from jail he still gave and ministered and poured out. However, I believe we saw Paul model diligence in setting aside time for worship, prayer and meditation. His infamous jailhouse worship service broke literal chains off and opened prison doors. Did that come as a result of his own effort – his grit- his stamina? I believe his was strengthened to stand because he knew how to wait on the Lord, access the realms of glory and practiced deep times of seeking wisdom and revelation. It’s God who does the work, brings the power and gets all the glory.

Not only did the blog post criticize women who believed they needed to practice self-care or encourage self-care she went another step further to say scripture did not support self-care. My heart broke as I continued to read and recognize this all too familiar form of spiritual abuse we see in the church body. It makes me not just sad but mad! It implies that my level of despair or discomfort is unimportant and it somehow translates to how devoted or committed I am as a ‘good Christian’. Because there are those who do take self care over into self-absorbed, unbalanced comfort seeking 24/7 ; we should then throw the baby out with the bath water and say we don’t NEED to tend to ourselves? No of course not.

I’d like to present two scriptures from Mark


Mark 6

31 There was such a swirl of activity around Jesus, with so many people coming and going, that they were unable to even eat a meal. So Jesus said to his disciples, “Come, let’s take a break and find a secluded place where you can rest a while.” 32 They slipped away and left by sailboat for a deserted spot. 

Mark 12
30 You are to love the Lord Yahweh, your God, with a passionate heart, from the depths of your soul, with your every thought, and with all your strength. This is the great and supreme commandment. 31 And the second is this: ‘You must love your neighbor[a] in the same way you love yourself.’ You will never find a greater commandment than these.” (Emphasis is mine.)

Mark 6:31-32 and Mark 12:30-31 (The Passion Translation)

It seems clear to me that we are reminded within the greatest commandment to love ourselves well. I would also point to the many times that Jesus stole away from the disciples and the crowds to go be alone and pray. And then there’s the concept of resting on Sabbath and waiting on the Lord. Loving ourselves well is a healthy way of keeping our perspective on who’s in charge. Of course, there is a balance.

It makes me sad that the body of Christ sends a message that we shouldn’t need to rest or to recharge ourselves. Especially in times of challenge and for me personally these have been times of preparation -literally the reason I am able to stand and not fall. They that WAIT upon the Lord will renew their strength. We may not be challenged with being falsely imprisoned, (maybe some are) persecuted for our faith or faced with extreme circumstances. (again, maybe some are) If I am taking my cue from Christ then I need to ask how did he respond to those overwhelmed. Did Jesus tell us everything was going to be easy breezy – no. The danger of saying we don’t need our cup filled in order to pour out to others is that it implies the proverbial “SHOULD” right on top of our own self-doubt – pushing right over the cliff into self reliance and operating from a place of human strength and right on down to BURN OUT street where we have burned out, worn out, beat up Christians pushed into leadership! So, rather than pointing us to the source of rest, peace, counsel and answers – we hear the message “don’t be needy Christians -be tough, pull yourself up by your boot straps and don’t worry so much about yourselves.” Does that sound like Jesus to you?

The message of self reliance encourages us in the wrong direction. We can do all things through Christ not through ourselves. We CAN endure and stand strong as believers because we have a fount within us that never runs dry. We still have to do our part and access it… make it priority to go get under the spigot. It’s the source that is the difference between self care and self absorbed. I’m not an advocate of sugar coating what Christianity is supposed to look like. I’m not saying that we should even expect everything to come easy for Christians. We are in a battle with the enemy of our souls and we need balanced – healthy soldiers moving in the right direction. It’s sad when churches use their spiritual authority to ultimately further their own agenda to get more hands on deck to get more work done – get more sheep into the house all the while they overlook the needs of the sheep that are there already.
His message to unbelievers and believers – Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

His message to Believers – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
This encourages us to take care of our whole body- mind and soul….to be a good steward of our bodies. And that includes spending time filling our cups. It’s like my former pastor Clay said- “Yes, I get filled up – the problem is – I LEAK”. The Good News is, we can come directly to the fountain whenever we want – wherever we are and He is faithful to refresh us generously over and over.

Flow – The Winner’s Zone

heart-path-girl

Fall in love with the FLOW of the process and success will follow!

Guest Blog By: Carmen E. Burnham, MSW

As I reflected on what to share with you, the word “FLOW” flashed across my mind.  You’ve heard the expression, “get in the flow” or “let it flow!” What images does “flow” provoke for you? Flow of water? Flow of cash? “Or, “just let your love flow?”  Usually the word “flow” presents positive images, right? Now, FLOW has another meaning. It has gained fame in the field f Psychology and means “to be in the zone.” Getting in the “flow” can be both a spiritual and a mental state that causes the knowing that you have the potential to succeed.  Flow helps to maximize your potential to succeed.  As I allowed myself to “flow” in gaining inspiration to write this, the word “flow” came as an acronym. Let’s see what F-L-O-W includes.

 

“F” – is for Focus. The latin word for focus is Hearth.  A hearth is where a fire burns. It has to do with your passion.  Staying engaged in the flow of your passion fuels your motivation.  Focus means intense concentration. One area of “being in the zone” is “being in the now!” Being focused “on the now” causes connection with what matters like your goals, or the person you are conversing with at the moment.  I have made it a goal of mine to be fully engaged with the person I am conversing with as if they are the only one in my life at the moment, because he or she is! And let’s not forget Who is to be our ultimate focus.  He, for whom our hearts burn with passion. Focusing on His life flowing into you even now yields His presence that fosters advancement.

 

“L” – is Listen.  I always teach there are 3 to whom we are to listen- The Lord, ourselves and others. To listen to the Lord for His instruction requires listening to the flow coming from your heart. “Be still and know I am God.”*  Listening requires “being in the zone.”  We also need to listen to our “gut’ which is that safety mechanism that is like a green light that tells us to go ahead with our plans or a red light that means “stop do not advance to GO and do not collect $200.00” – there is danger ahead.  This type of listening sharpens our skills to listen to our clients,  which builds relationship and insures accurate fulfillment of client’s’ needs, which insures success in your field of endeavor(s).

 

“O” – Optimum is the best level or state that could be achieved; The best results coming from the most favorable, the most suitable advantageous conditions or results. “Being in the flow”  presents one with the highest experience of functioning in faith, in confidence in yourself and presenting the best of yourself professionally. Gold medalist talk about “being in the zone.” Like an Olympian, order to reach your goal(s) you must focus on what behaviors you need to achieve the optimum.  We are told by Jesus and by Paul “to press towards the mark of the prize of the high calling”**  knowing that whatever we are doing, we are ultimately to bring God glory. Optimum fosters the spirit of excellence.

 

“W” – Wisdom determines how prepared you are to engage with the power that propels you towards your purpose. When we lack wisdom, we lack confidence, and direction.  We have a tendency to stay stuck instead of FLOW. When the Lord states, “I will make you the head and not the tail,”*** it literally means I will give you the ability to make wise choices in life.  Wisdom dictates that you must invest in yourself to be at your optimum flow.  You are worth it to invest in you!

 

“Being in the flow” has to do with being at ease. There is a joy that accompanies the flow because you are engaging in the current of what you have been anointed to do.

The anointing makes everything seem easy. The anointing is what causes you to flow! But remember you are not engaging in the flow alone.  You have the God of the universe who has called you to flow and backs you up as you go- so enjoy the FLOW! *Ps. 47:10; **Phil.3:14; ***Deut. 28:13

 

carmen-2017-2Rev. Carmen E. Burnham, MSW is currently working on obtaining a Doctor of Divinity Degree, is former CEO of Life Enhancers, Inc; Co-hosted a daily one hour live counseling program- “Insights for Life and TV program- The Divine Life. . She is a  married mother of three grown daughters and a granddaughter. In ministry (Conquerors in Christ) and head of her private Christian Psychotherapy Counseling center since 1990, she is spiritual mentor and coach to many.

 

Growth Is Optional

Growing Means You Are Living, Moving Forward and Actively change-is-inevitable-growth-is-optional-2Participating – not Stagnant or Stuck.

Our lives and our businesses all go through many phases.  It’s important to remember that no one is perfect and no one has it all figured out.  I believe we all must stay in the growing process…. all the time and all our lives.  To stop growing on purpose is the #1 killer of life and business.

The beginning of the year is the perfect time to take a REAL look at where you have been and more importantly where you want to go and how to get there!

Evaluate yourself and or your business.
Here are the top 7 signs you would benefit from coaching:

  1. Maxxed Out and Overwhelmed
  2. Trapped
  3. Cornered
  4. Magic Bullet Syndrome
  5. Going in Circles
  6. Feeling Alone
  7. Bumping Up But Not Over Your Goals ( OR Status Quo )

What you are missing without the right COACH:
Support
Encouragement
Accountability
Strategy Help and Guidance

GROWTH!

Coaching helps you get out of your own way.  What I mean is that when you are flying solo there is only YOU to blame when you aren’t seeing the results you’d hope for. No one grows in a vacuum.  So, if you are constantly moving deadlines out, rescheduling your personal time  – you are most likely your own bottleneck.

Book A Free Coaching Assessment Call NOW!

What About Bob?!

We all have those days…. You know- when nothing seems to be going our way and you’re ready to just start the day over again. I know I certainly do. Usually I notice it in a traffic jam when I’m ‘talking through my windshield’  “What IS it with everyone today?”   Cue the  video in my head. An  Oscar worthy dramatization of characters and events which proves my point that – YES everyone is crazy today!.

John Maxwell calls this the BOB PRINCIPLE (Winning With People) which states:
When Bob has a problem with everyone, Bob is usually the problem!
So many times our attitude is allowed to create a wrong perspective.  It’s not intuitive to have self accountable reality checks when we life happens.  Our natural mind immediately adopts a victim mindset which may be helpful to our ego and maybe even suffices an immediate painful self discovery.  But believe me it isn’t going to help us in the long run AND because it is a false sense of protection it’s kind of like the icing on a stale cake! Yuck!

I once met a woman in a meeting and as soon as we were introduced I simply asked if she lived nearby. She rolled her eyes and said ” Well – I USED to live in the “such and such” neighborhood in a 4000 square foot home but now I live on the other side of town in a 900 square foot apartment.  You see, my husband left me for another woman (more details than I can share…)  and then I lost my job … I’ve just been getting by with part time jobs since then – I’m looking for a new job now in fact because the people at work are not nice to me and my boss gives me grief about stuff I can’t control like traffic- He doesn’t drive in the traffic- he comes in at 9:30 or 10 everyday when traffic is over can you believe that?” When it was my turn again – I said “Wow! that’s really alot to handle – when did your husband leave ?”  – “It was 14 years ago, right after our last child went off to college…I don’t know why bad things keep happening to me”  By the way she shared the details and even dates you would have thought is was really recent.
I guess the more you deny the easier it becomes to keep blaming.  Eventually it’s easier to believe the lie we’ve told ourselves to get through it than to start uncovering the pain and deal with reality.  As they say – it’s a slippery slope. Or maybe it’s slippery ladder that we can choose to start climbing or just go where gravity pulls us.  Like I said before, it isn’t natural or intuitive to be accountable – we have to choose to learn it and practice it.

So what can we do to avoid becoming BOB?

  1. When “life happens” train yourself to ask the question “Is this me being Bob today?”   ” Am I looking at this from my BOB perspective?”
  2. Listen to the questions you ask others and yourself? Are they VICTIM or ACCOUNTABLE questions? (see below)
  3. Memorize a couple of delay tactics and avoid decisions when you can. If you can apply these to others and even yourself you can buy a little time to process a reply rather than react in the raw.  (i.e. “let me chew on this a while”… ” I’m going to think this through”  ” I’m not sure how I feel right now “,    ask yourself –  “I have so much on my mind at the moment – is it absolutely necessary that I respond right away?”
  4. Watch and guard your energy level. Bob the victim loses lots of energy little by little as things progress and then at the end of day even the feeling of overwhelm somehow validates the victim thinking which then becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.
  5. Monitor what you are doing to COUNTERACT the natural tendency to lean into victim thinking and behavior.
    1. Practice Affirmations
    2. Count Your Blessings
    3. READ about Accountability
    4. Listen to positive, upbeat music
    5. Memorize scripture
    6. Plan time just for RESTING – Don’t say YES to everything and everyone!

CHECK YOURSELF:

VICTIM                                                                                        ACCOUNTABILITY

“Why is this happening to me?”                         “This is the way it is- let’s get to work”

“Why doesn’t someone do something?”             “What can I do?”

“I did my part – it’s not my fault”                       “What are my options?”

“It’s not my job”                                                        “I will find a solution”

“Why can’t I get a break?”                                     “What do I need to do differently ?”

“If it were meant to be it would happen”         “Let’s try a different way (again)”

The LADDER Goes Both Ways – YOU CHOOSE!
VICTIM                                         ACCOUNTABILITY

  • Fights Reality / Stays In Denial                      Acknowledges & Values Truth & Clarity
  • Blames Others/Flighty Without Focus         Owns It and Has ENERGY & FOCUS
  • Personal Excuses/Deflection                           Finds Solutions/Possibilities
  • Stuck in WAIT & HOPE                                      Gets Into Action
  • Resignation/Status Quo                                    Change

    Like the boiling frog – things get worse as we go DOWN the ladder.
    The faster you can start upward the easier!

l_climing_ladder.thumbnail.337x280f

What’s Your Ceiling?

ceilingAre you struggling with one or more of what I call “Ceiling Symptoms”?

  1. Ceiling of Paralysis–  You are overwhelmed with ideas and information and have several incomplete projects waiting to be addressed.   Coaching will help you prioritize, evaluate and then implement and take action !
  2. Ceiling of Attention– You have a great service or product but not enough customers or clients.  Coaching will lead you to new marketing & prospecting strategies to help you find more business quickly.
  3. Ceiling of Talent–You are distracted and bogged down with things outside your strengths or expertise.  You could bring in more business if you weren’t doing everyone’s else’s job.  Perhaps you have hired and DE-hired but can’t seem to find the right fit for your team.  Coaching and Consulting can help you implement a powerful and effective hiring system that will save you time, money and stress.

I call these the common “ceilings” because these are the common issues we all run up against. These road blocks  seem to slow, stop or block growth in our business.  We all came into our business with natural abilities, gifts and talents — these usually lead us into a measure of success, but only to a certain level.  You must continue to seek, learn and explore ways to improve and push your business forward.  It doesn’t just happen, you have to initiate change and push forward. Pushing through these ceilings can lead to extraordinary results.  Coaching leads you through the process of breaking through your ceilings with specific tools and training to get back to loving your business – and loving your life!

Sound familiar? Ready to get started? Complete this quick form and we will be in touch soon.

Don’t Give Up

Daughter of the King

Some days it seems like I need a reminder that I AM Royalty!  (where’s my royal maid!- LOL)  I am a daughter of the King!

Some days I need to change my perspective so I can once again be at peace, move in my calling, stand on His promises…..  I’m so glad that even when I am faithless – He is faithful and He has promised to never leave me or forsake me.  So what happens to my faith – why do I just want to throw my hands in the air somedays and GIVE UP? Why is there such a struggle to stay in that place of faith and perseverance?    I’ve said it before … I get filled up with faith … but then ….I LEAK!    Time to plug the holes and get under the faucet.

One day I was ready to give up when the Lord said to me “look around you – what do you see?  Where are you?”   It took me a while to get it, but I started with the obvious.  ‘ I see my bedroom Lord, my walls…. my chair…’  Then I started to understand the question.  What have I surrounded myself with?  Is there encouragement readily available?  The Word? Music for my spirit?   Changing my environment and purposely placing myself in the middle of faith and hope can change my thinking and it changes ME!  You can’t expect to stay in a place of faith and fullness when you’re surrounded by negative people, thoughts or input.  What’s input?   It’s what going in to you – either intentional .

There’s a battle going on everyday for my thoughts – for my feelings and my emotions.  My spirit wants to lead and does a much better job than when my soul is in charge. (mind, will and emotions).  Knowing there’s a battle going on in my mind helps me to remember to be prepared and to watch what I’m surrounding myself with.  It’s not enough to just read my Bible and listen to worshipful music.  I might be able to maintain with that plan – but in order to get ahead I have to memorize scripture – speak it outloud and remind my soul who is really in charge. I like to have a retreat day or weekend where I can really disconnect from everything and just get alone with God.  See what’s on His mind — no list of requests – just time to say “Lord, what do you want to say to me today? What’s on YOUR heart today? – I’m here to rest in you today and bless you …and just to listen.”

It’s a challenge to make it happen – but so important.
I think of Psalm103– “Bless the Lord Oh My Soul and all that is within me bless His holy name!”  It reads like a command to my soul to wake up and bless the Lord – because I said so!!