A quick message about Assumptions...

Be careful about assumptions.  Don't draw conclusions  about a matter based on assumptions. Forgiveness only works when you don't allow past hurts or disappointments to be a driving force of your rationale.

Communication allows you to reach truth, and disallows falsehoods from swarming your mind; also known as stories we tell ourselves.

Focusing on God when we are experiencing inner turmoil, hurt, disappointments or frustrations is what brings peace that surpasses our understanding. This peace guards our hearts. It is out of THIS heart that our mouths will speak.  And this is definitely the mouth we want speaking.

God Bless You!

I had a vision ... Heidi Baker

How Great Thou Art....

We hear often about how many of us are not walking in our "Greatness".  This is true, but I wanted to encourage you to know your "Greatness" not by what you do, but by the way you do it.  We all are called to do different things.  We have different gifts, talents and abilities, but how we execute those things should come from the SAME place within us all.  I'm talking about Matters of the Heart.

Let me explain it this way.

When I go to McDonald's and I am greeted by the cashier, how they service me tells me if they are living out their "Greatness".  How the customer service rep answers the phone and assists her customer shines light on her "Greatness".  How the businessman conducts and manages his business shows us just how Great he is.   It's not about what a person does that makes them Great, but how they do it! 

Being "Great" and walking in your "Greatness" is about knowing WHO YOU ARE.  Your work should be a REFLECTION of the REAL YOU.   (And trust me, it is.) 

Try new things! Identify your gifts and grow in them. Start that business if that's what you believe you are called to do.  Become an author.  Come home and be the homemaker you desire or feel led to be.  Or, apply for that job at Food Lion, CVS or Ruby Tuesday's. No matter what you do, just remember,...

When we put our hand to the plow, let's see ourselves in the beauty of how God created us, and show the world just how "GREAT" we are!

How Do You Understand Love?

Recently, I was asked to speak at a local church for their Valentine's Day program.  What I loved about the program was the celebration was done with EVERYONE in mind.  Not just couples, but EVERYONE. The Pastor wanted a time for God's people to come together and celebrate LOVE and to Love on one another.

I've spoken before about what love truly is, and of course we all think of 1 Corinthians 13 when we think about what love is and what it isn't.  We're even more mindful to tell others that love is not how Hollywood presents it, but requires commitment, effort, communication, respect, time and to put it simply.....it requires work.

Well, a few days before the event, my 6 year old son walked into my office and wrote me a note.  He then asked me if his handwriting had improved.  I glanced over and saw that indeed, it had improved and we celebrated with Kudos to Tyler!!  But I didn't concentrate on the note.

A day or so later, I was sitting at my desk and asked the Lord what He would have me share with His people.  In that moment, He told me to read the note my son wrote.  Here it is:

"I love you momy because you do a lot of stuff for us."  to: momy  from: tyler

Isn't that sweet?  It made me smile.  My son writing me a note expressing his love for me.  Then God asked me, "Why do you love Tyler?"  Tilting my head and briefly thinking, I responded, 'Because he's my baby.  He's my son.  I love him because he's mine.  He's just my son and that's enough!"  

Then God asked me, why do I love Him.  I started telling Him, because You are so merciful, wonderful, gracious! You take care of me and provide for me!  You died for me! You saved me! You've seen me through so much and You........... And revelation just began to fall.  Holy Spirit was just speaking and downloading in me His LOVE for His children, that did not have a because.......

Look back at Tyler's note.  He loves me because.......     He had a because.    He said, "I love you momy BECAUSE you do a lot of stuff for us."  But, when God asked me why I loved Tyler, I didn't have a because with reasons, I had a because which was JUST BECAUSE!

Is He speaking to you now? Is He showing you? Is He??? Oh, it's so powerful!  

In this moment, my heart began to really understand what He means when He tells us that we Love Him because He first Loved us!  

Everything begins with Him.  He is I AM.  The Beginning and the End.  

Just as I carried my children in my womb and loved them from the moment I learned of their conception, (not because of anything that they had done or would do, but because they were mine.), so it is with God. 

And in the natural, where does this life begin? It begins with man and woman coming together and creating the child. It begins with Mommy & Daddy, the parents.   Like wise, in the spiritual, it begins with God. (Daddy)  He loves us because we are His creation.  Conceived from the dust of the earth and His life being breathed into us making us a living soul.  His love started with Him and isn't based on what we do, have done or will do.  He just LOVES US!!!!!  Glory to God!!!!!

Now that we have this understanding, God wants us to mature in this kind of Love.  It's a love that surpasses understanding.

We should all mature into a love that surpasses what a person does to just loving them.  This kind of Love comes from God.  Remember, everything begins and ends with Him.  

Philippians 2: 13...."for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure."

  

So, who are we and what's our role in all of this?

We are conduits' of God!  We are His mouthpiece, His hands, His feet, the hug that He gives.  We are made in His image, a vessel of change in the earth.  He chose us to help Him share who He is with the world, and to bring His Love into the earth!   

So, what does that look like in the earth?  Loving each other? Let's go to the Word of God and talk just a little bit more.

John 13:34-35
English Standard Version
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Look at that! We are too love others like HE loves us. Without conditions.  This love surpasses understanding.  We have to get this. AND, that is how we are recognized as His, by loving one another.  That's powerful!

Here's another...

Matthew 5:43-48
English Standard Version
Love Your Enemies

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers,[a] what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.  Here it is again.  Loving others, even our enemies so that we will be His children.  That's what HIS babies do.  Are you His baby?  Are you perfect as He is perfect?   This perfection isn't as if we don't error, but perfection is found in Him,...where my heart leads me to Love as He Loves, because I am His child.

Just today, I allowed frustration to get the best of me and my mouth went off! I was so hurt that I had succumbed to my frustrations.  But, soon thereafter, I repented and apologized and received God's forgiveness, because I am His child and I Love as He loves.  He teaches me that.  I wasn't born that way.  I was born with conditions.  I love you because you......, but now, whether you DO anything to me or FOR me, I can Love you, without any condition whatsoever! Get it?

In closing, it all comes down to motives.  What is in your heart?  What moves you to do what you do?

• Is it for recognition?
• Is it because that's what I am supposed to do?
• Or, is it WHO YOU ARE?  (Having found your identity in Christ.  Having the mind of Christ.  Realizing that we are a reflection of Him in the earth.  We are Him!)

There was a Pastor who consulted a friend of mine about not being able to get people to join in with the ministry's work.  He was frustrated!  My friend asked him why was he doing the work, and his response was because we are suppose to.  Uh-Oh! My friend told him, "That's your problem, right there.  We don't do what we do like some legalistic checklist, but we do what we do out of Love."  Jesus did what He did out of love.  Don't love to receive some worldly recognition; to have others notice you. (If that's in your heart, you'll know it.)  Don't love like it's a "to-do checklist".  Love because that is who you are.  A reflection of Jesus. Motivated by genuine love.

I mean,... why do you obey your mom and dad? Is it just because it's the right thing to do, or is Love a motivator?  I'm telling you, having love as a motivator for us will weaken and/or dismiss the enemies ability to frustrate us about anything.  

I encourage you. Ask God for 20/20 vision. His spiritual vision.  And, let's take that with us every day. Let's see people as He does.  Giving each other the benefit of the doubt.  Bearing one another's burdens. Not being so easily offended.  Smiling and speaking when we see each other and make eye contact with you one another. And the list goes on.....

Regardless of how people respond to your love, ... that doesn't matter.  Some may never say thank you.  Doesn't matter.  They may not speak back.  Doesn't matter.  Simply, plant the seed.  It won't be forgotten. It will be watered.  God will bring the increase.

Hey...

I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!   : )

Leading With Who In Mind? ~ Be the "Pioneer" God has called you to be.

One day, a few weeks ago, our family decided to do some spring cleaning.  While cleaning, I like to listen to music or maybe a teaching while I work.  On this particular day, I was listening to music and a song started to play that was given to me about a year ago as a testimony to what God was doing in my life.  The song is Pioneer, by Rick Pino.  As it was playing, Holy Spirit began to speak to my heart about leadership.  There was a point in the song that made me pause and say, "Wow."  (I love it when God shows me Himself practically.)  You know, when His word comes to life in the everyday things that we do.  On this day, it was about leadership.  It was blessing me so much that I picked up my phone and started recording what I was hearing the Lord speak to my heart.  It was a question posed to get us thinking about leadership that leads with the "follower" in mind.  Just another example of thinking on things that are above and not beneath.  Above thinking isn't selfish.  Above thinking considers others.  Above thinking sacrifices.  These are just three practical applications that was impressed upon me.  It really blessed me to have God challenge me with being the kind of leader He would have me to be.  Hope it does the same for you.  Many Blessings!!

I Was Scared, even Confused at times....

 
I don't consider myself to be a professional marketer. A skeptic for the most part, but at the same time I do believe that there are opportunities available to us.  The thing is finding them and connecting with the right people.  My issues. Fear of making money. Why? Because I knew that the LOVE of money is the root of all kinds of evil.  (Who wants that?!?) I certainly didn't want to fall in love with money.  You know, think about ministry, people start out one way, with good intentions and a heart to serve.  But after things get going well, the deceiver comes in and makes us feel confident about who we are or what we have accomplished.  We know how to talk the talk, but our hearts are no longer as "pure" as they were when we started.  Think about Revelations 3, when Jesus told the church of Laodecia that He saw their works, they were neither hot nor cold, but lukewarm and then He went on to say how they were saying, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’   WHOA!!! That gave me a pause.  I never want to grow confident in what I have! Never! Jesus goes on to tell them, "But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked."  See, deception!  And deception comes subtly.  It's around whispering to you over time. Planting seeds in your heart, in your mind until you start believing them and the next thing you know, BOOM!  We find ourselves no longer depending on God or maybe having a greater confidence in our money, our gifts, our talents, education and the list goes on.  Well, before I could go any further with all I was learning I needed to take some time to spend with God and to be taught by Holy Spirit, what Jesus taught us about money.

So, what was my deal? Well, I had limited thinking as it pertained to money because of fear and I had not used my gifts and talents out of fear. What a disservice to God.  The people around me scared me. (Just being honest.) They spoke blessings and curses from the same mouth. So many people seemed so money hungry and money driven.  So, I took off and ran the other way.  Well, I'm back now.  Back in the marketplace and with greater understanding.  Understanding that money is a tool and is here to serve and not be served.  It is here to follow and not to be pursued.  As I give of myself (time, talents, gifts) to God, He is the one who rewards us.  This comes in many ways.  The rewards, that is, and I had to get comfortable that God would reward me with financial blessings.  As you pursue God and His righteousness, as you serve others with your gifts and talents, God will reward you.  Basically, what do you have in your hands? Commit it to God and He will direct you and bless you accordingly.  Don't get caught up with what other people are doing.  He knows what we can handle.  He knows what He has for us. Pursue Him. It is in that pursuit that we grow in knowledge, wisdom and understanding.  It is here that we have peace.  And I'm telling you it's different.  If you are feeling anxious about your endeavors, your goals, your desires, I encourage you to slow down and look up.  Pursue Jesus. Pursue His righteousness.  : )  (This just makes me smile. I pray you are getting this.)

Don't do what you do to become a millionaire, (though that could happen) but do what you do as a service to God by serving His people.  A life of worship is what I have. It is what we all should have because EVERYTHING that we do, it is to glorify God. How I talk to you..., how I present my business to you..., how I operate my business, my trainings, my workshops....are all done to glorify God.  This is living a life of worship.

So, here I am. Back in the marketplace.  To meet you,... to reunite with others,...to be a voice in the wilderness,...to worship by extending service to others using the gifts God has given me. (Romans 12:1)  I pray you are doing the same.

Be ~ Do ~ Have!

Do you remember when you were a child and you would just sit, and imagine,  and dream.  Nothing was impossible, was it?

There's a common question asked of children.......,"What do you want to be when you grow up?"  And we would answer all kinds of things.  Superman! A Nurse! A Teacher!  A Singer!  I mean, we answered without limitations at all!!! If you were to ask my son today, he would tell you "Batman", and mean it!!!  LOL! 


Well, what happened to that?  What happened to that burning desire to do anything that you wanted to do?   What happened to the zeal, the determination and the will to do?  Can we explore something for a minute?  The common question I mentioned earlier......"What do you want to be when you grow up?"  We are taught early on to live life under a  ~ HAVE ~  DO  ~  BE ~  concept.  WHEN I grow up, I will BE, such and such.  This mode of thinking puts you in a wait mode. I have to wait until I grow up. I have to wait until I'm bigger.  I have to wait until I know more.  Then the "waits" grow up and,  I have to wait until I have the money. Until I get out of debt...until my children go to school...and the waits go on and on and on. 

Don't wait! Let the child BE the nurse or the singer or even Batman!  Well, what do nurses do? They take care of people, they are patient, they teach, they nurture, they inspire.  Batman protects people, he cares for the weak and looks out for those in need.  The principles of who they desire to BE can and should start right away! Deposit that into them! The development of it will happen over time, and as they grow in knowledge, wisdom and stature they will always BE who they desire to BE.  Rarely doubting. Rarely waivering. Mostly moving forward and pursuing those dreams and desires that come from GOD!  Hallelujah!

None of us should be waiting.  We should all be BEing! It starts with you.  What you think about, you'll be about!  We should all live from the mode of  ~ BE ~ DO ~ HAVE ~!   See yourself BEing that CEO, Business Owner, or Author.  This will cause you to DO what a Business Owner, CEO or Author does, moving you to HAVE what you are meant to have!   Touching the lives you are meant to touch!  Come on, now!  Don't wait!  It starts in the soul;....your  mind, will and emotions! Yes, it starts there...and God is the one who leads you through your process.

Start teaching your children to ~ BE ~ DO ~ HAVE ~ and if need be,........................ teach yourself the same thing. 


Blessings,





Deliverance from the spirit of Rejection ~

To hear an audio of this blog, click play.

It became obvious to me recently that hurting people really get on the nerves of those who may not be hurting or going through something.  It's like compassion just goes out the window and we want people to just, "GET IT TOGETHER!"  "TOUGHEN UP!" "DON'T BE SO EASILY OFFENDED!"  The spirit of rejection is a spirit that many people bear.  Many times, we go through life knowing that something is not quite right within us, but we just don't know what it is, where it came from or what to call it.  Maybe daddy wasn't around or mommy always spoke negatively to you or about you.  Then when you hit the playground the other girls never picked you for their team or invited you to the sleepover.  These small things over time can impart a spirit of rejection that if not identified and dealt with will grow up with you and cause turmoil as you try to have healthy relationships with others.


All of a sudden, in your mind, everyone seems to be against you. You become suspicious of other people's motives and find it hard to receive compliments. You seek to please EVERYBODY, rarely remaining true to yourself! And because you don't really do what you want to do or say what you want to say, you find it hard to take people at their word.  People will mistake your kindness for weakness (which sometimes it is), and  all the while you are dying inside.
A rejected spirit is breeding ground where insecurities form resulting into self imposed boundaries and limiting beliefs.  This spirit gives permission to have pity parties and to harbor unforgiveness.  In essence, you believe you have the right to feel the way that you do. Unfortunately, some people tend to deal harshly with someone like this, or that's what it feels like or they just flat out avoid you, because they just don't want to be bothered with you and your hurt feelings.  Really, it can be draining to others. I tell you, I have had my share of this.  Someone is trying to talk me out of the place I'm in, and for me, I just felt like they didn't understand.  My husband, unfortunately wore this banner for a long time. But, you know what, we do need someone there to help us overcome these boundaries that have imprisoned us, AND this person needs to be honest with us (which may sometimes seem harsh) about how we are behaving so that we can come out of the bondage that we are in.
Some people don't understand nor do they want to tolerate a person they feel is whining, complaining or weak.  It's sometimes hard for people with confidence to understand why you would lack confidence.  Especially when we are Believers in Christ.  We have His DNA running through our veins!  We are joint heirs with Christ and have the authority to tread over every power of the enemy.  We have DOMINION!  And hey, hearing all of that, it kind of makes you think too, huh? 
Well, here's the point to all of this.  Rejection is a beast that desires to keep you limited by blaming other people for the short comings you have or think you are having in your life.  If rejection sets into your spirit, you will succomb to its control by ALLOWING people to use you and walk over you.  Remember, this spirit  gets you to give up what you really want, in order to please others, and then it's internalized as, "They hurt me!"
So, how do you break free from this?

• The first thing you have to do is decide that you no longer want to be bound by the spirit of rejection. Yes, a decision. 

• Secondly, pray to God to release this spirit from your life. Bind rejection and loose Holy Ghost Boldness in your life and Forgiveness to all that hurt you. 

• Thirdly, connect with someone you trust, who knows the Lord and will help you to see YOU in every situation that comes your way.  That's right.....we have to work on ourselves. 

• Lastly, walk it out.

As tough as it may seem...and it is....you can not depend on other people to understand what you have been through, what was said to you, how it was said or how it made you feel, ONLY.  You see, your deliverance is greater than their understanding. Having someone understand you doesn't free you. You won't feel any better about your hurts just because I understand.  You will walk away still hurt with an understanding prayer partner.  Now, don't get me wrong, your accounatbility partner will & should empathize with you to a certain point, but they shouldn't ride that wave with you long.  And, if they do, they aren't the right accountability/prayer partner. : )  Instead, they should draw you to look at yourself and begin to explore why you are thinking as you are, behaving as you might have and reacted as you did, and hold YOU responsible for your behavior.  Let me give you a personal example.  Earlier this year I made a decision to let go of something that I loved and enjoyed doing because other people were about to do the same thing on the same night.  I was concerned with what people were saying about me (rejection) and I didn't want to lose relationships (people pleaser) so I let it go.  I regretted it and added more hurt to my soul, because here again, I felt rejected and controlled.  Now the question is, "Who's fault was that?"  I'll tell you.  MINE! All MINE!  My prayer partner helped me to see that I made the decision to give up that thing. How can I blame someone for what I allowed to happen? Get it?  You see, hurt people, hurt people. And, when we walk around hurt, we tend to be negative and see the worse in every situation. So as you look inward, you begin to see where you may be misguided in your thoughts or maybe even caused some of the problems yourself.
I have been delivered and now I am walking it. Walking is action, it's movement.  It means I'm doing something.  Deliverance is action.  We deliver a message, products, a baby.  Again, ACTION.  You have to be intentional in order to take care of you and to not harbor hurts.  Hurt feelings many times lie to you. They tell you things are going on that are not.  They suggest that people are speaking against you when they are not.  I am intentional about not telling myself stories anymore.  I do as Phillipians 4: 8 teaches us, which is to "think on whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."  Paul goes on to say, whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. You see that? Action! Put it into practice!  Don't dwell on negative thoughts.  Resist them. Don't believe them. Don't entertain them.  Say this with me, "I am a child of God and He loves me and equips me.  His DNA runs through my veins. I believe what God says about me and I reject what the enemy says to me and about me."  My sister, the more we align ourselves with RIGHT thinking, the more we will experience the freedom to love others and we won't harbor ill feelings in our hearts nor in our souls.  So I ask you, are you ready to let go of the hurts?  Are you ready to bind the spirit of rejection and loose Holy Ghost boldness?  Who do you trust that will guide you lovingly to look inward as you walk out your deliverance? Are you ready to be true to yourself and to be responsible for you, regardless of what anyone else says or does?  I thank God for my friend who lends me her ear when I feel troubled, and takes me by my hand to draw me from that place of hurt and makes me take responsibility for the choices that I make as well as challenges me when the stories form in my mind. I AM DELIVERED!

Prayer of deliverance from rejection:  “In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I have died to my sins. I am a new creation; old things have passed away. Because of my death with Jesus and the fact that He bore my curses with Himself on the cross, I hereby cancel the curse of rejection. I break its hold in my life, and I expose the deception of Satan wherein he has lied to me, saying that I was rejected by God and man. I am accepted into the family of God. Jesus bore my rejection by God and man on the cross. He has freed me from the curse of sin and rejection.  Let not rejection be established in my  life, but let Your righteousness be established. Now that the curse of rejection is bound, I loose Holy Ghost Boldness in my life.  Today, I forgive those who have hurt me and I operate out of the spirit of Love, Power and a SOUND MIND.  My mind is governed by you as I have the mind of Christ. Thank You, God, for my freedom.”

In Jesus' Name I pray,
Amen

I say “Welcome” to you AND to myself!

Boy, this site has been a long time coming.  Time and time again I had a dear friend and a sister-in-law tell me that I needed to start a blog.  My response, “What do I have to share?” “Who would want to hear from me?” “I don’t know anything.”  “Nobody cares about my life experiences”…. just to name a few.   I was notorious for talking myself out of anything that pulled me out of my comfort zone.  What was my zone?  I felt protected when I was hidden.  As long as I don’t come forth, no one can find fault with me.  No one can compare me to anyone else.  No one will find out just how scared I am to make mistakes.  Mistakes?!? Oh, I couldn’t make mistakes.  That means something is wrong with me.  That means I have failed! People must be seeing me as a failure!  I felt  like a failure to God, myself and everyone around me.  If you were not loving me, then you must have an ought against me because I did something to you.  That is how I lived my life for years!  The result of this fear resulted in poverty, struggle, bitterness, lack of confidence, and the feeling that everyone was against me.  I encountered rejection everywhere I turned.  It was as if I invited it.  And I did.  You draw to you what you expect.  What you think about and set your mind too, I tell you it shall be yours.  We’ll talk about that later. : )
What I did over the years is, I established self-imposed BOUNDARIES on myself due to my confidence issues.  The amazing thing is many people who really did not know me thought I had it all together.  And even if they suspected, they would hear me speak or train or teach and think…”Uh, I must have pegged her wrong.”   The gifts God has given me would always come through strong, but when I got alone I would question how I sounded, if I offended (people pleaser), how did I look, etc.?   For those who walked with God and heard His voice, they were many times able to discern that I wore a mask and I wore it well.   I sought validation from people so much.  Mistake!  What people think of me is none of my business.  What God thinks of me is all I need to be concerned about! I know that now.  And mistakes?  They help you grow. I have learned to fail my way into success.  I no longer hold on to hurt and offense.  Who am I to hold anything against anyone?  I think about what God said to Jonah after Jonah expressed his frustration with God for showing mercy on the city of Ninevah.  God used a plant to remind Jonah that he had no authority to question what God did as he had nothing to do with it, because he (Jonah) was not the creator of that plant nor did he make it grow. Jonah 4:5-10.  Who am I to question a person’s motives, to judge them based on their actions never seeking their intentions? Who am I to judge God’s creation and carry offense against them? Especially knowing that He carried none against me.  Freedom feels good!
So, I “WELCOME” you to my site! Thank you for joining me.  It’s going to be a blast! And I “WELCOME” myself for taking the plunge and taking another step toward my “Greatness” and out of the boundaries that have held me captive for so long.  I pray you are Blessed continually as we explore living your Best life ever, as God intended with all that God has to offer you as you live it!  He wants to “Empower You to Believe” in Him and yourself!