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The Old is gone the New has Come
I have been thinking about my challenge to you last week, in my live, to allow the storms of life to test your holiness instead of your ugliness.
Biblical Power Tool #180 was so powerful to me because it not only allowed me to talk about the ugliness God washes away but it gave me permission, as well as you, to let it go.
Who am I without the Ugly
There is some stuff I have been hanging onto for dear life thinking I need it. I need the pain to survive. Who am I without it? I need the bitterness to bite me. Who am I without it?
I have had ugly seeds planted around in my brain for so long that I cannot picture who I am without them.
Who can I be without the Ugly
The problem with not knowing who I am in Christ, or identifying myself with Jesus rather, is the holy can never surface. The old me will always win out over the new me.
The storm that was meant to change me, blinds me instead. I cannot recognize that Jesus is making me look more like Him. So, I act selfish and testy watching my ugly float away creating more ugly to be removed.
Defined by the Divine
The holy in me is the divine in me. There is so much more to me than the ugly I want to cling too. I put that to the test all the time even today. I have lived through the Lord washing away the ugly that has lead to the holy in me.
I am a new Kathleen who hears Him speak to me, who sees His work around me and who wants what He desires for me. I am defined by the divine more than decrepit.
It is only in this work that I am able to identify with Jesus, because I have lost my worldly identity to the storms.
The winds of change are always blowing. Will we allow the seeds God is planting in us to change us?
Watch a collection of lives on this subject here.
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Moulded by Fire
It is not about just knowing who you are in Christ or boldly being who you are in Christ but also your ability to overcome the life challenges that will mould you into the Woman of Vision you are.
The World is Watching
There has been so much controversy over women in ministry that every move Woman of Vision make is placed under a microscope. This microscope reveals our character whether they like our character or not.
Whether we like our character or not…
But doesn’t that spur you on to make sure that you take the seeds the Lord is planting in you and set them on fire for Him before you plant them into another?
Jesus is Watching
Of course, Jesus knows that you will spew, vomit and spit out some seeds that are ineffective for the saints but He wants you to keep planting them so they can be improved every time you release them.
The only bad seed is the seed that never sees the light of day to grow the ground it lands on. Even our bad seeds are meant to grow something.
Growing through Fire
Some seeds fly out of us without us having much control over whether they have been sifted through the Bible or not. This happens when we don’t read the Bible or know the commandments of God.
Some seeds fly on fire because we know who we are in Christ and we are boldly walking out who we are in Christ. This happens because we read the Bible and set our face on being like Christ.
Some seeds never leave us nor ever grow in us. Some we buried in infertile ground. This is because we never intend to be or do what Christ has made us live for.
Don’t be offended, be convicted if this is you.
For whatever reason someone would choose not to do the most exciting thing they will ever do in their life that will set them on fire for the Lord and their vision.
Our job as Women of Vision is to plant seeds around that reflect the fire inside us to live our vision as highly effective Christians.
My Visionary Living Advice 💦 for you this week is to avoid being the 2 Timothy 3 woman and adopt the zeal of the Proverbs 31 woman to have effective Personal Life Stewardship and Ministry Life Stewardship without disobeying the Lord.
Join us this week in Midlife Ministry Makers for A Soul on Fire to discuss how you are able to change the way you think about overcoming adversity so you can always leave an example of freedom as a seed.
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The Seeds have already been Planted
It has all been for a reason and the seeds have already been planted for your Upward Call of God. How are you able to grow them so you become the ministry leader you are meant to be.
Now all you have to do is say YES to them and you growing into your Upward Call of God.
How can you take the things you have learned in your life and rePurpose those into your Upward Call of God to lead? Or even vise versa?
You might never have thought, in your lifetime, that the Lord would call you lead, but He has and you are freaking out. Don’t worry I’ve got you.
You might already be in a leadership role but are doing the waiting game with Jesus for THE fulfilling leadership role linked completely to your Upward Call of God.
Either way, every detail of your Life Stewardship, your Kingdom Works (volunteer or leadership work to prepare you for your Upward Call) and your Upward Call of God have been planned out perfectly by Jesus. The pre-panted seeds…
It’s now time to rePurpose your time, talents and treasures in the direction the Lord is sending you from that vision. The one you have been thinking about and day dreaming about for as long as you can remember. You know…that one!
The How is the Solution
How do you take what you have learned, while that dream was on hold, raising your kids, washing your dishes or working for that paycheck, fully into the Kingdom of God?
It takes a bit of juggling the knowledge and the way you think about that knowledge plus creating some new Upward Call Habits. Join me on my Facebook page a plan of attack.
And if you have the understand that – everything you have been doing is for your Upward Call of God – it will be a lot easier.
You can always join us in the Midlife Ministry Makers for our monthly discussions. This Month our topic is Biblical Happiness = Contentment.
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Hope is my Upward Call Habit
Over the years I have not chased my calling to lead very hard because I did not trust that it would be. I trusted what my circumstance was saying and not what the Lord was saying.
What I did not realize was that all those leadership roles I garnered and lost were tests of training. Would I accept it?
I did at first, but when it was over, I failed. I wallowed in my “Downward Fall” from leadership and that caused my character to go right along with it.
A Life Fuelled by Emotion
I have a ton of Demonic Diva’s (emotions that overcome sound judgment) living inside me. They want the centre stage in my leadership. I had gotten in the habit of letting my circumstances control my emotions. As a result the Diva’s would take control of who I am.
My wallowing gave the Diva’s life. I have turned aside from worshipping the Lord and made my emotions kings.
The Journey Fuelled by Hope
The King of my life is Jesus and He brought with Him a whole host of heavenly character traits that I have available to me. I called them “Heavenly Hosts”.
I had to become aware that “Wallowing Wilma” (one of my Diva’s) had to be decreased with in me daily so I can begin fuelling my life with habits that move me to chase my “Upward Call”.
Going uphill needs lots of fuel. If I am to gain my “City on the Hill” (predestined leadership role) I must be fuelled by hope.
Shifting to Hope
Hope can be accomplish with just a one degree shift in thinking daily. As a result our actions make the shift as well.
We might have been rolling downhill with nothing to grab onto. Shifting to hope grows a branch large enough to grab onto. It stops the “Downward Fall” just long enough for us to pick up steam and shift upward again.
Just a tiny shift to hope will make a huge difference in your life some day. Meet “Shifting Shawna” right where you are today. She will get you closer to Jesus and your vision.
The Midlife Ministry Makers community will meet you right where you are and build you up as you shift your direction to your vision from God. We build up our “Everyday Christian Living” skills to make our uphill journey unshakable. Join us today and start climbing toward your City on the Hill tomorrow.
Kathleen derbyshire, everyday Christian living mentor -
Leading the Way with Real Fruit
I have been to the fruit store and been perplexed about what apples to buy because there are so many choices.
It becomes a process of elimination first then turns into a choice between the few I know I like. It is the same when I am leading myself into a choice of who I want to be in any given situation.
The truth about who I am may not be evident to most people but it is evident to Jesus therefore my goal is to blaze a trial to her, the good apple. I don’t always love my current self but I know I am going to long for this good apple that God is transforming me into.
The Lake of Laxi-Daisy is not for ME
As a path finder for the Kingdom of God, my true pathway is created for the authentic me. I don’t want to drift around in the ‘Lake of Laxi-Daisy”.
I want to find my way to shore with every new adventure from God and blaze the trail to it’s fruit.
How do I Come Ashore
The constant choice between becoming the good apple or remaining the bad apple is driven by the connection I have to Jesus and the connection I have to my true self. I know who she is. She is a fulfilled genuine woman of God that He knows I am. He has given me a picture of her that I will never forget.
To come ashore I need to throw the bad apples overboard and just start paddling toward the good apples. As long as I can see the shore, it is an easy target. And if a fog rolls in, making it hard to see the shore, I have the image of my target burned into my soul – Kathleen Victoria Derbyshire. I can lead the way to my City on the Hill (my vision realized) with the real fruit of who I am.
Are you coming?
If this blog moves you to the true you, share it with your friends and together we can create a Midlife Ministry Movement for women of faith to advance the Kingdom of God.
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Introducing the new blog “rePurpose”
This weekly blog is for vintage (over 40) Christian women who have a growing desire to rePurpose their time, treasures and talents to serve the Kingdom of God without feeling overwhelmed.
My most passionate day is when a woman tells me she is setting time aside to reDisover Jesus. There is a reason I get so excited about that.
I get excited because I know that when you discover who Jesus is you WILL discover who you are and what the Lord has called you into salvation to accomplish.
This thing that you are born to accomplish will make you feel alive and it will make the people you serve come to life too. There is nothing better than that.
Don’t waste another ounce of your time going in unfulfilling directions. Connect with Jesus and reDiscover His plan for you. Connect with yourself and reEnvision your passion. Connect with believers and reVisualize your Kingdom purpose.
The Kingdom of God is a vast place with plenty of room for every single one of us to fulfill our God given vision. It is for this reason that you were called.
Connect with me if you are driven to rePurpose your time, treasures and talents for the Kingdom and let’s do this thing “Your Way”.
Look for rePurpose every Thursday to blaze your visionary vintage trail to your city in the Kingdom.
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Dang, I’m Old
Recently I have been losing my energy a lot faster than I used too and I noticed in the summer that I cannot handle the heat like I used too.
I thought I would just be able to do what I want when I want but my body is telling me that that is not possible.
I wonder if I can do what Jesus has planned for me now that I am old. I worry He will be done with me before He even got started with me.
Then I am reminded of all the things I have been teaching.
Jesus knows me better than any one else does and I know Him too. If He has put the desire in me to live for Him than it will be fulfilled. I don’t remember Him giving me an age cap.
Phew!
Now I am okay with being old. Thank you Jesus.
I invite you to take my complimentary course called
Knowing Jesus is Knowing Me: A Practical Introduction to who You are in Christ.
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Priscilla, A Woman who Does!
Is there people who are telling you that God’s calling on you is not something He would actually call you to do?
Are you standing still because of what people are saying or what you think they are going to say?
Biblical Ground Work: Acts 18, Romans 16:3, 1 Corinthians 16:19, 2 Timothy 4:19
Priscilla would be, or could be held back by that kind of a thing but she wasn’t. She was born into a time where women were not given the time of day.
They were not adored by any man.
They were neglected and left behind.
Her husband was a devout man of God and he understood that his wife was created in the image of God.
She is a great example of a woman doing what the Lord requires of her even if people try to stop her.
The Biblical Strategy for Living this out: Look for the motives of people to prepare yourself to either partner with them or go through them, around them or over them.
Would you like to continue this conversation with us?
Watch the Live here
In The Bible Gals we talk about the women of God because we need to know that Jesus loves us, He gifts us and He expects us to do what He has called us to do.
The Bible does not tell us we cannot — people do!
There is plenty of evidence in the Bible that we deserve to talk to the Body of Christ with the authority of Scripture, lead them with zeal and teach them with wisdom even if you have been told “NO” all of your life.
Join us as we work through this tense subject every week. I promise you will walk away with a renewed mind about what you can do for Jesus.
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Keep these Things in Your Heart
I know that enduring to the end doesn’t sound very sexy nor does it put your mind at ease about doing the will of God.
Like you, I want to live a life of great happiness all the time. I do not want to build up my resistance to trials but when we keep the things of the Lord in our heart it does build up our resistance.
Biblical Ground Work: Luke
Jesus Himself said, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) His mother can testify to every inch of this.
Mary did not have an easy life or one without trials even before she had Jesus. She lived in Nazareth where the Romans came to collect taxes and their work was for the Roman Empire. They were not their own.
She became pregnant before marriage and gave birth in a town that was not her own. She went to the Synagogue out of duty and was told her heart would be broken. It was broken and fixed.
Biblical Life Lesson: Keeping these things in your heart will show you the power of Jesus in your life.
In A Soul on Fire we discussed Enduring to the End for the past four weeks and no one can attest to endurance than Mary the mother of Jesus.
From her birth until her death she had to endure some pretty awful stuff. From being pregnant to a missing child; from watching Jesus’ works to watching Him die. She saw Him die then she saw Him alive.
Let’s see what we should make of this in light of our Biblical Power Tools from “A Soul on Fire” in The Bible Gals. You can click on the links below to watch the four consecutive videos.
Endure to the End Part 1 https://www.facebook.com/kathleenderbyshireauthor/videos/270673751399723 Endure to the End Part 2 https://www.facebook.com/theholyproductivewoman/videos/297055762041757 Endure to the End Part 3 https://www.facebook.com/theholyproductivewoman/videos/924718554979590 Endure to the End Part 4 https://www.facebook.com/100328951852611/videos/314810416687428 Enduring to the End Teachings from the Kathleen Derbyshire Page on Facebook Join me in The Bible Gals Monday’s at 2pm EST for “His Women in Our World” Live Discussions. The study of how women can be effective in changing our world by simply choosing to live for Jesus.
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A History that cannot be Denied
To be able to endure to the end it will be about collecting evidence that Jesus has been where you are going but what will be more important is creating a bond with the evidence.
The bond you create with your evidence will deepen your relationship with Jesus and cause you to understand you.
Biblical Ground Work: Matthew; Mark; Luke; John; Acts
The glue that holds these book of the Bible together is the Lord. The glue that will hold you together will be the Lord.
Each of these books have a purpose of their own but the Lord has one purpose for them for us – evidence that draws us to Him. The more evidence we have of the work of Jesus in His Kingdom the more we will think about how this can affect our lives.
We will question what has happened in our life and why it happened. If Jesus is in charge, what could be the cause of this? If there is a cause, is their a purpose? If there is a purpose for events could that mean there is a purpose for me?
Biblical Life Lesson: The events in your own life are understandable when you take your vision into account.
Every trail you follow will end up at your vision, if you wish to attend to it. If your time and talents are aimed at your vision you will not be able to miss it.
Your aim gets better with more evidence. The more evidence you collect, the better the chance for you to endure.
The evidence in the Bible has a lot to tell us about holy productive Christian living. Join me in The Bible Gals Monday’s at 2pm EST for “His Women in Our World” Live Discussions. The study of how women can be effective in changing our world by simply choosing to read the Bible.
