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Death Makes you Alive
Have you had a near death experience or heard one that changed you?
The Widow of Zarepath thought she and her son would die but then her son actually did die. This experience could do nothing but change her forever.
Our Biblical Background: 1 Kings 17
Elijah, a prophet of God, rose up in the Land of Israel to tell Ahab there would be a famine in the land for three years. Ahab had allowed his wife Jezebel to set up Baal and Asherah high places for people to worship.
The Lord fed Elijah with the birds until the water dried up then He sent him to a widow in Zarepath, a suburb of Sidon. She was at the gate collecting twigs when Elijah showed up. He asked for a drink and a morsel of bread. She told him she had only a little and then her and her son were going to die.
That was not part of God’s plan for her so she lived. Elijah stayed with her but while he was there her son took ill and died. Elijah brought him up to his room and begged the Lord to put his soul back inside him. The Lord answered him and the boy lived. A miracle offered to all of us.
Our Biblical Lesson: Living begins when our old self dies.
The widow was willing to die physically when Elijah got to her but was her old self willing to die as well. The death of the widows son was enough sorrow for her old self to take up her cross. All the teachings Elijah gave her during the time that he was with her were confirmed for her.
As Jesus followers we understand this concept and can get behind it but are we living it? Are we carrying our old self around with us and giving her licence to lead? Are you alive in Christ or are you dead in self? Paul said in Philippians 1:21, “For me, to live is Christ, to die is gain.”
Join me in The Bible Gals Monday at 2pm EST to discuss the Biblical Power Tools for how to live for Christ and die to self.
I have exciting news for you as well. I am running a FREE Biblical Goal Bootcamp to help you plan a future with Jesus in The Bible Gals from February 22-26th. You can learn how to set biblical goals even if you don’t know your vision from God yet. Sign up here and make sure you join The Bible Gals.
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Leading Yourself IN Success Part 2
A Dream Just for You
Have you stopped dreaming about a future of goodness and joy? Why? Why would you just stop dreaming? Dreaming about our future is natural even for those who follow Jesus. Dreams are not just for the unsaved they are for the saved too. One of the things we can dream about is the task Jesus has given us in the body of Christ.
We have six areas in our life that need our attention to be good. If we want joy in these areas, we need to dream about the future of them. I want to look at each area individually then encourage you to dream big in them.
Area One: Personal Development
Our growth in Christ and in our life is imperative for us to mature in every area. If we do not grow, we will not advance into our definition of success. Success depends on our growth. Maturing in the Word of God is part of this personal growth. More imperative is that you learn about what it is that He is asking you to do. One thing we need to get used to is constant learning all the way through life. When you stop learning you are going backwards.
Area Two: Career
It is a well-known fact that we will change careers although there is something that you love to do so much that you would do it for free. You need to figure this out and learn how to make money doing it. If you learn how to do that you will never work a day in your life.
Area Three: Financial
Shakespeare wrote in Hamel, “Neither a lender nor borrower be.” Both of these cause us to fall in love with money or fear people because of money. The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:10). Balance your check book and you will have a balanced life.
Area Four: Social
Many a woman has put her social life ahead of everything else. The extrovert craves her social life. She thinks being social rejuvenate her battery but being with Jesus does that. People cannot give you everything you need but Jesus can. He can make you feel all the things those people are making you feel but He doesn’t want anything in return. Your family and friends will appreciate it when you curb your social life.
Area Five: Family
We are not born to our friends we are born to our family. Your family life might not be all that you want it to be, but you can make it better in the sphere that you live in. Family is what you make it so make it what you crave it to be. Family does not have to be limited to those folks who share you blood. It is who you want it to be.
Area Six: Physical
Every one of us wants to live a good long life but you will not if you choose to ignore your body. We need to get our body under submission and stop giving it the bad things it craves. Sugar products are addictive just as drugs are addictive. We all know that so why do we continue eating them? Because we refuse to say ‘no’ to our body. You are more than capable of making your body come into submission.
Dreaming is a good thing, but do you dream about each area of your life? Are your dreams balanced or are you dreaming more about your career because it will help you finances? Are you dreaming about your physic thinking you will have a more balanced family life?
Dreaming in one area will not fix another area. You must have dreams in each area of your life. They may cross paths, but they won’t fix the problems they come across. Dreaming about having a great family life will not happen if you are going out every night with your friends. Dreaming about having a great job will not fix you finances because you have no idea how to manage money. Can you see the issue when your dreams are unbalanced?
Dreaming is a good thing when you act on the validity of them. Dreaming invalid dreams is fine too as long as they remain dreams. Your life would be dead without dreams. Your life would be dull without dreams. Your life would be stagnant without dreams. Dream until your heart is content but don’t just dream, act on them if you deem it feasible.
Session three of the Leading Yourself IN Success is Dream Your Life. You will create a Dream Collage to help you sharpen your dreams and dig them out of the pit as well. If I do say so myself this session is the most fun of all the sessions and the most enlightening. You have no idea how many dreams you have stifled until you try to dig them out. No one in your life wants you to be dreamless because your dreams will include an abundant life for you and them. I invite you to join the Leading Yourself IN Success Workshop in the fall of 2018.
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3 Ways to Discern Your Destination
You have read in my blog I am a proponent of knowing what God has for you in the future. That is what your future destination will be with Him. I challenge you to find one character in the Bible that didn’t know what God wanted them to do in the future. When God calls you, He equips you with this knowledge, whether you understand what He has told your or believe it, makes no difference to the plan. God will have his way. You can come kicking and screaming or you can come willingly filled with joy. Your attitude is your choice, not the plan. There are three ways you can discern (or remember) God’s plan for you.
Way One: Life is Difficult
You might have had difficulties in your life along with everyone else but that doesn’t stop the plan, nor does it excuse you from the plan. The difficulties, in our life, are how we remember our plan. They are directly related to your growth toward the “said” plan. What do you have the most difficulty doing but feel you’ve had the most success? For me it was getting my whole life in order. I already knew I would teach God’s Word all across Canada but through this process I learned what I would teach. I had to create my own tools for improvements, using the Bible, now I teach them. For what project have you created your own tools to accomplish and had great success? You will use them in your plan.
Way Two: Trouble that Makes us Cry
Of all the difficulties in the world which one makes you bang your hand on the table and yell, “Somebody has to do something about that!” Well, guess what, it’s you. You will do something about that trouble. I am not teaching life skills for the sake of teaching life skills. I am teaching them because I despise women being trafficked for sex. The side benefit is that all women have access to my workshops and books to improve their lives as well. At first, we will think God’s plan is for us, but it isn’t, it is for whomever you are called to serve. It is to be of service in the trouble that makes us cry. You will use this passion to rid the world of this trouble in your plan.
Way Three: Mirror Character
The Bible has an inordinate amount of characters listed. Have you ever pondered why? It is so you can see yourself in them. Which characters are you identifying with right now? When you read the Bible, you will find your mirror character in the phase of learning you are in right now. Right now, I am learning what to focus on for my ministry. Joseph is in the forefront of my mind. He had trouble that he didn’t make for himself, yet he knew God was still with him. Joseph still obeyed God in his sorrow, and eventually his teenage dreams came into fruition. Sorrow is no reason to stop working your plan. Joseph is my mirror character right now, who is yours? You will use the information you garner from your mirror character to obey God in all seasons of your life on your way to your future destination.
Your Challenge
I know how difficult it is to first believe but it gets easier as you grow. Your challenge is to continue to grow in the direction of your future destination. Many people before you have done just that; Mother Theresa, Joan of Arc, Elizabeth Fry, Florence Nightingale, Corrie ten Boom, and many more. Today, you can watch Kay Author, Beth Moore, Pricilla Shirer and many more also grow into the direction of their destination. This is the challenge for all of us but you will never grow in the direction of your destination unless you know what that is.
God told Gideon he was a might warrior then proceeded to teach him how. Paul was told he would suffer for Jesus then Jesus show him how. Peter was told he would fish for men then God showed Him how. Can you see what knowing your destination looks like? God will tell you your destination then he will show you how. That is the way God does destination and this is how we are supposed to do life.
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The Way to Unlocking the Holy Life
The Bible tells us to be holy for our Father in Heaven is Holy (Leviticus 11:45; 1 Peter 1:16). If God tell us to be holy is it more than possible that we can be holy. More than I want anything in this world I want to be holy. Who has the key to unlocking holy in my life and in yours? Can we have this key? We have the key hanging around our neck but forget about it.
The Christian Journey
Being who we are created to be is the journey all Christians want to go on, but we become frustrated and lonely. It is a long journey filled with unexpected pot holes and huge ditches. We know in our heart that everyone has to endure this, but we don’t see them. We forget.
There is nothing like having kids around to remind us how similar we are to them. I wonder how I can teach them because I am so much like them. I am supposed to be different from them, so I can teach them to be mature and faithful. Having kids around actually teaches me how much I need to learn.
The Reminder
My four-year-old grandson is much more like me than I want to admit. He is an independent thinker who knows exactly what he wants and will do what is required to have it. We had a clash of the titans over the computer. I told him what I expected, then asked him to repeat what I expected, but he did not retain what I said.
Ponder Your way to Retention
I do the same thing to God. He tells me, in His Word or writes it on my heart, but I do not retain it. Why? Why can I not retain the wonderful Words He speaks over me? I spent more time pondering the negative aspects of my life than the positive. There was positive, but I forgot it. I had to change my pondering perspective.
Unlocking the Holy Life
I began pondering the words Jesus spoke over me, one word at a time. All this time I had the key hanging around my neck and did not know it. The key to holy is the cross. My reminder became my necklace. It is not often I wear any other necklace besides a cross. I need to be reminded daily I belong to Jesus and He is the key to holiness.
I began remembering the Word and retaining it. I am human just like you. This is possible to do. You too can begin to unlock the holy life Jesus desires for you by starting with one word at a time. Start with the word holy. I know it is one of those words we tend to stay away from because it is so over reaching.
Define and Unlock Holy Daily
You need to define what holy looks like to you, one day at a time. When you have defined holy today, you will begin to unlock holy in your life, today. Holy may mean silence today but tomorrow may mean lawful driver. Each of us are individuals who have an individual plan for our life. The plan God has for you always includes holiness. Be holy for your Father in Heaven is Holy.
Holy are You
Day after day of defining what holy looks like will add up into living a holy life. You will retain what holy looks like for you because you are looking for it. You will wake up every morning to begin a holy focused day and go to sleep every night with a holy smile. It is possible through Jesus Christ to be holy, as long as you retain the truth of this possibility. There is a way to unlock holy in your life and only Jesus has the Key. He will give it to you and too will be able to say, “Holy am I.”
If you require assistance with learning pondering skills please contact me at kathleen@thelifeskillsstrategist.com You can watch my podcasts to learn more about living the Abundant Life Jesus promises.
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The Different Way
Jesus calls us to walk a different way. How can anyone tell we have worked hard to be different than we were yesterday? Our last blog we talked about having a different character in this blog we are going to discuss the different way we act. We know our different character will manifest itself in the way we act. That is the different way. The way people see us, good or bad. Jesus said in Matthew 7:15-20 that false prophets and true prophets will be known by their fruit. The different way with God, always manifests itself as good fruit. We can go the different way producing good fruit when we walk in the Spirit, when we are kind and when we love our brethren.
The Spirit’s Way
Different is walking in the Spirit. Even your brethren will see you do things differently because you follow the Spirit rather than the world. The Spirit manifests Himself in you making you think different than others therefore you see you have become different. You look for Jesus in everything because the fruit the Spirit has produced in you something you want. You are addicted to the good fruit. Honey comes from it rather than mustard. Everyone’s good fruit is the work of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and our bad fruit is the work of our flesh. We walk a different way because we are killing our flesh. We have seen the result the fruit of the Spirit has had in our lives so we want to keep walking that way. How much fruit we produce is based on the percentage in the way we walk. If we are walking in the Spirit, we will produce good fruit, but if we are walking in the flesh, bad fruit. The fruit you produce as a result of the way of the Spirit will make you so different you will ooze kindness with those around you.
The Way of Brotherly Kindness
I know that some people will equate love with kindness but I see them as different. Kindness is a precursor to brotherly love. When I don’t know you, I am kind toward you, but once I know you it will be deeper. Kindness is more of a superficial way of treating unknown people. We are kind to people when we don’t know exactly what they need, so we guess, and we deliver. We can guess that a homeless man, who has no coat, needs a coat, so we give him one. When we continue to walk the way of the Spirit kindness toward people will make us different than others. We are kind to everyone no matter who they are, even when everyone else hates them. The need to be kind will be something you will not be able to squelch because the Spirit will give you the power and the prodding. When you go the way of the Spirit to kindness you begin to walk in love as well.
The Way of Brotherly Love
While kindness is superficial, love is deeper. We will be known to be a disciple of Jesus by our deep love (John 13:35). God is giving us information, by revelation, that can be used to know them better. We are drawn back to the people who need our kindness, by the Spirit, over and over again. We are beginning to feel more than a need to provide for them, we are feeling a deep need to see their lives improved. The way of brotherly love goes deeper than kindness and goes deeper into the trenches as well. Kindness provides a fish while love teaches them how to fish. Love is an endless action meant to improve lives. This different way of love manifests itself by the leading of the Holy Spirit and the mission of the Father. It is specific to the plan of God for us and for those we are called to manifest this different way of love too. It manifests itself as speaking the truth (all of it), reprimanding for sin, teaching ways to escape temptation, teaching every commandment in the Word of God, revealing every promise and all done with kindness.
Different in God’s way does not mean the same as the worlds way. It manifests itself in a way that set us apart from others. They witness this different way and they want it too. People are changed when we choose to walk the different way. When we choose to walk by the Spirit it is the way of life for both us and those we are called to serve. When we choose to walk in the way of kindness we see how people react to our actions. When we choose to walk in the way of love we are responsible for people seeing Jesus in this world. Every word we say, every action we take show the way to Jesus. Being Jesus in this world is the goal of being different otherwise there is no different way. Walk in the different way to manifest Jesus to people.
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The Yay’s and the Nay’s have it! Or do they?
In spite of what people may say God has gifted each one of us with gifts to be able to do our jobs. Our jobs consist of how we make our daily income as to not starve to death. We have what the world will call natural talents but we Christians know that these gifts are from God and are for His glory to do His good works. We get excited because we will be able to use them for the good of the Kingdom. When you attempt to activate these gifts inside the Body of Christ we will come across the nay’s and the yay’s in spite of what the Father has told us to do. Should you listen? Yes! Should you obey? Now that is another story all together!
The nay’s are the hardest to ignore. They are persistent and loud. They come from people who love you and people who hate you. They come from those who want to be you and those who just want you to go away! The goal of the nay is to stop you in your tracks – not to redirect you or help you – just to stop you! Stopping you could also mean many different things. It could be because they have a belief system that is built on false precepts and you are challenging those precepts. It could be that you ‘going’ might mean where they are in their eyes isn’t good enough. It could be that they actually have a good misguided heart and don’t want you to be hurt. The problem with each one of these is they are disobedient to the plans of the Father. Jesus said to Peter in Matthew 16:23 get behind me Satan. You are a stumbling block to Me! Peter was concerned about the things of men rather than of the thing of God. I am convinced there is a lot of people just like that. They set out to be stumbling blocks to people because they are not dealing well with their own stumbling blocks. It may be their thought processes, their beliefs or they just might be full of spite from their own lack of success! None of this is our problem unless they are successful at stopping us! I think we should listen but with our Spirit to discern the truth! I say, get behind me Satan. You are a stumbling block to God and to me. Then I will put the things of God on my mind and keep moving even if I am scared!
The yay sayers may very well be hard to ignore as well! How many times do we need to be patted on the back for a job well done before we become prideful and expect the pat? Sometimes the yay’s are for us to participate in something ‘not’ in the plan of God for us. Quite often this is the case and it keeps us from doing what we are suposed to do. We spend a lot of time doing stuff that doesn’t please God and ironically enough, doesn’t even please us. We clean when we hate cleaning, we take care of kids when we hate it, we lead but are not gifted for it, we preach but are not called to do it. There is just so much we do that doesn’t give glory to God because He has not asked us to go man has and we don’t have the words or the guts to say no. Every now and then we need to do stuff that is not appealing to us but the majority of the time we need to do what God has called us and gifted us to do. God does not gift you to be a door matt He gifts you to empower the Body of Christ. We cannot do that if we are not joyful in our work. Jesus said in Luke 9:24 that if you lose your life you shall live. Losing your life means dropping your own selfish plans and standing behind God’s plan for you even against other Christians who are not willing to lose their lives. All of God’s work is good but not all of it is beneficial to us or the Body of Christ when we are doing it. We need to listen with our Spirit for direction and do what we are told.
The nay’s and the yay’s can be considered but should never be held up before God’s plan for us. He may very well have sent those folks to us to test our faith or to actually get us to stop doing something He never told us to do nor gifted us to do. We need to know our Father so that we can tell the difference between a nay for men or for God and the yay from men or from God. Our lack of knowledge of the Father will always put us in a tricky position discovering what is of God and what is of men. We will be thrown to and fro if we don’t make sure that what we are doing is of God. For us to be successful at doing the will of God we need to put the nayers and the yayers behind us and God in front of us. As long as we are following God we will do exactly what He wants and not worry about what man wants from us.
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